Ted Lasso's Nick Mohammed Speculates on What Nate Almost Said to Ted in That Elevator

[Warning: The following contains spoilers from Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 4. Read at your own risk!]

It's the match that everyone has been waiting for. After AFC Richmond catapulted to the upper echelon of the Premier League thanks to the inimitable Zava (Maximilian Osinksi), they're facing their toughest opponent yet in West Ham United. Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 4 features this battle of the ages. Richmond vs. West Ham isn't just a competition between two high-ranking teams; it's a duel between owners Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) and Rupert (Anthony Head) and coaches Ted (Jason Sudeikis) and Nate (Nick Mohammed.)

Nate is Public Enemy Number One this season after leaving Richmond to become the head coach at West Ham. As if leaking the news about Ted's panic attack wasn't enough, Episode 4 revealed that Nate committed the unspeakable act of sneaking into Richmond's locker room to tear the "BELIEVE" sign in half. How dare he! But it's easy to see that Nate feels some remorse over his behavior. At one point in the episode, Nate's in the elevator with the person he least wants to see: Ted. However, just as he's about to seemingly apologize — "Listen, Ted, I just want to say, the way I left," Nate begins — the door opens and Rupert interrupts. 

"We're led to believe that Nate would apologize to Ted in that moment," Mohammed told TV Guide of the scene. "Whether it would be the full apology that completely redeems Nate and his past actions, I don't know. Rupert absolutely almost deliberately gets in the way of that happening." But Mohammed said Nate does feel sorry for how he departed. "There are undoubtedly feelings deep within Nate of regret for the way that he left AFC Richmond — and the things he said to Ted," the actor shared. 

As for the actual match, it could only be described as chaotic. During half-time, Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) and Roy (Brett Goldstein) showed the Richmond players the security footage of Nate ripping the "BELIEVE" sign. The coaches wanted the clip to be an incentive for the players to do better — but the opposite happened. One by one, they resorted to violence and were kicked off the field. Richmond suffered an embarrassing loss, and of course, Nate was celebrating. 

"It means a hell of a lot," Mohammed said of the win. "Now that [Nate's] joining West Ham, he has so much to prove — to prove that the decision to leave Richmond was the right one, to prove to Rupert that he's the right coach." Mohammed added that it's important for Nate to get confirmation that his knowledge is superior to Ted's.

"Him winning is important on so many different levels," Mohammed continued. "It starts off as being purely a selfish one. But I think eventually, it becomes, he wants to do it for the team and it's not just about defeating AFC Richmond; it's as much about being passionate about West Ham — but it could be construed either way."

The actor also discussed Nate's complex relationship with Rupert. "Nate, particularly in Episode 4, actually almost finds a father figure in Rupert by the end, and feels like that might be what he needs," Mohammed said. "But their relationship is complicated by the fact that, well, Rupert's a complete narcissist." It's quite obvious to audiences — and to Mohammed — that the West Ham owner is using Nate for his own power. "Nate is really a pawn in that, and so I think we're going to see Nate get burned at some point," Mohammed said. "At this stage, Nate is seduced by what Rupert seems to embody—the power, the glamour, the fancy cars, and so on. But I think what Nate has to realize is that those things are very short-lived." 

Since the start of Ted Lasso, Nate has been craving recognition. And it seems unlikely that the current path he's on is going to satisfy that craving.

Ted Lasso Season 3 is available to stream on AppleTV+.