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Season 1 & 2 Discussion


Avabelle
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On 9/14/2020 at 6:52 AM, teddysmom said:

That is the first time I have heard someone sing Let It Go and not turned off the tv. I don't have kids so I never saw Frozen, and I tried to watch it on cable a while back. Could not get thru the song. Was that really Hannah? What a voice! 

Too bad we didn't get to hear the whole song

On 3/12/2021 at 9:40 PM, ahisma said:

This has been on my list since the NPR critics gave it rave reviews and I finally binged it. I fell in love immediately just from the video of Ted dancing with his college football kids, and it only got better from there. 

Hannah Waddingham is A. Maz. Ing. From the start she was great as the woman wronged who at least got to take out the misogynistic trash of the previous coach. Even when her evil plan was revealed I couldn’t entirely hate her. She completely owned the screen in that scene where

  Reveal spoiler

Rupert tells her he’s having a baby with Bex.

Acting masterclass. (Anthony Head is gorgeous as hell but, my god, Rupert is an arsehole.) If that was really her voice singing Let It Go, I’m floored. Hannah was also a presence in Sex Education as one of Jackson’s mothers—what a hell of a range. 

Yes it was Hannah Waddingham singing.  She is a well-known West End musical theatre star.

She created the role of The Wicked Witch in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz and here she is singing Red Shoes Blues.

and a beautiful rendition of "Memory"

 

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16 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

Of course it's a long shot, but that would be so. much. FUN.

"Trent Crimm; the Independent; significant other of Ms. Welton."

 

And Trent would know Rilke.  They *have* been showing a lot more of Trent this season.  Hmmm…!!!

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6 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

And Trent would know Rilke.  They *have* been showing a lot more of Trent this season.  Hmmm…!!!

That reminds me: the 'hung poet' line made me laugh out loud! Never underestimate Keeley!

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On 8/20/2021 at 7:03 PM, Seelouis said:

I’m wondering if the story of how Higgins met his wife is how the actors actually met. They are married in real life. And the actor who plays Higgins does really play upright bass. 

I didn’t know this and it’s the most adorable thing I’ve heard in a long time. 

I loved it. I know they are building to something darker but damn it if I wasn’t grinning like an idiot for the entire “She’s a Rainbow” sequence. Mr Trillium is a lot like Roy, grumpy and closed off on the exterior, but very loyal and kind, so everything Roy makes me so happy. 

I’m in for wherever this is all going. As Ted hinted it might not be where we think it’s going or what we think we want but it’s what’s supposed to be. 

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It just occurred to me. Higgins - I think they are going to have Higgins die. That’s why they have showed so much of his happy home life these past couple of episodes.  I hop nt, because I love this show and the perfect balance of character that they have

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4 hours ago, Insert Username said:

It just occurred to me. Higgins - I think they are going to have Higgins die. That’s why they have showed so much of his happy home life these past couple of episodes.  I hop nt, because I love this show and the perfect balance of character that they have

If this was a drama I would agree, but not with this. At the end of the day this is still a feel good comedy. There’s some darkness coming with Ted and Nate in particular, I trust even those will find it’s way out of the woods. 
 

But you never know I suppose, they could go full Grey’s Anatomy on us, but it’s not a concern of mine.

 

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Interesting call back to the first episode. In that one, Nate says he wouldn't go on Bantr because he's picky about women and then mutters women are picky too. In this episode, Jade won't give him her phone number saying she's picky and Nate says he's picky too. 

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On 8/21/2021 at 1:40 PM, SHD said:

Thank you, everyone who answered! Have not seen that one but knew the other allusion to it ("I'll have what he's having") because who doesn't?

