Snippet: Ted Lasso is No Superhero (He’s Even Better Than That) ☇

Sophie Gilbert for The Atlantic (via Matt Birchler):

One character alone can’t fully rid pop culture’s masculine paradigm of violence, cruelty, and destruction, a millennia-old model. (Although Gareth Southgate exists, so anything’s possible.) But the impact the series has had among viewers is pronounced because Ted is such a unicorn in a landscape of TV fathers and father figures who torture their children, murder their mistresses, cheat with interns, or fail their family altogether.

Considering my last post, it’s a bit weird to see the the various dynamics towards the end of this season of Ted Lasso (avoiding spoilers).

I found the first season wonderful, beingso upbeat and sweet in a time that we needed it. While the second season had its criticisms, I thought it did a wonderful job demonstrating the growth and development of characters and those interpersonal relationships. There’s not some obvious conflict, and I think that caused some people to complain there was no “villain” like Rebecca in the first season. I think it took some chances, and while some did not pay off, there were a lot of challenging and complex storylines, and the finale managed to wrap up many and set the stage for season three.

Finally, for what it’s worth, there’s a notion (including in Gilbert’s article) that the development of the Nate character might have been something cooked up for this season, but it seems some things were there from the very start.