#roy and keeley can still date if that’s true

[its-time-to-write]

Hello! I absolutely love your work. You’re a fantastic writer. Is it possible for you to do something based a bit off of the song London Boy by Taylor Swift? If not I understand. I just feel there’s some cool way to tie it with Jamie Tartt. Sorry if it’s a bit of a generic request

ALRIGHTY gotta preface this, I actually hate this song 😂 Lyrics aren’t bad, but the like accent thing she does makes me die a little bit. BUT. I saw what you were going for (I think)! So here it is, I suffered through listening to this song bc you asked for a fic and I am nothing if not eager to please.

This is also a response to two other requests. So if that was you, ✌️😗 y’all were on the same page, congratulations. This is also my first song-based fic, although all of my works are (very, very loosely) based on songs. That’s why they have such insane titles😅 ANYWAY that’s enough talking from me. Enjoy!

i fancy you

i love my hometown as much as Motown, i love So-Cal

Richmond in London is very different from your hometown in Southern California. It’s colder, for one. And older. Things in California don’t have the same extended history as they do in England. You’re here visiting family for a couple months, although your cousins are trying to convince you to stay longer. 

“What do you really have waiting for you in California?” Holland asks.

“Uh, the beach. Sun. Great Mexican food.” you respond.

Holland isn’t buying it. “When else are you going to be able to live here? We can help you get a job and all that, not a huge problem.”

Holland is very convincing. You decide to stay for a year, single year, and see what happens.

Holland is four years older than you, and has always been the cousin you’re closest to. You’ve had a long-standing bond since being the two eldest sisters in your family. Holland takes you to clubs and introduces you to her friends, including a Miss Keeley Jones who thinks you are “abso-fuckin-lutely adorable.” 

“You have to bring her to a Richmond match, babes,” Keeley says. “Lots of fit footballers.” She winks.

You ask Keeley of she’s dating a footballer.

“Oh god no,” she shudders. “A coach.”

You don’t really see the difference.

saw the dimples first and then i heard the accent

It was a good match, even you can tell. The Richmond team played seamlessly, passing the ball back and forth without letting the other team even touch it. Their conductor of sorts, the one mediating the passes, was crazy. He never seemed to get tired, anticipating his teammates’ moves and those of the opposing team. It seemed like he was always five steps ahead of everyone. Holland notices you watching him and pokes Keeley.

“You like Jamie?” Keeley laughs. “Makes sense. Anyone with eyes likes him. He’s right fit, too. Good in bed, shit with feelings. Well, used to be. Still fucking cocky.”

That’s interesting. “You’ve been with him?” you ask.

Keeley gives you a 50/50 hand motion. “Sort of. Don’t really count it, do I? Was with him at his fucking worst. That’s why Roy fucking hates him.”

“He’s much better now,” Holland chimes in. “Something happened last season and he stopped being such a dick.”

“Holland!” you reproach, laughing. “That’s not nice!”

She and Keeley shrug. “It’s true though, innit?”

You don’t know if it is, because when you first see Jamie up close in the club later that night, he seems perfectly fine. You see a flash of a smile, a dimple, then he says something (you don’t know what) but his accent is… something else. It’s not like Holland’s, or any of your family, but you know enough to pinpoint it to Manchester. 

“The accent got you, didn’t it?” says a voice near your ear and you yelp as Holland slides her arm around your shoulder.

“Gets the best of us,” says Keeley, grabbing your hand. “C’mon, I’ll introduce you.”

She drags you over despite your protests.

he likes my American smile, like a child when our eyes meet, ‘darling i fancy you’

Regular dinner dates are scary, but dinner dates with a Premier League footballer are downright terrifying. 

You made Holland help you figure out what to wear, and when she showed up at your aunt’s house she had Keeley in tow.

“Heard you’re in need of a bit of a makeover,” she grins. “Lucky for you, that’s my specialty.”

Keeley and Holland have brought some of Holland’s dresses and you’re in a dark green one that “does fucking wonders for your hair, babe.”

Keeley did your makeup while Holland curled your hair and just like that, you’re ready to go.

You groan, “God, I fucking hate first dates,” while shaking out your arms. 

“It’ll be fine,” Holland promises, and she’s right.

It’s more than fine. It’s fucking fantastic.

“I like your smile,” Jamie says. “Fuckin’ American, it is.”

You laugh. “What does that even mean?”

Jamie shrugs. “It’s bigger. Brits are more reserved. Like Roy. You met Roy yet? Biggest fucking twat I ever saw,” but he says it with such affection that you’re sure he means something else.

His eyes are electric, blue and dazzling. They betray his every thought and feeling and right now you feel like if you hold his gaze any longer you’re going to say something completely stupid. 

Turns out your not the one to say something stupid; he is.

You’re walking back to his car, holding hands and swinging them in between you when he stops and says, “Darling, I fancy you.”

You grin and he returns it. He asks, “Was that British enough for you? Feel like you got the whole experience?”

“Definitely,” you say. “Was I American enough for you?”

“Dunno,” he replies, “Got to test one more thing.”

His lips are very soft on yours.

met all of his best mates, so i guess all the rumors are true

“This is Isaac, Colin, Dani, and Sam.”

Jamie is introducing you to some of his team. You’ve been dating for a month now, and your first picture together just popped up in the papers the night before.

The boys of AFC Richmond were pretty sure Jamie was seeing someone, but they didn’t know who it was. Jamie had set up this dinner thing a while ago, it just so happened that the tabloids got to you first. 

It’s not even that great a picture honestly, but you’d been around Nelson Road enough that the boys were able to recognize you. 

It’s a little unnerving to meet them, what with Isaac’s intense stare and Dani’s wide, wide smile. You’re grateful Colin and Sam are acting normal.

“We have an American coach,” Colin says in an attempt to break the ice. It does, because you’re all laughing at the absurdity of his attempt. 

“We have heard very much about you,” Dani says and you wonder if he ever stops smiling. It feels so weird and so normal to be at Jamie’s house with a pile of food and FIFA queued up on the TV, ready to go. You figure that if you’re meeting his friends, Jamie must be at least a little serious. He finds your hand and squeezes it under the table as Isaac cracks his first smile of the night. It’s weird dating a footballer, but you think you can get used to it.

babes, don’t threaten me with a good time

Jamie’s house is the largest you’ve ever been in, and it used to be strange that it was only just the two of you, clattering around that big home. 

It’s a cool night after a warm day so you both decided to lay in his backyard under the stars. 

It feels so much like something you’d do as a teenager, and you tell Jamie as much.

“Used to sneak on me mum’s roof,” he tells you. “Didn’t even do dumb shit, I’d just go to look.”

You lay there in silence for a few moments until you feel something tickle your side.

“Jamie!” you shriek.

“I didn’t do nothing!” he protests. “Must’ve been a bug.”

You don’t believe him, but you don’t push it until you feel another tickle.

“Babe!”

“Babe, it weren’t me, I swear,” he says and you really don’t believe him, especially when he tickles you again less than a minute later.

You laugh. “Fuck you, Jamie Tartt.”

He smirks. “Babe, don’t threaten me with a good time.”

“Hm, maybe I want a good time.”

Jamie’s grin widens and he sits up. “You know where the bedroom is, love.”

you know i love a London boy

“I don’t fucking get it,” Jamie says. You shrug. 

“I literally don’t either,” you say. Your dad leans over to Jamie. “So basically…” he begins.

He’s halfway through his explanation when Jamie pokes you. “Babe,” he says, “can we switch seats so I can hear your dad better?” You chuckle then wiggle your way into Jamie’s seat while he gets into yours.

“Why the fuck is it called ‘football’ if it’s with their hands?” Jamie asks.

Your dad shrugs. “Not a clue, son, not a clue.”

The game progresses and one of the teams scores a touchdown.

“Hold the fuck up,” Jamie says. “Why did their score change that much?”

“I know this one!” you exclaim. “Different types of goals get different points. And there’s something called a lateral which has to do with moving backward I think?”

You dad just shakes his head with a grin and doesn’t attempt to clarify. 

