Spoiler warning for anyone who hasn’t finished the show

I keep thinking about the pivotal scene in the second to last episode of Ted Lasso. At first, it seemed fitting that Beard and Roy would hold a larger grudge against Nate than Ted. Roy seemed to have let it go after the West Ham disaster where they saw what happened when they let anger cloud judgement during the match. Beard, however, continued to hate Nate to the point where he and Jane delighted on his seeming misfortune by throwing axes at his picture.

After Beard reveals his backstory to Nate, it becomes a bit clearer why he had such a desire to punish him for his betrayal. My theory is that Beard wanted to punish himself for his own betrayal and was using Nate as a stand-in. Ted forgave Beard without asking anything in return. By trying to punish Nate, Beard may have been hoping to both pay Ted back by exacting the revenge he was unwilling/unable to do himself, as well as focus his self hatred outwards and give the punishment he knows he deserved to someone else. Maybe it was almost cathartic to finally see the downfall of someone who betrayed the best man he’d ever met.

When Beard gave Nate his slow “headbutt” it was extremely emotional. It was kind. It was an act of forgiveness and healing. I think deep down, if my theory is correct, that Beard was forgiving himself as well as Nate in that moment.

I’d love to hear other thoughts. Am I reading way too much into it? Not enough? I missed Brendan Hunt’s AMA, so maybe he revealed more about that scene than what I saw.