#rebecca i love you this season is not about rupert this season is about YOU

[islndgurl777]

I said in the middle of the episode, when Rebecca was staring at Rupert during the match, “I really want Rebecca to get to the point where she doesn’t think of Rupert at all. Where he’s not even a consideration to her or her happiness.” Because even though they’re divorced and she got his team in the split, she’s still looking at him. She’s still thinking about beating him, all the ways she can humiliate him and lord it over him.

He destroyed her (controlled her for years, prevented her from fulfilling her dream of becoming a mother, humiliated her in the press when they got divorced, etc.) and every moment she spends continuing to let him influence her like this just hurts her more. I love her and want better for her.

And I think when she saw Rupert messing around with his assistant, she had a bit of that realization. He’s still messing around. He’s still a piece of shit. And now he’s doing to Bex what he did to her, what he did to his wife before her.

“Your daughter deserves better and so does Bex. Stop fucking around.” It didn’t feel like a threat to me. It didn’t feel like she wants to use it to hold over him. It didn’t feel angry, it felt like...pity. For Bex and the baby for sure, maybe even for Rupert for being such a broken record, but also maybe a little bit for herself for wasting all that energy on hating him.

At least, I hope that’s what that was, because like I said before, I want better for Rebecca, and I think learning to let go of Rupert will go a long way to getting her where she wants and needs to be in her life.

[soup-or-who-lock]

Ted Lasso Wednesday Thoughts!!! Rebecca's Dutch pal seems....he seems like a fella who could possibly be called Rupert...not that he seems like Rupert, just seems like A Rupert. And he would be a swell New Rupert lmao

Jamie taught his grandad to ride a bike, to honor Jamie's grandad's grandad. pardon me while I'm sobbing.

"You fellas say pillow fight one time and we're never watching a movie again" or whatever Ted said

Arguably my single most important thought ever? Ted got reverse-Princess-Bride-d. (To "get Princecess-bride-d" one would be served 1 of 2 glasses, both of which have Substance. a reverse-Princess-Bride situation is that you think both glasses have Substance, but neither does.) And neither of them referenced the Princess Bride??? The Beard serving glasses of tea with Something in it scene was so Dread Pirate Roberts and that's such a Ted/Beard movie!!! I'm hurt and shocked and offended not to have had them mention it.

[knitmeapony]

Look, I'm probably going to get a lot of shit for this but this show was all about breaking cycles.

Rebecca could have become another wealthy owner, utterly embittered, much more interested in hurting those around them to keep themselves up than to actually finding any happiness in the world. Instead she became her own person, found several families, embraced them all, and gave back in a way that helped most of them.

Nate could have learned that lashing out and repression were at least an outlet for his frustrations, he could have followed in Rupert's footsteps and become a miserable jackass. Instead by accepting the kindness and Grace of other people he started over, found love, and came home.

Keeley could have become a lot like her friend, never recognizing her inherent talents, slowly panicking as she aged, abandoned by the Machine by the time she was 30. She could have seen other women as enemies or at least combatants, but instead she found better friendship and mentorship and began to pass it on to others as she bettered her own life.

Roy's endless cycle of rage and hurting himself and pushing himself too hard to return could have literally killed him. He could have been like any number of Aging athletes whose life ends at 35. Instead he has a new career in a place that he loves, and he is finding ways to improve his mental health and open up.

Jamie could have been just another celebrity douchebag, possibly even sinking into the alcoholism that was taking his father. Just as much as keely, he was often seen as only as good as his physical fitness and his body, but he went back and read the books, he learned tactics, he learned to accept help and to give help and he became 10 times the man and 10 times the player that he was at the beginning. his career could have flamed out young but he got his second chance and he gave his father a second chance in turn.

And Ted, oh god Ted. his father made the ultimate selfish choice. He decided if he couldn't be perfect and he couldn't be everything he would be nothing. He would rather absent himself from his son's life then be there for him in whatever ways he could. Ted could have been happy in england. Ted could have had an incredible career. But Henry would not have had a father. How many times did people remind us that parents are responsible for the ways they fuck up their children during this show? Every other fucking episode, another way to point out that there are cycles of failure and frustration and psychological damage that get passed down from generation to generation. He broke that cycle, over and over. He didn't pin Michelle down into an unhappy marriage. They split up, and were both happier for it. He chose to put his son first, to not abandon him. He can have an incredible career anywhere in the world with a season like that. But he can't be in Henry's life the way he wants to be from six time zones away.

This isn't denigrating people who by necessity are long distance parents. But I would be willing to bet that if you asked any of those long distance parents if, given the choice, they would move back to be close to their kids? I'm willing to bet you pretty much every single one of them would say fuck yes, I want to hug them in the morning and tuck them in bed at night. I want to go to their soccer games and see their art shows.

Ted chose to be sincerely and honestly present in Henry's life. I don't think he's getting back with Michelle, he's not going back for a marriage. He's going home to be a father and I think his father would be proud.

[hacash]

The thing is, people who were talking about how ‘revolutionary’ Ted Lasso was for showing that anyone can turn their life around and start to make good choices in Season One were being a bit free with their complements.

