What Is the Story About?
After AFC Richmond gets relegated to the Championship, Ted, Rebecca and the rest of the crew are trying their best to return to the Premier League. The team, however, seems to have hit a snag during the first couple of months of the new season. The football team has had a continuous 7-game tie-streak with the team being unable to win no matter what (or lose either). This is not the ideal start that Ted envisioned for Richmond’s season, so what will Ted do to improve their chances? Can Ted do anything to improve their chances? Will Ted finally admit that he might be out of his depth here?
Performances?
Jason Sudeikis returns as the titular character, Ted Lasso, and he picks up where he left off quite easily. The man has made the role his own, and it has become his most memorable onscreen performance, even better than his roles on ‘Horrible Bosses’ and ‘We’re the Millers’. Hannah Waddingham is already well known for her role as Septa Unella from ‘Game of Thrones’ as well as her minor role in the hit Netflix series, ‘Sex Education’ – but ‘Ted Lasso’ showcaseses her brilliant acting prowess, as well her other talents, on another level. Brett Goldstein is amazing onscreen and every scene he is in, is a scene you can’t look away from.
However, the best actor (by a small margin, the aforementioned three are really brilliant) is Juno Temple. Normally, seeing a cheerful, ex-model with a (slight) personality of an airhead onscreen can quickly get boring. However, Keeley manages to make such a character interesting, by adding depth to the character with her own flair. Keeley is much more interesting in this season than the previous one and it is all thanks to Juno’s brilliant work. She gives Keeley a ridiculous amount of depth, which the character already managed to have back in season 1. She is the heart of the show – probably even more than Sudeikis sometimes. And the way she manages to be effortlessly funny sometimes just shows her range as an actor.
Analysis
While the second season is not as perfect as season one, the creators damn near tried. The sports comedy TV series picks up where it left off – making us laugh in one scene and leaving us in tears in the next (which sometimes happens during very funny scenes). While the second season has its own small issues, it manages to navigate through even more difficult topics than the previous one and for that the show runners deserve a lot of credit. The cast and crew deserve credit for making a brilliant masterpiece, and even more for this season for creating a close second with this new season.
One of the best things about the show is that nearly every main character from the first season gets a character arc this season. Ted Lasso starts the process of letting go of his father’s death, decades later. Roy stagnates for a while, until he re-discovers his passion for football. Jamie learns to value integrity, teamwork and hardships. Keeley becomes a successful entrepreneur. Hannah learns to believe in love again. Nathan goes through the craziest arc of them all and now he is likely going to be one of the biggest antagonists of season 3. Which is weird, since there are no real antagonists on ‘Ted Lasso’. Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, a new character on the show, gets her own character arc where she learns to be a better therapist. Even Coach Beard has a special arc of his own, with an entire episode revolving around him mostly.
The show also tackles important issues. Last season it was all about toxic masculinity, revenge and learning to let go. This season is all about failure, growing up and complications. And the way ‘Ted Lasso’ tackles these issues in multiple subtle ways within this season is quite ingenious. Failure is portrayed by how well the club is doing on the pitch, but also by Roy during his initial coaching and punditry as well as by Ted, when he is unable to push the team initially. Nate and Keeley “grow up” when they leave their jobs, while players like Isaac, Sam and Jamie, all mature in their own ways. Complications arise in multiple forms – Sam likes Rebecca, but Rebecca is unsure. Sam is given an unbelievable offer, but that would mean he would have to leave his budding footballing career (and Rebecca) behind. The presence of Jamie and Ruth complicates the relationship of Keeley and Roy, while Ted has to learn to let go of his childhood trauma that created other complications such as his panic attacks.
Still, like all shows, the second season of ‘Ted Lasso’ has its own issues. Well not issues per say, but rather the outdated/ clichéd amount of pop culture references that pop up during the show. While a lot of it is for Americans to understand more about UK culture – a good amount of these references go straight over our heads. On top of that, it does not make sense that every person who hears the reference instantly knows what the other person (which is usually Ted) is talking about. Still, this is mostly nitpicking.
Overall, the second season of ‘Ted Lasso’ is another must-watch season. The show continues to intrigue, while doing its main purpose quite unexpectedly – making us laugh. Apple TV+ has found a gem of a show in ‘Ted Lasso’ and we hope the web series can continue doing what it has done so far for another couple of seasons (at least).
Other Artists?
While many of the supporting actors such as Brendan Hunt, Jeremy Swift, Phil Dunster, Toheeb Jimoh, Kola Bokinni and Cristo Fernandez are perfect on the show, two among the supporting cast stand out – Nick Mohammed and Sarah Niles. Sarah is new to the show and makes her mark on ‘Ted Lasso’ quite early. Nick on the other hand, has been part of the show for a year already and comes out swinging this season as well. His character, Nathan, goes through another brilliant character arc and it is portrayed well, thanks to Nick’s exceptional performance.
Music and Other Departments?
The music selection, the editing, the direction, the screenplay, the production team’s work, the cinematography and set pieces from ‘Ted Lasso’ deserve their own articles. Each of the aforementioned parts of the show is good on their own, but when they come together, it is harmonious. This is an exceptional team effort, and the final result proves it.
Highlights?
Story
The Performance Of The Entire Main Cast
Complex Story Arcs
The Unexpected Laughs
Drawbacks?
Plot Points End Too Conveniently
Did I Enjoy It?
Oh, yes
Will You Recommend It?
Definitely
Ted Lasso Season 2 Review by Binged Bureau
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