The series finale for Ted Lasso was satisfying for many viewers, but also a little confusing. After all, there was an entire cast of characters who had stories that needed tying up! It was a lot to keep track of.
In particular, some viewers were confused about the end of Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt)’s story. It seems, at first, like Beard is going to go home to the States with Ted. The two of them sit in a first class cabin, waiting for takeoff. Suddenly, Beard has a change of heart. He’s in love with his girlfriend, Jane! He has to be with her! He fakes appendicitis to get off the plane, and then marries her by a megalith in England.
But that ending left viewers with some questions. Was that sequence real, or some kind of dream? More importantly, why didn’t Beard invite Ted to the wedding?
Luckily, Brendan Hunt provided some clarity on Reddit, where he hosted a recent Ask Me Anything session. Here’s what he had to say about why Ted isn’t present at Beard and Jane’s wedding.
There are a few reasons. The first is narrative: Ted just got on a plane and left the UK, it would be anticlimactic and deflating if we suddenly see him back there before we even see his plane lands. The other is that that’s just the kind of friendship Ted and Beard have. Case in point is me and Joe Kelly, co-creator of Ted Lasso and one of the best friends I’ll ever know. A few years ago I get an email from him and his fantastic girlfriend that they are getting married in LESS THAN A MONTH. The email clearly stated “no worries if it’s too short of notice” …. So I missed the wedding, and guess what: no one cares! …. So personally I think Beard called Ted and told him he could sit this one out, and Ted said thanks, because the ceremony conflicted with a big game for Henry’s soccer team.
Hunt’s explanation makes perfect sense, especially if you have any loved ones who eloped, or had spur-of-the-moment weddings. Not every wedding is a huge to-do with months of planning. Some of them are thrown together at the last second, and they’re just as beautiful as their more carefully planned counterparts. (Kind of makes you wonder about the whole wedding industry, to be honest.)
Hunt also confirmed that the wedding scene really happens. It’s not a dream sequence or a hallucination! Beard and Jane are now Mr. Payne or Mrs. Beard, or perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Payne-Beard.
You can head on over to the Reddit thread for more of Hunt’s insights into Ted Lasso!
(via Reddit, featured image: Apple TV+)
