Ted Lasso's Nate is Nowhere Near Redemption, And The Clues Are Everywhere
The Apple TV hit may be a feel-good comfort show, but it's way too early to feel good about one particular character.
Nate Shelly is one of Ted Lasso 's most complicated characters. Started off as a talented nobody who quickly gets promoted to the top thanks to Ted, he is currently more of the show's villain.
Having switched sides and parted ways with Richmond AFC, Nate seems to be slowly entering his redemption arc: he is finally in what seems to be a wholesome meaningful relationship, and he is clearly having second thoughts about his life choices, so many Ted Lasso fans think that the season 3 finale will have him redeemed.
Well, will it though? Because so far, despite the little things that may point at redemption, Nate Shelly is still a piece of trash.
When his new girlfriend Jade comes in with some food and says "Delivery for Mr. Shelby," Nate's first reaction is an irritated "It's Shelly" line.
Apparently, it was an unpleasant throwback to the times when everyone bullied him, because when Nate realizes it was Jade's honest mistake, he is changed.
But some fans think he could have reacted way worse if it wasn't coming from someone he cared about.
"I got the feeling that if it was an actual delivery person getting his name wrong, he would have been abusive or at least belittling. Does anyone else feel that Nate is still a deeply unpleasant character and will start treating Jade badly once the novelty of the relationship wears off?" Redditor Solarflair500 noted.
It's not only about Nate's relationship with Jade. It's about him and other people who are not Rupert; while the latter is still too intimidating for Nate to stand up to, other people clearly don't mean as much to him.
Remember when Nate never went back to Roger when he wanted to share his problems during the "Diamond Dogs" meeting? Yeah, things like that.
If anything, fans think it's way too early to redeem Nate.
Despite the progress that he makes, he's still an unpleasant person who has got work to do before everyone could properly forgive him — not only Ted Lasso (who, let's be honest, may be way too forgiving at times), but all the show's fans as well.
Next episode of Ted Lasso arrives on Wednesday, with the finale scheduled for May 31.