‘Ted Lasso’ season 3, episode 10 in conversation: Football isn’t just a game

In Ted Lasso season 3, episode 10, a handful of Greyhounds travel to represent their countries in international matches, Roy receives two very different and very important shirts, neither of them dark heather charcoal, and Rebecca rescues English football from the clutches of another Super League Attempter. Read on for our discussion of Ted Lasso season 3, episode 10, ‘International Break.’

It really does seem like THIS is the thing that Roy is learning from Jamie - how to open his heart and how to want things or feel he deserves things. Because Jamie is so fucking open about how he feels and what he wants. Roy has had a weird year, he’s had to confront those feelings about Chelsea – and at the time I said like “Now I don’t want people to only use this as a metaphor for Keeley!” but it definitely also was one, hence me thinking he knew what was up. Roy has been clearly struggling in his day to day at work, if Rebecca gave him that bollocking. He’s been putting all this effort in with Jamie, but honestly, it feels like what’s happened, whether he realises it or not, is that he’s letting himself be loved by Jamie. The impact of someone being like “You’re so good, you have so much to give, I’m so grateful for you, I love spending time with you,” on and on and on. Jamie’s open heartedness has to be the thing that’s impacted him and changed him, because Ted Lasso season 3 does not actually show us anything else that has impacted him or changed him. His whole plot has been increasing levels of attention paid to Jamie. Like, if there’s something else that is meant to have made him gradually change how he acts and sees himself, point it out to me. Because it isn’t Phoebe – he’s always good with Phoebe, but it isn’t something changing with her, and Leann says, it’s not the shirt (a Phoebe metaphor) – it’s you. I think it is absolutely fundamental to Roy’s change of heart that he has properly accepted Jamie’s affection for him. That had to happen before he could move forward, rather than keeping on pretending it wasn’t important.

'Ted Lasso' season 3, episode 9 in conversation: Second-best way it could've gone

The third act of Ted Lasso season 3 begins now, as the truth about Colin's sexuality impacts his relationship with Isaac and Rebecca rains down a reckoning on Roy's head, which pushes him to start embracing what's on offer for him at Richmond. Read on for our discussion of Ted Lasso season 3, episode 9, "La Locker Room Aux Folles."

Natalie: I think the Isaac and Colin stuff wears on me because we really do see Colin stepping up to kind of “take responsibility” for explaining things to Isaac, like “Hey, can we go chat about this thing you know we need to discuss?” The onus shouldn’t be on Colin here, but even when he fucking picks up that responsibility, Isaac knocks him back. Like come on, man. That stuff is so miserable to me, and not in a worthwhile way. But him and Trent – amazing. They should both feature heavily in season 4 or the spin off.

Megan: I think part of the reason the Isaac stuff was pretty uncomfortable is they really draw out how long you could think he’s acting this way because he is homophobic, not just hurt. Like saying “No” so bluntly about the drink, not wanting Colin to touch him, reacting to being called the f slur in a way that could be read as him being outraged someone would accuse him of that. I think that’s why it felt more miserable than it maybe needed to, because they really drew that element out. Colin and Trent were absolutely perfect though. I need to figure out a reason why Trent can stay around the team even after his book is written. He can never leave them.

‘Ted Lasso’ season 3, episode 6 in conversation: This thing didn’t happen to me, it happened for me 

 The halfway point of Ted Lasso season 3 sees most of the show’s main characters explore the city of Amsterdam for one strange and magical evening. It’s a night of turning points, a night where everything changes – hopefully for the better. Read on for our discussion of Ted Lasso season 3, episode 6, ‘Sunflowers.’

