#ooh and i loved the stuff happening with the pub guys + more fans watching training!

[chainofclovers]

Ted Lasso 3x7 Thoughts

Having only five episodes of this television show left is…something. I have a lot of feelings about Ted Lasso and this team he’s “borrowing for a while.” 

These thoughts are kind of a jumble!

Common thread: good relationship advice, a dream I’ve been dreaming about since s2 contained so much bad dating advice (or, more importantly, people who didn’t want to give their opinions on relationships because they didn’t want the responsibility of meddling). I’ve been certain that as the characters start to wind their way back to each other, the questions people ask about themselves and each other will get more honest, and the answers they receive in response will be more open, too. It’s actually pretty thrilling to see that happening. It feels like the closest thing to a single string (ba-dum tss!) running throughout this season, and I love it.

I’ve liked the Nate and Jade stuff a lot more than I expected to. Getting to see more of Nate’s family was such a delight, and I love that even if the whole family is kind of navigating around Nate’s dad’s ire, there’s so much love in the house and Nate gets some genuine support. And some good advice: you have to ask for things, and you have to do it with the full awareness that it might not work out. I’m so glad Nate got to see the map his father designed for his mother in all its grandeur. And I’m so glad his own attempt at replicating the grandeur got destroyed by a vehicle, freeing him up to rely on himself simply asking the question. 

It also did my heart good to catch the tail-end of Rebecca recapping Amsterdam for Keeley, and to see Rebecca sharing her fears about Jack. It was really something—she actually shares her concerns straightforwardly, and makes it clear that she isn’t saying Keeley’s new girlfriend is like her abusive ex-husband, but that Keeley has an opportunity to keep her eyes open and respond to what she sees. I also loved that Rebecca makes it clear that she isn’t jealous of Jack and is happy for Keeley, even as she’s also got concerns and of course has experienced some significant lonely moments as a result of Keeley being wrapped up in Jack. I dunno, it all feels realistically complex but also realistically drama-avoidant, and it felt like major growth for Rebecca. And it comes right off of Keeley pointing out the growth Rebecca exhibited in not sleeping with Boat Guy even if she might’ve liked the opportunity to! 

I was also very relieved to get a return to Beard and Ted at the pub! I missed them sitting and drinking their beers together! I did not really buy that Ted thought Jane might be hinting at marriage, but if he was joking, I think he needed to be more joke-y. Alas, I think that line was in there to get them to the pegging conversation, which was in there to get them to the pegging-marriage comparison joke. It admittedly paid off, but I think Phoebe Walsh and team could’ve found a smoother transition to the pegging discussion.

Very into Simi and Sam and very into Sam figuring out his wording and positioning with the racist home secretary on his own, albeit with Simi’s influence. I appreciated his anger and sadness in the locker room so much, and his father being there just in time for Sam to be able to hug him and cry on him was such a balm. I looooove that Ola really leans into the whole thing about visiting dads being allowed to be very awkward and make things uncomfortable, whether talking to the ex or the new love interest. I love that Ola knows about Sam and Rebecca and almost certainly has opinions but was also able to laugh about the whole thing with his son. Because, you know. Everyone is fine. It’s okay. And there are much bigger concerns, like the vandalism of the restaurant. When the team is there helping and Ola sees the sign light up as the first reveal that the restaurant is named for him…ahhhhhhhhh. It all made me wonder if Sam intentionally downplayed some of the presumably-notable London media coverage of the restaurant opening specifically so he could have that surprise moment with his dad. And when the restaurant was damaged, he felt like that moment couldn’t take place the way he wanted, but then it turned into something even better than he could’ve imagined—an opportunity to bring his dad into his community and team (his home in London, all working together to repair the place he created so that Nigerian people missing home could feel a connection to Nigeria!) and cook with Simi and his father.

In keeping with the pattern of trending-up experiences with good pals (and sisters, and best friends) talking about relationships of all sorts, I love that Total Football became a very literal (and very fun to watch) reflection on space and energy and interplay, the relations between people. I LOVED that each of the coaches takes their own role in explaining the what and why of Total Football. I was a little afraid that Ted was passing it off to Beard because he was scared that he didn’t actually understand the tactic well enough, but that wasn’t the case at all—all three primary coaches were fully engaged. And then Trent’s got the spirit, with some absurdly meta commentary! And then Jamie is the one who really cracks the code, which I absolutely adored. (Side note: how adorable was it that they all brought back the signal and flipped him off.) (Side note 2: they really said “we hear a lot of y’all are extremely into this red string of fate thing” and turned it into a dick joke! And Roy didn’t fully understand that this tactic was a one-time-only situation!) 

