Ted Lasso – both the second season and the titular character – has gone through some painful ups and downs. The hit series feels completely different than it did this same time last year. After getting relegated in the previous season finale, AFC Richmond is gearing up for a shot at promotion. Leading up to this final match, Ted himself deals with the fallout of the article published by The Independent. Revealing to the public that Ted suffered a panic attack, the premise of the season seems to come full circle.
No longer afraid of the truth or his vulnerabilities, Ted puts on display a level of genuine openness towards himself and others. This whole season has been about Ted Lasso confronting his anxiety and bottled-up emotions. While the first season may have showcased his adaptation in a wildly different work environment, season 2 was more of a focus on how that took a toll on him mentally.
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Ted isn’t the only character showing his growth in this season finale either. Roy and Jamie have a particularly hilarious encounter that is an excellent display of how far the characters have come in the two seasons. There’s growth all around at AFC Richmond. While the version of the team at the end of the last season wasn’t ready for the league that they were in, the opposite is true in this episode. Here we have a full-formed and matured team that is more than ready to leave relegation.
What was a devastating loss in the last season finale has changed. In hindsight, that loss a year ago was just what the team needed to grow. The storytelling on display for this group as a whole has been impressive, to say the least. Each character has grown into different people. For better or worse. In the case of Nate, who has become completely unhinged in this season finale, it was most certainly for the worst. Nate’s development stagnated after the first season, then slowly went into decline. Ted was so busy coaching a team and dealing with his own trauma that he didn’t notice the way Nate deteriorated into a selfish and insecure person.
Ted and Nate’s interactions this season have been minimal and where there was conflict, it was subtle. In this final episode of the season, though, everything blows up at once. The final confrontation between Ted and Nate is a heavy and bitter one. The scene is tragic and frustrating, and it ends without much resolution. There is a clear setup in the last half of the episode for the inevitable third season. Because of that the episode itself doesn’t have much to do other than set up future conflicts as well as show how far everyone (Ted especially) has come.
Overall, Ted Lasso Season 2 ends with exciting promises for our characters. Ted himself is in a completely different, healthier state of mind. Season 2 dared to do something different than the popular and well-received season that came before it. Because of that, I have to give the series credit for not trying too hard to replicate what came before. The season finale is a testament to that while, not moving the overall story forward all that much, still was able to show us how much everyone has grown. I can’t wait to see where the series goes next. – Ernesto Valenzuela
Rating: 9/10
Ted Lasso Season 2 is now streaming in its entirety on Apple TV+
