Spoilers for Season 3 of Ted Lasso are ahead. If you aren’t caught up on the hit comedy, you can stream it with an Apple TV+ subscription.
Jamie Tartt could win an Oscar at the ESPYs for his performance in the Season 3 finale of Ted Lasso, especially when he yells Ted’s classic line “Ball, ball! Give me the ball! I would like the ball please!” You could also say Phil Dunster deserves to take home an Emmy for how he recreated a classic Jason Sudeikis bit from Season 1 in the (possibly) final episode of Ted Lasso. What makes his performance and the footballer's moment even better though, is the actor nailed the the SNL alums bit, and the director of the episode, Declan Lowney, explained how.
In a wide-ranging interview for CinemaBlend, Declan Lowney and I really got into the nitty-gritty Easter eggs and callbacks within Ted Lasso’s Season 3 finale. So, of course, we had to chat about the hilarious callback to Season 1 when Ted shows Jamie how he’d like him to act on the pitch by doing silly overdramatized “give me the ball” skit. So, when Jamie did the same thing in the finale, it was visceral and took me right back to Season 1, and the director explained how he and Dunster pulled it off:
Phil just did it. He knew exactly what was required and [waves his arms in the air] and he does it and it's over. It's that quick as well. I do remember thinking ‘Shouldn't he do it for longer in case we want to see’ and no, no, no, that's exactly it, what he's doing is exactly it. That's all he needs to do. I think [waves arms in the air again] did he just do twice or three times? I can’t remember. The actors are fantastic, you know, as well, and all this stuff because they know what they did the first time. Believe me, they go to the detail, it’s weird. But they're able to recall stuff like that.
So, let’s flashback to Season 1, after Ted tells the footballer that he should be trying to “win an Oscar at the ESPYs” for distracting the other team so one of his teammates can get the ball, Jamie brushes it off.
Then in the finale of Season 3, when they need a miracle to win the game, Ted asks Jamie to fake that he wants the ball again so Bumbercatch can pass it to Sam without anyone blocking him. And due to the fact that Tartt is likable and not as self-centered now, he obliges. Not only does he willingly distract the opposition, he also gives an over-the-top and funny performance that perfectly matches how Ted acted all the way back in the first season.
As Lowney mentioned, Dunster did it so well in the episode. I immediately knew what he was referencing. Plus, the newly Emmy-nominated Ted Lasso actor committed so hard to the bit you couldn’t help but crack up over it.
Throughout all of Ted Lasso’s finale, there are tons of nods to inside jokes from previous seasons and new references that add more meaning to the show. From intentionally teasing fans about a Ted and Rebecca romance after seasons of speculation to hanging the same image in the Cheers bar in Mae’s bar, there are so many little moments that show just how much intention, care and humor is put into this award-winning comedy.
However, in my mind, nothing was quite as hilarious and meaningful as Jamie recreating Ted’s “give me the ball” dance. Not only was it a goofy moment that brought fans back to Season 1, but it also showed the growth of Phil Dunster’s character, bringing his story full circle.
