Eleventh-Hour Thoughts on Ted Lasso
With three episodes left, it seems a bit late to chew over this, but here goes.
I started watching Ted Lasso between the first two seasons. I fell for it very early in the first episode, when Ted and Coach Beard are on the plane to London and Ted -- just before turning around to take a nap -- tells his friend "Hey, if we run into each other in our dreams, let's play it cool, pretend like we don't know each other." I don't know why but it struck me as the perfect introduction of two friends with a long history and I instantly wanted to hang out with them forever.
I also fell hard for Roy/Keeley and wanted to see them together from basically the first time they had a scene together. And I've loved getting to know all of these characters -- even ones you think are background characters in the beginning -- and watching them grow.
So here we are near the end. I mentioned on Facebook that I'll be in London the day the finale goes online and I'll probably watch it at the hotel before I leave for the airport to fly home. That's going to be an emotional day. So while I have the chance, I wanted to write some stuff about what's currently happening on the show and in the fandom (well, the part of fandom that's on the #TedLasso tag on Twitter) on what is one of the only forums still around where one can adequately discuss stuff like this.
1) TedBecca - No. I'm not saying there's no way it could possibly happen, but there's been nothing in the show to convince me it has ever even crossed the writers' minds, and they've only got three more episodes to bring it about if they're going to. I concede that there are two moments this season that I can't quite fit into the #TeamFriendship basket (the "psychic/bully" conversation and Ted's green matchbook). But if the writers want me to root for this pairing (and they should want people to root for it!), they're going to have to give me more than matchbooks and "Oklahoma" because, honestly, seeing the stuff the TedBecca Nation gets excited about is like hippogriffs and toast all over again. And besides all that, if they're going to end up together, I'll lament that yet another male-female friendship in the workplace has been lost. (I'm personally rooting for Rebecca/Houseboat Guy from Amsterdam, but that might be just as satisfying as a One Special Night thing.)
2) Rebecca and Those Signs - I thought early on that Rebecca's arc this season would be mostly about her obsession with beating Rupert, but then she went and saw that psychic and we've all been obsessed with the seemingly random predictions. I think a lot of folks are reading way too much into those signs, for the most part, but I find it interesting that all of the signs (that we've seen "come true," at least) have to do with the men who have had a romantic role in her life.
- green matchbook (given to her by Sam)
- shite in nining armor (what her ex John is called by his new wife)
- upside down and drenched, but safe (Amsterdam)
We haven't seen "thunder and lightning" yet, and the relevancy of the comment that she'll be a mother is surely not going to reveal itself until the final episode. At least one website has linked "thunder and lightning" to Roy's line last season about "someone who makes you feel like you've been struck by lightning." And while TedBecca fans think the motherhood prediction is about her being a stepmom to Henry, there's also a possibility with Amsterdam Houseboat Guy who has a young daughter (whose bedroom Rebecca glanced at while she was there). Speaking of which, not for nothing, but the show's casting director sent out a casting call last year for a "native Dutch-speaking girl" aged 6-9, who "must be London-based" for a "small role shooting for a couple of days on an award-winning TV show."
3) Keeley - I for one have loved seeing the storyline of her new PR firm and Keeley trying to navigate being a girlboss and still being a good person. I guess I understand why some fans don't like it, though, since it isn't related to the Richmond stuff (though the team is still one of her clients, since she was talking to Isaac about a shoe sponsorship earlier this season). I think she had good instincts in at least giving Shandy a chance (Shandy did save their commercial shoot with a good idea). It was only after hiring her that Keeley realized that she had no head for business or even basic responsibility and had as many bad ideas as good ones. (Side Note: Was anyone else grossed out by her app for people who want to shag celebs? Celebrities aren't vending machines! I had a similar feeling when the "just fine" guy Rebecca formerly dated told his story of bullying Anthony Hopkins into doing an "ussie." These are people. They don't owe you anything just because you recognize them or think you fancy them.)
