“Ted Lasso” - Season 3, Episode 1 Review

Story posted March 19, 2023 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Kaitlyn Murphy

Eleven-time Emmy winning comedy series “Ted Lasso” is finally back with its third (and possibly final) season, and just like the Richmond locker room, it smells like potential.

Episode 1 picked up where the Season 2 finale left off, with AFC Richmond entering into the Premier League as a major underdog, taking blow after blow in the press.

Speaking of blows, Ted (Jason Sudeikis) still seems to be getting over the emotional hit that his wife leaving him took on his mental health. His son, Henry (Gus Turner), visited him for six weeks and is now returning to Kansas City, leaving Ted alone again.

It feels a bit repetitive to see Ted still hung up on his wife after two seasons away from her, but his character loves so hard it makes sense that he can’t seem to get over it.

Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) still feels unadulterated loathing towards her ex-husband Rupert (Anthony Head), who owns the highly successful West Ham United team, projected to finish in the Premier League top four.

She tells Ted the team better get themselves together, since he promised her they could “win the whole ******* thing.”

Rebecca then goes to meet up with everyone’s favorite girlboss Keely Jones (Juno Temple), who now works for KJPR and uses her time with Rebecca as a stress cry session.

Last (and certainly least) of the main “Ted Lasso” players is Nate the not-so-great (Nick Mohammed), who has become a heartless robot of a manager for West Ham.

More on him later.

Back to the Greyhounds, who Ted feels are too down in the dumps over the negative predictions at practice. Time for a classic team field trip.

This is when the episode gets into the true genius of “Ted Lasso.” When something seemingly irrelevant or stupid becomes a metaphor for what the team is going through.

Ted takes them to the sewers, where he previously took a tour with his son to help him get over his fear of “It.” He tells the team they have to build an “internal sewer system” to filter out the bad vibes and connect with their teammates.

This moment just shows how much thought goes into writing an episode of “Ted Lasso.” Ted might have unconventional methods of coaching, but everything he does always connects back to the good of the team.

Nate takes the opposite approach when coaching, degrading his players for the sake of being feared and respected. It’s very interesting watching these two contrasting styles side-by-side, which will likely lead to a close match between West Ham and Richmond in the future.

Nate also trashes Ted and Richmond during a press conference, which becomes the main focus of the end of the episode.

How would Ted respond? In typical Ted fashion – killing him with kindness.

Ted starts making fun of himself instead of retaliating at Nate, and this scene perfectly captures the essence of “Ted Lasso.” While there are certainly deeper and sadder themes in the show, at its core, “Ted Lasso” is about spreading positivity even when it would be much easier to strike with hate.

Seeing the atmosphere of the Richmond locker room after the sewer trip and Ted’s press conference is extremely satisfying, since it creates a found family that’s impossible not to root for.

*Spoilers for the end of the episode*

One disappointing part of the episode was finding out Roy (Brett Goldstein) and Keely are deciding to take a break from their relationship since they are both too busy with their careers.

They solemnly deliver the news to Roy’s niece Phoebe, and made it a funny moment with Phoebe’s responses instead of a sad one. But don’t fret– it seems that by the end of the season the couple will reconnect.

Roy and Keely fit together so well it would be a major loss for them to stay apart, especially if this is the final season.

The first episode of “Ted Lasso” season 3 was a great set-up for what’s to come, which will more than likely be an emotional rollercoaster.

Rating: 4/5

Kaitlyn Murphy is a first-year student majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email kvm6255@psu.edu.