Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 9 Review: La Locker Room Aux Folles

Colin and Isaac have spent much of their time on the periphery of Ted Lasso, but Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 9 was their time to shine.

Ted Lasso Season 3 is supposed to be the show's final season, so it's disconcerting that many storylines are moving in circles instead of forward, but the show did very well by Colin here.

Colin's arc about his sexuality this season has opened the doors to showcase his struggle with not being able to be his authentic self around the people he loves.

Isaac's actions on Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 8 after viewing what was on Colin's phone screen were questionable, but very few characters on this show are wicked (aside from Rupert!), so it was inevitable Isaac was upset that one of his best friends hid a part of his life from him.

The beauty of having a best friend is that they're there for you on your good and bad days, and Isaac felt like Colin couldn't trust him with the truth.

As a result, Isaac didn't know what to say to his friend, and his blowup during the game at the fan hurling the homophobic slurs seemed like the show's way of saying don't bottle things up.

The good news is that their bond seemed stronger than ever at the end of "La Locker Room Aux Folles."

Colin was vocal to Trent about wanting to have his boyfriend at matchdays to be waiting on him earlier in the season, signaling that Colin only needed his teammates to be aware to feel fulfilled.

When you're a celebrity, the press and fans think they have a right to know every detail about your life, so I anticipate Colin's sexuality will be smeared across newspapers before the season's end.

Then again, Ted Lasso is thematically one of the most hopeful shows on TV, and it's helped get viewers through tough times in their own lives, so maybe Colin's team knowing the truth about him is enough to end this storyline as it is.

It was hard not to feel for Colin when Isaac gave him the cold shoulder because I have to imagine he was worried about whether Isaac was homophobic or whether he would go public with the news.

Colin deserved to be in control of when people learn about that part of his life, and I think he breathed a sigh of relief at the support he received from his fellow players.

Ted's words of wisdom generally land with a profound thud, but there was something off about them in this episode when Colin took issue with the comparison.

Things are going well for Colin now, and I hope that remains the case for the rest of the series. Let him bask in feeling the confidence to speak about his romantic partners like his straight fellow teammates do.

Speaking of Rupert, I'm continually shocked at how well Anthony Stewart Head pulls off this villainous character because it's far from what he's played before.

As an actor, he has the potential to make all of his roles distinct, and Rupert continues to be the worst possible person.

One of my theories earlier in the season was that Jade was one of Rupert's minions used to distract Nate from speaking to anyone at AFC Richmond, but that was blown out of the water on this episode when Rupert tried to sweet talk her.

Rupert believes his money and influence will have women falling at his feet. He's already proven unfaithful, but he knew what he was doing to Nate when he brought two women to the supposed guys' night.

It was gratifying that Nate made the excuse to leave because, as much as Rupert wants to corrupt Nate, it will never work.

Nate is happy with Jade and believes that nothing can tear them apart, but there is a certain look from Rupert when Nate made the excuse to leave the bar.

Rupert likes to control situations, and if he realizes he's losing that, he may cast Nate aside.

While Nate wants West Ham to dominate the other teams, he hasn't been able to find the sense of community there that he had when he was at AFC Richmond.

Everyone at West Ham answers to Rupert because he operates a culture of fear in the workplace. People are scared of him, which allows him to manipulate them into doing as he pleases.

Admittedly, Nate will face an uphill battle to form connections with those from AFC Richmond again, but maybe Nate's arc will conclude with him finding a way to take down Rupert.

It would earn him an immediate in with Rebecca and perhaps the players he scorned when he defected at the end of Ted Lasso Season 2.

I am still skeptical that Jade is who she portrays herself to be because the show hasn't done the best job of developing her. Time will tell, I guess.

Speaking of development, the way the show discarded Jack felt more like the writers realized we're headed into the final three episodes with many characters still needing to reach specific emotional beats.

With more development, Keeley and Jack could have been a couple worth rooting for, but we never went beneath the surface of Jack's machinations.

She was very overbearing in her attempts to keep Keeley in line, but apart from that, the only thing we really learned was that she runs to other countries to avoid breaking up face-to-face.

It's hard to see this storyline as anything more than a lesson to Keeley about mixing business with pleasure.

We don't know what Jack will do about funding Keeley's business. We know Jack is made of money, but something tells me she could do something to harm KJPR in a way we don't expect.

My hope for Keeley is that she reaches a stage of her life where she can focus on her career instead of cultivating connections along the way.

Having connections is the key to any business, but it seems like Keeley lost sight of her goals in Ted Lasso Season 3.

KJPR has had some big wins, but the company isn't blossoming into what I expected, and a part of that could be because it doesn't seem like her heart's in it.

It's times like this I believe Keeley and Roy are more similar than we give them credit for. Roy struggles because he's going with the flow instead of propelling his career forward.

Rebecca was livid about the press conference because, as we've learned in the past, press and football go hand in hand, so you always want the press to be good.

It's hard to tell where either of these storylines are going, but hopefully, we end with these characters at very different stages than in Ted Lasso Season 1.

I don't think a series finale that's a day in the life will be worthwhile for any of these arcs. We need some risks before we get to that episode.

What are your thoughts on Colin and Isaac? Are you surprised by the resolution?

What's your take on Jack skipping town?

Hit the comments below.

Ted Lasso airs Wednesdays on Apple TV+.