When I reviewed this season’s second episode, I explained why I loved this show when it worked. Here’s the snippet:
“CHELSEA is a special episode because it contains all the elements that make TED LASSO worthy of Beard’s excited “scream.” It’s the quotable dialogue, the character likability, and the growth, and it tugs at the heartstrings while also making us laugh.”
In episode nine, there is little to quote and laugh at, and we spend a lot of time with the unlikeable characters – Nate (Nick Mohammed) and Jade (Edyta Budnik). Nate has been supplied with a strange romantic subplot with Jade, who was first “jaded” when they met and inexplicably is now in love with him. Over season three, this subplot has been given a lot of playing time for wherever Nate’s eventual story arc to become good goes.Â
Yet, what works unbelievably well is the evolution of Roy Kent’s (Brett Goldstein) character. Audiences have been waiting for anything to challenge Roy outside his angry persona, and we finally get a step in that direction. This is also an essential episode for a key character I wouldn’t dare mention in a SpoilerFreeReview. But, for how BIG the moment is, it felt preachy and on the nose. Also, before readers get upset at me, I want to point out that a morally important message in a TV show doesn’t make it good. I can love the message and dislike the execution.
Season three of TED LASSO has been a mixed bag. It’s still good TV, yet the magic of the first two seasons is gone. The show, just like the runtime, has become bloated, concentrating on lesser uninteresting characters instead of staying laser-focused on the “seven-layer dip,” that is, Ted, Beard, Nate, Keely, Rebecca, Roy, and Jamie.
I’m not “heart bent” on doing an “Irish goodbye” to TED LASSO, but I’m also not giving it a warm hug this season.
It’s available on Apple TV+.