Don’t get me wrong: I love S1, but showing the redemption arc of a beautiful rich white woman whose villainy took the form of Boss Ass Bitch in a way we all loved was not revolutionary. Showing the redemption arc of the cocky pretty-boy with daddy issues was not revolutionary. They were great storylines and I loved every second of them, but we’ve definitely seen this story play out before. They’re comfortable. They’re familiar.

But saying: you can turn your life around even if you betray the guy who showed you nothing but kindness and love and support? You can choose to make good choices even if you’re a sleazy prick who spent years abusing and manipulating the people around you? Even if you’re a violent, abusive addict? 

That’s uncomfortable. That’s revolutionary. A lot of shows will play the ‘anyone can change - ennhhh, but we’re only really going to show it with the stereotypically handsome villain with awesome cheekbones and a sad backstory’. But Ted Lasso really sticks to its guns and says the door is always open for anyone can change; yes, even that particular bastard, the worst one you can think of; even if they kept on making choices not to in the past; you don’t have to wait for them to get their shit together and they might not even do it, but the door is always open.

(And I think the show’s also been very clear about also saying that forgiveness doesn’t equal reconciliation, that you don’t need to give people another chance if it’s not safe or good for you. Sure, Nate is being welcomed into the fold, but given the past few episodes, it’s pretty obvious the same won’t be true of Rupert and Tartt Sr. But as both Rebecca and Jamie’s arcs have shown, defining yourself by the anger you hold for your abuser doesn’t do you any good. Neither of them can move on until they release that anger and hurt, and that’s what’s important about their arcs.)

[captainjonnitkessler]

I know a lot of people were like “Ted Lasso is all about second chances! . . . except for Rupert, fuck that guy”. And that’s funny as a joke, but one of the things I adored about this season is that Rupert DID get a second chance. And he fucking blew it.

Rebecca calls him out on being a shitty husband and father, and tells him to do better. She calls him out for using football as the means to an end and reminds him of how he once loved it just for the sport. And what two things bring about Rupert’s downfall in the finale? The fact that he kept sleeping with his employees and the fact that he tried to get his manager to play dirty in order to win a match. Rebecca offered him second chances - not with her, but to become a better person, and it was his explicit rejection of those chances that sealed his fate.

Ted Lasso has never been subtle about the message that anyone can change and anyone can use a second chance. Rupert isn’t an exception to that, he’s an example of what happens when you don’t take that second chance.

[sylvies-chen]

TED LASSO 3.09 THOUGHTS

saw someone who got a screener say it was the best episode of the season and perhaps the best episode of the series and like… I AGREE VEHEMENTLY. THAT WAS AMAZINGGGGGGG

funniest line of the whole episode hands down was roy saying “all of you know my ass is not hairy but not one of you spoke up. and I will never forgive you.” like TELL ME WHY THEY TOOK IT SO SERIOUS LMFAOOOOO

this whole episode made my little queer heart burst with joy for my best gay welsh boy colin hughes!!! and trent being the proud mentor watching the whole team embrace colin and watching ted have the most beautiful response of saying they DO care and to celebrate this part of colin’s identity AHH I LOVE THIS FOUND FAMILY MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF

call your friends and let them know: ROY. KENT. IS BACK. he is baaaaaack bitches! the roy we know and love is working his way back! his press monologue was so good and it shows the kind of integrity and kindness he can have

speaking of roy: rebecca’s harangue calling out roy? OUTSTANDING. it was so warranted but you can tell it came from a place of love by that very earnest look she gave him at the end (mostly love for keeley, but out of love and respect for roy too in my opinion)

she also wants roykeeley back like the rest of us y’all trust 🙏🏻

ok but BI JAMIE LOWKEY CONFIRMED???

and in the same episode where I… admittedly… loved the vibes between jamie and sam… like it gave enemies/rivals to lovers the way sam flipped him off when he wanted to be captain and jamie cut him off in his speech and they just laughed about it like ooh their friendship is so good we love the growth but also… that was flirting tell me I’m wrong

this episode felt like an ode to isaac and colin’s friendship. it felt like the journey isaac needed to decide that like “yes. okay. I’m your protector now. I’m sorry I didn’t see this before. I’m sorry you felt you had to keep this from me. but no more.” and sure he’s still very much A Straight Man™️ about it, but he’s willing to unravel and to deconstruct that in order to be the best friend his best friend deserves. my heart. 🥹

NATE MADE A GOOD DECISION AND DITCHED RUPERT YESSSS BABY STEPS. Rupert’s really going for the isolation manipulation tactic like he is truly scum of the earth I want to smash his face in. but JADE IS DOING NATE SOOO MUCH GOOD like he’s finally got a support system that he doesn’t feel codependent on and also doesn’t need to share with a whole team, so he can feel more secure in who he is now!!

FINAL SCORE IS 10/10 I LOVED IT AND IT WAS SO GOOD my only complaint is that there are only 3 episodes left and it doesn’t feel like it but eh wtvr

[kvetchinglyneurotic]

A list of things from my season 1 rewatch, in no particular order (but most of them are about Jamie because he's my special little guy)

Attention to detail! A lot of plot relevant things come up in the background a long time before they're addressed overtly — the news broadcast in the background mentions that Jamie's on loan from Man City in 1x02 (although Ted doesn't seem to be aware of it until 1x06); Roy is shown icing his knee in the background of several shots, ect.