Please watch When Harry Met Sally.  In my opinion the best of the best Rom-Com

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15 hours ago, AngieBee1 said:

Someone threw out a suggestion on Twitter that normally I would think was a reach but upon reflection would make sense.  Someone suggested what if Trent Crimm, The Independent was Rebecca's Bantr buddy?  The only reason why it slightly makes sense is because James Lance did a podcast a few months ago to promote a film and he was really effusive about series 2 which made it seem s if he's read all of S2 scripts, which he would not have had the chance to do if he was just a day player. He also confirmed that he's been asked back for series 3. I understand wanting to check his availability, but he seemed pretty locked in saying that it will film early next year. 

Just realized where I know the actor who plays Trent from and it's because he played Ben in the first series of "I'm Alan Partridge". He was so young back then, I guess the silver streaks in the hair were throwing me. 

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Trent Crimm being Mystery Man would certainly be a fun twist, but while he would know Rilke, I can’t see him using “You’ve Got Mail” as the inspiration for his username on Bantr. Unless, of course, we discover he’s secretly a rom-communist himself.

I don’t think anything bad will happen to Higgins. I think they are just developing his character. He could have easily just been the abused assistant at work. But he demonstrated last season that he wasn’t a doormat and refused to cross some lines with Rebecca, and this season they are building on that by showing that the nerdy number-cruncher at the office actually has a very full and satisfying life outside of work. And considering that I think things are about go really downhill for some characters, they gotta have someone with a happy, stable life.

I also don’t think they’d go so dark as to have Nate attempt suicide, but I think he will cross a line with his behavior that will force Ted to demote or fire him, making them both miserable. One thing Ted seems to be learning this season is that he can’t just gloss everything over with platitudes. Things are serious and he has to make hard decisions to address them - like bringing Jamie back when he knew it would upset the team, but they needed another star player. And why he brought Roy on, recognizing that Roy has a skill set he does not. Having to knock Nate down after lifting him up will be really hard on him.

But if they do all this, it will be good character development. Last season everyone went from hating Ted and his barrage of dad jokes to actually liking and respecting him. Now, if things go the way I think they will, people will learn there are many layers to Ted, and his sunny optimism was actually born out of a place of sadness. And hopefully Ted will learn that people will still accept him if he isn’t Mr Sunshine all the time, solving everyone’s problems. Last season he said that his wife couldn’t cope with the non-stop optimism. I’m guessing in large part because Ted hides behind it instead of actually dealing with some issues, and that’s no way to have a marriage. And Ted will have the same problem in his next relationship if he doesn’t figure that out.

Edited by Kostgard
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1 hour ago, Kostgard said:

Trent Crimm being Mystery Man would certainly be a fun twist, but while he would know Rilke, I can’t see him using “You’ve Got Mail” as the inspiration for his username on Bantr. Unless, of course, we discover he’s secretly a rom-communist himself.

I don’t think anything bad will happen to Higgins. I think they are just developing his character. He could have easily just been the abused assistant at work. But he demonstrated last season that he wasn’t a doormat and refused to cross some lines with Rebecca, and this season they are building on that by showing that the nerdy number-cruncher at the office actually has a very full and satisfying life outside of work. And considering that I think things are about go really downhill for some characters, they gotta have someone with a happy, stable life.

I also don’t think they’d go so dark as to have Nate attempt suicide, but I think he will cross a line with his behavior that will force Ted to demote or fire him, making them both miserable. One thing Ted seems to be learning this season is that he can’t just gloss everything over with platitudes. Things are serious and he has to make hard decisions to address them - like bringing Jamie back when he knew it would upset the team, but they needed another star player. And why he brought Roy on, recognizing that Roy has a skill set he does not. Having to knock Nate down after lifting him up will be really hard on him.

But if they do all this, it will be good character development. Last season everyone went from hating Ted and his barrage of dad jokes to actually liking and respecting him. Now, if things go the way I think they will, people will learn there are many layers to Ted, and his sunny optimism was actually born out of a place of sadness. And hopefully Ted will learn that people will still accept him if he isn’t Mr Sunshine all the time, solving everyone’s problems. Last season he said that his wife couldn’t cope with the non-stop optimism. I’m guessing in large part because Ted hides behind it instead of actually dealing with some issues, and that’s no way to have a marriage. And Ted will have the same problem in his next relationship if he doesn’t figure that out.

