Welcome to Wrexham 3×08, “Down to the Wire,” couldn’t find a more apt title for Wrexham AFC’s historic events in this season finale. This 43-minute episode has wall-to-wall footballing action – on and off the pitch. Not only does “Down to the Wire” confirm the docuseries’ strongest narrator, but it also brings back characters with series-long, heartwarming stories to tie it all together. The episode’s pacing doesn’t always favor some of Welcome to Wrexham Season 3’s storylines. Nevertheless, this season finale, without a doubt, feels like the end of an era for the documentary and the club.
Of course, Wrexham AFC’s promotion to League One is the most apparent depiction of this new chapter. However, Welcome to Wrexham has always been invested in more than the club, so “Down to the Wire” opens with a more intimate depiction of how the people of Wrexham – the club and the town – have changed over the last three years.
Hearing directly from Lili and Dionne Jones, Oliver Stephen, Alisoon and Millie Tipping, and Michael “Scoot” Hett encapsulates how much this documentary achieves. These people have become loved and recognizable characters; viewers are invested in their stories. Just as with the team, Welcome to Wrexham wants to see them succeed in their endeavors, so it’s not a waste of time to see Millie and Michael climb those iconic stairs in Philadelphia or Oliver take pictures from inside the Racecourse. The latter is one of the most emotionally fulfilling stories, beginning on Welcome to Wrexham 3×02, “Goals.”
Likewise, “Down the Wire” finds a successful throughline in the surprise that Mia “Robbo” Roberts, a former Wrexham player, will commentate the FAW Women’s Cup Final with Mark Griffiths. Mia’s story has been one of the best narratives this season since it began on Welcome to Wrehxam 3×03, “Notts Again.” It depicts the more disappointing sides of football while emphasizing the season’s theme of impermanence. Everything constantly evolves, including football and various people’s connection to it. This season does an excellent job representing that fact of life, especially with Roberts.
Unfortunately, the time stamp on that tournament (October 29, 2023) and the women’s team’s brief roundtable underscore one of Welcome to Wrexham Season 3’s weakest points. This season struggles to give equal playing time to its men’s and women’s sides.
For comparison, the first game that the men’s side plays in this episode is against Colchester on April 6, 2024. So, while the nature of the documentary’s form means that everything takes place in the past, it seems like Welcome to Wrexham spends more time catching up with the women’s team but runs alongside the men’s team.
Welcome to Wrexham 3×07, “Proper Trouble,” emphasizes this, too, with a discussion around equity in men’s and women’s sports. “Down to the Wire” struggles to move the needle because it comes to the women’s team’s accomplishments through the men’s side reaching a new feat. While it is refreshing that Executive Director Humphrey Ker sets the record straight and commemorates Rosie Hughes for reaching 100 goals before Paul Mullin, Welcome to Wrexham’s third season would be better if it reaches that point by closely and consistently following the women’s team, too.
Then again, the docuseries can improve this in the already-confirmed fourth season.
After all, Season 3 proves Welcome to Wrexham keeps getting better. Notbaly, it knows how and when to utilize co-owners and chairman Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. As they pull back their on-screen presence, this season sees Ker come forward as one of the doc’s most confident and knowledgeable voices. McElhenney’s heartfelt voiceovers are a major appeal this season, but it’s a choice to close “Down to the Wire” with Ker’s anticipation of what’s next and all of its fragility. It’s a clever, full-circle cliffhanger.
Ker’s prominence as a considerate, passionate narrator means that “Down to the Wire” can (mostly) use Reynolds and McElhenney to ease the tension of this season finale. Welcome to Wrexham hits the ground running – literally – with this episode, and the docuseries must loosen the valve. Who better to do so than Reynolds and McElhenney?
Knowing that Wrexham AFC will be promoted, it’s hilarious that the duo agreed to skip the Forest Green Rovers match and go to the Stockport County one.
Of course, Wrexham beat the “almost mathematically impossible” odds and achieve the club’s first back-to-back promotion in its 159 years. Consequently, Welcome to Wrexham does what it does so well and tugs at the heartstrings when Reynolds tearfully celebrates on set and McElhenney does so at home (with Kaitlin Olson behind the camera) in Los Angeles. Like many episodes before, “Down to the Wire” encourages all the happy tears.
In fact, Welcome to Wrexham is so remarkable because it holds space for those emotions.
Therefore, it’s not a letdown that “Down to the Wire” spends its final act bidding farewell to people – Ben Tozer, Luke Young, Jordan Tunnicliffe, Rob Lainton, Callum McFadzean, and Aaron Hayden – who have been key players in this historic run. (Goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo’s loan is up by the end of this specific season, and it’s still unclear where he will be next season.) It’s beneficial and respectful to take a beat and commemorate their work.
Hearing from Young and Tozer after the club’s monumental win is rewarding. It also plays as closure fit for a season finale. Similarly, getting a peak behind the business side’s curtain and hearing the frank yet thoughtful exchange between Ker, Director Shaun Harvey, and manager Phil Parkinson is exciting. Those candid moments put the larger picture in focus – the “continued evolution the squad has to go through,” per Harvey.
“Down to the Wire” brings the entire season together with an excellent voiceover from McElhenney: “We know every ending is not going to be perfect for every player, and this is a business where tough decisions have to be made. And regardless, starting a new chapter is hard. But so many of them will always be a part of the great legacy that is Wrexham.” Here’s to seeing where that legacy goes in Welcome to Wrexham Season 4!
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What did you think of Welcome to Wrexham 3×08, “Down to the Wire?” Let us know in the comments below!
Welcome to Wrexham Season 3 is streaming on Hulu.
