I found it mostly funny but bordering on too ridiculous for me. However, also knowing it’s the actor from Veep (googled after his first appearance when I kept thinking “where have I seen him before?”) made it more enjoyable to me than it might have been from someone else. I did love handshake guy’s response - which I’ve fallen for from my teenager son more times that I should admit.
It felt very ‘Monty Python’ to me and in character with being ott (hiring actors to peruse a museum 
).
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I read somewhere (been reading lots of articles about the show so I can’t say where) that Coach Beard was also reading that book on the plane in the first episode. I haven’t rewatched to confirm.
Nate was really abused in the early episodes by several team members and by others that stood by and did nothing. I think along with his father’s treatment of him that’s the source of his anger. He though things would change but he’s still being ignored, diminished, etc. Although I didn’t really see that until I started reading articles analyzing others behavior toward him.
I wish we didn’t have to wait until next August to see where they’re going with this.
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OMG. I totally did not make the connection. And the actor is actually from Detroit.
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He was indeed. Consider it confirmed.
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I found it too slapstick partly for my taste in humor, but partly for the humor of the show. That humor for me is in the wordplay and the personalities. So many subtle things that go by - like when Ted says he has a favorite tv Sam and Rebecca and now he can have a real life Sam and Rebecca. Not the first Cheers reference, possibly thanks to George Wendt being Jacob Sudeikis’ uncle. Anyway, that scene kind of took me out of the flow of the show.
Also, I was annoyed that the parting shot of the season was Nate’s face, a character I dislike and would rather see less of. Better they should have done another shot of the greyhound puppy with the helmet!
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Macy Greyhound FTW
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I found the billionaire’s response unexpected. I thought he was going to go “You will regret it because my team will become the best, so hopefully in a year or two we can have this talk again”.
However, it meshed with buying a space to make it into a pop up Nigerian restaurant and letting him know he’d bought it (then sold it immediately) or renting the museum and hiring actors: he wants something he buys it, no questions asked but radically so, there’s no space for maybes in there.
And so, when Sam went to buy the space to make it into an actual restaurant - both an investment and something good for the town - it was a mirror image of what the billionaire had done.
I suppose we’re supposed to think Richmond now has two enemies: Noxious Rupert and Mr.Okufo
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I think the Edwin Akufo character is done. There may be some residual effects of Sam’s decision, but I doubt there will be any impact on his family; having bought Bitcoin in 2009, Sam’s dad can move the relatives out if Nigeria if desired.
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I had not made the connection between the actor playing Edwin Akufo and Veep. Thanks for that identification! I thought his meltdown was hilarious - like a toddler except that there was no parent who needed to be mortified or concerned about it.
As for Nate, I like to think that Ted’s kindness will redeem him at some point, but probably not until the last episode of season 3.
What I am really anxious to see is how things work out for Roy and Keely. I really love them together and hope they make it through their growing pains as Keely takes on her new career. My D was behind me in finishing the season and texted at the end of last week to say that she had a definite identification with Keely when she wanted to be left alone to watch SATC and Roy wanted to talk about his dated Dan Brown book. I adore my SIL, but he can’t keep his mouth shut while watching tv and I could definitely see how D identified with that scene.
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The actor connection that shocked me most was when I realized it was Anthony Head playing the loathsome Rupert. He played the absolutely wonderful Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was quite shocked. Lol
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Dahlia LIthwick, SCOTUS reporter for Slate, shared this article on Facebook. I loved it and thought others here might enjoy.https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/09/opinions/ted-lasso-season-2-perry-gabriele/index.html?
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Nice article @2VU0609 ………
Nate cannot see the community. He remains damaged, feels abandoned by his father and hence by Ted. His final speech to Ted is that of a villain, still blaming others for his own choices and creating false justifications that cast him as a victim, rather than being accountable for his actions.
Meanwhile, Sam, a young Nigerian player who this season has emerged as a star both on the field and off, scoring lots of goals, raising awareness about oil spills in Nigeria, as well as having a torrid love affair with his boss, Rebecca, and being courted to leave the team by an African billionaire, is the opposite of Nate. He has a supportive family – which helps, but as Jamie shows isn’t necessary if you’re willing to do the work – and so embraces the care of the whole Richmond team. He stays in the community by learning to rely on himself.
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I don’t think Nate to Sam is a fair comparison. It IS easier to be handsome, charismatic and athletically gifted ( Sam vs Jamie is a better one) Nate no matter the work can never be a Sam. As I said to me it’s Nate vs Higgins. Someone who is content with who they are (despite lacking certain things like being handsome, charismatic or athletically gifted) vs miserable
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@maya54 good points
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Handsome and charismatic are in the eye of the beholder. Athletically gifted, though, I’ll give you that. 
We can tell ourselves that but I’d bet good money that on a percentage wise basis Sam would have more….way more… people find him handsome and charismatic. Thus his journey through life is easier than Nate’s in many ways. Pretending it’s otherwise is unhelpful. That’s life and Nate needs to embrace what and who he is and he will find himself much happier than stewing about what he isn’t. Which is what I think he does. No doubt exacerbated by his horrible father.
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i’m going to rewatch the season. Started the other evening and noticed Nate’s face was basically the first shot of episode 1; season 2.
It was close up, like the ending shot of episode 12; but with dark hair. going to really pay attention to him as i re-watch.
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Actually I was talking about the example of Higgins. Clearly the right people for him think he’s handsome and charismatic and it doesn’t really matter what the masses think. But agree that Nate needs to focus on the who does rather than the who doesn’t, which his hyperfocus on the one critical tweet shows he hasn’t figured out yet.
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Very good point.
Wondering if this is going to be Nate’s Journey, too (kind like MadMen turned out to be about more than Don Draper’s journey).
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