Ted Lasso entered our lives in a dark period of the pandemic, with (apparent) lightness, humor, and a proposal: he asked us to “believe” and we all obliged.

Ted (Jason Sudeikis), a coach outside of football, arrives in London with the mission of taking charge of AFC Richmond, even without having a clue about the sport. In fact, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), recently divorced and owner of the team, wanted the team to fail, as a way to humiliate her ex-husband Rupert (Anthony Head) who appreciated football more than his several marriages. Her plot was a disaster and a happy one, as it turns out.

Ted encountered people in crisis, with skepticism, with cultural differences, with the pressure of expectation and he was key to transforming each one’s life, all while hiding from all his own dramas of the traumatic death of his father, his divorce, and his crises of panic. Packed with openly sweet messages, without losing the depth of the themes addressed, Ted Lasso made us believe in a possibly better world.

The series was always written to run for three seasons and it was the perfect timing. He left a possible spin-off in the air, but I hope they wait for the dust to settle before they leave on the heels of success. It will be hard to top what they brought and therefore unfair to anything similar.

Let’s recap the Season and Series finale.

In order not to run away from trolling with the #TedBeccas, they opened the episode by rubbing salt in the open wound, suggesting that something had finally happened between Ted and Rebecca, but of course, it was just teasing. It was a conscious choice by the writers to use a lot of cliches except this one: Ted and Rebecca may be kindred spirits, but they also represent hope for a balanced relationship between men and women, sadly for that matter, without sex. Friends, partners, and confidants, but equally aware of their own responsibility in regard to others. Ted knows he has to be close to his son Henry (Gus Turner) and rightly puts his family first. Rebecca stayed with her adopted family and nursed her emotional freedom from finally getting over her divorce and finding love, and family as Tish had predicted. And both were happy and deserved endings. Not forgetting that reconciliation between Michelle (Andrea Anders) and Ted is in the air (I am not sure I enjoy the idea, but it’s there).

And there is, once again, Ted Lasso‘s intelligence and respect for his fans: it never forces its hand but gives us hope. Keeley (Juno Temple) has not mended a new relationship, also leaving her reconciliation with Roy (Brett Goldstein) in the air. In terms of ‘love’, the most overwhelming was Beard’s (Brendan Hunt), who separates him from Ted when he decides to stay in London to marry Jane (Phoebe Walsh) giving us the classic Airport-last-minute-leap.

Unsurprisingly, everyone, but Rupert, is fine by the end of the series. Interestingly, like Barry and Succession, which also concluded this week, Ted Lasso questions whether we can truly change and, unlike the two series, gives us hope that we can. If it’s not possible to change who we are, we can start by accepting our limitations, as Trent Crimm (James Lance) puts it, or, as Higgins (Jeremy Swift) explains: “If we keep asking for help and accepting it when we need it, then we can be on our way to getting better”, he suggests. This is reinforced in Ted’s speech to the players shaken by the farewell, in which he emphasizes that he learned about them and witnessed who they are becoming. It’s the Ted Lasso Way!

Another message that reinforces Ted’s style is that it’s not just winning on the field, but personal evolution. AFC Richmond wins the game with West Ham but loses the title because Manchester City wins, but still earns a place in the Champions League. Those who don’t like football don’t understand the emotion (and they’re missing out).

Almost all plotlines have been tied: Rebecca establishes her new family with the mysterious Dutchman (Matteo van der Grijn) – a pilot she meets again at the airport- and his daughter. Trent’s book is a bestseller. Roy replaces Ted, with Beard and Nate as his assistants. Keeley and Barbara (Katy Wix) establish themselves as executives. Sam (Toheeb Jimoh) is selected for the Nigerian national team. Jamie reconciles with his father. Nate and Jade (Edyta Budnik) engage in a serious relationship. Beard and Jane get married. Dr. Sharon Fieldstone (Sarah Niles) becomes part of the permanent team of AFC Richmond. Instead of selling the team and becoming a billionaire, Rebecca sells the shares to the fans and keeps 51%. She and Keeley are going to invest in a women’s soccer team at Richmond. And Ted is happy in Kansas City, coaching Henry’s high school football team.

I missed a more engaging use of the soundtrack this season, there were some very professorial moments in the speech, but I remain passionate and grateful for Ted Lasso. People bet on the hint of the title of Trent’s book for the spin-off, or the sequel: The Richmond Way. Because Ted explains it to us one more time: “It’s not about me. Never was.” What’s more, his last words are the ones we should take with us: resentments don’t make us grow. “Be a goldfish”, he teaches Henry as he had already done to Sam in the first episode of the series. And with a shorter memory and forgiveness in the heart, we will always be victorious. Believe in Ted Lasso!

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