Ted Lasso S2E1: All People Are Different People

Brett   

Welcome back to the dog track greyhounds. This is Richmond till we die and episode by episode conversation about the Apple TV plus show Ted lasso, where we explore the characters, their relationships to each other, and how they're able to make us laugh until we can hardly breathe one moment and then feel what the deepest parts of our hearts the next. For this episode, our conversation is all about season two episode one titled goodbye URL. It was written by Brendan hunt, directed by Declan Loney and edited by Melissa McCoy.

Marisa  

Hey everybody, I'm Marissa. I'm here for talks on TED. I like to eat and I also like decorating for Christmas early. I apologize to my co host here Christian who doesn't believe in that baby Jesus nonsense until after Thanksgiving way to go colonialism.

Christian  

I'm Christian and I was just reminiscing about a lovely evening approximately 21 years ago, where I attended a Dixie Chicks concert at Kemper Arena in Kansas City.

Brett   

I'm Brett, I'm jealous that you saw the Dixie Chicks now known as the chicks in concert. And I too am so excited to be back talking about Ted lasso the show getting into episode one of season two. But first, we have to ask the important questions. Christian, what are you wearing?

Christian  

Thanks for asking Brett. Tonight I'm wearing a Coventry City jersey. It's subtle, yet flamboyant. And I understand that that is a juxtaposition. But that's just what this shirt is. It has alternating baby blue and navy blue vertical stripes. It's got the giant like Coventry City crest, almost taking up the entire torso of the shirt. And Subaru emblazoned across the front. And what I like about Coventry City is that they had a run where they were promoted, like two or three years in a row. And so Hey, man, we like promotion, don't we guys?

Marisa  

Yes, we do.

Brett   

Let's get on any resume.

Christian  

Yep. Any resume.

Marisa  

You know, Christian, I also went to a chicks concert, did you and it was probably more than 20 years ago as well. When I was in high school. A bunch of my friends went with our mom's except I went just because I wanted to be cool because I actually grew up, you know, in Southern California, but in a very rural town, which is kind of strange, you know, Dixieland West, if you will, yes. Like the the town is known as Horse Town, USA, there's like more horses per mile than like anywhere else in the US. So you know, like, people like to country music. And so I wanted to fit in. So I started to try to like crunchy, I mean, country music as well. So we went to a concert and my mom and I and my friends and all their moms and of course they knew how to dress like they had like boots and hats and stuff. And I was like, Oh no, like as a teenager like, you're just like always afraid like that imposter syndrome of like, will they know that? Yes, they will know like, I didn't have like my belt buckle and my boots or anything like that, but I did enjoy. It was Tim McGraw and the Dixie Chicks. So it was a really pretty good concert for a first outing. You know,

Christian  

That's a dope concert. Did you have a denim shirt with fringe?

Marisa  

No, I think I just wore like a shirt and like Levi's, like the 520 ones or whatever. It was cool back then.

Christian  

The only reason I asked is because I'm married to that person now. But I'm married to a person who saw the Dixie Chicks. Before Natalie joined. They used to come to the Bluegrass Festival in Winfield, Kansas that our family sisters, another lead singer, and they did wear matching denim shirts with big ol fringe on them.

Marisa  

I became a huge Dixie Chicks fan after that. And so looking ahead to this episode, you know, as we were getting ready for season two, I was really excited. I thought all right, like where are we going with this title? And, you know, I don't think I was prepared for where we were we went so quickly.

Brett   

I honestly thought they were somehow going to murder Rupert. I'm glad we didn't go there.

Marisa  

That's what I thought. Okay, we're just gonna bury him in a ditch somewhere. Just hide the body everyone's fine with Earl had to die.

Brett   

Yeah, no, that's not what happened in this episode, but we should tell the people what happened in this episode.

Marisa  

You're right Brett, why don't you start us off?

Brett   

I'll do that. We enter the season on the Nelson Road Stadium pitch with the dulcet tones of one Mr. Arlo Whitegetting us caught up to the fact that our beloved Richmond greyhounds have started their season with six straight ties. Dani Rojas has a chance to put Richmond ahead in the dying minutes of the match, but instead puts earl grey hound down for good when his penalty kick strikes the beloved mascot.

Christian  

Everyone takes the loss of Earl hard but none more than Dani in an effort to help him get over as you don't you dare say and say that in an effort to help him break his slump. The team brings in sports therapist, Dr. Sharon Fieldstone to work with him. She's so good at her job. The other players avail themselves of her services, and Higgins decides to bring Dr. Fieldstone on board for the entirety of the season.

Marisa  

Ted is unsure about Dr. Fields stone in a frostiness lingers between the two of them. We find out that Ted has a distrust of therapists in general due to a bad couples counseling experience with his ex wife.

Brett   

One person who is not around the team his former club captain Roy Kent, he's not completely out of the game. He's coaching his niece Phoebe's under nine club, but other than that he is steering clear of all things football related in retirement.

Christian  

One thing Roy can't steer clear of is a double date with his girlfriend and her boss. Kelly Jones ropes him into a night out with Rebecca and the mysterious John wings night turns out to be whatever the London version is of a middle aged dude bro. Unfortunately, Roy discovers his new superpower of dispensing relationship advice and inspires Rebecca to not settle for John and instead to break up with them.

