Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers from Season 3 Episode 4 of Ted Lasso.There aren’t many shows that have the unique ability to take negative narratives and turn them into positives likeTed Lasso. Perhaps that’s just the nature of it being a sports show where wins and losses are a part of its DNA or because ofthe strength of the writers and cast. Whatever the case may be,Ted Lassoisn’t afraid to show the Richmond FC players failing. One of the best examples of this took place in the latest episode of Season 3, “Big Week,” where the highly-anticipated meeting between Richmond and West Ham finally took place. Nate’s (Nick Mohammed) West Ham team came out on top as Richmond had one of its worst showings to date. This is just another in a long line of struggles seen on the pitch over the course ofTed Lasso’s three seasons.
The build-up to the West Ham defeat was palpable. While some shows like to keep the team it focuses on in a positive light with minimal speed bumps along the way,Ted Lassoprefers to put as many roadblocks in its path as possible. As Season 3 has played out,Nate’s West Ham is that potholethat just put a halt on all the goodwill this team had built. If there’s anything we can learn from one misstep, it’s that there’s going to be a rallying cry at some point. Perhaps this ugly defeat in which the team let their emotions take over in the second half will begin a losing streak, or maybe this moment is the kick-in-the-butt they needed. This also likely won’t be the last time Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) and Nate face off on the field this season. In a season that has seen many things go right for Richmond, such as being the team chosen bysuperstar Zava (Maximilian Osinski), this was a necessary speed bump that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing onTed Lasso.
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The Failures on ‘Ted Lasso’ Make Us Love Richmond’s Players More
One of the first signs of a Richmond player struggling was way back in Season 1 whenwe first meet Roy Kent(Brett Goldstein). At that point of his career, his playing days were numbered. He was aging out, losing his speed, and nowhere near the caliber of the player he had been in his decorated career. It was hard to watch him come to terms with the reality that his time as a player was coming to an end. Seeing his inner struggle, which he projected onto others like Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), was all too relatable for anyone who’s ever had to come to grips with their playing days being over. Yet, seeing Roy go through that and find a way to bounce back through other avenues in life (coaching and dating, for example) made the once grizzled and stubborn character one of the more lovable people of the bunch.
Speaking of Jamie, he’s someone we’ve seen go up and down with his struggles. The one hurdle we had to watch him overcome was actually the plot surrounding his father. There’s nothing about Jamie’s character that was too hard to understand. It seemed like he was just a gifted player who always had things go his way, so his arrogance was a result of all of his success. Yet, we never really saw his vulnerability until we started to see him around his father and how he sought validation, but never received the affection he desired. The moment he takes a stand against his father with his teammates' support was not just a win for him but a win for us as we finally saw him overcome that inner battle. AsTed Lassothrives in doing, this story gave us all the reason to fully embrace Jamie, just as it did with Roy earlier.
The Ethos of ‘Ted Lasso’ Is Overcoming Failures
While Roy and Jamie’s storylines were two of the biggest we’ve seen play out over the first few seasons ofTed Lasso, there’s been many other examples of Richmond playershaving an obstacle in their path. Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández) forgot how to shoot a penalty kick. He lost all confidence in his ability after we saw his kick fatally take out Earl Greyhound in the Season 2 premiere. What made this particular narrative so engaging was that it took an overly positive character and made him a shell of himself. He wasn’t the same “Fútbol is life!” player all season until the finale when Jamie, who had come around in his life to understand the importance of a team dynamic, passed up the game-winning PK opportunity to let Dani take the lead. It was a moment where Dani was infused with confidence and trust from his teammates as he completed his arc by burying the goal.
Along the way, we’ve seen an entire season focused on Richmond losing almost every game as they were relegated in Ted’s first season as coach. If we’ve learned anything from howTed Lassoworks, there’s a reason they started us off with failure. WhileSeason 2 was a rewarding experiencefor the players as they earned their way back up to the Premier League, Season 3 is looking like it’s going to be the payoff of this arc with Richmond near the top of the standings. What led toTed Lassobecoming an overnight sensation on Apple TV+ had as much to do with its ability to make us feel something for its players as much as it did because of the show’s talented cast. In order for us to feel that inspiration and good vibes, we had to see these players face the everyday struggles that we can all relate to. You may never have kicked a ball that took the life of an animal like Dani, but you’ve surely questioned your confidence at some point. These storylines all carry some weight that every viewer will have a different connection with, and for that,Ted Lassois able to continually draw us in as we can’t help but stay and root for this lovable Richmond group to succeed.
