[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers through Ted Lasso Season 3, Episode 7, “The Strings That Bind Us.”]
Is Ted Lasso‘s Nate the Great making a comeback? It would appear so as the former AFC Richmond waterboy turned West Ham United coach, played by Nick Mohammed, stepped out of his comfort zone in the installment, “The Strings That Bind Us.”
Rather than getting competitive on the pitch, Nate explored the possibility of romance as he worked up the courage to ask out Jade (Edyta Budnik), the hostess from his favorite restaurant, Taste of Athens. Knowing Nate, it should come as no surprise that the timid man had a few hiccups along the way to reaching his goal.
“The latter half of this season is slightly more loaded towards Nate and his journey,” Mohammed tells TV Insider. Along with pursuing Jade, viewers get to see Nate spend some family time with his parents and sister Nicole (Karen Johal), and ultimately it’s his mother and sister who are able to encourage him to take the leap and be brave in inviting Jade on a date.
(Credit: Apple TV+)
This encouragement leads him to make one of his decorative boxes, like the ones we saw in Season 1, as a creative way of presenting his question. The klutzy coach ends up dropping the creation though and it’s run over by a car. Realizing he’ll have to muster the courage himself, Nate looks Jade in the eyes and asks her out.
When it comes to the hostess, it’s always been a little hard to gauge her headspace. “Jade is quite inscrutable actually,” Mohammed admits. “You can never really tell what she’s thinking and she sort of takes a mickey out of him. She’s not by any means enamored by the idea that he’s some fancy soccer coach. She doesn’t really dig it. She’s not really that into it.”
Her lack of enthusiasm for his status doesn’t deter her from saying yes to the date though. And despite fears of being stood up, Nate is relieved to see her follow through on their plans. “Her suddenly being a part of his life in that kind of way, it’s interesting because she could just be the thing that Nate needs, someone who’s not there to blow hot air up his bum.”
While Nate seems to be getting back on the right track, Mohammed acknowledges, “There’s unfinished business with Ted, with the club and the way that he left, and with his dad even. I think his toxic relationship with his dad accounts for a lot of his insecurities and some of his behavior,” adds Mohammed.
So, is redemption in the cards? “I think there’s a lot more for Nate to have to do to redeem himself,” Mohammed admits. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that Nate will be great once more. In the meantime, let us know what you thought of his latest storyline in the comments, below, and don’t miss Ted Lasso as the show continues on Apple TV+.
Ted Lasso, New Episodes, Wednesdays, Apple TV+