Marisa  

The episode ends at Roy's yoga mums night. Lo and behold Jamie tart pops up on the telly as Roy in the mums watch the hit reality show last conquers all whilst drinking their Rosae Jamie gonna Jamie and Roy can't even and that's all the recap we're going to give you for this week's episode. 

Christian  

We’re back, babies. What were your first impressions as you watched season two episode one after a long hiatus?

Brett   

Yes, after the long, cold lonely winter. That was actually a long summer. I was so excited. I thought it was a great episode it like we mentioned already. A dog dying in the first like two minutes of the episode was completely unforeseen. It was a little bit of really surprising. It's amazing. They can find humor in that so early. Part of that's probably because we didn't know URL before this episode. But yeah, I mean, the episode as a whole felt great. It felt good to have everyone back together. We met a few new characters who we'll talk about in a minute, but I want to hear what you thought first, Marissa?

Marisa  

Yeah, no, I really, I really enjoyed the first episode. And I think it felt like, you know, even though there were some things happening to our beloved characters that were maybe harder, and like steering us in a direction that we knew was going to be a darker season. This really did feel like home, you know, when especially the first scene where Ted walks into Rebecca's office, and Higgins and Keely and Rebecca are already pouring drinks in there. And he walks in, it's like, hey, Ted, you know, just feels like, oh, they found this this niche with you know, with each other and how they work together and how they their friendships have developed. And so I felt like it like felt like a welcome back to the to the fans.

Christian  

It reminded me of how JJ Abrams talked about his philosophy and making TheForce Awakens, he wanted to feel like a comfy pair of sweat pants for the Star Wars fans. And Melissa McCoy,  The editor talked about this in a similar way. She talked about it, episode one specifically as being their love letter to the fans and wanting them to feel welcome back. You know, it's a mission accomplished with that it felt felt great.

Marisa  

You know, I do have to say, yes, it was lucky for us that we didn't really know Earl last season. Right. So we didn't have this connection to him. But I don't think I would have made it. No. And I think you know, I was looking on the internet because I'm like, this is a real thing. Right? Like people who who get upset about animals dying in movies, but like don't care about humans dying in movies. And yes, it is a real thing. If you if you look on the internet, by the way, if you look on the internet for anything, you will find it just in case. Those of you didn't know that. But there's a meme and I thought, you know, like I don't like go trolling the internet for memes or gifts or gifts. That's just not like my jam. Like I leave that up to the pros around the table here. But I did find a meme that's basically like me when a human dies in a movie and it's like Kanye just not caring about anything. And then it's like any animal dies and then there's like the sobbing baby. Or like if you don't cry when like a dog dies like Get the f out of my house you psychopaths so That's kind of how I felt at the beginning. I was a little like upset for a moment. And then Ted was able to bring me back in his little speech to the press.

Christian  

Yeah, Earl wasn't the only thing they murdered in this episode. They also murdered a lot of the things that we saw in the trailer as well. We spent time thinking about the trailer and having like this consternation over who is this like mysterious man, and boom, he's out of here. And

Marisa  

I know we all like we're so worried about her boyfriend by John Wingsnight.

Christian  

They used up a good number of the jokes from the trailer in this opening episode. And I was kind of fine with it. Because there was all of this kind of nervous energy in anticipation and just wondering what was going to happen. It's almost like clearing a bunch of that stuff out, then opened everything up for us to have some mystery and enjoy the season playing out like it did.

Marisa  

Well, I think it requires us to be a lot like Chris Powell and to to have a knack for make believe, as he says, your right brain dominant and so if you're unfamiliar with whether or not you're a right brained, or left brain dominant, left brain are more thinking in words, sequencing, math, logic, focusing on facts, and right brain dominance would be more of that intuition, feelings, visualization, imagination, rhythm arts, focus on creativity. So I think they’re calling us to, to trust and to be open to things as we start the season. Thanks, Chris Powell.

Brett   

It was wonderful to have Arlo and Chris Powell, returning to play themselves as characters in the show, but we met a couple of new characters in this first episode too, one of which was the Dutch footballer Jan Maas, who Christian you have thoughts about?

Christian  

I do. Jan Maas , notable one because he's Dutch, and we had Rebecca and Season One. Quoting Dutch sayings. Secondly, because your moss is a sneaky, important character. In this season. One of the things that is a recurring theme is Shakespeare. In fact, in this episode, we get to direct Shakespeare references. We get one where people are getting scolded because you're not supposed to say Macbeth, hey, don't say that. I mean, I'm stepping all over things today. And secondly, when Nate refers to Dani situation, as a Shakespearean tragedy, and good call, Nate takes one to know, one.

Marisa  

Wow, we just went there already.

Christian  

But our friend Jan Maas he plays an important Shakespearean role in it is that of that of the fool or the clown or the Jester. These are roles that are deployed in a few different ways in Shakespearean plays. Sometimes it's just like an idiotic person, but a number of other times as someone who is able to speak truth to power, and as someone who kind of like, communicates bold truths directly to the audience. And so if you think about the fool, aptly named in King Lear, Dogberry, in Much Ado About Nothing Bottom and Puck, they kind of share the role in A Midsummer Night's Dream, you see some examples of this. And so with Jan Maas, viewing him as this Shakespearean fool, somebody who must always tell the truth, but at some point in the season, perhaps says something profound and speaks some truth to power.

