Eric: What is up everybody? Welcome to the very first episode of Believing, a Ted Lasso Rewatch here on the What the What Media Network. I am your host, Eric, and sitting on the other side of my screen is my co-host, the Roy Kent to my Ted Lasso, or maybe the Ted to my beard. We'll figure that out later. Gavin, how are we doing today? Gavin: You know, I'm good. I'm standing today, not sitting. but but we're here. Eric: well. Gotta love the recovery there. we are so incredibly excited to finally bring this project to light. We've been talking about this for a couple of years now. and today we are kicking off the ultimate rewatch journey of a show that is honestly, it just makes the world feel a little bit lighter. We're talking about Ted Lasso. Now, before we dive into AFC Richmond and the pilot, I want to talk about why we're even doing this. For me Gavin: Yes. Couple of years. Eric: I actually kind of stumbled onto the show a bit late. I think I did try to start watching it in twenty twenty when it first came out. It actually came out on my birthday in twenty twenty. and I think I started watching it or tried to watch it a few months later and just was not in the mood to put up with anything really that year. and then after me and my wife got married, we started this and we kind of dove through it. Gavin: nice. Eric: And watched every episode in two weeks. And it's like the second Ted stepped onto that pitch, I was hooked. It wasn't just the comedy, it was the vibe. in a landscape full of dark, cynical television, here's a guy whose superpower was just being aggressively kind. And it really stuck with me. what about you, Gavin? When did it first click for you and what made you want to lock in for a full rewatch? Gavin: I started watching in twenty two, probably a few months before which for anybody who doesn't know us, we got married within a couple months of each other. and so I started watching sometime in spring spring summer of twenty two and it was right before season three came out and immediately was hooked. It was my lunchtime let me watch an episode while I take my lunch break show and Fell in love immediately with the characters, with the storyline, had no clue honestly much about the world of the English Premier League or anything like that. And fell in love with the show instantly and I would just put it on as I did tasks as I I remember cooking one night and just had Ted Lasso in the background and it was the episode where I think that was episode I believe it's season two where Roy is trying to get Isaac to be able to fall in love with football again. And just it was it was a show that was there. It was a show that when everything else seemed doom and gloom, that you could get a breath of fresh air for. and then whenever season three dropped, I refused to watch the last episode for the longest time because I didn't want it to be over. And then we had the chance, as I'll talk more later, to go to Richmond when we were over in the UK three years ago and just even more fell in love with the show. so this is the first intentional rewatch. I've seen it several times, but the first time I've been like, Hey, let's take some notes on this thing. Eric: Love it. you know, I I bought it on D V D last year when it one I was excited they were releasing it on D V D 'cause Apple does not usually do D V V D physical releases. I know and I'm like, I need to have a physical copy of this just in case because you can't find it anywhere else. and I've rewatched it two or three four times now. I think me and my wife are kind of going through our fourth rewatch now. Gavin: I didn't know people made anymore. Yeah. Eric: I'm actually planning on bringing my laptop on my overseas trip next week and being able to watch an episode on the plane if I want to. like that's how much I really love this show. And that brings us to the roadmap for this podcast. If you're listening, here's the game plan. We're gonna be tackling this. Right now we have the plan to do this over 15 episodes. We're gonna be covering two to three episodes for each each time we get together. We'll do deep dives into those special standalone episodes, such as the Christmas episode, which is one of my favorite episodes. episodes that kind of deserve their own spotlight. so grab your shortbread, get comfortable, and let's get into it. it is time for what I'm calling the Blitz. It is our fast-paced, high-energy, quick recap to refresh your memory on the episodes we're looking at today. Gavin, I'm gonna be passing the mic on to you and I'm gonna let you recap all three of these episodes we're covering today: the pilot. Biscuits with the Boss Trink Cream the Independent. Go. Gavin: Yeah, so we start with the episode one or the pilot, and this is where literally we get introduced to everybody. in this moment, Rebecca hires Ted to come on the scene and to lead AFC Richmond with no experience in soccer or excuse me football, having just led the Wichita State Shockers to a division two title over in Wichita, Kansas. And this move shocks everybody, including seems like it shocks Ted and Beard. It shocks all of the AFC Richmond staff, but I mean you even get Scott Van Pelt in the opening there with a shock news for him. so a way to bring it into not just a UK shock but a global shock that this guy who has no experience with