The fact that it’s windmills also keeps itching in my brain, because yes, it’s Holland, it’s an icon of the country, but I cannot help thinking of Don Quixote, and the idiom “tilting at windmills.” The idea of fighting imaginary enemies, you know, a perceived threat that isn’t real, something you’ve built up in your head. Because Jamie and Roy, more than any other characters on Ted Lasso, have both made a habit of tilting at windmills, and often the perceived imaginary giant, the monster, is the other person. Jamie’s repeatedly been told “Stop battling people who just want to help you, not everyone in your life is out to get you.” Roy is basically ready to fight everything all the time and misunderstands many, many things. He certainly sees Jamie as a threat and an adversary for LONG after is reasonable – since he returned to Richmond as a coach. So there was just something special for me there, the idea of them looking up at this windmill together peacefully, like “Yep. That’s a windmill. Just a windmill. It exists.” as a metaphor for seeing each other. Rather than continuing to fight the imaginary enemy. It’s a FANTASTIC symbol for them in that regard.

‘Ted Lasso’ season 3, episode 5 in conversation: You will not win because of me

In Ted Lasso season 3, episode 5, new romances are afoot for both Nate and Keeley, but as the latter dives in at the deep end with Jodi Balfour’s Jack, Rebecca is left more isolated than ever in the wake of more bad news, and Zava’s abrupt exit finally forces Ted to stop going through the motions as manager. Read on for our discussion of Ted Lasso season 3, episode 5, ‘Signs.’

Natalie: I'm not someone who can easily be like "Haha, funny violence!" in a show that does deal with like, real abuse or very serious situations. This isn't a full sitcom with heightened silliness. It's pretty grounded. So when they do a heightened moment like this as a joke, I struggle to fit it into the reality of their behaviour, you know? Like, the rest of Ted Lasso only works for me if Roy Kent is not a man genuinely capable of beating someone with a rope.

Megan: Yeah, I get that. I don't think anyone in that room actually thinks Roy would do that — I don't — but they do clearly get a bit caught up in the narrative. The very vivid, very intense narrative.

Natalie: Trent thinks he would do it. He drops his gay mug.

Megan: Trent loves an emotive narrative, he's just caught up in the moment. Though he also doesn't know Roy quite as well yet, maybe he does think Roy would beat him with a painted rope. While laughing. As loud as he can. For as long as he can.

Natalie: He's thinking, “Jesus, I got lucky if that is what he was capable of.” I'm taking this too seriously, but I think I'm allowed to, with how fucking serious and traumatic other moments of this show can be.

‘Ted Lasso’ season 3, episode 4 in conversation: Pain is like carbon monoxide  

Episode 4 sees Richmond finally face off against West Ham, meaning that Ted finally faces off against Nate and Rebecca finally faces off against Rupert. Rebecca’s pressure on Ted is at an all time, rather maniacal high, and Nate’s regrets about the way he left Richmond factor into his nerves in advance of the clash.

Natalie: I want to know how Ted genuinely expected to handle Nate. Not even the emotional side. The “winning the match” side. The fact that the opposition knows their moves. He wasn’t interested in Beard and Roy’s plans. His contribution is “something will come up.” He doesn’t want to use the video to motivate the team. It seems to me like he tries to fob Rebecca off by saying she already won, and she is very much like “No.” Ted was not motivated here at all, despite everything to do with Nate, everything to do with Rebecca. He seemed to have no thoughts at all about how how to best win this match, even just in terms of trying to win a normal game. Again, the depression avoidance, this big overwhelming issue that is just coming at you and you’re like “Uh uh. No thanks. Won���t look.”

Megan: Maybe he’s just hoping that Zava is such an unknown wild card that it will throw Nate off course. You can’t predict what Zava will do, so Nate won’t be able to strategise for that, and it means Ted can continue being distracted by Jake and Michelle and what he’s still doing in London. But I think the deeper thing is what you’ve just touched upon. If he’s hurt by Nate, but still trying to wait for Nate to come to him, to practise radical forgiveness and act like he’s above the anger, he can’t do that if he has to focus in on how to beat Nate. Because that will involve digging into how Nate thinks, how he works, what he learned — or didn’t learn — at Richmond. And if he has to think that deeply about Nate, it’ll be so much harder for him to keep the hurt and anger at bay.

What ‘Ted Lasso’ gets right about football, what it gets wrong, and what it should include in season 3

Football is central to the story of Ted Lasso, and as season 3 is set to feature more of the beautiful game than ever, it’s time to take a closer look at some aspects of the sport and culture that the show has chosen to portray, correctly or incorrectly, and theorise about other impactful elements that could potentially be included.

