“Ted Lasso”—Season 3 Episode 5 Review

Opinion/Story posted April 20, 2023 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Kaitlyn Murphy

“All we need to win, are the fellas in this room right now.”

Well, that’s not exactly the case after this episode.

AFC Richmond is experiencing a losing streak, even with the help of Zava. The show itself also seems to be losing track with too many subplots and nowhere near enough focus on the team.

The episode opens with another Richmond loss, and the audience learns they haven’t won a match in seven weeks.

What was the point of bringing Zava to the team if his talent wasn’t enough to get them one win across seven weeks? He’s supposed to be the best of the best, and this losing streak is becoming unrealistic.

Or is it?

Another issue with the episode is how detached Ted has become from the Richmond players. While the rest of the coaching staff (plus Higgins) attempts to figure out what’s going wrong– Ted’s focus is on his son, Henry.

He learns Henry had a bullying issue in school, leading Beard and Roy to discuss “revenge” options for the bully. Roy’s graphic plan to confront the little “tw*t” was probably the funniest moment in the episode.

However, Michelle tells Ted that Henry was the one doing the bullying. This seems to be foreshadowing the fact that Henry needs his dad to set him back on the right path, and Ted being so far away is impacting his growth as a young man.

That’s not the only foreshadowing that occurred in episode five.

Rebecca is still trying to figure out if the psychic’s comments about her are true, and if she will become a mother. An interaction with one of her exes and his fiancé makes her believe the psychic might have been right, so she visits a doctor to check.

But did the audience have any indication earlier on that Rebecca wanted children right now?

This side plot seemed to be pulled out of left field, and while she has every right to pursue single motherhood, it would have been nice to have some buildup before (and not from one psychic visit.)

Another side plot is Keeley’s work situation– her needing to fire Shandy and also getting closer with Jack in the process. Keeley’s scenes feel separate from the rest of the show, and she refuses to discuss what went wrong in her relationship with Roy.

They have to be endgame though, right?

Keeley and Jack get together towards the end of the episode and it’s unclear where this will go (or how Keeley’s arc will finish, to be honest.) It’s clear she still has unresolved feelings for Roy, and hopefully, that will be explored.

And then viewers get whatever the heck is going on with Nate, who seems to be softening up a bit in his personal life by rejecting the image Rupert wants him to present.

It seems as though Nate will experience redemption by the end of the season, but his scenes right now aren’t exactly entertaining.

Finally, the big reveal of the episode is that Zava decided to suddenly retire completely from football to focus on his family. Richmond is left without their star, leaving the door wide open for Jamie to take over as the leader of the team.

Jamie is the only character that appears to have a clear end-of-the-arc mapped out since he went from being a self-absorbed jerk in season one to a dedicated team player this season.

He steals every scene he’s in with his humor and infectious energy, and the show needs to give him and the rest of the Richmond team more space to learn and grow.

After yet another loss, Ted gives the team an inspirational speech on how the “Believe” sign is just a symbol (which he proceeds to rip up) and they don’t need it to have faith in themselves.

It was a nice moment, but not enough to save the jumbled episode that seems to be leading to Ted’s departure.

Rating: 2.5/5

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