Summary
Ted Lasso starts to assert his leadership style, "The Lasso Way" on AFC Richmond, and takes the pitch for the first time as Coach of the struggling football club. Characters start to emerge including the vivacious Keeley, start-player but also Diva Jaime Tart, and unassuming Sam, the Nigerian who is the target of one of Ted Lasso's more famous coaching moments.
Favorite Moments
Ted continues to show Rebecca empathy and concern, asking her if she's okay after another rowdy press conference where the media continues to harrass her about her divorce
This episode is the home of one of Ted's most famous coaching moments. When Sam gets beat badly during training, Ted asks Sam who he thinks is the happiest animal on the planet, to which Ted tells Sam it's a goldfish..they have a 10-second memory. Forget the bad play, move on and focus on the next one.
Biscuits with the Boss: This becomes a recurring moment between Ted and Rebecca throughout the series. Ted's kindness and interest in Rebecca is real, but it's obviously uncomfortable for her as she is trying to sabotage Ted and the club.
Ted throws Sam a birthday party to help cheer him up from his loneliness, despite the team losing.
Ted Lasso introduces the concept of a suggestion box, which is mocked by almost all the players
Favorite Quotes
"Be a Goldfish," Ted Lasso.
"Coach, I'm me, why would I want to be anyone else," Jamie tells Ted, displaying his ultimate self-confidence but also a shade of emotional maturity, which surprises Ted. "I don't think you know how psychologically healthy that is," Ted says to him.
"Sometimes you might be so sure you're one in a million, that you forget that out there, you're just one of 11," Ted in trying to get Jamie to engage as a teammate and not just a selfish goal scorer who likes to get his body waxed "for the fans."
"Until we get another Nate, just assume you are the default Nate," Ted says to the insecure Kit Man, in another demonstration of Ted's interest in engaging with everyone in the organization, and Nate still isn't used to it.
"There's no such thing as last day jitters," Ted in recognizing that it's ok to be nervous.
Lasso Lessons
Manage Up: The Biscuits with the Boss plot line is fun and endearing, but it's also a great example of someone who is making every effort to "manage up" and spend time with his supervisor, in this case Rebecca. It's a bit cheesy, but it works, because it allows Ted to engage Rebecca on a regular basis.
Identify the Change Agent: From the start, Ted and Coach Beard knew Captain Roy Kent was the key to winning over hearts and minds. They identified him as the change agent in Episode 1.
Solicit Feedback, but it's meaningless unless you follow-up with action. Ted fixing the showers came as a huge surprise to Roy Kent. It may seem pretty trivial, but was a big sign that Ted is was genuine in his interest to improving the locker room. No doubt that small action started to chip away and Roy's negative perception of Ted.
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