Ted Lasso S3 Episode 7: Trent Crimm's S1 Callback Suggests This Really Is The End
Contains spoilers for "Ted Lasso" Season 3 Episode 7, "The Strings That Bind Us"
For three seasons of "Ted Lasso," the titular character (Jason Sudeikis) has managed AFC Richmond in his very peculiar fashion. For just as long, Trent Crimm (James Lance) has been watching his work like a hawk. In Season 3, the formerly peripheral sports journalist is very much one of the main characters of the show, as he tails AFC Richmond to write a book about the club. He's proved time after time that his calm, calculated facade hides a genuinely kind man with staunch moral values and a real passion for football — but in "Ted Lasso" Season 3 Episode 7, his passion ends up overruling his facade altogether.
While Trent clearly likes and admires Ted, he's always been quick to point out his mistakes and question his methods when he thinks it's necessary. However, after the AFC Richmond brand of Total Football finally clicks in the away match against Arsenal, the writer hurries to meet Ted after the game. In an uncharacteristically giddy speech, Trent proclaims that not only does Ted's new tactic work but that he's finally figured out "The Lasso Way" — Ted's subtle coaching style that over the course of the last three seasons has built a team that's so deeply connected on every level that they can freely implement a beautiful, free-flowing style of play.
Ted and his coaching team are largely bemused by Trent's big speech, but his talk about the Lasso Way is actually a major callback to "Ted Lasso" Season 1 ... and it's one that might stealthily confirm that the show is really coming to an end.
The success of the Lasso Way means Ted's story arc is finally over
When Trent Crimm invokes the Lasso Way, he's referring to the very first episode of the show, where Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) introduces Ted Lasso as AFC Richmond's new manager. As Trent and the rest of the media quite rightfully question the hiring of an American college football coach to manage a Premier League club, Rebecca deftly counters the criticism and labels the club's future as ... the Lasso Way.
Because he's' both invested in the club and is literally paid to follow it, Trent has obviously kept up with every single development during Ted's three seasons in charge of Richmond. As such, the fact that he of all people suddenly realizes that Ted has subtly created an atmosphere where the club can implement Total Football with little more than a handful of training sessions and the power of friendship is a testament to the fact that Ted's friendly coaching style has paid off in the long run. This is obviously great news for AFC Richmond, but unfortunately, it also means that the payoff for what Ted's slowly been doing all along is finally here.
While some reports indicate that "Ted Lasso" Season 3 might not be the end of the show, Jason Sudeikis himself has been fairly adamant that Season 3 will be the show's last because it concludes the story. With his Lasso Way callback, Trent may now have revealed exactly how the end will come, at least as far as Ted's professional life is concerned. With the success of the Lasso Way, Ted's dramatic arc as the underdog coach will come to a natural end. Hopefully, said end will include a long-awaited victory over Richmond's "White Whale" Manchester City, and maybe the announcement of a cool spin-off or three.