Actor Phil Dunster was told by Spurs striker and England captain Harry Kane — a man who recently admitted to a scolding from his wife because he cried while being honoured for his record-breaking goal for England but not at the birth of his children — that the show captures something about being a footballer that isn’t normally captured. He would know. And indeed, both Roy Kent and Jamie Tartt would be impossible to recreate in some other workplace ensemble. They would not be as impactful if they were not specifically what they are — English working class boys who idolised football, who came from nothing to succeed at the highest level of the game. How the game has changed in the two decades of playing time that separates them, and what football itself actually means — not as a metaphor for life, but as its own true driving force and life-or-death passion, the thing that makes them feel the most, the thing that these guys sacrifice their youth and health to — is crucial to the stakes of Ted Lasso, and to certain arcs and relationships.

There is no show without how the characters feel about football. Ted Lasso isn’t a perfect portrayal of top tier English football, not by a long shot, and that’s fine. However, it’s possible to go too far the other way in defence of that premise, and say that it doesn’t matter if the details are wrong. Who cares? Because football isn’t really what the show is about. No. It is about football, and the story is often at its strongest when it’s about the actual football.

‘Ted Lasso’ season 3, episode 3 in conversation: I weren’t being ironic, I was being hypocritical

In this week’s Ted Lasso, Zava charms Richmond with his crazy goals and cult leader tendencies, but Jamie won’t buy in, keeping his concerns to himself lest they be judged as sheer jealousy. Roy’s observation of this leads to a new development for the pair, while news from home throws Ted for a loop and a visit to a psychic has Rebecca looking for signs. Oh, and Colin’s gay, but we knew that already. Read on for our review of Ted Lasso season 3, episode 3, ‘4-5-1.’

Natalie: I am just so happy for him, and for me, that he is being positioned as the person, the only person, who knows what’s right here. Well, Roy also knows it, I think. He’s very up and down about it, but he sides with Jamie in the end.

Megan: Yeah agreed. I think he does get a bit carried away by Zava’s… everything… for a little while there, but by the end he can see what’s what.

Natalie: Watching this episode, I very much feel like Jamie is the one guy in a musical who knows they’re all singing.

Megan: Oh my god! That is… Yes. That is the perfect analogy. Poor Jamie, he’s really not having the best time.

Natalie: I’m having a GREAT time, because I am so happy that he is being narratively framed as the best boy in the world, and the only one who knew all along that the problem was a problem.

Megan: To be fair, given he was incredibly late to his own welcome ceremony, I think others should have cottoned on earlier that Zava was perhaps a tad problematic.

In light of all that’s happened so far in Ted Lasso season 3, we thought this was worth sharing again. Sadly, Dr. Sharon is apparently NOT a lesbian, but hooray for Colin Hughes! This article was originally published in October 2022.

‘Ted Lasso’ lacks queer characters, but the show may be hiding them in plain sight

It’s fair to say that the world of Ted Lasso, both onscreen and off, is an ethical and socially progressive place. No one behind the scenes is conservative, and that’s clear in the writing. The jokes that the show makes and the issues that it raises make it abundantly clear where both the creators and characters stand. It’s on the right side of history. 

So where the fuck are all the queer people?

The dearth of them is really noticeable and strange in an otherwise extremely richly cast and welcoming show. Ted Lasso feels like an inclusive show on a purely emotional level — everyone at Richmond is safe and loved. The show’s leads are largely white, but an international football team is by nature racially mixed and we have quite a few characters of colour among the series regulars in Nate, Sam, Sharon, Isaac and Dani. In general the characters feel like a fairly realistic representation of the environment surrounding a Premier League football team sits in — ownership and management is largely white, team rosters and London itself are incredibly diverse, but there is one kind of diversity lacking. Ted Lasso, the show, is incredibly straight.

Almost unbelievably so, actually. It’s so straight that I’ve become convinced it’s a long con.

