2x03 Do the Right-est Thing

This episode of Ted Lasso was amazing. I loved how Rebecca was taking accountability for abandoning her goddaughter and was actually attempting to spend time with her and bond. Roy’s great too, giving excellent advice to Rebecca about how all she needs to do to bond with Nora is to show Nora that she’s a part of Rebecca’s life. I love this relationship with Roy and Rebecca. Roy, the former employee, casually hanging out with his boss and giving her solid advice. It’s also nice seeing Jamie trying to fit into the team again and being knocked down a peg, after he used to me this massive prick in the team back before Manchester. I’m glad he’s kinda made up with Sam, the guy Jamie ruthlessly picked on in the past, and that Jamie supported Sam in his protest against Nigeria’s corruption. Jamie’s still an egoistical kid, but I’m glad he' seems to have cooled down now and is trying to get along with his teammates rather than insult them. I also hope this show explores more why Ted is so opposed to relying on the therapist, like what Ted did for the Jamie issue. Sam is always such a good guy, its nice seeing Nigerian representation in media. I loved his story this episode, seeing him stand up against DubaiAir who was a part of the corruption in the Nigerian government, rather than accept this massive campaign offer by DubaiAir, and seeing his teammates support and join him in protest was such a great scene, and just goes to show how tight-knit AFC Richmond is. It’s also nice seeing Roy enjoy being a sports commentator. I’m glad he’s able to reconnect with the sport he loves. Also, I love the friendships in this show; they feel like actual groups who would hang out in real life, with Nathan, Higgins, Beard, and Ted always hanging out and talking in Ted’s office, and with Rebecca, Sassy, and Keeley bonding with each other this episode. Though we barely saw her, its nice seeing Dr. Sharon to, sort of always looking over Ted and what he’s doing with the team. This episode was the best one this season. I also hope we get to see Nora more and she isn’t just a one-episode character.

[7.7/10] This is the opposite of the previous episode for me. I liked everything except the stuff with Ted Lasso. I know it’s worthwhile to try to make Ted just the comic relief and not the main character now and then. But good lord, the whole “Led Tasso” shtick was grating as all hell. No more, please.

But the rest of this was good stuff. God help me, I like Jamie’s journey here. It still seems like he turned into a good person overnight. I know he’s been through some humbling circumstances, but all of a sudden, after being a self-centered showboater for pretty much the whole time we’ve seen him, he’s an instruction-following do-gooder. The path to the team accepting him is strong but the path to his personal change seems unearned.

Still, I like his efforts to get in the good graces of his teammates. Jamie slipping up and making a crack about Sam, get slide tackled for a little payback, and receiving an airing of grievances is all good as a first step. As annoying as the Led Tasso bit is, there’s at least something solid about Jamie standing up to Ted and thus earning some admiration from his teammates (save for Sam). To Keeley’s point, Jamie is the perfect person for therapy, both because he has real issues to work through but also because he likes talking about himself. And him standing in solidarity with Sam’s protest is the capstone to his acceptance, taking a brave stand when he doesn’t have to and letting Sam’s moment overshadow his return. It’s good stuff, and connects with Sam’s objections to Jamie’s return last week.

The Sam material is just the greatest. The contrast between sam’s pride in being in a national campaign, and his shame when he realizes the ctype of company his supporting is very compelling. He wants to do right by his f ather and his country, and so doing something brave, using his position as an athlete to shine a light on something more important the game, is downright wholesome. The same goes for how much Ted supports him in his protest and recognizes the disparity in how things that affect people like Ted and people like Sam get covered. Sam’s stand, and his teammates joining in it, is honestly hte most stirring thing in the whole show to this point.

I’m also glad we got some follow-up with Rebecca’s best friend, Sassy, and more importantly, her goddaugther, Nora. It’s a good thread to follow, given Rebecca’s intent to mae up for six years of lost time. And Nora’s a fun character, brining a neat voice to the usual Richmond milieu.

I particularly appreciate the arc of how Rebeccca initially tries to relate to ther teenager goddaughter through tea and dolls and the stuff she liked when she was a kid, when, thanks to some unexpected advice from Roy Kent, decides to flip it and help her do grown-up things. In this case, that means joining Rebecca in running the team for the day. The fact that it leads to Rebecca taking a stand too, spurred by Nora’s story about how sometimes you just have to do the right thing, and standing up to her billionaire buddy on the Dubai Air issue, is the icing on the cake.

Overall, the comedy in this one isn’t everything it could be (especially with Ted himself bringing down the average for once), but this one features great character moments for Sam, Jamie, and Rebecca, which still makes it a winner.