We have another episode of Ted Lasso underway, and boy, is it good. The previous episode saw Colin and Isaac’s friendship being tested, Roy showing how good of a leader he is, and Nate finally realizing that Rupert doesn’t care about him at all.
Episode ten of season three, titled “International Break,” sees Edwin Akufo returning and making Sam miserable, the talks of Super League resurfacing once again, and some of the characters finally being “struck with lightning.” If you’re interested in what that means, stay with us for the recap and short review of the episode. This episode is over an hour long, so we will have much to discuss.
The international break is on the way, and West Ham lost their manager
The episode starts with a short montage of Richmond’s great current form in the league, discussions of an international break for the players, and Nate Shelley resigning from his managerial job at West Ham United. The news of Wonder Kid moving on from the club got everyone shocked and confused, but Richmond is preoccupied with the news of some of their players playing for their country. Van Damme is picked for Canada, Jamie Tartt will debut for England, Cumberbatch for Switzerland, and Colin Hughes is called up to play for Wales. Dani Rojas will play for Mexico against Van Damme’s Canada in CONCACAF tournament, and we see the “evil-international-break” Dani taking over his usually bubbly personality.
On the other hand, Sam Obisanya isn’t called up for Nigeria, which makes him really upset, feeling that his play got him a place in the national team. His teammates support him, especially Jamie Tartt, showing how much he has developed across three seasons.
At Rebecca’s office, Biscuits with the Boss involves the talk of Nate’s resignation from West Ham, and it’s concluded that Ted isn’t good at “girl talk,” but Trent (who is also present) hints at West Ham’s inappropriate workplace behavior. Leslie joins the group and tells them that Edwin Akufu is back in London with plans to create a Super League, where only the best and richest European clubs will compete.
Of course, Ted isn’t familiar with the term and idea, so Trent and Leslie explain it to him, while Rebecca gets a call from The Devil himself (as Rebecca refers to him), Rupert Mannion.
At Shelley’s estate, Jade says goodbye to devastated Nate before her trip to Poland and tells him if he feels it was the right thing, he shouldn’t feel guilty, or like he’s done something bad. Jade leaves through the waves of journos and paparazzi in front of Nate’s house, while the man stays in his bad feeling sorry for himself.
Keeley discovers her PR firm is closing and that the investments for her company are no more. She stumbles upon Dan and Barbara packing their belongings and leaving the office. Keeley is devastated since the biggest project in her life has been ruined.
Sam’s sadness is seen during training sessions, and Ted calls him to his office to encourage and motivate him. Of course, Ted uses his special example, in which Sam (being smart as he is) turns into something opposite. After Sam leaves, Beard reveals he will axe-throwing with Jane while Roy goes on to do his “own thing.”
Rebecca and Sam stumble across each other and have an awkward endearing moment, but the owner of Richmond gets the shock of her life seeing Rupert in her office. When asked what he is doing there, Rupert invites Rebecca to the owner meeting regarding Akufo League, which he thinks would be good for football. When Rebecca asks Rupert what happened to Nate, the man tells her that some people aren’t ready when they get their chance.
Roy joins “Uncle Day,” organized by Phoebe, who really loves her Uncle Roy. The hilarious yet heartfelt scene is even better when Jamie joins the family and gifts his mentor with the original Roy Kent England jersey from the 2014 World Cup. Phoebe gives Roy a gift that would once make the grumpy man seethe, but seeing his niece being happy, Roy accepts a “hippy” T-shirt.
Super League is in the works, and Edwin Akufo is making Sam miserable
At Ola’s, Sam finds his restaurant empty, and Simi tells him that all guests, apart from one, canceled the reservations. The only guest is none other than Edwin Akufo, who returned to make Sam’s life miserable. The wealthy man reveals that he is creating a Super League, a new restaurant to compete with Ola’s, and something that even the positive Sam cannot get over – Akufo paid off the Nigerian government to prevent Sam from being called to the Nigerian National Team.
Sam is devastated and, for the first time in a very long time, doesn’t see a way out. Nate is still stuck in his house but sneaks out to move to his parent’s house. Keeley cannot believe her PR firm is closing, which takes her on a drinking spree, while Rebecca goes to Leslie for advice. She reveals to her Director of Football that she doesn’t want to be part of the Akufo League and that Rupert invited her because she is a woman, which will make them good to the public. Leslie still encourages her to see what the meeting is about.
Keeley finally gets a text from Jack, who tells her that her father’s company won’t invest in her PR firm anymore. This pushes Keeley to drink more, but Mae’s wisdom gives the quirky woman hope. Roy appears at work in Phoebe’s “sunny Roy” shirt, and everyone is shocked, including Ted, Beard, and Trent.
Richmond players and staff that stayed “home” during the international break watch CONCACAF games where Canada and Mexico are playing against each other, and the evil Dani Rojas kicks to ball to score but only breaks Van Damme’s nose. Rebecca accepts the invitation to the Akufo meeting, while Roy thinks of throwing away Phoebe’s “Roy” shirt, but a softie in him returns to pick it up.
Keeley decides to buy something for Barbara as a goodbye gift while Nate is still depressed in his room.
Rebecca reaches her “lightning” moment before the meeting, and Keeley’s PR firm is no more
Rebecca prepares for the Akufo League meeting and has an enlightening moment – she finally sees herself in the mirror for the first time in years. This moment motivates her to go to the meeting and face Rupert, her biggest obstacle throughout the show. Meanwhile, Roy takes Phoebe to school, and meets her teacher, Ms. Bowen, who obviously fancies him. During their talk, the teacher said something about cleaning up the mess, which hopefully didn’t cause that much damage. Roy is stunned and finally realizes what he has to do regarding him and Keeley.