‘Ted Lasso’ season 3, episode 2 in conversation: There’s a part of me thinking maybe I should have stayed

The legacy of the great Roy Kent is at the heart of this week’s Ted Lasso, as a warm reception from his former club and a scar from a decades-old wound lead to a painful reflection over the way he’s chosen to live his life. Rebecca tries to beat Rupert to the signature of a difficult superstar player and Keeley goes to bat for a friend from her old life. Read on for our review of Ted Lasso season 3, episode 2, ‘(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea.’

Natalie: This is Roy's issue about everything. His head is a fucking prison. He cannot accept love. He cannot ever just choose the thing that makes him happy.

Megan: He can't just let himself be happy with Keeley, no matter how much he loves her. Because he thinks he's not good enough for her, he's holding her back, that she's outgrown him. And even if she didn't give him a single hint that that is true, once it's in his head he can't get it out. And so he breaks up with her, because he can't let himself enjoy it.

Natalie: And because he thinks she will eventually do it first. This whole conversation is wrapped in a metaphor for his breaking up with Keeley — the whole "people think it’s better to quit than be fired" thing is basically what happened there with her. But I also can't and won’t write it all off as just being about Keeley. This relationship between Roy and football, Roy and Chelsea, isn't simply a metaphor or a form of sublimation. It matters to him, a lot, as its own thing. It has weight and value on its own. It's one of the biggest parts of his identity, his life.

‘Ted Lasso’ season 3, episode 1 in conversation: You ever wonder why we’re here, coach?

The Ted Lasso season 3 premiere sees Ted struggling to decide whether his life in London makes any sort of sense anymore, right when Rebecca needs her maverick manager more focused than ever on the task at hand. Read on for our review of Ted Lasso season 3, episode 1, ‘Smells Like Mean Spirit.’

Natalie: Last season was all about Jamie really settling into being one of the guys, and his big moment in the finale came from not centering himself. The victory where he did get to centre himself, on Roy's orders, in "The Signal," was a moment that stressed Ted out. I’m not sure that was so much about hating Jamie's ego as hating the idea of drawing a foul, or maybe even seeing Jamie get intentionally hurt. There's a whole story there for Ted, because Jamie “being the prick” sets off his panic attack, but I won't delve further there just now. I’m just making the point that in the past, Jamie has had to humble himself in order to make amends, and he accepted his place in the dressing room so wholly that Roy had to shake both Jamie and Ted out of it, and literally order Jamie to stop being a team player. But Jamie’s confidence is now respected, and his ego is trusted as something not harmful. Which means that now, he��s narratively allowed to be ambitious.

Megan: Ted does struggle to move past his first impression of Jamie and his behaviour in season 1, and that carries over into season 2. His "I'm glad he's on our team" in "The Signal" was so telling to me because yes, I don't think Ted likes the idea of Jamie drawing a foul, but I also don't think he's comfortable with the idea of intentionally being a prick ever being a good thing. So yes, this is growth for Jamie, but it's also growth for Ted in accepting that in professional sports, you need that drive and that ego and even that aggression. Jamie's confidence is a positive, and that deserves to be recognised.

Coming out of the dark forest: The ‘Ted Lasso’ season 2 finale in conversation

Ted Lasso season 3 is nearly upon us, and in preparation for the upcoming season premiere, we’re revisiting the season 2 finale to reflect on where the show left off and how the core characters, across the span of the whole series, have gotten themselves to the place where we’ll next pick up with them.

Natalie: Given the response from a lot of fans when footballers try to talk about social issues, what do you think it meant to Sam, or what do you think it means in general, to see young adults backing his stance and his beliefs? Obviously we aren't recapping the whole of season 2 here, but with Richmond's protest in "Do The Right-est Thing," we never saw the dark side of the public response, which in real life would have been a LOT of "shut up and dribble."

