Ted Lasso “Lavender”

OK, two episodes into the season, and I think I know where this season might be going.  I could be very wrong, of course, but I have a good idea.

Essentially, if the first season was largely about Ted moving to England, settling in there, and using his unique positive attitude to slowly but surely win over everyone around him, this season might be showing its limits.  There seems to be a suggestion that Ted might not be the best at communicating with others.  True, he’s still basically a nice man, and this show is basically a form of comfort food TV, so I don’t think it’s going to get too harsh on the guy.  It’s just that he seems to be operating on a level that others don’t quite always get.

And yes, that comfort food TV may mean this is a pleasant place to go visit, but that doesn’t mean it can’t get a bit R-rated whenever Roy opens his mouth.  It just means the series is essentially about good people trying to do right in the world through acts of kindness.  Roy may swear on live television, but he did it in part because Keeley saw he needed something, and he likes to make her happy.

Instead, there’s Dr. Fieldstone who initially seems resistant to Ted’s charm.  She’s mostly just a professional and becomes more human by episode’s end.

And yes, she does gradually get closer to the pitch as she watches a practice.  That said, I get the impression Ted might need her services at some point.  He’s probably swallowing a lot of negative emotions.

But then there’s the Jamie issue.  Jamie wants to come back, and Ted eventually relents because, well, he thinks Jamie needs a good father figure in his life since his actual father is awful.  There’s some social media pictures that make it look like it might be happening before it does, and while Ted tells the truth about not bringing Jamie back, he changes his mind at some point.

Worth noting, this goes against the advice of Coach Beard and Nate.  Higgins is onboard, but not the other two guys.  And Ted had to assure at least one player that Jamie’s return was not imminent.  I don’t think Ted lied to Sam, but he clearly is operating on his own level.  Beard seems to be familiar with this sort of stuff, but the others might not be so comfortable with that.  Ted’s a well-meaning guy that people are naturally inclined to like.

That doesn’t mean he’s flawless.