football is now leading an EPL team. so we get that introduction to episode one And then episode two, we come to find out, is our biscuits episode. And yes, biscuits are not the same thing that we eat here in the South. and so whenever you get to the biscuits, Ted shows up that day with those biscuits with the boss. And he starts this his way to get to know Rebecca. And it's that moment where he's sitting down trying to hear stories. Tell me what's your favorite con first first concert, favorite concert. real quick, Eric, what's your first concert and what's your favorite? Eric: First concert, Vince Gill and Brian White, I think it was in nineteen ninety seven or ninety eight at Walnut Creek Amphitheater. Best concerts might be Switchfoot Wilm in Wilmington in two thousand twenty-three. they w it was or no, two thousand twenty four. Switchfoot in tw two thousand twenty four in Wilmington. it was the twenty year anniversary of the Beautiful Lit Down album. So they did every song from that album and a few more, and that was wonderful. What about you? Gavin: yeah. First concert was probably somewhere around ninety seven, ninety eight, that time frame as well. saw the Beach Boys in the Four Tops at the Walnut Creek Amphitheater and best concert, as I get older, it becomes more and more going to see James Taylor in two thousand fourteen back at the Walnut Creek Amphitheater. so yeah, I'd I'd probably put those two up there for me. and so that's that's a way that Ted begins his Eric: That's that's well that. Gavin: relationship with Rebecca and these biscuits. And here we see that also we we get a little better introduction into the Jamie and the Roy clash and the way that they you've got the old head and you've got the young buck coming in on the scene, the has been and the now is face of this franchise. and we get the be a goldfish moment. And it's interesting because I feel like this comes up in so many shows and things now. I was just watching something the other day and they used the phrase be a goldfish and it had nothing to do with Ted Lasso. and then episode three, we get Trent Krim, the independent, and we're interested Eric: You gotta say it that way though. It's gotta be Trent Krim, the independent Gavin: And we get introduced to Trent Crim in episode one during Ted's opening. I I think it's the Independent, which is owned by which we find out in seas in episode three is owned by a larger media company. I don't even remember the name of it right now. but it's the same media company that owns the tabloid that was gonna oust them as we'll talk later. but yeah. Eric: Where does he work again? yes, okay. Gavin: Rebecca sets Ted up with the cynical journalist Trent Krim, the independent, and Ted wins him over with that kindness, with spicy food, and basically just with being a a curious person about Trent's life and about the lives of everyone they come in contact with. Eric: Boom. All right, that's perfect execution right there. And just like that, we're all caught up and ready to hit the pitch. So we're gonna start with the deep dive now. we watch these first three episodes again. We know exactly where every single one of these characters ends up by the series finale, and it's so it just hits so differently after you've watched it already. So like you watch episode one and so something funny, I wanna go and start with this. each season starts with A shot of who is going to be taking the biggest journey that season. So in season one, you start and you end the season with Rebecca. It's a shot of Rebecca's face. Season two, you start with Nate and you end with Nate at West Ham. Season three, you start with Ted and you end with Ted going home. West Ham, yes. so season one, as much as the show is called Ted Lasso. It's about Rebecca. She's purely fueled by spite. Her husband was cheating on her. It's a public, nasty divorce in the media, and she gets ownership of the team through the divorce. And she is trying to tank the team just to hurt Rupert. She hires, as Trent Krim says, someone whose only success comes at the amateur level and the lower level at that. Gavin: Mm-hmm. Eric: with no experience in football and she does that just to hurt Rupert. She's that spiteful. She's that just vengeful. But then you walk you watch Ted walk in there and she he instantly starts to trying to break down her walls with pink boxes of homemade biscuits. like how do you feel about Rebecca When you first watched it, what was your opinion of Rebecca versus now? Gavin: I hated Rebecca the first time I watched the show. I just like the seeing how vengeful she was, which I can only imagine. You go through something like that and you're the last to know all these things. And especially with the way if you've watched anything with British media, you know that the British tabloid runs everything in the UK. And to see to see your life unfolding. And especially in the moment where Rebecca is they they see no hey what do you think about this other woman who's come forward? and basically saying like yeah she's the last to say hey I had an affair with Rupert while you were married. So you see this this vengeance that she is coming in with and just despite and so I remember the f going back It's hard to remember, you know, the first time you watch a show, your emotions after you've seen it a few times. But I