Megan: Honestly, the fact that fans can be pretty awful when it comes to football trying to make a difference off the pitch probably means this meant a lot to Sam. The fact that Richmond lost that match would likely have resulted in a lot of abuse from Richmond fans and while the club went above and beyond in supporting Sam, a subset of the fanbase certainly wouldn't have. So to see young adults playing football, wearing his shirt, emulating his protest, would feel really powerful and impactful. Ironically, I saw a comment online recently where a Ted Lasso fan said they didn't like the Dubai Air storyline because they didn't want to be preached at. So even certain fans of fictional football have that similar stance.

A ‘Ted Lasso’ season 3 trailer breakdown so exhaustive it may actually be unhinged

No training cone is left unturned as we break down the Ted Lasso season 3 trailer frame by frame in order to pore over the fine details and make a few predictions about where season 3 may be headed.

The 10 is generally awarded to a team’s main creative playmaker, usually a star attacking midfielder. It’s an influential position, a facilitator, and maybe the most respected number in football history. Maradona, Pele, Ronaldinho, Zidane and Messi all wore the 10, and its prestige is why Edwin Akufo offering it to Sam on a Raja Casablanca shirt in the season 2 finale, and mentioning he took the liberty of picking Sam’s number, is such a big deal. It’s a gesture that tells Sam that he is being courted as the Casablanca team’s most important player, a huge measure of his value.

Richmond have not had a number 10 since, presumably, their last significant 10 left (we don’t know who they were or how long the number has been absent from the lineup.) Given Sam’s increased role at Richmond, Ted Lasso fans familiar with real football might have hoped to see him advance into the 10 shirt, but no. It seems as if there’s a new star in town — this Zava fellow. And he must be a STAR, a well-known, probably legendary player. Because among the crowd, we see Zava #10 shirts not only for Richmond but also from his time at Juventus and Ajax. There’s an AC Milan shirt approaching too, and while we don’t see the back of it, I’m willing to bet that it’s a Zava kit as well.

The ‘Ted Lasso’ character team-ups we’d like to see getting good minutes during season 3

Ted Lasso season 3 is only a few weeks away, and we can’t contain our excitement about the potential of what’s in store. With a dash of speculation and lashings of hope about what might be in the cards for all our favorite characters, these are the Ted Lasso cast members we’d love to see share more scenes once the new season kicks off.

Right from the start of season 1, there’s a mutual respect thing going on between Roy and Rebecca, a sense of familiarity that came before Rebecca and Ted, Roy and Keeley, or any of the other major relationships on the show, and Rebecca is actually the first person we ever see Roy be nice to — flicking her a little salute and a “Hello, Ms Welton,” as the players file past her from training. The fact that Sam is the only other person who greets her in this moment is… well, that’s another story, but from Roy there’s a flavour of recognition, kindness and acceptance, especially if we look at that moment retroactively. Rebecca’s the new owner, sure, but Roy doesn’t do deference. He doesn’t respect authority just for the sake of it. He knows what Rebecca’s been through to get where she is, he’s suffered in his own way under Rupert’s regime, and putting it simply, he rates her. 

‘Shrinking’ for Apple TV+ exemplifies the long-term benefits of therapy and shines in its close-knit circle of characters

Shrinking, the new Apple TV+ comedy from Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein and Jason Segel, stars Segel as a widowed therapist and Harrison Ford as his boss and mentor in an emotionally grounded take on grief and therapy featuring career-best performances from its talented cast. With the first two episodes out on January 27, read our advance review now.

Shrinking and Lasso are both shows primarily about the ways people respond to trauma and how it makes them behave, but where Lasso shoos festering old ghosts out into the light via a succession of radical life changes, Shrinking is more about the difficult process of incorporating a new burden of grief into a life that was, before now, relatively stable, relatively comfortable, relatively happy. It’s dealing with trauma at a different point along its timeline, and it’s also trauma of a different flavor. Rather than unpacking the ugly impact of suicide and abuse, the pain in Shrinking springs from blameless and inevitable sources — a car accident, a degenerative disease. It doesn’t make it any easier — in fact, the senselessness makes it scary as hell — but it’s not the same timbre. 

This is, by some measure, a softer show than Ted Lasso. That being said, I don’t particularly view Ted Lasso as a soft show to begin with. The Lasso creatives, including Goldstein, have shunned the “feel-good” label that got slapped on the show in the lead up to season 2, and I tend to agree.