Speaking of things I absolutely adored, the whole rom-com montage motif throughout, with storefronts opening and flowers and the promise of an early morning…..YES. And I’m forever obsessed with Roy and Jamie being folded into the quaintness of that as, briefly, just two quirky extras giving the neighborhood some flavor. The string that binds jogging Jamie to Roy on his bike! Ahhhh!

I feel like there was more. These episodes contain so much. But I have got to go to sleep, and I feel happy to be able to do that while feeling generally very glad about that entire episode. I can think of a couple characters who should talk to each other more. (More than a couple, in fact!) But I loved the sense of progress and purpose to this episode, and I feel like things this season have generally been really beautifully paced, so for the most part I’m happy.

[taeguboi]

BTS as... Rockers

Ngl, I panicked a little when I checked on the masterlist because an older post about BTS as rock band members was labelled as this title and I’d already written this one for like 3 members already. There’s various genres I mention, some of which are also metal and pop but I thought a simple general title would be best here.

Anyways, my second post coming back recently. Hope you enjoy.

RM

Mainly a classics man

Loves to analyse lyrics

and loves writing his own lyrics based on his current favourites

It’s like a form of literature to him

Loves to chill out to prog and psychedelic rock

Accidentally had the same music tastes as that weird geography teacher in school

Probably has a pet named after a member of a power / symphonic metal band

sorry I’m a bit of a Nightwish nerd and now I can just imagine him calling for his dog “Floor!” and everyone getting confused because they think he’s just shouting at the ground

this is the kind of genre he likes the most other than classic rock; that’s where the most literature references are. It’s poetry about poetry

Has a journal of art and lyrics quotes for when he’s super into a song

Could be mistaken for a geek in school 

because to a juvenile ear, his taste in music might be challenging to listen to

like no one else had the patience aged 12 to listen to a 9 minute song or an instrumental track

and then even at 15/16, how many people your age would listen to Dark Side Of The Moon?

Guess he would say music is all about sitting back and listening and taking it in

Would love to be a songwriter for the right kind of singer

unfortunately though, he’s a bit of a loner

likes his own company too much

it’s probably the solitude that motivates him to write 

too many more friends than he already has would be too much of a distraction

It’s not a sad situation though

music is what Namjoon loves the most

and “nothing else matters”

Oh yes, let’s have a bit of Metallica in there too

It’s not until he finishes school that he becomes more in touch with what people in the current world of rock and metal like

discovered “Rollin’” by Limp Bizkit like WAY too many years after it came out

“Have you heard this ace song man?”

“yep... in 2004 dude”

“oh”

But he’s no ashamed or anything, no

He’s proud to be a fan of the bands he likes

even if they aren’t to everyone’s tastes

“Well, sorry if this isn’t some 3 minute long four chord song repeating the same 5 words”

If they don’t appreciate it, their loss

Jin

The old ones are the best ones

Think 50s rock n’ roll; Little Richard, Elvis, and so on

mixed with guilty pleasures of songs about ‘my baby girl’

Loves themed music nights

Whilst of course his favourites are the 50s themed ones

he also loves showing up to 60s nights to flaunt the flower power

or 80s nights in a fun wig as some member of a hair metal band

all the styles are very fun

but on a daily basis, he’s basically dresses like a teddy boy

tight trousers with white socks peaking out

jacket - sometimes a suit jacket, sometimes denim

as you can imagine, when a lot of this stuff comes back in fashion...

