Ted Lasso's Main Villain Is an Even Bigger Monster in Season 3
Fans of Ted Lasso may still be upset with Nate over his decisions at the end of Season 2, but we all know the series only has one true villain. In a show that can turn Jamie Tartt into the most likable man in Richmond, Rupert Mannion stands alone as the only true monster of the series. Jamie has been redeemed. Nate will be redeemed. But there's no redeeming the sleazy, adulterous billionaire that now owns West Ham United, especially after Ted Lasso's newest episode. WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Ted Lasso Season 3! Continue reading at your own risk...
Since Ted Lasso began, Rupert has done nothing but use people and treat them horribly, particularly Rebecca. After cheating on her for years, he left her for a much younger woman (who shares her name) and decided to have a baby, something he told Rebecca he'd never give her. The one person that we haven't seen Rupert treat poorly is his new wife, Bex. That changed this week.
After the Richmond vs. West Ham match, Rebecca spotted Rupert in the stairwell kissing his assistant, confirming that he's now cheating on Bex. This shouldn't come as a surprise, considering all that he's done to Rebecca and the fact that he was married to someone else when he first pursued her. That said, it further's Rupert's standing as a true villain by proving there really aren't any lines he won't cross. Even now as a father, he is going out of his way to cheat on his wife.
Ultimately, this will be more about Rebecca than Rupert. She has held anger towards Bex over the last couple of seasons because of Rupert's decisions and the baby they share that she always wanted. But the moment Rebecca sees Bex after spotting Rupert with his new lover, her feelings towards Bex turn into compassion. She's being used the same way Rebecca was and there's no way Rebecca is going to let her suffer the way she did.
Rupert may never grow up, but Rebecca has grown quite a lot, and it's going to be interesting to see exactly how she handles this situation over the course of the season.