Ted Lasso‘s Nick Mohammed promises a cathartic end for Nate
"I’m excited and mildly apprehensive about how the fans will react to where that storyline is headed"
TV Features Nick Mohammed
At its core, Ted Lasso is wholesome as hell. Apple TV+’s award-nabbing comedy won the audience with its feel-good charm. That’s why it was a discourse-worthy level of shock when Nate Shelley’s arc turned antagonistic in season two. Nick Mohammed’s shy, sweet Coach Nate got a heel turn that made him scornful of Ted (Jason Sudeikis) and Richmond A.F.C. overall. So he naturally teamed up with the enemy, Anthony Head’s Rupert, by joining West Ham.
However, halfway through season three, Nate’s actions have only resulted in some superficial wins. He’s popular, has a love interest, and is wealthy. But is he truly happy? Ted Lasso’s recent episodes dig into Nate’s life, but it seems quite empty. No Diamond Dogs to give him advice, no group to hang out and laugh with, and no one genuinely supporting him at work. So how will the journey of Nate the Great, a.k.a. the Wonderkid, end in the remaining four episodes? Will he be transformed before Ted Lasso wraps, and will he make peace with Ted and the rest of his former crew? (He has to pay the price for tearing up that “Believe” sign, right?)
The A.V. Club spoke to Mohammed about what to expect from Nate in the rest of the outings, why he’s satisfied with how his story concludes, working with Sudeikis, and if it’s really the end of the road for Ted Lasso.
The A.V. Club: So far in season three, it’s safe to say Nate is on a superficial high with West Ham’s success. He’s in Rupert’s good graces and is dating Jade (Edyta Budnik). But do you think he’s feeling the same level of triumph?
Nick Mohammed: No, it’s the opposite, in fact. He’s on that superficial high and proving his worth in some regards, but we are seeing cracks begin to show. Undoubtedly, the way he left Richmond and the things he said to Ted, it’s still eating up his mind. He’s dealing with his own mental health. A lot of that stems from insecurities with his dad, and we’ll get flashes of that dominance. Until he addresses those core issues, he’s never going to find the happiness he craves. He might have tried to fill that void with a fancy car, or coaching a big Premiere League club, but he is finding that’s not giving him the happiness he needs.
AVC: Nate’s arc is kind of between a redemption story and trying to understand where his negative actions are coming from. Why do you think it was important to explore that?
NM: It’s really smart of the writers because it’s more realistic. It would be great to think there’s a fairytale ending and everything is sorted overnight. And part of me, as an actor, wants to be back with the guys in Richmond and be back as a Diamond Dog. I love filming those scenes. But it’s not realistic. We need to see him struggle. And I think in episode one, we see elements of those villainous qualities, but it’s cheap shots. He is doing it to impress Rupert. I don’t think he necessarily believes the things he says at that moment because he changes his attitude a lot depending on who he is talking to. I feel that he ultimately knows by now he’s not happy. So there’s still a ways to go for Nate.
AVC: Did you get information on Nate’s arc this season beforehand, and did that help your approach to play him because you have to toe the line between being antagonistic and sympathetic?
NM: I would be given information in advance sometimes. We usually wouldn’t see scripts that long in advance of shooting, maybe a week, but they would inevitably be changed or rewritten on the day. But broadly speaking, I’ve known where the character is headed so that I could prepare to a degree. That’s been part of the thrill as well, getting to watch Jason and the writers find the sweet spot of showing Nate’s struggle and newfound success, and there are signs of him being remorseful.
AVC: We’ve seen Nate in bits and pieces so far, but what can you tease about the rest of the season?
NM: Yes, the latter half is more weighted toward unpacking Nate. We know there is unfinished business with Ted, the club, and his dad, so we’ll see more of that. What I like about episode seven onward from a narrative point-of-view is that we discover new things about him every episode, like his relationship with Jade. The writers are so smart about it. We know what villainous Nate is like, and we’ve seen it, but they’re giving us new strands of his journey. Without giving away whether there’s a full redemption or not, and it’s not as black-and-white anyway, but there’s an element of catharsis. We do reach an endpoint. That story feels complete by the time we get to the end. I’m excited and mildly apprehensive about how the fans will react to where that storyline is headed.
AVC: So you’re personally satisfied with how Ted Lasso ends for Nate, whether or not it’s a series finale?
NM: Yes, absolutely. Again, the writers have drip-fed it. Nate’s story is a slow burn. They’ve done it real justice. The last few scenes we filmed of it were on the last days of shooting the season overall, so if that happens to be the end of the show altogether, there’s certainly a nice degree of satisfaction to it. I obviously can’t speak too much about it yet.
AVC: What were these last days of filming like? Did you get to reunite with the rest of the cast?
NM: Yeah, we were all together. They brought in the whole cast even if not everyone was filming. Everyone came back. It was wonderful and emotional. The scenes we were filming were also emotional and happened to be scheduled on that day. Whether it was by design or fortuitous, I don’t quite know. I won’t be surprised to find out it was on purpose [laughs]. We’ve been through a lot as a cast. We’ve been together for over three years and are big fans of the show. We still can’t believe and are overwhelmed by how many people’s lives it’s touched. We feel a degree of responsibility, and we know there’s a privilege that comes with it.
