‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3 Episode 11: Recap & Ending Explained
Welcome to the recap and ending explained for the penultimate episode of Ted Lasso‘s season tree. In the previous episode, we’ve seen many interesting things, like Rebecca standing up against Edwin Akufo’s idea of creating a Super League, Roy confessing his feelings to Keeley, and some players representing their countries during an international break.
Ted Lasso season 3, episode 11, titled ‘Mom City,’ brings Ted’s mom into town. Jamie comes home, AFC Richmond faces Manchester City, and Nate is offered to return to Richmond. Let’s see how it all went down.
Ted’s mom is in town, and Nate is invited to come back to AFC Richmond
The episode starts with Ted leaving his apartment and is ready to start his day off. As he walks down the street, he greets everyone and soon enough stumbles upon an unexpected surprise. Sitting on a bench is a woman Ted does not recognize at first, but then he realizes – it is his mother, Dottie.
Nate got a job in the Taste of Athens, and Isaac, Collin, and Will came to talk to him. The whole team talked about it, and they want Nate to return to AFC Richmond. However, Ted still doesn’t know about that, and Nate thinks coming back is not a good idea. Isaac orders 75 kebabs from Nate.
Ted is confused and wants to know what his mother is doing in England. She’s been in London for a week, living in a hostel with Australians backpacking through Europe. So, Ted decides that from now on, his mother will stay in his place. Ted has to go to work, and his mother decides to tag along.
Sam, Roy, and Jamie are attending a press conference before the match against Manchester City. With only two games left in the season, this match is important as it can open the doors for Richmond to win the title. Jamie is acting strange and giving modest, selfless comments that make him look bad.
Ted introduces his mother to Rebecca. They seem to get along, and Dottie can’t wait to meet Dani Rojas. Ted seems tense with his mother around. Dottie met the team and started telling them stories about Ted; they all seemed to enjoy her company. Rebecca and Ted talk about Dottie being there, and Ted admits that the whole situation is weird. He does not understand why she just turned up out of nowhere. Rebecca assures him that as long as he provides Dottie with at least one good memory while in England, it will be a success. Also, Rebecca is buying a horse.
Something is off with Jamie, and Coach Beard is against Nate returning to the club
The practice is about the begin, and the team is getting ready. Van Damme has to wear a mask because Dani injured him during the international match. Everyone makes fun of Van Damme except Jamie. He thinks it is better to be safe than to look cool. And does not sound like Jamie at all. Roy realizes something must be wrong with Jamie, so the two of them have a little talk. Roy started yelling at Jamie in the tone he always uses. But this time, Jamie started crying out of nowhere in the middle of Roy’s speech. Apparently, Jamie is struggling with depression. He can’t sleep nor eat and feels like he’d ‘lost his wings.’
Leslie informs Ted that Nate would most likely return to Richmond if invited. Ted is okay with that, and so is Roy. Beard, however, will ”burn the place to the ground if they bring that Judas back.” Everyone loves having Dottie around, and Ted is annoyed by that. Roy saw Keeley and asked her to help him with Jamie’s condition.
Ted, Beard, and Dottie went to a pub. Ted tried to avoid his mother by pretending to play pinball. Mae gives Ted some words of wisdom, making him think of his family. In the meantime, Dottie asks Beard how Ted is doing.
Later in the evening, Dottie and Ted talk on a more serious note. Dottie gave Ted all the newspaper clippings showcasing Ted’s journey as a coach. She’s worried about Ted and wants to know if he’s still having panic attacks.
Jamie goes to visit his mother, and Roy and Keeley follow him
The team arrived in Manchester and got settled in a hotel. Keeley visits Jamie in his hotel room to help him deal with his stress. Jamie has a lot going on. He’s playing at home for the first time since he left, and his dad won’t be happy about that. If AFC Richmond wins the next day, all his dreams will come true. Realizing all that only made things worse for him. Later, the whole team is watching ‘You’ve Got Mail,’ and tears are everywhere.
Jamie snuck out of the hotel, and Roy and Kelley followed him. They ended up at Jamie’s mother’s home. It is clear that Jamie is ‘mama’s boy,’ and Roy can’t believe it. Jamie opens up to his mother. He feels like all he did in his life was to prove to his father that he is nothing like him. But what that did to him was made him numb on the inside. However, Jamie’s mother is very proud of him for what he accomplished and for what he is. She assures Jamie that he is amazing and there is nothing he has to prove to his father.