‘The Winchesters’ season 1, episode 3 review in quotes: You’re up, Campbell

It’s official: The Winchesters is scary, Mary Campbell is going to break everyone’s heart, and you should never, ever underestimate Ada Monroe — even if you are a powered-up demon immune to holy water. Read on for our review of The Winchesters episode 3, “You’re Lost Little Girl.”

“None of this works without Mary. I need her.” John’s desperation to save Mary here is a nice (read: upsetting) precursor to the all-consuming obsession that he eventually develops in seeking revenge for her death. As much as Mary doesn’t know who she is without hunting, John is quickly revealing himself as one of those people who defines himself by his current fixation, whether that’s a relationship or a mission, and it quickly becomes something that he uses as a device instead of stopping to think about his true motivations and feelings. For most of his life until now, it was his father’s disappearance that drove him, but as he told Mary earlier in the episode, even his pursuit of answers had become little more than a list. He kept checking off tasks because it gave him direction. That small semblance of control was enough to sustain him, even though in hindsight he can see that it wasn’t actually helping anything. 

The problem is, now that he has some answers about what happened to Henry, he’s shifted all of that focus fully to Mary.

‘The Winchesters’ season 1, episode 2 review in quotes: The ties that bind a family together can be complicated

The Winchesters may only be in its second week, but it already feels like a well-oiled machine as the core four continue on their quest to track down Samuel Campbell – and save some people along the way. Read on for our review of The Winchesters season 1, episode 2, “Teach Your Children Well.”

”I was angry at dad and I did what I always do. I took out on you what I can’t take out on him.” Much like the John Winchester we came to know on Supernatural, this John is, to some degree, aware of his own worst qualities. In season 1 of Supernatural, he acknowledges his obsessive tendencies, and how they are a primary factor in his failure to look out for his family the way he should. He admits to Dean in the season 2 opener that he put too much on his shoulders and forced him to grow up too fast to take on the parental responsibilities that he himself was shirking. In season 14, when he briefly returns thanks to a wish-gone-wrong, he tells Sam that he knows he screwed up in the way he treated him. Here, only two episodes into The Winchesters, we learn that he knows he’s transferring his anger onto a more convenient target; he knows he’s got a short fuse; he knows he’s got control issues.

But here’s the thing – as he says, this is what he “always” does. He already knows that he does this, and he knows that it’s bad. He does it anyway.

‘The Winchesters’ season 1, episode 1 review in quotes: Love what you’ve done with the place

The Winchesters series premiere didn’t waste any time before delving straight into the mystery of this new spin on Supernatural history. With Dean at the wheel driving us through the story, it’s time to find out the truth about John Winchester and Mary Campbell. Read on for our review of The Winchesters pilot.

“The only thing worse than how it starts for a hunter is how it ends.” The tragic trajectory (I am now coining “tragectory” and you can’t stop me) of their lives is already being laid out for us, I see. Everything about this comment from Carlos to John is anti free will; defeatist. There’s only one path forward, and it’s bad, and it’s already been decided. Similarly, when Millie tells John “Maybe one day when you have kids you’ll understand,” — a moment underpinned by one of the most recognisable pieces of Supernatural score, Dean’s family theme, which appears courtesy of the show’s inspired decision to bring former Supernatural composer Jay Gruska onto the team — I felt it like a roundhouse kick to the solar plexus, because of course we know that when he DOES have kids… well. Let’s just say that being worried about them getting involved in dangerous situations wasn’t exactly at the core of his parenting strategy.

All of this is already brutal to consider as a viewer — but I feel like it’s a good time to remember that we’re seeing this story through Dean’s eyes. Dean’s research. Dean’s narration. How many nitty-gritty details of this story he’s actually privy to remains to be seen, but the thought of him somehow watching this play out, of him hearing Carlos predict what’s coming, of him hearing his grandmother say those particular words to John, who reacts pretty dismissively to it… Ouch ouch ouch.