Marisa  

You know, that's interesting that you brought that up, because I've been in a few Shakespearean plays in my day. I don't claim to be an expert in a Shakespearean tragedy. But you know, there, are themes throughout, you have a tragic hero, this really strong dichotomy between good and evil, fate and fortune, greed, revenge, supernatural elements. And so I think it was really interesting, as, as I remember, as, you know, once we've seen the full season, coming back and watching this episode, and hearing Nate of all people calling something a Shakespearean tragedy, you know, it's basically setting up what we might see play out, you know, in his relationship to the show. And so, you know, I especially thought of, I won't say, but it's also known around theatres as The Scottish Play, or the Bards play because of the, the superstition that surrounds it, and the fear of the curse. So, if you don't know gentlemen, we're not only talking about yips in this episode, which I just said Brett and we are we also have the Scottish curse which Thespians will understand this that it like causes a disaster. And going back all the way to its first performance back in early 1600s. Were late the performer playing Lady Macbeth dies suddenly. And Shakespeare actually actually has to step in.

Brett   

Actually a performer. 

Marisa

Yes. The actual human Yes, the human like earl grey hound.

Marisa  

So late the performer playing Lady Macbeth, he dies and Shakespeare steps in and does that part. There was also a coven of witches, supposedly a coven of witches. Worse, there was who cursed the play because Shakespeare used real incantations, and they were not a fan of that. And so that's, that's where the curse comes from, supposedly, and then also, real daggers being replaced by instead of the props, and the actor who played King Duncan died. You can get all this and more at the Royal Shakespeare Company. We'll put that in the show notes for you all to learn more about. But, you know, we talk about we joke about you know, the arts and sports, you know, being very superstitious this is this is legit. And if you've said the word Macbeth in a theater, you have to break the curse. So how do you break the curse, you exit the theater, spin around three times spit curse and then knock on the theater door to be allowed back in if any

Christian  

of our listeners have an Apple TV Plus subscription and are looking for an uplifting way to end their Christmas this year. That is the day that the tragedy of Macbeth directed by Joel Coen and starring Denzel Washington, Francis McDormand, and Bertie Carville is, I know, right is premiering on Apple TV plus, so hey, you might have to like go outside and spit on stuff and turn around and knock on the door.

Marisa  

You're not a theater, you should be fine. Okay?

Christian  

It's just in our houses. Okay. My home theater is cool. Yep.. There you go. Something to look forward to everybody.

Brett   

Yep. I love that you bring the Royal Shakespeare Company into this because many of the actors and actresses in TED lasso have been improper Shakespeare productions. And one of them is Sarah Niles, who plays the other new character that we meet Dr. Sharon Fieldstone.

Christian  

I was super excited to see her come in and see the role that she was coming in as to have a black woman which was a demographic that was missing from season one enter in to not enter I guess, in a stereotypical way, but to enter in a position that you would have to imagine was going to be like, a powerful position, a person who would bring intelligence and we saw in the previews, was going to have some kind of complicated relationship with Ted himself. And she definitely lived up to that from the time that we meet her and she walks into the locker room.

Brett   

Yeah, there's a lot I think that contributes to that. Frosty, as you mentioned, relationship between Dr. Sharon and Ted, the main one being Ted's feelings about therapists and the fact that she is a therapist. There's also some really interesting stuff that we'll talk about later in the season going on with just the racial dynamic between her being a black woman who's a, who's an expert, and a therapist, and Ted, being a white man who's sort of in this position due to circumstance and privilege and how that kind of plays out. And yeah, I'm excited to explore their relationship and to see how it grows. But in this first episode, it's definitely they're keeping their distance to kind of sizing one another up. Ted's very weary. Sharon, is there to do her job. But yes, it's also I think, a little bit nervous or cautious around Ted.

Marisa  

You know, it's interesting, like, having seen the whole season, coming back and watching her first interaction with Ted, it didn't bother me as much and I wasn't as like upset or nervous, I guess, you know, obviously, hindsight. However, the way that clips were put together and edited for the trailer, you know, made us really wary of her I think, and how she related to Ted and I think we were, we were sort of built up in a way to just like, be nervous about about them. And, you know, I watched their first interaction, and it was, it was awkward, and maybe maybe a little cold. But again, as someone who's meeting people for the first time, like, you know, maybe that's just not her personality, you know, there's so many more things that we learned about her that make sense, obviously, but you know, the first time I was watching it, I was like, so like, mad at her. I don't even know why I was like, Why is she coming in? She's gonna like ruin Ted and his whole like, dynamic that he's created. And I thought, you know, why was I not more mad at Rebecca last season, like when clearly we find out in the first episode, she was like, actually planning to like, ruin his life, you know? So I was like, Man, I need to check myself because I maybe I just like built that up in my head from watching the trailer or what it was. But yeah, so interesting that she comes on in in the first. I don't know if you remember Brett but the first time we ever watched that I was like Dr. Fieldstone. Dr. Fieldstone do I know that? And then all of a sudden and this was before we had kind of seen the preview about, you know, Ted being all about rom coms and stuff, but we've we've seen those threads even through like first season, like Sleepless in Seattle, it's Dr. Fieldstone on the radio and Sleepless in Seattle who like, gets Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks characters are killers. Marcia, Mark? Yes. Dr. Phil stone, and she's like a relationship therapist on the radio anyway. So I was like, Oh, yes, that's what it is right? There nodding to Sleepless in Seattle. So I did appreciate that.

