Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 3 Review: 4-5-1

Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 3, “4-5-1,” is ostensibly named after the soccer formation with four defenders, five midfielders, and one striker. But it probably should be called “Zava,” as the mega-talented if somewhat divaesque new Italian addition officially joins the AFC Richmond squad. 

And his effect—both on and off the pitch—is both immediate and extensive.

Admittedly, Zava is weird AF. But there’s no denying he’s incredibly talented, as evidenced by the fact that Richmond starts winning games and rocketing up the Premier League standings as soon as he steps on the field. (Setting several of his seemingly miraculous goals to the soundtrack of Jesus Christ Superstar is especially on the nose.)

But, unlike many of us probably expected, he’s also not a jerk. Yes, he’s kind of full of himself, but at least he has the talent to back it up. And he actually seems to (mostly?) enjoy playing with his Richmond teammates and takes their (occasionally extensive) fangirling over him with genuine good grace. Zava’s not horrible—he takes time to shout out William the kit man, does yoga sessions with the rest of the team, and shows up to the soft launch of Sam’s restaurant. 

Granted, he’s not great about the whole playing as part of a team thing, and he doesn’t seem especially willing to share the glory or attention that comes with being Richmond’s undoubted star. But despite all that I…kind of like Zava? Certainly, more than I ever expected to, at any rate. Admittedly this also makes me immediately suspicious about how he’s inevitably going to be removed from the team just in time to add some tension to Richmond’s season standings. We all know it’s coming.

Elsewhere, Ted’s existential crisis continues as he discovers his ex-wife is now apparently dating the handsome psychiatrist that originally provided the pair of them with marriage counseling prior to their split. There are some deeply uncomfortable ethics issues at play here, which I totally get behind Ted being mad about—talk about a breach of trust!—but the fact that the show chooses to focus on how upset he is about this even as it highlights the fact that he no longer remembers Michells’s cell phone number certainly sends some…well, let’s just call it mixed signals.

Are we meant to simply feel sorry for Ted as he processes the end of a relationship that’s clearly meant a lot to him? Hope he still manages to be a present and active dad in Henry’s life? Hope he finds a new romantic partner and moves on in his own way, just as his ex has? Just be glad Sassy shows up in time to make him feel better about himself?

As satisfying as watching Ted explore his anxiety issues with Dr. Sharon has been, I have to admit that I’m still not entirely sure what I think his arc in this final season is. Is it about him finding love again? (If so with whom?) or is it about him finally learning to be whole again on his own terms? I don’t know!

No matter how much her mother cajoles her, Rebecca Welton seems like the last person in the world to ever visit a psychic let alone reluctantly put stock into anything one might say, but thus far this season, much of her character has been basically a mystery to me, so maybe her obsessing about green matchbooks and promises of motherhood tracks if looked at in that light. 

What that all means for her future, is equally murky. I mean…did we know that Rebecca even really wanted to have kids? Yes, she was hurt when it turned out that Rupert was having a baby with his new, younger girlfriend, but at the time Ted Lasso generally framed it as part and parcel of her upset about ~everything~ to do with her ex-husband and the end of their marriage. Was that supposed to clue us in that she had wanted to be a mom and that’s just another thing that her marriage to Rupert cost her?

Season 2 felt like it fairly definitively closed the book on Sam and Rebecca, but does the matchbook indicate things might not be over between them? Could her relationship with Ted take a less-than-professional turn? With 9 episodes left to go in the season (and most likely the series, too) is there enough time to really give any romance for Rebecca the development it deserves?

Of course, there’s one person who’s decidedly not thrilled about Zava’s arrival and that’s Richmond’s resident star player/occasional diva Jamie Tartt. He’s resentful of the way the rest of the team is both starstruck by his celebrity and impressed by his obvious talent.

But, whereas in Season 1 Jamie probably would have quit in a strop or, at the very least, worked to sabotage Zava’s success, he instead opens up when Roy asks about how he’s feeling, admitting that what’s really bothering him is the fact that he’s no longer the best player on the team—and he knows it, and he doesn’t like it. (This, kids, is growth and self-awareness! We love to see it!) 

Truly, would any of us ever have guessed that Roy and Jamie’s relationship would evolve to the point where the pair not only feels like uneasy friends, but genuine partners, in this way? That Roy would genuinely offer to help him train, and Jamie would accept it in good faith? Sometimes Ted Lasso really does make me believe in magic, is all. 

Stray Thoughts and Observations:

• Trent Crimm, proudly proclaiming himself a The Princess Diaries fan, is the best thing about this episode by far. [Expletive yeah, Princess Diaries!!)
• Another episode with almost zero Nate! I’m not complaining, but it’s such a weird choice given how awkwardly his betrayal still hangs over the rest of the show.
• It seems so incredibly obvious that there was no reason to break up Roy and Keeley besides manufacturing drama for the show’s final season. They both so clearly still care about one another and want to be together and honestly, it all feels incredibly lazy that they aren’t. (And, not for nothing, but I’d much rather be watching Roy and Keeley genuinely working on figuring out how to change together rather than allow their shifting careers to push them apart than whatever’s going on with her former WAG friend turned new client coordinator.) 
• Colin being gay and closeted totally tracks for me, but what breaks my heart is that nothing we’ve seen about any of his teammates over the course of this show hints that anyone might treat him differently if they knew the truth about him.
• I want to believe that Trent has become a good enough person that he wouldn’t out poor Colin in the book he’s writing, so don’t disabuse me of this notion, show.

What did you think of this episode 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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