4) Keeley and Roy - I am cautiously optimistic that they're still getting back together (most obviously due to that one moment in the trailer that we haven't seen in an episode yet). The first episode, where they break it to Phoebe (who needs to be in more of this season, dangit!), sets up their estrangement as a plot problem to be resolved. Also, Phoebe thinks their breakup is "stupid" and I agree. I'm certain that the problem is not actually both of them being "too busy." No way Roy actually thinks he is too busy to be with Keeley. I do think he probably thinks she's too busy for him -- well, maybe not busy exactly, but it's more like he thinks (ever since at least the photo shoot last season) that he could be holding her back or getting in her way. Kind of like A Star Is Born. Hopefully without the suicide.
5) Gay Characters - My one note for the first two seasons was "where are the gays?". This season has finally delivered -- perhaps overcorrecting a bit, but I love the story they're telling with Collin this season, especially his newfound friendship with fellow gay Trent (who surely isn't still in the closet, what with the rainbow mug and Dolly tee). I still remember the scene last season with Nate and Collin, where Nate basically said that, as a player, Collin was nothing special. (Yes, I'm definitely going to address Nate.) And the fact that, once Collin has come out to the team, he unleashes his full potential as a player and saves the match, makes me so happy. I'm also really glad that Isaac's problem with Collin this episode wasn't what it looked like.
6) Jack and Keeley - While I love concrete confirmation that Keeley is bi, and I actually thought Keeley and Jack were cute together (at first), I knew this would be a prickly situation. Because if, as I suspected from the first episode, they're setting up a reconciliation between Keeley and Roy, it's kind of problematic to use a WLW relationship as an obstacle to that that has to be overcome. And the show was not very subtle about all the red flags it put up around her (following Keeley to her dinner with Rebecca and picking up the tab, really?). Though I disagree that the show is actively comparing Jack to Rupert and that Rebecca simply wants Keeley to be on her guard when it comes to Jack's love-bombing. I do think her response to Keeley's video, while it seems out of character at first, is a matter of her *thinking* she's a cool person who can handle it, but ultimately being a creature of extreme privilege and letting her father's money and influence lead her to put her reputation above her relationship.
** I also want to point out (because I've seen this ignored and misstated by other fans) that Jack is *also* bi, from all available evidence. The only person we've heard her talk about having sex with before Keeley was a guy (the birthday clown).
7) Roy - I was getting a bit impatient before the latest episode, because Roy had been kind of regulated to comic relief this season. There have been so many other characters getting attention and growth (which I'm not complaining about and I love) that there just hasn't been time to give him many genuine moments of growth. Yes, he's been Jamie's drill sergeant and they're becoming closer, but that's mostly about Jamie's growth. Other than Roy confronting Trent and having regrets about his time playing for Chelsea, there haven't been a lot of great moments for him that haven't been comedic asides like his insane chuckling over the red string exercise. Finally, "La Locker Room aux Folles" gives him a little bit of everything -- a comic scene where he lambasts the team for not defending his not-hairy arse; an incredible scene with Rebecca, who knows very well what at least one of his problems is and gives him some truth-bombs; an emotional and gentle scene with Isaac, where he does that thing where a character gives someone advice that's also advice for themselves; and the press conference scene, where he reminds us he's actually a great leader.
8) Jamie - Who has had a better arc on this show than Jamie Tartt? (Maybe Rebecca, but most of her growth came in the first season.) I am SUCH a sucker for characters who are jerks becoming characters I love (see also Chilton on Hannibal and Lexi on Chucky). Seeing him learn to be a team player, and watching his growing closeness to Roy (and genuine friendship with his ex Keeley) has been a joy. I do wonder where his training plot is going, if anywhere. He said initially that he wanted to be "better than" Zava, but what does that mean in the "Total Football" era?