Brett   

I love that you bring that up, because I hadn't thought about this until you just said that Marissa about how she kind of comes in and is disruptive. It's not unlike how Ted enters the space and season one, and disrupts everyone, they do it in very different ways, and for very different reasons. But when she enters the space, she is disruptive in a way that will bring about positive change. And so it is interesting to see that sort of two sides of that coin,

Christian  

she felt a lot to me, like Ted's wife felt when she was dropped into the space, like an actual normal person from a more realistic plane, then this sort of like cartoon character playing that a lot of the other characters kind of like fit into, she clearly, you know, finds a way and has an arc where she's able to assimilate more into the story. And I think we see her eventually, as maybe a more full character than we understood Michelle to be until really like we get into this season and learn more about who Ted really is. But it was, it's an interesting way to put somebody into the show who operates in a very different manner than everybody else.

Marisa  

The other thing I really appreciate about her character in that first episode, is how we see her interact with those players. And speaking in Spanish to Dani, and speaking in French to Thierry is just like, you know, all of a sudden, we don't know anything about her, but we know that they feel like comfortable and like excited to come to her and like it feels like home for them. And you know, we sort of see Ted on the outside of that. And again, like you said, Brett like it was it was like when Ted got there, he kind of mess things up a little bit, but in a way that like, oh people felt appreciated or seen in a way that they had never seen before. They had never felt before like a Nate, who in that first episode, it was like someone recognized him and, and spoke his language and you know, wanted to know his name and like welcomed him in. And so yeah, we see sort of Sharon, doing the the Ted thing.

Brett   

Before we move on to the deeper discussions, there's one other little thing I want to touch on. And that is the fact that we see Beard reading a lot of books this season. There's one in this episode, and it is by a journalist and author named Matthew Syed. And it is called The Greatest. The subtitle is the quest for sporting perfection. I was unfamiliar with this, this writer and this book, which I know some of you big sports fans may think that's a little bit sacrilegious. But I found out that he was the number one ranked table tennis player for England for like almost a decade. He's an award winning journalist. And the book is a collection of his columns that evaluate and examine different athletes across all different types of sports. So not just soccer, but really, it runs the gamut. And just sort of looks into what makes these sort of iconic athletes so good at what they do. And so it's interesting to see beard reading that especially because a lot of the things that Matthew SIADH focuses on in the book has to do with the mental fortitude of the athletes who were able to accomplish these great things like Billie Jean King, or Muhammad Ali and folks like that. So yeah, we'll just we're gonna keep track of all of the interesting books we're just reading throughout the season.

Christian  

And while we'll be like tracking the books that beard reads If you want more in depth discussions about them our friend on Twitter at the handle, old Rebecca rocks, is running a coach beards book club where she is putting together videos about each of the books that coach beard reads in the series and doing discussions about those and like taking questions and hosting discussions just on Twitter and through email and stuff. So make sure to check out old Rebecca rocks where you can find hashtag coach beards book club.

Marisa  

That's really cool.

Brett   

It's a great handle to

Brett   

Okay, for those folks who may be new to our podcast, if you're just jumping in welcome. But we anchor our discussions, and the idea of the emotional quotient or the emotional intelligence and the relationship growth that happens between different characters on the show. And so this is where we kind of get a little bit more into the weeds when it comes to interpersonal relationships and character growth and things like that. So one of the first things I wanted to ask y'all is what does this episode tell us about what happens when one of your core truths is shaken like we see happen to Dani?

Christian  

Well, Dani’s is rough because he is a person who was full of joy in season one. So to see him brought down, understandably, very low is difficult. And he has a difficult time with it. He is completely incapacitated, like personally, you know, can't get out of the shower. And then also from a sports performance standpoint, until he finds some resolution to that crisis. He just like in a really dark place searching trying to find an in where nobody can help them out. And tell him he stuck to Fieldstone

Marisa  

Yeah, I find it you know, interesting that he was referenced as the Raven haired golden retriever in the first season, and then, you know, has this terrible encounter with a greyhound later. But yes, we see. And we even get a glimpse of him trying to find comfort or something like that, you know, when he wakes up from his dream when he's, you know, has not just one but two lovely ladies in bed with him. So clearly, he's looking for something to fill that, that deep. I don't know, sadness and guilt. And we see lots of religion and spirituality referenced in this episode. And, you know, even from the first like, should we say a prayer before Dani, you know, kicks the ball, and it's like, let's just, you know, cross our fingers and hope for something. And then you know, Ted says, like, in what language into what God and then we see Dani, who's clearly a devout Catholic in the shower, and just really trying to like, pray his way out. Wash the death off of him while

Christian  

crossing himself incessantly yes is so yeah,

Marisa  

we were glad to see Dani come out of the idea that football is death and back to football, his life.

Brett   

It is really interesting in that middle period, though, where, right before he takes the penalty kick, he says his mantra, his motto, football, his life. And then it literally leads to an actual death. And so it makes you wonder about like, Dani has never thought about any of the death, even sort of the the metaphorical death in football, like the violence that has been part of the sport for a long time, not only in England, but all over the world. And the, you know, the sort of the racism that is present in the sport, or even like the literal death we talked about last season, like the Hillsborough disaster, and there's lots of other examples of things like that. And so it's not until Dani is confronted with it very personally, that it becomes something that becomes a mental block for him. And this this sort of revelation or realization or just unfortunate circumstance that happens to him, makes him start to doubt something that was a core belief. And it's really hard when that happens.