Your dad spends the second half explaining everything to a very focused Jamie, and he asks questions the entire car ride home. It’s funny have Jamie here in America, staying at your parents house and seeing where you grew up. 

When you’re finally back home and in bed, you pull him as close as you can and whisper, “I love you very, very much. You know that, right?”

You can feel Jamie smile against your hair. “I love you too, very fucking much.”

[youwillfindilluminating]

Roy x Jamie x Keeley and Roy x Jamie Fic Recs

On one of my Jamie meta posts, @mangoofthesea asked me to drop some recs. You don’t have to ask me twice - I love making fic rec posts!

So here we have a list of all my favorite Ted Lasso fics, as of 4/21/2023. There are many more great fics out there, but these are the ones I loved enough to download the PDFs (always a good practice!).

~*~

Roy x Jamie x Keeley:

The Care and Keeping of Jamie Tartt: http://archiveofourown.org/works/33828712  An OT3 get-together, of sorts. Roy and Keeley take Jamie back to their place after the Man City episode in season 2. Lots of h/c.

honey, I’m honed: http://archiveofourown.org/works/39291306  OT3 getting together and figuring things out. Includes insecure Jamie and emotional h/c. There’s a part 2 to this wherein Jamie has really bad hayfever and it’s 100% h/c and oooo boy, that’s so up my alley you have no idea.

feel your heart taking root in your body: http://archiveofourown.org/works/36861922  Established OT3. Jamie’s dad has surgery and Jamie has to go help him for a couple days before the at-home nurses get arranged. There’s no way in hell Roy is letting him go by himself. So much protective!Roy and emotional h/c it’ll blow your mind. And even more h/c when they get back home and Keeley can join in.

 ~*~

Roy x Jamie:

and you know you don’t have to go:  http://archiveofourown.org/works/35473468  Roy takes Jamie home post Man City (season 2). This is just a great Man City episode fic that hits all the beats it’s supposed to hit. It remains in-character and realistic while still letting these boys be soft.

Flinch: http://archiveofourown.org/works/46399873  God, I fucking love this one. It’s like the author says: an attempt to compress a Jamie Tartt manifesto down to 10k.  Set during season 3. Includes several mentions of Jamie’s father’s abuse. Definitely deals with issues of Jamie attaching all of his value to his body’s ability to perform (in football, etc.).

Blowing in the Wind: http://archiveofourown.org/works/46631650 Set during 3x06. Windmill sex! That night, they stumble upon an Airbnb inside a windmill, and stay the night. Discussions of intimacy ensue. This is really, really sweet. It’s tough to get these boys to talk about their feelings (especially Roy) and still have them stay in character, and jedusaur does it beautifully.

say something true: http://archiveofourown.org/works/46540315  Jamie has a praise kink. Set during season 3. HOT.

A More Judicious Prick: http://archiveofourown.org/works/46241506 Set during season 3. Some D/s elements. "Roy, everything that kid has ever done was to get your attention." I really love this one. Jedusaur hits the nail on the head every fucking time.

Kind But Extremely Firm: http://archiveofourown.org/works/46230289 Another Jamie-has-a-praise-kink fic. It’s Roy x Jamie, but definitely has elements of Roy x Jamie x Keeley.

He tries to joke. “Do you need me to tell you that you’re a good boy?” The problem is, Roy’s tone and general demeanor don’t lend themselves well to joking.

“That’d be nice, coach,” Jamie says. He sounds breathless.

if you want something: http://archiveofourown.org/works/38995776  A spanking fic that hits just right (pun intended). Do you know how hard it is to find an amazing spanking fic? DO YOU??

"It helped. When you said all that stuff about how I fucked up but I had to let it go, it fucking... worked, all right? I was stuck on it and you got me unstuck, and now I'm stuck again, and I just. Wanted you to do it again."

just do it: http://archiveofourown.org/works/40282233  Consensual Non-Consent, Kink Negotiation, Safewords. Mind the tags!  This is just uhhhh very much my thing, so I had to include it. Some silliness with the safeword selection at the very end.

Player On Loan: http://archiveofourown.org/works/40139490  This one is very much What It Says On The Tin. Objectification, Sharing, Safeword Use. Basically, Keeley and Jamie are dating, but Jamie likes to be “loaned out” to Roy as a sex object. There is negotiation beforehand, and everything is consensual! This one might not be everyone’s thing, but it’s handled so well, and it hasn’t left my brain for weeks. It was written well before season 3, but it definitely deals with themes of Jamie seeing his body as social currency/used to please others, etc.

-

Part 2 of the rec list is here

Part 3 is here

[marvelling-at-marvel-blog]

The thing about S1 Jamie that I think is interesting is I think on rewatch there is some insight as to why Jamie went so hard on the bullying of Sam. (Not gonna be defending Jamie's treatment of Sam just looking into maybe why). Because out of all of the things Jamie did is season one. The one that seems hardest to understand or really forgive is his treatment of Sam. The first time around, you couldn't understand it. Sam is legitimately the kindest man in existence. (I know as a stroyteller it was the easiest way to really get us to dislike Jamie and really make us more understanding of Roy's treatment of Jamie which to be frank is not great and understand Ted's fruatrations with him) and Sam just keeps trying with Jamie.

But know I think it far to say thay S1 Jamie was jealous of Sam and his easy going, happy, postive nature. I dont think he was aware of it though.

Season 1 Jamie is so interesting because on paper, he had everything he thought he wanted. But I dint think he was overally happy. But yeah it seemed to be all his way

1. He played for the team he grew up supporting and dreamed of playing for. I imagine his first time stepping on that fiels in that uniform would have been monumental. Sure, maybe he wasn't a starter, but he got some minutes and the unspken agreement that in a few years, he would be a star.

2. I imagine he was initially disappointed to be loaned out, but then he learns he is being loaned to Richmond. Yeah they suck, but he gets to play a full 90 minutes, is basically going to be the best player, kick most of thier goals and he gets to be team mates with Roy Kent (he dreamed of playing against him one day, with him is a dream come true, I really think pre show Jamie would have been so excited to play with Roy Kent and was so disappointed in how it turned out). Plus, it has the added advantage of getting him away from his dad. And once his done his loan, he can come back to Manchester. This is his chance to get away from it for a while and be the star

3. He meets and gets to date Keely Jones who his always had a crush on. Dhe is literally a dream girl for him

So he should be happy right. His got everything he wanted, but it's not going the way he expected because.....

1. Roy Kent hates him (in my mind Roy was standoffish from the start, heres come this whizkid who was everything he used to be and slowly losing. I think Jamie came in at 100% and immediatley put Roy on the back foot). Jamie tries with Roy but the more it doesnt work the more Jamie goes OK, if I cant make him like me I will show him I am better than him. Hence the beginning of that relationship.

2. Yeah his away from his dad and his killing it at Richmond, scoring their goals, winning them matches but it only seems to be winning over half the team (he can't see yet his attitude is what is stopping the other guys from liking him). And the team still isn't doing great even with him. Plus he may be away from his Dad but his relationship with his mum feels like it in a werid place which sucks cause she is his favourite person ever.

3. And Keeley seems to be where its going right but sometimes it feels like his a bit of a project for her. And I think he has heard people (like Roy) question why she is with him.

And let's face it, he is still likely hearing from his dad when he doesn't perform up to his standards.

And then heres Sam. Who (at this point in time) isn't playing well, isn't scoring goals, not massively contributing to thier wins and yet he seems so genuinely happy all the time and everyone loves him, Roy Kent seems to like him and is friendly with him, complimenting him (which he has never done to Jamie). Sam is so open and kind he has probably talked about his dad in the locker room, and his relationship with his family seems perfect and that must gnaw at Jamie because all he ever wanted is to make his dad proud and his pretty sure he will never achieve it because the man is a d***k who is impossoble to please, yet Jamie never stops trying and things are werid with his mum which he hates. But all he hears when its brought up from Sam is how great his family is.

Then along comes the new gaffer who Jamie can't even understand why he is coaching, but he also seems to love Sam and wants him to be the decoy so Sam can kick the goal. Even though Jamie knows if he kicks it, it will go in.