9) Nate - I cannot believe the number of people I've seen who are actually MAD that Nate is on the path to redemption. I see comments like "He doesn't deserve forgiveness" as if the reason we forgive people is because they "deserve" it. And it seems to be a factor in some people's lack of enthusiasm for the season; they have absolutely no interest in being reminded that he's a person. I for one love what they're doing with him this season (that moment with the Ted figurine in "Big Week" was, weirdly, the turning point for me). I love seeing him happy instead of bitter, seeing him interact with his family and see a different side to his dad, and seeing him pursue a relationship with Jade and find some happiness and confidence. And every moment that he bucks Rupert's influence is a triumph (well done for walking out on that "guys night"). That said, I'm not convinced Nate coming back to coach Richmond in the end is a lock. For one thing, even if he patches things up with Ted, there's still the team to consider and the team HATE him right now. He also, from what we've seen, has a terrible coaching style -- successful in terms of winning matches, yes, but he treats his players like crap (and did at Richmond -- I'll refer again to his comments to Collin last season).
10) The Team - I don't know where they're going with the season in terms of Richmond's success or failure. One of the frustrating things about "team" stories of any stripe is that the outcome of whatever they're competing over inevitably feels like a writing decision -- the team wins or loses a game because the writers need them to in order to say what they want to say. Will Richmond "win the whole f***ing thing"? I can see it going either way. I do feel like Trent's realization about "the Lasso way" having built up to the Total Football strategy all along suggests that they're on their way to a significant victory and one that will (probably with the help of Trent's book) make people sit up and take notice. OR it could all be leading to them having to live with losing, but Ted's coaching philosophy *still* making an impression. I don't know. Basically, it's the writers' world and we're just visiting.
11) Ted - It's hard not to project this season and series ending with Ted returning to America. There's just so much emphasis on Henry, and Ted fighting to still have a place in Henry's life. Not to mention that he clearly has not moved on from Michelle (and Michelle is maybe starting to reappraise him and their relationship). [Side Note: Also, is no one (in the show, I mean -- the fans are all over it) going to point out how inappropriate it is for a therapist to be romantically involved with someone he used to counsel?] And then there's Ted's general angst about whether he should even be in that job anymore. It's kind of the Big Question for the whole series.
I started watching Ted Lasso between the first two seasons. I fell for it very early in the first episode, when Ted and Coach Beard are on the plane to London and Ted -- just before turning around to take a nap -- tells his friend "Hey, if we run into each other in our dreams, let's play it cool, pretend like we don't know each other." I don't know why but it struck me as the perfect introduction of two friends with a long history and I instantly wanted to hang out with them forever.
I also fell hard for Roy/Keeley and wanted to see them together from basically the first time they had a scene together. And I've loved getting to know all of these characters -- even ones you think are background characters in the beginning -- and watching them grow.
So here we are near the end. I mentioned on Facebook that I'll be in London the day the finale goes online and I'll probably watch it at the hotel before I leave for the airport to fly home. That's going to be an emotional day. So while I have the chance, I wanted to write some stuff about what's currently happening on the show and in the fandom (well, the part of fandom that's on the #TedLasso tag on Twitter) on what is one of the only forums still around where one can adequately discuss stuff like this.
1) TedBecca - No. I'm not saying there's no way it could possibly happen, but there's been nothing in the show to convince me it has ever even crossed the writers' minds, and they've only got three more episodes to bring it about if they're going to. I concede that there are two moments this season that I can't quite fit into the #TeamFriendship basket (the "psychic/bully" conversation and Ted's green matchbook). But if the writers want me to root for this pairing (and they should want people to root for it!), they're going to have to give me more than matchbooks and "Oklahoma" because, honestly, seeing the stuff the TedBecca Nation gets excited about is like hippogriffs and toast all over again. And besides all that, if they're going to end up together, I'll lament that yet another male-female friendship in the workplace has been lost. (I'm personally rooting for Rebecca/Houseboat Guy from Amsterdam, but that might be just as satisfying as a One Special Night thing.)