just remember that first time watching it just like I cannot stand this woman. Eric: Like it's like what what an awful, awful person to have that kind of hate for someone that you would uproot someone else completely in an attempt to humiliate someone else. In the process humiliating Ted, you know, who I mean that was the goal was if you humiliate Ted, you humiliate Rupert because Rupert loves this team so so much that you were willing to just uproot someone uproot someone, ship him from Kansas to London and have him just be a just being endlessly mocked in the media. fans are hating him. I mean it's just ugh. so on first watch you see Rebecca and you see Ted just trying to get in there and Rebecca's just trying to do everything she can to shut it down. but Ted he's infectious and you know the one of the things you you really see that blows me away is the immediate setup of Ted's emotional at intelligence. The guy's been in Richmond for five minutes. He already notices that Sam O'Bissonia is homesick. He's the only person who actually learns Nate's name and remembers Nate's name. Gavin: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I love that part when he's like, Hey Nate, come here. He's like, You talking to me? He's like, Yeah, when until we get another Nate, you're you're gonna be Nate. Eric: Yes. Yes. he when Keely's introduced, you know, she walks in, is everyone decent? man, maybe next time. And like you get this idea that Keeley is just used to being not known for I guess not known for her intelligence. Like I thought I thought that's how they were gonna set her up as just like the dumb girlfriend of the STARP jock player. And then but then Ted, he sees these pictures of Keeley in Jamie's locker and he tapes over. Gavin: Yeah. Eric: her front and immediately just sees her as something other than just looks, which Gavin: Yeah. And I think that's like one of the first times she sees herself as something other than this model. Eric: Exactly. so you see Ted and you see just unrelenting optimism and you find out at the end of the episode he's there because him and his wife are separating. And that's why his family he doesn't have a family with him. And it's just it's a brilliant, brilliant setup, and I just you know, I just love how this pilot sets up everything from episode one and th the all these journeys that the main cast, but not just the main cast, but you see other members of the team and other people just being set up for such redemption arcs throughout the season and it all kind of starts in this pilot. So Roy and Jamie. Gavin: Mm-hmm. Eric: It's like father and son in a sense. Gavin: Yeah. Eric: like Roy was the best and he's kind of on his last legs. I love it literally on his last legs, you know, as Coach Beard says, you can't walk upstairs at the end of the season. and then Jamie who's this just arrogant, arrogant kid who knows he's better than everybody and doesn't mind sharing it with everybody. What were your thoughts on Roy and Jamie and and their relationship early on? Gavin: Literally. Well sure. Yeah. I don't think I was the biggest fan of Roy the first time. Now I love like now knowing the story, I love Roy because of like understanding his character arc and development. But you see that I mean it's common throughout sports today and where you have the has been, you know, made all the money in the world and is their just trying to figure out, you know, what is the end gonna be? When is it going to be? Will I go out on my terms? You know, I once was the best player in the EPL and now all of a sudden I'm not. And how and it's crazy, especially thinking like Roy is probably mid to late thirties at this point. And thinking like he's getting old and now I'm like, well crap, this is where we sit in life. so I guess we're getting old, Eric. But Eric: Yes. Gavin: But Jamie Jamie coming on the scene as this young kid who, as Roy says, you know, you have a foot kissed by God and he knows it and he feeds into it and everybody feeds into it. But also just the the way that players in in English soccer are elevated to such godlike statuses. And I know we see that with certain athletes here in the United States, but it's a different ball game over overseas. And Jamie Jamie knows he's good and he lives into it. And it's that moment where he gets a chance to be because we know that he's come from Man City. And so it's that moment where he's been he's on loan to Richmond and he gets a chance to be the big fish in the little pond. Whereas Man City, he might be overlooked a little bit more because if we know anything about Man City of the last decade or so, they have been very dominant and very good. And Roy, you know, had at once been the man at Chelsea and you know, one of the big one of the big four clubs there. And now is on his last leg at a lower a lower tier, yes, still in the the EPL, but in a lower tiered team. Because he can't make it with the big dogs anymore. And just that clash of trying to grow up but also trying to understand it's it's isn't my squad anymore. Eric: Yeah. I love the line at the end of the season where he tells Ted, you know, God forbid I'll have to go play in America where I dominate, by the way. They'd be like, is this football then? And that and that's what happens. We had David Beckham come over and play with the LA Galaxy. We