There’s something to be said about someone who single-handedly changes the fortunes of a struggling team.
Zava’s presence echoed through Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 3, a robust hour that washed away all my concerns about Ted Lasso Season 3.
The beauty of this show is that it digs deep into the characters and their motivations to deliver timely and topical storylines infused with a lick of humor that makes them easier to digest.
For the past two seasons, Colin has been on the periphery because the series has focused more on players like Jamie, but if “4-5-1” proved anything, it suggests the show could benefit from fleshing out the rest of the players.
Colin: Morning.
Michael: Morning. Made you some coffee.
Colin: Oh, I don’t do caffeine.
Michael: Right. Your body is a temple.
Colin: Well, I don’t know about that. More like a church in an airport.
Michael: Big day for Richmond.
Colin: Thought you didn’t know anything about football.
Michael: Oh, I don’t. But I know who Zava is. Of course.
Colin: Text me when you get back from Dubai? Safe flight.
Michael: Thanks. Safe driving.
On the surface, Colin appeared to be a confident player who could adapt to any situation, but there were various moments throughout this installment that signaled he wasn’t as sure of himself as the series led us to believe.
For one, he’s keeping his sexuality a secret from his teammates and introduced Michael as his friend before a conversation about them picking up women kicked off.
It’s understandable that Colin doesn’t want to be open about his sexuality because he’s probably concerned about how it would affect his future career prospects.
I am a strong and capable man.
Colin
Jake Daniels came out as gay in 2022, becoming England’s only out gay active professional footballer, which could have inspired Colin’s arc this season.
Colin is a fun character, and he’s long overdue for some character development, but I’m unsure how Trent Crimm will react to seeing him making out with Michael in the alley.
Trent is writing the book about AFC Richmond, and having first-hand knowledge of big stories from behind the scenes will be crucial to the book’s success, but I don’t envision Trent repeating what he saw unless Colin gave him the green light.
I suspect Colin’s journey on Ted Lasso Season 3 will be about being comfortable with who he is. I appreciate that a series focused predominantly on football for tackling such a storyline.
Rebecca’s journey has also been fascinating. She’s been so driven to get back at Rupert that she’s never really thought to think about what she wants in life.
Bringing Zava into the mix has allowed her to stop worrying about the success of AFC Richmond and consider what she wants to do in her personal life.
The meeting with a psychic was never going to go well because you can tell Rebecca isn’t the most spiritual person.
Something about the psychic’s comments regarding a green matchbook and the look on Rebecca’s face at the end makes me think that this pivotal scene will play into the overall arc for Rebecca.
The fundamental theme of Ted Lasso is to believe, and by the end of the hour, Sam handed Rebecca a green matchbook, and she believed she had some clarity.
Does this mean Rebecca and Sam will be an endgame couple who will bring a child into the world? If we take the psychic at face value, then yes, that’s what will happen.
Unfortunately, Sam’s being pulled in many directions by the restaurant and the team, and it’s hard to tell whether he will have space in his life for a full-blown relationship.
Rebecca looked livid when she saw him flirting with one of the workers at the restaurant.
Psychic: I can see something. It’s in your hand. An object. It’s very special. Is it a bowl? It’s a green matchbook.
Rebecca: Sorry, it’s what?
Psychic: A green matchbook. How lovely.
Rebecca: Sorry, who cares about a green matchbook?
Psychic: Now I can hear something.
Rebecca: Oh, for God’s sake.
Unfortunately, in life, people don’t always get what they want, and many relationships come down to being the right time for both parties, and this could turn out to be a case of the right time not aligning at the same time for either of them.
The pair has a lot of chemistry and gets on very well, so hopefully, there is a way forward for them.
Ted learning about Michelle’s relationship with someone who was supposed to help them navigate turbulent times in their marriage was heartbreaking.
Ted has struggled throughout the entire series because he’s missing out on pivotal moments in his son’s life, and a part of him has never truly been over Michelle.
They’ve had trouble navigating life after separating, largely because Ted hasn’t been sure how they can and can’t communicate after moving on from one another.
While Ted is struggling now, he will struggle even more when he returns to the U.S.
It’s easy to mask pain when you’re in a different country, but when he returns home and sees that Michelle has moved on and his son has built a connection with the new man in her life, he’ll struggle even more.
It’s hard to tell whether there’s a future for Ted and Michelle if Ted returns to the U.S. full-time, and I’m sure we’ll get a definite answer to that before the season is over.
The addition of Zava has reversed AFC Richmond’s fortunes in the league, putting them into the top five, and it’s hard to imagine Ted not conceding that the team can flourish based on the quality of the players.
Speaking of the quality of the players, Jamie’s evolution continued in a big way on “4-5-1.”
Jamie and Roy as enemies made for great TV, but watching their mutual understanding of one another this season has been more interesting than constantly fighting.
Jamie has struggled because, at one point, he was the player everyone talked about.
Now, he’s on the team’s periphery because newer players have been drafted in. In his mind, he probably thinks his career is about to come to an end.
The Richmond faithful return to their beloved Dogtrack for the first time this Premier League season, and surely when they see the name Zava on the team sheet, they’ll think they’ve died and gone to heaven.
Arlo
Roy helping him to become the best player on the team came out of nowhere, but it presents an avenue for them to channel the tension they have for one another into doing something that will benefit the team in the long run.
When Zava inevitably moves on from AFC Richmond, where will that leave the team? Roy is thinking about the long game here, and he knows he needs someone like Jamie to pick up the mantle when that time comes.
When all was said and done, this was one of the best episodes of the series, and a part of that stemmed from not watching AFC Richmond’s continued losses.
I figured we’d be watching their comeback the entire season. I didn’t expect it to happen in the first quarter of the season, but I’m excited about where the rest of the season goes.
This could go in many directions, and if it’s the end of the series, the show is going out while still telling important storylines.
What are your thoughts on the reveal about Colin? Do you think Rebecca and Sam are endgame?
What are your thoughts on Zava’s impact on the team’s success? Do you think Roy and Jamie will be able to work together?
What’s your take on Michelle’s new relationship?
Hit the comments.
Catch new episodes of Ted Lasso on Wednesdays on Apple TV+.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
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