That foul-mouthed, but lovable Teddy bear is back! This time, the show goes back to 1993 after the magical bear has experienced fame and fortune. Here’s the official synopsis of the live-action show:
In this comedic prequel event series to the Ted films, it’s 1993, and Ted the bear’s (Seth MacFarlane) moment of fame has passed. He’s now living back home in Framingham, Massachusetts with his best friend, 16-year-old John Bennett (Max Burkholder), along with John’s parents, Matty and Susan (Scott Grimes and Alanna Ubach) and cousin Blaire (Giorgia Whigham). Ted may be a lousy influence on John, but at the end of the day, he’s a loyal pal who’s always willing to go out on a limb for friendship.
Seth MacFarlane surprised audiences with a funny and heartwarming film back in 2012. Though the sequel wasn’t as good as the first movie, the series has nicely returned to form thanks to some sharp writing, great acting, and a surprising amount of depth in a series that could’ve easily gone off the rails. Here are the five best heartwarming moments of the Ted series:
John and Ted Come Clean About Pretending To Be Clive’s Dad (Episode Two: My Two Dads)
John is getting bullied at school, so naturally, Ted aids him to do the mature thing: Embarrass the bully by pretending to be his dad. Realistically, you understand why John pulls this stunt in the first place, but the prank takes an unexpected turn. Ted isn’t the first show to highlight the insecurity and struggles that bullies face, but this story made John and Ted more endearing. The fact that they felt bad for hurting him was a nice step, but John and Ted caring about his grades was a genuinely funny turn that was unexpected.
Of course, it wasn’t a surprise that these two got caught for their shenanigans, but the way they got out of being…murdered brought the story to a nice close. It’s a shame that Clive disappears following this episode as there could’ve been another fun story with their dynamic, but what we got was a nicely developed story that was both relatable and rewarding.
Susan Realizes She Wants To Be A Housewife (Episode Five: Desperately Seeking Susan)
Feminist vs. Traditional values come to a clash in this episode. After Susan reveals that she gave up her dreams of being a teacher, John and Ted get her a job as a substitute teacher. Susan is hesitant about taking the opportunity, but Blaire pushes for it hard and she accepts it. Once there, the episode subverts from expectations a bit after the class clowns Susan. Ted unloads a bunch of embarrassing (and funny) secrets about Jessica and she runs out of the classroom in tears.
Susan follows, and this scene exemplifies the importance of Susan’s character. She’s able to calm down Jessica the only way a mother can. Given that Matty was a war veteran, Susan likely played a crucial role in Matty getting through the darkest hours of his life because of how encouraging and loving Susan is. This episode was able to highlight the value of traditional women, without shaming women who prefer to be out in the workforce.
This scene was a strong character moment for Susan and actress Alanna Ubach played this scene perfectly. Her performance felt organic and realistic, and Jessica walked away as more of a sympathetic figure as well.
Matty Apologizes (Episode Six: Loud Night)
Matty wishing for his firetruck Dennis to come to life was great for providing plenty of laughs, but it managed to get some heartwarming moments in as well. Admittedly, this show is a bit preachy with its political message, but the one thing that Seth MacFarlane did right was Matty realizing his behavior towards Blaire and her girlfriend, Sarah.
While Blaire was also harsh for labeling Matty as a douchebag when he was allowing her to stay in her house, it was nice to see him come back to the car and apologize for his aggressive behavior. It would’ve been nice to get a more nuanced take on this subject, but it helped give more context to Matty, and the scene following this one was absurd, epic, and funny! A nice end to their arc, even if the political angle felt forced.
The Christmas Gift (Episode Six: Loud Night)
This episode also capped off with Matty showing that he loves his wife. There was never really a question to this statement because the show didn’t ramp up the tension between these two until now. Still, it was notable that Matty can be a pain in the ass sometimes, and Susan can be the apologist for her husband. This felt like a redemption story for Matty, and it was really sweet when he gave her that Karaoke Machine just to hear her sing.
John Reveals That He’s A Virgin (Episode Seven: He’s Gotta Have It)
After sex education, John realizes that he’s possibly the last virgin left in high school. So naturally, Ted and John go out of their way to try and make sure the 16-year-old gets his cherry popped as soon as possible. That leads to Betheny Borgwort (Charlotte Fountain-Jardim) asking out John after he heroically saves his bag of weed. Ted thinks this is the perfect opportunity for him to get laid and prepares the young man for the sexual encounter.
Unfortunately, Ted’s advice leads to Betheny dumping John. This was a relatable story because we all overthink or get nervous when it comes to dating. Sometimes our selfish desires take over, and John’s nice moment highlighted how much he’s matured into a man. It takes massive guts to tell the entire school that you’re a virgin, especially since sex is seen as the cool thing nowadays. His speech was awkward, funny, and charming, which is no easy task to do, but actor Max Burkholder does an excellent job of balancing these emotions to bring out a realistic performance.
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