The "Ted Lasso" Finale Set Up Season 3 Perfectly And We Can't Wait For It
On today's episode of BuzzFeed Daily, we broke down the top pop culture headlines AND discussed the Ted Lasso finale. You can listen below or scroll down to read more about the interview!
So let's dive right into it! Recently we talked to Elamin Abdelmahmoud about Season 2 of Ted Lasso. Here's some of what we learned:
BuzzFeed Daily: Before we start talking about the finale, I want to know what do you think now about that initial backlash that the second season got in the beginning, where it was like, "Ted Lasso is too positive and that makes it negative," and stuff like that? I mean, what was that about? Do you think it died down? How do you feel about that?
Elamin Abdelmahmoud: I mean, I think it's silly. The initial criticism of the show continuously did not hold up. I think there's something else about the fact that a.) the show has episodic release and b.) Apple made the first seven episodes of the of the second season available for critics to review. That does not tell the full arc, nor does it actually actually serve the story well in terms of cutting it off right at that point in the arc, because as a contained unit this season was a pretty logical evolution from the beginning, of Ted sort of questioning his own approach to life, his toxic positivity.
Is it working, as people around him continuously have different collapses of their own, and he's not really able to help them? You needed to see more of the story, and I think seeing just the first couple of episodes, including the Christmas episode...sets you on a different trajectory, I think, than what the actual season trajectory was like. I think by the end of the season, you get a completed satisfying arc. One character's evolution to maybe become the next villain of sorts, but also everybody's in a different place. Everybody's questioned their own moral compass and it's way logical, but you had to wait till the end to get that satisfaction.
BuzzFeed Daily: It is, and I knew that was going to happen. I think that's what bothers me, too. I knew from the second episode, since the therapist showed up, that we were going to deal with Ted eventually going into therapy and dealing with his trauma. I'm like, "Let's give this show a chance! That's clearly where they're going in a minute."
EM: Again, that's when you only make a certain number of episodes available. It's the only thing that critics can review, and I get it. But also, I think it was sort of trying to hang too much on what was available for people, because by the end of everything else, by the end of having watched everything, I think you come away with a different reaction.
BuzzFeed Daily: All right, now we're going to get into some spoilers about the finale here. So if you haven't seen the finale yet, please hit pause, watch it, and then come back. Something a lot of people did take issue with in the finale was the treatment of Nate and his character arc. He basically turned heel. What is your opinion on the decision to take the character in that direction? Did it live up to your expectations?
EM: It more than lived up to my expectations. It was so well delivered. Nick Mohammed's acting was so incredible throughout the season, that if you go back and watch, he is in his own show and it makes perfect sense for it to resolve in that way. And you see it in these really tiny little indignities and the indignities mount up throughout the season.
There's the episode early on where he's just trying to get a seat at a table, a seat at a certain restaurant with his dad, because it makes his dad proud and he's having a really hard time, and he has to be coached through that whole process. And then you see the way that his dad treats them and it really eats at him. You see that evolve further when everyone on the team gets these little Nespresso machines, and he is not given one of those. And then you see where he gives Keeley that kiss and can Roy even muster up an ounce of rage to be mad at him? No, because he doesn't take him seriously.
You see moments like Ted Lasso being like, "I need a big dog to talk to this person about this specific situation," and Nate's like, "I'll do it." And Ted just laughs in his face. All the indignities were there, right? From the moment that Roy Kent came back to the show as a member of the coaching staff, you see the way that it tears at Nate. You see the way that he's threatened by this, and all of his nightmares are confirmed one-by-one-by-one, to the point where it's not so much a heel turn as much as a confirmation of everything he's already believed about himself. Taken to its logical extent, it's like "Nate, you need therapy, but also, I get it." You know, to me, this is a completely logical evolution for his character.
BuzzFeed Daily: Something I just truly deeply appreciated was the show's willingness to embrace a discussion about mental health and sports. It's something that seems so topical, especially now when athletes like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka are so openly discussing it. How successful do you think Ted Lasso was at handling the subject matter?
EM: I think just the introduction of, in the very first episode, "Oh, the team needs a therapist. Here's their therapist," I think sets you up in a different context of, you know, maybe I'm not really thinking about the way that athletes need mental health support or the way that might impact their performance. And then from there on, you're thinking about all these characters through that framework. When some of them are not performing very well, it goes back to their relationship, to their own self-image and their mental health. I think insofar as it had the job of introducing to people the idea that these players have dimensions of mental health struggles that they should also try to deal with, it was very successful on that front.
But really, Dr. Sharon was there as a foil for Ted Lasso, for his sort of unwillingness to break open into his own personal traumas. And by the time they get there, it is so heartbreaking. It is so, so heartbreaking. And in that way feels really earned because who among us doesn't have that thing in their history, or in their memory, where they go "I think I've dealt with that. I think I'm kind of past it." And then along comes a therapist who says, "Are you sure about that?" And you go, "No, I'm really not. I really just spent many, many hours talking about this. I just thought I could put it in that 'dealt with' bucket. But I haven't." And that's where Lasso's character goes.
We also discussed the trans Netflix employee who posted a long Twitter thread denouncing Dave Chappelle’s new stand-up special and was later suspended by the company.
According to The Verge, she and two other employees were suspended because they attempted to attend a director-level meeting they weren’t invited to.
In a statement, Netflix said, “It is absolutely untrue to say that we have suspended any employee for tweeting about this show. Our employees are encouraged to disagree openly and we support their right to do so.”
Netflix CEO also sent an internal email saying the special wouldn’t be removed, and that quote, “We don’t allow titles on Netflix that are designed to incite hate or violence, and we don’t believe The Closer crosses that line. I recognize, however, that distinguishing between commentary and harm is hard, especially with stand-up comedy which exists to push boundaries."