‘Ted Lasso’ Season 2 Finale Explained: From Evil Nate to Roy and Keeley’s Final Scene

How are we feeling, Ted Lasso fans? Let’s take a deep breath and break down all the twists, turns, and spoilers from that insane, nearly hour-long Season 2 finale.

Ted Lasso Season 2 Episode 12 “Inverting the Pyramid of Success” gave us everything. We got Higgins (Jeremy Swift) holding puppies and Sam (Toheeb Jimoh) turning billionaire Edwin Akufo (Sam Richardson) down. Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) broke down and sort of joined the Diamond Dogs and Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) actually apologized to Roy for confessing his love to Keeley (Juno Temple)! Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernandez) kicked the yips for good, AFC Richmond won its way into the Premiere League, and Trentt Crimm (James Lance) went literally independent. And Ted Lasso actually (Jason Sudeikis) confronted former friend Nate (Nick Mohammed) about his betrayal and Nate finally broke bad. Nate went full evil, folks!

So, yeah, a lot happened in that Ted Lasso Season 2 finale and it wasn’t all bad! After the devastation of last week’s episode, many of us — including yours truly — were finding it hard to “BELIEVE” that everything would turn out for the best. While not everything worked out in the end for our beloved football stars, club owners, soccer coaches, and rising PR stars at AFC Richmond, Ted Lasso Season 2 was far from the tragedy many of us were fearing.

So what was good, what was bad, and what are we still on tenter hooks about after the Ted Lasso Season 2 finale on Apple TV+? From Nate’s full heel turn to Richmond’s adorable new greyhound mascot, here’s the good, the bad, and the “holy shit what’s going to happen to Roy and Keeley” of it all…

Higgins holding puppies in Ted Lasso Season 2 Episode 12
Photo: Apple TV+

The Good in the Ted Lasso Season 2 Finale: Puppies, Wins, and Growth

First thing’s first: I think it’s impossible to see Leslie Higgins holding Macy Greyhound and Tina Feyhound and not feel the light of a sweet summer sun shine upon your heart. Yes, there were puppies in this week’s Ted Lasso. It’s as if the writers knew how much the last few weeks broke us and cut us some slack in the form of adorable mini canines.

Puppies aside, Ted Lasso‘s Season 2 finale was full of wins for the show and its cast of characters. The biggest and most obvious one? AFC Richmond actually battled their way back from a two goal deficit to win entry into the Premiere League. They did this by doubling down on Nate’s False Nine after a disastrous first half. Ted took Roy’s advice and asked the team if they wanted to stick to the strategy, and then the team captain McAddo led them all to touch the BELIEVE! sign, and then they worked together on the pitch. Jamie Tartt even gave up his game-tying penalty shot to the beleaguered Dani Rojas. It was beautiful. It was corny. It was pure Ted Lasso. (And Nate hated it — which we’ll get to in a minute.)

Elsewhere, Sam Obisanya decided to stay with AFC Richmond. His choice made Ghanan billionaire Edwin Akufo have a literal meltdown, almost confirming for Sam in real time that he made the right choice. So Sam’s staying, guys! Yay! We also saw Keeley kill it in a fashion spread (and with a new job offer), Roy grapple with his jealousy in a healthy way, and Ted tackle his mental health struggles with grace in public.

So it was a feel-good, all-win Ted Lasso finale, right? Wrong.

Nate and Ted in the Ted Lasso Season 2 Finale
Photo: Apple TV+

The Bad in the Ted Lasso Season 2 Finale: Nate, Edwin Akufo, and Rupert’s Return

To put it simply… Nate. After weeks of wondering what the hell was up with Nate the Great, we finally got a truly vicious showdown between him and Ted. Initially, Ted doesn’t want to confront Nate about the fact that he leaked his panic attack to the press. However, after Nate becomes furious over the team’s camaraderie — you know, rallying around the BELIEVE! sign — Ted asks his former friend what’s going on. “C’mon. What have I got to learn here?” Ted asks.

Nate kicks off a list of bitter grievances starting with what may be the most important. Ted made Nate feel like the most important person in the world and then shift his focus elsewhere. Ted didn’t count on Nate’s insecurities fueling his ire. And so now Nate is embittered about Ted’s success, believing that the American transplant only survived his first year at Richmond leaning on his own tactical genius. He calls Ted an embarrassment to football, claiming that Coach Lasso doesn’t belong in the world of professional soccer, but he does. Needless to say, Ted is not surprised to find a torn down “BELIEVE!” sign in his office after the game. Nor should we have been surprised when the final shot of the season reveals Nate is now coaching West Ham for Rupert (Anthony Head).

Oh, yes, Ted Lasso Season 2’s final moments make it all too clear that Ted Lasso Season 3 will be a good vs. evil showdown between AFC Richmond and West Ham in the Premiere League. Furthermore, Sam’s rejection of Edwin Akufo (who also has designs on a football team) feel equally ominous.

Of course, that’s not what has us truly biting our nails from now…to whenever Ted Lasso Season 3 premieres… We’re worried about Roy and Keeley.

Roy and Keeley in the Ted Lasso Season 2 finale
Photo: Apple TV+

Ted Lasso Season 2 Ending Explained: Did Roy and Keeley Break Up?!?!

Well…did they? While it seemed that our favorite lovebirds avoided ruin in the Ted Lasso Season 2 finale, the episode’s cheeky bumper reveals that Keeley doesn’t want to vacation with Roy for six weeks in Spain. No, she wants to put her career first. Roy worries this means they are breaking up, but she promises him that it’ll be alright. He will relax for the first time in his life while she sets the foundation for her new PR empire at home. It’s just six weeks.

So…what happens to them after those six weeks? The Ted Lasso Season 2 finale refuses to tell us!

Part of me wants to believe this emotional cliffhanger is a total feint. There’s no way Ted Lasso would split Roy and Keeley up now! Especially after Jamie’s apology in the finale. However it is worrying that the last two episodes have been planting seeds for a breakup… The lack of closure on Roy and Keeley is going to kill me between now and the premiere of Ted Lasso Season 3.

Where to stream Ted Lasso

source: nypost.com