Now we all know the reason Sam is liked is because he is an amazing, kind hearted, dedicated person, but I think S1 Jamie is so jealous and does not even know it.

Because S1 Jamie is still living with the notion that being the best in the most important thing ( thank you James Tartt Sr) so to Jamie he is out here busting his ass at training to be the best, scoring all the goals yet Sam seems to be the one who is living what he thought his dream time at Richmond was going to be. And I know I mention it but I think it is a big thing for Jamie, the harder he tries the more Roy seems to despise him, and take enjoyment in his embarrassment.

And S1 Jamie in all maturity handles his jealously by trying to make Sam feel as bad as he is feeling. Which Jamie, baby. That's kindergarten mentality. And poor Sam actually thinks Jamie is a great player and would love to learn from him in the beginning and isnt having a great time either.

But yeah. I dont think Jamie ever disliked Sam. I think he was insanly jealous of him all the time and didn't know how to handle that or even admit it himself.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. Apologies for my rambles.

[alwritey-aphrodite]

If this is awful blame @andr0medafallen for encouraging me

7 Days of Valentines

There isn’t a single thing you could complain about when it comes to being with Roy. He’s an absolute sweetheart under his grumpy exterior, and you know he’d do anything to see you smile. He’s thoughtful and funny and pays attention to all the little things.

All of that is great, except for the fact that you’ve decided to keep your relationship a secret for now.

Of course, the people closest to you know, which basically just means Keeley and Phoebe, and you can understand his apprehension. Roy’s a famous footballer, and if people knew you were dating, you’d be ripped to shreds.

Still, sometimes you wished you could go out and do all the cliche couple things, like dinner and drinks and dancing and shitty pottery classes, the whole nine yards. Until then, when the world knows about your relationship, you’re happy staying in and watching movies, cooking with each other, and spending practically all your free time at Roy’s place.

Today, though, there’s a problem: you can’t find your pink sweatshirt.

You remember throwing it on after work, and then you went over to Roy's house for dinner. When you’d left earlier, you’d been in one of his t-shirts, but you’d been planning on wearing that sweatshirt for the rest of the day. You’d called Roy, to see if you’d left it at his place, but he never picked up, so now you needed to take a trip to the dog track.

Originally, you’d hoped to just pop in, find Roy, and inquire about your sweatshirt, but instead it seems like you’re going to run into every person you’ve ever met.

As soon as you step through the doors, you almost crash right into Higgins, who’s hurrying off to some place or another. You apologize to each other before you both scurry off in your own directions. It takes you a few seconds of wandering before you realize you have no idea where Roy is, so you cut your losses and head to Keeley’s office.

When you step instead, after knocking, you realize that Rebecca is in Keeley’s office as well.

“I’m looking for Roy,” you say after greeting both of your friends. Instead of a response, Keeley just raises her eyebrows up and down a few times, with an added wink. You’re in the midst of shaking your head at Keeley and her antics, as true as her suspicions are, when Rebecca gives you a real answer.

“He should be with Ted and Beard in their office.”

You say your goodbyes before hurrying down the hallway, still trying to get in and out as fast as possible. Of course, with Ted Lasso involved, you should have known that was a lost cause. As soon as you step into the office, you’re bombarded with twangy, Midwestern sayings you’re not 100% confident you know the meanings of.

In an attempt to get yourself out of there, you try to ask Roy your question solely with facial expressions, but the face he makes in return makes it clear to you that he’s not getting the hint. So, you try and mouth your inquiry about your sweatshirt instead, but he’s not getting that either.

You try and whisper to him, in an attempt to keep your secret for a bit longer.

“Oi, the old man’s deaf,” Jaime says as he walks past the open office door and sees you trying to get Roy’s attention as subtly as possible.

“Jesus, Roy,” you sigh and he finally looks at you, “is my pink sweatshirt at your house?”

“Yeah.”

“Great, thank you.”

You leave the office, and the building, to the excited shouts of the Greyhounds, and you can practically hear Roy’s death glare from here. Maybe he wouldn’t be in this position if he would have answered your call about your goddamn sweatshirt.

[royjamierot]

love love LOVE your headcanons for Roy and Jamie!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️💗💗💗💗✨✨✨please share moreeee 🤍

THANK YOUUUU this was so fun to think about i have a lot so they're going under the cut

- i think roy is more of a tv and movie guy than jamie. i think jamie is just one of those people who can't sit still during movies so they usually end up making out whenever they turn one on.

- jamie can do movies in theaters though, for some reason he can pay attention to those just fine. he and roy go like every week.

- roy's favorite movie is sound of music jamie's is star wars a new hope. i know this. please believe me.

- jamie likes sour candy and roy likes sweet candy

- if they got married jamie would want to take roy's last name. like that guy has been obsessed with roy for like a decade, and you're telling him he gets the chance to be jamie kent instead of jamie tartt?? instead of james tartt?? the name only associated with his father now? yeah. he'd want to be jamie kent. and also roy would love it because he's a possessive bitch.

- jamie does not know what pronouns are until keeley tells him to put his pronouns on his Instagram. then he has a gender crisis. (he puts his pronouns on he/him and figures out the gender stuff with the people he actually knows irl)

- if royjamie were t4t they would be even more into body worship. they trace over each other's scars and admire the self made people they are.

- roy only has a minor freak out about realizing he's bisexual (he's nearly 40 only just now realizing he's bi? he'd freak out) but it'd be worse when jamie is the reason he realizes

- roy and jamie are each other's bisexual awakening

- when jamie and roy start dating jamie has to fight himself from asking if the things in the tabloids are true. because jamie read a lot of tabloids and stories about roy when he was a horny teenager. (jamie does ask about the hip movement thing on their first date and roy just has to take him home to show him. obviously)

- jamie and roy's music taste clashes a lot but they still make playlists for each other and listen to them regularly

- jamie and roy both love concerts too so they go to them a lot. they definitely go to beyonce and stevie nicks together.

- jamie has his ears pierced and lets phoebe pick out silly earrings for him. he's worn all of these.

- jamie loves iced coffee and roy loves cappuccinos

- (i dont actually know what Halloween is like in england and i dont care bc i have headcanons) i just know that jamie gets really into halloween decorations. every october their house smells like pumpkin spice candles and there's fake cobwebs everywhere. roy is kind of surprised by it until they go back to manchester once during october and he sees georgie's house is the same way

- roy makes themed pancakes all year round. valentines? strawberry heart pancakes. halloween? pumpkin cinnamon. phoebe loves it and then jamie loves it.

- jamie is a passenger princess.

- jamie loves candles there's like a million around the house. he nearly sets the house on fire at least once a month.

- jamie thinks once they start dating that the training will get easier. it doesn't. it gets worse. (jamie tries to flirt his way out of it and that doesn't work out so he just ends up tired and turned on)

- roy starts complimenting him way more when they start dating and jamie goes very pink when that happens and brushes it off so that he doesn't do something inadvisable in public

- jamie loves roy's curly hair and begs him to grow it out and roy says it's too much maintenance and jamie says he will do everything for roy if he grows it out. this leads to roy growing it out and jamie washing and styling his hair for a month (roy likes the attention it brings him so eventually he just keeps it)

- they go to each other's hair appointments together

- jamie's favorite disney princess is rapunzel

- jamie and roy are both cat people i think. i think roy has had a secret cat for years that no one knows about until jamie comes over one time. it's a black cat that way the cat's hair doesn't stand out on roy's clothing. jamie has a not secret tabby cat.

- jamie has a teddy bear his mom gave him when he was little that goes with him everywhere. to every away game and everything.

- roy cooks, jamie does dishes, they do their own laundry.

- they watch garbage reality tv together (or really they goof off with reality tv in the background.)

okay thanks that's all my headcanons for now!! thank you for the ask.