Jamie displays a mixture of genuinely bad behaviour and behaviour that isn't inherently shitty but reads as him being an asshole in light of his general attitude, and might register as worrying outside of that context (thinking he'd have to sleep with whoever bid on him and his clear alarm at the thought; dissociating when Ted yells at him, flinching when Dani goes in for the high-five, his conviction that people (mainly Ted) are playing mind games when they're being nice)

I don't think they had the Amsterdam story planned out when they wrote 1x04 but it fits really well with Jamie's behaviour at the gala. My interpretation is Jamie asked Bex to come so he'd have someone he knows to bid on him/drive up the price but didn't intend for there to be a bidding war with Keeley specifically — he doesn't ask her to bid on him until her and Roy joking about him having to sleep with Cheryl (the older woman) freaks him out, and I think he may have asked initially asked Bex because he knew that as his girlfriend Keeley probably wouldn't bid on him

Cartrick strikes me as kind of similar to James Tartt in a way that might have represented some sense of familiarity, no matter how unpleasant, for Jamie — Jamie's worst behaviour is in 1x03-1x06 when the team is changing around him and he's losing his hold, but at the same time, losing that position of power in 1x06 does seem to mellow him out a bit

Love Rebecca's schemer era and how her better nature seems to slip through in these moments where she's not deliberately trying to scheme (offering Keeley a job, helping Ted through his panic attack)

Ted has grown on me a lot since my first watch through when I honestly found him quite annoying. That being said I still completely understand why Michelle wanted to get a divorce. Aromanticism aside, I would also divorce that man. Sorry Ted.

Forgot how much season 1 makes you want to murder Rupert. I want to murder him so much. Fuck that guy.

Roy and Jamie's mutual hatred era is weirdly hilarious when you know they're going to end up as friends. Aw it's your bestie <3

[lunar-years]

stray thoughts now that i've had twenty minutes to process seeing Jamie's bare ass:

everything that happened with Rebecca tonight was an absolute win. Vigilante Shit with Bex. Her extremely aggressive and definitely disconcerting positivity to Ted at the half. Another incredible outfit. I do love to see it!

Ted's comment that was like "I think you fellas should just calm down and kiss" with the diamond dogs was actually subliminal messaging to help ease the straight audience into Roy/Jamie being canon-ified later in the season (i love being delusional) (but there was nothing straight about what was happening between Jamie and Roy tonight) (but I love being delusional)

Barbara @ Rebecca, Keeley @ Jack, Jack @ Keeley.... something very LGBTQ was afoot ! thank you Brett.

Keeley talking to Shandy about Jamie and how much he's changed and basically trying to convince herself she doesn't feel like that about him anymore while making it incredibly obvious she actually feels very much like that about him and perhaps now more than ever!!! Here's how the ot3 can still win-- (I love being delusional) (but also Jamie going to Keeley's house to hug it out and Roy and Keeley in Jamie's childhood bedroom and--)

I don't have much to say about Nate's storyline, but that's because i think it's being handled very, very well. Him in his tiny flat obsessing over his football-planning-board-thingey and throwing Ted off but then feeling bad about it and setting him back up!!! right from the bat that said everything I needed to hear and then it only got increasingly more loud throughout the episode.

Rupert is genuinely SO sinister. Him literally telling Nate to call him Rupert in episode 1, then Mr. Mannion at the beginning of tonight's episode, then Rupert again after the win...the subtlety of his manipulation is soooo encroaching and so evil I.....

Zava as a parent.......much to consider (negatively). HATED his treatment of Zoreaux. That and also everything he says/does to his teammates is so patronizing and manipulative and the way that he disguises it under his "wisdom" and his talent ew he's grating on me!!

Jamie missing that goal and everyone kind of thinking he shouldn't've taken the shot when he could have passed to Zava, but then Roy claps for him right away because he knows what Jamie was trying to do........ Jamie being so motivated after the loss to get back out there and train with Roy...... Jamie not participating in the violence at the game.... j a mie.....

annnnnd we're back to the bare ass! until next week, folks.

[kalinara]

I’ve thought about this a lot, and it occurs to me that I don’t think Ted’s problem is that he doesn’t get angry or needs to learn that not everyone has to be forgiven.

Because we already HAVE someone that Ted is angry at, someone that Ted doesn’t forgive:

His father.

Ted Lasso has never forgiven his father.  And we can see that in so many ways:

1) His refusal to go to the funeral.  That was a child’s decision, of course, but we can hear it in the way he talks about it now.  The rapid speech, the sharp note in his voice.  “Because he quit.”

2) The whole thing about quitting.  Ted Lasso doesn’t quit.  It’s a big motif.  For the most part, it’s a positive one (see: Sharon using it to motivate him), but it can get him trapped in a hopeless spiral (see: Michelle).

3) The darts monologue with Rupert.  Curiosity vs. judgment.   Per Ted, a truly curious man would have asked “Have you played a lot of darts, Ted?”

Thing is, and I can’t believe I’m defending Rupert.  But he DID ask Ted a SIMILAR question.  He asked, “Do you like darts?”

