scenicbyway

I do find this fascinating that you don’t see Rebecca as substantially older than Ted. Hannah is a year older than Jason so basically the same age. But Sassy is shown to be about the same age as Rebecca but is played by Ellie who is 9 years younger than Hannah. Was Sassy a better match for Ted because the actress playing her was significantly younger? Shows normally pair men and women that have at least a five year age gap (women over 40 are usually invisible). I think that plays into Ted and Rebecca couldn’t possibly be more than friends, he’d go for someone younger.

Thinking about Ted and Rebecca’s friendship? Relationship? Soulmatism?(according to the actors and writers in interviews) From what I’ve seen nothing has been more divisive in the fandom. It’s either PLATONIC FRIENDS ONLY because there are none portrayed on tv (which, not true, not true even within the show) or ROMANTIC SOULMATES for life!!! I feel like Ted and Rebecca’s storyline was handled particularly badly. They were constantly framed in Will they/won’t they scenes throughout the 3 seasons, the rickshaw scene, the panic attacks (comfort hug and looking for him), Ted being the one to sing back at the funeral, the truth bombs framed next to each other in his office, the bantr fakeout, the Amsterdam texts, the “let her in to your heart” line when he sees a text from her. The morning after fakeout and her being willing to give up everything for him. The “signs” framed against the open biscuit boxes. And before people say those weren’t romantic…the main point of will/won’t they is that they don’t until they get to the end so 99%of the scenes are a “no” until the couple suddenly realize feelings usually towards the end of the movie/series. My question is…if Rebecca had been in her 30’s vs. late 40’s (Ted’s age) would more people have seen romance potential there? Hannah is and looks like she’s in her 40’s (and she looks great!) Rebecca’s storyline was that she was no longer fertile, she had missed that chance to have a baby naturally. Does the audience have a bias against the leads getting together because she not the traditional age to do so on tv? It’s rare to see two leads put together that are the same age especially in movies.

With the exception of Jaime’s mom and stepdad and maybe Nate the way they showed the standard of living for the Richmond team including the players, Keeley, Rebecca and coaches was all the same despite wildly different income levels. So the fact they don’t let on that Ted is giving up possibly 24 million to go back to Kansas isn’t surprising. I think the season was a let down. Why did Keeley need to be shown away from Richmond and failing at work? To show she’s bi and a terrible boss? We could’ve learned that from dinners/lunches with Rebecca especially if she and Roy weren’t endgame. What was the point of “Signs”? To give Rebecca something to do besides eat biscuits and plot against Rupert? The matchbook, nining armor, fertility plot line literally went no where. And why, when the whole team got matchbooks did we only see them again with Ted and Rebecca? Why was hers intertwined with Ted’s army guy? The only thing Dutch guy had in common with sleepless in Seattle was living on a houseboat. There was no pining from Rebecca after that night, she had months to return there and had chosen not to. But they meet again when she’s at her most emotionally vulnerable moment in the series so it’s all good! Ugh. Why did the team unanimously vote for Nate to return? Because they were goldfish? Important scenes supposedly happened off screen when dumb things like KJPR took up hours of time. What is most annoying though is that Ted has to give up the community and friends he established to go back to where he started from, where the writers left it open for he and Michelle (who asked him to leave in the first place and dated their marriage counselor) to get back together. We saw him suffer for 3 seasons over Michelle and we’re supposed to hope they get together? That does not seem healthy. Henry could’ve lived in the UK, the money for a year would’ve taken care of them for life. The only piece missing for Ted in London was Henry.

The show saved money by using the same actress to play young Rebecca and Dutchman’s daughter. If Brendan thinks it’s magic…I suppose he thinks the CGI Beard wedding was too. I have found Hannah’s interviews about the Dutch guy interesting. She keeps reiterating that what ever relationship they have may not last or might be for just a short time. Seems like an odd answer for what seemed like a series finale, but I suppose since they didn’t flesh out his character for the cast or audience all we know is that he’s a divorced pilot with a daughter who almost destroyed his family (according to him). What I found most troubling about the AMA was that Brendan said Ted and Beard wouldn’t see each other for years after Ted leaves, so he’s not at the wedding. Which also implies Ted never sees the Richmond gang again, that’s just sad.

