I Have A Good Feeling About This New Ted Lasso Character

Fans of Ted Lasso are familiar with the coaching team from Season 1. There’s the titular Lasso, of course, the head coach of the AFC Richmond team. There’s his assistant coach, Nathan Shelley, and Coach Beard, Ted’s right-hand man. And then, above them, there’s Rebecca, her assistant Keeley, and director of football operations, Leslie Higgins. But Season 2 sees a new addition to this group, one who could really make Richmond a winning team: Dr. Fieldstone, who arrived in the Season 2 premiere. But who is Sharon Fieldstone in Ted Lasso, and why does she make Ted nervous?

Warning: Spoilers for Ted Lasso Season 2, Episode 1 follow. Ted Lasso opens with a death in the Richmond family, and it’s not just any death. Earl Greyhound, the team’s mascot, is killed on the field when he accidentally gets in the way of a penalty kick from Dani Rojas. It’s a tragic accident and a heartbreaking moment for everyone. But for Dani, it’s a waking nightmare. Football is no longer life; football is death.

Faced with his star player suddenly unable to put a ball in the net, Ted grapples with the hard decision of what to do next. But his team has a suggestion. For Dani to move past this horrible moment, he needs the help of a mental professional.

Leslie has just the woman for the job: Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, who introduces herself as a sports psychologist who is better at her job than you will ever be at yours. Poor Ted has no idea what hit him or his team; he’s flustered by this woman who practices a form of healthcare that his button-down Midwestern self finds nerve-wracking. He feels deeply uncomfortable around her, and though he insists it’s not jealousy over the fact that she immediately gets the team’s trust, perhaps it’s something he could use the help of a psychologist to overcome.

Dr. Fieldman is not kidding about her abilities, BTW. By the time the first episode is over, she’s got Dani right as rain, helping him understand that if football is life, then football must also be death, and that’s OK. Moreover, the rest of the team is already lining up at her door to unburden themselves, making her everyone’s new favorite doctor.

Everyone but Ted, that is. He stares after her calm, unflappable demeanor in openmouthed astonishment. But even though Ted might not be ready for what Sharon’s serving, it’s clear the team is. Now it’s just time for the ol’ coach to get on board.

Ted Lasso Season 2 releases new episodes every Friday on Apple TV+.