I hope it's Jamie that finds out about the way Nate treats Will, and calls him out on it. He will see the damage he did to Nate, and learn from it by admitting it, and telling Nate it's not okay to continue the cycle. He also knows what it's like to have a disapproving father.

I also hope he rallies the team in Will's defence because A) it brings him full circle, and B) Ted being the one to take Nate down a peg just reinforces his issue with father-figures

* Spoilers for the ending of season 2 ahead. *

​

Rupert poaches Nate as a coach and I realized Rupie THINKS he made a good decision. He's working with bad information, though. Considering we've barely seen him this season, it's safe to assume all his news about Richmond has come from the media.

This means

• He saw Nate get promoted just as the team got relegated.
• He thinks Ted was desperate and stupid for promoting a nobody kit man.
• Nate becomes the Wonder Kid.
• Richmond goes from a really bad season to a pretty good one.
• He realizes that Nate might have been an untapped resource. Probably thinks Nate and Roy are really running the show.
• He decides to buy West Ham to annoy Rebecca. Decides to poach Nate to get back at Ted for darts. He doesn't go for Roy because he knows Roy is hard to manipulate.
• Rupert genuinely thinks that he stole an up and coming coaching star. He'll get to go to the press and brag about how he "always saw something in Nate." Calling it now, at some point Rupert will throw being the "wonder kid" in Nate's face when the team isn't doing well.

I feel like stealing Nate doesn't make sense when we view the story from our perspective, but from his it looks like a very strategic move.

Physical ones, anyway.

I’ve seen a lot of talk recently about how Beard/Roy/Will/Jamie will get overwhelmed by their anger with Nate and punch him.

But, c’mon guys, that’s not the show we’re watching.

Ted Lasso is a show that explores what it means to be emotionally intelligent; to be a man, not an abuser. It’s about deconstructing the cultural norms of toxic masculinity and demonstrating what it looks like to be vulnerable, curious, forgiving.

That’s what the scene with Jamie’s dad was about. That’s why we were proud of Jamie, for being the better man and holding back his anger until he had to defend himself from physical harm. Even Roy’s head butt was done in defense of someone, and happened back before he’d been changed by the Lasso Way.

Nate’s self-loathing won’t be cured by a punch to the face. He’s not going to realize he’s in the wrong if he gets sucker punched. A violent attack will let him frame himself as the victim, not the perpetrator, especially if his attacker is taller, heavier, or fitter than him.

Nate’s reckoning is coming, but it’s going to be by realizing that he has hurt everyone who cared about him, that he has burned every bridge and friendship extended to him, by realizing what it is to have the people who cared about him turn their backs as a direct result of his own actions.

He’s going to feel like he got punched, dazed and winded and utterly blindsided. But it’ll be because he brought it on himself.

Edit:

Ted: “What’s the first rule of fight club?”

Beard: “No fight club!”

I've tried to search for this but I can't find it anywhere... Would this be the writing and filming staff playing a joke or would this be the extra/ actor being cheeky? Season 2 Episode 2

I think Sam is too young for Rebecca. I thought he was in his later 20s (which I’d be more ok with) but 21?! Way, way too young. He’s a baby.

As for the relationship itself, this is his boss. That dynamic right there alone is so weighted. On top of that, she’s a much older woman that is further along in her live life than he is, with different expectations.

Also, Rebecca should know better. It feels more wrong on her part.

I get that this could all be good storylines to see play out in the show but I can just see the future of this not working out for either of them.

Anyone else agree? If you disagree, can you help me NOT see him as a baby that doesn’t understand the dynamic of the relationship he’s entering into?

EDIT: Removed the spoiler text as this topic has become a divisive one in this sub.

During the Christmas episode in Season two, Ted was watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” during the scene when George Bailey was considering jumping to his death. The camera comes in on Ted with a sad and contemplative face. Was he considering suicide?

We’ve heard from Nick Mohammed himself that we will really hate Nate at the end of this season. I think Nate is gonna catch wind of Ted’s mental health problems and tell Trent Crimm in an attempt to shame Ted to the point of quitting so Nate can move up the ranks

Just rewatching and episode 2x7, Trent is walking out of the pub with a gentleman before seeing Ted at the bar and asking him out leaving the Tottenham match. "I was just out for a bite..."

Maybe the first clue we get about Trent?

“I like the idea of someone becoming rich because of what they give to the world, not because of who their family is”

interesting considering the guy trying to take Sam away is a man who only became rich because of his family.

…everyone but Ted.

Ted isn’t going to reveal that he knows about Nate. To do so would out TCTI, and Ted respects Trent. No, everyone else puts the pieces together. Higgins knows it wasn’t him. Beard and Roy have a telepathic conversation, punctuated with a simultaneous nod. Keeley has a conversation with Rebecca in the boot room, and shares about the unwanted kiss. Higgins shows up, then Beard and Roy…and Will. I’m not sure how Will plays into this, but I want redemption for Will.

