I just finished the Ted Lasso season 3 finale — which could very well be the series finale — and I’m pleasantly surprised. Ted Lasso managed to offer a satisfying conclusion, despite being utterly predictable.
Yet, my brain kept spinning after the credits ended, and I started to hope we get a Ted Lasso finale director’s cut soon. While the series has been wrapped with a very pleasant bow, this ending left out certain scenes that one would expect to see.
Below the spoiler warning, I’ll explain all of my thoughts on why the Ted Lasso finale works, but also how it could have been better. Congrats to the Apple TV Plus team, though, this one was a winner.
Ted Lasso’s finale teased a huge hookup that didn’t happen
I am thanking the TV gods that Ted Lasso didn’t deliver on the wishes of some fans. Search the phrase ‘TedBecca‘ online, and you’ll find that some viewers who have been pining for Ted (Jason Sudeikis) and Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) to be a thing.
So, when a rumpled Ted greeted Rebecca in her kitchen in the morning, I’m sure the TedBecca believers were screaming in jubilation. There was a tension in the air, as Ted asked if Rebecca wanted to “talk about it” — and she did not.
Otherwise, it looks like all wink and no plot.
Fortunately for the rest of us who don’t need every pair of colleagues eventually hooked up, that delayed discussion is actually about Ted leaving Richmond. To create more confusion, a barely-dressed Beard (Brendan Hunt) and a besuited Jane (Phoebe Walsh) walked in — and we learned they all spent the night at Rebecca’s.
Clearly, the Ted Lasso writers wanted to wink at the TedBecca fandom, but it turned out that the gang had some wild night together. I’m OK with the little wink, but I really would have loved a scene about that night. Either as a flashback or something else. Because, otherwise, it looks like all wink and no plot.
This brings me to my other gripe …
Ted Lasso’s goodbye felt half-finished
Yes, the AFC Richmond team sent Ted off in proper fashion, both with a huge win and a performance “So Long, Farewell” from The Sound of Music. But we never actually got to see Ted tell his football family he was leaving.
The same is true for the conversation that was cut off as the penultimate episode ended, when Ted told Rebecca he had big news for her. I don’t know why you leave those conversations out, and his farewell talks to the team later in the episode were not enough of a substitute.
This is a group of characters who wear their emotions on their sleeves, which would have made those announcement scenes amazing.
There must have been looks of surprise or understanding up and down the rooms, and those would have truly helped this finale feel more monumental. While it’s not hard to assume the Ted Lasso folks probably felt like they were at their limits with a 79 minute finale — remember when Ted Lasso episodes were half an hour? — one more scene that combined both announcements would have been excellent.
This is a group of characters who wear their emotions on their sleeves, which would have made those scenes amazing. What’s another few minutes, anyway?
Outlook: Ted Lasso’s finale was predictable, and that’s great
In my Ted Lasso finale preview, I confidently predicted Ted going back to the Unites States and Richmond beating West Ham (though I thought it would seal a bigger victory, damn Man City). And I almost declared that Keeley would refuse to choose between Roy and Jamie, and push them both away. I even wrote it before erasing it.
All of that happened, with almost no other surprises, but it wasn’t a downer. While Ted Lasso’s third season had weird decisions — Rebecca and Keeley deserved more, and Nate’s redemption felt as clumsy as Jade felt undeveloped — all of its characters finished the season as you’d have expected.
Ted Lasso gave all the right results. It the end, it was utterly — as Rebecca’s Dutch gentleman would say — gezellig.
Those characters acting true to form and not surprising us for the sake of finale twists, gave us fantastic moments, such as Nate sobbing on Ted’s shoulder as he finally apologized and Roy begrudgingly asking to become a ‘Diamond Dog.’ I was only moderately confused about how Ted was so calm when West Ham temporarily went up 3-2.
Yes, he’s grown smart enough about the game to have seen an offsides his whole team missed, but how were Ted’s nerves not acting up? A friend suggests that’s because of the peace he found with his decision to go home, which reminds me how much I would have liked to have hear him make said decision aloud.
Also, Ted Lasso pulled off the surprising trick of giving everyone happy endings, without having it feel forced. Aside from if you (like Rebecca) wanted Ted to stay in England, Ted Lasso delivered all the right results. In the end, it was completely — as Rebecca’s Dutch gentleman would say — gezellig.
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