Christian  

It reminds me of the paradigm shifts that the philosopher scientists Thomas Kuhn talked about in his book Structure of Scientific Revolution. Up until Kuhn, a lot of people viewed scientific progress, as something that happens is kind of like incremental building blocks. And so we gather a little bit of information and more and more and more, and it leads us to the truth step by step. But the way Kuhn viewed it is historically, like, there are times where that happens, there are these quote, unquote, like normal times where we have that incremental growth, but then there are also these times of like, revolutionary growth. And during those times of revolutionary growth, as that growth is happening, it causes crisis for people. So he talks about, you know, the lenses through which we view the world our paradigms, it's like, literal giant lenses. And when something happens, that breaks those like shatters them, and it takes us to this moment of crisis. So you think about like when there was was a huge debate as to whether or not the world was flat or round. And there were all of these, like religious implications to that in around implications around literature. And it was something that like people really had a difficult time processing. And when you look at Dani, there's this event that happens in the system citing event, and it does send them into crisis, because for a period of time, he does not know how to view the world. When he comes out of it. We see like, whoa, like you view the world, in a more profound flushed out true way. But to get to that point, he really did have to go through some darkness. And that dark forest is a theme that we see repeated over and over again, on the macro level, with Season Two.

Marisa  

I know this is taking, you know, something like Thomas Kuhn says, and maybe dumbing it down a lot, but it made me think of the movie the Pixar movie, have stopped like breathing. It made me think of the Pixar movie Inside Out, where this young girl Riley's is, you know, growing up, and she has all these really like characters inside of her head, like anger and sadness, and joy, and disgust and fear. And, and she, she gets all these core memories, or like, you know, what I think of is kind of like core beliefs, these moments in her life that really shaped who she is as a person. And so I was thinking about that, too, like that. The movie Joy tries to make every single core memory, joyful joyfull like, like, she doesn't want her to, to be shaped by anything. Other than that, and that's just not the reality, right? Like, I feel like Dani was kind of living in that, that area of just like all this joy, and then he had to just, I mean, that's just real life where, you know, our core memories and other things that shaped us are going to be filled with something other than that with joy, or disgust, or fear, or anger, or, you know, all those ugly things, too.

Christian  

It should be remembered that in season one, Dani's football, his life, and mucho mucho joy, and all of that did have a tremendous positive impact on the team. That was something that they were missing. And there was a perspective there, in addition to his skill, and I would submit also his striking good looks that helped them come together as a team and really bond. But then he still had to go through this growth process. And one of the things about that growth process is, it really was, I'll be a brief an exploration of like, how in sports does this interplay of like superstition, and mental health and performance work? Because it's something that we see a lot. But we have a hard time I think discussing, and even that athletes and fans alike right now, are really like struggling to put into context as we view athletes as performative. And I think, oftentimes forgetting that they're, you know, like real people and not athletic circus robots.

Marisa  

Right. And we saw a lot of that summer with the Olympics. Yeah, with Simone Biles, and, and suffering from the twisties. And just seeing how a lot of the world really supported her and her openness to, you know, step out when she needed to step out. And then how others, you know, couldn't imagine why she didn't just do what she needed to do.

Christian  

Right. And it was about the time that this episode came out. And so it was a little bit odd, because there were people and there was a part of us, I think, that wanted to like jump and really make that correlation. And then you realize that the the kind of trauma that she was facing and the stakes of even, you know, performing as a gymnast, when you can't be fully present. Like, there's, you're kind of putting your life on the line. By doing that, like you have to

Marisa  

be just missing a, you know, free kick. Yeah, you've got to

Christian  

be right. But I found that I know for us in our family, it did open up a lot of great opportunities to shape a worldview for our kids, of like, you know, we usually turn on the TV and we were planning on turning on the TV and sitting down and just being in awe of Simone Biles, because she does things physically that we can't even imagine doing and that nobody else has even ever been able to come close to doing. And while it's disappointing that like she is withdrawing. It's amazing that she had the courage to say no, I can't do this because there have been all of these like hard difficult, traumatic things that have happened and she like really did give an effort and sometimes the bravest thing that you can do is to say, you know, like I really tried My hardest and I couldn't do it. And then when she came back, and she was able to compete at the highest level that she could, and she got a bronze medal to again be able to say to our kids, like, you know what, she didn't win whatever the bajillion gold medals that we thought she was going to win. But that bronze medal that she won, like that is so meaningful, because it was so courageous, and it was so brave. And she's being really, really honest with us right now about those internal things that she is working through.

Marisa  

Well, it's something to you know, not just athletes, but performers as well. We talk a lot about in the music department, you know, things that hinder us from being our best performers. And so much of it is psychological. You know, the very first thing that I talk about with my voice students is like, volition, like how the mind plays a part in our singing process. And so you know, that's it's something that we we kind of gloss over as being important, but we don't always as as artists as performing artists, or as you know, in for athletes, we don't always spend a lot of time nurturing it, we talk about it and mention it that it's important, but finding ways to actually help performers and athletes like to work through those things. I think we're finally moving in a direction that's more positive.

