“Ted Lasso”—Season 3 Episode 6 Review

Opinion/Story posted June 1, 2023 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Kaitlyn Murphy

Richmond is on the road in the latest episode of “Ted Lasso,” but unfortunately it’s not the road to a championship.

The episode opens with yet another loss, this time in an exhibition match, or “friendly” as they’re called across the pond. The team played in Amsterdam, but none of the episode’s focus was on football.

Which surprisingly made it the most promising episode of the season.

While most of the main characters remained apart for the full hour and five-minute run time, the side storylines actually promoted character growth.

Starting off strong, Jamie and Roy’s bromance soars (or bikes) to new heights on the streets of Amsterdam.

The two go on a run through the city, which Jamie knows surprisingly a lot about. Roy ends up getting tired of running, so Jamie finds them bikes to take instead.

The issue– the Roy Kent never learned how to ride a bike as a kid because his granddad passed away before he could teach him.

Jamie laughed at first, but quickly changed his tune and switched into coach mode. He taught Roy to ride a bike with encouragement and understanding, proving he’s come a long way since he started on AFC Richmond.

He’s matured and learned from his mistakes, and when he and Roy finally put aside their differences, they’re the dynamic duo audiences never knew they needed.

After all the stress and drama Rebecca has been going through this season, she finally gets a break in episode six. After an unfortunate incident involving a biker and the edge of a bridge, she dried off in the houseboat of a handsome Amsterdam local.

But instead of doing what (might) have been expected of two attractive single people on a houseboat in Amsterdam, they bonded over music and formed an emotional connection.

After watching Rebecca experience a lot of emotional turmoil this season, whether it be from Rupert’s low blows or the physic telling her she’s destined to be a mother, it was refreshing to see her get a break from all the drama.

The Richmond boys are also (thankfully) a center point of this episode. They get into an argument over what to do with their night off in Amsterdam– leading Danny to innocently say he just wants to see “a tulip.”

Richmond’s chemistry is incredible in this episode, which is why the viewers deserve more of it in the future. After hours of going back and forth, the boys decide to stay in the hotel and have a pillow fight.

But while the earlier drama was going down, Colin slipped out and visited a gay bar in the city.

While he orders a drink and asks the bartender if he knows who he is, none other than Trent Crimm appears behind him. Colin tries to perform damage control, but Trent assures him that he has a reason for being in the bar, too.

He and Colin have a beautiful heart-to-heart about both of their experiences in the gay community, and it really sends the episode over the top.

But where is Ted during all of this?

The Yankee Doodle Burger Barn.

Yet another painfully clear instance of foreshadowing that this season will probably end with Ted returning to America. He misses the food, his son and just feeling like he fits in somewhere.

Ted is actually arguably the weakest link of this season since he seems to have completely lost his way and no longer connects with the team the way he used to. In reality, he would’ve been fired at this point since Richmond is on the worst losing streak known to man.

Not even “believing” can bring them back now. (Or maybe it will, who knows?)

However, Ted does have a breakthrough in the Burger Barn where he comes up with a new strategy for the team. He shares it with Beard on the bus ride home, who tells him it’s already been invented, but they should try it.

The episode ends with Rebecca starting an acapella jam session of “Don’t Worry About a Thing,” the song Amsterdam played when they beat Richmond the day prior.

The entire bus joins in, on and off-key.

This is the true heart and soul of “Ted Lasso.” Richmond unified and proved that there’s a bright side to every situation.

Hopefully, the show brings them together more for the second half of the season and ties up some loose ends that are still unanswered.

Rating: 4.5/5

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