Who Is Ted Lasso’s Mother? Meet Becky Ann Baker’s Character
Episode eleven of Ted Lasso’s third season was special in many ways, most notably because it finally introduced us to Ted’s mother, Dottie. Over the seasons, we’ve become familiar with many details and persons from Ted’s life, including his ex-wife and son. We know that he tragically lost his father, so it was logical that his mother would eventually appear. And now that she has, let’s see who is Ted Lasso’s mother and what we know about Becky Ann Baker’s character.
Ted Lasso’s mother is Dottie. Becky Ann Baker portrays Dottie, and she appears in Ted Lasso season 3, episode 11, titled ‘Mom City. Dottie surprisingly visits Ted, and they catch up, spend quality time together, and tell each other some hard truths.
Dottie’s appearance in the show was anticipated, and she did not disappoint. As soon as we saw her sitting on a bench with a large suitcase by her side, we knew she was a real ‘piece of work,’ not unlike her son. In that regard, let’s talk about Dottie a bit more.
Dottie’s unexpected visit had Ted on edge
Ted woke up, ready to start his day, not knowing who awaited him just a bit further from his apartment. There she was, sitting on a bench, an unexpected visitor- his mother, Dottie. He knew that something was up, which must have been why she came to visit. But Dottie assured Ted that nothing was wrong and she just wanted to visit England for some time now. So, Ted decided to play along, invited his mother to stay in his place during her visit, and let Dottie tag him to work.
Everyone adored Dottie in the club from the moment they met her. Dottie met Rebecca first and introduced herself as Ted’s bodyguard. It did not take long for Rebecca to realize who Dottie was and from whom did Ted inherit his sense of humor. Dottie also met AFC Richmond’s players, and they were delighted to hear all the funny stories she had to say about Ted.
Everyone enjoyed Dottie’s company, and Ted was the only one who considered his mother visiting out of nowhere weird. Rebecca assured Ted that’s what mothers do and everything will be all right. Everyone was just being so friendly and in a great mood around Dottie. She even shared some funny nicknames with Coach Beard, like ‘Weirdo Beard-o’ and ‘Lodi Dodi,’ but all of that annoyed Ted. Something was not right, and he could sense it.
And the truth was, everything was not okay. Like any parent, Dottie worried about her son. She asked Coach Beard how is Ted doing and if he was alright. Ted was the kind of person who always made sure that everyone around him was alright but rarely asked for help when he needed it. And that was something that concerned Dottie.
Even though Dottie lived far away from Ted, she was well-informed about what was happening in his life. She collected all the newspaper clippings that had information about Ted. She presented those clippings to Ted and wanted to know about his panic attacks and whether he still had them. She cared for Ted, but along the way, Dottie forgot to deal with her own problems, and Ted was sorry for it.
When Ted returned home from Manchester, his mother awaited him with not one but two dinners. But dinner aside, Ted wanted to know why his mother came to visit, and he wanted to know without sugarcoating.
Ted confronted Dottie, and years of frustrations emerged from him
Dottie spent her life hiding her problems away and never talking about them. She used humor as a defense mechanism, and that is something Ted picked up as well. However, when a person acts like everything is fine, even though it is not, sometimes that can be hurtful and unsincere.
The same thing happened this time around. Ted wanted to hear the truth from his mother, no matter how hard the truth might be. But Dottie just wanted to spend a peaceful night with her son. So, Ted wanted to demonstrate how frustrating it is when his mother does not want to talk to him directly. He cursed his mother, and he finally got her attention.
Ted ironically thanked Dottie for all the things she’s done for him and for all the times she tried to cheer him up but never dared to face the problems that bugged her. Ted’s father committed suicide when he was a teenager. Naturally, that left a huge mark on him. But, his mother never addressed that tragedy with Ted and talked openly about it and what that did to her. Dottie pretended like everything was all right.
She did things the way she thought was best for Ted and her, but her sugar coating only made Ted feel like he also needed to pretend that losing his father was not a big deal, even though he was broken on the inside. Ted resented his mother for years, and now that he finally said what he had, Dottie was sorry that he did not say all those things sooner.
Eventually, Dottie said that Ted needs to dedicate more time to his son, Henry because Henry misses his father. Those words left Ted in tears. He also misses Henry so much, but sometimes he thinks it is best to keep his distance because he fears being hurt when Henry grows up and leaves. Dottie taught Ted that is the worst thing he could do because being a parent means being there for your kids. Even if sometimes they hurt you, they also bring so much joy.
Ted and Dottie resolved their issues and parted ways on good terms. This visit was probably the key factor that made Ted realize that it was time for him to come home to his son, and he will most likely do that at the end of the third season.