had Messi playing for Enter Miami. I mean, when these soccer s aging soccer stars are just Gavin: But but you see that. Got Metsy now. Eric: not cut hacking it in the big leagues over in the EPL or wherever. They come over to America and just dominate us. Being fifteen yeah, come get your payday and it's it's my goodness it's great. third episode. We we meet we meet Trent Krim in the first episode. He immediately just has this presence on screen. he's got the hair. He's very professional. Gavin: Come get your payday and dominate here. Eric: kinda hoity, toity, I don't know if that's a word, but and it it is okay. And you know, he he goes in this little I guess like little monologue about, you know, and w are we to believe that, you know, you having never coached the sport, you know, your only experience of coaching comes from coaching the amateur level, the lower level one in America Gavin: Odious. Eric: that you're going to be leading a team in the biggest football league in the world. and Trent's like, or Ted's like, is that a qu is there a question in there? And he's like, Yeah, is this an effing joke? And so we we know Trent. He he's very well spoken, he takes he takes the sport seriously, he takes his job seriously. Rebecca is trying to set up Ted for failure and Gavin: Mm-hmm. Eric: wanted to have Ted and Keely be exposed in this trashy, you know, tabloid magazine, but kind of gets thorted a little bit by Keely who also has connections and realizes no, wait, this is this is happening. And Rebecca's like, Nope, don't worry about it, I'll take care of it. I'm I'm friends with the owner. and she takes care of it by setting up Ted to give Trent an exclusive access for the independent and she's expecting a hit piece. But Ted wins him over, not with PR stunts, although that's what Trent's thinking. How funny is it the day that I'm coming to watch you, you get to go to a school and, you know, do something with for kids and, you know, Trent Ted's like, Well, it's a funny thing about coincidence, right? so but he's genuine there. He stays as longer than anyone, Gavin: Yeah. Eric: Has ever stayed at that school, according to the the headmaster or the principal, and then goes to this Indian restaurant where his cab driver, the one who took him from the airport, is like, What are you doing here? You Ollie, you remember you remembered, you know, the restaurant. And he's like, Of course I did. Of course I did. And and he's like, Make make us some food like we're a couple members of the family. And he's just eating all this spicy food because he doesn't want to hurt anybody's feelings. And Gavin: Mm-hmm. Eric: Trent, you know, writes his article and infuriates Rebecca, but this line, the final line of the article always gives me chills. I can't help but root for him. Why do you think that specific moment is so crucial for setting the whole tone of not just the first season, but the series in general? Gavin: Yeah. you see Ted's humanity more than anything and I think it's especially because again in such high stakes sports, you don't look at athletes and coaches as people. They are your products, they are your entertainment. And when they fail you, you want them to go away. Like you don't want good for them. But Ted has this way of even this guy who is the one who, you know, Is writing this hit piece. We find out later, you know, throughout the show, some of the hurtful words that he said in tabloids and in articles about players, just the damage that those articles have done. And it very well could have been the moment there, but I can't help but root for him because in that moment, Ted saw right through Trent. And Ted could have easily buffooned his way through the day. And especially whenever Trent's like, so you're telling me your kit man is now setting up plays for you. that could have been the end of it. But Ted just continued being himself and continued letting Trent see who he is. Because also in that moment, as they're sitting at the restaurant, you start to see Ted's coaching philosophy and just his philosophy for people in general come out where Eric: Mm-hmm. Gavin: He he said, you know, I want to help these young men become the best versions of themselves because and that's the second time where Ted has said, you know, it's not about the wins and losses for me. And, you know, we always we always say that because, you know, and and typically you hear people say that when they're losing a lot. but at the end of the day it's is true. Like life is much more about the wins and the losses. Eric: Yes. Now that's a quote I'll probably use. Gavin: And Ted is showing that, like, yeah, I want to win, but it's about making these young men become the best versions of themselves. And even then, whenever Trent, you know, you can tell he's getting fed up because he doesn't like that he's seeing this side of Ted and that he's starting to like Ted. And he just finally gets up and walks away. And right before he does, Ted looks at Trent and says, Hey, I've really enjoyed our time together. And he's like, You don't mean that, do you? He goes, No, I do mean it. And Trent just is baffled because he doesn't know what to do with the fact that someone who he is about to criticize for the duration of his career and has already criticized heavily is actually enjoying time with him. Eric: Yeah. that