Roy and Keeley find themselves in Jamie’s childhood bedroom. They are surprised to see posters in the room, one with Roy and the other with Keeley on it. Roy confesses to Keeley he does not want to be just friends. Talking to his mother helped Jamie, and he was ready for the upcoming match. Dottie messaged Ted, making him realize how he had estranged himself from his family even more.
AFC Richmond vs. Manchester City
The match is about to begin. As expected, most of the stadium is booing Jamie, but he was prepared for that. Nate is watching the game from the restaurant and is cheering for AFC Richmond. Jame made a great pass – Collin scores, and Richmond takes the lead. We see Pep Guardiola instructing Manchester City on how to carry on forward. After Richmond’s goal, Manchester City put a lot of pressure, but Richmond managed to defend themselves thanks to Van Damme’s great saves.
After Manchester City’s corner, Jamie defends Richmond’s goal with a great move. Unfortunately, he injured himself in the process. Jamie tries to continue playing but is in too much pain. He exits the field to have medical assistance but refuses to be substituted. So Richmond continued playing with ten men, and Van Damme kept their dreams alive with his magnificent saves. In the meantime, Nate is being fired because he is completely fine with that. He realized where his passion lies.
Jamie was on the sidelines, turning around and looking to see his father in the stands, but could not find him. Ted gave Jamie good advice. If hating his father does not motivate him like it used to, it might be time to try something different- to forgive him. Jamie returned to play, more determined than before.
Then something spectacular happened. Jamie passed several players and scored a goal. He decided not to celebrate against his former team. After that, he was substituted, and the whole stadium cheered him and clapped. It was an emotional moment that Jamie could only hope for. It is also revealed that Jamie’s dad is in rehab, which is why he is not on the stands.
The match was over, and Richmond won. Ted shook hands with Pep Guardiola and exchanged a few words. Both Beard and Ted were thrilled by that after. Jamie also said hello to his old coach.
Coach Beard forgives Nate, Ted confronts his mother, and Rebecca has a surprise visit
After the match, the team celebrated a bit, but Isaac mentioned that they still needed to win one important game. Ted showed Beard footage of Nate hiding inside the desk in Ted’s office for hours. Ted once again provides us with some meaningful words of wisdom: ‘I hope that either of us or none of us are judged by the actions of our weakest moments, but rather by the strength we show when and if we’re ever given a second chance.’ All of that made Beard think. Jamie remained in the locker room, putting some ice on his ankle. He texted his father, and Roy and Keely came to keep him company.
Nate was back at home writing Ted an apology letter. He’d written 60 pages, and then an unexpected visitor appeared. Standing behind Nate’s door, there was Beard. Coach Beard got straight to the point. Ted saved Beard’s life in more ways than one, so to honor Ted, Beard decided to forgive Nate and offered him a job. It was an emotional scene.
Ted returned home and was not in the mood for small talk. He wanted to know what was wrong and why Dottie came. His mother assured him that everything was alright, but then Ted spoke his mind. Dottie spent her whole life sugarcoating everything and doing what was best for her son, but she never wanted to discuss her problems. But Ted knew when his mother was not alright, but he had to pretend like he did not. And that’s what he is angry about all these years later.
Dottie did finally say why she came. She wanted Ted to know that his son missed him. Ted became emotional hearing that because he already knew that and missed his son. But Ted is afraid to come too close to Henry because, eventually, Henry will leave and have his own life. And when that happens, Ted would be crushed. Dottie tells him that is part of being a parent.
The episode ends with Bex coming to see Rebecca. Alongside her, there is Ms. Kakes, Rupert’s ex-assistant. Bex needs some advice from Rebecca, and it is most likely something regarding Rupert. Dottie left and left sunflower bread for Ted.
Later in Ted’s office, Rebecca comes to visit Ted. It’s their tradition to have some truth bombs thrown toward the end of the season. Rebecca can’t think of anything this time, but Ted has something to say. Even though the episode ends there, Ted will most likely announce that he is returning home, that he is going back to his son.