There’s going to be a showdown with Dr Sharon, and I am here for it. 
 

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5 hours ago, Phishbulb said:

Just realized where I know the actor who plays Trent from and it's because he played Ben in the first series of "I'm Alan Partridge".

Looking back I realize I've seen him on "Absolutely Fabulous" but the first time I actually recall noticing him was on "Being Human". He was only 2 episodes but he was so great in it. A real stand out.   Lance said his manager wanted him to audition for Higgins but he knew he would never get it.  He was more attracted to Ted Crimm and asked to go for that role even though he knew (assumed) it would be a one-off.

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I checked Wikipedia to see if I'd actually seen Brett Goldstein in anything else. I knew he wrote for The Catherine Tate Show which was super funny, but he was in Ricky Gervais' show Derek. I'd completely forgotten him in that! That show isn't for everyone but I laughed and cried almost every episode (in a good way).

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23 hours ago, Insert Username said:

It just occurred to me. Higgins - I think they are going to have Higgins die. That’s why they have showed so much of his happy home life these past couple of episodes.  I hop nt, because I love this show and the perfect balance of character that they have

Nah.  The show is going to go somewhat dark, but not THAT dark.  

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On 8/23/2021 at 3:22 AM, Insert Username said:

It just occurred to me. Higgins - I think they are going to have Higgins die. That’s why they have showed so much of his happy home life these past couple of episodes.  I hop nt, because I love this show and the perfect balance of character that they have

They already killed Earl Greyhound this season, I can't see them killing a human character now too. 

I missed a lot of posts on this thread, but I'm not sure why everyone thinks the show is going to take a super dark turn? It's darker than season 1, but it's still a comedy after all. I can't see them going too much further down that hole. 

Also, do we not think that Rebecca and Ted are texting each other? 

Edited by FnkyChkn34
fixed typo
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2 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

I missed a lot of posts on this thread, but I'm not sure why everyone thinks the show is going to take a super dark turn?

There are clues in the writing - like Ted talking about the dark forest in the middle of the fairytale. Which also reflects what's going to happen in a classic three act structure. Act 2 is where problems/villain/challenges/monsters manifest - normally toward the end but you can sense the crisis coming.

Quote

Sudeikis said in an interview that this season is the show's take on 'The Empire Strikes Back'.

 

Edited by MissLucas
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2 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Sudeikis said in an interview that this season is the show's take on 'The Empire Strikes Back'.

Does this means the series finale includes hundreds of jubilant Ewoks?

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I have a feeling that Mystery Man is Ted. We see Rebecca texting MM and then the next shot is Ted looking at his phone as he walks down the hall, right before Dr Sharon comes along. 

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On 8/20/2021 at 1:45 PM, MerBearStare said:

I don't think it was Ted either, but I can't see it being Rupert. I don't think he would be on an app where he can't see how hot and/or young the women are. 

My overly elaborate theory is that it is indeed Rupert, and he does know exactly what women he's communicating with -- because he secretly owns Bantr. And what started as a skeezy way to scope out women and/or mess with Rebecca will become a way for him to wrestle back control of the team, because the team pissing off Dubai Air has given him an opening to swoop in and become their most important sponsor.

Edited by Dev F
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Now I'm thinking the Bantr buddy is Sam. I watched an interview with Bill Lawrence from October and he said the reason why he wanted Sam to be the one to implore Rebecca to join the team for their team de-ghosting or whatever ritual is that they had hopes for a second and third season and the writers had plans on how Sam and Rebecca get to know each other.  

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16 hours ago, MissLucas said:

There are clues in the writing - like Ted talking about the dark forest in the middle of the fairytale. Which also reflects what's going to happen in a classic three act structure. Act 2 is where problems/villain/challenges/monsters manifest - normally toward the end but you can sense the crisis coming.