100% cruel. The writers knew what they were doing. Baiting the shippers got them free publicity and they bought their merch. There was zero reason to have Rebecca beg for him to stay, to chase after him at the airport if they were just work colleagues. The thing is the Ted of the Amsterdam episode with constantly texting her or frankly the Ted of before his mom’s visit would’ve listened to Rebecca like we saw with the “Hey, Jude” scene. This Ted made no sense. In the AMA today Brendan said in the airport scene both Ted and Rebecca were holding back I love you’s because that would open the flood gates. Whatever. He also said Beard and Jane weren’t an abusive relationship. I still think this ending is Jason’s real life put onscreen. He wanted his kids to live in NY because he was working in London but the ex wants them living in California so he’s literally given up TL and moved back for the kids. Brendan also said they talked about the possibility of TedBecca but they didn’t take it seriously. Obviously they just decided to troll the audience with it instead.

It makes no sense that Ted wouldn’t be at Beard’s wedding. He would’ve been Beard’s Best Man even. Ted has just presumably made millions as a Premier League Manager, he probably doesn’t even need to work. So many wasted storylines and time this season. Rupert’s fall should’ve come mid way through the season. Jack’s story should’ve been eliminated all together, I get wanting to show a lesbian storyline but it went no where (like most of the relationships on the show). Shandy showed us how unprepared Keeley was for the corporate world. If Rebecca is a billionaire why didn’t she just fund her and continue to mentor her in the first place? Why did we need to see Keeley outside of Richmond? So Roy (who it appeared she took back 2 episodes ago) and Jaime could fight over her in the end again?! I feel like the whole Beard’s wedding thing was just a middle finger to marriage in general from the writers (I’m looking at Jason) we get it, she broke your heart, it doesn’t mean it can’t be mended. But to have Beard marry his abusive girlfriend was bizarre. And most of all, why show Ted and Rebecca as mirrors of each other for three years, why the dumb signs placed against the biscuit boxes, why the 12 texts etc in Amsterdam, why the music lyrics of “let her into your heart” right as she texted him if it was for him to say, thanks and bye? Just show them eating biscuits or not, they really didn’t need to interact.

To be fair, we weren’t wrong in that Rebecca did everything (without revealing feelings)a romantic lead would do to get Ted to stay and he didn’t go for it. He even told her she was acting like she was in a romcom chasing him at the airport. I also don’t have male friends spend the night and find them walking around the kitchen in their underwear the next morning, so I guess Beard doing made it seem normal Ted was doing it. I found her story overall to be pretty pointless. And I find Ted’s story of a return to Kansas alone to Michele and Henry depressing. I can’t help but think that Jason’s own personal life changed the direction of the series. So many of the Ted/Becca things in season 1 were things Jason and Olivia experienced that she’s talked about in interviews. They’ve also been in a custody battle that has forced him to return to California vs where he’d like the kids to live.

Brendan Hunt (Beard) is also tweeting some bts stuff.

It was posted on Sunday that the finale is 76 minutes but I noticed that’s been taken down. Why? Now the release is midnight eastern time? No still photos or sneak peek? Weird Just as weird is the Cast not promoting the finale. I get there’s a writer’s strike and it’s important to support that but I would guess promoting the series they’ve wrapped is in their contracts.

Not going to lie, releasing this 3 hours later than every other episode this season is annoying. I’m sure there are watch parties getting cancelled tonight because of the change. It not a good look.

I think they win the whole thing and Ted slips out during the celebration because he hates goodbyes. I hope we get to see Trent’s book. Perhaps he was just a catalyst for Collin coming out? We never saw him interview anyone. Which seems odd. I hope to see Roy and Keeley happy. Nate “forgive” Ted and vice versa. But I don’t want to see Nate permanently back at Richmond. I’d like to see Ted realize he’s happy in Richmond, not Kansas and work out custody that has him seeing Henry more often. I want Ted and Rebecca to realize their feelings for each other and finally show them to each other. Will this take a thunderstorm? Maybe… The writers have been adamant from the beginning that this story we are seeing plays out in three acts (seasons). The trailer for this season did debut on Valentine’s Day… The episode titles haven’t been too in the nose so I’m not expecting goodbyes in the form of each person signing off.

