Geekscape TV Review: ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 2, Episode 2: Lavender
The second episode of the sophomore season of Ted Lasso, entitled Lavender, finds Keeley trying to get Roy to become a pundit and the potential of Jaime Tartt’s return threatens the moral of the team.
For those who have yet to watch the episode, there are spoilers below. Go watch and come back, we’ll be here.
Carrying on from the first episode back of the new season, Keeley is still insistent about being approached to have Roy be a pundit on a morning show. Despite the initial denial, Roy Kent finds himself in a suit and on a soundstage surrounded by other commentators. One of them being his former manager, George, who Rebecca fired in the pilot of Ted Lasso. Roy’s comment in the previous episode, “Shit job for shit people” may ring a little loud for good ‘ol Georgie boy.
When Roy comes home to Keeley, he admits he liked talking about football, adding that in the time he’s been away from the pitch – he’s missed it. In the first episode, when Roy initially told Keeley no, it was because he didn’t want to face another situation like his retirement press conference, which he cried at. At the end of his bout on TV, which was filled with expletives and well worded and crafty word punches in Roy Kent fashion, he thanks Keeley by turning on his press conference and letting her watch while he participated in adult activities — a payoff from the beginning of the episode where Roy catches her watching the press conference, which she considers to be a turn on.
One person who Roy probably hasn’t missed is the golden boy himself, Jaime Tartt. Jaime, who we saw was taking his turn on the reality tv track, was voted off his show. It was Jaime’s agent who told him that his former football team Manchester City let him go. Jaime Tartt with nowhere else to turn to, finds Keeley in a coffee shop. To which he admits was kind of stalking her. Taking another unsuspecting person by surprise, Jaime interrupts Ted’s dinner at Crowne and Anchor.
Phil Dunster, who plays Jaime, teeters on the brink of a new version of Jaime and old Jaime effortlessly. Jaime that we see in the second season asks for help, which Jaime in Season 1 would not have. Everything was fine for season 1 Jaime and now, he’s scrambling for something to do. So, when he interrupts Ted at the pub, he asks for his job back. Ted, calmly and understandably says no to the proposal, to the ask for help. Another sign of growth on Jaime Tartt’s side, is that when Ted tells him no, there is no fight from the younger man.
Jaime burned bridges before he was sent back to Manchester City, a one-way ticket courtesy of Rebecca.
The prospect of Jaime coming back to AFC Richmond was met with animosity. It’s Sam who, uncharacteristically leaves the training pitch and explains to Ted who comes after him, that Jaime was downright mean. Jaime wasn’t antagonistic to just Sam, but many other members of the team as well. For us as the audience, we are on Sam’s side here, because we had seen the methods in which Jaime used to have people pick on Nate, the carelessness he had about other players. He basked in the attention of being a great footballer and was downright greedy for the attention.
The question then becomes – can Jaime Tartt be better?
A third storyline, albeit smaller, was the return of Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, who Ted tried to warm over with biscuits. When she told him she doesn’t eat sugar, he is surprised. “I’ve never met someone who don’t eat sugar. Only heard about them and they all live in this godless place called Santa Monica.” Never the less, she still took a bite and put it back in the pink box and handed it back to Ted.
In Rebecca’s office, Ted tells the her that he tried to give away her biscuits.
“You did what?” Rebecca questioned.
When Ted tells her Sharon doesn’t eat sugar, Rebecca is shocked, but eats the half eaten biscuit. Which is paid off at the end of the episode when the Doctor introduces herself to Keeley and Rebecca. Sharon thanks Rebecca for the basket of water, and when explained why Rebecca sent Sharon a basket of water, Keeley replies, “There are so many other things without sugar though.”
It’s a nice break from the tension brewing between the team and Ted.
New episodes of Ted Lasso premiere on Friday on Apple TV+.