On the other side of the city, Keeley gifts Barbara with a Richmond snow globe, which is a callback to the previous episode, and the two have an awkward yet heartfelt moment. KJPR is officially no more. Rebecca arrives at the Akufo, where she meets Rupert and his new assistant, vastly different from what we saw throughout three seasons – Ms. Bread doesn’t look like the usual “corporate pixie girl,” as Rebecca states.
Akufo arrives at the meeting and invites the owners for a good lunch. Nate uses his parents’ absence and looks through his childhood memorabilia. The violin catches his eye, which prompts him to play it.
Rebecca stands up for football against the rich and tells everyone what the game really means to people
One of the best scenes of Ted Lasso show arrives when Rebecca realizes that Akufo League is essentially a money grab for the rich, who don’t care about the football fans. She tells them they are insane and tells a story of their entitlement and reminder that they once loved football as well. She also tells a story about a boy who sneaked to Richmond games because his family didn’t have money for the tickets, got smacked by the security guard, but returned 25 years later and bought the club himself. Rebecca obviously tells the story about Rupert and his journey as a football fan and eventual owner.
Meanwhile, the Richmond players and staff watch an England game when Jamie debuts and plays with number 24 on his back, dedicating his play to his Richmond teammate, Sam. Roy writes a letter to Keeley, and Nate continues to play his violin.
Rebecca ends her point by saying football is more than a game, and just because they own these teams doesn’t mean they belong to them. She finishes by saying she won’t participate in something that could destroy the beautiful game. Owners are stunned, but Akufo is fuming, which leads to him throwing food all over the place.
Nate and his father finally have a conversation, where the older man tells his son that he is sorry for putting so much pressure on him. Older Shelley also says that Nate is brilliant, a genius that he didn’t know how to raise, and that he just wanted Nate to be happy. Back at the meeting, Rupert tries to kiss Rebecca, and the woman finally refuses his advances and finally fights against him, showing the audience she finally moved on.
Roy finally apologizes to Keeley, and Akufo League is no more
Roy goes to Keeley’s, gives her the letter he wrote, and apologizes to the woman for being “stuck.” He says he loves her and leaves. Rebecca finally reaches Keeley and tells the younger woman she made Rupert’s owner friends pull out of the Akufo League. Rebecca also asks Keeley where she has been, and the younger woman tells her about her firm.
Of course, being a good friend, Rebecca offers funding for Keeley’s PR firm, which she accepts. Of course, Roy arrives from Keeley’s room, confirming they are back together for now. Back at Richmond’s locker room, Will, the kitman, sees a note which says, “I’m sorry – Wonder Kid.” Nate is seen sneaking out of Richmond complex, and we finally see that man starting his journey of redemption, and boy, does he have a lot to apologize for.
Keeley offers Barbara a CFO position in her PR firm, and the duo is back to working together. The boys are back from the international break, and Van Damme is clearly scared of Dani, who is back to his wholesome self. Sam hangs the picture of the Nigerian 1994 World Cup national team in his locker as part of his motivation and drive.
Roy is back with another hippy shirt, while Trent discovers that Coach Beard is from Peoria, most likely from Illinois.
The final scene sees Rebecca and Ted having their Biscuits with the Boss meeting, where Rebecca admits she doesn’t care about beating Rupert anymore. She does say that she wants to win, but for the club, not for someone else. Of course, a nice moment is cemented by Rebecca spitting her tea on Ted, which she marks as their little ritual at this point – this moment was a callback to the first episode of the series when Ted spit carbonated water on Rebecca on his first day at the job.
Ted Lasso season three episode ten ending explained and short review
“Once you make it to the top of the mountain, what’s left for you is lightning” was the theme of this episode of Ted Lasso show. Besides the hour-long episode, it felt that this was a series finale. Most of the characters got their “full-circle” moment – Nate finally talking with his father, doing the right thing, and resigning from West Ham United, and Roy finally apologizing to Keeley for their ruined relationship.
Jamie Tartt shows he truly changed for the better in the series, dedicating his debut to Sam, who realizes he is truly home at Richmond and will eventually reach Nigerian NT. He also supports Roy in so many ways, which is so good to see, while Keeley learns a hard lesson from the business. Rebecca is a true star of the episode since we see her make a true full circle moment, which we see in the last scene of the episode. Throughout the three seasons, Rebecca’s progress in work and personal life (inspired by the greatest cheerleader in history, Ted Lasso) is the most important part of the show.
She realized that there is more to life than work, men, and other everyday aspects and that people and connecting with them is what makes her the happiest. Rebecca’s problem was moving on from Rupert, who broke her in many ways, and in this episode, when we saw Rebecca reject Rupert’s advances, we saw Rebecca’s “lightning moment.”
In the pub, Mae also tells Keeley that the “lightning” could be bad or good, but only if she is truly prepared for it. Rebecca got her lightning moment in Amsterdam with Dutch Guy, who helped her let go of her armor and walls, and in this episode, she stood up for football and football fans – for “small people.” She is brave this season, and in this episode, we even see her in a floating dress, hair freed from her usual bun, and telling Ted she wants Richmond to win, for him, players, and everyone involved with the club, marking her “full-circle” moment in Ted Lasso series. Rebecca even spits her tea on Ted, marking the scene even more important.
We are only left with two episodes, and a lot could happen by the end of the series. Ted was barely involved in this episode, only appearing twice, during the Biscuits with the Boss meetings with Rebecca, and I’m really curious about what his endgame will be in this show. His ending is definitely connected to Henry and his future at the club, and maybe we see him departing Richmond to do something else, closing another chapter of his life.
We are still waiting for Nate to apologize to Ted and his former co-workers at Richmond while Roy and Keeley’s relationship is still in the air. Jamie’s and Sam’s stories are mostly done, but we’ll have to wait for their characters to have their moments in the show.