Doing well? Here come the critics

The TV series "Ted Lasso" is enough, by itself, for me to seriously consider re-upping as an Apple TV subscriber when our current "free" year expires next summer. I am not alone, but the sudden and massive attention the show has garnered has already led to critics finding reasons to find fault.

Is the second season up to the first season's standards? Is there enough conflict and tension to really drive the second season? Should Ted's "dark side" become the heart of the show?

Here is an example of a critic's conclusion to a snap review of season two:

"Considering what I do for a living, I’ll likely never agree that anything is “just” a TV show, let alone a massively successful beachhead for a relatively new streaming service. But I’d also point out that the ferocity of Ted Lasso’s fandom itself belies the point. People are protective of their comforts, especially in times as harrowing as the past year and change. And they don’t take kindly to the suggestion that their comfort may be cheaply bought, even when the explicit message of the source is to be kind. For now, Ted Lasso is reluctant to let sparks fly. That hasn’t stopped the rest of us from picking up the slack."

A couple of things to note here, considering the fact that a review is one of the most common forms of persuasive writing. First, where does that "us" in the final sentence come from. Are we ALL to think of ourselves as iconoclastic reviewers? Is the writer speaking on behalf of all critics? Is using "us" a way to deflect the outrage that some may feel after reading the review (wimpy, BTW)?

Second, in the penultimate sentence there is a claim that the show is "reluctant to let sparks fly." Were there sparks in the first season (accounting for the show's popularity)? Do all hit shows need to become more "elite" and sophisticated and provocative, no matter how they began? 

I am as far away from a Fox News junkie as you can imagine, but I have started to see more and more evidence of "the elites" swamping most conversations. My own elitism, BTW, is well-earned and you need not question my opinions in this blog. Ha!

Those elite voices come from both ends of the political spectrum and most of those voices just react to news and culture. Few of them are engaged in building culture or making news or becoming politicians. No wonder many people actively hate "elites."

Sigmund Freud supposedly said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar," though there is no evidence he ever said those words. But the point of the repeated phrase is that sometimes there is no hidden meaning or symbolism. Sometimes something that happens simply is. 

I have been re-watching "Parks and Recreation" on Peacock lately, and find it just as amusing and intriguing as I did years ago. Critics wanted to make Leslie Knope into a symbol of any number of things, including Hillary Clinton, and maybe they were right. 

But the show doesn't need to be the key to understanding American life, politics, gender issues, obesity, or anything else.

Sometimes a laugh is just a laugh.