[lunar-years]

Ohhhh what’s up with the Keeley amnesia fic? Very intrigued! 👀

and tagging @huntforachievements who asked about this fic as well.

so this is just an incredibly vague plot so far stemming from me wanting have more Keeley-centric tropey over-the-top fanfics lol. Basically the idea is Keeley gets amnesia shortly after her and Roy broke up between seasons 2 & 3 (idk how. probably a car accident or something. however these things usually happen in fanfiction lol). Roy is still her emergency contact. When she wakes up all "who tf are you?" Roy says "your boyfriend" immediately without thinking, even though he's not anymore is he (his own damn fault!) :( But it's just instinctual! Then before he can correct himself Keeley says, "No, Jamie's my boyfriend. Where is he?" This Keeley thinks she's still dating Jamie but is being told by everyone trying to help her that she's currently dating Roy (none of their friends knew about the breakup yet, it had literally just happened). Neither one of those things are actually true. Cue chaos.

Basically, Roy has to go to Jamie and explain the situation because Keeley is demanding to see him. this is complicated because Jamie and roy haven't started their canon friendship arc yet, and jamie isn't really talking to Keeley. But they come together to help their girl <3 There's also a side plot where we dive a bit into Keeley's work-related anxieties/imposter syndrome, as she still thinks she's modeling and like, REALLY can't believe she suddenly runs a PR firm and is incredibly stressed out and overwhelmed. The boys have to hype her up etc.

Then the ending is bittersweet maybe because just when things are going very well in terms of establishing a new normal and Keeley accepting she may never get her memories back, and things are heading in a very ot3 direction...Keeley's memories DO come back and she remembers that Roy just dumped her! drama drama. (but they get their HEA eventually because it's me. duh.)

[secretnook]

I feel like we all moved on a little too quickly from Keeley’s Pretty Woman looks

Not only did the costume designer and Juno absolutely kill these looks, I think it added a beautiful element to the storytelling.

The first outfit, was the most obvious, being the polo match outfit. I feel like a lot of people picked out similar elements between Keeley / Jack’s relationship and Vivian / Edward’s especially within S3E8. I can go more into detail about that (and I will if people want) but I wanted to talk more about how Keeley also related to the themes of Pretty Woman outside of her relationship with Jack.

Let’s break down some of those themes:

1.) Vivian hated her job, but used the skills she learned on the job to put herself in better situations, and in the end she left the job she hated because she knew she could do more. She knew she could be more. When we first met Keeley, she was in a job she didn’t particularly enjoy, but it was all that she knew. [Famous for almost being famous. When I was 18 I dated a 23- year-old footballer and now I’m nearing 30 and I’m still dating a 23-year-old footballer.] Maybe she stayed because she thought that’s all she could be, that’s all she was worth. Keeley learned things from her time as a model and put it towards changing her life path, she realized she could be more and that she deserved more.

2.) Vivian taught us never to judge someone by the clothes they wear and Keeley has always been underestimated especially because of her appearance. Many people think someone who looks, talks, and dresses like Keeley can’t be intelligent or some kind of business person. I can’t pin point the episode off the top of my head but when Keeley came in for her first day at Richmond she had a fluffy pen and a unicorn notebook that Rebecca (lovingly) questioned. Vivian and Keeley both go against the system and dress how they want to and are still authentically themselves while simultaneously acting as strong and intelligent women.

3.) In Pretty Woman, Vivian knew her worth, eventually. At first she put a price on herself that Edward thought was too low. After this she started to reevaluate her worth and how she saw herself. Outside of that first night, she never sold herself short and never compromised herself for the sake of someone else. Vivian wanted her fairytale and wasn’t going to settle for anything short of it. In Ted Lasso S3E8, we see Jack wanting Keeley to release a statement about the leak that basically accepts the fault and says that what she did was wrong. We also see Jack start to slut shame Keeley in a sense when Keeley said she wouldn’t apologize. In this moment, when Keeley refuses to apologize, she knows her worth. She is not going to compromise herself for the sake of someone else.

4.) My last parallel (for now?) and possibly my most important is the fact that just because someone says something, doesn’t mean it’s true. In Pretty Woman, Vivian tells Edward that people are cruel and when “people put you down enough, you start to believe it.” When we first met Keeley she was in a relationship with Jamie, then right after Jamie she started dating Roy, and then she started dating Jack. Each one of these relationships ended in a break up that made Keeley look back at herself and wonder if she was the problem or maybe she wasn’t enough. (because it had happened enough times) We see Roy tell Keeley that no matter how he acted it had no reflection on her, because she had been and will always be “Keeley fucking Jones.” Which is why I think that the whole “people put you down enough, you start to believe it” piece is very relevant and important to look at.

Anyway, I’m sure there’s more connections but that’s all I can dive into now. Also, I’m not always great at words and I just wanted to put this out there quickly so I apologize if it’s all over the place. Btw, Keeley fucking Jones will forever have my heart.

[vole-mon-amour]

1x02, rewatch. Part1.

their love for each other. <3 they're such a nice match.

You're a douche, but I love you anyway.

Can you believe they're in love now?

Tbh, I'm surprised about how easygoing and calm Roy is in 1x01 and here. He's more emotional somehow in s3? With more emotions bottled up?

I'm sorry, he has a yellow iphone in s1? Ok then.

Jamie just can't sit straight from DAY ONE. Also, Sam is playing Nintendo. Niiice.

Just yesterday I wrote a post about Jamie being brave for finding his true inner voice and trying to communicate with people. What I find precious is that, aside being mean to Sam and occasionally to his fellow players in s1, Jamie is trying to communicate with Ted anyway, since ep1. Ted asks a question if the snacks are tasty enough, and Roy goes, "Jesus Christ." Jamie, however, walks up to Ted and easily answers. Ted nods to him in gratitude, like, "Thank you. It's noted and will be fixed."

In 1x01, Jamie is ready to go as Keeley walks in, "Sorry, Coach, she ordered me waxing. [...] Unless you want me to stay?" and he ACTUALLY waits for Ted to answer him. It's a show's base for Ted to be awkward and tell Jamie, like, "No, you can go", but if he said that, "Actually, I need you to stay for a moment", I'm sure Jamie would stay. When Jamie is on his way out, he nods to Ted and bumps fists with him in a high five manner.

Like, it's nice gestures. Jamie is actually a nice kid underneath all that abuse and trying to act up to cover for the consequences of that abuse. I'm not saying being mean is justified if you were abused, but I do understand where it's coming from with Jamie. I love this kid.

Jamie's caaar. Keeley will occasionally be Jamie's driver, but she still gets to use that car whenever and however she likes. I'm glad that Jamie's salary allows him to treat people he loves like THAT. Himself, too, obviously.

I forgot how mean Rebecca is in s1, wow. It's like she's a completely different woman compared to s3.

Rebecca & Keeley. <3 Keeley is such a sweetheart.

Can someone explain why the hell did I suddenly fall into some het/bi ship so hard. Like, I always liked Jamie during first two seasons, I just screamed about it on twt instead of tumblr. But jfc, the moment s3 started airing, it's like I turned into a different person (or maybe I finally allowed myself to enjoy this ships in this universe). Maybe it's also bc I binged the first 2 seasons on my own and didn't participate in the fandom. Then there was such a big gap between s2 and s3, and now I'm watching s3 every week and marinade in it, so it's kind of dragging me into this void.

Like, I ship them. Absolutely unironically. S3 Jamie and Keeley kissing when? When you have your ships/ot3 and you'll go down with them.

Again, he participates. He communicates. Roy wouldn't even get involved (many from the team wouldn't tbh), but Jamie? Sorry, but he's a sweetheart as well & I love him with all my heart.

Jamie winking at Keeley, then gently slaps her ass. It's ridiculous that I like this ship this much, really. S3 is gonna murder me and drag my corpse around by the end of it.

Pub dates. <3 They're so wholesome.

Your husband best friend holding your coffee while you play with a teen in a park. <3 They're really cute.

[homoqueerjewhobbit]

can u say more about how the writing in ted lasso changed this season? i’m tryin to put my finger on just why it feels so off…. i read a review on NPR that season 3 was relying on too many outside stories for an already sizeable ensemble cast, which i definitely felt was true for the first half of the season, but that’s less the case now and it still feels stilted to me. i’m sure this season must be someone’s cup of tea but it’s not mine!

