Posted in: Apple, TV | Tagged: comedy, drama, emmy awards, emmy nominations, opinion, ted lasso, ted lasso season 3

Ted Lasso Season 3 "Sunflowers" Deserves Serious Love From Emmy Voters

Apple TV's Ted Lasso Season 3 "Sunflowers" is truly exceptional on so many levels and is more than deserving of Emmy Awards recognition.

Once in a while, there's an episode that premieres and truly moves me, and recently Apple TV's Ted Lasso went beyond that with their sixth episode, "Sunflowers," of season three. In the episode, a friendly match takes the team to Amsterdam, where one night out unlocks truths for many. I'll be discussing some details of the episode, warning for potential spoilers ahead.

Directed by Matt Lipsey, this episode of Ted Lasso is not only gorgeous it also includes a phenomenal story structure bouncing back and forth between characters with ease. The writing in this episode also deserves some praise and potential awards given to those involved, including Joe Kelly, Jason Sudeikis, Sasha Garron, Keeley Hazell, Dylan Marron, Brendan Hunt, and Bill Lawrence. The dialogue in some of these pivotal moments featured in the episode expands the audience's understanding of character growth, relationship dynamics, depictions of masculinity, and connecting with the creative forces of the past and present. This episode had me laughing, crying, and riding the roller coaster along with these loved and continually developing characters.

Surprises and twists of expectations filled every corner of the Ted Lasso episode "Sunflowers." When I saw what museum Ted (Sudeikis) had wandered into, I was filled with such a burst of emotion that I immediately began sobbing. Feeling stuck and thrown out of creative and progressive loops of life can be horrible. Ted was searching for something to reach inside of him and turn the light back on. The moments of levity between the emotional and tense moments were spectacular. Witnessing paintings done by Vincent Van Gogh would make anyone intrigued and/or emotional, but the combination of the art and Ted's story spoke to me. It likely did the same for many others.

The connections made for Ted Lasso's characters after receiving "Signs" in the previous fifth episode made this one feel complete in such a unique and beautiful way. Coach Beard (Hunt) has his beginning and ending moments, but the focus wasn't placed on him like it had been previously. Rebecca (Hannah Wadingham) is always a stunning example of the power of charisma and investment in a character on television. And while I swooned over the incredible scenes between her and the "stranger" (Matteo van der Grijn), my heart broke and was sewn back together again by other scenes.

Pride Month feels difficult this year, there's bigotry rising, and stories featuring the lows and highs of life in the queer community spoke to me on many levels. It's always been difficult for the community, and it grows or lessens depending upon the person (intersectionality). The discussion between Trent (James Lance) and Colin (Billy Harris) was outstanding and carried some important points with it. The acting was also phenomenal; Lance and Harris deserve a lot of accolades for this episode.

Ted Lasso examined so much in this episode, yet it never felt cramped and overstimulating. The return to simplicity can often lead to growing emotional depth. It was very evident in the scenes featuring the team deciding their evening plans and eventually engaging in a hilarious pillow fight. The group conversations and interactions did so much to strengthen the bond of these characters compared to anything else that could have been written. I felt compelled to write about this episode because of many reasons, but in the end, there's a particular reason I hope for it to receive nominations. It reminded me of why I connect with television so much and why I love it. That's award-worthy in my book.

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