Why Some Fans Don’t Like Ted Lasso’s Coach Beard Episode

In Ted Lasso, season 2, episode 9, “Beard After Hours,” which focuses solely on Coach Beard’s night out, has left much to be desired among some fans. Apple TV+’s breakout hit has garnered a lot of buzz due to its lighthearted, wholesome content, but its episode following Ted Lasso’s right-hand man has puzzled some viewers. Let’s take a look at why this episode proved to be so divisive.

The Beard-focused episode finally sheds a little light on the series’ most enigmatic character Coach Beard. After AFC Richmond’s devastating semifinals loss at Wembley Stadium, Beard (Brendan Hunt) spends a trippy night out on the town with sports fans from his local pub. Hijinks ensue as Beard wanders through various scenarios in the dark, including being beaten by Jamie Tartt’s father and his goons and pursuing on-and-off-again girlfriend Jane into a club hidden in a church.

Some of Ted Lasso‘s fans have expressed confusion and disdain after the episode aired, touting it as the weirdest episode yet. This may be true, as the Beard-centric misadventure deviates largely from the show’s usually bright and cheery fare. It is moody and surreal and welcomes critical analysis, attributes viewers may be surprised or disappointed to find in a Ted Lasso episode. Most of the frustrations could also stem from the fact that it serves as a homage to Martin Scorsese’s After Hours, an ’80s art-house romp about a guy just trying to make it home. It’s not as mainstream or well-known as other Scorsese movies, so it’s understandable that some fans didn’t recognize the references. Beard loses his wallet as Paul does in the film, he has trouble entering a club, he visits the apartment of a strange woman, among other similarities. There are also hints of the same camerawork in the episode.

Fans could also take issue with the episode because it hardly features the show’s main characters. Ted Lasso revolves around so many diverse and interesting people that to have an episode dedicated primarily to one individual’s experience can be a little jarring – especially when that character is one of the show’s most mysterious and least explored. However, the episode does provide a little more insight into Coach Beard’s psyche and how he processes failure. In many respects, it is the perfect Ted Lasso episode for Coach Beard, seeing as he is so enigmatic. Perhaps fans were not expecting the episode to feel so subversive and to raise so many questions since the show functions mainly as a hopeful, heartwarming comedy.

Though fans may have been disappointed in Coach Beard’s episode, the benefits of filming an episode like this outweigh the risks. Since Apple pushed the season to twelve episodes, the showrunners decided that including two more episodes that didn’t quite fit the Ted Lasso mold were beneficial. In the end, there will always be fans who do not agree with the narrative, but the way Coach Beard’s Ted Lasso episode played out was the most fitting to his character.