Warning: SPOILERS for the Ted Lasso Season 3 premiere are ahead. Go and play some footy until you can read on without having the episode ruined for you!
Wow. Friends, it’s been well over a year since we’ve been able to check in with Ted, Nate, Rebecca, Roy, and everyone else we love (or, sure, love to…dislike) after the Ted Lasso Season 2 ending left us with lots of questions. The season built to a surprising cliffhanger, and has kept us all wondering about things like Ted’s mental health and whether or not Nate would eventually be redeemed.
Well, you can now watch Ted Lasso Season 3, and while everyone who watched knows that it delivered a bummer of a reveal, it also gave me lots to think about during the premiere. I’m going to share those thoughts with you now, and you can see if the episode brought up some of the same things for you as it did for me. Let’s go!
Oh, No. Is This Season Going To Make Me Sad?
Man, the very first shot really got me and made me worried. We all know that Season 3 has been planned as the final one, and that first look at Ted as he’s sadly preparing to send his son home and wondering why he’s staying in England was already just emotional enough to make me think we’re in for a heavy time ahead. I don’t know if I like that, but I’m just going to trust the process and enjoy the ride as much as possible.
Ted Is Still Talking To Sharon! Yay!
I mean, he needs this, right? There’s no way he’s already completely worked through everything with his dad, what happened with his marriage, him now feeling a bit like he’s abandoned his son, and everything that’s gone on with his job. I’m really glad he’s settled into accepting that therapy is a good thing for him (this mental health struggle really does make Ted relatable), but also because it means we might see more of Sharon this season. Speaking of which…
And Sharon Is Getting Some! I’m So Proud Of Her!
Honestly, I don’t know what this feeling is about. Sharon is an intelligent, good looking, grown woman, after all, so it makes sense that she’d do adult things with another adult at some point. Maybe it’s because she’s so reserved when she’s in therapy mode that it’s just hard to imagine her being able to, um…“get off” during her down time, but it’s now clear that she does, and with a wicked twinkle in her eye, to boot. LOVE IT!
I Feel Like Everyone Is Really Going To Need To Hash Out Some Emotional Trauma This Season
So, Ted wondering why he’s still in England is hardly the only emotional stuff that we see the characters are already dealing with. Rebecca can’t stop referring to “him” (her nasty ex-husband Rupert) any time she should be talking about “them” (the team he owns now, West Ham), Keeley is so busy she’s leaving perfect mascara marks on people’s shirts from literally crying on their shoulders, and Nate? Well, he’s a mess, and hiding it whenever possible by being mean as a snake when he absolutely doesn’t need to be. These folks are going to have a lot of internal work to do this season.
Keeley And Rebecca Look So Good At Work It Almost Makes Me Wish I Had A Job That Required Going Into An Office
I said almost!
Nate Might Be A Villain This Season, But It’s Clear He’s Also Still His Own Worst Enemy
Maybe Nate’s villain turn was always inevitable, considering the way he’d been treated by his dad his whole life, and how he’d been either ignored or bullied by others for what appeared to be the same amount of time. It was in Season 2, however, when Ted had him working as an assistant coach but then also hired Roy for the same gig, that we saw what all of Nate’s disappointments over not being taken seriously/respected had done to him.
He’s been crushed under the weight of feeling inadequate, to the point where we’ve now seen more than once the near-panic attack levels of stress it causes for him. That press conference in the premiere showed just how badly he still feels (the imposter syndrome is real with this one), despite now having the attention/respect he wants. Nate is desperate for approval (especially from male authority figures), and will do anything to get it from his new boss, which will likely mean that he’ll continue to sink to new lows until something snaps him out of it.
I Know Rupert Is A Bad Guy, But Did They Have To Make It Look Like His Office Was On The Death Star?
Speaking of the man that Nate is now taking his cues from, could they have driven home the fact that Rupert is the Big Bad more than they did by showing him in his office? Not only is it nearly impossibly dark for a place where someone is supposed to get work done, it literally looks like where, say, an accountant on the Death Star might have worked. Plus, he dresses in all black, and the West Ham press room is even dark as hell. They could have pulled back on this a little; we’ve already seen and heard enough from Rupert to know he’s a trash goblin.
In No Way Do I Believe That Ted Left His Phone During Training/That Sewer Tour
This is just not modern life, OK? Anyone with a smartphone is carrying that puppy everywhere, particularly when going about normal daily activities, which for our titular lead includes training the team. And, Ted was checking in regularly to see where his son’s flight was so that he’d know when he arrived in the States. He would have silenced it and just kept it in his pocket until he had a free minute to check it. Also, literally no one is purposely leaving their phone behind when they take a sewer tour, you guys!
UGH! I Had A Feeling That Keeley’s Work Tears Were About More And I Was Right
Dammit! As soon as I saw Keeley and Roy awkwardly standing several feet apart as his niece finished her pre-dinner ice cream I knew they’d broken up. Seeing as how Roy called it a full breakup while Keeley said they were just on a break, I get the impression that she’s been so overwhelmed with now running her own PR firm that she’s let work get in the way, and Roy felt it best to cut his losses.
I think these two will get back together eventually. Keeley hasn’t been in this position in her career for very long, so it’s understandable that she’d need time to adjust. Plus, we all know that Roy can be a bit inflexible, and he’s probably not used to her availability being as limited as it now is. These guys just need some distance so they can really talk openly about what they need from each other now and how they can make it happen. At least, that’s what I hope.
I’d Forgotten How Good The Music In The Show Usually Is
Eric B. & Rakim’s classic, “Follow the Leader,” as Nate arrives for work at West Ham, and Beyoncé’s own classic, “Ring the Alarm,” after Ted finds out that not only does his ex-wife have a boyfriend, but that he’s buying expensive gifts for their kid, are just two more amazing choices to show that they started the season off strong. I need the end of Season 3 to bring us an official Ted Lasso soundtrack featuring all of the best needle drops, alright?
I absolutely can’t wait until the next new episode of Ted Lasso to see how everything continues!
