The fourth episode of Ted Lasso's third season gives us the matchup we've been craving: Richmond versus West Ham.
Richmond-West Ham isn't just any soccer game. It marks the first time Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) and ex-husband Rupert's (Anthony Head) teams go head to head, and it's also the first time Ted (Jason Sudeikis) and Nate (Nick Mohammed) square off as rival managers since Nate stormed out of Richmond. Tensions rise, emotions run wild, and by the time the Greyhounds leave London Stadium, they've lost in a staggering 4-1 defeat.
That defeat comes squarely at the hands of "Wonder Kid" Nate, whose tactical brilliance forces an early 2-0 lead for West Ham. But Nate gets under Richmond's skin in another way: When the players learn that it was Nate who ripped Ted's "Believe" sign in half, they play with reckless aggression and earn several red cards. Nate's ability to so thoroughly shake the Greyhounds — as well as his gloating celebration once the final whistle sounds — definitely cement his position as an antagonist. But is he a true villain?
Not according to Mohammed. In a Zoom interview with Mashable, Mohammed discussed how he doesn't see Nate as a villain, even though he can also acknowledge the character has done wrong. "I see some of his actions as villainous, and often quite pointedly, unnecessarily cruel. But so much emphasis is given in Season 3 to seeing why Nate is the way he is. With any villain there's an origin story, and they didn't always start out villainous."
The Nate we got to know in Season 1 was "bumbling and friendly and there was a kindness to him," said Mohammed. He rose through the ranks of Richmond's coaching staff only to get jealous and angry when Ted brought Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) back on board. With Ted's glowing attention and praise suddenly directed elsewhere, Nate's jealousy festered.
"He's undoubtedly made a series of bad decisions, and has been seduced by social media and people like Rupert," Mohammed said.
Which brings us to one of the most fascinating dynamics of the season: that between Rupert and Nate. With his abundant wealth and cold drive to win, Rupert is everything that Ted is not — which means that Nate is desperate to win his approval and even emulate him.
"[Nate] is seduced by the power and the glamour that Rupert has: the money, the flashy cars, and so on. Even seeing Rupert in a relationship, he slightly idolizes him in that regard. But Rupert is a false idol," explained Mohammed. "He's a very toxic person and a real toxic force in the show, and he's certainly not the role model that Nate needs right now."
[Nate] is seduced by the power and the glamour that Rupert has.
Rupert plies Nate with gifts like a fancy car and invitations to exclusive clubs. He encourages Nate to trash talk Richmond and insists he call him "Rupert" instead of "Mr. Mannion." However, he is cruelly fickle in his affections. In episode 4, as Nate admits he regrets how he left things with Richmond and Ted, Rupert becomes colder and demands Nate call him "Mr. Mannion." It's an intentional power play, one that reminds Nate that he's only useful to Rupert when he's a killer. As Mohammed said: "Rupert is undoubtedly using Nate as a pawn against Rebecca and Ted and AFC Richmond."
Ted Lasso is beginning to sow seeds of discord between Nate and Rupert. There's the aforementioned "Mr. Mannion" moment, as well as Nate's realization that Rupert is cheating on his wife with his assistant. Could these instances of Rupert showing his true colors be enough to bring Nate back to his senses? Perhaps they'll give him a push in the right direction. After all, we do see flashes of the old Nate this episode. When he knocks a Ted figurine off his table, he's initially cruelly gleeful but quickly shows remorse and picks it back up. Later, after the match, he realizes that he forgot to shake Ted's hand and goes off in search of him to make amends. These are small actions, nowhere near as bombastic as him tearing up the "Believe" sign, but they're proof that a redemption arc is still possible.
Speaking of that "Believe" sign, Ted Lasso finally shows footage of Nate's act of destruction, which we didn't see in Season 2. Not only do we as an audience get to experience this for the first time — the same goes for the distraught members of AFC Richmond. Unfortunately, the Greyhounds allow their anger toward Nate to interfere with their gameplay. The second half of their game against West Ham is not a triumphant takedown of an old friend-turned-enemy. Instead, it's an all-out mess. (Or, as one Richmond fan says, it's the Greyhounds playing like Italians.)
The disastrous consequences of Richmond's ire are Ted Lasso's own way of saying, "Do not let your feelings about Nate take you to a place of aggression." While this is an important lesson for the Richmond players to learn, it also serves as a potential cue to the audience about how to approach the characters this season. Who knows, we may be headed for Nate's redemption sooner than we think.
"Whether Nate's gone past the point of no return or whether he can be redeemed is yet to be seen," said Mohammed. "And I think that a lot of that is in whatever the audience decides. For some people, I don't think that Nate could ever be truly redeemed because of what he did. But I don't see him as an out-and-out villain in the way that I see Rupert as a villain."
Ted Lasso is streaming on Apple TV, with new episodes weekly.(opens in a new tab)
