Ted Lassois finally back for its third season, and the premiere episode – dubbed “Smells Like Mean Spirit” – is a timely reminder of why this feel-good show has been so dearly missed. The season 3 premiere strikes the show’s signature balance of wacky, lighthearted comedic beats and touching, heartfelt emotional beats. On top of the usual sharp dialogue, “Smells Like Mean Spirit” has some hilarious visual gags: Ted tries to expedite his quest to pick up his son’s Legos with a folded newspaper before giving up and collecting them all by hand; Nate pulls his tiny Mini Cooper into a parking space among all the West Ham players’ expensive sports cars.
The season 3 premiere is in safe hands behind the camera. It’s directed by MJ Delaney, who won an Emmy for directing season 2’s “No Weddings and a Funeral” (famous for its use ofRick Astley lyricsfor an emotional gut-punch), and written by series staple Leann Bowen. Bowen previously wrote season 1’s “The Diamond Dogs,” in which Ted first assembled his dream team, and season 2’s “Lavender,” in which Roy tried working as a TV pundit and Ted gave Jamie a second chance. Both of those episodes were driven by character, which made Bowen the perfect choice to establish a shifting ensemble dynamic in the season 3 premiere.
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“Smells Like Mean Spirit” has a great opening that perfectly reintroduces the title character – not just his relentless niceness and optimism, but the tragic underpinnings that make him endearing. As he drops his son off at the airport, Ted makes it heartbreakingly clear that he’s still clinging to the hope that he can reconcile with his wife. This is followed by a montage of Ted being friendly and selfless juxtaposed with voiceover of a phone conversation with his therapist. He greets a mother and her baby in the park, he holds the door for someone at the training facility, and he gives a salute to a Richmond fan who gives him the finger. Suffice to say,Ted Lassois back.
When Richmond is predicted to be relegated by all the major newspapers, Ted takes the players down into a sewer. At first, it’s unclear why they’re in the sewer, but it turns into a classicTed Lassoteaching moment. Ted compares the negative press to the human waste flowing through the sewer, and inspires his players to create emotional support networks between one another like a sewage pipeline to channel the negativity into something positive.
Nate’s descent into a villainhas begun. He initially gets nervous at his first press conference, but he hides behind the desk, collects himself, and spits on the floor, which has become a shorthand for the character summoning confidence and asserting himself. He pops back up and starts firing zingers at the reporters in the room and at his former colleagues at Richmond. Delaney expertly cuts between Nate kicking Richmond while they’re down and Richmond literally hanging out in a sewer.
The season 3 premiere drops the bombshell of Roy and Keeley’s breakup. It eases the pain of ending a fan-favorite relationship with Roy’s niece Phoebe’s surprisingly mature take: “Few relationships can survive a major career change, much less two.” There’s another romantic bombshell at the end of the episode as Ted learns that his wife has moved on and started dating a guy named Jake. After he spent the whole episode trying to eradicate the distraction of bad press, Ted will surely be distracted by the complete dissolution of his marriage.
In a retaliation press conference held by AFC Richmond after Nate rakes them over the coals, the show’s writers resist the temptation to lower Ted to Nate’s level. Instead of firing back insults at Nate, he starts making fun of himself to take the air out of Nate’s tires. He starts off with lighthearted barbs about being American and looking likeNed Flanders, then takes on bigger issues like his mental health struggles. Ted both takes the high road and leaves Nate with no more material to attack him with.
Henry’s Lego stadium is a simple yet powerful visual symbol. Before getting on a plane to fly home, Henry gives Ted a little Premier League Cup to accompany the stadium. Richmond is by no means guaranteed to win the real cup, but having a plastic version at the center of his son’s tribute to the team will surely keep hope alive throughout the season (the football season and the TV season). All the characters are represented byLego minifigures. On a video call at the end of the episode, Henry asks why Nate’s figure is off to the side. Ted says it’s because he quit the team, but Henry says that doesn’t mean they can’t still be friends. Ted agrees with him and puts Nate back alongside everyone else, suggesting his strategy for handling this rivalry.
With its season 3 premiere,Ted Lassois back in fine form. Now that Nate’s attack on Ted has backfired, he might use even more ruthless tactics in his one-way feud with AFC Richmond. But, at the behest of his son, Ted will continue to fight back with love, not hate.Ted Lassois setting up a truly unique hero/villain dynamic in which the hero has no interest in taking the villain down.
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