'Ted Lasso': 5 burning questions we have for the series finale
Ted Lasso is barreling down the pitch toward its series finale, but there are still many questions it needs to answer before it wraps up for good.
The sheer volume of unknowns left hanging comes courtesy of the larger scope of Season 3, which introduced seemingly more plotlines than the first and second seasons combined. Some of these have wrapped up in the last few episodes: For example, Keeley (Juno Temple) regained control of her PR firm with Rebecca's (Hannah Waddingham) help, and Colin (Billy Harris) came out to a supportive team. However, Ted Lasso still has several dangling plot threads it needs to resolve — will it be able to provide Ted (Jason Sudeikis), Rebecca, and the Richmond Greyhounds with a satisfying ending?
With the finale fast approaching, here are five questions Ted Lasso absolutely needs to answer.
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1. What is Ted's truth bomb?
Ted Lasso has made a habit of Rebecca dropping truth bombs on Ted toward the end of each season. Season 1 saw her confess to using Ted to sabotage AFC Richmond, while Season 2 led to the reveal of her relationship with Sam (Toheeb Jimoh). However, Season 3 breaks that pattern entirely. When Ted inquires about her potential truth bomb in the show's penultimate episode, "Mom City," Rebecca confesses she's coming up empty. That's when Ted turns the tables. Turns out, he's got a truth bomb of his own. "Mom City" ends before Ted can speak his truth, but we've got a likely guess as to what it might be: After this season, Ted wants to go back to America.
Throughout Ted Lasso's entire run, Ted has agonized over being so far away from his son Henry (Gus Turner), and this season in particular, he's been asking himself why he's still in England. After his mom's visit in "Mom City," it's likely Ted's realized that he needs to be closer to Henry for both their sakes. His choice to return home would not only be a natural conclusion to the series — it would also be the truth bomb to end all truth bombs.
2. Will Richmond win the Premier League title?
If Ted is really planning on going home to Kansas, the best possible send-off for him would be for Richmond to win the Premier League title. That goal is well within reach thanks to the Greyhounds' "Mom City" win over Manchester City: One more win and they could clinch the title.
Another question, then: Who will Richmond play in this climactic match? All signs point to West Ham, and by extension to Rupert (Anthony Head). After poaching Nate (Nick Mohammed) to manage the team, Rupert and West Ham were poised to be the main antagonists of Ted Lasso Season 3. And while that was certainly true in the first few episodes, the second half of the season has mostly left that rivalry to the wayside. Rupert and Rebecca even bonded somewhat at Edwin's (Sam Richardson) failed meeting to start a Super League, although his attempt to kiss her was wildly pathetic on his part. Rebecca has said she no longer cares about beating Rupert, but can Ted Lasso resist giving her one more chance to squash him into the ground?
3. How will Nate's return affect Richmond?
As of the end of "Mom City," it's official: Nate is returning to Richmond. The players and managing team have all agreed to give the Wonder Kid a second chance, but could his arrival at the tail end of the season throw the team out of whack? The Greyhounds have been playing exceptionally thanks to their Total Football tactic, so a new variable this late in the game risks disrupting their progress. However, Nate has proven to be a skilled tactician, and if Richmond does indeed play West Ham next, having that team's former manager on your side is a major advantage.
The most interesting part of Nate's return will no doubt be his teammates' reception of him. Just because they've agreed to bring him back doesn't mean that forgiveness will be an overnight process. In fact, it had better not be. One of Ted Lasso's biggest mistakes this season has been keeping Nate sequestered from the rest of Richmond and speeding through his "redemption" arc separately from the people he hurt. For Ted Lasso to stick the landing on this storyline, it needs to spend a significant amount of time (and maybe a heart-to-heart or two) on Nate making amends.
4. What does the future hold in store for our Greyhounds?
Given Ted Lasso's sprawling ensemble, it's only natural we have a ton of questions about the fate of each character. If Ted goes back to Kansas, will Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) follow him, or will he stay at Richmond? Will Sam ever get to play for Nigeria? Will his restaurant continue thriving? And will Jamie (Phil Dunster) continue his impressive self-improvement journey? There's more where that came from, but perhaps we'll hear the answers from the book Trent Crimm (James Lance) has been writing all season long. Maybe we'll even get an excerpt to close out the show?
5. Ted and Rebecca, Rebecca and Sam, Roy and Keeley... How will Ted Lasso wrap up its romances?
Ted Lasso loves itself a rom-com, and boy oh boy, does it have a lot of "rom" storylines to finish up. First up, Keeley and Roy (Brett Goldstein). After spending most of Season 3 broken up, the two have reconciled, although they've told team members they're "just friends." (Based on Roy wearing Keeley's pink robe in an earlier episode, we're gonna venture "friends with benefits" may be a more apt description.) Roy does tell Keeley that he doesn't want to just be friends in "Mom City," but before she can reveal how she feels, Jamie interrupts their moment. Given Roy and Keeley's fan-favorite status and development throughout the series, though, I'm guessing we'll see these two get back together by the time Ted Lasso comes to an end.
On the more complicated side of the romantic plotline spectrum, we have Rebecca. At the start of Season 3, a psychic told her she would find love, have a family, and become a mother. And based on certain signs that keep popping up throughout the show, such as a green matchbook from Sam's Nigerian restaurant, it seems like the psychic may be onto something. The question remains, where will Rebecca find love? Will she rekindle her relationship with Sam, as the matchbook and various meaningful looks between the two may suggest? Or will Ted Lasso throw in a twist by the name of "Tedbecca" at the very last moment?
"Tedbecca" is the ship name for Rebecca and Ted, a popular pairing whose members have yet to demonstrate any outward romantic feelings for each other, but who still share a deep friendship and mutual respect for each other. Could these platonic sentiments lead to something new in the show's final episode? Apologies to the Tedbecca stans, but I don't think that will be the case. Between Ted potentially going back to America and Rebecca agreeing with Sassy (Ellie Taylor) that Ted is too much of a mess at the moment, a romantic arc simply doesn't appear to be in the cards. Still, we haven't gotten to the part of the psychic's prophecy involving thunder, rain, and being upside down yet — maybe that has something to do with Ted? I'm honestly more preoccupied with the fact that Ted Lasso has a canonical psychic. Can she use her talents to tell us who will win the Premier League title, and how the rest of the show will end?
The Ted Lasso finale is streaming on Apple TV+ May 31.
Belen Edwards is an Entertainment Reporter at Mashable. She covers movies and TV with a focus on fantasy and science fiction, adaptations, animation, and more nerdy goodness. She is a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Television Critics Association, as well as a Tomatometer-approved critic.