I think there are a lot of things that are off, and I fully admit I'm gonna regurgitate some stuff I've absorbed from reading other reviews and Ted Lasso think pieces. Also, I'm gonna keep watching the show. I don't like hate it.

First of all, Bill Lawrence stepped back on the show to work on Shrinking, leaving Jason Sudeikis alone in charge of the writers room. And I'm sure his extremely ugly and public divorce is affecting his focus on portrayal of Ted's divorce. Can we leave the "dating the marriage counselor" trope behind, please? And he hired a PI to stalk his ex-wife through Paris and we're acting like that's OK?

I think the biggest thing for me, though, is that it's just not funny the way it used to be. There are whole storylines and subplots and even episodes that are completely laugh-free (for me, YMMV) and kind of go nowhere. Was Rebecca's fling on the Dutch houseboat funny? Did we really learn anything new about her character or did she grow and change afterward?

The show has also, imo, crossed the line from wholesome to saccharine, with little to know internal conflict about the social issues that arise. The reaction to the leaked nudes in the locker room was basically lecture. The reaction to Colin's coming out and Sam's restaurant being vandalized were just telegraphed "aww" moments that didn't feel earned.

I'm not entirely sure what Ted contributes to Richmond anymore... Roy seems to do all the coaching and Ted's basically a life coach and somehow in all this time has still failed to learn anything thing about football? I do think they're building to firing him or him returning to the US voluntarily. Also, he should have gotten to do real drugs.

WTF is going on with Nate? His girlfriend is a cardboard cut out and he was from creepy borderline stalker to getting the girl extremely rapidly. They've basically abandoned the evil Nate plot. I'd rather know how he fares coaching on his own and how his aggressive style evolves without Ted to push against than watch him make a diorama to flirt or assemble a faux Diamond Dogs to talk about his very underwritten girlfriend.

Keeley is off on her own and "love-bombing" is a form of abuse and cult recruitment not your rich girlfriend buying you a lot of presents. I guess they're pushing her back to Jamie now?

Give Trent a storyline!

Sry for rambling I guess?

[sokkigarden]

things about ted lasso s3e5 “signs” that i can’t get over

whenever rebecca is seeing the psychic’s predictions come true, glimpses of ted are in the shot. the man she used to date wears a united scarf w the TED prominent as she hears the phrase “shite in nineing armor” which i still think is about jamie but that’s another post.

when she looks at the green matchbook in her office the biscuit box is right there as well. when she meets with the doctor he starts off the conversation with a phrase similar to what ted says when he meets her. i’m not necessarily shipping ted and rebecca but i’m obsessed with the hints and signs. i am being convinced through the subtle signs.

and then when they see each other in the hallway and reference psychics and bullies and freak each other out. THE PARALLELS. i love that they greet each other weirdly with “hi coach / hi rebecca” as opposed to their normal which is seen at the end “bye ted, bye boss”

in other storylines, i noticed in keeley’s office you can just barely see her desktop screen in the bottom right of some shots and it’s just the basic Apple background but those colors are bisexual. that has to be on purpose. right ?!!

i think so much about zava stealing jamie’s giving a motivational speech right before he leaves. “you will not win because of me” YEAH cause you leave in the next ten mins😭

ted turning away whenever he goes to talk with his family back home represents him retreating from the team

ted working through his panic attack is good to see but he still barely talked to the team until he was prompted by sam. i’m so interested to see if someone finally confronts him about his lack of energy this season.

jamie’s look of determination to get better even with zava gone and continuing to train with roy. my mind is going brrrrrrrrr rn

[steves-on-a-plane]

No Place Like Home (Pt 46)

The previous 45 Chapters of this story can be found here!

Words: 1377 Pairing: Ted Lasso x Reader                            Summary: One week after the Everton game, most of the team is playing better than ever. Rebecca even seems to have taken a step back from Sabatoging the team.Are things finally looking up at AFC Richmond? 

It was an agonizing week that followed the victory of the Everton game. Things should have felt better than ever. Most of the team was playing the best they had all season, still riding the high of their record-breaking win. Rebecca’s sabotaging seemed to come to an end. Either because she’d had a true change of heart or because there didn’t seem to be a point in it now that she knew Keeley was on to her. Just like she’d said that night, Keeley had confronted the team owner but a confession from Rebecca had yet materialize.

Higgins quit or was fired; the truth wasn’t clear. All anyone could agree on was Rebecca’s account of their conversation certainly had holes in it. While the team was playing better, the Jamie Tartt sized hole in their roster was being felt all around. Roy was playing at his personal worst and nothing he did seemed to improve the situation. When he cost the team a winning goal in the next week’s game, he’d taken to secluding himself in the training room.

“Hey you two!” Ted greeted Keeley and you with his toothy smile. “Why the long faces?”

“We’re trying to decide who should talk to Roy.” Keeley explained. Ted followed her gaze to the training room but he couldn’t see Roy. Heck he couldn’t see much of anything. All the lights were turned off. “He’s been sitting in a wheely bin full of ice water for the last hour.” She sighed. “He’d rather get hypothermia than talk to either of us.”

“You should talk to him, Ted.” You decided. “Not as his friend, but as his coach.”

“I can try.” Ted shrugged. “But Roy’s never been much of fan o’ my way of coachin’.”

“It’s better than nothin’ at this point.” Keeley insisted.

“Alright.” Ted agreed. “Unlike our cold-blooded friend in there, I know better than to argue when the two of you are in agreement on something.”  

“Now that that’s taken care of, we have to talk about the other thing.” Keeley whispered to you.

“I’m not sure there’s much to talk about.” You wandered over to the empty bench in the middle of the locker room and sat down. Keeley sat across from you in front on Sam’s locker. “I don’t see what we can do if she doesn’t confess herself. Ted already knows, and he wants to just sweep the whole thing under the rug. He brings up a good point that exposing her publicly puts all of our jobs at risk and potentially gives Bex and the other shareholders means to have Rebecca removed. With Rebecca gone that opens the door for Rupert to step right in and no one wants that.”

“I hate that you’re right.” Keeley pouted. “Still it’s not fair what she did to Ted, or you or Higgins or Jamie. Now I hate that she’s got me feeling bad for Jamie!” She laughed. Beard and Nate stepped into the locker room. The pair of them sharing an uncomfortable expression. Ted stepped out of the training room and locked eyes with his fellow coaches.

“We need to talk to you.” Beard announced firmly.

“Of course, let me just let my date know I’m running a little late.” He glanced over at you. “[Y/N], can you text my girlfriend and let her know that I’m gonna be a little late for dinner? Me and the fellas gotta have a meeting.”

“She says take all the time you need, but you’re going to owe her one, Coach Lasso.” You answered back.

“Heard and acknowledged, Darlin’. Gosh it’s so convenient having my girlfriend and my assistant being the same person.” He remarked. “Wait is that misogynistic? Because I wasn’t trying to imply that I feel any sort of ownership over you just because…”

“Ted?” You interrupted him.

“Yes, Dear?” He replied.

“Beard and Nate are waiting to talk to you before they can both go home.” You pointed out.

“Right of course.” You watched the three men walk into the manager’s office. Beard closed the door behind them.

“I’m gonna see if I can get any work done in my office.” Keeley told you. “Will you let Roy know where I am if he ever decides to thaw himself out?”

“Of course.” You nodded. “But I think he might be planning on living in their until the next game.”

Whatever Beard and Nate had wanted to discuss with Ted was brief. No sooner had Keeley left the locker room for her office than the two coaches disembarked from the manager’s office. They wished you a good night and headed out with backpacks slung over their shoulders. You approached the office and dropped into your usual chair. Whatever Ted had been about to say was interrupted by Rebecca appearing in the doorway. Your eyes flashed to Ted wondering if this was finally the moment you’d been anticipating all week. You started to rise from your seat, but the club owner stopped you.

