Everyone’s favorite English Premier League football is coming back in Ted Lasso season three and the trailer welcomes him home. The second season of the Apple TV Plus series won four Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series for a second year in a row, and Apple scored a record-breaking 52 Emmy Award nominations. The pressure is on for the show to continue its successful run, but it hasn’t faltered yet.
Ted Lasso season three returns March 15, and in the trailer, the characters get their arts and crafts on. They’re in the locker room using markers, glitter, and scissors (and Rebecca eating those delicious biscuits). At the end, it’s revealed that they’re all making posters for their Ted Lasso and each one reads “Believe.” Lasso walks in with Coach Beard and proudly looks at the posters and says, “Well, if seeing is believing, then I believe we’ve been seen.” To drive home the theme, British singer-songwriter Frank Turner’s song “I Still Believe” is playing.
Season two was heavy with storylines concerning mental health, monumental life changes, and devastating betrayals, so let’s dive into it.
Football is death
Ted Lasso season two begins with a bad omen. AFC Richmond has had a series of ties and that’ve kept them at a standstill. Dani Roja, the always-optimistic striker, takes a penalty kick that kills Earl the club mascot, and his disposition takes a turn for the worse. It’s decided that a psychologist should be brought in to help and Dr. Sharon Fieldstone answers the call, but it’s not just Dani she’s concerned about. Lasso has his own issues because of his aversion to couples’ therapy and his tendency to mask his feelings with pleasantries.
Bad boy Jamie strikes out on his own and spites his father by competing in a reality show, but after he gets voted out he has to find a new path. He tries returning to the football world, but the window of opportunity has closed, even Lasso doesn’t let him in so easily. Lasso holds a meeting with Coach Beard, Assistant Coach Nate, and Higgins about Jamie coming back and they’re split. Lasso and Higgins are for the idea and Beard and Nate are against, and Jamie comes back to Richmond.
Return of the king
The team isn’t excited for Jamie to come back and they let him know it, but when Jamie stands in solidarity with Sam’s protest against Dubai Air to stop their corporation, Cerithium Oil’s operation in Nigeria, Jamie’s welcomed back. AFC Richmond plays against Tottenham Hotspur and it’s a stalemate until Jamie scores a goal. Lasso suffers a panic attack on the sidelines and hastily removes himself, which disrupts the team and Tottenham gains momentum. Nate, who’s been working on his self-esteem with Keeley, steps up when it counts and leads the team to victory. Afterward, all the celebration about his success goes to his head.
Lasso realizes that he needs help and he goes to Dr. Sharon Fieldstone after hours and makes an appointment with him. The next day, however, he tries to take it back, but she won’t let him off the hook so easily, and he admits that he doesn’t trust therapy. Later, Lasso’s confronted by a reporter about his walkout, and he lies, telling him it was a bad case of food poisoning. After Jamie’s father comes into the Richmond locker room and emotionally abuses him, Jamie hits him back and the man is removed from the locker room. The event inspires Lasso to finally open up about his father’s death to Dr. Sharon Fieldstone.
Funeral for a father
Rebecca’s father dies and the team decides to attend the funeral to show their support. As Lasso gets ready for the funeral, he has a panic attack due to his father’s death and has to speak with Dr. Sharon Fieldstone to get through it. After the funeral, Rupert (Rebecca’s powerful and awful ex-husband) whispers something to Nate.
Things seem to be picking up for AFC Richmond with more wins and Dr. Sharon Fieldstone is set to depart. She plans on leaving without notice but Lasso’s able to speak with her at a pub and they have a proper goodbye, bringing their emotional and mental journey full circle.
The ultimate betrayal
After the final match of the season, Lasso is at home and receives a text from the reporter about an article set to be released about his panic attack at the game… and his source was Nate. Lasso is stunned and hurt by this betrayal. The article comes out all over the news and his qualifications as a coach are put into question. Lasso takes it in stride and opens up to his team about what happened, apologizing for keeping it from them. Beard knows that Nate was the source and confronts Lasso, but Lasso isn’t eager to address it.
On Match Day against Brentford FC, Nate accuses Lasso for everything. He says that he felt abandoned and that Lasso stole his ideas. (Nate came up with a false nine strategy and Lasso got the credit.) Nate mocks Lasso and when Lasso tries to explain himself, Nate abruptly leaves. The game comes to a 2-2 draw and this time when Dani scores the goal that breaks the tie, Richmond wins. Lasso can’t fully celebrate because when he returns to the locker room, the poster that reads, “believe” has been ripped in half. Nate has abandoned the team to coach West Ham United that’s now owned by Rupert.
Season three redemption arc
Ted Lasso will likely be in a bittersweet place. They won the final game, but Lasso lost his assistant coach and friend because of a misunderstanding and Nate’s insecurities. Unlike season one when he and Rebecca made amends, season two ended with his belief destroyed, hence the symbolism. The season two trailer is all about the people surrounding Lasso rebuilding his belief by being there for him. Lasso has had problems with abandonment issues because his father ended his own life, and although he’s improved his mental health, the journey isn’t linear and he’s going to need a support system.
Although Nate has turned to the Dark Side, it doesn’t mean that he’s completely gone. A major theme of this show is redemption and no one is beyond saving. Nate has a lot of issues he has to work through, but there’s a chance he’ll open his eyes and understand what’s really happening. He’s angry at the world and he’s taking it out on Lasso. Lasso’s not perfect, but he makes the attempt to be better. Nate’s had an unfair life where he’s been cast aside and he carries a lot of resentment about it. Nate used to clean the team’s kits and maintain the field before getting promoted to assistant coach, but his self-esteem didn’t improve after the change. Eventually, Rupert’s true nature will be revealed and Nate will hopefully understand that he’s joined the wrong team for the wrong reasons.