‘Ted Lasso’: Never Gonna Give You Up, Never Gonna Let You Down… (RECAP)
Spoiler Alert
Be a Goldfish, Sam
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[WARNING: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Ted Lasso Season 2 Episode 10, “No Weddings and a Funeral.”]
…never gonna run around and desert you. While the introduction of “Rickrolling” turned Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” into meme fodder, in “No Weddings and a Funeral,” Ted Lasso reminds us of the song’s emotional core—along with tearjerker moments aplenty.
Those who were hoping for a direct continuation of the storylines that started in “Man City” might be disappointed, because when “No Weddings and a Funeral” picks up, there’s been a time jump of an indeterminate amount (at least a few weeks). Ted (Jason Sudeikis) is attending therapy with Dr. Fieldstone (Sarah Niles). Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) and Sam (Toheeb Jimoh) relax blissfully in bed, although no one knows about their relationship. Nate (Nick Mohammed) is still behaving arrogantly. We don’t know much about what the team’s performance is like or how Jamie’s (Phil Dunster) doing.
Instead, “No Weddings and a Funeral” offers exactly what the title promises—no weddings, and exactly one funeral: Rebecca’s father’s. Her mother (Harriet Walter) shows up to inform her of her dad’s passing (“What’s he done this time?” Rebecca asks, “He’s died,” her mother answers). As such, she heads home for the funeral, which dredges up a whole lot of complicated emotions both for her, for the team and for Ted.
On the subject of the first and third points, both Ted and Rebecca have unresolved anger regarding their fathers. Ted’s emotions lead him to have a panic attack as he’s about to leave for the funeral, so Sharon makes a house call—and she talks him through his painful memories of finding his father just after he committed suicide. At the same time, miles away, Rebecca refuses to give a eulogy for her father and lets loose a secret she’s kept for years; he cheated on her mother and Rebecca walked in on it, and she can’t forgive him for that. (These admissions occur at the same time and are juxtaposed against each other, resulting in a stunningly emotional sequence.)
Apple TV+
Because this is Ted Lasso, both conversations are resolved with an optimistic and sentimental tone. Rebecca’s mother revealed she knew about her husband’s infidelity, but she loved him for who he was—even though he wasn’t perfect. (With that said, she is proud of Rebecca for realizing she deserved better than Rupert (Anthony Head), who resurfaces in all his slimy glory this episode). “When I love things, I love them forever,” her mother says, and she means it—both about her spouse and about Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up,” which she still plays every morning. Ted, on the other hand, ends up discovering that he does have fond memories of his father, as he shares a happy story about his father helping him with a test in school.
Apple TV+
In the end, Rebecca does give a eulogy of sorts. She starts to talk, but in the end, she winds up singing… you guessed it. At this point, the song has plenty of emotional weight. Rebecca’s father did run around, and he did let her mother down, and in some ways, he did desert her. But in the end, they never gave each other up. Along with Rebecca, the whole church breaks into a chorus of “Never Gonna Give You Up.” This includes Ted, who arrives late—but just in time to start singing.
Afterward, Rebecca and her mom host a gathering at their home… and that’s where things get interesting. Realizing she still has issues regarding love and trust, Rebecca breaks things off with Sam (but there’s still a definite longing between them, so they might not truly be done). Ted leaves with Sassy, Rebecca’s best friend, so there’s something there, maybe. And, perhaps most interestingly, Jaime confesses to Keeley (Juno Temple) that part of his reason for returning to Richmond was her. “I’m still in love with you,” he says, to which she doesn’t respond. Yikes!
Given that Roy (Brett Goldstein) and Keeley spent most of the episode arguing about death—what happens after you die, what they would want to be done with their remains—it’s possible this could spell trouble. But when Roy goes to Keeley and apologizes for his behavior, admitting that his brusqueness is only because he still misses his departed grandfather but was never able to “see him” one last time no matter how hard he prayed, she hugs him tightly. So… it seems there’s drama on the horizon for that trio, at least.
Ted Lasso Season 2, Fridays, Apple TV+