But that was the wrong question.  Because Ted’s answer is a very ambivalent “eh, they’re okay.”

When you think about it, does that emotional reaction fit with everything that comes after?  The folksy anecdote?  The softly fond reveal of playing darts every Sunday from age 10 to 16 in a Sports Bar with his father?

Unless the darts aren’t exactly a happy memory, not anymore.

5) Henry’s name.  This is something that’s haunted me for some time.  That bit in Goodbye Earl when Ted tells us about the dog that bit him.  About the dog he kept, until it died.  That dog is Hank.

Hank is a diminutive of Henry.  

If we take Ted’s anecdote at face value then, Ted had a parent die in his adolescence.  One he clearly did love.  And he named his son after the dead dog instead.  

So yeah, I think Ted has absolutely never forgiven his father.  And that’s the crux of his problem now.

Folks have said that the series really should have made Henry 19.  It would easily fit in Ted’s timeline, and wouldn’t read as much like Ted’s abandoning his son...

Except think about it for a second.  When do kids usually read Johnny Tremain?  Fourth grade?  Fifth?  When they’re about ten years old?

How old was Ted when his dad started (from his perspective) prioritizing his friends over his son?

When did Ted’s father START playing darts with him every Sunday?  

Is Ted really abandoning his son?  I don’t really think so.  But Ted thinks so.  And why does Ted think so?  Because young Ted thought so.  Ted has never forgiven his father, so he can’t forgive himself either.

And that’s what makes it particularly ironic that these fans who say Ted shouldn’t have to “forgive everyone”, and by “everyone”, they mean Nate.  Not Rebecca, not Trent.  Nate.

And the thing about Nate is that Nate is Ted’s son too.  Not literally, but everything in the first and second season built that symbolic relationship.  From Ted noticing him and uplifting him.  Buying him his first suit.  Taking him as his plus one for the Gala.  Including him in the Diamond Dogs.  All of it.

Hell, even Nate’s name.  “Nate”.  “Nate the Great”.  Nate’s real father only ever calls him Nathan.  (Oh, and isn’t there a fascinating comparison between “Wonder Kid” and “Nate the Great”?  Ted has NEVER to my recollection EVER called him the “Wonder Kid”.)

Nate’s anger at Ted is real.  He feels that Ted abandoned him, and he has some justification in that.  Ted was so wrapped up in his own issues that he missed that Nate needed help.  He did (accidently) insult and undermine Nate a few times, in ways that I’d like to think the more alert Ted of Season One would have caught and avoided/mitigated.

But at least SOME of Nate’s anger at Ted is really misdirected anger at his actual father.  This is what causes Nate to believe the worst of Ted, without really any basis.  Is Ted really dismissing Nate’s contributions?  No, of course not.  He’s very quick to credit him.  But Nate hears his father’s cold dismissal deeper in his heart.  The absence of Nate’s picture has nothing to do with dislike, that picture is on his mantle next to Henry’s picture!  That’s how IMPORTANT Nate is to Ted!  But Nate doesn’t know that, and he has no reason to expect that.  And it’s really really sad.

If Ted and Nate never reconcile than what does this mean for Ted?  It means he’s failed a son.  It means he’s failed a son just like he’d been failed.  It means that he’s failing TWO sons.  He needs this reconciliation with Nate as much, if not more, than Nate himself does.  Is Nate’s deed unforgiveable?  Maybe, it’d be to a stranger.  Maybe even to a friend.  But is it unforgiveable to a FATHER?

No.  A parent’s love is (supposed to be) unconditional.  Of course, he will forgive Nate.  Nate’s already BEEN forgiven.  But if they can reconcile...in a way that Ted cannot and will never be able to be reconciled with his father?

I think that would do more good for Ted than any “learning it’s okay not to forgive” lesson ever would.

[izzyspussy]

Read any good fics lately? Looking for recommendations

You bet! Here's the last ten most recent fics I bookmarked on AO3.

To All The Better Places by @asteria-argo Five years after Jamie Tartt quits man city and disappears off the face of the earth, some of the players at AFC Richmond participate in an outreach program where they visit some local school, and mentor some of the children. These two events are a lot more connected than they first seem.

The Hound of Nelson Road by @pghumfort Chelsea legend, Roy Kent, disappeared without a trace 1 year ago. Rupert Mannion’s ex-wife, Rebecca Welton, took possession of AFC Richmond 1 week ago. Manchester City loanee, Jamie Tartt, will learn about the feral Staffordshire Bull Terrier in the basement of Nelson Road in about 10 minutes.

Can't Promise Forever by @sky-fire-forever Edward Teach is as part of Izzy Hands as Izzy himself is. But Izzy wants him gone.

Making a Statement by SugMak Roy Kent and Jamie Tartt understood Colin pretty well. He didn't want to be a spokesperson - he just didn't want to have to hide. They'd hoped any attention from that big kiss after their final match last season would have died down by the start of the season. Keeley could have told them it wouldn't.

Call-Up by straydog733 Roy, Keeley and Jamie are having a quiet night in when Jamie gets some troubling news from an old friend.

AD NAUSEAM by providing_leverage Isaac McAdoo learns that his best mate is gay in the worst way possible. Then he wakes up and does it again. Over and over.

