Ted Lasso Review: Man City (Season 2 Episode 8)
AFC Richmond’s FA Cup semifinal face-off with rival Manchester City is actually the least important thing that happens on Ted Lasso Season 2 Episode 8, “Man City,” an hour that both tugs at your heartstrings and may well leave you in tears.
(Reader, I cried multiple times, is what I’m saying.)
An episode that turns out to be a stealth exploration of the complex relationships between fathers and their children, “Man City” is an emotional roller coaster that runs the gamut from exhilarating to heartbreaking.
Richmond ends up getting smoked by Manchester City, but the fallout from the match prompts Rebecca to take a chance on love, Ted to confess one of his most personal emotional trauma, and Jamie to finally give his abusive dad the punch in the face that he so richly deserves.
The final locker room scene is incredible on multiple levels, from the uncomfortable confrontation between Jamie and his horrible father to the shift in Roy’s expression that showed complete understanding of Jamie’s position (and the subsequent silent hug), the sequence just said so much without actually saying anything at all.
And that’s without even mentioning the fact that the whole thing sparks another emotional spiral in Ted, finally peeling back another of his many emotional layers. This season has already shown us the way he uses humor, pithy comments, and pop culture references as a shield, largely to avoid looking vulnerable.
“Man City” goes a step further, revealing that Ted’s father committed suicide when he was just sixteen, an event that obviously shaped — and clearly continues to shape — his life.
It just. Whew. It explains so much about why Ted is who he is, and why he interacts with the world in specific ways. Of course, he’s out here trying to parent these guys as much as he is simply coaching them. He knows how much it matters.
Watching Ted finally open up to Doctor Sharon was also wildly satisfying — from the way that her steady stream of concussed Voice Memos appear to make him more willing to talk to her to the charmingly genuine friendship that seems to (finally) develop between them.
Maybe Ted needed the chance to see that Sharon isn’t just a person whose professional role asks her to judge him or his mistakes in order to view her as someone he could trust. But whatever flipped the switch for him, the fact that he had someone he could call when Jamie’s confrontation with his father was too much for him so important.
It’s truly amazing that so little of this episode had anything to do with the actual match being played. Almost any other series would have hung the crux of its story around whether Richmond won or lost, but only Ted Lasso is self-aware enough to know that the stories it’s telling are bigger and more important than any single match.
Elsewhere, Rebecca finally says yes to a date with her Bantr match (whom viewers know is actually Sam) and, in another unexpected twist, Ted Lasso doesn’t try to set up comical near misses or come up with a reason to keep them apart for the sake of keeping the mystery dating twist alive.
Instead, Sam and Rebecca realize they’ve matched with each other and, despite their — read, mostly Rebecca’s — misgivings about the possibility of a connection between them, they decide to have dinner anyway. And though they both insist it’s not a date, it’s so obviously a date, and it’s adorable.
Though Sam is quite a bit younger than Rebecca and there’s probably no way this relationship is endgame, I can’t help but enjoy them together. As Roy said earlier this season, Rebecca deserves someone remarkable, and Sam is certainly that that in spades.
Stray Thoughts and Observations:
- Am I the only person who is wondering whether I should ship Ted and Dr. Sharon? Suddenly, they have really interesting chemistry? (Maybe I just love emotional vulnerability? IDK.)
- Everything about the whole cult of Isaac’s hair clippers was hilarious. Including the fact that even the match announcers couldn’t stop talking about how great Sam’s hair looked afterward.
- Coach Beard’s unsubtle “shove Jamie’s jerk dad headfirst into a door” move was aces.
- Also, can Higgins be my dad? Or at least give me life advice. What an amazing journey this character’s been on since the series’ first episode.
- Roy and Phoebe’s relationship is truly one of the best things about this show. Truly, men of the world, get on Roy’s level.
- Meg’s Richmond tattoo location! I cannot!
What did you think of this episode of Ted Lasso? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Lacy Baugher
Lacy is a pop culture enthusiast and television critic who loves period dramas, epic fantasy, space adventures, and the female characters everyone says you're supposed to hate. Ninth Doctor enthusiast, Aziraphale girlie, and cat lady, she's a member of the Television Critics Association and Rotten Tomatoes-approved. Find her at LacyMB on all platforms.