Christian  

Yeah, we lionize mental toughness, thought, which really, then is holding up and putting on a pedestal. I think suppressing our feelings and our difficulties a lot of times Brene Brown had on her podcast recently, a prominent sports psychologist, Dr. Pippa Grange, and she's like, done a lot of work with soccer players in England and with athletes all over the world in, she just had like, a great perspective on what sports psychology is, she said that athletes are a hub, like athletics is a hub and at the center of the wheel, like, we should never forget that there is a human being there. And so like, with Dani, with, you know, small balls, like in real life, and in much more consequential ways, like, can we step back and say, Okay, there's a human being here. And can we allow people to space to be human, and then also appreciate, like, what they do and can do and have done athletically without, like, just make do without fully defining them? in that arena?

Marisa  

Yeah. And almost always athletes in their prime are young people like this. The other thing that we don't always think about, and like, I'm a huge baseball fan, and as I watch baseball now, and again, I don't think of myself as like, old. I'm 38. So then watching baseball, like anyone who's my age, just like, What the heck are they still doing on that field? Like, they're either like a designated hitter or a pitcher that just comes in for a few innings or a good influence in the clubhouse. There you go. They always say that too. But you know, to be to be sort of like a fan of a sport and to realize that all these people are younger than you and to think about what was I like, as a 20? something year old, like being able to handle that kind of immense pressure at that young age? I mean, just again, yes, remembering their human, but then remembering that most of the time they're a young, young human.

Brett   

Yeah, it was wild to me thinking about, even this one episode did a lot to kind of start up that conversation. And I love that, you know, remained a theme throughout this season.

Christian  

I gotta say, God bless the Midwestern sensibilities of the homeboy Ted lasso. However, for all of his folksy wisdom, and John Wooden, quoting this, he's not even on the platform to get on the like mental health train. And he has his reasons. But there is kind of a proverb there, especially in regard to I think how a lot of men view therapists and the opportunity to get counseling and to deal with some of that stuff. His his reticence is indicative and representative of, I think, something that a lot of guys struggle with, which is I don't want to go into that counseling therapeutic space to deal with my feelings.

Brett   

Yeah. The one difference between sort of the wide swath of folks that you'd be mentioning in TED is like, he has been in that space before. He just had a really bad experience. We don't know anything about it, like as far as what happened and you know whether that was just something he needed to hear or what but yes, like you said he has his reasons but beard even tried To in the pub later kind of say, you know, you've been to one type of therapy one time, like you, you can't write off psychology as a discipline, because of that one thing. And Ted Hassan is smart enough to understand that, but I think we'll find out that this this hurt that he's harboring not only from his divorce, but from other life events is really preventing him from seeing the benefit in that type of work.

Marisa  

Speaking of being vulnerable, you know, we see Rebecca in the coffee shop with John, who they're just clearly not connecting in a way that is fulfilling enough for her. And she's watching all these other couples, and she kind of realizes that she says in gyms, she was told by Flo friend, intimacy was all about leaving yourself open to be attacked. And I think that's how we all feel sometimes about being vulnerable.

Christian  

Yeah, it's scary. And it appears as though what Rebecca is seeking is some kind of safe harbor, like who there are reasons that John is presentable, especially to someone who's in the public eye, like they would look good on the cover of a tabloid. And he seems to be, you know, somewhere in her vicinity, just in terms of like, financial gravitas. And so there is a safety there. But if she opts for that safety, like there's going to be a lot that she's missing out on and namely, like someone who's gonna love her and care for she's already been in a relationship where someone didn't love her and care for her. And so what she's kind of being encouraged to do here by Roy is to find someone that that she can be safe with, but that she can be vulnerable with so that she can be loved. Like probably for the first time in a long time.

Marisa  

I also think it's interesting that like, as Keeley you know, talks to Rebecca, you know, asking saying things like, oh, yeah, like he's, he's age appropriate, financially appropriate. But like the one time that Ted gets to step in for Keeley in the girl talk moment, like Ted, like, is he? Is he nice to you? Like, does he treat you? Well, I think what does he say? Exactly?

Brett   

Do you remember that scene? I think he asks, Is he nice to you? You know, for those who

Marisa  

are Rebecca and Ted stands, like, it just goes to show like, Ted Ted cares about Rebecca being cared for. And like someone actually like, you know, being in a good healthy relationship with her. So whether or not they should or should not, or will or will not end up together. I still think that they are great. They're, they're great partners in a way that like they do deeply care about one another. And so I like to see that I love

Brett   

their dynamic too. I love their I love Ted and Rebecca's relationship, just as it is right now. I'm excited to see what happens in season three, but we have a long time till that happens. So I'm going to leave it on the on the back burner for now.

Unknown Speaker  

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Christian  

Brett, what do we have with Music in this episode?