Conversations by BRobilliard Missing scene between S2 E04 & E05: What happened after Stede brought Ed back to the ship?

but the past is a minefield (and right now is a prison break) by flibbertygigget The semi-captaincy of one Izzy Hands, one-legged bastard and damn good pirate.

Two Truths And… by MissHazelA Frenchie and Izzy make a bet, fall in love, and accidentally start a ship-wide lying contest.

Credit for Experience by Vee (Vera_DragonMuse) Izzy had no interest in being a 'nontraditional student'. He preferred tradition and flipping off most institutions on principle. Too bad it was the only way to qualify for certification as a C.P.A. and his first career choice smoldered in ruins behind him. He'd get through it. Even if it meant rolling his eyes through an art class to fill a pointless requirement.

[mrgaretcarter]

This is going to be long and sort of a bummer, so if you’re enjoying this season of Ted Lasso and are satisfied with Ted and Rebecca’s individual and joint storylines don’t let me ruin it, just scroll past.

Right out the gate I’ll say, this references up to 3x09, maybe the last 3 eps will turn everything around and it’ll all be wonderful once more, I sure hope it, I just gotta to get my right now feelings out of my chest, okay?

So, I’ve been unsatisfied with this season in general for a while, but this is just going to be about Ted and T/R: for the past couple days I’ve been chatting with people a lot trying to figure out what the actual problem with them is, because it’s not just that I haven’t been enjoying it on the show, it’s that I haven’t been able to access them in my own head, not even to daydream, and yesterday I think I finally got it.

At first I thought the problem was the distance, you know, no scenes together, nothing to jolt the imagination, and that’s definitely part of it, but I realized that, at the moment, it’s not just that. The problem, the real problem, is Ted. I just don’t really like him right now, and I know that sounds harsh, but I don’t know what else to say!!

My favorite thing about Ted was the fact that he was nurturing. I know we all say he is such a Dad™️ (and he is), but for real, what he actually is, is motherly. I know that sounds nuts, but even if nobody consciously thinks this, that is how he is interpreted; it’s in the fic, it’s in the art, it’s in the meta, but I’m not gonna get into explaining my reasoning there, cause my point is just that I love that about him!

Straight male characters can be providers and protectors (and Ted is that too, to an extent), but only very rarely are they nurturers, very rarely are they primarily home and hearth (right now the only other popular example I can think of is Peeta Mellark, and sooo many people did not like him for exactly those traits!), so it was interesting and exciting to me that Ted had these characteristics! And I say had because we haven’t seen that from him, as in, we haven’t seen him take care of others in a significant way, in forever.

Mind you, he was isolated for most of s2 as well, but we had a very clear reason for it then, but now? He’s had a couple good coaching moments this season, one good speech, he’s still a leader and a point of reference, but he hasn’t been nurturing (not even with his actual literal son lately).

This’s been the problem with him to me. I feel like this Ted lacks the very thing that made me love him, and who (I thought) he was, was an essential part of me shipping him and Rebecca, because the thing she needed most was that care.

The fact that I thought that he was so hungry to give, while she was so starved is the very thing that was appealing about them, but he hasn’t cared for her since I couldn’t even say when (funeral?), and what’s worse, it’s not just her, it’s everyone. He’s been completely on his own, so I haven’t even been able to imagine him that way anymore, which means I have no recent point of reference to extrapolate from in order to make up my silly little scenarios, so you can see how frustrated I am! (Feels important at this stage to say, to those who don’t know me, that I’m quite attached to canon, I need a foothold to picture things).

The other thing that makes this worse is that Rebecca has remained consistent. She still cares about him. She checks in, she worries, she asks after him, she’s eager to help him and does. She is still pulling her weight, but Ted is nearly a blank. He said “Our run-ins” and then all he did was criticize her about the Rupert stuff, and don’t get me wrong!! I’m not stupid, I know he was right and that her resentment and obsession would only bring her down, I’m glad he held her accountable in that way, but I wish he would’ve also had her back at the same time instead of just offering the moral lesson.

Also, I ship them, obviously, but none of this is even inherently romantic, I just wish they were important to each other again, which I’m sure even people who believe they’re only friends and platonic soulmates would agree with. And if I can’t have that, I’d at least like to have Ted feel like himself.

Anyway, I hope this makes sense, pleeeease don’t be mean to me, and again, maybe the last 3 will make me change my mind completely, I definitely would like to enjoy the final stretch.

[laiqualaurelote]

Follow up question from your Ted/Trent one: would you elaborate on your S3 disappointment? Thanks for letting me pick your fascinating, insightful, brilliant brain!

You're very kind. My disappointments with S3 are manifold but I will try to sum them up here.

There was a pervasive wrongness to much of this season that had not previously been present, unlike in S1 and much of S2, where radical kindness was a driving force and storylines would seem to be heading towards a predictable trope, then be surprisingly and pleasingly subverted. Several S3 plotlines were handled in a way that left an unpleasant taste in the mouth, without any catharsis attached. The truly baffling Shandy storyline is a prime example of this. I thought at first that this was part of a wider plan (the dark forest, so to speak, from which we would eventually emerge) and defended the show to friends as such, but weeks went by and it became clear that a show that had once been meticulously, lovingly plotted in every detail had devolved into a haphazard mess.

