REVIEW: ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3 Episode 12 — “So Long, Farewell”

It’s been three years since Ted Lasso burst onto the scene and there have been plenty of ups and downs along the way. Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 12, aptly titled “So Long, Farewell”, bids adieu to the series beautifully. Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) has led AFC Richmond from the second division of English soccer to having a chance to win the Premier League if things go their way.

Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 12 picks up on the eve of the last match of the season. Richmond needs to win their game and needs Manchester City to lose in order to win the title, but their focus isn’t entirely focused on the game itself. Ted has decided it will be his final game in charge of Richmond and he will be headed back to Kansas to be with his family. It is a narrative choice that has been building all season, but the way it is revealed was a little disappointing. Ted seemingly told Richmond owner Rebecca Walton (Hannah Waddingham) that he was leaving off-screen, so when it’s mentioned in the series finale it caught me by surprise because I wasn’t expecting it to be revealed as if we already knew it was confirmed. It would have been great to have seen that initial conversation between Ted and Rebecca, but the way the emotional fallout of the decision was handled made it worth it.

Emotional fallout is really the theme of Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 12. Rebecca is the first to make it clear she does not want to see Ted leave, but she certainly is not the only one. In the final training session with the team, the players organize a musical farewell that was equal parts comedic and heartwarming. Hearing Danni Rojas (Cristo Fernández) sing his own rendition of the end of the song “So Long, Farewell” from The Sound of Music alone makes it all worth it, but the whole bit is well choreographed. Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) even shows some emotion, a rarity in Ted Lasso.

Throughout the buildup to the game and during the game itself, it seems like Ted is struggling with whether he is making the right decision. He misses his son desperately, but he has found a home in Richmond and is torn. There is a moment where Rebecca tells Ted if he leaves she is going to sell the club and that she wants him to stay. She offers an enticing idea that his son and ex-wife would be able to make lives in Richmond the same way he has, and it really is a tempting idea. Not for Ted though, he didn’t even need to think about it for a second. I have a feeling Rebecca knew that going in, but it was her way of letting Ted know how much he matters to her and I appreciated the way they handled it. It felt like the only thing holding Ted’s decision from feeling like a no-brainer was Rebecca, but seeing her accept his decision even if she doesn’t like it was good closure.

Soccer has often taken the backseat throughout Ted Lasso in favor of emotionally driven side stories that all get wrapped up here. Stories like Rebecca’s potential relationship with Matthijs, Nathan Shelley’s (Nick Mohammed) rise, fall, and return to Richmond, and the love triangle of Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), Roy, and Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) are all given closure and direction moving forward. These main side stories felt a bit disjointed at times throughout the season, but the way they are wrapped up was incredibly well-done.

There are so many other side stories that are broached as well, seemingly every loose thread gets a moment on screen either in real-time or through flashforwards. Some of the flashforwards almost feel like a teaser for potential spin-offs, especially when Keeley and Rebecca broach the subject of starting a women’s team at Richmond, but no spin-offs have been confirmed. It is hard to balance showing the future while also giving stories finality, but Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 12 balances it well.

Where Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 12 really got me was in its final moments. Ted, now back in Kansas, has traded in coaching in the Premier League for coaching his son’s youth soccer team. Seeing Ted remind Henry (Gus Turner) to “be a goldfish” after missing a shot was such a heartwarming moment and it shows what Ted Lasso has always been about; family. Whether it’s the family you are born into or the family you choose, Ted Lasso is all about surrounding yourself with loved ones and recognizing your value.

Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 12 wraps up an emotional series in a deservedly emotional way. There is a true sense of closure for every plot thread while still leaving room to return to the world should Sudeikis and his fellow creators decide they have another story to tell. It might not be perfect, but Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 12 is a series finale to remember.

Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 12 is available now on Apple TV+.