There have been SO many jokes about how horrible the year 2020 has been. Those jokes have a basis in reality, but that doesn't mean there aren't good things too. I initially wanted to list all the good things in my life to remind myself that even in the darkness there can be light. Without even having to think too hard I came up with my wife my four kids, my dogs, my cat, other family members, too many friends to mention, and much more that are all good.
Right around the time I was thinking about being positive that the Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso dropped into my life. I say dropped, but honestly it was moreso that a person I trust mentioned how good it was, followed by half of my Twitter feed. I was aware of the show, as I am very heavily involved in the greater soccer community, but I wasn't sure I wanted to subscribe to another streaming service. Ultimately, I gave in given everyone's positive reactions online.
Since it was about halfway through the season when I signed up, I was able to binge the first four episodes, and only had to wait two days for the fifth episode. Like many others, I was an instant Ted Lasso convert. I have always enjoyed Jason Sudekis' talent, and being a lover of the beautiful game, I was primed for this show. My wife likes soccer, and watches it with me, but prior to meeting me, wasn't a big supporter. Despit that she is also a big fan of Ted Lasso. Nearly everyone I have introduced to this show loves it. Not all, but the vast majority.
So what is so great about Ted Lasso? It's much easier to tell you what isn't great. Basically, some of the actual soccer action is obviously not being portrayed by real soccer players, and so it looks stilted and slow. That's it. That's the only problem with the show. Typically I am put off a bit if I can tell where the story is going to go beforehand. It doesn't always take away my enjoyment, but I do like to be surprised by a story. That wasn't the case with Ted Lasso. I often knew exactly where the story was going, but I still very much enjoyed the journey that the story and the characters took me on. The feeling of enjoyment, even knowing what was to come, was profound enough that I mentally made note it.
I mentioned that the actual scenes of soccer being played were the only fault I could find in the show, but soccer is merely the vehicle that is being used to frame, and propel the story. Which makes the point such a trivial complaint, that I only mention it so you don't think I'm completely blind to potential faults within the show. A person doesn't need to understand soccer or the intricacies of the English Premier League to enjoy the show, because Ted doesn't understand those things either. He is the gateway through which a non-soccer watcher can enter and enjoy Lasso's world.
I think one of the reasons Ted Lasso has struck such a chord with nearly all who have seen it is that it came at just the right time. With so much turmoil and chaos in the world, and in our country in particular, here comes a character that is genuinely a good human being. Ted cares for those around him. He gives people the benefit of the doubt, and builds people up. He helps the people in his life evolve into the best version of themselves, and he does that while dealing with his own heartbreaks and challenges. In one episode Ted quotes Walt Whitman, "Be curious, not judgemental." Ted has really taken this to heart, and tries through his words and actions to live accordingly. How many of us can say the same? How many public servants currently employ this philosophy? The answer is far too few. That is why Ted Lasso is the palate cleanser, the breath of fresh air, and the cool balm for the year that is 2020. I am grateful to all of those whose hard work gifted us this show.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention many of the different characters. The titular Ted Lasso gets the lion's share of the attention, but often only as a way to bring along the development of the supporting cast. Coach Beard (one of my favorites) is his aide de camp, his right hand man, and partner in what Ted tries to build at Richmond. Unlike Ted, Coach Beard immediately did a deep dive into soccer tactics, vernacular, and how English football functions. As Ted tells him, "Coach, you are a sponge." Brilliantly played by Brendan Hunt, Coach Beard has some of the most understated lines throughout the show. Which makes the moment when he finally vents some of his personal aggravation all the more impactful.
Upon arrival at the AFC Richmond facilities, Lasso and Beard meet Nate. Nate the Great, who is played by Nick Mohammed, Nate is both a highly strung worrier, and a mouse unsure of his place in the world. Nate's growth through the course of the season is a joy to behold. You feel his tightly contained passion when it slips out on occasion. You feel his trepidation and joy as the possibilities open up in front of him. While no one will forget his dressing down of the players before the Everton match, it is the smaller moments like the formation of the Diamond Dogs, or knowing glances with Beard about Roy Kent that are just as important in revealing the vastness that is his inner self.
