Why the ‘Ted Lasso’ Finale Felt Disappointing to Some Fans

Ted Lasso delivered two inspiring and heart-warming first seasons when the world needed it most through the pandemic. However, Ted Lasso Season 3 left some viewers with a sour feeling and the wish that things had turned out differently — or at least had received the closure the characters deserved.

When the news broke that Ted Lasso Season 3 was being written as an ending, fans expected to see a resolution that would make everyone happy and stay in line with the theme of the show.

Instead, the last episode felt rushed and had conclusions that didn’t necessarily sense to the development of characters.

While Ted Lasso Season 3 focused heavily on the friendship between Jamie and Roy, the finale seemed to have ruined that. Throughout the season, the two men found common ground and went from enemies to friends.

Roy helped Jamie train and reach his highest potential while Jamie helped Roy process certain things from his childhood, like learning to ride a bike after his grandfather had died.

It seemed like the two of them had left their issues in the past and were focusing on being a support system for each other. However, things took a turn on the last episode when the two of them once again start fighting over Keeley.

This precise moment makes fans wonder what was everything for? Why have them fix their issues to ruin it all in the end?

Even though it seems as if they are able to move past the Keeley issue, it felt like an unnecessary addition to the season finale when they were already on good terms.

The rule of three always seemed to be quite present on Ted Lasso, repeating or paralleling moments from one season to the next. This was something that many viewers came to expect.

In previous seasons, Rebecca had been found in her kitchen with two different men. At the beginning of Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 12, “So Long, Farewell,” it is Ted who we can see in her kitchen.

For the fans who had been rooting for Ted and Rebecca to end up together, this is a moment of hope. A few seconds in which they can believe that, finally, these two characters have come to terms with their feelings for each other.

However, it is another disappointing moment. Ted is there because there was a gas leak in his apartment and instead of confessing his feelings, he told Rebecca he is going back to Kansas.

So, why break this rule of three? Why trick fans into believing one thing and delivering another one completely different?

This particular scene felt like the show was playing tricks on the audience, showing them what could have been but taking it away from them immediately.

Ted was always shown to be a sensible man who preached about emotions and encouraged everyone to be present in the moment and appreciate what they were feeling.

That was not the Ted we got as the audience on the series finale. Quite the opposite — he seemed to be unresponsive and never reacted to any of the other characters’ emotions about his departure.

When the entire team delivers a musical number to say goodbye, we don’t get the reaction we imagine Ted would have had. He smiles, he seems grateful, but that isn’t the Ted we know.

The same thing happens when he is sitting on the bleachers with Rebecca and she cries asking him to stay. The Ted who promised her a coupon for life, told her she wasn’t alone, and baked biscuits for her every day, wouldn’t have stayed quiet.

So, why show a Ted who was in therapy trying to better himself to then leave us with the same Ted who showed up on Ted Lasso Season 1 hiding his feelings?

It feels disappointing to see that his goodbye lacked so many emotions.

Relationships on TV shows can be tricky to portray. Shows can do an amazing job, bringing relationship goals to the screen. However, at other times, it can be taken the opposite way and deliver a toxic relationship.

If you pay close attention to the relationship between Coach Beard and Jane on Ted Lasso, you may notice it is the latter that viewers received throughout the three seasons of the show.

It feels disappointing to see them end up together when so much of what happened between them was toxic and harmful. Jane was always controlling, jealous, and demanding — to the point that she shredded his passport so he wouldn’t leave the country.

If a male character had behaved the same way, we would be calling him out for how terrible he was. Why aren’t we doing the same in this situation?

Yet instead of giving an ending in which Beard realizes he deserves better, he ends up marrying Jane.

And if that wasn’t disappointing enough, Ted isn’t present at his wedding. It’s hard to believe that these two men, who are clearly platonic soulmates and have been there for each other through it all, end up separated with no communication.

The lack of communication from Ted’s end seems to be his new norm after his return to Kansas.

While he was still at Richmond, he was always present. We even see him texting Rebecca multiple times the night she lost her phone, trying to find out if she was okay. He was worried when she didn’t answer.

Yet in the end, we’re left with a feeling that Ted stopped communicating with the team, with Rebecca, and with Beard.

If that wasn’t the case, there should have been more of a connection between Ted’s life in Kansas and the team back in Richmond when we were shown glimpses of what life ended up being. Otherwise, we are left thinking that he forgot about them.

This is probably the most disappointing thought considering that AFC Richmond was also his family, and Ted brought so much to their lives.  

Meanwhile, Rebecca Welton was one of the most important characters on Ted Lasso. Whether you loved her from the beginning or came to love her as the episodes went by, she was key to the story.

One of her biggest fears was ending up alone and not finding that person who made her feel like she had been struck by lightning. It was the viewers’ fear too, realizing she deserved to find her happy ending.

However, to some fans it may seem as if Rebecca’s happy ending was rushed. Instead of ending up with a man that we have come to know and we can see truly loves her, she ends up with a stranger.

The boat guy, the Dutch guy, the Amsterdam stranger has no name. We don’t know who he is beyond the fact that he is a pilot and has a daughter. Viewers can’t really tell if he is a good match for this woman who has been through so much pain.

It seems the show wanted to tie this loose end and delivered the first man it could find.  

All we can hope is that Rebecca is happy and she still feels the lightning. Viewers may never know if that’s the case.

There are different moments throughout the Ted Lasso Season 3 finale that make fans wonder if the ending was appropriate and if it delivered everything they were expecting.

Another example of this is the random hug between Rebecca and Jamie at Higgins’s house. These two characters never had a significant interaction on screen, but suddenly we see them hugging as if they were best friends.

Keeley spent every season trying to become an independent woman who wasn’t defined by a relationship. However, in the end, it is her business relationship that defines her.

Why have her change the name of her PR company to add Barbara? The two of them could have been business partners without erasing all the hard work Keeley put into her business and her career.

And the biggest example is Nate’s redemption arch. He caused so much damage, hurt so many people, and in the end came back to Richmond quite fast without repairing everything he had done.

Even though this is what the fans wanted, there was more that could have been explored and explained when it came to his return.

For two seasons, Ted Lasso was the perfect show and made the fans feel appreciated for loving it and watching it so loyally. However, Ted Lasso Season 3 left some fans wanting more.

It is sad to watch someone’s favorite show come to an end, and it is even worse when said show does so without a fulfilling ending.

Hopefully, the fans who were left feeling disappointed can hold on to the previous episodes to keep the memories of what once was a happy and comforting show.

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Ted Lasso is available for streaming on Apple TV.

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