 

Well, they've already killed a dog and said "football is death" so I'm not sure what else could happen.  There isn't really a "villain" in this story.  The team has been relegated so the whole season is about winning and getting back up to the Premier League - I guess that's the challenge?  

I guess I'll have to see it to believe it, that it'll get dark... Considering it's reviews have been (paraphrasing) "the only ray of hope during a pandemic" and "like a warm hug that tucks you in bed at night," I just can't see them straying too far away from what earned them 20 Emmy nominations.

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10 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Keeley asked them all to be on Bantr...  Is it Jamie?  😂 

Jamie is my fun guess. I fully expect Ted and Rebecca to end up together in the end, but it feels too soon to go that direction right now.

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Dang, now that it's out there in the atmosphere I wouldn't mind Rebecca and Jamie.  I went from Trent Crimm, The Independent / Rebecca; Sam/Rebecca (maybe too meta a "Cheers"  reference) and now I'm all aboard the Jamie/Rebecca train. 

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21 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Keeley asked them all to be on Bantr...  Is it Jamie?  😂 

Considering Jamie didn’t know what “Pavlovian” was last season, I’m guessing it’s not him quoting Rilke on a dating app. Though it would certainly be an interesting pairing. 

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10 hours ago, pennben said:

I have a weird feeling it’s Roy. That would blow up a lot of relationships & up some tension in the “dark forest” period of this ‘romcom’ if you will. 

That would be the worst possibility IMO, and I think least likely. Roy probably hopes bantr is successful for Keely’s sake, he probably personally thinks is “fucking stupid” and would never use it himself. Plus they already did a Roy/Keely/Jamie love triangle. 

13A81712-5E01-4189-BD8B-BE52CE194688.gif

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17 hours ago, mledawn said:

Is it Nate!? 

Oh, god. That would be a sign of Nate absolutely flying too close to the sun (even outside of the fact that Rebecca is his boss) and it will end in disaster. I would say he wouldn’t have the guts to do it, but when Ted said that Isaac needed to talk to a “big dog” Nate un-ironically volunteered himself.

Rupert being the person on Bantr might be true, but I still feel like it is Ted. Again, because of the cornball username based on “You’ve Got Mail.” I can’t see Rupert pulling that reference. Plus, I just think it is too cruel for Rupert to mess with Rebecca like that. I think Mystery Man being Ted is going to be messy enough (and they actually cut to Ted on the phone to Rebecca on the phone twice in this episode. The most obvious was Ted looking at his phone as he walks to the field right after Rebecca sent a message. But earlier in the episode - after the “big dog” bit - the scene ends with Ted picking up his phone, presumably to call an actual big dog. Then they immediately cut to Rebecca on her phone fawning over the Rilke quote. Since the previous scene cut when Ted picked up his, we don’t know what he did with it).

However, Rupert being behind Bantr as a company? THAT I can definitely see, and it would answer some questions for me. I was wondering how a little dating app that was just starting out had the juice to sponsor a football team. But if Rupert and his money are behind it…yep. That would explain it. I couldn’t remember if Keeley basically invented Bantr or if she was just promoting it, but regardless Rupert could still be the person who invested in it. OR he could buy it out from whomever has it now - after he saw it was sponsoring the team. Making the team financially dependent on him would be a way to get control back.

 

Edited by Kostgard
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20 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

Interview with the actor who plays Nate.
Hints of spoilers/things to come, so read at your own risk:

 

I hit the pay $1/week for a year or sign in to read the article. Since I’m not interested in buying The NY Times and don’t want to give them my information (to target me with ads) I am unable to read it. 

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Well done show.  Ted has panic attacks when being cut off from family (when he had to sign divorce papers/his son had problem he couldn’t solve).  This has to go back to father.  
hope we aren’t getting another misdirect with Sam texting; not sure how this works though.  Nate’s gonna spiral soon, right?  
As I said last week, I still trust the writers.   This episode strengthened that.  