“Well, I did it first...”

you know, in this era he means he did it first

Loves a good finger clicker song

Once considered doing a tribute act around pubs and clubs

but he couldn’t decide who he wanted to be

Probably should take a role in some live production of Grease

he’s seen it enough times

and he can sing

He reckons he could never do theatre for long though

his fantasies are with playing instruments to perform

talented keyboard player

starting to get the hang of guitar too

but he does get carried away whilst trying to learn guitar

because he wants to add on all the cool moves NOW

He’s got some bangers he created on the keyboard though

he didn’t really intend to create original songs

it just happened one day after a break up

and he listened to Heartbreak Hotel

too many times

he just sat at his keyboard

and made something that really felt special

and then the day after that, he made a more upbeat song

and the week after that, he has 4 full songs in total

Open mic nights become something he enjoys 

a bit of a local celebrity

“Would you play my grandma’s 80th party? Pleeeease?”

and aww bless him, he plays all the throwback songs at care homes

all free of charge

slips in some of his original music too

“Ooh, I’m afraid I don’t remember that one dear, must be my brain”

“Oh, no no no” explains Jin “I made it myself”

Old dears just love him basically

but so do the girls his age

Whilst some think the whole 50s get up is a bit lame

some go wild for it

because he dons all his outfits so well

and his songs feel so true to the era they were inspired by

you gain a love for the 50s just from watching Jin

Talented boy, keeping the 50s alive

Suga

A lot say Yoongi has an acquired taste

an electronic element to rock or metal always makes it more interesting to him

loves industrial music - NIN for days

Linkin Park made most of his jams

cried for half a day at the news of Chester no longer being with us

Likes a bit of new wave, synthpop, all that

emo songs just help you through the bad times okay

Can equally enjoy a dub festival as much as a rock concert

some people think his taste is actually naff

but then they realise he also listens to the likes Foo Fighters or Sum 41

Plays like the same 30 songs on repeat

but his collection has so much more

He has some rock and blues for the road trip

he’s got your 70s singalongs for the party

Was briefly a DJ at a rock bar

got fired for not playing enough popular songs in his set

“wtf I thought this was a bar where people could appreciate this” huffs Yoongi

“yes but people want to sing to ‘down with the sickness’ or something, not ‘down in the park’!”

“stuff you then, I’ll take Gary somewhere else with me”

guilty pleasure: Kate Bush

A somewhat gothic sense of style

but not overwhelmingly gothic

He likes bandannas and black clothes

not always in black clothes though

sometimes the merch he wants just isn’t available in black

but no worries

as long as he can happily flaunt the music that makes him who he is

J-Hope

Can listen to any rock genre

give him something and he probably already loves it

So yeah, the band members are pretty cool and all that

but what Hoseok has more interest in the backstage roles

he’d love to manage a rock band

be a tour manager

guitar tech

Much knowledge is stored in that brain of his

and he wants to put it to good use

He starts out as a promoter and organiser for the rock bar in town

which he eventually lives above 

His events are ace

he can pick out fresh talent that everyone on that scene can enjoy

His showcase nights are the place to be

everyone can agree, he’s got amazing taste

no one can disagree with him

He’s a one man show and still managed to pull it off

he’s the promoter, the sound guy, the tech on all the instruments

way more professional than most other local music events

He takes pride in his work

did I mention he’s so good, it becomes a full time job?

As time goes by, he listens to less and less older music

but that’s okay

he’s happy with the time it takes to listen to all the up and coming bands

in the moment is where you should live

and he can still appreciate a band’s influences should they initiate conversation

“man, this dude really knows his stuff”

“will you manage our next tour?”

“can you do sound at our next gig? our guy’s rubbish”

and that one is like right in front of their current sound guy

The future is bright for Hoseok

his love for rock music could really earn him a solid living

Jimin

Some say he’s a bit of a poser in his leather jacket

but he really does love his rock music

Sometimes a bit behind on modern rock bands or releases

Low key wishes he was born in the 50s / 60s 

just so he could live in his favourite eras

his heart really lies with the classics

60s, 70s, 80s.

