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Spoilers for season two ofTed Lassoare everywhere in this essay.
You have been warned.
The second season ofTed Lassohas been critiqued and criticized as much as it has been praised.
As much as I love Coach Beard,his stand-alone episodewasnt as satisfying as I had hoped.
But Nates arc, slowly deployed by the writers throughout the season, was a master stroke.
Then Nate turns and walks toward the camera until his face completely occupies the frame.
Its a jarring moment that provides payoff to the finesse with which his character has been drawn.
Before getting into that, though, obviously we need to talk about Nates hair.
But the transformation is much slower and more subtle than that.
By episodestenand11, hes got the full Clooney salt-and-pepper treatment.
(Its worth noting that Nates dismissive, disapproving father also has gray locks.)
Its odd that Nates colleagues never acknowledge the change in his appearance.
Nate isnt wrong to feel this way.
Ted doesnt make nearly as much of Nates wonder kid coaching skills as he would have the year prior.
He hires Roy as an additional coach, blindsiding Nate and making him feel less valuable.
Ted even belittles Nate.
Roy, who already knows about it, immediately forgives him and assures him hes not concerned.
Why would he be?
Nate believes he deserves better, a feeling Keeley and Rebecca have encouraged in him.
But he makes the classic mistake of believing that because he deserves more, others must have less.
Except thats not entirely true, and it wasnt even totally the case in season one.
Which makes us as guilty of neglect and dismissiveness as Ted and everyone else who has condescended to Nate.
Why does Ted deserve a pass when Nate has never gotten one?
Ted cant be a great guy who has also totally ditched his son.
But season two ends with a fuck-you.
And thats more interesting.