line that you mentioned, you know, it's not about wins or losses. It's about helping these young men become the best versions of themselves on and off the field. we both have coaching experience. We both are in education. to me that line really just one, it makes me want to live up to that philosophy. Like that's a great way to look at it as a coach, as as a teacher. But it it shares his like you said, his humanity, but also his willingness to just help people find where they're supposed to be in life. find their spot in life, help them, you know, along from point A to point B. And so I just I really love that philosophy. It's actually one I've included in my beginning of the year rules when I when I teach my students. Gavin: Yeah. Eric: I tell them that's my goal is to help them be the best version of themselves they can be on the court and off the court. and I I wish I'd found that idea sooner in my career about man, what a just a a beautiful sentiment from someone who we know is hurting inside and yet he's still overflowing with optimism. Gavin: Well, and as he says that, you know, become the best versions of themselves, he f he follows that up and kinda ends that little phrase talking about like, I just don't want somebody out there to be alone and I want them to know that they have someone believing in them. And when I was still coaching, one of my biggest things I always tried to never talk about the game. I wanted to know about how's life, how's your family? Is your brother or sister still doing music lessons or whatever? but also a little tidbit that I kept coming back to throughout these first three episodes, and I imagine again, first time doing an an intentional deep watch of the show like this, is can you can you guess the one person that I continue to see in all of these pieces of the show? Eric: Tell me. Gavin: Dane Smith. Eric: Yes, yes. Gavin: Going back to episode one, you see Dean Smith, one of his philosophies he talked about. If you ever get a chance, I don't know if you've ever read his book his autobiography. But one of the things he one of the things he talks about though yeah, I see it up there. is yeah. but he talks about the office and making subtle changes and how Eric: You gave it to me, I have it, yeah. It's on my shelf right behind me. Yeah, it's like right behind my head. I mean literally Yeah. Gavin: whenever you go into you get hired to a new program, you don't change everything drastically immediately, but how you go in and change the office up, make it your office. And we see Ted and Beard do that immediately going into their office. They move the desk. You get the wooden poster. You get the the with wooden's pyramid of success. You get Muhammad Ali. I love the Jimmy V ode there. then you get in episode two when you start seeing these things where you're, you know, we're introduced to all these things. They have their first match against Crystal Palace and they have the suggestion box. and the things that could be better. But also in that moment was where we see Sam's homesickness as you alluded to earlier. And I've heard the story many times and I wish I could remember the Carolina player who it was, but he was from an African nation and was just not responding well at practice and all of these things. And he would not look up. He would only look down and finally Dean Smith came to realize, like, I know nothing about this young man's culture. So we sent his associate head coach Woody Guthrie over there to his country to spend a week with his family to understand the culture. In the same way that Ted comes back and gives Sam all these gifts from home. and then even in that coaching philosophy to help these young men be the best versions of themselves. That's something you see over and over in the way that Smith approached his coaching philosophies, where he says how when he was hired, William Friday, the then chancellor, said, just give us a team that this university can be proud of. And he was like, Throughout my career, that's what I wanted to do. He's like, it's great we won, but I hope people were proud of us. And the way that he poured in the players and cared more about them as humans off the court than he did on the court. Eric: Yeah. Gavin: You you see that in everything that Ted is doing, which also Kansas boys, so who knows? Eric: I I want to real quick go over a couple of things I just noticed throughout the episode. one of the great things about Ted Lasso is it's packed with subtle set ups that pay off across the series. the writers masterfully planted visual cues, one liners early on that later become defining character traits and emotional callbacks. So I want to hit a few of these, just random things, some foreshadowing. we see in episode one and two when Gavin: Yeah. Eric: Ted and Coach Beard first arrive on the pitch. They are met with a deafening chorus of wanker from the Richmond fans. and but we also see the payoff in the series finale when the table's a turn, and it's Rupert who receives the exact same deafening, hostile send-off from the crowd as well. we all we we see it later in the series too, and we'll mention it when we get to that episode as well. But he's be there he's being serenaded with wanker cheers again. Gavin: Yeah. Eric: when they win for the first time and Ted's like they're chatting the same thing