It’s the hope that kills you. That’s the name of the season finale of Ted Lasso. The episode is about AFC Richmond’s fight to avoid relegation, but for me it was about the show itself. Ted was about as hyped up as any show can be and I gotta say, it lived up to it.
Created by Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Cougar Town) and Jason Sudeikis, the moment you’re brought into the world of Ted (Sudeikis) you just feel good. Most of the unrelenting optimism can feel naive and annoying, but here it isn’t. Ted isn’t an idiot. He understands what’s happening around him. When we meet and throughout the show we see him struggle with the dissolution of his marriage. Just because Ted is always optimistic doesn’t mean the show is. One of the defining conversations in the show is between Ted and Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt). The conflict is that Ted isn’t taking the results seriously and Beard is fed up with it. In a show like this that’s important because it shows us flaws in Ted and everyone has flaws.
Rebecca Walton (Hannah Waddingham) is the owner of the team. She took the team in her divorce and her goal in hiring Ted is to destroy the only thing her husband ever loves. In most shows she would be the villain, but not this one. This is a show all about empathy, so instead of hating Rebecca we root for her and want her to change and move forward with her life. The show can best be typified by the scene when Rebecca confesses her plan to Ted and instead of being angry he ends up comforting her.
If you’ve been on the internet then I’m sure you’re familiar with Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein). He’s the snarling, aging legend at the club. He has perhaps the strongest arc of the season as we see him opening up and start facing life after soccer. He even carries the romantic tension of the show as we watch his relationship with Keely (Juno Temple) blossom.
The cast is filled out with a series of great characters bringing the comedy and heart. While it may be true that it’s the hope that kills you, it can also do the opposite.