Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Season 3, Episode 5 of Ted Lasso.When Ted Lasso began, Keeley (Juno Temple) was dating Jamie (Phil Dunster), and Roy (Brett Goldstein) was single. Similarly, when the show first started out, Jamie was quite pompous and all-around not a great guy to Keeley, while Roy was much more brood-ish and quiet than he is now. But as the show has gone on, both Roy, Jamie, and Keeley have grown and evolved into more mature, likable characters. The relationship dynamics between these three have changed a fair bit throughout, with Keeley and Jamie breaking up, Keeley going on to date Roy, and finally, Keeley and Roy breaking up — but as of late, it seems like the series might be gently teasing at a potential Keeley and Jamie reunion. Love triangles are an often used trope in TV and movies, and they can be a lot of fun and a good source of drama, but in this case, a love triangle will only do more harm than good if it keeps going.
A Love Triangle Will Rob Roy, Keeley, and Jamie of Their Growth
Going back to the very first episode of Ted Lasso, Keeley was dating Jamie, and while the pair would often bicker and were not exactly an enviable couple in terms of genuine connection, they looked good together and Keeley was great at managing Jamie’s image. However, their incompatibility and Jamie’s immaturity eventually became too much, and they split up. However, the seeds had already been planted for a Roy and Keeley romance, with stolen glances, Keeley’s mocking of Roy’s signature grunting, and the teasing texts between them that kept her heavily on his mind 24/7. So when they did finally take that step, fans were delighted — even if Jamie was not.
Keeley’s relationship with Roy not only made her grow as a person, but also warmed Roy up a little bit. From the beginning, he was a cold and grumpy character — it wasn’t that he was a bad guy, he just kept to himself and preferred it that way. Keeley helped to open him up, and while he still doesn’t smile and is quite short with people, there’s a huge change in him that makes him so lovable. Even more than that, as we saw more of Roy, we saw more of his personal life, most notably how he treated Keeley and his niece Phoebe (Elodie Blomfield). He is truly such a softie at heart, and it’s such a great side of him to see.
Similarly, while Jamie was simply an arrogant and selfish jerk in the beginning, he too went on to have some major growth. He still is quite conceited at times, but he lets people in now, and he lets people help him and show his vulnerable side — something he never did before. And Keeley herself even grew to be a more mature version of herself, someone who put her foot down and didn't let herself settle for being arm candy like she was when she was with Jamie. Each character went through many trials and tribulations to become the characters we know them as now, and the growth from Seasons 1 to 3 is exponential.
One of the best things to come out of the show is Jamie and Roy’s unexpected friendship. There has been tension between them since Season 1, with the pair constantly insulting each other (see Roy calling Jamie a “little prick” and Jamie retaliating by calling Roy “granddad” in an early Season 1 episode). They were rivals from the get-go, which meant that the news of Roy and Keeley dating likely wouldn’t fly with Jamie. And while it certainly wasn’t something he was thrilled about, it allowed him to learn and grow, and when he did, it gave Roy a certain level of respect for him that eventually blossomed into something resembling a friendship — or at least, the start of one.
Most recently, Roy even offered to train Jamie after Zava (Maximilian Osinski) joined Richmond’s team (before he unceremoniously left in true Zava-style, that is). It’s a friendship we love to see unfold, and while they may not be buddy-buddy and hanging out in their free time, there’s an authenticity to their interactions that is far different from where they first started out. So for the show to keep teasing at a love triangle between Roy, Keeley, and Jamie that would inevitably backtrack every ounce of progress each character has made, feels like a slap in the face.
'Ted Lasso' Season 3 Needs To Let the Love Triangle Go
Roy and Keeley’s breakup was devastating, not only for fans but for the characters in the show as well (Ted’s reaction to the news represented all of us!). It hurt, and watching them both go on with their lives separately feels so strange after how solid they were for a time. It’s heartbreaking that they’re not together, and it’s evident that it’s a difficult topic for both involved. But that being said, it is not an invitation to reignite the long-extinguished flame between Jamie and Keeley — and it feels like that’s exactly what the show is doing.
There were moments where the show hinted at Keeley and Jamie reuniting, but it never went anywhere — and that was for the best, after all, since she obviously was with Roy at the time. Now that she’s single, however, nothing is standing in the way, but that doesn’t mean Jamie should swoop in like a knight in shining armor. If he did, it would feel much more like a vulture picking at a carcass. A Keeley and Jamie friendship? Sure. A Keeley and Jamie romantic relationship? Hell no. They had their time together, and it didn’t work, and to try and put them back together would not only be detrimental to the show but to the characters and their growth.
Rather than trying to reignite the flame between Jamie and Keeley, the show should just keep focusing on each character as individuals. Perhaps Keeley needs to be alone for a little while — after all, we haven’t really seen her not in a relationship. That’s not to say she was demoted in any sense by being in a relationship, but maybe now is the time to truly let her flourish into the boss-ass woman we know she is and not focus so much on her romantic life.
That being said, it's looking like that isn't going to be the case — Ted Lasso threw a curveball in the middle of this doomed love triangle in the latest episode. Episode 5 showed Keeley hooking up with her boss Jack (Jodi Balfour) — who, admittedly, is also a boss-ass bitch as Nora (Kiki May) would say, so they aren't a bad pairing by any means. (Of course, this would still be a major blow for Roy/Keeley fans.) If Jack and Keeley become more than a one-night stand, one wonders if Ted Lasso will forego all of those subtle hints at a Roy/Keeley/Jamie love triangle and move in a completely different direction.
Whatever the show does, it needs to drop the idea of a love triangle. It doesn’t work, not when each character involved has gone on to become a better version of themselves. Doing so would only backtrack on progress made and take away so much of the charm that Ted Lasso has. The show does such an incredible job of making us care for these characters. Even if said character isn’t that great of a person, there are still scenes with them that intrigue us and often make us feel something for them. It’s never been a show to rely on cheesy drama to get its point across, and a love triangle is about as cheesy as you can get. These are grown adults — grown adults who have gone through so much and have changed and blossomed over three seasons. There isn’t a need for that kind of drama. Instead, focus that energy on the friendships and wholesomeness that made the show so endearing in the first place.
New episodes of Ted Lasso Season 3 air every Wednesday on Apple TV+.