and Beard's like, but it's different. Gavin: Mm-hmm. Huh. Eric: the offside rule is one of my favorite things. you know, Trent asks Ted, Can you explain the offside rule? Ted's like, you know, don't really understand it. I guess it's like the the definition of pornography. you can't define it, but you know it when you see it. and then of course in the series finale, West Ham tries to s score a crucial final goal. Ted is the only one on the coaching staff who correctly spots and calls out that a West Ham player's offsides. And he's like, Gavin: Mm-hmm. You know what you say. Mm-hmm. Eric: Number so so's off sides is coming back. Gavin: Yeah. Which we just won the World Cup, crushed a lot of hearts. Eric: yes. Yes. Yes. and then in episodes one and episodes three, Rebecca mentions in the press conference that it's time to do things the lasso way. which Trent Krim mocks, but he later uses it to title he wants to title his book that the lasso way. and then in episode three, Ted praises Nate Nate's Gavin: Yeah. Eric: tactical insights as genius, which sets the stage for his eventual coaching and managerial career. just love that they already are already setting up these little Easter eggs and these little seeds of knowledge early on. there's probably a ton more. Is there anything that you can think of off the top of your head that's paid off later on in the series from the first few episodes. Gavin: I'm trying to think the Easter eggs, a lot of the ones that you mentioned are ones that I was had taken note of. Also the fur the introduction to barbecue sauce and knowing that, you know, that's when he licks it and but we also see him doing that with his peanut butter, in his house, but then later where they'll use that phrase barbecue sauce. and the way they set things up. But also the Eric: Yes. Early. Mm-hmm. Gavin: the scene at the beginning where they're flying and they're sitting behind each other, you know, are we crazy for doing this? And then the end of the show, you see that as one of the final scenes as well, where they're back on that plane together. And yes, we see that Ted goes and Beards ends up s finding a reason to stay. but really in that moment like seeing the the plane scenes, the Usie Eric: Are we crazy for doing this? Yep. Gavin: you get that first call to the bus. and so little things like that that you see kind of come to fruition and that as we've watched the show multiple times now, you start to see where those things are coming up that I've had never paid attention to before. Eric: And the UCS. And then last thing I'll mention before we move on to the end. I love the show's inclusion of reading in the series. Coach Beard's always reading a book. on the plane, he's reading the seminal soccer book, Inverting the Pyramid, which I have not read, but I plan to read after I finish The Club, which is a book that I have and that you also have, I believe. Yes. Gavin: Right. I've been reading that in recovery. Eric: We see Ted gift books to to the players. Ted gifts Jamie a copy of F. Scott's Fitzcherald, The Beautiful and the Damned, which Jamie discards, but we found out later that Jamie is rereading a heavily worn copy of The Beautiful and the Damned, proving that he took Ted's advice to heart. Roy can't give an a wrinkle in time. He doesn't even know what it's about until Trent Cram explains. It's a lovely novel about a young girl Gavin: Mm-hmm. Eric: a young girl's journey in leadership and Roy's like, You want me to be the little girl? And Ted's like, I'd like you to be Gavin: And then you see him reading it and then you see him reading it with his niece in bed and gets up from the Eric: Yes. With Phoebe. And it and and then he's like it it it's gotta be me. It's gotta be me. And then the light bulb clicks. but then we see we see Roy. I don't know if he wasn't just a reader before this, but we see him reading later on. He's reading the Da Vinci code later on as well. So I don't know, maybe Ted just is able to find all these books that and he that just resonate with people on the team and Gavin: Yeah. Eric: that starts their reading journeys. I don't know. I I do know that I've literally one of the books that Beard's reading at some point in the series is a book I bought to read on the plane. it's about an Italian football club. and it's like okay, well I'm gonna read that on the plane when I go to Italy next week. So so just love that. love that that's just a th a recurring theme throughout the series. So Gavin: Yeah. Yeah, and I I love the one other one final note too is the character arc of Colin and Isaac. And Eric: Mhm. Yes, 'cause early on they are basically Jamie's foot soldiers and they're his lackeys in everything he does, but especially torturing the poor kitman, Nate, Nate the Great. and they end up evolving into their own men and leadership, strong and capable men, Colin might say, later on. And Isaac ends up becoming the team captain, which is Gavin: There's whack. Mm-hmm. Eric: Again, just but early on. Yep. Gavin: He takes on that royant gruffness as the show progresses. Eric: So real just it's a really good start to one of my favorite series. we're gonna move into the post-match analysis. Our favorite part of the show, the category segment. We have three categories that we are going to discuss at the end of each of our podcast episodes. first