Editor’s Note: Below are spoilers for Episode 10 of Season 3 of Ted Lasso.
Episode of this week Ted Lasso“International Break” ended on a high note with Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) an emotional speech about the true meaning of football, showing how much it has grown over the past three seasons. The only woman in the room, she spoke passionately about the sport in front of a group of old and greedy men, giving them reason against creating another Super League. She was able to make even her ex-husband Rupert Mannion angry (Anthony Head) changed their minds - and he’s a man whose West Ham office is modeled after the Death Star throne room, mind you.
For any true sports fan, the very idea of a Super League is unthinkable and resurfaces in Ted Lassolast episode. One of the main features of the series is how it tackles the current issues of football by focusing on sport as a force for good, and does so by paying attention to its characters and their development. Although this week a lot of eyes were on Nate (Nick Mohammed), Roy (Brett Goldstein) and Kili (Juno Temple), it was Rebecca who really showed how much she has grown since we first met her.
Remember how Rebecca wanted to destroy Richmond in the first season of Ted Lasso?
Yes, it used to be Ted Lasso. When we first met Rebecca in Season 1, her divorce from Rupert was finally up and running AFC Richmond in the dirt was her first act. Actually not the first, but her only order of things. The club was the only thing Rupert ever truly loved, but he lost it in a divorce, so destroying it was the best way to get back at him for everything he put her through. Only, well, there had been an even better way all this time, she just couldn’t see it yet.
To carry out her plans, she began by firing then-manager George Cartrick (Bill Fellows) and hire someone with zero football experience: Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis). This backfired spectacularly as despite being new to real football (formerly an American football coach), Ted has some knowledge of strategy and positioning and has always been very well assisted by Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) and a very positive person. The impact he has on the Richmond club as a whole and on the players is clear and despite the team being relegated this season, the team’s potential for greatness is clear.
However, the team was out. This is what Rebecca originally wanted, so she must be overjoyed at her success, right? Well, not quite. At the end of the first season, she realizes that taking revenge on Rupert by killing the passion of so many people is simply wrong. Seeing her go through this realization hurts because we’ve all felt it at least once. The way she comes to Ted and confesses her plans is a great scene because it shows that standing up to your decisions is never easy, but always necessary. Rebecca got the club because Rupert never expected her to excel in running it, so now she sees that the best thing to do is not necessarily get revenge, but prove him wrong by doing a good job.
Why Rebecca’s speech against Akufo’s Super League matters
We can all agree that while Edwin Akufo may be funny,Sam Richardson) the worst. He tried to make things difficult for AFC Richmond once before by taking Sam Obisanya (Tohib Jimo) away and returned to the International Break with another terrible idea: the Super League. For those unfamiliar with futi, it’s a recurring theme in sports, an attempt to create a tournament where only the best and richest teams in Europe participate. It’s an extremely elitist offering that would make the rich even richer and the poor even further away from the sport, but unfortunately it comes back from time to time. Interestingly, it’s the Super League idea that shows us how much Rebecca has grown as a character. Rupert suggested that she discuss the proposal with Akufo and a bunch of other white old people. Rupert was probably planning something as his new club West Ham just lost a manager after Nate left and Rupert is apparently not on good terms with his current wife Becks (Keely Hazell). Despite this, Rebecca got through to him in her speech against the Akufo League. She gave every argument against it and exposed the proposal as a greedy attempt to make money at the expense of the poor.
To get her point across, Rebecca used Rupert himself as the main argument. He used to be a working-class boy who sneaked into Nelson Road to watch AFC Richmond play. He was once caught, and 25 years later he raised the salary of the guard who caught him without any explanation, which is actually surprisingly generous and modest of him. She used Rupert’s example to demonstrate that while those present own the powerful clubs in British football, they do not own football itself. In fact, in childhood they were more owners of the sport than they are now. She understands that football belongs to the people, and Keely’s prompting to portray all the old people present as little boys gave her an almost maternal authority that was enough to make them see their mistakes.
Who is Rebecca in Ted Lasso Season 3?
Not the same person she was in the first season, that’s for sure. Rebecca’s speech against the Akufo League is passionate and focused on what gives football its true meaning: the people. It’s the same thing that gave her meaning after the show started. When we meet her, she is isolated - the only person she talks to is Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift), who was then afraid of being fired and acted as her favorite. However, she is now a model of good management in the Premier League and this is reflected on the pitch every time Richmond plays.
Her confrontation with Ted at the end of the first season was a turning point in her journey, yes, but it wouldn’t have been possible without his positive selflessness, or even without him bringing her cookies every morning (and the cookies are so delicious too). Her transformation would also not have been possible without her blossoming friendship with Kili, as she has a confidant and advisor who is great at giving advice (although not as good at following them, but who?). Roy also reminded her of her self esteem (remember the “lightning” speech?) and how to be a better boss, which she demonstrated in detail during Season 3. Even Nate and his betrayal at the end of Season 2 helped her put things into perspective about the work Ted was doing at the club.
Over time, Rebecca realized that not everything was for her - football, especially when so many people put their deepest emotions and feelings into it. She could be selfish and leave the club in the championship when it was relegated, but that would be unfair to the fans and her staff, all of whom depend on her common sense.
Rebecca has come to understand that football can be a force for real change in the world and that it belongs to the people - something Ted himself mentioned earlier this season to Byrd, speaking of the fans: “It’s their club, we just run it.” But while football itself has its own power, it was the people she met and bonded with that made her rethink her priorities. She knows the people who own football and now realizes that she is actually one of them.
Source: Collider
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