Do the Right-est Thing
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Episode 3
- "Hand in My Pocket" by Alanis Morissette
- "Khala My Friend" by Amanaz
| "Do the Right-est Thing" | |
|---|---|
| Ted Lasso episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Ezra Edelman |
| Written by | Ashley Nicole Black |
| Featured music |
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| Cinematography by | David Rom |
| Editing by |
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| Original release date | August 6, 2021 |
| Running time | 36 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
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"Do the Right-est Thing" is the third episode of the second season of the American sports comedy-drama television series Ted Lasso, based on the character played by Jason Sudeikis in a series of promos for NBC Sports' coverage of England's Premier League. It is the 13th overall episode of the series and was written by Ashley Nicole Black and directed by Ezra Edelman. It was released on Apple TV+ on August 6, 2021.
The series follows Ted Lasso, an American college football coach, who is unexpectedly recruited to coach a fictional English Premier League soccer team, AFC Richmond, despite having no experience coaching soccer. The team's owner, Rebecca Welton, hires Lasso hoping he will fail as a means of exacting revenge on the team's previous owner, Rupert, her unfaithful ex-husband. The previous season saw Rebecca change her mind on the club's direction and working Ted in saving it, although the club is relegated from the Premier League. In the episode, Sam decides to take a stand when he realizes the team's sponsorship is owned by an oil company that is polluting his country.
The episode received extremely positive reviews from critics, who praised the Sam's character development, performances, themes and writing. For his performance in the episode, Toheeb Jimoh was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards.
AFC Richmond is preparing for a match against Coventry City F.C., hoping to end their streak of draws. The press is also curious whether the return of Jamie (Phil Dunster) to the club will cause any friction among the players, with Sam (Toheeb Jimoh) already expressing his disapproval. Jamie tries to apologize for all his bad behavior with the club, but the club does not accept it.
While texting his father, Sam is informed that the club's sponsor, Dubai Air, is owned by Cerithium Oil, a company responsible for an oil spill in Niger Delta, with his father expressing disappointment that he is going to appear in a Dubai Air ad. Meanwhile, Sassy (Ellie Taylor) brings her daughter Nora (Kiki May) to the office to spend time with Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), her godmother, while she attends a conference. Rebecca tries to entertain her with childish activities, which Nora has outgrown. They run into Roy (Brett Goldstein) and his niece Phoebe, and the girls spend time together. Roy advises Rebecca that kids want to feel part of the adults' lives, leading her to let Nora spend time with her at the office.
Seeing how the team's hostility to Jamie impedes progress in the field, Ted (Jason Sudeikis) decides to use his persona "Led Tasso", an angry and strict version of himself, to get the club to unite against him instead. Sam decides to withdraw from Dubai Air's ad campaign, a decision that Rebecca supports. However, when Rebecca contacts the Cerithium CEO, Richard Cole, he tells her to fire Sam for his decision. After consulting with Nora, she informs the company that she won't do it, which appears to be accepted by Cole.
Before their game, Sam decides to cover his uniform's Dubai Air logo with black tape in protest. His reason motivates the rest of the players in the team, including Jamie, to cover their logos as well. This infuriates Cole but wins the public's approval. The game ends in Richmond's first loss of the season. At the post-game press conference, Ted allows Sam to speak and express his disapproval of the company and the Nigerian government's handling of the incident. Sam goes back to the locker room, where the team celebrates ending their streak of draws. Jamie toasts Sam for his courage, and Sam finally accepts Jamie as his teammate.
Development
Production
The episode was directed by Ezra Edelman and written by Ashley Nicole Black. This was Edelman's first directing credit, and Black's first writing credit for the show.[1]