Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Ted Lasso Season 3 premiere "Smells Like Mean Spirit." Read at your own risk!
Ted Lasso's Season 3 premiere certainly tried to keep the optimism rolling, but the bad news just kept piling up. AFC Richmond is projected to be relegated out of the Premier League by many experts, Nate is bad-mouthing Ted at his new gig at West Ham United, and Roy and Keeley just became the show's equivalent of Ross and Rachel from Friends. The premiere blindsided fans with the news that they're no longer a couple following their iffy status at the end of Season 2, but will it stick?
The big reveal came when Keeley and Roy met up to break some news to his niece, Phoebe. When Phoebe asked what was going on, both simultaneously blurted out the bad news, but in different ways. Roy told his niece they'd broken up, and Keeley said they were taking a break. The former couple exchanged a glance after responding that indicated both were shocked by the other's response, but neither addressed it.
As the conversation with Phoebe continued, Keeley revealed they mutually decided to split because she was too busy running her new PR firm, and Roy is still getting used to working as an assistant coach for AFC Richmond. Keeley tried to talk to Roy about the stress he was feeling with the new gig, but he brushed her off.
The talk was clearly uncomfortable for Keeley and Roy, but Phoebe wasn't too bothered. In fact, she made this Ted Lasso fan feel a bit silly with her blunt thoughts on the situation:
I mean, you were only together a year. And few relationships can survive major career change, much less two. Besides, my mum and dad split up when I was four. So, one of my core beliefs is that nothing lasts forever.
Phoebe really laid it out in that scene, but once she and Roy were outside of Keeley's apartment and in the car, she spoke to her uncle a little more honestly. She told Roy she believed he was making a big mistake splitting from Keeley. Roy's very real and not digital face seemingly indicated he knew his niece was telling the truth but wasn't sure what to do about it.
Will Keeley and Roy's breakup stick? It seems like we're already getting some pretty heavy indications that it won't, and I'm basing that on the reason for the split. While I can understand busy schedules get in the way of spending more quality time, it doesn't seem like either was really pumped that they had to break up. Roy was definitely distant toward Keeley, but he's never been the most emotionally available person in Ted Lasso.
The one thing I fear is that Ted Lasso is hiding that there are more reasons for the breakup than we know at this time. After all, we, the audience, only learned about the breakup alongside Phoebe, who wouldn't be told any of the more adult reasons why they decided to split. I don't think there's anything wild happening, like infidelity or something of that matter. That's not the kind of show that Ted Lasso is, at least when it comes to Roy and Keeley.
I'm not completely ruling out that there's more to the story which could better explain this breakup, however. If there really isn't anything, I think there's a good chance we might see Roy and Keeley back together by the season's end, just like Ross and Rachel.
Ted Lasso streams new episodes on Apple TV+ on Wednesdays. Snag an Apple TV+ subscription to catch the premiere, and be sure to check out some of the other great shows as well.
