The song “Father and Son” by Cat Stevens is one that is meant to bring an emotional wave with it. especially when it’s used in something to drive home a father/son dynamic we might not have thought about as “important.” Recently, people have loved to use it to make their audiences cry. Before Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso got in on it, James Gunn did it in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 with the death of Yondu and his Ravager’s funeral. As Peter Quill worried that none of the Ravagers would come, they did, and the song played as a nod to Peter’s own love of music, as well as his father/son relationship with Yondu.
And now Ted Lasso has adopted the song to have fans once again swimming in their own tears. From the start of season 3, fans have wanted to know whether or not this would be the end of the series. Right now, we still don’t know that answer. It does seem, however, that Ted’s story has come to an end. Played by Jason Sudeikis throughout the series, Sudeikis himself has said that he saw Ted’s journey as a three-season arc.
So when the season started to turn, it became abundantly clear that Ted Lasso was not going to stay at AFC Richmond, and his swan song ended up being “Father and Son” by Cat Stevens. The song really did put the entire series into perspective into a way that I never really thought of previously, because it showed audiences just how much Ted was tied to his own relationship to his father and his connection with his son Henry.
Listening to Cat Stevens sing, “But take your time, think a lot, think of everything you’ve got. For you will still be here tomorrow but your dreams may not,” as our favorite characters come to terms with this part of their lives ending really hit and was a lot to deal with, but it also gave fans a sense of hope for stories outside of Ted Lasso.
Ted’s journey was about fathers and sons
Throughout the series, Ted Lasso would let his giddy optimism hide the fact that he was not in a healthy place. We learned about his father’s death and his own relationship to his parents, and how that led to his relationship to Henry being the way it was. Ted was always a good father, but it came from a distance and making sure that he didn’t mess Henry up in his own way. It was, for the most part, why he stayed in London (in my opinion).
Now though, he has realized that he has to be there for his son in a way that isn’t just FaceTime calls whenever the time zones permit. The song means a lot not only because it is an emotional song on its own, but it highlights that Ted’s journey was about father/son dynamics, through his coaching, through his own family, and into the future as he coaches Henry’s soccer team. Now though, I just can’t wait to cry even more when I hear it.
(featured image: Apple TV+)
