Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 5 Review: Signs
Paul Dailly
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Is it just me, or does every character on Ted Lasso need a hug?
Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 5 continued to put them all through the wringer as they searched for meaning in different ways.
We'll start with Rebecca because she's been quite literally getting signs following her meeting with the psychic on Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 3.
Hannah Waddingham plays every aspect of Rebecca to perfection, but she was on another level throughout "Signs" as Rebecca went through every emotion in her quest to make sense of the psychic's teases.
The saddest part of Rebecca's journey is that she didn't believe anything the psychic said, so whenever something happens, she's more curious than ever.
The "sh-t- in nining armor" of it all has been the topic of much debate since the trip to the psychic, so you can only imagine my surprise when she bumped into John Wingsnight and his new fiance muttered that phrase.
It's hard to tell whether the series is trying to tell us to look out for the signs or if they'll be rendered useless by the end of Ted Lasso Season 3.
Rebecca: John Wingsnight. What a lovely surprise.
John: Hello. Oh, uh, this is Jessica Darling.
Rebecca: Jessica, darling, Rebecca Welton. It's so lovely to meet you.
Jessica: Oh, hi. Likewise. Hello, there.
John: We actually went out on a few dates. And then Rebecca dumped me out of nowhere. In this exact coffee shop. Not that I come here all the time, hoping to run into you. 'Cause I don't.
Jessica: Okay. Well, may I say, Rebecca, thank you. We're engaged. Ring-a-ding-ding. Wedding calling.
Rebecca: Engaged. Congratulations. That's... Wow. How... did...it happen?
John: Oh, we matched on the apps, uh, six months ago. Not Bantr. Couldn't use that. It felt a bit weird since, uh... Yeah. And in a sea of anythings, I went fishing and caught myself a soul mate.
Rebecca: Oh.
John: Took her to see Hamilton on our first date. Amazing. And then defended my honor.
Rebecca: Oh, God.
Jessica: Yeah. Get this. It's intermission. We're standing in line to buy the CD of the soundtrack, 'cause I refuse to stream music. And guess who's standing in front of us. Sir Anthony Hopkins. Can you imagine?
Rebecca: Nope.
John: Jessica politely taps him on the shoulder and asks if he'll film a little video for Jessica's father as Hannibal Lecter, you know. And he said no. Yeah. So I grabbed that rapscallion by the collar, and I said, "Hey, we didn't ask you to be famous." And took a quick ussie of the three of us and emailed it to her... her dad's nurse. Made his day.
Jessica: My shite in nining armor.
Rebecca: What? I just... What did you say?
John: You jumbled your words there a bit.
Rebecca: What did you... You just said, "shite in nining armor"?
Jessica: Yeah. I... I meant to say "knight in shining armor." I just... One of me brain farts.
John: Quite rare for her. She's actually very smart. Went to Oxford for a bit.
Rebecca: Wait, n-no, you said, "shite in nining armor." You actually said those specific words.
Jessica: I did.
It's hard to imagine Rebecca having a future with John because there wasn't much chemistry between them, despite her feeling he could be "the one."
Naturally, hearing the phrase at the cafe piqued Rebecca's interest enough to examine the other things the psychic said, so it was heartbreaking witnessing the smile wash from her face when she got the call from her doctor.
Of course, we didn't get confirmation, but you don't need dialogue when you have a powerhouse star in Waddingham.
Interestingly, just as Rebecca was willing to follow the signs, hearing she couldn't have children completely soured her interest in pursuing them further.
It's possible the term "mother" could signal Rebecca taking on the role of a mother to someone else in her life, or she could adopt.
So many things on this show are in flux at the moment that it's hard to consider what comes next.
I hope that Rebecca finds some clarity and meaning to allow her to move on with her life, but I also hope that her relationship with Keeley is not on ice because they've carved out such a strong bond throughout the series.
Keeley was obviously busy with Jack and dealing with Shandy.
Jack: You are so passionate, but I have to let you go. I'm sorry, but I know someone as brilliant as you will land on their feet.
Keeley: What did I do?
Jack: No, no, no, no. Keeley, sorry. That's what you say when you fire Shandy. Keeley: Oh, my God.
Jack: Sorry. It's called a compliment sandwich. You give someone bad news, but to soften the blow, you slap it between two delicious slices of compliments. Keeley: Oh. But I can't fire Shandy. She'll hate me. And she really thinks she's killing it.
Jack: Oh, I am sure she does. The worst people often think they're the best. My dad calls it "talent dysmorphia."
Keeley: That's good.
Keeley is struggling to be both a good friend and a good boss, which is why Barbara -- and viewers -- saw the Shandy drama coming from the beginning.
