Synopsis

Christmas comes to Richmond as Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) enlists Ted’s (Jason Sudeikis) help in an effort to distract him on his first Christmas alone; Roy (Brett Goldstein) and Keeley (Juno Temple) help to find a miracle for Phoebe (Elodie Blomfield); and Higgins (Jeremy Swift) opens up his house to those who can’t be with their families during the holidays. 

Hold me closer tiny Dancer, Prancer and Vixen!

Ted Lasso

Breakdown

In less talented hands, Ted Lasso shouldn’t work. It is so sticky sweet that just watching it will give you cavities and make your breath stink more than Phoebe’s. But there is just something so magical about everyone that contributes to this show—every episode is literally the perfectly wrapped Christmas present. The joy pouring off the screen as I laughed, wept, and smiled through the entire episode at 6:00 in the morning was palpable, and I will be carrying that with me through my entire day.

I’ve said this before in previous episode reviews, but I love how everything Ted did last season is manifesting in other characters this season. Specifically, in Rebecca and Higgins. Watching their characters blossom and spread joy to those around them is such a treat. I absolutely loved the storyline of Rebecca trying to cheer Ted up during his first Christmas after his divorce by delivering presents to kids in need. Are they trying to hint at a relationship between Rebecca and Ted? I’m not sure how I feel about that, but their friendship is, as the kids say these days, #goals.

The storyline with Phoebe, Roy, and Keeley was great as well as they go door to door trying to find a dentist to discover why Phoebe’s breath smells so bad. Many highlights of the episode came from this story: Roy and Keeley failing at suppressing their reaction to Phoebe’s bad breath, Roy talking about how he pooped his pants recently after eating too much ice cream, and a standout moment pulled straight out of Love Actually where Phoebe lovingly confronts her bully. Also, as a married man with three kids under the age of four, I laughed out loud when Keeley and Roy had to schedule a date for their sexy rendezvous. 

The third major storyline this week was Higgins and his family opening up their home to stranded footballers. Again, in a lesser show, these scenes would have been corny, but the actors and writers of Ted Lasso strike such a delicate balance that it just worked. The Higgins boys’ interactions with the players and Higgins and his wife stressing over where everyone was going to sit was just a joy to watch.

And it culminated in a fantastic scene of Rebecca, Ted, and some buskers singing Christmas carols outside of Higgins’ house and everyone joining them in a snowy Christmas party. It is an absolute treat any time Hannah Waddingham sings, with her performance of “Let it Go” from Frozen being a standout last season, and her performance this season is no disappointment. Heck, I’d take a whole musical episode where we just listen to her sing—she is that good. 

Verdict

This episode was the Christmas present I didn’t know I needed. It was so good from start to finish, and I honestly can’t wait to watch it again. Yes, a lot of the major storylines from this season were put on pause–we didn’t see Dr. Fieldstone (Sarah Niles) at all this episode; AFC Richmond’s status is discussed in a throwaway line (they’ve finally won some games!); and we’ve yet to see the fallout from Sam’s (Toheeb Jimoh) decision to boycott Dubai Air at the end of last week’s episode, but there is still time for that. Ted Lasso smartly focuses on the things that work the best—the excellent characters they have created and their interactions with each other. Bring on the next episode!

What did you think of this week’s episode? Let us know in the comments below or join the conversation on the Boss Rush Discord.

Mark Pereira is a staff writer for Boss Rush Network. He loves all video games, but his top three favorites are Skyward Sword, Super Mario 3D World and Batman: Arkham Asylum. You can find him on Twitter where he’s usually talking about Nintendo, video games, movies, and TV shows.