Massive, massive, massive spoilers for the season finale – “So Long, Farewell” – of Ted Lasso’s third season are ahead. If you haven’t watched the series, you can stream it all with an Apple TV+ subscription.
Well friends, they knew they had “to go away,” as Cat Stevens famously sings. In the final moments of Ted Lasso’s third, and potentially final, season, we learned about the futures of everyone involved at AFC Richmond. From Ted’s decision to who owns the club to the final title of Trent Crimm’s book – The Richmond Way – to who was going to lead AFC Richmond, we got it all. Ultimately, all of this culminated in a lovely ending that brought everything around full circle revealing the future of the team, and making me feel all the feels.
In the penultimate episode of the 2023 TV schedule hit, we learned that Jason Sudeikis’ titular character was going to leave the club. Being an ocean and half a country away from his kid was not easy, and it was time for him to go. However, leaving his newfound home in Richmond was no simple task either. Overall, the way this show managed to wrap up everyone’s stories while also leaving the door open for more made my heart so happy while my eyes filled with tears of sadness and laughter.
Ted Lasso’s Send-Off Was Perfect
When I say Ted Lasso, I mean both the character and the show. It became clear to me early on in the season that Jason Sudeikis’ leading man would be leaving the show this season. Season 3 has been marketed as the end of a chapter, and considering Ted's young son, it made sense to me that he wouldn’t want to stay in Richmond forever. So, knowing this, I was very curious how exactly they'd send Coach Lasso back to Kansas, and they did it perfectly.
As the episode went on the team sang Ted “So Long, Farewell,” from The Sound of Music. Then there was the halftime scene where the boys revealed they had all kept pieces of the “Believe” sign. And overall, this 1-hour 15-minute finale had what felt like hundreds of heartfelt callbacks to seasons past, which ultimately gave Ted a send-off full of heart and humor. But then we got to the airport.
I know TedBecca fans will be livid about how hard they teased the two as a romantic pair in this episode. However, as someone who simply saw the manager and Richmond’s owner as platonic soul mates, I found their goodbye both heart-wrenching and wholesome. To see them both acknowledge through tears how much they helped each other, and to really see Rebecca’s story come full circle was such a satisfying moment, even if it was also heartbreaking to see Ted leave.
Then we ended with Ted back in Kansas, coaching Henry’s soccer team, and living his life as a dad and then a coach. The season began with Ted sending his son home at the airport, and it ended with him going home, and it was beautiful. To put it simply, I needed a couple of tissues to get through it.
What Is In Store For AFC Richmond Moving Forward?
While this episode felt like a definitive end, meaning I would feel satisfied if there was no more Ted Lasso after this, there were moments regarding AFC Richmond’s next chapter that gave us a glimpse into the future, and showed us the plans moving forward. Will we the viewers get to see these new developments flourish? I’m not sure, but either way, we know what will likely happen next.
One thing that is certain is, as predicted, Roy Kent became the new manager of the club. After a season of truly working to better himself, our favorite grumbly coach asked to join the Diamond Dogs, told Jamie they were friends, helped organize a group musical number, and went to Dr. Sharon for help. Talk about growth. Seeing Brett Goldstein’s character really come out of his shell has been truly moving, and these final moments of him reaching his full potential were empowering.
As for Beard and Nate, they both stuck around the club to be Roy’s assistant coaches. Both boys found themselves this season, and seeing them coaching the team with Roy just felt right.
When it comes to the boys on the team, I guess you could say they all lived happily ever after. Following Colin’s big moment he got to kiss his fella. Sam went on to play for the Nigerian national team. Jamie was seen working on his relationship with his father. Issac made a goal. Everyone ended up together as a family celebrating with a BBQ at the Higgens household bringing the team's story to a lovely, united end.
All these storylines, while completed in terms of the story told through the first three seasons, do leave the door open for more, and this point was especially true when it came to Rebecca and Keeley’s final scene. The PR legend showed the 51% club owner a plan for a women’s soccer team, and let me tell you I’m feeling all kinds of potential there.
However, when it comes to Ted’s story, as well as this team’s this finale really felt like the end, maybe not of the book, possibly just a chapter, but an end nonetheless.
Overall, I don’t know what will happen next, but I hope there is more to this story that we’ll get to see. As Ted Lasso said, we have to “believe in believe,” and maybe we will get more. However, if this is the end, they really went out with a hopeful bang, that made me feel all the warm, fuzzy, emotional feelings.