There’s no way this is the complete cast list, half the team is missing as are Rupert’s ex’s The only way we’ll see a complete list is after the episode. I rewatched the scene with Keeley and Rebecca in 3.07 where they discuss Amsterdam and while she said the experience transcended sex, she didn’t seem interested in seeing him again. She wasn’t worried that she didn’t know his name. She was also twisting a lasso ring on her finger throughout the convo.

RomComs are famous for not putting couples together until the last moment because that’s the fantasy, right? You see them kiss at the end but you also see the work they did to get there and not the hard stuff of life after. Roy has worked on himself, especially these last few episodes and he is finally telling Keeley how he feels. Keeley has also experienced a crisis this season with her work and personal life but has made a choice to let Roy back in. Ted and Rebecca are the lead characters. Lead characters in romcoms end up with the other lead character. There’s no pay off if they don’t. The cliffhanger is between the two of them. If Ted was leaving and he and Rebecca were just owner and coach, wouldn’t the cliffhanger really be with Ted and Beard? Beard not wanting to leave because he’s in love? But Beard being conflicted because he is only there because of Ted? But since Beard is not the co-main character the cliffhanger isn’t between them.

You know, Ted’s mom Dottie (Dorothy)returns home to Kansas at the end of the episode. We see Jaime (scarecrow), Roy (tin man), Keeley (lion) walk the yellow brick tunnel to Jaime’s home. We hear “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” when the team is watching the movie. We have Beard (Toto) check on Nate (?) and Ted facilitates all of this from behind the scenes (the wizard?) Maybe Ted’s truth bomb isn’t about leaving since Dorothy has gone back to Kansas?

Another interesting tidbit floating around on Twitter: The pyramid of success in Ted and Beards office… Roy is shown looking at it in Season 1 and he leaves the team. Nate is shown looking at it in Season 2 and leaves. Ted is shown looking at it in Season 3 and Rebecca is shown looking at it in 3.11. Roy and Nate both return eventually to Richmond, I wonder if this means Ted and Rebecca leave (does that mean selling the team for her?). But it leaves the door open for their return.

I saw an interesting theory on the Ted Lassi subreddit last night that the friendship/relationship being played out between Ted and Rebecca resembles When Harry Met Sally, a classic Nora Ephron film. The premise of the movie is…can men and women just be friends? Harry and Sally at first hate each other, thrown together by circumstance. But over the course of a decade become friends, see each other through other relationships and ultimately fall in love in the last few minutes. Harry becomes divorced, his wife leaves him for a professor type. He obsesses over the divorce. Sally’s engagement ends when her fiancée breaks it off and he she spirals when she figures out he just didn’t want to be married to her vs. marry someone else. Sally’s fear is that she will end up alone over 40. They become each others first and last call of the day. They karaoke “Surrey with the fringe on top” from the musical “Oklahoma.” They watch old movies together. Their mutual best friends end up together. Just looking at Ted/Rebecca, they are very like Harry/Sally. Rebecca is from “Surrey,” their code word for truth telling is “Oklahoma.” Ted obsesses over his divorce and Rebecca snaps him out of it. Rebecca is constantly worried about being alone. Rupert didn’t want to have a child with her, etc.

I do wonder if Ted’s truth bomb for Rebecca is that he’s hired Nate back. Surely she would have a response to that. I could see unless “Oklahomaed” that he might keep leaving to himself. Nate is not completely misunderstood like he’s being portrayed and Ted is not as forgiving or saintly as he’s being portrayed (the fight with his mom showed us that) they are two wounded men but Nate should’ve apologized months ago. Ted presumably sending everyone in to get Nate back is a bit much. He could probably get a job anywhere, why does he have to come back to Richmond? So everyone believes in the goldfish philosophy? Because that’s also how you get taken advantaged of.

Just watched 3.11 again. What strikes me is that Ted doesn’t go find Nate (not that he should). Higgins rallys the team to go check on Nate (probably at Ted’s request, because why else would they want Nate back)? Ted sends Beard because Beard owes him and can understand second chances. Perhaps Ted’s truth bomb to Rebecca is that Nate will be returning. Maybe he chickens out on telling her he’s leaving initially. Also in the rule of threes on this show…Ted and Michelle have had the last scene twice this season and Ted and Rebecca twice as well…

I wonder how Nate will react to Trent in the next episode? Nate would presumably know that Trent is no longer a reporter. I wonder if he knows he’s writing a book about the whole season?

