‘Ted Lasso’ Recap: ‘No Weddings and a Funeral’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 210 of ‘Ted Lasso’.
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When we're young, we're taught that we're should treat the death of a family member with great reverence because they're family and family deserves all the respect they can get. But as we grow older and come to learn more about the world and how it really works, we realize that not every family member we encounter deserves our respect and awe. Their sour actions in life can lead to a rotten legacy left behind. We also learn that it's definitely okay to feel a range of emotions when someone passes because it's natural, healthy, and the only way to properly grieve.

If anything, these fascinating lessons are top of mind today because they wove their way into the storytelling fabric that composed this week's episode of Ted Lasso, making ‘No Weddings and a Funeral’ quite the poignant and powerful but oddly hilarious tale. This episode took the time to explore how humor is something that people use to cope with death— evidenced by Roy Kent's incessant mocking of the end and by way of the surprisingly tasteful gags throughout the story. The sub plot involving the team dressing to the nines for a funeral offered some stunning levity, and we were also offered some more quietly emotional moments, such as Jamie's admission to Keeley about his feelings— something that was motivated by the age old awakening that death tends to provide us with. But while all of that was fun and fascinating for certain, it all paled in comparison to what death meant to Rebecca and Ted.
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In fact, it was Rebecca's journey that really brought about this entire examination. While she was enjoying the good romantic life with Sam, her mother broke the news that her father had passed away. One might think that this news would have broken Rebecca down, but instead, her response to his passing is how the show chose to explore how sometimes we feel nothing for a relative in death, especially when their past has sullied our memory of them. We came to learn that Rebecca hated her father and paid him no legacy because he consistently hurt her mother by cheating on her. Rebecca's speech about that and why it led to a lack of respect of the man was genuinely powerful. We all have relatives or people that we've known that we can feel nothing for when they pass because of their actions, and it was wonderful for the show to point out that apathy, in some cases, is healthy and normal and that we should be honest with ourselves about our feelings and to never sugarcoat an unpleasant past.

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As for Ted's journey, it explored the importance of how healthy it is to work through our feelings but threw in some powerful twists for good measure. Moments before Ted was supposed to meet with the team and head over to the church for the funeral, the past— specifically the death of his father— came washing over him and triggered a panic attack. This panic attack was so severe that Ted called Dr. Sharon Fieldstone and asked her to make a house call to help him deal with these waves of pain. When the "Doc" settled in with Ted and got him to open up about the fateful day that was haunting him, we were privy to some genuinely emotional moments. Ted recounted every harrowing second of the day his father died, right down to his actions following the discovery of his dad's body. Talking about that day not only allowed Ted to feel the pain of that day and cry over it, but it also allowed him to offer up a powerful admission: He hated his father for what he had done— not because he viewed his father as a bad man that worked hard to hurt his wife and son with this act, but because he was a damn good man. He was a man that went the extra mile for his son and really was a fine father. Ted's revelation teaches us that sometimes seeing those we love falter and fade when they don't know their worth can create disdain. Their actions can leave us filled with regret over what might have come had we taken the time to tell them their value to us, and this is why Ted is so kind to all and will do whatever it takes to get someone to open up to him. But what matters more is that Ted finally faced the pain of his past, was open and honest about his feelings, and learned the value of introspection— and that's powerful stuff for certain.

This segment was so nuanced that it will undoubtedly be dissected by countless writers and scholars for truly capturing the confusion, the shame, the anger, and the pain that comes with losing someone in our lives that never understood their potential or their power. However, Ted's story might not be the only storyline from this episode that's discussed and examined because Rebecca's journey is a perfect exploration of self-care and honesty that was further enhanced by her decision to put her and Sam's love affair on pause so she could properly heal and not hurt him.
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All in all, this was another brilliant episode from this endlessly brilliant series. It once again tackles some brave and uncomfortable topics— the kind that outright drove this writer to a stream of tears because this episode truly resonates with you and stays with you long after the credits roll. With only two episodes left in season two, who knows what other powerful lessons await us. Until next time.

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