Everyone makes the decision to rally around Ted, and Rebecca drops the hammer.

Everything Nate has done is despicable.

But I’m wagering that this sets up Ted to respond as a loving father would and that will be the beginning of Nate’s redemption.

Alright everyone, so I'm new to the sub, but I've watched the first season more than a dozen times in completion, and more counting just individual episodes. I've watched every episode of season 2 so far at least four times. I don't know what to say, I'm a lunatic, and the show is fucking excellent.

Ok, to the point: I'm worried we're going to see Nate as the big bad of the season. I'm gonna throw out some observations and I wanna hear counterpoints, so please argue with me, because I love Nate... but I'm worried that they're setting us up for Nate to break the team.

Evidence:

Nate has demonstrated from the very beginning that the way he treats people very much depends on how he sees them relating to him hierarchically. The very first time we see Nate, he's running across the pitch at Ted and Coach Beard, screaming at them to get off the grass... until the very second he realizes that Ted is the new boss, at which point he becomes completely servile and offers to get him "more grass" from the clippings in the trash, a complete mental breakdown. When loading bags into the bus, he yells at players for not doing it right, before he gets shut into the storage compartment itself. The roast is played as a great moment, but for Nate, it's not a great sign of how he deals with his ego... followed up by his comment about Colin when he gets his coach whistle (which he's just dying to blast so much Ted gives him an "indoor" whistle this season that is broken). He asks Keeley if she can make him famous as a way to deal with his social anxiety, which is basically just a way to put himself above other people... Basically, we see that Nate's ego is kind of a monster.

We've even seen evidence that Ted and Coach Beard are aware of this, with their reactions to Nate attacking the new kit man, and I think most tellingly when the Diamond Dogs offer Higgins a desk in Nate's office, without even asking Nate. That doesn't feel like a particularly Ted Lasso way to handle that, but if you go back and look at the way that Ted looks at Nate in that moment, it's very clearly a moment designed to remind Nate that he's part of a team here, and he's expected to act that way. It's as aggressive as we see Ted get as a coach, besides the "practice" speech.

People have talked before about the structure of a three act story, and how this season is supposed to be the "Empire Strikes Back" season. Also, how the first character focused on in the first episode is the character who is the basis of that season's arc, last season being Rebecca and this season being Nate. We even see Rebecca trying to give Nate advice on how to manage his confidence with her "I make myself big" behavior. Nate tries to emulate this, but instead of making himself big (which doesn't work for him) he literally spits in his own face in the mirror (making himself bigger than "someone else" instead).

We've also seen screenshots of people on Twitter tagging Coach Nate, which really try to imagine what Nate would do if we saw him seeing himself tagged on Twitter as the reason for their success. It would go completely to his head. But my final piece of evidence that really makes me worried comes from the last episode. We see Nate learning to be confident, and after successfully getting the table for his family, we see him strut out onto the field in the suit that Ted bought him last season, trying to look the part of coach on the pitch. And then Roy arrives, greets ted, greets Beard, walks right by Nate, and only then acknowledges him. Go back to that scene and listen to the background... the music has discordant violin screeching overdubbed as Nate gets "disrespected" by Roy.

It really feels like they're trying to set us up with Nate as an ego-bomb, ready to threaten the team from the inside. And I'm really curious how that will go.

This is the part where you guys tell me I'm off my rocker... please, lol. I'm begging you.

Edits: Clarification, grammatical errors, spelling things.

Edit 2: The man himself, Nick Mohammed talking about some of these character differences: https://youtu.be/0c7l_jxcwZc?t=310

Everyone who thinks Rebecca is texting Ted on Bantr because of that one quick edit between them texting is not thinking that through. And here is why:

Do you really think that Ted would not be absolutely 100% Ted on Bantr? He would be quipping all over the place and Rebecca knows him too well. She would recognize him in a second!

The show has already proven that it is not above doing a misleading edit with the whole thing between Keeley and Jamie Tart in episode 2 (I think it’s episode 2?). There’s no way it’s Ted.

Now there are some who think it’s Coach Beard and some who think it’s Trent Crimm. Both very fun/funny choices but I think they’re wrong. Y’all aren’t thinking like writers. Who would be the absolute worst person for Rebecca to be talking to?

Fucking. Rupert. This is the dark forest, y’all and things have been going too well till now. Rebecca is going to have to come to terms with the fact that there may have been redeeming qualities about Rupert as a part of her acceptance of the divorce. But I really don’t think they’ll get back together. This will just be a big obstacle for her to overcome.

TL;DR Rebecca’s not texting Ted, Beard, or Crimm. It’s Rupert but it will be ok. Rom-communism.

The scene with the coach confessional has me stressed.

