Warning: this article contains spoilers for season 3, episode 8 of Ted Lasso.
There are few shows that are so willing to deal with social issues head-on as Ted Lasso is. The comedy drama about a football coach who winds up in England managing a middling soccer team has got people talking about some very important things (and some slightly funnier stuff, too) – from mental health to the lack of out gay players in men’s professional sports. The most recent topic the feel-good show has decided to take a crack at is the ethics of leaked celebrity nudes, as well as when it’s a good idea to delete pictures you may have of former significant others.
The storyline concerns Keeley (Juno Temple) having an old, raunchy video resurfacing after a mass hack, reminiscent of the 2014 celebrity nude leak that creeps on Reddit immediately and grossly dubbed “the fappening” (in the show, this is reworked to ‘the awankening – something I hate as a concept but love as a fan of terrible wordplay).
The story isn’t just a clunky insertion so the cast can discuss the ethics of viewing saucy pictures that were intended for others, as it serves as a major plot point in the burgeoning relationship between Keeley and Jack (Jodi Balfour). However, there is one scene that takes place in Richmond F.C.’s locker room that has plenty of people talking, and it involves the players discussing when it’s ok to keep pictures and videos of a sexual nature that have been sent to you, and when it’s time to delete them. With smartphones now owned by the vast majority of people, these sorts of questions need to be discussed in public. After all, creating and distributing copies of a nude photo once took a fax machine or plenty of money for printing, whereas now all it takes is the push of a button.
There’s no doubt the dialogue in this scene was pretty instructive and basic (with a few clichés thrown in for good measure), but the sentiment was heartfelt and the message was clear, which isn’t too surprising in a show that is happy to take a moral stance. And, while people can argue all day about how realistic the moment was, the fact is that it has made some people sit back and reflect on what they’ve kept on their phones.
While there were plenty of grumbles online about how the topic was handled, others were more thankful for the forthright message sent out by the hit Apple TV show.
As Ted Lasso season 3 comes closer to its end point, fans might be a little bit sad. But they can take solace in knowing the creators always tried to do the right thing.