Story arcs came and went with no perceptible purpose. The show promised Important Social Commentary (the attacks on Sam's restaurant, Keeley's sex video leaking) then failed to revisit these issues once the episodes in question were over. Plot points were hinted at, then never brought up again (Higgins broaches the subject of firing Ted to Rebecca; this is never returned to.)

The characterisation was a mass of unfulfilled potential. Why make the reason for Sam not being chosen for the Nigerian national team Edwin Akufo's cartoonish grudge, and not his S2E3 calling out of government corruption, which would have made far more sense narratively and given Toheeb Jimoh far more to work with? Why tell us repeatedly that Keeley is a PR genius, then fail to have her take charge of her own PR crisis? Instead of Shandy proving to be a bad hire, surely a better way to show Keeley learning to be a good leader would have been for her to integrate Shandy and Barbara's diverse skill sets and attitudes into a functional workplace dynamic. Why not show the most key milestones of Nate's reformation, especially his confrontation with Rupert when he quit West Ham? for that matter, why give the moment of a West Ham coach standing up to Rupert for ethical reasons not to Nate, but to George Cartrick? I think we were robbed of a truly meaty Nate villain-and-back arc.

The season finale was a mess. Ted barely seemed present. I'm not a Tedbecca shipper, but even to me the fakeout at the beginning seemed unnecessarily cruel (and a waste of time in a season where so many things were not adequately explored or given closure). The truly bizarre choices in the final montage, especially Beard's Stonehenge wedding with a conspicuously absent Ted, were the final straw. That Ted needed to return to Henry was, for me, without question, but the way it was handled was deeply questionable.

What bothers me a great deal is the lack of change. Characters either regressed (Roy and Jamie re: Keeley, Ted re: Michelle) or had no agency in major crises inflicted upon them. The opening and closing close-up shots are meant to be of the character that changes most over the course of the season. This holds true for Rebecca in S1, and Nate in S2, but not Ted in S3. What changes for Ted is circumstance: he is in London, leaving his son; then he is in Kansas, back with his son. He himself, however, is not shown to be changed to a degree significant enough to close the show on.

This is not to say it was all bad. There are things I love very much about S3: Roy and Trent's surprise dynamic; Nate/Jade; the Hey Jude scene; the strings exercise; Beard's Jean Valjean backstory; the entirety of Sunflowers, a near-perfect episode that deserved the Emmy writing nomination that was mystifyingly given to So Long, Farewell. It is only that we were asked to believe that the showrunners knew what they were doing in delivering us the final season of a three-season arc, and we did, and that belief was not rewarded. Therein lies my disappointment.

[hilsoncrater]

when ted shakes the snowglobe and thinks of the people he's leaving behind, the first person he thinks of is trent

and it's not just that he's thinking about trent; he's thinking about the love letter trent wrote him, how ted loves it (and draws a moustached smile to make trent smile), but how ted can't possibly accept it [it being all about him]. and yet he sees trent in golden, sunflower, home.

literally SO fucking ill about this, thank you, anon.

i truly believe if dottie hadn't manipulated/triggered ted like she did the episode beforehand, something would have become of ted and trent. it's right there in what you described! there's always been this silently loud, gravitational pull between them.

trent is who ted thinks of first when he thinks of richmond, when he pours celebratory shots after victories, when he looks across a locker room while making a point in a speech.

ted is who trent thinks of first when he thinks of richmond, when he goes to follow his bliss, when he wants to live his life authentically.

it's truly bizarre and so so sad to see ted not be able to accept his positive role in other's lives. it's easier for him to lean into the role of Fixer with henry, to self-blame, to only view the negative role he (falsely!) believes he plays in his son's life. he cannot handle even the slightest notion of merging both aspects of his two separate lives (remember colin's ache? the concept could apply here too) because to do that requires acceptance of the self.

which! trent mentioned in the last diamond dogs meeting that it's not about change so much as acceptance of your past. ted was getting better through the season and he was starting to accept his past, until dottie steamrolled in during a vulnerable moment and fucking threw it back in his face. "your son misses you." + "fuck you."

every action ted has done in the series has been to not wind up like his father. he consciously chose to be kind and forgiving and optimistic when it would have been easier (and at times healthier) to lean into anger and hurt. his father's suicide has been the through-line this entire time. a ghost which haunts ted's worldview.

and dottie, unfortunately, played a major role in why ted only ever feels like he is loved/valued when something is needed from him. when he has to fix or care for or coach either someone or something. by dottie not working on herself, by not getting them both help after ted's dad's suicide, by not talking about it, she effectively Parentified a teenager and shut down communication at the same time. onscreen she only ever gives a shit about ted when she wants something. it's all her. her insecurities/guilt about how she parented ted become a knife wielded against him for how he untraditionally chooses to parent henry and for how he chooses to live his life.

dottie saw how much healthier ted is in richmond and could not see outside herself for more than two seconds to recognize it as a good thing. she instead felt threatened enough to effectively trigger ted into a catatonic low. to get him away from a support system and therapist who truly love him in a way she never could or can. to isolate him. nothing puts the fear of god into an abuser quite like a support system their victim can turn to. (why do you think rupert isolated rebecca?)