It is hard to understand while so much time was spent on KJPR and Keeley outside of Richmond. In previous seasons she was portrayed as an “Independent Woman” and ready to take on the world and instead the season we got her hiring her vulgar friend and sleeping with her financier. How Jack was surprised by the video, I’ll never understand because Ted was covering up topless pictures of Keeley in the locker room at the beginning of the series. Now, when it looks like she and Roy have reconciled she seems to be putting the breaks on that. Why not just have her be friends with Rebecca and Ted? Why the drama of maybe not getting together? Put Roy out of his misery.

In Sleepless in Seattle the protagonist is constantly looking for signs. Her wedding dress rips, that must mean she shouldn’t get married to her fiancee. She sees a sign of the Empire State Building that must mean that’s where she’ll meet her soulmate. The “signs” become the truth. That’s why it’s odd that Ted is being shown with the matchbook. In Sleepless the male protagonist is fairly clueless until the end. As for the hotel Sassy scene, Rebecca had been checking on him just prior and she was looking to spend the night with someone, it looked like it would be Ted vs the waiter. Do “just friends” send 15 unanswered texts like Ted did in Amsterdam? Why not have Higgins check on her there? There are lots of deliberate Ted/Rebecca interactions that wouldn’t have happened between say Ted and Keeley and Roy and Rebecca and they don’t have anything to do with being an owner or coach. I do hope we’ll get to see Rebecca’s reaction to (presumably) Ted leaving. Rebecca’s theme has been that she doesn’t want to be alone, she wants a family, I hope she gets one.

And to me it seems like the writers were continually baiting the audience when there didn’t need to be bait. A great example is when it looked like Rebecca and Ted were talking on Bantr but it was Sam. Or making it look like it would be Rebecca at Ted’s hotel door instead of Sassy. With the matchbook, it’s already associated with Sam, it’s his restaurant, everyone on the team got one. Rebecca keeps it in her purse because of the psychic otherwise it would be in her matchbook drawer. Why do they need to show Ted with his months later? Ted has no attachment to Sam other than as his coach. Why not show Roy with his matchbook or Keeley with hers? Because the writers want us to know Rebecca and Ted are actively carrying them. Why? Baiting the audience or something more?

No thunder and lightening yet. I even wonder about the “one at a time please” which makes it sound like someone is in line. I just can’t figure out both Ted and Rebecca having the matchbooks in her purse and his pocket months after receiving them. We know Ted got a matchbook, why did we need to see him having it specifically?Rebecca keeping the green army man and it stuck in the matchbook. The red and blue magnets in Ted’s pocket with his matchbook when Rebecca has sat in front of a red locker and Ted a blue when they’ve chatted. Not to mention the “nining armor” where her ex’s scarf literally says “TED.” What was the point of the signs? Why have Ted have them too?

Well Ted gave Sharon Rebecca’s biscuits that Sharon rejected. And Keeley used to work at Richmond everyday and he only brought Keeley biscuits when Jack ghosted her and it was 40 $pounds in a biscuit box. Biscuits are his and Rebecca’s thing, he intentionally brings them everyday so they can have time together. And for her they are a special memory of childhood. Rebecca and Ted are more deeply connected than Ted and Keeley and Ted and Sassy. I’d say the only person Ted is more close to in London is Beard. Dr. Sharon made it clear from the beginning that their interactions were strictly professional.

Yes to all of this! Rotten cherry indeed! I desperately want to be wrong in my prediction. Why even start the special “truthbombs” if nothing is to come from it? Why have all the signs and affection throughout the series? Rebecca from the beginning hasn’t wanted to be alone, and now we won’t get to see her happy ending? She doesn’t even remember if she and the random boat guy had sex? That’s crazy and not a happy ending. Ugh. Have we seen Ted interact with anyone from Kansas while he’s been in London besides his family? Which means if they don’t end up together the friendship is probably over anyway. I too feel like they wasted so much time and to have Nate get EVERYTHING is just bizarre to me. It’s hard to believe the army figurine that’s she’s been carrying around for 3 years and all the texts from Ted during Amsterdam are red herrings. Did Ted make biscuits everyday for anyone else?? No. Ugh