SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains some serious spoilers from Ted Lasso Season 2. Please relegate yourself out of this article if you aren't all caught up.
The sophomore season of Apple TV+’s Emmy Award-winning sports comedy Ted Lasso gave audiences a lot to chew on as the character first introduced as a marketing tool for NBC Sports’ soccer coverage added a great deal of emotional weight and expanded storylines the second time around the pitch. But after watching the Ted Lasso Season 2 ending, a finale that was perfectly balanced with it’s share of uplifting and heartbreaking moments, some might be wondering how things will shake out for Jason Sudeikis’ mustached and cultural reference-loving character and the rest of the characters heading into the third and potentially final season.
Below we will break down what happened to each of the main characters on their respective journeys in Ted Lasso Season 2 and pose a series of questions about each of them as we head into the show’s third chapter, one that will see AFC Richmond's return to the Premier League.
Now That Ted Lasso Has Come To Terms With His Mental Health Will It Make Him A Better Coach And Friend?
In the episode “The Signal,” Ted experiences a severe panic attack in the middle of the quarter-final of the FA Cup and leaves the field in the middle of the match, resulting in Nate Shelley (Nick Mohammed) coming in to lead the team to victory. And although this finally gets Ted to open up to Dr. Sharon Fieldstone (Sarah Niles), the mental health crisis has unintended consequences as it sets Nate down a dark path.
Ted Lasso makes great strides in his struggle with mental health throughout the extended season but his own issues and personal journey blind him to the needs and desires of those around him, specifically Nate. In one of the final moments of the Ted Lasso Season 2 finale, Ted finally confronts Nate about being the anonymous source in The Independent’s revealing story about the coach’s panic attack only to be called out for neglecting his friend and assistant coach when he was needed the most.
And while it’s easy to say Nate’s reaction was uncalled for here, hopefully this sets Ted up to be a better friend and coach moving forward, one that doesn’t shield himself with his own anxieties that cause him to neglect those who are need of support in their own personal crises.
Will There Be Any Redemption For Nate After Betraying Ted Lasso And His Team?
There have been several antagonistic characters throughout Ted Lasso like Rupert Mannion (Anthony Head) and Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) to a lesser degree in the final episodes of the show’s first season, but it looks like the show finally has its “Big Bad” following Nate Shelley’s betrayal of Ted Lasso when he told Trent Crimm (James Lance) about Ted’s panic attack and then quitting the team (and tearing up the “Believe” poster) to become the head coach of West Ham United. Before storming out, Nate reveals he began to resent Ted after the coach (unintentionally) stopped paying attention to him, so much so that he wanted to get back at him.
Moving forward, is there a shot at redemption for Nate’s character after he went behind Ted’s back and leaked personal information to the press or did he go too far in his revenge? Before it even began, Jason Sudeikis compared Ted Lasso Season 2 was the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back of the series when speaking with USA Today, and that became all the more evident in the final two episodes. Nick Mohammed also touched on this in an interview with Variety following the Season 2 finale though even he didn’t know where his character was going or if he’d get redemption like Darth Vader in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
Is Rupert’s Purchase Of West Ham United Setting Up A Showdown With AFC Richmond?
Sticking with the Star Wars comparisons for a moment, you can’t have Darth Vader (Nate Shelley in this case) without Emperor Palpatine, and in the case of Ted Lasso that title goes to Rupert Mannion. In the episode “No Weddings and a Funeral,” Rupert willingly gives Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) his remaining shares of AFC Richmond before departing. This seems like a kind gesture initially but in the Season 2 finale, Rebecca learns that Rupert has bought West Ham United, one of his former team’s rivals. The final shot of the season (set two months after Richmond earned its way back into the Premier League), it is revealed that Nate (who also spoke with Rupert at the aforementioned funeral) was part of the new coaching staff, freakishly grey hair and all.
Conventional wisdom tells us that this little teaser at the end Ted Lasso Season 2 is setting up an eventual showdown between West Ham United and Richmond at some point in the show’s third season, but it’s not entirely given as to when and where that will go down. Given that both teams are playing in the Premier League they will face each other twice throughout the season with a potential third match if the teams somehow end up tying for first place in the standings. This would be a nice way of wrapping up multiple storylines in one epic showdown, but will it happen?
Is This The End of Roy And Keeley’s Relationship?
One of two love stories (well, three if you count Coach Beard and Jane) to be featured in Ted Lasso Season 2, Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) and Keeley Jones’ (Juno Temple) relationship experiences multiple ups and downs as the show goes on, but we are left wondering what’s going on with the two following their final interaction in the season finale. Basically, Roy books a six-week vacation for the two at the conclusion of the season, but Keeley says he should go alone because she’s swamped with work after starting her own public relations firm and stepping down from her duties at Richmond. And although Keeley tells Roy that everything is fine and they’re not breaking up, it remains unclear what the future holds in store for them.
So what’s the deal with their relationship going forward? There were hints throughout the season, especially in “Midnight Train to Royston” when Roy spends an afternoon chatting with his niece’s teacher and Keeley informs him that Jamie professed his love for her during the previous episode’s funeral. Both almost seemed happier when they were apart from one another and talking to other people, but it’s hard to tell if this is a new direction or a classic case of misdirection.
Where Will Sam’s Personal Journey Take Him And Does It Include A Future With Rebecca?
One of the bright spots of Ted Lasso Season 2 was the increased presence of Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh), who was perhaps the most prominent member of the AFC Richmond squad. Throughout the season, Sam led the team in the on-field boycott of the Richmond’s former sponsor, entered a love affair with Rebecca Melton, was offered the opportunity of a lifetime to be the star player of the Raja Casablanca team (which he turned down), and made plans to open a Nigerian restaurant. In the final episode of the season, Sam told Ted Lasso (though he was really talking to Rebecca) that he was staying not because of anyone else or his feeling for them but instead because he wanted to do what was best for himself and his “personal journey.”
But does that “personal journey” include Rebecca or will they go back to the way things were before they started chatting on the Bantr dating app earlier in the season? Honestly, this is one of those subplots that could work out tremendously in Ted Lasso Season 3 no matter which direction they take. If they get back together, the couple could learn to look beyond the optics of their relationship and quit denying their own happiness. On the other hand, Sam’s journey of self-discovery could make for a great conclusion to his already inspiring story.
These are all questions that we hope get addressed at some point when Ted Lasso Season 3 premieres on Apple TV+ at some point in the near future, especially if Bill Lawrence and Jason Sudeikis stick to the original plan of having the show be a three-act story.
- Take a look at these other great Bill Lawrence shows.
- Check out this list of Jason Sudeikis movies and shows.
