Did You Notice These 12 Easter Eggs In The Ted Lasso Finale?
Jason Sudeikis made us all believe in him as the inexperienced, but kind and hopeful, new coach of AFC Richmond. The Ted Lasso season 3 finale aired on Wednesday night and, as sad as we are to see it go, we couldn’t help but smile when noticing these Easter eggs. Pop Culture Planet contributor Jordan Bohan identifies these can’t miss moments.
The Suggestion Box
In the second episode of season one, Ted Lasso introduces a cardboard suggestion box that Nate Shelley (Nick Mohammad) decorated with his niece. The coaches later open the box to find the majority of the notes left by the players are calling Ted names.
Before the team’s final practice, we see the box once again. This time it is being used as a collection box for the player’s fines. The fines would be used to pay for the team’s end of season party.
Is Everyone Decent?
The first time we meet Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), she is walking into the Richmond locker room, shielding her eyes with her hands. Before lowering them, she says “Is everyone in here decent?” When she realizes they all are, she says, ‘Oh boys, that’s so disappointing!”
After handing Ted and Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) their goodbye gifts, Keeley walks into the locker room. “Is everyone decent?” she asks. After realizing they all are, she exclaims, “Aw! One of these days, right?”
She is and always will be Keeley Jones.
The Beautiful and the Damned
Ted gives each of the players a gift in the third episode of the first season. We see Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) open his gift, realize it’s a book, and then promptly throw it in the trash. His book was The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
During Ted’s locker room speech in their final game, each player pulls out a piece of the Believe sign that had been ripped up earlier in the season. Jamie pulls out his piece that he was using as a bookmark in his well-loved copy of The Beautiful and the Damned.
Ted and Beard’s Handshake
While Ted and Beard are flying to London, they engage in a funny handshake where they only use their thumb, pointer finger, and middle finger.
After winning a bet in their AFC vs West Ham game, Beard passes Ted a bill and shakes his hand in the same way they did on their plane ride over.
Offside
In the final episode of season one, AFC Richmond is playing against the newly transferred Jamie Tartt. Richmond gets a whistle blown for being offside. Ted yells at the referee, “Explain to me how that’s offside! No serious, how is that offside? I don’t understand that yet.”
During the final game against their rivals, West Ham United scores to take the lead in a tied game. As the other coaches groan, Ted laughs. When questioned by the coaches, he says, “14 was offside.” By the end of his third season, Ted finally understands football.
I Want The Ball
In the third episode of the first season, Ted encourages Jamie to be a decoy in a trick play. He runs across the field, yelling, “Ball! Ball! Give me the ball! I want the ball! Give me the ball! I would like the ball please!” Jamie scoffs at Ted and refuses to follow his coaching.
During the final play of their last game, Ted calls a trick play to win the tied game. Jamie runs the play screaming “Yeah! Pass me the ball! Me, me, me! I want the ball! Pass me the ball please!” while dancing across the field. He distracts the other team enough to let a fellow player score the winning goal.
The Lasso Way
During Ted’s first press conference, club owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) has to step in to control the journalists from harassing Ted. She declares that she has made the right choice in bringing on Ted, stating, “Richmond is changing the way they do things, and from now on, that way is the Lasso Way.”
In the last episode, it is revealed that previous journalist, Trent Crim (James Lance), wants to name the book he wrote about the team “The Lasso Way.” Ted ultimately asks Trent to rename the book, but the original title is a nod to the first time they met.
The Dance
We originally saw Ted’s moves in the first episode as a celebration from his American football coaching days. A sports reporter claimed that the iconic locker room celebration dance was what won his way into the hearts of sports fans.
In the last episode, when AFC Richmond wins their match, Ted busts out those old dance moves in celebration.
Airport Ussie
In the first episode, when Ted is flying to London for the first time, he gets noticed by a teenage boy on the plane. He proceeds to ask for a ussie (a selfie of us) and tells Ted he’s a “legend to do something so stupid.”
As Ted is walking through the airport to board his plane back home, he is interrupted by a fan. It happened to be the same fan from the first episode. Once again he takes an ussie and calls Ted a legend, but this time for his success as a coach at AFC Richmond.
This Is Nuts
In the same plane scene in the first episode, Ted asks, “Are we nuts for doing this?” Beard replies, “Yeah this is nuts.” The two continue on their journey to London with the support of each other.
At the end of the finale, Ted and Beard are on the plane back to America. Ted turns to Beard and asks, “Coach, is this nuts? Us leaving like this?” Beard pulls down his sunglasses to reveal he had been crying. Beard declares that he is in love with Jane (Phoebe Walsh) and is going to stay in London.
The Believe Sign
The “Believe” sign has been a symbol throughout the entire show. It started after Ted’s first day of coaching the team. Initially, he doesn’t have anyone to direct him, so the sign ends up being crooked. Keeley interrupts him and guides him to straighten the sign, although it still ends up being crooked.
In the ending sequence, we see Nate being directed by Coach Beard as he hangs it back up above the office door while atop the shoulders of Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein). This act is symbolic of their forgiveness of Nate and his actions tearing up the “Believe” sign back in season 2.
Be A Goldfish
Early in the first season, Ted teaches one of his players the idea of being “a goldfish.” He tells the player that a goldfish is the happiest animal in the world because they have a short-term memory. This becomes a common saying within the team, encouraging players to forget their mistakes and not dwell on the past.
We see this phrase repeated in the ending sequence of the last episode where Ted’s son Henry missed a goal in his own soccer game back in Kansas. When he asks his son what they say, Henry replies “be a goldfish”.
Re-live all the memories of Ted Lasso’s three seasons by streaming the show on Apple TV+.
