The Ted Lasso ‘Fly’ Episode

Did the Ted Lasso team do it on purpose?

20 Emmy nominations. It was a record for a comedy series. And by all accounts a very deserving haul. If you’re one of the few who hasn’t immersed yourself in the warm, comforting awe-shucksie drawl of Theodore Lasso then do yourself a favor and check it out. The writing is the best on television (sorry Hacks), the performances are already the stuff of quotable legend.

And as it would happen the current Season, Season 2, is underway and while it’s receiving more mixed reviews it is still one of the best options as far as what to do on a Friday night, during a pandemic or otherwise.

Which is why on the same weekend as the Emmy’s the show would release what I can only describe as, a Fly episode.

Every so often when a show is successful enough, and sometimes when they’re not successful at all, the writers will decide, most likely during some mushroom infused moment of creativity, that they should do a ‘Fly’ episode.

No this isn’t an episode where they train a fly to land on Mike Pence’s head, but rather it’s in reference to “arguably the most polarizing episode in Breaking Bad history” Fly, Season 3, Episode 10.

In the episode, Walter White, suffering from insomnia according to Wikipedia, although I don’t remember that part, sets about trying to clean his meth lab, as you do. While trying to make everything shimmer he encounters a fly. The rest of the episode is a battle waged between the Man Who Knocks and this descendant of Jeff Goldblum.

That’s it.

That was the whole episode.

Jesse Pinkman wasn’t there. Hank wasn’t around. Skylar. Walt Jr. The episode was on an island by itself. Just meth dealer and insect. Battling for control in a meth lab. Even that last sentence made it sound like more of a thrill-ride than it actually was. By many accounts it was awful, boring, disappointing television from the greatest show in the history of the medium.

Personally, I love episodes like this when they are done well and still service the show. However, as cool as the concept seems it is a very dangerous game to play with your audience. Particularly during a 10–13 episode season on a streamer. That is premium real estate you’re talking about.

After watching this past Friday’s Episode of Ted Lasso entitled, ‘Beard After Hours’ I had a few thoughts after I realized what we were in for…

• With 20 Emmy Nominations coming to head last night, did the writers do this on purpose? I’m not sure if this is already a popular opinion circulating, but the timing of this episode and the Emmy’s is peculiar to say the least. I wouldn’t be surprised if the writers decided, ‘Hey, this is absurd that we’re nominated for 20 awards. We’re good, but people shouldn’t love us this much so let’s see who really loves the show and make a trippy, abstract, parallel universe journey for Coach Beard!” I am squarely in this camp.
• I don’t think people care about Coach Beard this much. I hate saying that because Brendan Hunt, who plays Coach Beard, is responsible for creating one of the best shows in television history. And yes, it’s okay to say that after only a season and a half. The original Office was genius and so is Ted Lasso. Hunt is major part of the that and, as an aspiring writer who doesn’t know a goddamn thing about success, I worship the ground he walks on. However, as a character on the show it’s not so much that I mind that they did this episode about him, but that they didn’t make us care enough about him or his backstory prior to this point.
• There have been a few moments in Season 2 where the episode started off, not necessarily weak, but not as light and funny as the early episodes of Season 1, only to have the show right the ship and land some of the most heartfelt and hilarious moments of the season. The Jamie Kent/father confrontation for example. The episode was rocky but then found it’s stride. The Jamie Kent being Jamie Kent episode. The pure beauty of the Sam/Rebecca date and rendezvous. So with that in mind I wonder if the writer’s weren’t planting seeds for some future pay off?
• The Richmond Soccer Hooligans are funny. I should know their names but I don’t. But between them and the pub owner they did provide some funny moments. When the realization hit that we were strapping in for a Fly episode I was immediately concerned about who from the world of Ted Lasso would be joining Coach Beard. Or would he be all alone? So I was pleasantly surprised when the lads from the pub joined the fun and sad when they didn’t play a larger part in the entire episode. Their running onto the Richmond field was perhaps the highlight of the episode.

Beard and the Lads

• The billiard scene where Coach Beard pretends to have taught at Cambridge just felt a bit forced and didn’t land. Here is a guy who has never broken into character in the last season and a half suddenly showing some propensity for acting goofy. This scene made me think Hunt had it in his contract to just do whatever he wanted for an episode.
• I thought we were supposed to dislike Jane? Granted love is messy. Love is a battlefield. Love hurts. But if you’re basing an episode around the romantic relationship between one character we’re already struggling to know and care about in Coach Beard and then combine that with a love interest in Jane who we’ve been somewhat trained to dislike, it’s difficult to feel any sense of satisfaction when they end up together.
• Again, it’s an 11 episode season. Jason Sudeikis has already hinted that it will be only a 3 season show. Obviously that could change but we just spent valuable time on an episode that quite frankly didn’t measure up.
• If you’re gonna trip out, then trip out. The blueprint for these types of episodes isn’t simple, but the safe money is on, if you want it to be successful either go full acid trip or keep it simple and direct. Maybe Beard should have just stayed in his flat all night? Maybe he should have gotten really beat up badly by Man City fans. Maybe he should have drunkenly boarded a steamer ship for Skull Island. I don’t know. I’m not a professional.

Clearly if you’ve read this or anything I’ve written I am supremely untalented in comparison to the geniuses who write Ted Lasso, but I do know that ‘Beard After Hours’ fell short not because it’s wrong to do stand alone episodes, but in concept.

However! If the plan was to self-sabotage the most popular show on television on the biggest weekend of the show’s life then they should win another Emmy for that alone.

Also, The Morning Show Season 2 Episode 1 was even more head scratching than Ted Lasso. That article is coming tomorrow. Thanks for reading.