“[Y/N] please stay. I think you should hear what I have to say too. I’m a fucking bitch.” That sure got your attention. You dropped back into your seat. “Ted, I lied to you. I hired you because I wanted this team to lose. I wanted you to fail. And I sabotaged you every chance I’ve had. I made sure [Y/N] didn’t have a place to stay when you arrived. It was me who hired that photographer to that the photo of you and Keeley. I set up the interview with Trent Crimm, hoping that he would humiliate you. And I instigated the transfer of Jamie Tartt, even though you’d asked me not to. This club is all that Rupert has ever cared about and I wanted to destroy it. To cause him as much pain and suffering as he has caused me. And I didn’t care who I used or who I hurt. All you good people just trying to make a difference. Ted, I’m so sorry.”

Rebecca’s eyes began to well up. You could both see that she felt genuine remorse for her actions. To Ted’s credit, he did a good job pretending this was news to him. Maybe it was the break in Rebecca’s voice or that he hadn’t expected her to truly mean the apology Keeley had ordered her to make. He got up from his desk.

“If you want to quit or call the press, I’ll completely understand.” She told him, lifting her chin high.

“I forgive you.” Ted replied. He’d already made up his mind to do as much the night you’d told him the truth. He’d told you then that if Rebecca come and confessed that would be the end of it and he was a man of his word.

“You what? Why?” Rebecca was truly taken back by his response. She’d expected him to be angry or hurt. She’d hadn’t expected him to be forgiving.

“Divorce is hard.” Ted sighed. “It doesn’t matter if you’re the one leaving or if you’re the one who got left. It makes folks do crazy things.” Ted placed a hand on your shoulder, and you knew his mind had gone to the fights that the two of you had had. The out of character outburst you’d seen from him. “Hell, I’m coaching soccer for Heaven’s sake.” He laughed. “In London. That’s nuts. But this job you gave me has changed my life. It gave me the distance I needed to see what was really going on. You and me? We’re okay.”

He held out his hand as an olive branch. Rebecca pulled him into a tight hug instead. When they separated, the club owner looked to you. You got your feet at last, wondering how much of Ted’s speech had been improvised and how much of it had been practiced in front of his bathroom mirror.

“I think at this point, he and I are a package deal.” You smiled. “If he’s a bird, I’m a bird.”

“I’m going to assume that colorful analogy is a reference to a song or film.” Rebecca smirked.

“C’mon now, you expect us to believe you’ve never seen The Notebook?” Ted asked. “Know what? Doesn’t matter, let’s bring it in for a group hug.”

TAGS: @ponyboys-sunsets / @writeroutoftime / @captain-starks / @garbinge / @darshs / @companionjones / @fanaticalfantasist / @svndancekidd​ / @uhohmando​ / @cedricscoffin​ / @hellohauntedturnstudent​ / @busybeingtrash​ / @avengerslover-yee​ / @stankface​ / @marjoherbo​ / @the-fanfic-fangirl​ / @illicitghosts​ / @cloudedbreath​ / @lovely----------------notlovely​ / @grippleback-galaxy​ / @marvelwasmadeforthebis​ / @lastpasttheposts​ / @sugarplumsandmoonpies​ / @katieslotherford​ / 

[damelucyjo]

I’ve maybe taken one too many painkillers so let’s see if I can get through this episode without falling asleep 🤞🏼

Let’s go!

Episode 7 - Boxes The Strings That Bind Us

This song 😍

Loving this rom-com opening sequence. Very You’ve Got Mail

Now Roy knows how to ride a bike we’ll never get him off one 😂

I’ll admit I do find Nate & Jade quite cute

I do love Jack & Keeley too, but I think Jack saying she can get very jealous is going to be very important 👀

‘Yes, chef!’ I really like Simi too

YEEAAHHH!!

(Is it just me or are the titles getting brighter??🤔)

A barbecue related hallucination 😂

God, Ted, put your sexy arms away. I don’t know what to do with myself! 🫣

Fucking Tim Robinson 😂

Beard still committing to the bit that he can’t speak Dutch 🫡

Bald jokes. Love to see them!

I love that they’re all in a great place, including Jamie, where they can make all these jokes and no one gets offended. Growth, baby!

“It’s my mother proudly displaying her vibrator on the bedside table!” OMFG 😂 funny every time!

Brilliant PowerPoint, Coach, great job!

My baby Barbra 🥰

She’s such a snarky bitch. I love it 😂

Keep digging, Keeley 🫠😂

Taking the tube in her pyjamas. She’s so quirky 😜😂

Does him mum call him ‘cheeky’?? Why is that kind cute

“Hey, Siri. Yes, Wunderkind” 😳😂 wow

‘You can’t’ brutal 😂

Fucking pegging! Phoebe just wants to write herself the most fun character to play, and you know what I respect that!

Oh Mae is not happy 🫣

Aww, protective bestie 🥰

“It’s their team. We’re just borrowing it for a little while” 🥹 beautiful

“I guess marriage and pegging aren’t really that different” “Yeah, it’s all about the compromise” 🫡

They’re really making a point of showing Richmond and bringing those rom-com vibes, huh

Oh he really likes her 🥹 bless

Drill sergeant Kent is hot

Finally offering him a plastic whistle 😂

My baby Barbra see you 👀 And she knows Jack so I think I know where this is going…

The convo about getting in trouble because of dating your boss 👀👀 SAY IT LOUDER

Dan 😂 he’s an ally ✌🏼

Eww, that’s rank 🤢

REBECCA!! Only taken nearly 20 minutes to see her 🙄

She looks awfully good in that shade of blue too 🥵

“It was gezellig” 🥺 she was truly changed by that guy, huh.

“But, yeah, I would’ve liked to have seen his penis” and there’s my horny Barbie 😂

How does she know about love bombing?? Did someone tell her that’s what he was doing to her at the beginning of their relationship??

Bi Rebecca confirmed?? 🤔🫡

God, she is really fidgeting with that ring!

Oh you can tell Hannah & Juno just really love being together. They make Rebecca & Keeley so gorgeous to watch 🥰🥰

‘The really Rebecca is silly’ I love that we’re really getting to see this side of her now

His sister calls her daughter ‘cheeky’ too. A family thing?? It’s sweet

I love that it’s the women telling him you can’t tell the difference. So true 😂 women, like girls, are mysterious

Okay, that map is very cute

Another ‘rom-com’ sequence 🫡 just to hammer it home a bit more

I agree with you completely, Simi

One thing I really do love is this show focusing on how guys struggle with everything too. Nate’s nervousness over asking her out is so real. And thank fuck he didn’t spit on the mirror again!

Roy being worried his breath actually smells 😂

OMG the Beard & Will switch!!! Possibly the best thing they’ve ever done on this show! And you just know Brendan & Charlie had the most fun with it 😂😂

Same with the Isaac and Dani switch. Dani’s ‘we’re gonna fuck ‘em up, bruv’ is a masterpiece 🫡😂

Even the pub boys switching. Ted, your reach is far & wide my friend!

How many times do you think James missed that catch 😂

Does he know positions now? Is he learning the sport??

Poor Higgins 😂😂

You just know Charlie really was having the time of his life shooting this episode 😂

Drink every time there’s a ‘rom-com’ sequence

Babs 👀 I think I know what you know

Jack, it saddens me to admit I’m liking you less and less with every gesture…

Around their dicks 😂 Roy, you mind is a dark place

Gosh, did Amsterdam change everyone? As gorgeous is Brett’s smile is it’s very weird to see 😂

I just know that was super fun to shoot, too. THIS IS WHY WE NEED BTS STUFF AND BLOOPERS!!! APPLE TV ARE YOU LISTENING!!!!!!!

That scream 😂 & Brendan’s reaction 😂

Can I just say that I love that these boxes are Nathan’s thing and that he hasn’t stopped doing them even after all the boys laughed about them before

Oh this song 🥰 one of my absolute faves 🥰 having a connection between the song, Jack & Keeley, and whatever the fuck is on Juno’s head better not ruin it for me 😂

Oh that poor box

Oh no! 🥺 Sam 🥺

Guys, Trent’s writing a book. I actually kinda forgot why he was there 😂

Any bets on how many takes that took 😂 very impressive! (And this music will always be linked to Chicken Run for me. Anyone else??)

Ted is practically naked this episode! Just having his arms out, willy nilly!! Is this a metaphor too??