2) Rebecca and Those Signs - I thought early on that Rebecca's arc this season would be mostly about her obsession with beating Rupert, but then she went and saw that psychic and we've all been obsessed with the seemingly random predictions. I think a lot of folks are reading way too much into those signs, for the most part, but I find it interesting that all of the signs (that we've seen "come true," at least) have to do with the men who have had a romantic role in her life.
- green matchbook (given to her by Sam)
- shite in nining armor (what her ex John is called by his new wife)
- upside down and drenched, but safe (Amsterdam)
We haven't seen "thunder and lightning" yet, and the relevancy of the comment that she'll be a mother is surely not going to reveal itself until the final episode. At least one website has linked "thunder and lightning" to Roy's line last season about "someone who makes you feel like you've been struck by lightning." And while TedBecca fans think the motherhood prediction is about her being a stepmom to Henry, there's also a possibility with Amsterdam Houseboat Guy who has a young daughter (whose bedroom Rebecca glanced at while she was there). Speaking of which, not for nothing, but the show's casting director sent out a casting call last year for a "native Dutch-speaking girl" aged 6-9, who "must be London-based" for a "small role shooting for a couple of days on an award-winning TV show."
3) Keeley - I for one have loved seeing the storyline of her new PR firm and Keeley trying to navigate being a girlboss and still being a good person. I guess I understand why some fans don't like it, though, since it isn't related to the Richmond stuff (though the team is still one of her clients, since she was talking to Isaac about a shoe sponsorship earlier this season). I think she had good instincts in at least giving Shandy a chance (Shandy did save their commercial shoot with a good idea). It was only after hiring her that Keeley realized that she had no head for business or even basic responsibility and had as many bad ideas as good ones. (Side Note: Was anyone else grossed out by her app for people who want to shag celebs? Celebrities aren't vending machines! I had a similar feeling when the "just fine" guy Rebecca formerly dated told his story of bullying Anthony Hopkins into doing an "ussie." These are people. They don't owe you anything just because you recognize them or think you fancy them.)
4) Keeley and Roy - I am cautiously optimistic that they're still getting back together (most obviously due to that one moment in the trailer that we haven't seen in an episode yet). The first episode, where they break it to Phoebe (who needs to be in more of this season, dangit!), sets up their estrangement as a plot problem to be resolved. Also, Phoebe thinks their breakup is "stupid" and I agree. I'm certain that the problem is not actually both of them being "too busy." No way Roy actually thinks he is too busy to be with Keeley. I do think he probably thinks she's too busy for him -- well, maybe not busy exactly, but it's more like he thinks (ever since at least the photo shoot last season) that he could be holding her back or getting in her way. Kind of like A Star Is Born. Hopefully without the suicide.
5) Gay Characters - My one note for the first two seasons was "where are the gays?". This season has finally delivered -- perhaps overcorrecting a bit, but I love the story they're telling with Collin this season, especially his newfound friendship with fellow gay Trent (who surely isn't still in the closet, what with the rainbow mug and Dolly tee). I still remember the scene last season with Nate and Collin, where Nate basically said that, as a player, Collin was nothing special. (Yes, I'm definitely going to address Nate.) And the fact that, once Collin has come out to the team, he unleashes his full potential as a player and saves the match, makes me so happy. I'm also really glad that Isaac's problem with Collin this episode wasn't what it looked like.
6) Jack and Keeley - While I love concrete confirmation that Keeley is bi, and I actually thought Keeley and Jack were cute together (at first), I knew this would be a prickly situation. Because if, as I suspected from the first episode, they're setting up a reconciliation between Keeley and Roy, it's kind of problematic to use a WLW relationship as an obstacle to that that has to be overcome. And the show was not very subtle about all the red flags it put up around her (following Keeley to her dinner with Rebecca and picking up the tab, really?). Though I disagree that the show is actively comparing Jack to Rupert and that Rebecca simply wants Keeley to be on her guard when it comes to Jack's love-bombing. I do think her response to Keeley's video, while it seems out of character at first, is a matter of her *thinking* she's a cool person who can handle it, but ultimately being a creature of extreme privilege and letting her father's money and influence lead her to put her reputation above her relationship.