up we have the biscuits with the boss award. This is gonna go to the absolute best moment of unexpected kindness or connection in these three episodes. For me. I had it narrowed down between two. I'll I'll give you one. I'll tell you what my other is if it's not yours. but for me it is when Ted shows up to the Indian restaurant as as as like we we don't even see the Ollie that much in the first episode. we we see him just like for a scene or two where he's driving Ted and Beard around and then Ted just shows up randomly two episodes later with with Trent. yeah, yeah, I told you I'd come by and then you know, I brought me a friend and boom, y'all just met a you each just met a cool person and and you know, wants to really just make his father in law, all his father in law like impressed with you know, wants to know that he's impressed with the food, even if it's too spicy for him, too hot for him. He can't handle it. his stomach's churning at the end of the episode. And but he doesn't say any of that. He just wants them to feel good about themselves. for me that's the best moment of unexpected kindness. Who takes your biscuits with the boss award, Gavin? Gavin: My biscuits with the boss is gonna go to the Ted and Jamie conversation in the coach's office in episode two. And that was another one of those like Dean Smith philosophical moments I fan I felt like. But also there you see Ted do what I've read in coaching articles and things you call the affirmation sandwich. And because Ted had gone to Keeley, how do you get to Jamie? And he's like, a little positive reinforcement. So Ted starts it off, hey Jamie, you are the best athlete I have ever coached. and he tells him that basically though you may be the best athlete, you've got to move from the me to the we and that the sky Eric: Yeah. Sometimes I feel sometimes you feel like, you know, you're one in a million, you forget that you're one of eleven out there. Yep. Gavin: Yeah. And so to tell him like to first build him up, you're the best athlete I've ever coached, but you've got to take this go from me to we and the sky's the limit when you can do that. And then he said he looks at him and says, Hey, but that was a heck of a goal out there. So then he ends up focusing on the positives while that the cr the criticism in the middle builds them and then when he walks out and Trent asks him about the game, he's like Well, I'm one of eleven, you know, it's not about me, it's about we, and you see that start to take shift in that moment. And that was a moment of Ted finding, okay, what does Jamie love or what is he enthralled in Keely? And how can Keely help me reach Jamie? And now Jamie begins to think about someone other than himself. and so for me that would probably be like his moment of connection would be with Jamie there in that time. Eric: And then my my honorable mention is Ted giving Sam the birthday party with the care package item from home. It really just sets the standard for who Ted is. So Next up is the Barbecue Sauce Award for the best quote. If you know the show, you know this is Ted's ultimate phrase for hitting bullseyes. Straight from the legendary dark scene in episode, I believe it's episode seven or eight. We're looking for the quote that hits the absolute center of the target, whether it's hilarious or deeply emotional. Gavin: Yeah. Eric: Gavin, what is your barbecue sauce quote for the week? Gavin: Mine I think comes back to that plane scene at the beginning 'cause it set everything up well because it sets up the the the question from Trent Krim about like, are you are you crazy? but when Ted is talking to Beard and they're basically saying like you're getting ready to dim the cabin lights and Ted's like, Are we crazy for doing this? And Beard's like, Yeah and he goes, you know, taking his quote is taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn't it? If you're comfortable while you're doing it, probably doing it wrong. Eric: I love that. Gavin: And that just that sets up so much and I've had bosses and supervisors tell me that in the past. Like if you're comfortable while doing this, it may be time to switch some things up. Eric: I love that. it's real easy for me to go with be a goldfish. so I'm not gonna go with that, but it's simple, it's funny. It's elite psychological advice for an athlete or for people in general. but I think I'm gonna go with something that I find hilarious, but it's also just really insightful to the optimism that Ted has. in response to Rebecca Rebecca asking Ted if he believes in ghosts. I do, but more importantly, I think they need to believe in themselves. Gavin: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Eric: I love that. Love that line. and finally, the Greyhounds golden boot. Who won the episode? Who made the biggest impact across these three episodes? Gavin: Mm. I think it's easy to say Ted, but I don't wanna I don't wanna say Ted would be the one to make the most impact. So I think for me it would probably come down to Roy. And I say Roy because number one, you see his humanity a little bit there at the school with his niece. That's the first Eric: Phoebe is fantastic by the way, one of my favorite, favorite characters in the whole series. Gavin: That's the first time you see Roy kinda break down and be just a normal person. but also there you