NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
We’re back on the Ted Lasso binge. After ranking season 1 episode 2 titled “Biscuit”, it’s time for episode 3 where we meet everyone’s (least) favorite reporter. Just ask Roy Kent.
Season 1 Episode 3- Trent Crimm The Independent
This episode dives deep into how far Rebecca is willing to go to sabotage Ted. It starts with her realizing her story was never published to try and ruin Ted’s credibility in the locker room. It ends with an interview meant to sabotage him in the minds of the fans. Spoiler alert: neither ends up going her way.
We see the relationship between Nate and Ted start to develop. Ted starts to see the brilliance of Nate’s futbol mind, while simultaneously proving that everyone is part of the team. He takes Nate’s idea and puts it immediately into action. Every voice is heard when it comes to the team getting better. It shows the kind of respect he has as a coach and as a person.
The fallout from Keeley and Ted’s interactions still poses a threat to Jamie’s fragile ego, and the back and forth between the two in the hallway is a silly back and forth.
There aren’t as many quotables in this episode, but the groundwork for future stories are the backbone of this episode. Rebecca and Keeley’s friendship blossoms. Nate begins to see Ted as a father figure who’s proud of him. Then there’s Trent Crimm. The blunt reporter is the tipping point for the fans who believed Ted to be a “wanker”. More often than not, people believed he would fail, but no one would be happy about it.
Jamie’s treatment of Nate is on full display in this episode as well. It leads to developing Roy as the leader, and it shows just how immature Jamie is as a young superstar. We meet Roy as a family man reading to his niece and attending her school function, proving he’s just not an angry, foul-mouthed captain.
Trent Crimm: The Independent was a bit of a tipping point for me in the show. It was not only a solid episode but also solidified what I had been feeling about Ted Lasso as a show. It was a little goofy, almost wonky at times, but for some reason, I couldn’t help but hope for its success. At the end of the day, it was a lighthearted show filled with dad jokes that came out at a time when we all could use a good laugh and break from the day-to-day.
Rankings so Far
1 Trent Crimm: The Independent
2 Pilot
3 Biscuits
