1x09 All Apologies

[7.7/10] Count in for the Rebecca Welton apology tour! There may be no greater moment of catharsis on the show thus far than Rebecca coming clean to Ted. When Rupert tells her he’s having a baby with his fiancee, with the implication that it’s just to hurt her, you expect her to lash out again.

Instead, seh comes clean. That's truly refreshing. Her admitting not only that she hired the photographer to go entrap Ted, but that she hired him so the team would do poorly to hurt Rupert, and sabotaged him at every turn, represents real growth. Maybe that growth was inevitable, given the aspirational tone of the show. But nonetheless, it’s refreshing to see her confess the truth to Ted, ask for his forgiveness, and ultimately receive it.

If anyone knows that divorce can make a person be less than their best, it’s Ted. His understanding is practically superhuman, but fits within the confines of this larger than life show. His appreciativeness for how this job has changed his life and made him see some important things with greater clarity helps him to show Rebecca some incredible grace. A true highlight of the season.

Plus hey, I’m truly glad that Rebecca came to apologize to a hilariously van dyke-sporting, upright bass-playing Higgins. The fact that she came to him rather than the other way around is another sign of growth and decency in Rebecca, and their conversation is just as delightful.

But the scene that rivals them in this one is Coach Beard confronting Ted over his “some things matter more than wins and losses” philosophy. Beard points out that there’s a difference between college and the pros. That treating teenagers with grace and a desire to improve their lives more than to win a game makes sense, but that there’s consequences when grown adults fail at what they’re paid vast sums of money to do, that it’s okay to want to win, and that it’s even more okay to want to be able to build something. It’s the tension at the heart of this show -- that some things truly are more important than winning, but that all of these professionals are also paid to do a job and take pride in being able to do well. Having a confidante like Coach Beard express that idea to Ted gives it some extra force, and I'm glad the perspective is represented on the show.

Last but not least we have the idea that Roy might be benched, which is the crux of the disagreement between Ted and Coach Beard (and to a lesser extent, Nate.) For Ted, it’s a test of the limits of his people-first coaching style. But for Roy, it’s an identity crisis, since he’s not sure who he is if he’s not a football star. I appreciate Keeley being the one to persuade him that it’s okay not to be a superstar footballer and that he can still have his dignity and identity without it. Her using the niece who’d still love him no matter what he does to make the point is a little manipulative, but damn it’s effective. And Roy gracefully accepting being on the second team given his play, and even tapping on the believe sign, is a heartwarming moment which shows he’s grown almost as much as Rebecca has.

Now look, the prospect of Roy messing things up comes a little out of nowhere. It was only a few episodes ago that his anger before the Everton match helped spur the team to victory. And you just know that he’s going to come off the bench to do something important in the last game to spare the team from regulation, probably tripping up Jamie in the process. Still, I appreciate what the show’s trying t o do with him here, showing his sense of peace with his evolving role as a professional athlete, and helping him understand what the needs of his cahc, and the team are, in a way that helps him to put those above his own needs.

Overall, this is a lovely lead-in to the finale, which spotlights the growing maturity and decency of some of the show’s key figures to this point, and makes good on some of the original premise of the show in the lead-up to the season finale.