Close Menu
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Sunderfolk Phone Players

    10 ‘Sunderfolk’ Tips To Help You And Your Party Thrive

    05/02/2025
    Bob in Thunderbolts But Why Tho

    ‘Thunderbolts*’ Visualizes Depression As Only A Superhero Movie Can

    05/02/2025
    Games to Play After Expedition 33

    5 Games to Play After Beating ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’

    05/01/2025
    Lily James in Cinderella (2015)

    ‘Cinderella’ (2015) 10 Years Later: Disney’s Live-Action Jubilant Peak

    04/28/2025
    One of the spirits seen in Grave Encounters

    ‘Grave Encounters’ Is Still One Of The Best Found Footage Horror Films

    04/26/2025
  • GDC
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2
  • MCU
But Why Tho?
Home » TV » REVIEW: ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3 Episode 8 — “We’ll Never Have Paris”

REVIEW: ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3 Episode 8 — “We’ll Never Have Paris”

Allyson JohnsonBy Allyson Johnson05/03/20235 Mins ReadUpdated:02/12/2024
Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 8
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 8

After last week’s disappointing outing, Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 8 continues its bumpy ride to the end with another strong installment. Aside from one storyline, all of the characters and their plots move and transition into places that suggest closure, of some sort, is incoming. That narrative assuredness, along with some strong performances — from Juno Temple and Nick Mohammed in particular — make “We’ll Never Have Paris” enjoyable. 

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

With a visit from his son, Ted (Jason Sudeikis) is left grappling with all he’s missing and lost out on, and while the writing here is fine, it’s the only storyline that misses the mark. The inevitable assumption at this point is that Ted will likely go home to the U.S. to live closer to his son. This is especially likely, given it is the final season. That being such an assumed scenario for the character, it makes his moping and erratic request of Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) to have a private investigator track his ex-wife’s new boyfriend tiresome. For a character who has evoked such growth from his team while simultaneously demonstrating his own self-improvement through therapy in season two, this moment wreaks of convoluted plotting rather than something realistic for the character. 

Ted has spent so much of the season alienated in some form from the team, be it through his inability to understand the sport he’s coaching or through storylines that either have him thinking of home or with characters not a part of his team. It’s similar to the need to see more of Richmond as a team on and off the field rather than individualized stories because Ted works beautifully as a character when he’s with the athletes, Beard (Brendan Hunt) or Rebecca. 

This, in part, will make the following sentence hypocritical because Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 8 also offers strong solo storylines. It’s not impossible, just that this third season has often splintered its characters and best dynamics which further exacerbates the uneven final product. That said, when the show is at its best, it knows how to write individual storylines that both play on past plotlines — directly and indirectly — or brandish what we’ve come to know about the characters to make whichever triumph or loss leave a greater wound. 

An example of this comes by way of Nate and Keeley. The former is continuing his redemption arc, and while previously the way the show was tackling failed to engage, the writing for him and Mohammed’s performance has managed to rectify those worries. While it would’ve worked better to see the character progress in his working relationships rather than primarily through his recent romance with Jade (Edyta Budnik), we’re seeing how that kindness and attention are causing him to refocus on what he wants to be known for.

His flaws are still present, and he hasn’t rid himself of anxieties as he wakes up early to brush his teeth and primp himself before his girlfriend wakes, in fear of her perceiving any faults, but he’s trying. That we’re seeing him trying and not succeeding the whole time (such as still unable to stand up to Anthony Head’s Rupert) renders it so successful. Ted Lasso thrives on kindness that is understated rather than overwrought. While Nate’s character was left irredeemable to many, the show and the writers do their damnedest to justify highlighting his ability and capacity for change. 

Elsewhere, Keeley’s storyline also largely stands alone. As one of many famous women whose private images and videos have been leaked, she’s dealing with a public fallout as the face of a popular company. What’s also an invasion of privacy becomes worse when Jack (Jodi Balfour) fails to step up to the plate in her defense, defaulting to the type of vitriol and ridicule we’ve become well versed in. As Keeley puts it to Rebecca, we’re either fighting to live in a world in which women’s worth is measured by being sexualized or being demonized for being sexualized. Temple delivers a measured performance, captured beautifully by director Erica Dunton, reining in some of Keeley’s more over-the-top personality traits and allowing facial gestures and her wide eyes to nurture most of her pain. 

Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 8

Her storyline allows the show to demonstrate the web of community these characters have built. From the locker room outrage that she’s been put in this position which has the team deleting any of their risque photos of exes they might still have saved on their phone, to a heartfelt, often hilarious conversation with Rebecca, to an uncomfortable interaction with Roy (Brett Goldstein,) the history they all share runs deep. She and Jamie (Phil Dunster) manage to share a brief scene, and it wouldn’t be as poignant as it is if not for the seasons worth of character development they’ve done and the inherent draw of both Temple and Dunster. 

The show excels in these character beats. It’s why Trent’s (James Lance) slow descent into being one with the team is so charming or why Beard’s familiarity with Henry works so well. There’s a reason why we love watching Rebecca talk Ted off the ledge and Roy and Jamie share a knowing look. Ted Lasso excels with personal relationships and friendships, and even if there’s a want for romance between certain characters, it doesn’t diminish that the show is extraordinary in handling its platonic ones that mean just as much to the fictional players as it does to us viewers. 

Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 8 demonstrates the show’s ability to tell individual stories without losing the heart of the series. With each episode running nearly an hour long, there’s plenty of time for the show to have it both ways to engage in the comedic elements of the group dynamics while deep-diving solo narratives. The series needs to maintain this level of focus and bring Ted back further into the fold of the cast to close out the series on a high note. 

Ted Lasso Season 3 is out now on Apple TV+.

Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 8
  • 7.5/10
    Rating - 7.5/10
7.5/10

TL;DR

Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 8 demonstrates the show’s ability to tell individual stories without losing the heart of the series. With each episode running nearly an hour long, there’s plenty of time for the show to have it both ways to engage in the comedic elements of the group dynamics while deep-diving solo narratives.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleNetmarble Announces NA Server Focus Test For HypeSquad
Next Article PREVIEW: ‘After Us’ Tells A Dark But Hopeful Message (PC)
Allyson Johnson

Allyson Johnson is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of InBetweenDrafts. Former Editor-in-Chief at TheYoungFolks, she is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and the Boston Online Film Critics Association. Her writing has also appeared at CambridgeDay, ThePlaylist, Pajiba, VagueVisages, RogerEbert, TheBostonGlobe, Inverse, Bustle, her Substack, and every scrap of paper within her reach.

Related Posts

Ellie and Dina in The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 4 on MAX
6.0

REVIEW: ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Episode 4 — “Day One”

05/05/2025
Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 4 promotional episode still from Disney+
8.0

REVIEW: ‘Doctor Who’ Season 2 Episode 4 — “Lucky Day”

05/04/2025
Cad Bane in Tales of the Underworld
8.5

‘Star Wars: Tales Of The Underworld’ Lets The Galaxy’s Shadows Shine

05/04/2025
The Eternaut promotional image from Netflix
8.5

REVIEW: ‘The Eternaut’ Is Another International Sci-Fi Hit

05/03/2025
Will Forte and Tina Fey in The Four Seasons on Netflix
9.0

REVIEW: ‘The Four Seasons’ Is As Relatable As It Is Messy

05/03/2025
Hen in 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 16
8.5

RECAP: ‘9-1-1’ Season 8 Episode 16 — “The Last Alarm”

05/01/2025
TRENDING POSTS
The Eternaut promotional image from Netflix
8.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The Eternaut’ Is Another International Sci-Fi Hit

By Kate Sánchez05/03/2025

The Eternaut tackles genre staples through an Argentine lens and winds up being one of the best sci-fi series on Netflix.

Hen in 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 16
8.5
TV

RECAP: ‘9-1-1’ Season 8 Episode 16 — “The Last Alarm”

By Katey Stoetzel05/01/2025Updated:05/03/2025

9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 16 is an emotional ringer, perfectly setting the tone for what 9-1-1 can look like without Bobby Nash.

Jeanne Goursaud as Sarah in Netflix Original Film The Exterritorial
7.0
Film

REVIEW: ‘Exterritorial’ Is A Netflix Action Movie Worth Watching

By Kate Sánchez05/03/2025Updated:05/03/2025

Exterritorial scratches that mid-budget action itch that is finally starting to come into focus in the action landscape again.

Ellie and Dina in The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 4 on MAX
6.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Episode 4 — “Day One”

By Kate Sánchez05/05/2025

The issue is that The Last of Us season 2 Episode 4 feels like a video game, and not in a good way, and not one that sticks.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here