Welcome to the Crown and Anchor!
a Ted Lasso salon
Howdy, neighbors!
Welcome to our very first Ted Lasso salon on Substack! Back during season two, aka The Dark Forest, I somehow fell into hosting a weekly TL discussion on Facebook, sometimes getting upwards of 200 comments. I loved the wisdom, enthusiasm, and kindness we shared. We talked about leadership and relationships, we delved into human psychology, we delighted in the humor and storytelling, and we may have even indulged in some escapism. Wouldn’t it be nice if the world was like this?
I don’t have any expectations that this experiment will be like the last one, just as season three will be its own thing, but I’d love to talk about the show with anyone who’s up for it. With mere weeks until the new episodes start to drop, I thought we’d get the ball rolling with weekly conversation. You know, introduce people to the space, try it on, see how it fits…
Next Thursday, March 2 I’ll do a roundup of season one. I’ll share some themes and through-lines and invite people to comment with their own thoughts. March 9, same with season two. Then after the 15th, it’ll be off to the races! [cue Marcus Mumford yeee-aaaaaaah]
As I said last week, I won’t be sending these as emails—too intrusive, given a weekly newsletter the next day. People will have to seek out the post. Not ideal, but my pledge to you is that I’ll get something up by Thursday morning, so check here and let the comments begin! If you’re a Friday subscriber, I’ll include a link to that week’s Ted Lasso salon as a reminder.
No topic is into touch (see what I did there), but to get the ball rolling, share one or more of the following in comments:
How much glee did the season three trailer bring you?
Will you do a rewatch before the new episodes, and if so, how? Binge, piecemeal, or ?
Faves: favorite character, quote, story arc, episode?
Any predictions or (gasp!) worries about this, the final season (we think)?
Biggest speculations: Will Nate get a redemption arc? Will Ted and Rebecca end up together? Will Roy and Keeley break up? I’m gonna let our brunette Oscar the Grouch give you my answers:
So come on in, grab a pint and some fish and chips wrapped in newspaper, see if you can unseat SMF on the pinball machine, and try not to get hit by an errant dart.
Barbecue sauce.
Favorite quote: Does my face look like it's in the mood for shape-based jokes?
Favorite story arc: Roy and Keeley are endgame as far as I'm concerned. As I suggested in the post, I will be shocked if they break up. I trust the writers to handle it well whatever they decide, but in this fantasy version of reality populated by emotionally intelligent characters, I think they're going to show how two people who love each other work through difficulties. And don't you want to see the wedding Keeley would plan?
Favorite episode: Season 1, Diamond Dogs. Season 2, Rainbow.
Favorite character: I'm relistening to The West Wing Weekly podcast, and they've been talking about how obsessive Aaron Sorkin would be about giving all of his principal characters quality things to do in each episode, or at worst every couple episodes. It really bothered him if Toby or Donna or Charlie didn't have a good morsel of plot and he would rejigger things to make it more even. TL isn't as strong in this, though it's more difficult with somewhat shorter episodes. I'm ready for more Dani in season 3, for example.
But in terms of favorite character, there's only one f***ing answer and you f***ing well know it. ;-)