** I also want to point out (because I've seen this ignored and misstated by other fans) that Jack is *also* bi, from all available evidence. The only person we've heard her talk about having sex with before Keeley was a guy (the birthday clown).
7) Roy - I was getting a bit impatient before the latest episode, because Roy had been kind of regulated to comic relief this season. There have been so many other characters getting attention and growth (which I'm not complaining about and I love) that there just hasn't been time to give him many genuine moments of growth. Yes, he's been Jamie's drill sergeant and they're becoming closer, but that's mostly about Jamie's growth. Other than Roy confronting Trent and having regrets about his time playing for Chelsea, there haven't been a lot of great moments for him that haven't been comedic asides like his insane chuckling over the red string exercise. Finally, "La Locker Room aux Folles" gives him a little bit of everything -- a comic scene where he lambasts the team for not defending his not-hairy arse; an incredible scene with Rebecca, who knows very well what at least one of his problems is and gives him some truth-bombs; an emotional and gentle scene with Isaac, where he does that thing where a character gives someone advice that's also advice for themselves; and the press conference scene, where he reminds us he's actually a great leader.
8) Jamie - Who has had a better arc on this show than Jamie Tartt? (Maybe Rebecca, but most of her growth came in the first season.) I am SUCH a sucker for characters who are jerks becoming characters I love (see also Chilton on Hannibal and Lexi on Chucky). Seeing him learn to be a team player, and watching his growing closeness to Roy (and genuine friendship with his ex Keeley) has been a joy. I do wonder where his training plot is going, if anywhere. He said initially that he wanted to be "better than" Zava, but what does that mean in the "Total Football" era?
9) Nate - I cannot believe the number of people I've seen who are actually MAD that Nate is on the path to redemption. I see comments like "He doesn't deserve forgiveness" as if the reason we forgive people is because they "deserve" it. And it seems to be a factor in some people's lack of enthusiasm for the season; they have absolutely no interest in being reminded that he's a person. I for one love what they're doing with him this season (that moment with the Ted figurine in "Big Week" was, weirdly, the turning point for me). I love seeing him happy instead of bitter, seeing him interact with his family and see a different side to his dad, and seeing him pursue a relationship with Jade and find some happiness and confidence. And every moment that he bucks Rupert's influence is a triumph (well done for walking out on that "guys night"). That said, I'm not convinced Nate coming back to coach Richmond in the end is a lock. For one thing, even if he patches things up with Ted, there's still the team to consider and the team HATE him right now. He also, from what we've seen, has a terrible coaching style -- successful in terms of winning matches, yes, but he treats his players like crap (and did at Richmond -- I'll refer again to his comments to Collin last season).
10) The Team - I don't know where they're going with the season in terms of Richmond's success or failure. One of the frustrating things about "team" stories of any stripe is that the outcome of whatever they're competing over inevitably feels like a writing decision -- the team wins or loses a game because the writers need them to in order to say what they want to say. Will Richmond "win the whole f***ing thing"? I can see it going either way. I do feel like Trent's realization about "the Lasso way" having built up to the Total Football strategy all along suggests that they're on their way to a significant victory and one that will (probably with the help of Trent's book) make people sit up and take notice. OR it could all be leading to them having to live with losing, but Ted's coaching philosophy *still* making an impression. I don't know. Basically, it's the writers' world and we're just visiting.
11) Ted - It's hard not to project this season and series ending with Ted returning to America. There's just so much emphasis on Henry, and Ted fighting to still have a place in Henry's life. Not to mention that he clearly has not moved on from Michelle (and Michelle is maybe starting to reappraise him and their relationship). [Side Note: Also, is no one (in the show, I mean -- the fans are all over it) going to point out how inappropriate it is for a therapist to be romantically involved with someone he used to counsel?] And then there's Ted's general angst about whether he should even be in that job anymore. It's kind of the Big Question for the whole series.