Boy, too much stuff to quote, lol. Lots of good points here, and apologies to
@GrumpyMom,
@Phil77354,
@WildSky and others if I go over stuff they've already posted!
So I like to look at this as the hero's journey. This works mostly with Ted. The hero's journey is a pretty common framework:
--We meet the hero. He's a good man (Ted, Luke Skywalker) that leads a life removed from the action (Kansas, Tatooine), which gives him a perhaps naive set of ideals (niceness is always more important than winning, I fight for the forces of good agains the forces of evil). If the hero stays true to those ideals, then he believes that nothing bad can happen.
--The hero ventures out into the world, and his ideals do him good in the beginning (Nate blossoms, Rebecca and Roy find themselves, the Death Star is destroyed).
--At some point, the hero comes up against the REAL foe (Ted's abandonment issues, Luke's denial of his dark side), which takes the form of someone close to him (the betrayed Nate, Darth Vader).
--With the help of a wise mentor (Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, Ben Kenobi/Yoda) the hero comes to understand why his original ideals aren't enough in the real world, and begins to reluctantly face the reality inside.
--There comes a moment when the hero finally understands that his original ideals are not enough to win (Nate confronts Ted, Luke learns of his parentage). He must now fully accept his entire identity and relate to the world without denial.
So Season 3 will be the resolution. Ted is no longer naive enough to believe that simply acknowledging people's pain is enough to help them. He has to accept that he himself is a moving piece of the puzzle. As well, he can no longer feel he is a good man just because he makes people feel good. He has to find self-worth in himself, so that when someone does push him away (his wife, Nate) he has resources within himself to move on.
Ted is co-dependent: he bases his self-worth on the value he brings to other people's lives. Nate is counter-dependent: he believes he is worthy by his nature, and that everybody else owes him that recognition. The goal is to be inter-dependent: that both sides of the equation are true and mingle with each other. Both Ted and Nate have the challenge before them to find their way to inter-dependence.
Really, Season 2 is about everyone identifying his personal demon, and redefining his relationship with it. Both Ted and Nate have to come to terms with their histories with their fathers. Ted has had guidance, and seems to be on the way to reconciling it. He also acknowledges that his father was a good man, and I think that is a recognition that helps. Nate has not come to terms and he has not acknowledged (at least on screen) anything redeeming about his father. He continues to keep it bottled up, and he is not on the way to reconciling it. He instead is looking for ways to lash out because of it.
Rebecca has also identified that she hates her father and has hated her mother as a part of that. She, too, is on a journey to find value within herself so that she doesn't need validation from a man (I'm really not comfortable typing that, but that's how I see it unfortunately). Roy is struggling with his own value in a post-playing-career world. He has even begun to question the value in his playing career, sort of (note his conversation with Phoebe, where I get a feeling he is suggesting Phoebe's goals are more worthwhile than his were). If Keeley doesn't need him, then where is he?
Is it our destiny to become our fathers or our mothers? If so, Ted at least sees some hope in this. Nate does not. Rebecca is learning to have hope.
Keeley also uncovered her personal demon, one she didn't even know was there: she now has to face the world with a different part of herself, one she feels she isn't good with. Her battle wasn't choosing between Roy and Jamie. She's very familiar with the rules of that fight. Her real battle is coming up, where she has to find reserves in herself she doesn't yet think are there.
Sam is the counterpoint to all of it. He has a healthy relationship with his father, and (thus far, at least) he seems prepared to handle what life has thrown his way. His amused expression as Edwin Akufo goes on his rant is priceless. And note specifically how he responds to Edwin's threat that he will never be on the Nigerian World Cup team. Sam identified that as his dream, back in Season 1. This Sam has grown into someone that does not need that to find self-worth.
I wonder if Sam starting the restaurant is a method for the show to continue the struggle with Edwin. The restaurant is a thing that Edwin can threaten. I'm not sure I like the idea of this being a story line, but I do like continuing to examine how Sam interacts with life, either as a counterpoint to Nate and Ted, or just as we await whatever his big struggle is.
I understand why people are shocked by Nate's turnaround, but it isn't sudden. Nick Mohammed wrote about Nate yesterday.
I hope this link works to show what he wrote. I hadn't remembered that the opening shot of the second season is essentially the same as the closing, but with Nate before and after. That all makes this feel like in a way this season is Nate's story, kinda. It's Revenge of the Sith.
I will miss Trent Crimm. I get why there is some suggestion among critics and fans that perhaps he will take Keeley's place, but that seems just a little too neat and tidy to me. We are through the first two seasons, and at this point the should know the struggles each of our main characters face. We don't really know anything about Trent. I hope he remains present in the show, but I think he will continue to be one of those outside forces, a representation of the rest of the "real world" against which we can measure both Ted and Nate.
I'm ready for Season 3! But first, a rewatch of Season 2...