see the way that Ted passes ownership of the team to Roy and Roy's response and leadership. And what he does, like, yeah, he told tells Jamie in the locker room, y'all stop messing tell your boys to stop messing with Nate. But then he goes a step further when the guy's like, Hey, you coming out to the club tonight? And he's like, no, I'm I'm not. Like, are you gonna be there yet? Then no, I won't be there. And then as soon as he finishes reading A Wrinkle in Time with Phoebe, he immediately goes to the club and they say, Hey, didn't know we're having a retirement party. And he headbutts him. And tells Jamie and them, stop messing with Nate, takes a swig of the vanilla vodka and makes a face at him and then walks out. But I think that moment sets up the impact of like Okay, it's connected to Ro it's connecting to Roy and he's finally taking ownership of his role as this like senior leader, senior veteran who you know, the future of the club rests in his hands essentially. Eric: I'm gonna actually give it to Nate. Seeing him go seeing him go from an invisible kit man to having his tactical ideas actually used on the pitch and getting his name screamed by Ted. For him, that was the ultimate win, and it was the ultimate you know, we we learn a a lot more about Nate as the series goes on, obviously, but we see Nate as someone who just feels overlooked his entire life. He doesn't he's not getting the love from his dad. Gavin: Mm. I thought he was he was not Mm-hmm. Eric: his dad never seems to approve of anything. you know, this show really is about that children and their fathers, really. if you really want to get into such a deep because I mean Jamie's relationship with his dad, Nate's relationship with his dad, Ted's relationship with his dad. you know, just anyway. But yeah, his relationship with his son, absolutely. but just seeing Nate go from someone who just Gavin: His relationship with his son. Eric: is not given a second thought of unless it's to torture him in the locker room to someone who is actually being listened to. good good for Nate. Good for Nate. I I I absolutely loved it. and then I just want to give an honorable mention shout at someone we have not mentioned at all this episode, but we'll be definitely talking about w Higgins. one of my again, I mean I love Ivory character, but Higgins really grows into one of my favorite characters in the show as well. Gavin: Higgins? Eric: and I'm sure we'll be talking about more about him whenever we get to some of his bigger moments in the c in the series. Gavin: Well, 'cause Higgins in this moment too, just to talk about him for a second, is he's a lot like Nate, it seems like, where he's always been overlooked. he's doing the dirty work behind the scenes, as Rebecca says, you know, shuffling mistresses in and out of the office while my back was turned. and someone who's just like, what's my role in this now? And not having that security of can I actually do this job? Cause she's like, This is our current director of football operations. Like, current? Eric: Yeah. And his current Gavin: And so to see to see the way that Higgins goes from that and like, Yeah, there's some he's doing some of the dirty lackey work, but he starts to be seen in his C Z you later Eric: Yes! Yes! good stuff, good stuff. and that is the final whistle for episode one. next time we've got your scouting report ready, we're gonna be breaking down seasons one, episodes four, five, and six. So make sure you watch along so you can dive into the analysis with us. if you love the show today, if you want to see more, please do us a massive favor, hit that subscribe button, leave us a five star review on Apple Podcast Spotify. You can follow us on our main channel on socials at Gavin: Yes. Eric: What the what media that's on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. This is a spinoff of our main What the What Media variety show podcast and YouTube channel. So go check that out for more pop culture stuff. it will help out our team immensely. Gavin, any last words before we sign off? Gavin: you know, I think one of my favorite things about this show is you see real life happen. It may not always be rainbows and butterflies, as we know that real life is not always rainbows and butterflies. So join us in our rewatch of this. And if you've got things that you want us to talk more about, let us know. If there are things that we miss, let us know and we'll try to figure out a way to to come back to but looking forward to going on this journey and adventure. And to be able to rewatch a show that has been so influential on our lives, but also as it's getting ready to, you know, the next season, season four coming out soon. And so it's really exciting to do this right before that's happening. Eric: Very soon. I'll leave no go ahead. Absolutely. I'll I'll leave us with this. The first episode presents us with a soccer team full of stuck people, including its resentful owner, and perhaps the most stuck of all, it's Ronald F and McDonald of a new coach. The story of the next three seasons is how they all help one another start moving freely through the world and their lives again. And I cannot wait to continue that journey with Gavin and with the rest of y'all. Until next time, I'm Eric. And Gavin: I'm Gavin. We appreciate you. Eric: We appreciate ya. Bye.