Ted Lasso is coming back for a second season and before the comedy premieres this July, every fan needs to chart all that happened in the impressive first season.
The story itself is simplistic, wholesome and endearing: an American coach, who’s also possibly the nicest man in the universe, flies to the UK to coach a Premier League team. And as sweeping as the premise may sound, Ted Lasso, the character, never seems unrealistic or preachy. Yet, there are some storylines that seem to have meandered because they did not get any closure or even a sense of resolution.
Rebecca’s Relationship About The Club
How does Rebecca really feel about Richmond? She realizes that she made a petty mistake when she hires Ted Lasso so the team would lose. But when she sees how much potential he has as a coach and how he was able to bring the team together, she changes her motives completely. She even admits her past mistakes and apologizes.
But how does she really feel about the club, post her epiphany? She never thought of the club as her own, because her ex, Rupert, loved it and hence she wanted to take Richmond down. But Rebecca’s relationship with her team never got any closure.
The Storyline With Rupert And The Stocks
In episode 8, Rupert tells Rebecca that his new girlfriend Rebecca, or Bex, bought some stocks in AFC Richmond, which means he and Bex will be at all of the games from now on. This leaves Rebecca aghast because Richmond marked her emancipation from Rupert and she did not want him to be able to criticize her.
Ted wagers Rupert to a game of darts and says if he wins, Rupert has to stay away from the club. Ted does win but Bex still owns stocks in the club. This fails to factor in whatsoever in the later episodes and is not even mentioned again.
What Was The Point Of The Shortbread?
The shortbread that Ted brings every morning to Rebecca’s office was built up as this tool of communication between the two. Rebecca just couldn’t resist the shortbread and even asked Higgins to find out where Ted sources them from. Ted, of course, baked the biscuits himself every day, but what was the point of the biscuits?
From the very beginning, they were treated like a mysterious subplot waiting to happen, leading the viewers to believe that the connection between the shortbread biscuits and Rebecca went deeper. It’s possible that season 2 will explore another side to Ted’s shortbread biscuits, but as of season 1, the storyline came across as half-baked.
Jamie And Ted’s Relationship
There are so many questions about Jamie and Ted’s relationship that fans need answers to. Firstly, why didn’t Ted just call Jamie and clear the air regarding his reassignment to Chelsea? Ted could have explained very easily that it was Rebecca who made the calls about his switch and not him.
Their storyline is left open-ended because it never reaches a resolution, even though Ted does make a gesture of peace as he gifts Jamie with his soldier figurine, their arc is wrapped up rather clumsily.
Roy’s Future In Football
The show did something quite ambitious, as it explored the arc of an aging footballer who isn’t at the peak of his game and has to suffer through an onslaught of criticism from his fans and team. Roy injures himself in the final match and leaves the field, but when the first season ends, fans still have no idea where Roy will find himself in the next season.
It becomes very clear that he can’t play in Richmond in any primary positions, and he is even benched before the penultimate game. So, what’s next for him? Would he consider a switch or will he explore another career? Season 1 simply leaves his story alone.
Ted And Flo’s Storyline
It’s entirely possible that Ted and Flo’s fling was just a one-episode thing. But Flo and Rebecca are best friends, so it makes it difficult for fans to treat Ted and Flo’s situation as a random, one-off incident, not just because Flo is most likely coming back in season 2, but also because she arrived in Ted’s life during a particularly turbulent phase. Flo is the only other woman he has been with, except his wife, which makes her significant.
But besides a mention to Coach Beard, Ted doesn’t bring up Flo again and neither does anyone find out about their fling, which makes things confusing. Are they in touch? Are they friends? Will Rebecca find out? Could Ted consider pursuing a serious relationship with Flo? And most importantly, how do they feel about each other?
What Happened With Bex And Jamie?
Bex was introduced as Jamie’s second date for the charity auction gala, which prompted Keeley to break up with Jamie. But Bex leaves the gala with Rupert. She eventually pursues a relationship with him and it’s revealed in the final episode that she is carrying his child. But if Bex was brought in as a love interest for Rupert why was she introduced as Jamie’s date?
Also, Jamie and Bex are only seen interacting for a mere few seconds, so where do things stand between them? Was Jamie bothered that his date was dating Rupert? Bex’s personal storyline comes across as a bit lazy since there are so many loose ends.
The Tussle About The Paparazzi Photos
In the very first episode, Rebecca hires paparazzi to take pictures of Keeley and Ted so the press could play off the pictures with a scandalous headline. She later ditches the plan when she realizes how risky it could be if someone traces them back to her. In episode 8, Keeley discovers the pictures in a photographer’s camera roll and also finds out that Rebecca had hired him once for the other pictures with Ted.
Keeley confronts Rebecca about this, but Keeley was with Roy when she found the photographer’s camera. This means that Roy should also know about what Rebecca did, and yet he doesn’t seem to care about her motives. Moreover, Keeley and Rebecca’s friendship doesn’t seem to find a resolution, even though Rebecca apologizes and admits her previous intentions.
What Happens With The Pub Goers?
The show focuses a lot on the community around the club, specifically the pub-goers and how they feel about the team. A small group of pub-going, die-hard Richmond fans seem to detest Ted as the coach and only criticize him. As the show progresses and Ted wins many hearts, the pub-goers do warm up to him to an extent, but broadly speaking, their reaction to Ted and Coach Beard remains pretty much the same.
One problem is, of course, the fact that the team doesn’t exactly win trophies, and though Ted is a good coach, it takes him a while to get the hang of coaching European football. But since the pub-goers were set up as the markers of Ted’s influence over the community, and their reactions had no major change, the storyline seemed pretty mishandled and also, at times, unnecessary.
Dani And Sam’s Storylines
Dani and Sam are basically propelled as young and promising soccer players who pose somewhat of a threat to superstar Jamie. But what was the point of introducing superbly talented players if their personal narratives played no significant role in the plot and didn’t even make for credible subplots because there was no progression?
Dani and Sam were depicted as the new generation of players who could be the polar opposites of Jamie, but their storylines never gave the fans any resolution as to where they are in their personal lives or even in their careers.