I’ve been watching this show all these days and the feelings are on the surface. However, I have one thing clear, this series is a jewel that will mark you without a doubt. Yes, it’s a simple plot, some say it is predictable, so you can easily know how it will develop, but there is an undertone and you have to be curious to understand why. There are many people who look only at superficial things and do not look beyond, do not look for the details. Some only watch it for football. Those who really appreciate the art of another, will look into the message that the author tries to convey in each scene or character and I would say Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt and Bill Lawrence scored a goal with this series.
Ted Lasso was released on August 14, 2020. They aired the first three episodes, followed by one weekly on the Apple TV app. The idea stems from an advertisement for NBC, who, after buying the rights to the Premier League in 2013, created a fictional character played by Sudeikis as a promotional act. For this, they pose the question, what would happen if an American football coach agreed to manage a football team in England thinking that it is the same sport? Welcome confusion and culture clashes!
And that is how this dramatic comedy begins. Rebecca Welton after officially becoming the new owner of the AFC Richmond club, hires our very optimistic protagonist Ted Lasso, who is a football coach, which is very far fetched and we wonder why him? Let’s just say Miss Welton seeks to destroy her ex-husband (Rupert Mannion) and her objective is to ruin what he loves most, the club, which is already on the verge of relegation. What will happen now in the English Premier League? Will Ted handle all that pressure? Will Rebecca’s plan work? To find out, you will have to start this journey, because you are missing many amazing things.
The series awarded with 7 (seven) Emmys, Ted Lasso, is a show of laughter, puns, pasts, tears, discussions, references to pop culture and of course to English football, it even has appearances by figures from the world of football, such as the French soccer coach: Thierry Henry or commentators: Arlo White and Chris Powell. In short, it has everything you could ask for and the performances are obviously totally outstanding. I’ve watched a few soccer series, but none felt as realistic as this one. Sometimes, when you are watching a movie or football or soccer series, you can feel that the acting is not 100% successful, or it is directly lousy. However, in this show it feels different, there is a little more notion of what football is or how to play it, how to get that natural effect in the movements. It is something that should be highlighted more because it is difficult to obtain.
Let’s also address the incredible performance of Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca Welton in the series). The arc of this character is powerful and very well done. Of course she was hard to love at first, her character had the walls up and she was willing to do whatever it takes to break Rupert M.’s heart. Making decisions she would later regret. But everything was becoming different, throughout the episodes she lets us see more and more that painful and vulnerable side. In the second season, for example, the writers decide to immerse us in her past by bringing her mother into the spotlight and of course with a story behind her. At some point in the twelve (12) episodes, Hannah rocks us with that anecdote from her adolescence that parallels Coach Lasso’s past. If we talk about the scenes in those minutes, it was a ping pong match. Tears here, tears there. The facial expressions, the way they recounted how they felt and what they went through leave you with a lump in your throat. In fact, it was that scene for which the actress won one of the Emmys. Extraordinary sequence. Brilliant job, boss!
Now, what can we learn from Ted Lasso? This is certainly my favourite part, because of course Ted had to learn a lot about British culture, and more importantly about his team, about that sport, strategies and so on. But he also came to teach, that’s what a coach does, right? So, let’s give some context to get into it. This character has been through a lot. Let’s put ourselves in his shoes. Ted is on another continent, far from his customs, far from his son, he got divorced, he suffers from that anecdote of his adolescence, followed by a loss, now he is in England coaching a club that does nothing but make it difficult, with complicated and passionate fans, but perhaps, very passionate. In fact, I could make a list with the amount of insults and nicknames that were placed on him. We have seen him break down, even having panic attacks, but the word “quit” is not in his dictionary, so he keeps on his feet and has a positive attitude in any situation, even if no one believes in him, and it is from this that we must learn.
Also, I decided to bring three things that worked very well for him to teach in a different way, so as I said before, the Premier League club was on the verge of relegation and although Lasso was not aware of what the word “relegation” meant, he knew that he had to solve it from the bottom up. So as a first lesson I would say that it was knowing how to listen, understand and find the root of the problems to work on it. Being empathic with your fellow. Lasso applied this to gain the respect of two important figures in the club, but also to resolve those differences between them, because a divided team will never succeed. Another lesson that our protagonist leaves us is to “be curious, not judgmental”. The phrase comes from Walt Whitman (American poet). This is undoubtedly perfect for what Ted Lasso is and what is behind him and that nobody asks and judge instead. And the last thing I wanted to bring is the following: “be a goldfish” you could apply this phrase for those moments of frustration, when something goes wrong, just forget it, as that fish with a ten seconds memory would. These are just a few lessons, but they are enough to know that Ted Lasso is a brilliant and exemplary leader from whom we can learn and raise our positivity in those tough times. If you are a fan, I know you’d love to have a teacher as Ted in your classes.
This show is full of wonders, great performances, perfect scripts, balance between the characters, incredible connections, teachings, unexpected twists, many things to cover, many things that I could spend hours and hours writing and never get tired of, but I think this is a good little taste of what Ted Lasso is.
Right now the fans are waiting for the next season and in addition, the club is waiting for you to join this crazy journey. Ted Lasso, a simple, but unmissable series available on Apple TV.
Fandom Lair 