Ted Lasso warmed some souls in its latest Season 2 episode with an awkward-turned-heartfelt rendition of Rick Astley’s infamous hit “Never Gonna Give You Up.” And it wasn't just casual viewers who were wowed, as the episode even got Astley himself in his feelings. The singer recently confessed that he’s a massive Ted Lasso fan and shared his reaction to how the Apple TV+ series used his song.
Rick Astley's '80s track has achieved an extended pop culture revival thanks to the internet trend of “rick-rolling,” even beyond its expected expiration date, and the musician took to Twitter to share some love for the Ted Lasso moment and give a special shoutout to actress Hannah Waddingham. Read his response below, which becomes a bit emotional right at the end.
Hey there. So it’s taken me a little while to process what I think about the latest episode of Ted Lasso. I’m a massive fan of the show and I was just completely blown away with what they did with that song. I have to say to Hannah Waddingham, Emmy award-winning [winks] Hannah Waddingham, you did an amazing and incredible job. It was so emotional, so moving, so incredible. I mean, people have even said they cried in the church scene. Don’t wanna give anything too much away, but [takes emotional pause] I didn’t cry. [Smiles.] Just amazing, thanks very much for including that song in your beautiful show, and yeah, I’m blown away. Just fantastic. Series 3 come on!
Spoiler alert for those who haven’t yet seen the episode “No Weddings And A Funeral!” The reason Rick Astley and others have reacted so emotionally to the scene in question is due to how the song was used. Rebecca was blindsided by the news of her father's death, but despite the hatred for her father for cheating on her mother, she had to eulogize him. Without a whole lot of powerful thoughts to honor him with, she instead sang the song her mother mentioned loving earlier in the episode, “Never Gonna Give You Up,” and was the joined by the rest of AFC Richmond who were in attendance.
Rebecca actress Hannah Waddingham saw Rick Astley’s video on Twitter, and to put it lightly, she seemed pretty thrilled. The Emmy-winning actress slid into Astley’s DM’s, but we can only speculate about what happened after she...just wanted to tell him how she's feeling.
Ted Lasso deserves applause for another moment in the episode where “Never Gonna Give You Up” is used masterfully. After the funeral, Rebecca and her mother Deborah watched an old video from Rebecca’s childhood whose footage suddenly changes into Rick Astley’s iconic music video for “Never Gonna Give You Up.” It was quite the unexpected rick-roll moment that fans probably thought wouldn't accompany the more authentic reference point. It certainly wasn’t something this Ted Lasso fan saw coming anyway, so now I'm waiting for Brett Goldstein to change stories and admit the long-held conspiracy that he and his character Roy Kent are CGI manifestations.
Ted Lasso streams new episodes on Apple TV+ on Fridays. Season 2 is almost at an end, but luckily, Season 3 is already on the way. Unfortunately, based on what we’ve heard so far, that may be it for the beloved feel-good series.