Bringing a friend into your world of work is challenging because there's always that worry that people will think you will give them preferential behavior.
To an extent, Keeley has, because she never set boundaries with Shandy as an employer, which allowed Shandy to think she had free rein to do whatever she pleased.
Sometimes, it felt like Shandy was the boss, and Keeley was on the sidelines.
I can appreciate that Shandy believed she had this power due to her friend being the boss, but making unilateral decisions about things she shouldn't should have been what got her fired in the first place.
Shandy's tone when talking to Keeley at the top of "Signs" also showed a complete lack of respect, which needed to be addressed, or it could have spread throughout KJPR.
Shandy would never leave without some form of drama, and sadly, I don't think her revenge plot is over.
The lion has left. Enjoy the lamb, bitch. XOXO, Shandy
Keeley
It's funny that she thought she did something with the animal and the poop in the office, but if Keeley and Jack's night of passion leads to a relationship, then at least they can laugh about Shandy of all people brought them together.
That said, it's hard not to think about how this could all go wrong for Keeley. She made a big mistake by bringing Shandy in and needed encouragement from Jack to sort it out.
What if one calls off whatever this is, and the other gets upset about it? They need to work with each other, so I hope this isn't another lesson for Keeley and that this pairing leads to something meaningful for both of them.
Keeley kissed Jack because there was an immediate spark between them, and that spark hasn't disappeared throughout their two episodes sharing scenes so far, so maybe it will burn bright.
I hope Barbara doesn't pass judgment on Keeley when she inevitably finds out about their hookup. Then again, Barbara has surprised me, so maybe she'll be more open with Keeley about things.
Nate is also still struggling to find his place in the world, despite having all of this power and influence as this significant presence at West Ham.
His date with Anastasia was very telling because he's been adamant about getting some form of approval from Jade, despite her not wanting to be in the same room.
Jade must be tired of dealing with Nate, but I'm surprised she sat with him at the table at the end, largely because she's probably been internally cringing at his attempts to put on this persona.
If the show wants to explore a potential pairing between them, it will need to get to it sooner rather than later because I'm surprised Nate is still showing up at the restaurant and having awkward encounters with this nice lady who is trying to do her job.
I dare say Jade felt bad for him because of the way Anastasia ridiculed him, but we need progression here for these random, disjointed scenes at the restaurant to feel worthwhile.
The reversal of fortune for AFC Richmond has been challenging to watch, but it reiterated that Zava was just a short-term solution to a long-term problem.
There seems to be a disconnect between the players and the coaching, which isn't helping matters on the field.
Higgins entertaining the possibility of firing Ted came out of the blue, but it might be the only way to send Ted back to Kansas to be with his son.
We'll get to that in a little because there's still a lot more to unpack about the team and their lack of recent wins.
Zava's exit will undoubtedly impact the team, but Jamie may emerge as the team's knight in shining armor.
Jamie has been bending over backward to work with Roy to ensure a path to victory for AFC Richmond, and it was a nice change of pace to have the former Mr. Negative being optimistic about the team's chances.
Jamie was once the most annoying character on the show, but he's had the most well-rounded arc, and if he manages to break free from Zava's shadow and lead the team to perfection, it will be the icing on the cake.
The series could have easily brought back the love triangle between Keeley, James, and Roy, but the writing has been more confident by moving beyond that to showcase a mutual understanding between the two men.
Ted: Hello, Rebecca.
Rebecca: Ted.
Ted: No, I know, I know, I know. You are still feeling bad about yelling at me the other day, right? I can be a little bit psychic. It's okay.
Rebecca: No, yes, I... I shouldn't have bullied you.
Ted: Nice speaking with you, boss.
Rebecca: You too, Ted.
Let's circle back to Ted. I probably sound like a broken record here, but the writing is making it evident that Ted will be back in Kansas on a permanent basis by the end of the season.
While he knows there's probably no future with Michelle, he's interested in raising his son and being there for him instead of his ex-wife's new boyfriend.
It must be hard being that far away, but if you look at it from his son's perspective, having your father that far away is probably even harder.
The bullying incident was surprising because Ted's mind immediately jumped to his son being bullied, but he didn't even consider that his son could be the one to blame.
Ted is hurting himself the longer he stays away from his family; the sooner he realizes it, the better.
All things considered, "Signs" was a bit of a disjointed hour of this Apple TV+ drama.
Some of the storylines are moving swimmingly, but others are dragging on for dear life.
What are your thoughts on Rebecca's quest for answers?
Are you surprised about Keeley and Jack?
What's your take on Zava leaving so soon?
Hit the comments.
Catch new episodes of Ted Lasso on Fridays on Apple TV+.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
