"Sunflowers" Is the Best Ted Lasso Episode Yet (yes, this blog contains spoilers)

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AppleTV+'s Ted Lasso is one of the most critically and commercially successful shows of the 2020s. While the rumors of its third season being its last have not been confirmed, last night's episode was (IMO) the best in the show's three-season run. I've already watched it twice, and low-key might again while constructing this blog.

In a character-driven show, it takes time to build up backstories in an organic way, and in S3E6, "Sunflowers," three-plus years of development paid off in this hour-long, never-a-dull moment delight of an episode. After losing a friendly to Ajax 5-0, the entire cast has a variety of nights in Amsterdam that they'll never forget.

Whether it be Ted's bunk mushroom tea trip that still opened his third eye and might've helped him unlock the strategy that can save AFC Richmond's season, Roy and Jamie's budding bromance whilst searching for windmills, Rebecca's sexy houseboat night after falling off a bike bridge, Higgins and Will (the kit guy) exploring the red light district (for Jazz!), Colin and Trent Crimm bonding over being gay guys in an unaccepting field, Beard's night as Piggy Stardust or the hijinx of the rest of the Richmond roster deciding how to spend their curfew-less night in Amsterdam, this was easily the most well-rounded, entertaining and overall best episode of the series to date. It was raw and emotional, while still mixing in plenty of laughs.

I cannot get over how gorgeous Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) looked in this episode. Respectfully, I'd trade a year of my life for a weekend getaway with her (and a suitable supply of dick pills).

But in all seriousness (even though I'm dead ass about that potential trade @God), the writing and storytelling in this episode were phenomenal. It unearthed so much information about every character: at the very least, Trent is bi (I'm pretty sure he's still married to a woman). Roy Kent never learned how to ride a bike because his Grandpa died. The unnamed bald Dutch dude has the world's slowest dryer (like, are you fucking kidding me? how does it take nearly three hours to dry, maybe four things?)

Not to suck my own dick, but as soon as I saw Trent's shoes (even though those socks would repulse any queer person), I knew what was coming next.​

We also learned that Dani would be overwhelmed by a tulip field, Zorreaux/Van Damme is hashtag horny, and Colin loooooves vanilla vodka (and Trent Crimm can't stand it.)

Roy and Jamie are obviously going to become best friends. While it's kinda unbelievable that Roy'd become proficient enough of a cyclist to keep up with Jamie in their search for windmills, this scene brought a little reality to their journey.

This line from Jan Maas was perfectly delivered like a through ball into the box.

I'm not the biggest Beard guy; his character gives off such "epic bacon," 2012 ironic mustache tattoo; I sign emails with "cheers" energy that I don't love, but as a Bowie fan, he won me back with this shit (and being a shrooms guy).

The episode ends with everybody meeting back on the team bus at 10:00 am, as Ted told them the day before. Will might've had a threesome??? Jamie and Roy come back together on a bike while the bum who stole for them takes it away in the cleanest motion you'll see today. Finally, the entire bus joins Rebecca in a rendition of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" in a full-circle moment from when it played after they lost the friendly 5-0.


MY BAD FOR THE SHAKY FILMING!!!

Ted Lasso's first hour-long episode did not disappoint. I didn't do a shot-for-shot breakdown because you should watch the episode (and series) for yourself.

In addition to its excellence, this episode, IMO proved my take about this cast being so strong that the show could survive losing the Ted Lasso character. I don't want that. I'm by no way rooting for it; I'm just saying even though Ted had a significant role in this episode, the other characters and their stories more than carried their weight.

​I fucking love this show and will be soooo bummed if this season truly is the end. While writing this blog, I saw an article where Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh) is open to a Sam-led spinoff. I don't really care who the leader of the spinoff is; I've just emotionally invested too much into this show and its characters for this to be the end...especially after such a great episode like "Sunflowers."

P.S.

This may be quintessential "only I find this hilarious" Dozini content, but if someone with a legit following tweeted this, it'd go viral...or at least viral adjacent. I'm gonna blame 0 likes as of 12:30 am on 4/20 on me being a hashtag good guy and putting the warning up to avoid spoiling people!!! (so if you haven't seen White Lotus and still want to don't scroll down.

Apparently you can't embed tweets with content warnings so here's a screenshot that crops the pictures in a bad way.



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