90s at a push

not the later 90s where grunge bands did pop

ew

actually any movie made in that time makes him cringe

like he’s all up for good clean fun

but christ it’s like they were trying to go back to the 50s or something

not everything is ‘swell’ you know

Don’t get him wrong though

he does also like some 50s music

He may or may not have spent that one time acting like Elvis in the mirror

it really hyped him up before a night out though

it may or may not have become a thing before going out in the evenings to boost his confidence

His all time favourite bands have to be The Rolling Stones and AC/DC

and no, he couldn’t pick between the two, ever

Doesn’t really have a desire to be in a band

but sort of accidentally picks up the bass to help out a mate in a band

and sort of accidentally becomes a permanent member

It’s just a cover band

but it’s so much fun

Sometimes, you can have a really bad day

and then listening to 23 people singing “I Love Rock n Roll”

kind of lifts your mood

“Play Wonderwall!”

gets a bit annoying to him

kind of wants to hit that one guy around the head with his bass

but he holds back

Because being aggressive wouldn’t be very rock of him

and whilst he does like punk music

he’s definitely not a punk

Screw all that political rubbish

music should be to enjoy yourself with

stop worrying about the world for one minute and

let’s sing about whiskey and cigarettes and just living life

“What do you MEAN you don’t know any Def Leppard songs?”

“For crying out loud!”

He tries to understand that not everyone will listen what the music he likes

“but... like seriously, how can you not though?”

V

Probably likes all the underrated bands

Loves vinyl

definitely collects vinyls

Likes to shop at vintage stores to fulfil his obscure taste

People are like “you paid £60 just for that?”

but to Tae, it’s worth every penny

He likes the classics too

he can sing along in a rock bar to all the well known tunes

old or modern

and there may be loads in his vinyl collection barely anyone recognises

but there’s some more familiar faces too

there’s The Beatles, Guns n’ Roses, Foo Fighters, anything like that

it’s just only like 20% of his huge collection

Whilst his style is inspired by those he idolises...

he can never copy them

that would be an insult to them and his originality

Plays guitar and writes songs

never anything soppy though

actually fairly hesitant to pick up an acoustic guitar

always plays electric

and the songs he makes are about having a good time, life experiences

but not about love

He can listen to a couple of cheesy tracks

he just won’t make any

“Who the heck is John Otway, Tae?”

“Oh, you know, Wild Willy Barrat”

“Willy who?”

“Cor baby, that’s really free!”

“....”

“Headbutts! da da da da da... Headbuttttsssss”

I feel like rocker V loves anything that feels slightly random

probably make his own secret songs that sound silly to others

Probably has a band that never gigs

it’s him singing and playing guitar

and a bassist and drummer that aren’t really sure why they’re here

but they kind of like the unique stuff he does

and the band is almost purposely bad

“It’s the imperfections that really give a song character”

Jungkook

Modern rock and metal

low key emo

Tears Don’t Fall by BFMV on repeat aged 14, his first break up

Lives for festivals

like when he goes to work, that is what he is earning money for

well, that and bills and food

has a jar for each festival he wants to go to this year

Also loves a bit of melodic punk

like when that one Australian band are finally coming to his country

he HAS to go

help me I’m really sad because this is me and The Decline were supposed to be coming to the UK and then this pandemic happened and now I might never see them criii

Has a playlist for every aspect of life

every feeling, every colour, every occasion

songs that remind him of a time, ones where he can visualise a colour...

many people don’t get it

“how many playlists?”

“how can a song be a colour?”

it just is

like come on, listen to this Red Jumpsuit Apparatus song 

and tell him this doesn’t remind you of gold

Could be a journalist

knows everything and anything about his favourite bands

AVENGED SEVENFOLD

because it’s the perfect mixture of everything he loves about music

vests because M.Shadows

So badly wants to be in a band

tries every instrument you could find in a typical rock band

loves the drums

gets stuck on guitar though in his first band

well, he was just desperate to go gigging

he left after a year and a bit though

got boring

forms his own band instead around him being on the drums

Lives for this band

it’s like a rock band but with political lyrics

and they can perform at most events

they just fit any bill

gigs are booked almost every weekend

road trip with the lads

they travel like 50 miles just to be paid in beer only

Dreams of big time collaborations

that will probably never happen and he knows that

but it’s nice to dream, right?

puts on his own gigs a few years down the line

of course his own band are always on the bill

everyone thinks his gigs are a hoot

He even manages to book some lesser known punk bands 

but they are a massive deal to him

“God, I love live music!”

“Do you always wear a black shirt guk?”

“Hey, I’m a drummer! It’s hard work; a lot of sweat involved... I’m sure no one wants to see my wet pits whilst trying to enjoy the show”

and then that person wishes they never asked...

but he’s right

he knows that a good band is all about the hard graft and work

and he is always so thankful for the great rock bands that influence him