Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 2 Review: (I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea
After the rocky start to its third—and likely final—season, Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 2, “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea,” feels like a welcome return to form. Whether that’s because the episode focuses on actual soccer or simply because Nate doesn’t appear and therefore we don’t have to deal with his spite and anger is unclear, but the shift to a slightly more warm, funny tone is very welcome.
I’d much rather watch Trent Crimm, formerly of The Independent, navigate his new relationship with the Richmond team—and his own reckoning with the mistakes of his past, than whatever’s going on with Nate anyway.
James Lance has always been such an underrated asset to the world of Ted Lasso, and the fact that it looks like he’s going to have more to do this season—and more direct interaction with the players of AFC Richmond—is a welcome reveal. Given that Trent was the first journalist to really give Ted a chance as a coach, he’s a perfect fit to write a book about the team’s remarkable journey, but what “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea” does so well is to delve into his pre-existing history with Roy.
Given how formative Roy Kent has been to the idea of this AFC Richmond team as we understand it, it’s easy to forget that he’s a player who came to the team in the twilight of his career, who’d already lived an entire life on a completely different level within the sport. He was a prodigy, a hero, the kind of player who’s so beloved that the opposing fans of the team that made him famous still cheer for him when he returns to their stadium.
But the revelation that his dislike of Trent is grounded in a decades-long grudge, held over a harsh initial review of his play when he first came into the league is surprisingly moving, and a reminder that, despite his profanity-laden exterior, Roy truly is a man of surprising emotional depth. And since the pair have (allegedly anyway) squashed the beef between them, finding out what sort of genuine relationship may ultimately grow out of this is a tantalizing prospect.
Brett Goldstein in “Ted Lasso” Season 3 Episode 2 (Photo: Apple TV+)
The rest of the Greyhounds find out about Roy and Keeley’s breakup this week, which is largely played for laughs—so much so that beyond learning Roy was the one who decided to end things, we still don’t entirely know what happened between them. Roy is, unexpectedly, refusing to talk about it, though Jamie Tartt emerges as a surprising source of sympathy.
Readers, when I tell you I was terrified that Ted Lasso would use this as a reason for Jamie to go after Keeley again, which is just not a story I think any of us needed to see again. (Translation: whew.) The fact that Jamie was, genuinely, trying to be empathetic is alarmingly sweet, and a reminder that the arc of the relationship between these two men is gradually growing into one of the most satisfying on the show. Are they besties? Definitely not. But they are uniquely positioned to understand one another on multiple levels. Long live this bromance, is what I’m saying.
As for Keeley, maybe I’m a monster, I truly don’t care about the day-to-day functioning of Keeley’s PR company. I’m excited that she’s struck out on her own, but I don’t need to meet her coworkers or follow storylines set in her new office suite. There’s plenty of other stuff I need the series to do more, and the character is still at her best when she’s in Richmond’s direct orbit.
As for Richmond, the big story of “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea” involves an insanely talented but incredibly diva-esque Italian football player named Zava, who’s dramatically quit his current team and decided to move to England for no reason other than because his girlfriend happened to live the British version of The Office. (Or the “premake”, as Ted calls it.) Every Premier League team is fighting for him, including, you guessed it, Richmond and West Ham.
Given that Rebecca’s entire personality this season so far is about hating Rupert, she’s determined to make sure her ex doesn’t land him. (And seals the deal by storming into the men’s room to call Zava a coward by not playing for a team where his presence could really make a difference, rather than one where they’ll likely win whether he’s present or not.) The fact that Zava will ultimately end up at Richmond is obvious from the moment his name is first mentioned, and it’s, fine, I guess, we haven’t had a real diva on the team since Jamie decided to become a better person. But with Sam, Isaac, Dani, and company already having so little to do, adding another character to the canvas is…worrisome at best.
And, furthermore, while we may all enjoy watching the strident, purposeful Rebecca we see in this episode (and the honestly incredible coat she wears to the Chelsea game), retreading her fury at her ex—as well as the many ways he hurt and, let’s be honest, abuse her—feels like a story we covered in Season 1. We thought you were over this, girl.
In many ways, “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea” feels a bit more like the Season 3 premiere I thought “Smells Like Mean Spirit” would be. But, part of that is because it just basically ignores some of the story threads the season’s first episode introduced.
Nate doesn’t appear in this episode at all, for starters, so we don’t have to deal with the clunky continuation of his hardcore villain era. And, for some reason, Ted’s crisis of faith about what he’s still doing coaching the Greyhounds, or why he’s even in England at all, is literally never mentioned. In fact, Ted seems…generally fine? Or at least largely like the Ted that we remember from last season. What happens when the series (inevitably) reintroduces those plots?
Stray Thoughts and Observations:
- For bookkeeping purposes as it seems highly likely this will come into play later in the season, Richmond ties its first game with Chelsea.
- We really need to have a conversation, as a society, about Trent Crimm’s hair care routine because it is clearly incredible.
- Dani Rojas telling Trent Crimm to eff off is perhaps the most sweetly hilarious thing I’ve ever seen.
- I can’t believe Sam was such a huge part of Ted Lasso’s second season and I can count the number of lines he’s had so far in Season 3 on the fingers of one hand. Ditto for Isaac.
What did you think of the Season 3 premiere of Ted Lasso? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New episodes of Ted Lasso premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV+.
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Lacy Baugher
Lacy is a pop culture enthusiast and television critic who loves period dramas, epic fantasy, space adventures, and the female characters everyone says you're supposed to hate. Ninth Doctor enthusiast, Aziraphale girlie, and cat lady, she's a member of the Television Critics Association and Rotten Tomatoes-approved. Find her at LacyMB on all platforms.