Blog
Did Ted Drink the Mushroom Tea?
Jason Sudeikis’ Ted Lasso has won over viewers and players alike during its first season. Although Ted had no prior soccer experience prior to taking charge, his determination and confidence enabled Richmond FC to reach a top-10 position within its league. Now with new assistant Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt), Ted hopes that Richmond can reach even greater heights.
But after their defeat at AFC Ajax, Ted attempts to lift their spirits by lifting curfew restrictions for that night and inviting club members to spend it as they please – only for his decision to be met with mixed reception from both players and one who’s still recovering from an unpleasant relationship.
No secret has emerged since Ted moved to England of his increasing homesickness; and this episode only served to emphasize it further. Ted longs for comfort food like Arthur Bryant’s barbecue sauce which can only be found at Yankee Doodle Burger Barn restaurant nearby. Ted then has an epiphany whereby he applies Triangle Offense tactics to soccer but unfortunately too late save his team from losing against Amsterdam champions, Amsterdam City FC.
After losing to AFC Ajax at the Johan Cruyff Arena, Ted and his team are left dejected. To revive them, Ted suggests they go out and enjoy Amsterdam. When searching for restaurants to eat at, Ted texts Rebecca asking if she wants to join them for lunch; Beard reminds Ted they will also be visiting and uses Van Gogh art as inspiration.
Though the Amsterdam scene from “Ted” stands as an incredible demonstration of its ability to craft memorable, out-of-this-world sequences, it should be kept in mind that Ted did not actually consume mushrooms for real. Instead, his hallucinations occurred likely due to drinking lemon tek tea (a type of brewed beverage that causes hallucinations) during this episode.
Lemon tek, unlike cannabis, does not usually take effect immediately and takes anywhere between 30-60 minutes to reach its maximum potency; effects last approximately four hours before gradually dissipating. As such, Ted’s Amsterdam adventure on psychedelic tea was more outlandish than usual, yet was nonetheless grounded in reality – and probably why it was such an epic ride.