Brett   

You know, there wasn't a lot of Music in this episode, which was surprising to me on rewatch, because I remember there being a ton of music in a season and there is just not in episode one. But there's a pretty great musical moments when Rebecca has her awkward accidental breakup with John wings night, where they're sitting in this coffee shop having coffee about to have lunch, I would assume. And this song starts playing by a man called wise up, which was featured in Jerry Maguire. And then was also a pretty pivotal part at the end of the film Magnolia, which was already referenced by Ted earlier in this episode. And you know, the interesting thing about this particular musical moment for me is that in Magnolia in that in the scene where the song plays, the characters actually sing the words like they're seeing out loud. And so it's a pretty unconventional thing for a film to do. Like that's not a musical obviously. So as I was, I haven't seen Magnolia so I'm not gonna sit here and pretend like I've watched the three hour Opus, as Ted calls it, but I do just think there's something interesting there about this film being invoked because from what What I have read, there's a lot there, themes that deal with fathers and sons and fathers and daughters and the lasting, damaging effects those relationships can have on the children, and how difficult it is to reconcile and give forgiveness in those relationships. And this is a theme that if you watch season two, like it's, it's pretty, it's not subtle. It's overt. Yeah, in your face fathers, and their relationships with their children is a big thing. And so I just I love the interplay between that song and the movie and being in this scene in particular. And as Rebecca is kind of having this revelation of like, oh, yeah, I don't just need to settle for fine like I need to be vulnerable and be loved and be able to overcome some of my hurts. And so that was a really cool moment.

Christian  

Do you have any strong opinions about Ted's gin blossom takes? Are they benign or incendiary?

Brett   

Um, no, I think this song was well received it, um, Foleo down is a good song. And it wasn't like one of the first singles from the album that it was on, but it ended up being one of the best selling and most successful ones. So I don't think it's incendiary to say it's his favorite song. I do think it's interesting that for TED to have a favorite song by Gin Blossoms for it to be this particular one, because based on all the things we know about Ted, he's, he tends to be a glass half full, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. Yep, type of guy. And the lyrics that struck me from this song was there's a line and one of the verses, I think that says, let's not do the wrong thing, and I swear, it might be fun, it's a long way down, when all the knots we've tied have come undone. And I think that's in reference in the song to like a relationship. And as you're like letting go of something like falling down into like this proverbial pit. And so that has echoes to me for like Ted and his marriage. It has echoes to me for like Ted and his situation with the team and kind of where they're at. And so I just, it doesn't seem like a very Ted choice. And so I think it's interesting when we get these little tidbits about Ted, because some folks have pointed out, we don't always know a lot about Ted's backstory, and like him personally, because he makes all of these kind of obscure references, as Dr. Sharon will later say, but I think when he, when he talks about these things, we should pay attention. So I think it tells us a little bit about Ted like there's a little bit of a little bit of a cynic in

Christian  

TED, sometimes there's a little bit of a turtle so closet, nihilist. Yeah,

Brett   

I mean only like a tiny bit. I mean, he's certainly like, has morals and thinks you having morals is important, and doing the right thing is good. But yeah, it's, um, I think it reveals a little bit about him. Then the only other song that's there is at the end credits, where we have the song called live his life by the Australian band Opus, it plays during the ending credits. And you know what? Another cool thing about this song is that it was on a playlist called Ted's locker room playlist, which was created during season one's run of the show. And you can find that on Apple Music, Spotify, all the places so it's already been existing in the TED lasso universe before its use on the show, which I thought was kind of cool.

Christian  

I love the title. So Extended Universe, it's

Brett   

one of my favorite universes to be in.

Marisa  

Y'all. I was so excited for for both of you, because we got some Hamilton reference for you, Brent, we did. And we got several references of the Star Wars universe for you, Christian, which I know that is one of your areas of expertise. So how do

Christian  

I feel great, we have like the whole opening thing with the dog, very sad. Pour out a little for our friend, Earl. Then we had the opening credits in less than 30 seconds after those opening credits wrapped. We had our first Star Wars reference of the season, which I love. And then we got an extended Star Wars conversation with Higgins showing his family, The Empire Strikes Back and having to explain to his kids the the in hindsight, awkward kiss between Luke and Leia. And then they gave us even a little bit more glorious imagery in there. So for those who may not have a lot of experience in liturgical church settings, there's this interplay between 10 and Higgins, may the force be with you and also with you and in liturgical church settings. What you will oftentimes hear is when someone is greeted with Peace be with you, then the proper response that is, and also with you and so it's just nice that we see Ted and Higgins worshipping at the Church of Jedi.

Brett   

Yes, Peace be with you, Christian, and also with you. And yes, it made my heart so happy to hear another Hamilton reference and why guys rapping they Yes, they did it with the appropriate amount of wiping White Rose and a bar swagger. And if you missed it, it's when 10 and beard are in the Crown and Anchor tedstone too. share his apprehension, again with the with Dr. Sharon being brought in. And he says, Can I get real a second forget my mula second, which is a direct reference to the song right hand man in Hamilton, right hand man in Hamilton. And if you're familiar with the show, George Washington's character only raps when he is starting to feel frustrated. This is something that Lin Manuel Miranda, the composer of the show has talked about that Washington usually wraps in like a more simple structure or sings, unless he's frustrated or angry, and then his rhyme scheme gets more and more complicated. And so it seems like the same is true for Ted, you know, he's kind of like, scared, frustrated in this moment. And he's starting to break out his Hamilton reference. But one of the other neat things that I learned after hearing this reference was that, you know, one of Shakespeare's favorite tricks was to have characters who normally speak in verse, switch to prose when they're impaired, so if they're drunk, or if they're in a state of ecstasy or something. And so I just love that there's more even more Shakespeare being woven through this episode. It's the gift that keeps on giving. It really is.

