Some big adjustments in Ted Lasso 2×03 for the Richmond boys (and the ladies, too), as they welcome… er, tolerate the return of a former teammate and tormenter.

If last week was all about Jamie Tartt’s return to the pitch after his reality TV stint, this week is all about him figuring out who Jamie Tartt the footballer is going to be. He’s done the “I’m the best, suck it” thing before, and since he’s now been rejected by Manchester City, that doesn’t really hold water anymore, I’m afraid.

Related:‘Ted Lasso’ 2×02 review: Heavy is the head that wears the visor

So, it’s nice to see him want to try to be a teammate. Dropping the high and mighty act doesn’t even seem hard for Jamie. I mean, sure he’s still self-centered (he is Jaaaaaamie Tartt, do do do do doot! after all), but he’s not anywhere near the attention seeker he’s always been.

It’s interesting to see Rebecca with her goddaughter in this episode. We heard all about Nora in season 1, what with “Let it Go” and everything, but I never really believed we would see the young lady herself.

It’s nice to see this side of Rebecca. See her making amends with her goddaughter, but also putting her gentleness and warmth center stage. Rebecca is a lovely woman, but she tends to put her harshness and ferocity forward, at least when it comes to being the boss. And that’s not a bad thing, but it is nice to see her being a little softer, too. Even when she’s showing Nora how to be a boss ass bitch. Knowing she is a layered and complicated woman who deserves all kinds of love in her post-Rupert life, I am so happy for Rebecca. Plus, she’s giving Keeley a run for her money in the best female character department, for sure.

Moving on. Oh boy. Led Tasso. Well, it makes us all that much more thankful for Ted Lasso, the coach, the myth, the gentleman.

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I think its hilarious that it’s truly a whole different persona for Ted. That he snaps himself into Led Tasso, but has to brought out of it by Beard. It must be a bit therapeutic for him, too. To exorcise a bit of that anger and frustration by letting Led out of the bag. In small doses, Led Tasso is a valuable, and hysterical bit, and I hope we never need to see him again.

As a huge fan of the Sam Obisanya character, it hurt quite a bit to see his parents immediately dismiss a huge opportunity for his career in Ted Lasso 2×03. And then, a second later, we learn why they couldn’t be happy for their son. Using a word like shill seems a bit far, especially since Dubai Air has been on Sam’s jersey since he started at Richmond AFC, and it seems his father hasn’t seen a reason to make his son aware of the connection to the ecological destruction their parent company is responsible for before now.

So yeah, I was hurt for our footballer. But then I was irrepressibly proud of Sam. Not only does he take his father’s concerns seriously, he takes the next step and asks to be removed from the campaign. He stood up for what he thought was right no matter what it was gonna cost him.

And then he takes it a step even farther. He makes the decision to never wear Dubai Air’s emblem again, and his Nigerian teammates take the same stand he does. I love that Sam doesn’t expect the entire team to stand by him. I like that he respects that they are all individuals that make up a team, and they don’t all have to think exactly alike, just support one another.

And then Jamie takes a step toward real team unity. Toward redemption. I LOVE that Jamie puts his ass on the line for Sam. I love that he puts something else over his own vanity, and I know that Sam respects that Jamie isn’t trying to make everything about him, but is also aware that if Jamie Tartt participates, the audience for their protest is going to be that much bigger and more noticeable.

And then the whole team backs Sam anyway. It’s a remarkable demonstration of team unity.

I also love that Ted gives Sam a chance to stand up for himself and explain his actions. (With a side dish of Ted understands his privilege. So tasty.) It’s not that Sam hates Dubai Air or has anything against the sponsor themselves, but the parent company has a lot to answer for. It must have been incredibly scary for Sam, a man who doesn’t usually seem to require too much of the spotlight, to step out into it and take such a brave step.

This is certainly the biggest storyline we’ve seen for Sam Obisanya so far in Ted Lasso. I’m glad that, since Roy left, the focus on the players hasn’t shifted entirely. I want to know what makes Danny Rojas, Sam Obisanya, and all the rest tick. I’m glad that Ted Lasso season 2 has opened the door to get to know a few of these guys even better. I hope that continues.

And that’s all she wrote for Ted Lasso 2×03. A pretty damn good episode. I also wanted to share this thread of tweets from Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard, and one of the series’ creators and central writers) about these first 3 episodes, which I think paints a picture of how the creators imagined this season to flow:

Last year when #TedLasso came out, they dropped three episodes first, then went weekly. When we were writing season 2, we carried the expectation it would go out the same way, that people would be able to watch these first three all at once.(1/3)

— Brendan Hunt (@brendanhunting) August 6, 2021

Now it’s not like anybody’s mad that the S2 release was weekly-only from jump. The episodes all stand alone, of course; it doesn’t really matter *that* much. (2/3)

— Brendan Hunt (@brendanhunting) August 6, 2021

But if you felt like watching S2 eps 1-3 in one sitting, you’d be watching them as we originally imagined you would be. 🤷🏻‍♂️

This has been Ted Lasso: Behind the Music. (END)

— Brendan Hunt (@brendanhunting) August 6, 2021

Anyway, til next week!

Ted Lasso 2×03 is available now on AppleTV+!