and trent? trent was a part of that support system. a divorced, gay man who wrote hundreds of pages about The Lasso Way, who's main inspiration was ted, who loved ted for all his flaws, who pushed ted with hard questions, who got all his references, who quit his whole career over ted, who at the end of the day just wanted ted to laugh with and like this book-love-letter he wrote for him. just wanted ted to recognize and accept that Coach Ted Lasso From America is a good man.

but ted? freshly triggered, catatonic depressive ted? cannot accept this reality. because to do so would mean acknowledgement of the silently loud, gravitational pull they have towards each other, and what that means, and how happy that has made him feel, and how trent would openly love him unconditionally if ted just allowed it. nothing to fix, nothing to take care of.

it goes against all this fucked conditioning ted's grown up with, where he's been triggered back to. beyond the role of Fixer, beyond his inability to accept help/love, beyond even his conditioned sexuality. it directly challenges the reality of a lonely kid who was often forgotten about by his parents in places. a lonely kid who other kids often underestimated and didn't care to ask questions about, to get to know. at sixteen, that same lonely kid walked in on his father's suicide and then had to walk through the grief alone, traumatized out his mind with no healthy way of expressing it. all the while wondering if he was to blame.

that is who ted regressed back into.

and it isn't until ted is back in that familiar box that he dares dream about trent again. because hey, that's all it was between them, right? a nice fantasy. it wasn't a reality. nah, not a chance. because In Real Life Ted Lasso Does Not Deserve That Level Of Support Or Love.

[sylvies-chen]

ok TED LASSO EPISODE 2 THOUGHTS:

keeley wanting to take a blood oath with her coworkers on ayahuasca is so funny like these writers really understand girl culture 😌

dani is the unsung hero of this episode because his lines have such an innocence to them even as he’s telling trent to fuck off which honestly takes talent to portray with such naïveté so kudos to cristo for that!

THE TEAM BEING UPSET EVEN BY THE RUMOUR OF ROY AND KEELEY BREAKING UP hands down the funniest and most amazing scene of the episode like they all know roykeeley are precious and the king and queen must be protected at all costs i love those himbos 🥰

trent is doing his best and honestly we love him for it. I mean look at that face, what’s not to love?

I do think his book will cause some ground to rumble at richmond though. rebecca and keeley and higgins were right in nodding vigorously at ted because it will not be good if it blows up

also rebecca saying yes while seeing a bunch of no gestures just after ted did the same thint mhm yeah soulmates I do believe

roy is being his usual self this episode and you can so clearly see how his mindset with his career last season set the tone for his mindset in his relationship with keeley which led him to break up with her. he’s being stupid because hello, she’s keeley fucking jones, he needs to get over the insecurity, but I also get how his it’s valid as he’s felt it in so many aspects of his life before. him holding onto the news clipping is proof of that. the whole “some people would rather quit than get fired” thing just is so layered with him dumping her out of fear that he would end up dumped one day and have his insecurities about not being good enough for her confirmed. this also means he’s growing and will get over it though, trust in endgame everyone !!

zava is more of a diva then jamie was in season 1 and it is going to be a BLAST watching jamie perhaps revert back to his old self just a *little* bit out of jealousy and watch these two have one big ol’ diva-off (in my head it plays out like a “lip sync battle for your life” on rupaul’s drag race kind of moment but that’s just me)

THE PUB BESTIES ARE BACK OMG

jamie trying to hug roy and roy shoving him away cause he was freaked out was absolutely hilarious like it’s giving fleabag when claire tried to hug her (if anyone hasn’t seen fleabag pls go watch it on amazon prime)

Rupert Mannion is a slimy turd and I hope Rebecca murders him in a violent and unspeakable manner and then gets away with it

also Rebeca yelling at Zava in the bathrooms paralleling when she told Keeley that men give each other jobs in bathrooms all the time!!! Haha!

give me a ten hour episode of Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso batting his eyelashes and making comments about Hallmark Christmas movies and I will be a happy woman

BONUS: the amsterdam snowglobe!!! THEY KEEP TEASING THIS TRIP AND GOOD LORD IT IS GOING TO KILL ME!!!

[vole-mon-amour]

3x10, a mix of everything, part 1

didn't expect it to happen that fast but HELL YEAH. there's nothing for Nathan to do next to Rupert. Rupert keeps switching his lovers like socks while his wife is still at home with their daughter. come on!! villain arc for Bex and Rebecca when? when is Rupert gonna get killed die and leave Bex all the money??? and then Bex and Rebecca become best friends and raise a daughter together?

Trent being the heart of the team? do you remember how it all started and how wary everyone was of him? do you? it warms my heart, but it warms it twice bc of the clear bond we see between Colin and Trent. like, older queer with younger queer, helping each other out and bonding. their friendship does things to me tbh. it's so very important and intimate and—

in other words, representation matters.

yaaay! also, Trent <3333 again, this warms my heart.

sometimes I really have no idea what this season is doing. i miss them being a dramedy, not a full on sitcom. i'm enjoying this season, but sometimes it's borderline too much. it's out of nowhere and it's not necessary at all.

besties unlocked <3 Trent is such a sunshine, I love him. the way he and Ted share a raised eyebrows look. there is something so wonderful happening between Ted and Trent from the moment they met. it's like they're connected and are being drawn to each other.

girl talk, especially when it involves middle aged men <3 Rebecca as their leader is really something. i love it.