Marisa  

Christian, I know we had to eliminate one of our segments on the show, you know, having to do with barbecue, but we still get to talk about the most slash least convincing soccer elements. So did you pick up on any of this first episode,

Christian  

I did a sneaky one was the number of draws that Richmond has, it kind of seems odd, that club would rack up so many draws in a row. But just this year, in the top Brazilian League, Sao Paulo FC was sitting on six straight draws when they had a match against their arch nemesis, Corinthians. And they didn't hit that seven draw mark, they were actually able to win the match. I watched that one. Just trying to see what would happen. But I just got a chuckle from the fact that there was a prominent team out there with so many draws.

Brett   

Okay. So I love that that's something that happened this year to just give us the all that wonderful payoff in the TED lasso universe. But what was something that you thought was more unlikely? Well, our good

Christian  

friend, Dani Rojas, yeah, he hits that direct goal off a corner kick, once he finally kind of snaps out of his funk, the official term for that is an Olympic Whoa. And it's an incredibly difficult maneuver to pull off. Unless you're Megan Rapinoe, right, who, amazingly, nine years apart at different Olympic Games, one in London and one in Tokyo, was able to score directly off of a corner kick, like in an actual Olympics match, which is just incredible. But other than Megan Rapinoe and Dani Rojas, that is something that you could watch a whole lot of soccer and never ever, ever, ever, ever see, in an actual top level competition.

Marisa  

I want to know as someone who is who is, you know, a fan of the show, and you know, I like soccer, too. Um, what would have really happened in that, right? Like, wouldn't? Wouldn't that have been some sort of interference with Dani and the dog? Wouldn't he be able to retake that kick? What what really happened?

Christian  

I did look it up, the kick would be retaken. I think a good manager would have someone else retake the kick and not have Dani, retake it. And you know, you could still miss I mean, penalty kicks are kind of just like a roulette match. And people miss an astounding number of them.

Marisa  

I just want to bring us back to like, what made Ted lassos so special, like the person the character and like the show is like, right, the kindness the the way that he forgives people easily like shows them respect and love. And so I was thinking about the irony of how we see Jamie at the end of this episode. And he's left football to star in a reality show. Can you star in a reality show Sean arena show?

Christian  

Starring.

Brett   

He's a contestant

Marisa  

which is called Lust Conquers All, which is clearly a play on the quote about love conquers all, which is from the Roman poet Virgil. And the the quote continues love conquers all things. So we too shall yield to love. And so I was thinking about how like in Ted's world like in his like, happy place, right? There's like no situation too miserable or no person that's too far gone. Where like love can't go in and like overcome a situation or a demon relationship. And so I was just kind of thinking about that as we start this season. We're about to see people head in different directions like, do we believe that love can overcome any situation and redeem any relationship looking at head through season two,

Christian  

I do believe that it is aspirational, much in the way that a lot of you know, like what we hear and read, Dr. King say is aspirational. But I think it's something that is worth aspiring to. It's certainly not something that a lot of people will achieve. Like, a lot of people are going to bail on that. And I think there will be a lot of people who will be too cynical to pursue that as an ideal, but some people will. And it's like our good friend beard says during this episode, all people are different people. And so I mean, like find those people who are going to be aspirational for the power of love.

Marisa  

Great quote, Christian. Brett, where are you going for your favorite quote of this episode?

Brett   

So for my quote, I have looked to a place where people are not so aspirational when it comes to loving one another. The Internet the quote that I thought was so funny comes right at the beginning of this episode, and it's when Higgins and Rebecca are walking down the hall after the unfortunate accident has happened. And Higgins is trying to say well, we play in a lower league so not every game is televised, so maybe as many people aren't gonna see it. And Rebecca says, Yes, but Higgins the internet, and then Higgins has the iconic line. Oh right. The goddamn internet. And I feel like there's not a day that goes by where I don't say that at least three or four times very giftable very capable. Speaking of

Marisa  

three or four times you know how much I love Keeley and how I just appreciate her on the show and just you know, want to be more like her every day. And my quote comes from Ted trying to take her place during Girl Talk, where Rebecca says I thought you were Keeley. He's like I wish I was Keeley three or four times a day. Yeah, me too. Yeah, I know. Right?

Christian  

Sure. Words, Truer words.

Marisa  

This is a good episode, y'all. It's good to be back.

Brett   

The feeling is mutual.

Christian  

It’s been super real.

Brett   

Okay, all that is our show. We will be back in your feeds next week with our discussion of season two, episode two. But if you'd like to dive even deeper into the themes of this episode, you can find even more Ted lasso content in our show notes. You'll find the link to our extensive notes in the episode description.

Christian  

You can also keep the conversation going on Twitter and Instagram. Our handle at both is at TED lasso pod is a great way for us to connect with each other. And for y'all to share your insights on the show. This episode of Richmond till we die is brought to you by gin and kerosine productions. It was produced by me Christian, nee Marissa and the Brett. If you enjoyed this conversation, please take a moment to subscribe to Richmond Telly dye on whatever app you're using to listen to this episode.

Marisa  

If you have access to an Apple device, we'd love it if you'd head over to the Apple podcast app and give us a quick five star review. And if you'd like to support the show further, you can join us over on Patreon patrons get access to monthly giveaway drawings as well as exclusive podcast episodes and essays. I'm Marissa signing off for Christian and Brett, thanks so much for listening and until next time, cheers y'all.

Brett   

Nightcore

it really gives a whole new meaning to the term dying minutes of the match

Marisa  

that's messed up, Brett.