Ted Lasso Review: No Weddings and a Funeral (Season 2 Episode 10)

After last week’s surreal, Beard-focused installment, things return to something a little more like normal on Ted Lasso Season 2 Episode 10, “No Weddings and a Funeral,” an hour that nevertheless shakes up the series’ generally lighthearted feel with the death of an unseen but impactful character. 

Perhaps we all should have guessed that there was going to be more to this story after Ted Lasso cast Dame Harriet Walter as her mother, Deborah, but Walter and Hannah Waddingham have plenty of meaty stuff to work with her as they process Rebecca’s father’s death. 

Much of this season of Ted Lasso has been about relationships between fathers and their children — from Ted’s anxiety as a result of his dad’s suicide to Nate’s overcompensation in the wake of his father’s indifference and Jamie’s clearly abusive parent. It’s only fair that one of the series’ women gets to explore a similar issue, especially when so much of who Rebecca is now, including how she relates to and sees other men, is a result of her relationship with her now-deceased dad.

It’s because she watched her mother accept being cheated on by her father that Rebecca ultimately chose to leave her philandering husband when the time came, and to both accept and stand up for herself. That this his behavior still so thoroughly haunts her – so much that it still impacts her relationship with her mother to this day — is…well, it’s a lot to process. But it makes a sad, painful amount of sense, as well. 

It’s always difficult when a loved one passes, but it’s especially so when you have unprocessed or unfinished emotional business with them. Rebecca can no longer hold on to the hope that her dad will change or fully become the man she wished he was. And it takes time — and no small amount of effort — to really process all that emotionally. (Though given Rebecca’s end of episode vow to work on herself, one has to assume/hope this is an issue we’ll come back to over time.) 

There are so many surprises to be had in the world of Ted Lasso — from the complex and complicated way it portrays male camaraderie to the delicate, careful way it’s laid the groundwork for Ted’s struggle with anxiety this season. 

But I must admit, nothing gives me more joy than the surprising way this show depicts female friendship. The world of Ted Lasso is so focused on sports and is so male-heavy in general, so to get to see such an incredibly interesting and diverse group of women get just as much screen time and have relationships that are as fully fleshed out and important as those between any of the series’ men. Well. It’s truly a wonder.

Rebecca and Keeley’s friendship has been a thing of beauty since early on in Season 1, but now with the addition of Sassy, Nora, Rebecca’s mom Deborah, and Doctor Sharon, suddenly there are all kinds of female characters on this canvas, who all have interesting and layered relationships with and among one another.

This is a lot to say that the scene in which Keeley, Sassy, Nora, and Deborah are interrogating Rebecca about her relationship with Sam with such gusto that the vicar has to repeatedly ask them to lower their voices out of respect for the funeral they are all attending is just. Chef’s kiss perfect. Women, y’all. Women are so awesome. 

The deft way that “No Weddings and a Funeral” interweaves Rebecca’s confrontation with her mother about her anger over her father’s infidelity (and Deborah’s quiet acceptance of it) with Ted’s recounting of his both his father’s suicide is truly gut-punch level good.

Many of us have been likely been wondering this season how we’re meant to read Ted and Rebecca’s relationship and/or if we’re meant to root for the two of them to become something more than friends.

The very deliberate way their two confessions are intercut with one another here clearly indicates we’re meant to see their stories as existing on parallel tracks and, most likely, ultimately leading toward one another. 

(I still don’t know how I feel about this. They’re wonderful friends and I sort of don’t want to risk it? I don’t know. I’m torn!) 

But the parallels between the way that both Rebecca and Ted talking about their fathers — about the pain of loss, the anger of betrayal, the way that both men, in different ways, took something necessary away from their kids — is really just so so heart-wrenchingly good. 

Perhaps it was inevitable that it would be Ted who understood Rebecca’s need to sing Rick Astley at her dad’s funeral, and that it would be his voice that picked up and carried the song when she couldn’t continue it.  None of this should have really worked at all – it’s awkward and kind of ridiculous and pretty weird.

And, yet, I feel 100% sure I’m not the only one who got choked up. Such is the power of this show. 

Stray Thoughts and Observations

• True ride or die bestie behavior is insulting a baby to make your friend feel better.
• Dani Rojas’ hatred of dress shoes!! Is adorable!!  We stan!! 
• I’m sorry, but Jane and Beard, as a thing, are completely weird and not even that joyous dance sequence from last week is enough to convince me otherwise. I mean, who Facetimes a funeral at all ever, but also a funeral for someone they don’t even know?
• “I was never gonna let anybody get by me without understanding they might be hurting inside.” This, right here is truly Ted Lasso in a nutshell. 
• I thought we were heading in a positive direction with Jamie Tartt this season, especially after his confrontation with his father following the Man City loss. But since he is apparently still a man who thinks that dumping his emotional crap on a woman that didn’t ask for it and isn’t responsible for whatever his feelings are at the moment is the move. Get in the sea. (PS: Am I the only one who thought Jamie decided to dump this on Keeley now, solely because he saw her and Roy being snappish earlier? Jerk.)
• Rebecca’s mom spending literal years thinking Rick Astley was Black is everything.

What did you think of this episode of Ted Lasso? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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New episodes of Ted Lasso stream Fridays on Apple TV+.

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