‘Yes, sir. No ma’am’ nicely done, Ted

Woah, this is heavy! Shining a big spotlight on the poor boys who play for England and had it absolutely ripped out of them after the World Cup 🥺🫡 but hats off to Toheeb! Nice to see Sam not optimistically happy all the time

THIS FUCKING FUNNY LITTKE FOOTBALL SHOW MAKES ME CRY WAY MORE THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD 🫠

(Jeez, his dad is massive 😳 the kinda guy you know everyone is scared of, but is an absolute teddy bear. Looks like he gives good hugs too 🫣)

Big woop. BIG WOOP love a callback

Also great advice for our girly. Best way to piss Rupert off is to show he doesn’t get to you!

‘Don’t fight back, fight forward’ 🫡 yes, sir

Aww, the ear rub. Another callback!!

The dads getting along 😂 we love to see it

Oh, hello Rebecca. Nice to see you again 🙄

He brought her tulips?? Was that actually her favourite flower 🤔 I’m thinking not

Why does she greet Leslie so weirdly 😂 always as if she’s been caught doing someone

Omg he told his dad 😳 AWKWARD!!! 😂

Oo she’s not happy

CHIP!! A hat trick for Chip with Arsenal. Bet his life has been made 😂

I think the best acting Hannah has ever done in her career is showing how invested Rebecca is in football 😂

Ooo, they’re getting angry…

‘Sharp dressed men’ 😂 Roy. ONE OF US! ONE OF US!!

Love a backstory to the moustache.

‘Ass-squatch’ please let’s this just be how Roy is from now on 😂😂

‘Sometimes the right idea is just sitting behind a couple of the wrong ones’ SAY IT LOUDER!!

Another callback!! Again, we love to see it!!

Jamie, my boy. Well done 🫡

They’re finally back!! Wooo!!

Oh we love a dramatic Trent 😂 is he going to remember that Rebecca mentioned ‘The Lasso Way’ during his first press conference?? 🤔

‘What a dork’ ‘Yeah, but he’s our dork’ 🥰

Oh, they’re sweet 🥹

‘Did you make things weird?’ ‘Yes’ 😂

I love how they talk about and show both terrible and supportive fathers.

The boys came to help sort the restaurant 🥹 I love them more and more every episode

Of course Bumbercatch can fix a neon sign 😂

The difference in the interaction between him & Rebecca and him & Simi 😂

He didn’t tell his dad what he named his restaurant 🥹 he’s so touched

Omg Ola is me 😂 I always cook to music, but absolutely cannot do it without dancing around the kitchen

Well that was another wonderful episode! But I do have one question; Phoebe, what do you have against Rebecca?? We hardly saw her in this episode!! That’s just rude, that is.

I'm hoping the lack of Hannah in this one will be made up for in the next one because I really need to see a scene between Rebecca & Henry and Michelle 👀

[mindibindi]

They are destroying Rebecca’s character this season and this Sam bullshit is the final nail in the coffin for her. What the f*** are they doing to their female lead ??

Well, I suppose this is the danger of offering resolution early in the piece and why so few television writers do it, particularly when it comes to romantic relationships. Because then there is the looming question of What Happens Next. So many writers prove that, while they may have the imaginative juice to create, they don't have what it takes to re-invent.

Whether you understand her as the protagonist or the antagonist of the first season of Ted Lasso, Rebecca's big revenge plot drove s1, gave it a clear narrative arc. This inaugural season likewise gave her character a clear and compelling arc. You could posit that, while Rebecca's pain drove season 1, Ted's pain is meant to be driving season 2...? But whatever Ted is going through does not have as clear-cut an objective so it is not giving the same sense of cohesion or direction. Within her s1 arc, we got to see Rebecca feel angry, frustrated, victorious, smug, thwarted, conflicted, heart-broken and vulnerable. Last season gave Hannah Waddingham so many opportunities to show the range of her skills as an actor and I still hope she wins an Emmy for this performance. But I doubt she will be winning any awards for her performance this season.

Most situation comedies stick to the same situation, snapping their characters back to where they were at the beginning of each episode. Certainly, this formula can become repetitive and dull after years. Ted Lasso received a great deal of praise when it broke this formula by offering resolution at the end of its first season no less. It broke the no-hugging-no-learning mantra of so many sitcoms when it allowed Rebecca to learn from her trauma, come clean and literally embrace Ted as a valuable part of her life. Since her character went on the biggest journey of the season, the question of What Happens Next was always going to be more significant for her than it was for any other character on the show.

Season 1 of Ted Lasso made me fall in love with Hannah Waddingham and the character of Rebecca Welton. But as much as it pains me to say it, in s2 she is nothing like the problematic powerhouse we met in s1. Her friendships with Keeley and Higgins continue on nicely enough. She's had some good moments with characters she had little interaction with in s1, like Roy and Nate. And it was great to meet her mother and god-daughter. But this fleshing out of the character is mostly work around her rather than work that propels her forward in any meaningful way. I understand that some people may be content just to watch Rebecca living her best life after the intensity of last season. But, for me, the pursuit of heterosexual romantic love by a woman to the exclusion of all else is a problematic aim since women have been told for centuries that securing a man is the single most important thing they can achieve in their lives.

Rebecca wants love and doesn't want to be alone. She's stated that, that's canon and that's fine. But romance seems to be Rebecca's ONLY aim, her single focus. We haven't seen her do anything in her role as club owner except make a phone call and look sharp, which I admit she does well. The woman looks INCREDIBLE. But if you are in your right mind (at least in my opinion), you are not expecting this amazing woman to end up with a pretentious windbag, a hot booty call or a wildly inappropriate youngster. So it all seems a bit aimless, purposeless. All of this dithering about with wrong dudes is just a waste of time when we have limited time with these beloved characters. We know we are only getting three short seasons of this show and I don't want to spend a full season watching a previously complex female character stare at her phone, only ever prompted into (questionable) action by her cute best friend. And I DEFINITELY don't want to watch...whatever the fuck they think this thing is with Sam.

Frankly, I am still flabbergasted that they have chosen this path. They genuinely seem to think that their audience will enjoy this as some hot romantic adventure...? And hey, a small but vocal minority are. Some diehard fans are trying to hold onto their faith with white knuckles. And the rest of us are just over here in compete and utter shock at the suddenness of the decline in this show's quality and ethics. The latest justification some fans are rather desperately grasping at seems to be that Rebecca's actions stem from her trauma. Now...okay. Trauma can be responsible for many things. But not this. Trauma can make you act in v strange ways but I don't see the connection here. I can clearly see how Rebecca's trauma from her first marriage dictated her actions towards Ted in s1. That is a very clear line to draw. I can see how, after her disastrous marriage, her judgement may be off and she may go for someone like John Wingsnight: someone safe, solid and appropriate. Again, a clear line to draw. I can also see why she would indulge in fun, shallow sexual relationships with the waiter in Liverpool and her booty call from bantr. All normal, understandable behaviour for a woman in her situation. And a v clear narrative line for the writers to draw. No problems there. Her actions in each of these cases can be traced back to Rupert and his abuse. But I cannot for the life of me draw a line between Rupert and Sam. As a traumatic reaction, that does not make a shred of sense to me.

It's true that sometimes those who have been abused become abusers, not that I'm saying Rebecca is abusing Sam in this scenario. What I am saying is that most trauma survivors will go out of their way to avoid becoming anything like their abusers. Most survivors try their damnedest to break the cycle of abuse, not perpetuate it. Most victim-survivors will act, sometimes even to their own detriment, to spare others from being impacted by their pain and trauma. Trauma and abuse does not break your moral compass. If anything, it makes it stronger. Trauma and abuse heightens your sensitivity to what is right, just and honest. Having seen Rebecca ultimately unable to follow through in her trauma-inspired revenge plot on Ted, it does not make sense to me that she is blindly (without any of the nuanced inner conflict of s1 Rebecca) allowing her trauma and abuse to lead her into a situation that not only emulates her ex-husband's hurtful, unethical behaviour, but endangers what is now supposed to be so valuable to her.

