“Football is life!", shouts the enthusiastic Dani Rojas. As so, football is fun, loving, heartbreaking, exciting, sad, and hopeful, and the same goes for Ted Lasso. The show might be one of the most optimistic and lovely shows in the whole streaming world. Let’s sit in Richmond’s stadium, enjoy life with Ted (Jason Sudeikis), Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), Roy (Brett Goldstein), Keeley (Juno Temple), and the rest of the team, and see which of Ted Lasso’s episodes are the best:
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 Do the Right-est Thing (S2 E3)
Apple TV+
Sam (Toheeb Jimoh) decides to go against Richmond’s sponsor: Dubai Air, by duct taping the name on his shirt after discovering the company that owns the aircraft has been linked to oil spills in his hometown of Nigeria. The whole team, including the egocentric Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), follows suit, showing how unified they are. It’s strange that the team didn’t have any consequences for this action, be it money or legal problems, but the message was strong. As this episode is one more centered on his character, Toheeb Jimoh (Sam) told Complex: “The fact that people just want footballers to play football, or want basketballers to just play basketball, it’s just so much more than that. I encourage athletes and entertainers to stay politically active and to speak out because you have a platform, and you have to use it.”
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 Man City (S2 E8)
The team prepares for one of his most important games of the season, and after a tough loss, many truths are said out loud. Jamie punches his dad in front of everyone when his father mocks the team, and is hugged by Roy (in a move we never thought possible in the show’s first episode), Sam and Rebecca see they’ve been talking to each other in a hookup app, and Ted opens himself to the team psychologist, Sharon (Sarah Niles), about the trauma of his father death. Many stories that have been boiling all year get resolved in this episode, where the lost game isn’t the most important thing. We feel for each of the characters because they’re well thought out and coherent, and their behavior, even if surprising, makes absolute sense.
6 Rainbow (S2 E5)
Apple TV
“Rainbow” uses many homages to rom-coms to explain Roy’s love for the game. After helping Isaac (Kolo Bokinni) become a better captain, Roy realizes being a TV sports commentator is not enough as football is his greatest love. Upon discovering such a feeling, he goes for it (literally, running to the stadium) in a scene that would make Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Sandra Bullock, and the rest of the rom-com queens proud. Brett Goldstein follows through in one of his best episodes as the tough guy with a sensible heart and nails every emotion that goes through his head and heart to make this episode one to be remembered.
5 Tan Lines (S1 E5)
Ted’s wife and kid come to visit him in London, and we see the end of their marriage, even if they still love each other. This episode was the one that cemented Ted Lasso as one of the best Apple TV series as it showed the cracks in Ted’s optimism and how his life philosophy requires work. It also explained why he moved to another country without his family and that maybe his way of living doesn’t always work when you have someone to share your life with.
4 No Weddings and a Funeral (S2 E10)
Rebecca’s dad dies, and the whole team goes to the funeral to support her. When she doesn’t know how to give a eulogy for her father, she starts singing Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”. Nobody knows what to do until Ted sings with her, and the whole church follows. It’s a great way to show Rebecca they’re all with her, to help her and support her in this awful moment, creating a cathartic moment for all. This is a Hannah Waddingham and Jason Sudeikis episode; as both are excellent in a scene before, that intercuts and mixes both having speeches where they each open their hearts and explain some of their most hurtful truths about their fathers. It’s a great script trick that both actors transform into a beautiful, chilling moment.
3 The Diamond Dogs (S1 E8)
“Diamond Dogs” is the name that Ted, Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt), Higgins (Jeremy Swift), and Nate (Nick Mohammed) give themselves as a team-up that advises each other. They counsel Ted on how to feel after a one-night stand, and also Roy (who hates being there and having asked for their help) on how to treat his feelings for Keely. This is also the episode where Ted challenges Rebecca’s ex-husband to a darts competition to leave her alone as the club’s president. “The Diamond Dogs” shows why Ted Lasso is one of the best workplace TV comedies of all time, while giving affection to all its characters. Especially the climactic scene of the darts competition, where Ted shares his philosophy on life; one the whole team believes in. Showrunner Bill Lawrence told Paste Magazine that philosophy: “You can be ignorant if you’re curious. Ted’s a little bit in over his head, a little bit clueless, but when he finds out, he’s curious, he processes it, he puts it away.”
2 Make Rebecca Great Again (S1 E7)
The team goes to Liverpool to play Everton, and Rebecca and Keely tag along. The best part is the relationship between the two women, as it shows the incredible chemistry and friendship between Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple, as Keely helps Rebecca get out of the post-divorce depression. Rebecca’s oldest friend, Sassy (Ellie Taylor), is also there as her friends make Rebecca remember she’s great and deserves better. This episode also has three incidents that will be explored in further episodes: Ted’s panic attack, Roy kissing Keeley, and, especially, Nate’s monologue criticizing the team and giving them the fury needed to get better and win the match, while showing a bitter side to his character.
1 The Hope That Kills You (S1 E10)
The last episode of the first season is Ted Lasso’s best. It has laughs, it has heart, it has tears, it has the team going down a division, and it has epic moments. It’s impossible not to get emotional when Roy is on the floor injured, and the whole stadium starts singing: “Roy Kent! Roy Kent! He’s here, he’s there, he’s every f**king where!” But that’s not the only chill-inducing moment of the episode; both Ted’s speeches (before and after the game) are incredibly sweet and would boost anyone’s morale, as is the moment where Ted congratulates Jamie on a great pass, even if he’s on another team, and the assist is what has made them lose the game. The team might have lost, but it has done so with honor, style, and heart, as did the show, ending its first season. It was hopeful and looking with a smile to the future, one of the many things that makes Ted Lasso the show the world needs right now.
