WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the Season 2 premiere of Ted Lasso, "Goodbye Earl," now available on Apple TV+.
One of the biggest revelations of Season 1 of Ted Lasso was the emergence of the prolific, talented forward in Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández). The youngster filled the gap left by the egotistical Jamie Tartt and lifted spirits with his positive outlook and charming catchphrase, "Football is life!"
However, an accidental death as Season 2 kicks off breaks Dani and totally destroys his infectious, upbeat perspective.
What Happens to Dani Rojas?
With Richmond on a seven-game tie streak, Dani takes a penalty in injury time to get the much-needed victory and confidence booster. Unfortunately, the team's canine mascot, Earl Greyhound, gets off his leash on the touchline and races to catch a pigeon, only to leap in the line of Dani's shot.
The ball crashes into the pooch's head, killing it. While there's no big media coverage in terms of TV for Championship games, the internet's afire from what transpired. Dani's devastated as the clips spread online, crushing his demeanor which has been a huge boost for the team after their relegation last season.
What's The Aftermath of the Accident?
Coach Ted is dumfounded as he has no solution for his best player, especially with Roy Kent retired. Dani ends up in the showers, with his kit and boots on after the game, praying to the Mexican patron saint, Santa Maria, to wash his sins away. It petrifies the team as no one thought Dani could lose hope like this. In addition to Ted's staff being stumped, Rebecca, the owner, is facing a PR nightmare so she's donating to a dog shelter to wash off the guilt.
Unfortunately, after Dani drenches himself and speaks these holy words, he loses his mojo on the field in the next training session. He's getting a case of the "yips," which the staff thinks is a superstitious curse that robs athletes of their fundamentals. Dani has nightmares about the dog as well, causing him to miss penalties and botch corner kicks in practice. Even as he's in bed with gorgeous women, he wakes up from nightmares yelling "Football is death!"
How is Dani Cured?
Higgins, Rebecca's assistant, suggests a sports psychologist comes in, and so they hire a doctor, Sharon. Ted's worried as he doesn't trust therapists after counselling didn't save his marriage, but Sharon, as cold as she is to the staff, speaks Spanish fluently with Dani in their session. Luckily, Dani shakes off the horrific experience and returns to the team, as excited as the first day he played.
He scores directly from a corner in training, indicating that he's back to his best. Ted and Co. are grateful, but Ted's nosey as he's usually able to inspire his players to get out of their funk with speeches. Dani admits, without divulging too much, that Sharon taught him football is life, but it's also death, hinting that she teaches how the natural things in life connect to the game itself. He's grateful for it, re-energized as ever, and final moments of the episode show other players visiting Sharon's office.
It paints an intriguing picture, as Ted might become jealous and feud with Sharon as she believes in working on mental health, not rituals to break curses. The coach might even learn a thing or two from Sharon to apply on the field, or even use her to get over his divorce.
Starring Jason Sudeikis as the titular coach, Season 2 of Ted Lasso is finally here. The first episode is streaming on Apple TV+ with subsequent episodes available to stream every Friday.