Perfect TV

Last night, I witnessed perfect TV. I am traditionally behind the times when it comes to TV shows. Therefore, I am just getting into Ted Lasso. Just hitting episode eight has led me to an incredible scene. For those of you catching up on Ted Lasso like me, Coach Lasso is a football coach from America that is brought in to coach a Premier League soccer team in England. The owner of the team just got the club in a divorce, and her ex-husband was clear that the club was his main love. Rebecca, the new owner, brings in Ted Lasso because he knows nothing about soccer and hopes the team will miserably fail, making her ex-husband, Rupert, devastated.

Back to the incredible scene from last night. Rebecca and Rupert have a run in at the local pub. Rupert has purchased minority shares in the club. Once again, it seems like he is just trying to make Rebecca miserable and threatens to sit by her in the owner’s box for every game. Rupert is showing off at the dart board and bets Ted £10,000 he can beat him at darts. Ted slow plays his hand a bit and throws a couple darts right handed. In the meantime, he counters Rupert's bet and states if he, Ted, wins, Rupert cannot go near the owner’s box, but if Ted loses, Rupert can pick the starting lineup for the last two games.

Rupert pulls out his own darts from his pocket, and Ted reveals he is actually left handed as the wager is put in place. However, gambling over darts is not what keeps me thinking about this scene. The scene is perfect TV because of how it all fits into the show and life.

Ted says, “You know, Rupert, guys have underestimated me my entire life. And for years, I never understood why. It used to really bother me.” Ted goes on to discuss a day where he takes his son to school and sees a Walt Whitman quote. Whitman said, “Be curious, not judgmental.”

As Ted imparts his wisdom, he is in need of two triple twenties and a double bullseye to win the bet. He starts with a triple twenty after saying he likes Whitman’s quote. Ted goes on to discuss all the people that had underestimated and belittled him. He says none of them were curious. “They thought they had everything figured out. So they judged everything, and they judged everyone.”

Ted breaks down Rupert's fault of lack of curiosity for not asking if Ted had played a lot of darts. Ted also nails his second triple twenty. Then the story gets quite real, and we get to know Ted’s character deeper in the midst of what first seemed like just another pub scene. Ted explains how he played darts every Sunday with his dad from age ten to sixteen, also revealing that his father passed away when he was sixteen. The look on Rebecca’s face seems to indicate this fact will be important later in the show.

The scene is important to me in other ways that seem to reflect my world view. The rich man is defeated and hopefully humbled, the good guy seems to win, and he seems to impart wisdom while doing it. How often do I judge instead of ask questions? As I age, am I becoming the rich, cocky guy instead of the humble do-gooder I once thought I was?

Ted Lasso is an extraordinary character. Ted Lasso is an extraordinary show. Any show that gets me introspective is important. I enjoy being entertained and learning something at the same time, but one season in, this show seemed to occupy my brain more than many other shows. I ached to watch the next episode and see what Ted does or says next. I have had other favorite shows in the past, but a show that seemed to be about soccer has really changed how I think about TV. The scene in the pub over a dart match is what I would call perfect TV. If you think that seems a bit odd, “Be curious, not judgmental.”