TV Review: Ted Lasso Season 3. E 6. “Sunflowers”- Captures the Whimsey and Romance of Travel

Season 3 of Ted Lasso has been sweet but nothing special. The series finally got its groove back with episode 6, Sunflowers. The episode…

Apr 25, 2023

Season 3 of Ted Lasso has been sweet but nothing special. The series finally got its groove back with episode 6, Sunflowers. The episode opens with the team losing an exhibition match in Amsterdam. In all his wisdom, Coach Ted tells the boys there’s no curfew, just to meet back at the bus the following day at 10 am sharp to head back to London.

The script is magnificent, weaving six different storylines involving the entire team and a short scene that perfectly ties up what Keely’s up to. My favorite storyline this week was Rebecca’s. In a season that’s been a little lightweight overall, Rebecca’s storylines have been fantastic. Kudos to the writers for centering the challenges a single child-free woman over forty faces in society today with realism, humor, and a whole lot of grace. Hannah Waddington shines this year each moment she graces us with her presence on screen.

Shattered by the loss and without her running buddy Keely, Rebecca decides to walk alone through Amsterdam with only her cell phone. She falls into a canal and is “rescued” by a Dutchman on a houseboat nearby. The Dutchman is instantly delightfully smitten with Rebecca, and the two get to know one another as her clothes dry.

I love this storyline because it reflects the beautiful romantic connections single people make while traveling. Rarely do we see this kind of relationship explored on TV. Rebecca and her Dutchman remind me of the lovely 1995 film, Before Sunrise, where two young travelers meet on a train and spend 24 hours in Vienna together. The plight of the single straight woman over 40 on TV traditionally has been a depiction of desperate hilarious quests to find love. She’s often the comic foil to or best friend of the main character, who is usually in a relationship or married and younger. Here we get to celebrate the freedom single, child-free women today get to experience on our own terms and I am here for it!

Just when Rebecca is happy on her own, she comically falls into a canal, and a tall and attractive Dutchman comes to her rescue. This silly accident gives Rebecca a chance to shed the armor single women must wear to protect ourselves and thrive in this world, and be her authentic self with a man who is smitten with her at first sight. Rebecca and the Dutchman are strangers with the luxury of time to drink wine, cook and eat good food while talking for the first time. Yes throughout the series Rebecca has been healing from the public trauma of her divorce and dealing with the stigma of not being a mother. It’s so refreshing that this season we get to see Rebecca beyond the trauma connected to loss and inability. Here, she is a free woman filled with possibility. The best part of solo travel is when you unexpectedly connect with someone and are safe to get to know one another briefly and then let go. These kinds of relationships help us to remember who we are. I love that so much!

Kudos to the entire team for allowing Rebecca to remember who she is beyond the challenges she faces back in London. This season, Ted Lasso Episode 6 brings us back to remembering why this show touched so many of us during the pandemic. This episode had me wanting to book a trip to Amsterdam!

Ted Lasso’s season 3 episode Sunflowers, 5 out of 5 stars.

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