*Spoilers if you haven't finished Ted Lasso. Turn around and come back later*
Aside from some pieces on How I Met Your Mother and Community from almost a decade ago, I don't often talk about television on here. But I wanted to take a moment to discuss one of my favorite new shows in recent years, Ted Lasso.
Ted Lasso was an adrenaline shot of positivity that came into my life at just at the right time. Arguably I think it did the same thing for a lot of people. The series dropped on Apple TV+ in the middle of 2020, a time when we collectively were all at our low point. Saying Ted Lasso is a feel-good show is an understatement. This show taught its viewers so much about self-love, mental health, our obligation to our fellow man. Ted Lasso's (Jason Sudeikis) wisdom and teachings had just as much effect on its viewers as it did the other characters in the show. I would go so far as to say Ted changed lives on and off the screen.
Which is probably why it hit so hard on May 31, 2023 when Ted resigned as Head Coach from AFC Richmond and returned home to the states to be closer to his son in the series(?) finale. Full disclosure I ugly cried. Overall I really enjoyed the series (?) finale, although I took some issues with it, which I won't get into here. Like many television finales, Ted Lasso's seems to have divided its fanbase. Some liked it. Others didn't. One particular criticism of the finale I want to address is the notion that Ted himself was very cold and emotionless, and seemed rather unfazed by his leaving.
Now what I'm about to share with you is in no means a definitive explanation for it. This is just my own personal opinion and analysis of it. First of all, I want to take a look at Ted's final note to Trent Crimm (James Lance). For perspective, Trent was writing a book on AFC Richmond's season, and he gave a copy of the manuscript to Ted to look over before it went to the publishers. Ted's note to Trent reads "One small suggestion. I'd change the title. It's not about me. It never was."
It's not about me. It never was.
While Trent's book (and the series) may have been named after Coach Lasso, this story was never his. It was about the people whose lives he touched and changed forever. I've seen many comparisons of Ted Lasso to The Wizard of Oz online. Ted is essentially Dorothy, he's from Kansas, so naturally he returns to Kansas at the end of the series. Jamie (Phil Dunster) is The Scarecrow, no brain, Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) is The Tin Man, no heart, a few characters could be The Cowardly Lion or a Witch, I digress. Feel free to look this up and come back here later. But I would like to draw comparison to a different film, and that is Mary Poppins.
For those of you that don't know (LOL), Mary Poppins is the story of a magical nanny who arrives in London to help take care of the two children of The Banks Family. Through her teachings, she not only helps the children, but she helps their father understand what's really important in life, and that's his family. By the end of the film the bond of The Banks Family is stronger than ever, and Mary Poppins takes her leave, rather unceremoniously, and without a big, heartfelt goodbye...maybe you see where I'm going with this.
At the start of the series, a bitter and cynical Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) has taken over the club from her ex-husband Rupert (Anthony Head) with the intention of destroying the one thing he loved the most. To do that, she hires the worst possible person as head coach, Ted. Naturally it backfires on her, and not only does Ted improve the team, and eventually lead them to victory, he helps improves her own life. Ted also brings the team closer together, and makes them a found family. Jamie and Roy go from enemies to friends, as do Jamie and Sam (Toheeb Jimoh), and everyone comes to value Nate (Nick Mohammed). Plus let's talk about how they all celebrate Christmas together in one of the best holiday episodes in recent years. Ted very much is like AFC Richmond's own Mary Poppins. He flies in from God knows where, and helps them all to become better, and when they all do become better, it's time for him to leave.
Now I think in most finales, or episodes where a main character is leaving, it becomes like an "emotional road-trip" if you will, where they have a poignant final moment with every other major character. (See Frasier, see Michael Scott's last episode of The Office, etc.) Is this a nice thing to do? Yes. Is it a bit cliche'? Yes. Here's why I don't think Ted Lasso did it...because they were doing it every other episode. Ted was having important, emotional moments with the other characters from the very beginning. That was his deal. Helping everyone see the best version of themselves. He once told Dr. Sharon (Sarah Niles) that after his father's suicide, he would never let anyone get by him without understanding their worth and what they meant to him. So I think to do that all again with every character in the finale just would've been a bit redundant. To me Ted's final locker room speech to the team hit all the right notes.
But that still begs the question, why did he seem so cold in the finale? Well simply because his goal was to get back to his son. But let's get back to that Mary Poppins connection. As Mary (Julie Andrews) packs up her things, the Banks children, Jane and Micheal (Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber) plead with her to stay, and ask her "don't you love us?" to which Mary replies "And what would happen to me, may I ask, if I loved all the children I said goodbye to?"
Ted's goal was to never make AFC Richmond his new home. Like he told Trent Crimm long ago when they first went out to dinner, he loves coaching, and it was never about winning or losing but "helping these young fellas be the best version of themselves on and off the field." That's just what Ted did, and when the mission was complete, it was time for Teddy Loppins (Ugh...) to fly away, off to next people that needed him.
Mary Poppins may be the titular character, but it's not her story. The story is about a family learning to grow and be better together. Just like Ted Lasso may be the titular character, but as he told Trent in his note "It's not about me. It never was." Ted Lasso and Mary Poppins both focus on a person that comes into the lives of a group of troubled people, and by simply being themselves, make their world a better place.
Again, this is all just my own interpretation and couldn't amount to anything more than a crumbly box of biscuits....HOWEVER, I do think it's interesting that in the third episode of season 3, when the guys are sharing their favorite Julie Andrews performances, Ted agrees with Higgins (Jeremy Swift) and selects Mary Poppins. And maybe, just maybe this is why he wasn't totally breaking down at the team's performance of "So Long, Farewell" from The Sound of Music, because it's not his favorite Julie Andrews film (It is Roy's though).
Ted Lasso definitely left an impact on anyone who watched it. I haven't met anyone that hasn't resonated with the series. It's definitely something you can rewatch over and over and still get that feel-good feeling from...just like Mary Poppins.
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