AVC: Are you ready to say goodbye to Nate Shelley?
NM: Oh, that’s a good question. Yes, I am ready. There’s a catharsis that’s come with his story and how it plays out. I adore Jason, and Ted and Nate’s dynamic is precious to me. I’ve always been a huge fan of Jason, so to have gone on this journey with him … Our scenes together are quite private and raw. They feel very real. We can anticipate more of those in the remaining few episodes; that’s not me giving anything away. That will be a big take-home for me. I’ll be sad to lose that connection—not Jason and me, we’re mates—but for those two characters. There’s a real truth there.
20 Comments
Nate can’t stop treating himself like shit and his dad is a gigantic asshole.
His problem is that he can’t help treating everyone else like shit too, which is what makes him the asshole.
Yeah because he doesn’t actually know how to respond to people in anything resembling a normal way. Up until Ted came along, Nate was a grown ass man that got high school bullied for his whole life. That’s gonna mess a person up. Now he’s got exactly 0 self esteem and has a subconscious perception of everyone being out to get him.I feel bad for him, I know people who don’t know how to really react to kindness like that and they’re all very broken.
With Rupert dressing like Emperor Palpatine this season, I expect (spoiler alert) Nate will force choke him and drop him down a ventilation shaft in the series finale, before succumbing to his injuries and becoming a force ghost and giving Ted a thumbs up
Next season: “Somehow Rupert returned!”
Now I wonder if Nate is reading these comments like he does in the show. It’s really going to fuck him up.
I’m just a grey so nothing I say matters but after being a fan since the beginning we opt’d before the end of the last episode. Maybe it’s just us but it’s really lost its way.
No, it knows its way. You just don’t like the path. Stop using cliches. It is beneath you.
YOU GET BACK IN YOUR CAGE!!!!
Sorry but I’ve checked on his character’s aspect of the show. When he says the writers “drip fed” info about him, they mean that they’ve written themselves into a corner and now any attempt at redeeming his character would be a huge plot contrivance. Jade’s a cypher, have no idea the reason she changes her mind about him other than the supermodel girl made him sad. Between him and whatever the hell is going on with the two women leads’ characters in the show (Rebecca’s life is apparently being dictated by a medium, and Keely’s stories are only about which character she’s having sex with, neither actually do any work apparently), it’s lost its way after the creative director left in season 1.
“AVC: Nate’s arc is kind of between a redemption story and trying to understand where his negative actions are coming from. Why do you think it was important to explore that?NM: It’s really smart of the writers because it’s more realistic. It would be great to think there’s a fairytale ending and everything is sorted overnight….”Jesus Christ, no it wouldn’t. I know he goes on to rebut this, but damn. The writers made him a monster and now we’re supposed to pity him or something because he is rich but not happy.You’re absolutely right about the absence of Bill Lawrence. Totally different, aimless show now with no stakes or consequences.
I really thought Keeley never doing any actual work was going to be a plot point – how she was excited about and invested in the concept of running her own company but was in way over her head and got lost in the trappings. But nope! She’s fabulously successful, I guess?
I also thought that maybe there would be more growing pains associated with her character—learning that business is tough and seeing a more mature side emerge to complement her big spirit and personality.As for Nate, I think they’re TOO subtle on trying to show his insecurities. There’s a glance there, a grimace here, his “love” troubles, whatever, but there’s no movement on that character arc yet. And, those sad sympathetic glimpses aside, to be candid, I just don’t like Nate. He’s shown no appeal there IMO. And without self-awareness, there can be no growth.
Prediction: he’s going to stare at himself in a mirror and…smile!
He’s going to stare at himself in a mirror and… the mirror spits in his face.
I fast forward thru just about all Nate parts. Grates on my nerves, also speeds up the ep. time.
My form of Nate catharsis will be him getting bitten in the balls by a cobra, writhing around in pain and falling into an open fire, but just before he does, he stubs his toe really hard.
The writing has been not great this season. I find the Nate stuff now to be boring. The show could have had double the episodes this season if they just had 25min episodes instead of these meandering 50-60mins episodes.
At first I thought that Nate’s current swing back toward niceness was too rushed, but… What he needs is to be away from the influence of his father, and of Rupert, and in fact of Ted. Alone – or getting together with Jade, really – he’s shown as finding his way to being his own person. Leaving Ted the way he did was impulsive and insensitive, and Nate seems to have realized that. I have confidence that the show won’t turn him suddenly into Pollyanna, but that they’ll show him moving in the right direction.
What can I say…..this show is so mesmerizing and I just can’t get enough. After working all day I rush home every Tuesday night and watch my Ted Lasso. I don’t know what I’m going to do in a few weeks after I’ve watched the final episode. OMG and Nate…. He’s really come into his own. Love this show 🥰🥰🥰🥰