I think Rebecca is being mean to the actual devil. also, why do iphone users love their matte screen cover? why not the regular one?

Trent is so in love with Ted, my goodness. that cute smile. Ted is so freaking oblivious, I need the show to do something about it. i need Ted to learn Trent is in love with him.

this is such a nice shot. something something, the idea of press taking pics of Nate's gf leaving. which at first I thought was kind of nice, but then she leaves with a suitcase and it looks like a breakup of some sort, so not that nice. hm. still, the shot is pretty.

this is such a nice look & I like her hair a lot, but my GOD, how do people wear those minies? it's beyond good and evil for me. shorts i can kinda understand, but skirts? that's... yeah, no.

there you go Jack's "me and Keeley are dating" without asking Keeley first if she wants to announce it and then Jack totally ghosting Keeley. *frustrated high pitched growl* I hate that plotline. if it's their way to push Keeley back towards Roy bc she will no longer be that busy so Roy can't come up with that excuse again, that's a very shitty thing to do. so far I don't see the bigger picture of this. they've been messing up Keeley's storyline this season just like that.

"the board" oh, fuck you, Jack. (in Grace Le Domas' voice) fucking rich people.

Dani crushing Van Damme's chips is such a dick move, ESPECIALLY since you're trashing the airplane!! you're not the one who's gonna have to clean it up, you asshole.

can somebody connect this parallel for me pls? it's just within my reach but it slips away.

sooo, Beard isn't getting out of a toxic relationship? gotta say, this plotline concerns me. idk where they're going with it and WHY in the first place. Beard deserves better & Jane needs some serious therapy.

#fired immediately

I'm here for Rebecca standing up for herself against Rupert. I hate that asshole so much.

I don't remember, have we seen Roy's sister before? it's so rare.

go fuck yourself. yes, i'm quick to jump to conclusions and violence.

Leslie is NOT having a good tea time this season. let him enjoy his tea 2k23! however, the fact that he knows every friend Rebecca has. some friendship between him and Rebecca developed along the way since s1.

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

ted lasso 3.04 thoughts, mostly ted/rebecca related because i’m predictable:

they had scenes! sceneS!!!!! what is this, the year 2020?????? and they were both so fun!

i know i was really obsessing over the 1.04/2.04/3.04 parallel potential, and i feel like we got a spiritual successor to those first two episodes in the “am i a mess?” / “of course you are, that’s why we get along.” exchange. because that’s it!!!!!!

this is such a dorky takeaway, but after that scene with sassy at the beginning, i’m really like, “awwwww, rebecca really likes ted!!!!!!!” rebecca smiled at his “progmess” pun after sassy was like “puns = NO” and no one can take that away from me!

also, i feel like ted definitely asked sassy out to try to sort of “catch up” with michelle and the progress she’s made since they split. i really hope sassy’s fwb stance sticks (and hey, if they want to be f w/o b, that works for me too!), because i watch this show with a deranged and myopic agenda called tedbeccaism.

oklahoma! OKLAHOMA!!!!!! you know i wasn’t ready for that level of fanfic-attention-to-detail-level callback and then all of a sudden she just SAID IT! aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! rebecca still thinking about a conversation these guys had over a year ago!

the energy of this scene -- like, obviously i’m super biased, but it felt very light and fond and lovely, with the lighting and the feels-y background music -- makes me feel like where we’re going is: at this point they both genuinely have no idea that they could ever have romantic feelings for each other, but the show is starting to be like “hint hint” and the epiphany’s gonna hit when they least expect it.⚡

rebecca manically hyping up ted and ted being the one that’s like “okay, crazy” for once was very delightful to behold. also, sometimes one simply likes to watch her manhandle him a little. (this is TWO episodes in a ROW with PHYSICAL CONTACT after the long, long drought??? whoa now. what’s going on!)

i loved all the rebecca + rupert + bex stuff!! rebecca and bex clearly having a good vibe between them! rebecca telling rupert to quit messing around!!! EPIC!

nate is breaking my heart! i didn’t expect him to already be so ... nate again, with his evil-and-thriving veneer pretty absent, and i really like this writing choice. him missing his chance for a makeup handshake with ted because of RUPERT. :’( i also really like that ted is sticking to his guns re: not being mad at nate. and both nate and ted having little figures of each other and being emotional about it!

rupert giving nate the full relationship-with-a-narcissist treatment = :( :( :(. it’s so harrowing to watch.

are keeley and gladys from bomb girls going to be a THING??? or am i just reading sapphic subtext into every interaction with a new woman that keeley has?

mary from ghosts being smitten with rebecca is the most real.

why are jamie and roy acting so shippable this season? what’s--what’s up with that? whatever it is, it’s a delight. also, jamie canonically a pooh bear style sleeper.

ted told michelle the truth!!!!!!! progress from the prog-mess!!!!!!! bless u, sir.