The latest episode of Ted Lasso brought us ever closer to the series finale but no closer to resolving the myriad of complications that are serving to bring our beloved characters down.
Something's got to give with the finish line is sight, and here's what we're pondering.
Ted Lasso S3E8 review: 3 burning questions
*Ted Lasso S3E8 spoilers below*
#1. Can Richmond still win the Premier League?
After a mid-table start to the season through 17 matches, the Greyhounds finally got the winning montage we all eventually expected — although we didn't predict it to dovetail with a miserable Ted.
Richmond's four-game win streak has them sitting pretty with a record of 10 victories, six draws and five defeats through 21 matches, which is pretty damn good for a newly promoted side (other clubs have to be interested in Ted at this point) but still not on pace for a title challenge.
The Greyhounds could earn a maximum of 87 points by winning every match from here on out, and that's probably what their brand of Total Football is gonna have to do since Nate's West Ham had 12 wins, two draws and one loss through the 15 games we know of.
Richmond have 17 games still to play; they might need to get Zava back.
#2. Are we going Harry Potter epilogue or Titanic with these courtships?
We've got all these complicated, ever-evolving romances playing out, and with only four episodes to go before the whole thing is (supposedly) over, are we going to get a string of "happily ever afters" or some tough truths about love and relationships?
Basically, does Ted Lasso go the route of the Harry Potter epilogue, where a bit of fan service brought a faultless-but-soulless finality to everything, or the route of the Titanic, where the ship sank and all the lovers onboard died?
Episode 8 finds Nate as our surprise front-runner for domestic bliss, and as long as that relationship continues to guarantee him a window seat at his favorite restaurant then I don't see him ever rocking the boat.
Nate's ability to make friends is another story — of all the strangely evil things he's done, not speaking to Henry and Ted after they visited London Stadium was, for me, at the top. But I wouldn't mind it if Nate struck up more conversations with thrice-divorced assistant coach Disco.
As for Ted, he really, really slipped back into his ex-wife's pull this last episode. It's hard to even recall what positive steps Ted has previously taken while watching him convince Rebecca to hire a private investigator to follow her in Paris. But then we're also fed these glimpses of how Ted and his ex have a flowing repartee and still give each other the bedroom eyes, all while Dr. Jacob is shown to have massive Jerry qualities.
Also, the signs pointing toward a Ted-Rebecca relationship are still out there... I don't know what to think.
Finally, the Keeley-Jack-Jamie-Roy dance. With Jack out of the picture (although she might have one last gift left to give), there's a chance for the growing affection that Keeley has shown for Jamie to really ignite over the next couple episodes.
But what about Keeley and Roy??
It simply doesn't appear possible because Roy's character has spent two-thirds of the season being reduced to token shouts of "shit!" and "fuck!" just to remind viewers that yes, he's still a part of the show. He's turned into the version of Roy we'd all script lines for if we were forced to ad-lib them in under 15 seconds.
I used to be confused about why Keeley and Roy broke up, but now I understand that Keeley probably nearly went insane spending that much time with a man who has clearly developed an extreme case of CTE after heading the ball so much.
#3. Can the final four episodes save Season 3?
The last season of Ted Lasso hasn't been as well-received as the first two. There are some who are going as far as calling it the "biggest TV show disappointment in years," but that person clearly didn't watch the eighth season of Game of Thrones.
Personally, I've enjoyed it and been entertained throughout (it passes the ultimate litmus test: I don't find myself scrolling through my phone at any point), but I would agree that it's also not as strong as the previous seasons. It's felt pretty scattered and meandering without being particularly funny at times, but there's no time like only having four episodes to go to narrow the focus and deliver the comedy-drama.
This show has built its reputation on surprising us, and with endings commonly proving the most difficult part of storytelling, wouldn't it be fitting if Ted Lasso devised a way to finish with a flourish? I believe.
