Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (September 4, 2024)
In 2020, an Apple+ series called Ted Lasso told the “fish out of water” story about a US football coach (Jason Sudeikis) who went to England to lead a soccer team. An immediate success, it unsurprisingly spawned 2021’s Season Two.
A package called Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way presents all three years of the series in one set. Though not available individually, I figured it would work best to examine each season on its own, so this review will look at Season Two’s 12 episodes.
Goodbye Earl: “AFC Richmond brings in a sports psychologist (Sarah Niles) to help the team overcome their unprecedented seven game tie-streak.”
After too many losses, Richmond got “relegated” to a lower league at the end of S1. Rather than pick up at the start of the team’s next season, “Earl” finds the squad eight matches deep.
Beyond that interesting twist, “Earl” delivers a lackluster launch to S2, mainly because it leans toward self-parody. Ted’s homespun dialogue comes across as forced and various character developments feel contrived.
Do these flaws make “Earl” a bad episode? No, but it lacks the warmth and authenticity of S1. Hopefully S2 will rebound quickly after an iffy start.
Lavender: “Ted is surprised by the reappearance of a familiar face (Phil Dunster). Roy (Brett Goldstein) tries out a new gig.”
If S2 finds its way back to the balance that made S1 work, it’ll need to wait until the next show. Like “Earl”, “Lavender” remains moderately enjoyable.
Unfortunately, like “Earl”, “Lavender” just doesn’t connect to the heart that made S1 succeed. The episode comes across as contrived too much of the time.
Do the Right-est Thing: “Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) has a special visitor (Kiki May) shadow her at work and a particular player's return is not welcomed by the team.”
S2 starts to nudge back into positive territory here – well, a little at least. It still suffers from the borderline self-parody as well as a mawkishness S1 lacked, but it nonetheless comes across as a better episode than the first two of S2.
Carol of the Bells: “It's Christmas in Richmond. Rebecca enlists Ted for a secret mission in service of underprivileged children in London, Roy and Keeley (Juno Temple) search for a miracle, and the Higginses open up their home to the players far from family.”
Given the mushier nature of S2, I went into “Carol” with the fear it would drown under excessive sentimentality. It does lean in that direction more than I’d like, but it still comes with some amusing elements. S1 would’ve offered a less gooey holiday show, though.
Rainbow: “Nate (Nick Mohammed) receives a lesson in how to be assertive from Keeley and Rebecca. Ted asks Roy to do him a favor.”
Like too much of S2, “Rainbow” can feel contrived, especially in how it toys with rom-com conventions. These components feel less than organic and seem like someone’s clever-clever concept.
Still, “Rainbow” comes with some good moments, even if it does hint at an eye-rolling plot twist I suspect to see arise soon. While not up to S1 standards, “Rainbow” shows some life for S2.
The Signal: “Ted is fired up that the new team dynamic seems to be working. They are now preparing for the quarter final and their newfound form might just give them a chance to reach the semis.”
The conflict between Roy and Jamie became a main theme in S1, one largely missing until now. That aspect of “Signal” allows the episode to become better than average for S2 – indeed, this episode feels more like S1 than we’ve seen, and I view that as a positive.
Headspace: “With things turning around for Richmond, it's time for everyone to work on their issues, like Ted's discomfort, Nate's confidence, and Roy's attention.”
The last episode teased Ted’s mental crisis, and “Headspace” follows up in that. This presents him in an unusually surly manner, one that feels out of character.
Which I suppose acts as the point: to see a different side of Ted. It feels a bit artificial, but the episode nonetheless moves along arcs reasonably well.
Man City: “Ted and Dr Sharon realize they might have to meet each other halfway. Tensions are high as the team prepares for the semifinal against Manchester City.”
In S1, the episodes averaged about 31 minutes. The first seven shows of S2 pushed a little past that, but the final five go hog wild and all shoot beyond 40 minutes, with a whopping 49:56 for the season finale.
It remains to be seen how well the rest of the shows will use that extra real estate, but “City” utilizes the time reasonably well. We get a somewhat silly exploration of the eye-rolling plot twist I mentioned earlier but other elements fare better to make this a generally solid show.
Beard After Hours: “After the semifinal, Beard (Brendan Hunt) sets out on an all-night odyssey through London in an effort to collect his thoughts.”
Obviously influenced by Scorsese’s 1985 flick After Hours, this episode offers a major deviation from the norm, as it focuses entirely on Beard’s endeavors. That seems like a complete contrivance.
And one that doesn’t work. Beard fares well as a character in small doses but when given more than 40 minutes as our focal point, he becomes tiresome.
I semi-appreciate this one as an experiment but it feels far too self-indulgent to succeed. The program devotes too much time to too little narrative movement.
No Weddings and a Funeral: “Rebecca is stunned by a sudden loss. The team rallies to show their support, but Ted finds himself grappling with a piece of his past.”
After the Beard detour, “Funeral” sends us back on track. That should make it a solid show, but unfortunately, the episode falters.
Despite some of the usual comedy, “Funeral” pours on the melodrama and plot twists. These elements don’t work and they make this a tedious program – especially given its 46-minute length.
Midnight Train to Royston: “A billionaire football enthusiast from Ghana (Sam Richardson) makes Sam (Toheeb Jimoh) an unbelievable offer. Ted plans something special for Dr. Sharon's last day with the team.”
As S2 nears its end, “Royston” leaves us in a world of melodrama. Because S2 has leaned in that direction and felt less honest than S1, this remains a problem.
“Royston” provides major character developments but I simply find it difficult to care. Maybe the finale will conclude matters on a positive note, but I lack confidence.
Inverting the Pyramid of Success: “Richmond finally gets its final chance to win promotion as Ted deals with the fallout of Trent Crimm's (James Lance) painfully honest exposé.”
Season Two ends up about where it started: with moderate entertainment but without the charm and warmth of S1. “Pyramid” digs into sappy melodrama once more and finishes the season on a spotty note.
Well, there’s always Season Three, right? Again, I can’t claim I felt consistently unhappy with S2, as it still offered a moderately enjoyable experience.
However, S1 worked so well that “moderately enjoyable” doesn’t quite cut it. Again, I hope S3 rebounds, but I admit S2 leaves me less than enchanted.