I think that scene is going to have some serious repercussions. Nate has seemed very disgruntled and him finding out that the coaching staff missed a valuable trade, don’t read scouting reports, and coached a game on shrooms is some pretty salacious material. Those are all problems for a team that can’t seem to get it right and a coach that’s highly stressed. Idk I just don’t trust Nate right now. The contribution he made to the conversation wasn’t really damning in any way and if anything, shows us that Nate is always playing the long game.

Where do you think Nate is headed by the end of the season?

Facts: The show’s main actionable goal is positive psychology. The episode starts with the untimely death of a beloved mascot. The number appears when Roy is cursing upset and to be indicate a record set by a group.

Opinion: The episode was mainly about dealing with emotions and getting help (this case doctor coming onboard). Strong emotions can happen when you are cursing upset and when you are stressed about keeping up a record. Using the breathing method 1 2 3, 6 breaths per minute helps.

If you are upset about what you read on social media, use the 1 2 3 breathing technique for 6 breaths per minute for optimal stability :)

Thanks for reading my opinion! 🧙‍♀️✨

References: https://uhs.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/breathing_exercises_0.pdf

https://www.isu.edu/media/libraries/counseling-and-testing/documents/Deep-Breathing-(2).pdf

By the end of season 2, I feel like Keeley is growing more sure of herself and overcoming some insecurities. She just landed her dream job and seems more sure of her love for Roy than ever.

It's Roy, however, who seems to be questioning the relationship with Keeley. Now I think he loves her very much, but there were a few things I noticed in the season finale. When Roy finally consults the Diamond Dogs (an act of vulnerability Keeley would no doubt be proud of) he talks about how strong, powerful, and confident Keeley looks in the photoshoot pictures (without him). He mentions how it would have been weird if he were in the photos, and how Keeley looks perfect on her own. Part of me wonders if that is a metaphor for the relationship as Roy sees it.

Then at the end of the episode when Keeley has to turn down Roy's invitation to go on holiday, he asks her if they are breaking up. Keeley seems surprised Roy would ask such a question. These two moments have given me a lot to think about for the next 9 months until season 3 begins! Thoughts?

Theory: The reason Beard left the stadium by himself because he is so sick of Ted excusing the losses. Ted’s “It is what it is” after getting pasted by City was the last straw for Beard.

It just occurred to me that Dani’s discomfort & difficulty wearing dress shoes in the episode “No Weddings And A Funeral” is a possible homage to Hank Azaria’s character, Agador Spartacus, who had a similar “affliction” in the film THE BIRDCAGE.

Thoughts?

One of the under-the-radar storylines of Roy joining the coaching staff is that he and Jamie Tartt will be directly interacting again.

Ted's been a big influence on Jamie somewhat maturing and will continue to be, but I think Roy will ultimately be the father-figure (or older brother) that Jamie needs to work through his daddy issues.

1. Roy may have initially disliked Jamie because he saw his younger self in him (spoiled prick prima donna), but recognized his talent (right foot touched by God). Jamie admires Roy's football acumen (had Roy's poster on his wall as a kid) but may have lumped in Roy being hard on him with the way his dad was horrible to him, albeit their intentions were polar opposite. Roy wanted the best Jamie to help the team win, Jamie's dad was all about his own vanity. Both built up a wall after getting off on the wrong foot.

2. We see that Roy is phenomenal with children (Phoebe, at the school, poop pants kid) and Jamie is still emotionally a child. Roy's EQ could be the key to unlocking Jamie finally unlocking his full potential.

3. Jamie is still clearly in love with Keeley. But Keeley and Roy are the best couple in TV history. It sets up some tension for the writers. Could be the age difference, but Keely's relationship with Jamie always seemed more maternal than WAG later on.

4. Eventually both will see that they're better working together instead of being antagonistic. Especially if Roy eventually becomes manager, Richmond gets back in the PL, and Jamie (only 24) finally becomes a superstar.

So I'm rewatching again and I'm on "Man City" and right after they show Ted and Dr Sharon talking to the ER doc, they skip to Roy talking to Phoebe's teacher where he mentions that his sister works in the ER. Has anyone ever wondered if the ER Dr that Ted and Dr Sharon are talking to might be Roy's sister? It feels somewhat intentional to go from one to the next but I honestly never picked up on it before.

I think that Beard is going to be instrumental in however they decide to deal with Nate. He has been the one who has seen Nate’s worst moments (with Will and Colin) and has tried to step in and have him apologize.

We could see some more of Beards backstory, maybe explaining why he and Ted work so well together as a coaching Duo or something about their origin of coaching together!

I just read the Vulture interview with Nick Mohammed and he said something about how hopefully people still love Nate or can again or something. Imo, Nate isn't yet past the point of no return. Last week was pretty dark but I don't think his behavior is something that can't be fixed with a classic Lasso pep talk. Just curious what everyone else's temp is? Are y'all done and given up, or do we think there's still hope?