TED LASSO'S NICK MOHAMMED DEFENDS NATE'S POLARIZING SEASON 3 ARC

Do you believe Nathan Shelley deserved a second chance? That he did the work to earn everyone’s forgiveness?

Your answer probably says a lot about how you felt about Ted Lasso Season 3 — up to and including Wednesday’s finale, which saw a teary eyed Nate apologize to Ted, and eventually reclaim his position as AFC Richmond’s assistant coach… under new head coach Roy Kent.

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Following the release of the Emmy-winning comedy’s last episode (for now, at least), portrayer Nick Mohammed shared a 2,200-word defense of the Wonder Kid’s trajectory, arguing in part that Nate’s polarizing storyline wasn’t really about redemption at all.

“Even though that word [redemption] is used a lot, ‘catharsis’ is probably a better way to describe Nate’s Season 3 arc,” he said. “To an extent redemption is in the eye of the beholder and as far as Nate’s story is concerned it’s more a look into our capacity for forgiveness. For some, there’s nothing Nate can do to redeem himself — what he did at the end of Season 2 simply crossed too much of a line. But for others, he will have done enough. Neither interpretation is right or wrong, but the challenge of Season 3 with Nate was to make people question – even if just for a split second – their judgement at the end of Season 2.

“Part of the difficulty in forgiving Nate is because we believed in him from the start,” Mohammed continued. “We’re so predisposed into buying a redemption story if we start off not liking them/their behavior, but this was never the case with Nate. We rooted for him right from the off. Rebecca, Jamie, Colin, Isaac and even Higgins all make very questionable choices at the start of Season 1 – one may even argue just as bad as Nate’s actions in Season 2 – but our capacity and desire to forgive isn’t nearly as seductive as our desire to judge.”

According to Mohammed, “so much of Nate’s story [was] deliberately unseen, unscripted or dialogue free” in Season 3. He also reminded his followers that “the first time we see Nate in Rupert’s office is almost a direct parallel to when Anakin visits Emperor Palpatine’s throne room in Return of the Jedi – a sure sign that Nate will eventually be redeemed,” as TVLine was quick to deduce following the premiere.

Mohammed went on to single out a pivotal scene from Season 3’s 10th episode — specifically, the moment when Nate confronted his father about never offering him positive reinforcement. “I asked Jason [Sudeikis] to be in my eye line when Nate’s dad is speaking to him… because when Nate aims his words at Ted in [Season 2, Episode 12], those were undoubtedly intended for his dad,” he explained. “The situation in [Season 3, Episode 10] is mirrored. Nate doesn’t cry here like he did in front of Ted though (and will again in Season 3, Episode 12) and it’s important that that’s not Nate and his dad ‘fixed’. It does represent the start of a healing process, though.” He also pointed out that Nate and his dad don’t hug at the end of that scene. “[Nate’s hug] is saved for when he’s with Ted and learns of his departure in [the finale].”

Read Mohammed’s thoughts in full via the tweet below, then hit the comments and tell us if you think he makes valid points about Nate’s Season 3 arc. You can also read Nate’s previously unshared apology letter to Ted here.

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2023-06-01T16:01:03Z dg43tfdfdgfd