AFC Richmond is owned by Rebecca Welton, played by Hannah Waddington. Rebecca makes a very interesting progression from ally to antagonist to advocate when it comes to Ted, and the Lasso Way. Rebecca's story shares some beats with Ted's and we can understand her motivations, especially after we meet the former owner of Richmond, her ex Rupert Mannion. Anthony Head's Rupert is played with all of the swarminess that one would could hope for in an ex-husband. Rebecca's relationship with Rupert is one of the key motivations for the entire show, and Ted's impact on her is significant, especially when all of her machinations are laid bare at Ted's feet.
I mentioned Roy Kent above, and as my wife will tell you, he is my other favorite. Of course, on a show with a cast of this quality, "favorites" means 1-A, and 1-B, with everyone else coming in at 2-A, 2-B, and on and on. Roy is an aging player with a bit of an anger issue. Roy is the stereotypical manly man who gets ice cream and reads books with his neice. A grumpy man that is polite and tries to do the right thing for those he cares about. A player that was once one of the best in the league, but despite losing his edge gives his all for his teammates both on and off the pitch. Finally, Roy has some of the best lines outside of Coach Beard. This seemingly simple, but truly complex character is brought to life brilliantly by Brett Goldstein. His interactions with Ted, Jamie Tartt, and Keeley Jones in particular are spot on. I can't wait to see what happens for Roy in the second season.
Speaking of Ms. Jones, played by the lovely Juno Temple, she is a woman that is in a lot of ways everything that the men in her life are not. With Jamie, she is his intellectual and emotional superior, but never treats him that way. With Roy, her caring, loving nature is able to open him up in a way he's not allowed anyone to do before (other than his neice). Yet even when doing so, she is sure enough of herself to be the one that models what she wants from him. This is not to say she is defined by the men in her life. Indeed, she is a successful young woman that makes the transition into the next phase of her life on her own merits in the course of the first season. She is also Rebecca's new friend, which is incredibly important given that Rebecca had all but subdued her own self into her and Rupert's marriage. It is Keeley that helps Rebecca to emerge from that pain. In many ways, if Ted is the heart of the show, Keeley is the Timelord's second heart that makes the show what it is.
Jamie Tartt (do doo doo doo doo do, Ja-mie Tartt, do doo doo doo doo do), is the brash soccer phenom that simply knows he's the best. Except there's a hole inside him that even Ted Lasso has trouble filling. In so many ways Jamie is a child. Keeley is a bit of a mother to him, even after they break up. He is constantly looking for approval, even at the expense of his teammates, and though he'd never admit it from Coach Lasso. Phil Dunster does a very good job of bringing the arrogance tinged with inner doubt that defines Jamie Tartt.
The remainder of the supporting cast from the other Richmond players like Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández) and Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh) to Mae and the supporters at the Crown & Anchor pub, are perfect. I don't want to short shrift those actors and their contributions, as they provide depth and flavor to the show in ways that make it feel all the more real.
I'll finish with Ted himself. We learn pretty early on why Ted is willing to take on this challenge. He even asks Coach Beard if they are crazy for taking the job, to which Beard replies, "Yeah, this is nuts". Ted is supposed to be the proverbial fish out of water, and in many ways he is (like the offside rule), but in all the ways that matter he isn't. The grass on the pitch feels different but also the same. The locker room smells like those he's been in before. Ted is a Jedi Master of human relations (except his own), and if he was dropped off on a different planet, he'd be able to get the best out of the alien players in whatever game they play. His positivity is infectious without being obnoxious. His good nature is like waves that will erode the strongest stone. He is a person we all hope we are, flaws and all. I'm not saying he's perfect, but since he's a fictional character, he is able to provide both a window and a mirror for the viewer into who they are and who they might want to be.
I will never apologize for recommending this show. Nor am I alone. I searched "don't like Ted Lasso" and "Ted Lasso sucks", and all the results were still articles singing it's praises. I truly think this show would be a hit no matter when it came out, but given it arrived in what seems to be a never-ending morass of a year, it grows your heart three sizes even if you're not a Grinch.