All the press for s2 as spruiked Rebecca as a dating disaster but enthusiastically committed to her club. There is a huge difference, however, between charmingly, comedically 'messy' and inept to the point of self-destructive stupidity. I just don't buy her as this dumb. Yet here she is, after all her dealings with the savage British press last season, endangering the reputation of herself, her club and one of its most vulnerable players. Oddly enough, the Rebecca we saw in s1, with her many layers and nuances, seems to me to be a far more moral (not to mention interesting) rendering of this character. This Rebecca was motivated by injustice, she had an acute understanding of what was and wasn't right. It's why she conceived of her revenge plot and also why she ultimately dropped it. It is one thing for writers to propose that there are multiple steps on the way to healing. It is one thing for them to lead a character into a dark forest full of conflict and complication. But, from what I can tell, some people don't know the difference between a dark forest and straight-up bad writing. And it really fucking shows.

[zendyval]

TL Season 2 Ep 1 Thoughts- Spoilers so under the cut. I thought it was a pretty good episode that could have maybe used some editing as probably could my thoughts cause I’m WORDY.

The good:

- Introduction of Sharon. Love her and I love how it pushes Ted’s buttons and it’s going to have to make him confront things. A lot of people have built Ted up to be too much of a martyr magical character and so I like that the show isn’t having that. I loved Sharon’s confidence about her job and how she’s had to work 2x as hard. As a Black woman in a predominantly white profession, I’m sure that is true. I also loved that once she helped Dani, the players naturally gravitated towards her.

- Beard’s reactions were all excellent.

- Teases of what storylines will be for Rebecca, Nate and Roy particularly, though I have CONCERNS about what I’ve heard happens further down the line for Rebecca but I’m trying not to let that color earlier episodes. I like that Nate’s issues touch on things I noticed about him in season 1.

- Higgins showing where he isn’t a total buffoon at his job. Jeremy is a great physical comedian.

- Ted asking Rebecca if John is nice to HER and that being his first and most important question to ask. Roy telling her the truth she needs to hear post double date.

- Pretty much everything Roy in this episode. The Jamie intro was perfect too. Phoebe remains adorable.

- Rebecca’s fashion of course and Hannah’s acting because she plays Rebecca as so broken and fragile when it comes to anything outside of work that it can almost be hard to watch because you just want to hug her.

The either confused or didn’t love:

- Particularly towards the beginning felt there were way too many Ted-isms and pop culture references. Noticed it most during the first scene in Rebecca’s office and it pulled me out of scenes a bit.

- Not sure how I felt about Ted’s press conference story. It was brilliantly acted by Jason but I’m not sure I understood the correlation or why all the reporters seemed bowled over.

- Been a lot of convo over the Rebecca coffee shop scene. I didn’t HATE it and the song was perfect but the visuals confused me when Rebecca was looking at the other customers while having an epiphany. It was a lot of exposition. Think I was mostly confused and I still don’t totally understand what she meant about being safe. Please stop getting life advice from Sassy, Rebecca.

- Keeley- I adore Keeley. I loved Keeley in this episode being a good friend to Rebecca and a good partner to Roy but I need to see Keeley having an arc or storyline that lives outside of Roy & Rebecca. I’m going to assume it happens but there was no obvious set-up here as there was for many of the others. The Boba Fett line didn’t work for me either and didn’t feel very much like something Keeley would say.

[lunar-years]

i think i remember you mentioned how jamie’s love confession to keeley had nothing to do with how he felt about her romantically and i’d love to hear more of your thoughts on it. jamie’s so strange throughout the ep, and considering it’s right after the man city confrontation with his father, it’s probably not too far of a stretch to say he’s thinking about his own father’s death and having a bit of an existential crisis himself. i think jamiekeeley is cute btw and i’m all for ot3 roykeeleyjamie! just wanted to pick your brain about this. and apologies if you’ve never posted about this and i’m remembering the wrong user

Hi! I’m pretty sure this wasn’t me who said it (but never say never because I sure say a lot on here, lol). However you might have still seen it on my blog, because I think I responded to an ask recently with the same opinion!

Regardless, my personal view on it is that Jamie was definitely speaking romantically, BUT I’ve seen a bunch of people think otherwise and it’s fun to explore different viewpoints so I'm gonna talk about my opinions on the funeral episode anyway lmao :)

I think the funeral is soooo interesting because Jamie AND Roy AND Keeley are all acting kind of strangely. Even when we figure how why Roy is being so odd (Grandad Emotions), but there's still whatever is going on between Jamie and Keeley. Because like, yeah, Jamie definitely should’ve 1) realized his boss' father's funeral wasn’t the time nor place for love confessions and 2) probably not done it regardless because, yes, it is kind of out of pocket to tell your ex-girlfriend you’re still in love with her when she’s currently dating someone else (who just so happens to be your current football coach who just helped you during a very traumatic experience)…like ohhh Jamie. Messy!! But I love mess. So therefore I did love this. 🤷‍♀️ However…the topic is not necessarily as ~coming up out of nowhere~ as it first seems, I think. Importantly, Keeley is also acting weirdly!!

I was staring at this gifset recently and thinking many a Keeley thought, and to be honest I think feelings and big emotions were being stirred up again on BOTH sides at that event. It’s interesting (and I think rings true to other insights we've gotten into her character) that as soon as things get a little dicey with Roy, Keeley starts looking outside her relationship, either for people to confide in (as she does when she tells everyone but Roy about the problems she’s having with Roy in Headspace) or to reflect on what she no longer has but is suddenly wondering if she might miss and possibly still want (her contemplative looks at Jamie at the funeral, “you look nice Jamie” etc…. Maybe this is an unpopular take, but I think Keeley is also feeling some type of way that day, about Jamie in particular. And yeah I definitely think that has an impact on why Jamie chooses then to confess to her. He's sensing a different vibe between them suddenly and is reminded, I need to do this.

The other reasons in Jamie’s head imo are 1) Jamie is just generally very open about most of his feelings and I think he’s coming at it from, a 'you should tell the people you love that you love them!' place, right or wrong 2) as he later tells Roy, the funeral made him uncomfy!! and AS YOU SAY yeah i do think there's definitely an connection between that and his dad abusing him in front of the whole team, which has just happened very recently. PERHAPS he is already Not Doing Great, and watching his boss who he doesn't really know act Weird during the eulogy for her Dead Father has him extra off-kilter. 3) as we learn in s3... his dad disappeared after Wembley. No calls, no texts. Nothing. Now, we don't have categoric evidence that this is unusual, but to ME James Sr. doesn't seem like someone who typically leaves well enough alone. I can definitely see Jamie still being freaked out over this very big thing that happened that his dad has got to be incredibly angry about. Perhaps there is still a part of him very much waiting for the other shoe to drop! Which is to say, I do think you're right that there's an element of existential crisis going on here.

Also, while I do personally think Jamie's confession is romantic in nature, I do not think it is conditional in intent. Jamie isn't telling her with the expectation that she's going to dump Roy immediately and tell him that oh yeah, she loves him too. Like, Jamie isn't an idiot. I think he does at the heart of it just want to thank her and he's been meaning to thank her for a while because she means SO MUCH TO HIM that it all has to come spilling out as some point. And a part of that love is romantic, yes, but he also loves her in so many ways. I think Jamie is perfectly content to put it out there and let her set the terms of their future friendship/relationship. Most important to him is that she knows.

So anyway, sorry this got so long and that it isn't really what your original question was about (for anyone who thinks the confession wasn't about Jamie loving her romantically, please feel free to chime in/reblog and add your thoughts!) but in summation, I think: Roy being upset about other things (Grandad) causes him to stir a fight with Keeley -> The fight with Roy causes Keeley to re-evaluate some things and part of her focus undeniably lands on Jamie -> Jamie senses something has changed between him and Keeley and because of that, in addition to the lingering aftershocks of a recent very traumatic experience, confesses he's still in love with her at a funeral.

Which is to say, as I DO always say here at lunar-years, these three's stories have always been irrevocably intertwined since the beginning (regardless of the ot3 as a ship) and the funeral is another example of that. Also it is totally crazy that we never get an explicit follow-up to Man City until episode 11 of the NEXT SEASON and that is one of my biggest grievances on season 2.