2x08 Man City

[8.3/10] At the beginning of the season, I griped about how I was no longer interested in Jamie or Roy, and I didn’t really like Dr. Sharon. Well, jokes on me, because this episode does great things with all three of them.

By god, I didn’t think I’d end up feeling for Jamie. I really didn’t. But watching him look on in envy and sadness at Sam’s conversation with his dad, and the fatherly pride that comes with it, is full of pathos. So is Sam getting his dad tickets to the big game at Wembley and the man showing up with his buddies all decked out in the gear for the opposing team. It’s incredibly cathartic when Jamie finally stands up to his dad, and even cocks him one, when his father is being a total prick, not just to him, but to the entire team. My hope is that it’s a turning point for Jamie in separating himself from his dad’s B.S.

I was likewise touched by Roy’s story here. When he was called in to answer for niece’s cursing, I thought this was going to be a wacky sitcom subplot. “Roy has to use a swear job so his niece won’t get in trouble or something.” Instead, the writers went to some place much more real. Roy telling his niece that as much as he loves spending time with her, he’s worried he’s infecting her with the worst parts of himself is heartbreaking. It’s equally and oppositely wholesome when he tells her she’s better than him, and means it, and she responds that she’s his best self. It speaks to a love and confidence between niece and uncle that is almost unbearably sweet and true.

So it has extra meaning when Roy, of all people, goes to comfort Jamie after such a difficult confrontation, being that best self, making himself worthy of being the man his little niece sees him as. It’s a story of two men who’ve always had issues doing better, to support one another and for themselves, even when it’s hard, and one of the most potent emotional moments this show’s ever pulled off.

The same goes for the interludes between Dr. Sharon and Ted. The bit with Ted looking after “Doc” after a car hits her on his bike is a little silly. But it’s a good time for their sunny and serious repartee, and for the two to open up just a little bit. I love the idea that the key for Ted to opn up and be vulnerable with Dr. Sharon is for her to do the same with him. She’s embarrassed about the wine bottles she has out, but still tells Ted that she was and is scared after her accident, not for a pep talk, but just because she trusts him and needed to tell someone.

That show of vulnerability begets another, as we have the most wounded admission we’ve ever had from Ted to date. He tells Dr. Sharon, after another tough moment, that his father committed suicide when Ted was sixteen. Jason Sudekis does a tremendous job communicating how hurt Ted is and how hard it is to say, but also how cathartic it is to get it out. It’s a dose of realness behind a pretnerantually chipper character, and I love the way the show brings the two of them into a trusted space with one another.

For all that heaviness, I also love the lightness and joy of the Rebecca/Sam story. The idea of people going on a blind date who, it turns out, know each other, is a silly romcom-y. But the two performers have such great chemistry, to where you 100% buy the nervousness but also the joy of the time they’re sharing. It’s a peculiar situation (and I do hope the show digs deeper into the “I’m your boss” element that would be a complicating factor), but it’s also easy to root for the two of them given their easy, mutually supportive air with one another. The fact that Sam effectively communicates to Rebecca through his interview, speaking to the value of trying being worth it even if it turns out badly, is the icing on the cake. As familiar as some of the trappings here are, the romantic elements work here, and are a delight.

That just leaves the game itself. I appreciate that for all the magnitude of AFC Richmond making it this far and getting to play a game in Wembley stadium, this isn’t a surprise triumph, but rather a drubbing by a much superior team. The loss hurts, but also feels true to life, which heps balance out some of the wish fulfillment/hugbox elements in the rest of the series. Nate getting a red card, Coach Beard seeming genuinely upset by the beating, and the whole team seeming deflated gives the thing weight.

But it’s counterbalanced by the camaraderie of Isaac giving Sam the annual haircut. The needle drops are perfect, and the plain communal fun of them watching Isaac work his magic is infectious.

All in all, this is one of the best episodes of Ted Lasso to date, and a tribute to the show’s ability to take characters and storylines I was shaky on and spin them into gold.