Why Ted Lasso season 3 is right to ignore Sam and Rebecca's romance
Ted Lasso season 3 spoilers follow.
Whether you're soccer, ahem, football-mad or not, Ted Lasso's infectious positivity, earnestness and charm seems to have captured the hearts of everyone who's watched it.
Not only does the show offer up a perfect blend of feel-good and serious storylines that equally strike a chord with viewers, but it features some of the most endearing fictional relationships and friendships on television.
Between the Diamond Dogs, Biscuits with the Boss, Keeley and Rebecca's friendship and Roy and Keeley's friends-to-lovers arc, each major moment in the show is created through the bonds of these characters and it's hard not to become invested in each and every one of them. (Yes, even you, Nate).
But, alas, it appears all good things must come to an end – even in the chocolate-box world of Ted Lasso. At the end of season two, we learned that Roy and Keeley were on the verge of splitting up, with the former footballer worrying that his WAG-turned-entrepreneur girlfriend would grow tired of him and move on.
The first episode of season three answered that burning question by revealing that Roy did, in fact, break up with Keeley, much to the upset of the entire AFC Richmond locker room... and everyone else who watched the episode. As Roy's beloved niece Phoebe put it: "I think you're being stupid."
Another (frankly eyebrow-raising) relationship broke off towards the end of season two, though it was left very much up in the air and had many fans wondering if it would be rekindled in season three.
We are, of course, talking about the brief romance between Richmond player Sam Obisanya and the club's owner Rebecca Welton, who met on the anonymous dating app Bantr and struck up a secret fling.
In the episode 'No Wedding and a Funeral', however, Rebecca ends things with Sam and tells him that she can't bear the thought of getting hurt again. (Obviously, our precious Sam is nothing like Rebecca's wicked ex-husband Rupert, but her concerns are valid nonetheless.)
While the chemistry between Toheeb Jimoh's Sam and Hannah Waddingham's Rebecca is undeniable and, in one sense, made us want to root for them, we're glad the romance ended when it did – and we're also glad that Ted Lasso season three, so far, has practically chosen to ignore it.
Granted, the sting from their break-up is still evident in episode three, but Rebecca is much more concerned with the club and getting the upper hand on her ex Rupert, while Sam appears to be more focused on his new restaurant and a new love interest. Other than this, the show doesn't really seem to mention or revisit their fling again. (So far, anyway.)
Don't get us wrong: we adore Sam and we love Rebecca, but that doesn't diminish the potential consequences their relationship could have had if it continued.
For one, Sam is only 21, and while the show hasn't revealed Rebecca's age, it's assumed that she's likely in her late forties, like Waddingham. Every relationship is unique, and we're not saying that big age gaps always equal a doomed relationship. But a 21-year-old is likely still figuring out who they are, whereas someone in their forties may have a more established sense of self, and their interests and goals may not be compatible with those of the younger partner in the long term.
This also has the potential to create a power imbalance in which the younger partner feels like they are learning from the older partner, rather than being equals in the relationship.
Of course, there's no telling if Sam and Rebecca had planned to take things long-term, and it is important to note that Sam is a consenting adult who did have agency in this relationship.
He's the one who pursued Rebecca and convinced her to stay for dinner after she panicked and blurted out that she felt like a "paedophile" who "groomed him". Again, Sam's an adult, and by meeting on Bantr, they were able to establish a relationship based on their personalities and compatibility alone.
What's more, the Hollywood age-gap romance – the routine casting of an older male actor opposite a much younger female actor – has been accepted as the norm for many years, so it was refreshing to see this tired trope turned on its head.
But what makes this particular age gap pressing, is that Rebecca is also Sam's boss. She signs his paycheques and could face conflicts of interest if she has to make decisions about his place on the team, while it also has the potential to create perceptions of favouritism or unfair treatment among the other players.
After all, Rebecca initially hired Ted in the hopes of "burning" Rupert's beloved club "to the ground," which does raise some concerns about what she would do if her relationship with Sam were to go south and end on bad terms as well.
Again, Sam is nothing like Rupert, and Rebecca has evolved a lot as a person and a businesswoman since the first season. But that doesn't take away from the fact that she has the power to retaliate in this way if she wanted to, and she has the power to put Sam's career at risk.
Although Sam and Rebecca's fling did no harm, the show was right to nip it in the bud before it could ever get to that point. By brushing over it in season three, it doesn't look like their romance will be rekindled either.
Ted Lasso season 3 is available to watch on Apple TV+, with new episodes dropping weekly.
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