Apple TV+ comedy series “Ted Lasso” returns for Season 3 on March 15, nearly two years after the last new episode aired. So you’d be forgiven for needing a bit of a recap before settling in for the new episodes. Since the Emmy-winning show’s debut in August 2020 during the dark days of COVID, romantic relationships have faded and sparked, new players have brought their finesse to AFC Richmond and the coaching staff has seen some shake ups.
Coach Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) has seen the Greyhounds through two seasons now, one in the Premier League back when Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) tried to do everything she could to sabotage the club, and one relegated to the lower tier bracket, where they worked back up to their Premier League slot in Season 2.
By the end of the “Ted Lasso” Season 2, several developments occurred off the field. Rebecca’s father died, and the funeral stirred up complicated emotions for many, including one Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) and one Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein). Poor Keeley Jones (Juno Temple) had to deal with a blip in the love triangle as a result. And Nathan Shelley (Nick Mohammed), the kit man turned assistant coach, has left to coach West Ham United under Rupert Mannion (Anthony Head), former owner of AFC Richmond and ex-husband of Rebecca.
Here’s everything you need to remember before watching “Ted Lasso” Season 3:
Nate Has Gone to the Dark Side
Nate the Great, also known as the Wonder Kid, finally acted on his building resentment at the end of Season 2. In the episode set at Rebecca’s father’s funeral, we saw Rupert Mannion, former owner of AFC Richmond, whisper in Nate’s ear after he shares with Rebecca that he bought the competing club West Ham United.
Throughout Season 2, Nate steps further into the coaching role with AFC Richmond, calling out a game saving play in the last minutes of a match to “Park the Bus.” He unintentionally nicknames himself the Wonder Kid, but lack of validation or support from his father and jealousy of Ted Lasso drives Nate to even more drastic measures. Season 2 closes out with the back of Nate’s gray head at a training for West Ham, where he’s now coach, promising more tension and conflict in Season 3.
Roy Kent Now Coaches, Isaac Is Team Captain
Before he steps up on staff alongside Nate and Coach Beard, Roy chooses Isaac (Kola Bokinni) as the next team captain. Isaac goes through a bit of a mental spiral with this new responsibility, which is when Ted seeks out Roy to ask if he can help. Roy has Isaac meet him at an arena to play pickup soccer, and Isaac gets his mojo back.
Roy hurt his knee badly in an all-out slide tackle at the end of Season 1. He went on to become a pundit on TV to comment on his old teammates, but he realized (begrudgingly, because it meant Ted was right) that coaching is his true calling. His arrival onto the field receives the warm welcome cheer of “He’s Here, He’s There, He’s Every F—ing Where.”
Ted Has Become More Self-Aware with the Help of Dr. Sharon Fieldstone
At the beginning of Season 2, Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández) accidentally kills the team mascot when Earl the greyhound jumps in front of his penalty kick. Higgins (Jeremy Swift) hires a team psychologist as a result in order to get Dani back to playing shape. Dr. Sharon Fieldstone (Sarah Niles) ends up seeing the whole team as a result, with players seeking her advice around a wide range of problems.
Ted avoids the idea of therapy at all costs, but as his anxiety worsens (we first see hints of it in Season 1 within his first day on the pitch and the surprise press conference Rebecca throws at him) he starts to think maybe it’s worth a shot. As he gets past his misconceptions about therapy, he reveals that his father died by suicide, and that resulted in Ted never wanting to quit anything in his life. On top of that, he split from his wife in Season 1 after she expressed that she doesn’t feel the same way about him anymore. A reminder, too, that Ted slept with Rebecca’s friend Sassy the night he signed the paperwork to divorce Michelle after having a panic attack at a karaoke bar.
Roy and Keeley Might Be on the Outs
Captain turned coach Roy Kent and Jamie Tartt’s ex-girlfriend and now team publicist Keeley Jones become the it couple of Season 2, and Roy’s niece Phoebe seals the deal when she approves of Keeley. The two get together before Roy realizes that he wants to coach, so they go from working apart to working at the same place. Keeley tells him she needs some boundaries since they now see each other most of the time, and they make it work until Keeley gets offered a deal to lead her own PR firm. This coincides with Jamie telling Keeley he still loves her at Rebecca’s dad’s funeral, which she shares with Roy. Roy, as it turns out, has a moment with Phoebe’s teacher at school. As Keeley moves out of her AFC office, she suggests she and Roy take some time apart before next season because she needs to get ready to take on this new venture. Roy bought her plane tickets for a vacation, but she chooses work over the trip.
Rebecca and Sam Got Together, But Rebecca Needs Space
In addition to becoming the new team sponsor when Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh) protests Dubai Air because of their corrupt oily ways, Bantr also brings Sam and Rebecca together, unknowingly at first. Sam did a photoshoot with Dubai Air, and his dad warned him that they own Cerithium Oil, which refused to clean up a major spill in the Niger Delta (Sam is from Nigeria).
He and Rebecca match on Bantr, which focuses on conversation only, and they chat for a while because there are no profile pictures. Sam shoots his shot and says they should meet up, and when they figure it out, Rebecca tries to get out of it, but they end up getting together for a bit. At her father’s funeral, Rebecca tells Sam she needs to be by herself.
Jamie’s Dad Humanizes Him to Other Greyhounds
Hotshot Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), who has enough talent to give him a big ego, was recalled to Manchester City in Season 1 when Rebecca still wanted to sabotage Ted’s plans so she agreed to release his contract. He had also refused to train because Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernandez) rivaled his talent (Ted nicknamed them the two aces). He then played with Man City for a bit, but he left to pursue a reality show. When he tried to go back to Man City, they wouldn’t take him back, so Ted recruited him, much to the team’s disappointment.
A little over halfway through Season 2, Jamie’s dad bursts into their locker room drunk and verbally antagonizes his son after their loss to Man City, wearing his son’s sky blue jersey instead of the AFC Richmond royal blue one. Jamie tries to hold it together in front of his dad, but eventually he punches him in the face. Coach Beard escorts Mr. Tartt out and Roy Kent gives Jamie a big hug following the incident, which triggers father-son dynamics across the board with Nate and Coach Lasso. It’s after this moment that Ted calls Dr. Fieldstone and opens up about his father’s death.
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