Roy Kent is the best character on TV right now and you won’t change my mind. There are plenty of opinions out there about how the first several episodes of Ted Lasso’s second season compare to the near-perfect Season 1, but regardless of where you stand on that we can all agree that Season 2’s deeper dive into Roy Kent is a damn gift.
In Season 1, Roy Kent is introduced as an aging footballer with a raging temper who is past his athletic prime. His story mostly revolves around his interactions with other characters, but by the end of the season his story expands as his time with the team comes to an end. The new season so far has followed Roy as he adjusts to his post-soccer life, and the more I see of him the more I love him (and actor Brett Goldstein). From Roy’s regular wine/yoga/reality TV nights with a group of women in their 60s to his expert-level use of the F word, the man contains multitudes. And, as a new mom, I’m just sitting here waiting for a parenting book from Roy’s perspective as an uncle. You know you’d read it.
The show choosing to spend more time on Roy is a great choice and has brought countless emotional moments, clever one-liners, and lots of grunting which is somehow hilarious every time. Roy still always tells it like it is, but we’ve gotten to see more of his giant heart and how much he truly cares about the people in his life. This contrast perfectly plays into the classic Ted Lasso scenario of insulting humor on the surface with love underneath, and Roy does it better than anyone.
He’s here, he’s there, he’s every f***ing where and I couldn’t love it any more if I tried.
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