If you have watched the season 3 finale of Ted Lasso, you might be feeling a mix of emotions right now. The show, which has been praised for its heartwarming and hilarious portrayal of a struggling English soccer team and its optimistic American coach, ended on a bittersweet note that left many fans wondering what will happen next.
The finale, titled “Inverting the Pyramid of Success”, saw Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) and his team, AFC Richmond, win the FA Cup against Manchester City in a thrilling penalty shootout. However, the victory came at a cost, as Ted revealed to his boss and friend Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) that he had been secretly suffering from panic attacks and had been seeing a therapist. He also confessed that he had leaked confidential information about the team to a journalist in order to protect his friend Nate Shelley (Nick Mohammed), who had been the source of the leak.
Nate, meanwhile, had undergone a drastic transformation throughout the season, becoming more arrogant and resentful of Ted and his colleagues. He confronted Ted in the locker room after the game, accusing him of stealing his ideas and taking credit for his work. He also spat on Ted’s mirror and left a note saying “F*** you” on it. Nate then accepted an offer from Rupert Mannion (Anthony Head), Rebecca’s ex-husband and nemesis, to become the head coach of West Ham United, a rival team.
The finale also featured some romantic twists, as Rebecca broke up with her boyfriend Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh), who decided to join Nate at West Ham. Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) and Keeley Jones (Juno Temple) got engaged after Roy proposed to her on live TV. Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) reconciled with his estranged father and scored the winning goal for Richmond. And Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández) overcame his fear of penalties and celebrated with his teammates.
So why did the show end on such a dramatic and ambiguous note? According to co-creator and executive producer Bill Lawrence, the decision was made to set up the final season of the show, which has been confirmed to be season 4. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lawrence said that he and Sudeikis wanted to explore the darker side of Ted’s character and challenge his optimistic worldview.
“We always knew that we wanted to do three acts of this story. And we always knew that act two would be where you test your protagonist,” Lawrence said. “And we always knew that act three would be where you resolve it.”
Lawrence also said that he wanted to show the consequences of Ted’s actions and how they affect his relationships with others. He said that Ted’s panic attacks were not a random plot device, but a result of his unresolved trauma from his divorce and his move to England.
“He’s been running away from dealing with this stuff,” Lawrence said. “And part of dealing with this stuff is being honest with yourself and being honest with the people around you.”
Lawrence also teased that season 4 will explore the fallout of Nate’s betrayal and how it will impact Ted and the team. He said that Nate’s character arc was inspired by real-life stories of coaches who started out as underdogs and became successful but corrupted by fame and power.
“He’s a guy who feels like he’s never gotten his due,” Lawrence said of Nate. “And he’s a guy who feels like he’s always been overlooked and underappreciated. And he’s a guy who feels like he deserves more.”
As for the possibility of season 4 being the last one, Lawrence said that he and Sudeikis have a clear vision of how they want to end the show, but they are open to revisiting it in the future if they have more stories to tell.
“We’re not going to do one of those shows where we just keep going until we run out of gas,” Lawrence said. “We have an ending that we’re really proud of and that we think is satisfying. But we also love these characters so much that we would never say never to coming back to them someday.”
So there you have it, Ted Lasso fans. Season 3 was a roller coaster ride of emotions, but it was also a necessary step in Ted’s journey as a coach and a person. Season 4 will hopefully bring some closure and happiness to him and his team, but not without some challenges and surprises along the way. Until then, keep believing.
Read More: Hannah Waddingham’s Heartfelt Plea: “Don’t End Ted Lasso!
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