Ted – Season 1 Episode 1 Recap & Review

Episode 1

Ted was a 2012 feature film that starred Mark Wahlberg as an average Joe in Boston named John, who hangs out with his teddy bear, who came to life when he was a child named Ted. In the world of Ted, the bear would go on and become famous and star in movies in the 1980s, and then have it all come crashing down on him. So Ted returns to life with his buddy, John.

Now that you’re up to speed with everything with Ted, you know that the movie (and its 2015 sequel) has its own prequel spinoff over on Peacock. Ted (2024) got a seven-episode season one order on the streaming service. Seth Macfarlane has returned to voice the foul-mouthed teddy bear. Max Burkholder plays John as a teenager, as the show takes place in the mid-1990s, not long after Ted’s fame has collapsed and he lives at home again.

In Ted Episode 1, we get up to speed with John and Ted. Ted stuck at home gets in trouble a lot as he rummages through John’s father’s house looking for porn but ends up finding an AR-15, and he goes out and plays with it. His gunfire causes a ruckus in the neighborhood, and it is decided by the family that Ted needs to start going to school with John. While at school with John, Ted decides to get expelled immediately.

One character that feels new to fit the show’s needs is Gloria Whigham, who plays John’s cousin Blaire, who is staying at their house in the loft above the garage. When she gets busted selling pot to Ted and John, John’s father, Matty, kicks her out of the house. Matty has problems of his own; he drinks too much and reflects on his love for the Rocky movies a lot.

Just like in the movies, it is up to Ted to find a way to solve the dilemma at hand. Blaire may come off as an easily offended Gen Z, something that is way ahead of her time in terms of the setting of this show. But she is also just trying to survive by selling pot. Ted, sympathizes. So one day, he and John go to his safety deposit box, where Ted keeps some of his belongings.

He takes a mysterious present out to give to Matty to try and convince him to let Blaire stay at the house. The gift ends up being Sylvester Stallone’s mouthguard in Rocky. Ted and Sly almost made a film together in the 1980s; it was a space movie, but it got shelved because of the Challenger explosion.

He lets Matty put the mouth guard in his mouth to feel the connection to Rocky, and thus he decides to let Blaire stay in the house at the end of Ted Episode 1.


The Episode Review

Some people argue that Ted as a comedy series may have been a few two years late. Nobody was really asking for this to get made right now. But streamers need the content. Ted has the laughs you would expect from a Seth Macfarlane-led project. Its jokes still land, and Family Guy-esque humor is still a real treat.

But something about it feels dated. Like, the whole idea behind the show is going to miss its mark. But this is only Ted Episode 1. So far, the laughs keep you entertained, and it feels like a sitcom from the era that it takes place in. It’s too early to tell if there will be a linear plot to the show or if it will be something new every episode.

 

Next Episode

Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!

  • Episode Rating
    (3)
3

Leave a comment