What I’m Watching: Ted Lasso

Ted Lasso: Season 1, Episode 5 “New Underwear” (B+)

I’m not sure what I expected what come from Ted’s wife and son coming to visit, but I think it was sort of perfect in a way. He had a great time and was happy to see them, but ultimately he and his wife aren’t destined to be together, even if she likes him enough and they get along fine. His acceptance of that fact was difficult but he didn’t fight it too much, and he definitely knows what the problems are in their relationship even if he’s just as aware that he’s hopeless to fix them. His son had a blast watching him on the field, and though it was crushing to see how excited he was to see Jamie after the selfish player had just told Ted how he wasn’t going to listen to anything he said, Ted managed to get the upper hand in that situation. Running up the stands to make sure Rebecca would be okay was a smart move, though she shot herself in the foot by telling him to do it and then having to see it end up being the best decision he could have made. Benching Jamie allowed the team to come together and him to realize that he’s not all that great, and it’s clear that he doesn’t think his behavior affects anyone else, including Keeley, who couldn’t believe that he thought she’d still be interested in sleeping with him after the fundraiser. Roy isn’t moving too swiftly but that relationship is just a short distance away, and Keeley is going to be around much more now that Rebecca is forging a friendship with her and bringing her in to help improve the image of the entire team.