This column is a long time coming. Not only is it return to writing for me, (I’ve been away for far too long) but I wanted to write something about Ted Lasso for a while.

It might seem that I’m a little late to the party. After all the third season is a wrap and no one knows if there will be a fourth. It is not like I thought I wouldn’t like the show. I truly never had a doubt. From every clip I saw I knew this was going to be a show that I truly loved. Frankly, what kept me away was Apple TV. I didn’t know if I could justify having a subscription just for the sake of one show. But for this show it’s absolutely worth it.

On the surface, Ted Lasso seems to be a long form retelling of the comedy movie Major League. And it is in a way. There are so many elements that seem clearly pulled from that movie. The underachieving team, the veteran player at the end of his career, and the owner that simply wants them to fail. But that’s just the surface this show digs deeper.

It’s a comedy with warmth and heart and a lot of swearing. But rather than the swearing being a crutch for poor writers it almost becomes a background of set piece of the show. Roy Kent (my favorite character) where is so much that at some point you don’t even notice anymore. Then there’s a soundtrack and whoever scores this show should score every movie and show for the rest of time. Each musical choice has start given to it and it’s simply perfect.

I go back to the basic formula for a joke: you have the setup and then the punch line. Simple. The setup you’re creating the world that the joke exists in and with the punchline you’re taking something to extremes. Subverting expectations is the key. And Ted Lasso does that better than most. Whenever you think this show is going to zig it zags. It builds upon the real world reasons why people would do the things that they do.

That is where the magic comes from. You have Jamie Tartt, the man-child Superstar, self-centered and only cares about himself and the spotlight, yet he grows into a man. You have the older veteran, Roy Kent, who clashes with the young Superstar even though he was once him. Yet he grows to accept and thrive with the burden of leadership that was always waiting for. You have the comically, overly positive coach, Ted Lasso, of a sport he doesn’t truly understand and yet like a clown that smile hides pain. Then you have Rebecca, not some evil monster or Cruella deVille, this is a woman like many in the show that is hurting and not knowing how to deal with her pain she wants to make the cause of her pain suffer.

No one in this show is the same at the end and that’s how it is with life. We grow. We change. We love.

I often speak of taking the high road.

Of trying to be the better person.

When we feel we have been wronged it is so very easy to get down in the muck with those that have hurt us. After all if they can stoop to such depths why can’t I.

We all know what is right. And what is wrong.

And that is why we take the high road.

Why we don’t take short cuts. Why we try to set a good example for others.

We know better. That is all it takes.

I do not always reach this high standard I set for myself. And when I fail…I have my own ‘jiminy cricket’ yelling in my ear telling me so.

We can always bring the negative but it stains our souls just a little bit every day. Personally, I would rather bring some light, some joy to an ever darkening world.

So I take the high road.

We are in uncharted territory. You could not possibly write a narrative of the last six months and sell it to anyone. This year is simply been unbelievable.

Covid 19 is the pandemic that no one saw coming and the one we simply cannot seem to shake. The reality does not matter. People are scared. Some worry about their health and their family’s health. Others are far more concerned with their livelihood and slowly moving forward to some sense of normalcy.

The one word I hear over and over again during all of this is safe. People want to be safe. There were those that don’t think we should open up anything until it is safe.

There is no Safe.

Safe does not exist. It was not safe before and it will not be safe later. We simply did not notice. 38,000 people died in car accidents in 2019. Nearly 60,000 people died from the flu. That is not to make light of the Coronavirus death toll. That is to say it was not safe.

There is a new reality we have to accept. People die. Waiting for it to be quote/unquote safe before we live our lives is a flawed prospect.

Should we take precautions?

Absolutely.

Should we wear a mask right now?

Yes.

Do whatever you can to do to protect yourselves and others from catching the virus. If you are still fearful of it stay at home.

But wait for it to be safe. Remember I just told you that does not exist.

The Magic Kingdom has been closed for nearly a month. 

Bars, restaurants, parks…the entire world seems to have been shuttered for the foreseeable future.

My generation grew up with post-apocalyptic stories. Dawn of the Dead, Escape from New York, Planet of the Apes, Road Warrior. 

We never dreamed that we would be living in one of those tales.

Yes we don’t have spikes, chainsaws and flamethrowers coming out of our cars. There are no zombies wandering the streets(yet).  But it does feel like the end of the world.

At least the end of the world we knew.

We sit at home in our PJs binge watching Tiger King(what the hell?) the world has gone silent. Politicians fight over reopening society and others argue about social distancing or herd immunity. The real question is what will the world look like after.

There is not simple restart button. Fear has taken over much of society so how will that change us.

What happens to parks and bars and sporting events? 

What happens to simple greetings? Handshakes? Hugs?

Do we become a cold, detatched society? 

Are we now afraid of human contact now?

All from a virus. Not war or terrorism. Not some nuclear death from above. But from an illness most will not contract.

And that’s the end of the world.