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I think this is the best episode of the season so far. It was laugh out loud funny in parts (the entire Jamie/Roy conversation with a side of confused Ted, the signal and the look of joy on Jamie's face when he saw it). Character  and plot development, Nate again proving he knows the game and the players (though his spitting to show his confidence, ick) and learning who LDN152 is. And very moving with Ted finally admitting he needs help.

Though is this proof Ted is holding the team back? He's made them better people and a better team, but Roy and Nate are better coaches (or are they just better coaches because they've lived and breathed soccer/football their entire lives, but they needed Ted team building to complete the magic?)

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They had me fooled on who LDN 152 was - ultimately not surprising, but still a bad idea.

I did like that Rebecca knows Ted has had panic attacks in the past, so she was the only one truly worried about him. And I am glad that Ted sought out help. It’s been clear that he’s been dangling by a thread for a while. But Dr Sharon is going to make him do the work.

Also glad Nate got that taste of victory, but I’m afraid it will go to his head, or something will happen like his dad still isn’t impressed, and Nate will take that hard.

Loved that Higgins couldn’t stop himself from telling Beard how he felt about Jane, and that Beard didn’t get mad but took it in the spirit Higgins intended.

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Man, this episode had everything I love about the show! Football, hilarity, friendship, emotional issues.

Loved the confrontation between Roy and Jamie, with a side of Ted. Jamie was completely right that Roy needed to get over his childish grudge and coach him, and I was frustrated with the group that they just brushed it off when he first asked for help about it. He may still be a bit of a selfish prick at heart, but he's trying. And if he can turn the prickishness on and off at the right moments during the matches they could be unstoppable, heh.

Also loved that Roy didn't for a moment take the credit from Rebecca for that win, telling her right away that it was Nate. But I really hope Nate doesn't let it go to his head - we saw during training that he needs to work on being constructive. Just shouting "dolt" at Colin was completely unhelpful, especially compared to Roy then telling them where they went wrong. (Also, Colin is one of my favourites.)

Sam being the mystery man makes sense, but man, that's gonna get messy.

And finally some character development for Ted! I've been waiting for him to realise he really does need to talk to doctor Sharon.

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Even in Nate’s triumph was humiliation as the reporter called him out on live tv for saying wonder kid instead of wonderkind.  

Roy’s strategy with Jamie worked.   Jamie had to want to get help from Roy.  

Poor Ted. I guess he is still on his sons school contact list.  And with Roy coaching, it brings home just how much he doesn’t understand football.   And speaking of Roy, this episode was written by Brett Goldstein.  

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Great episode! I know this show is normally all about fathers but Ted's line about getting to know someone's mother is like reading an instruction manual as to why they're nuts had me both laughing and frowning. I wonder if that was just thrown in because of Rebecca's plot or if there's more to it. And has his mother ever been mentioned?

Also: Beard's mum is QAnon - enter Jane. And while I loved how Higgins' trying to help played out I had a hard time thinking that Higgins of all people would not know that that kind of interference is risky at best and can end friendships. (And damn it - Keeley get that office that she decorated in the most girly way possible while poor Higgins has to eat lunch on the floor. I know it's a running gag but it's not fair.)

Oh Rebecca, this is not going to end well. Kudos to whoever called out mystery man being Sam last week. And I suffered both coat- and purse-envy this episode.

A little bit disappointed by the Doc. While she does not know about Ted's panic attacks like Rebecca does, I still expected her to get off her seat and go check on him since it's clear she had him on her radar for quite a while. For dramatic purposes it had to be Rebecca but that was not a good look for the Doc.

Not sure where they are going with Nate. He should have just braved the whole 'wonder kid' thing and claiming it before the reporter did - who was a bit of a twat for correcting him.

The pub scenes remain hilarious - from watching TGBO like it's a football game to wilting under Mae's stare. 'I will channel my raging enthusiasm into ways to help my community.' LOL!

 

 

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I can’t imagine a dating app without photos wouldn’t have a basic stats profile with at least age, and very likely race, occupation, income level, and other stuff.  If Rebecca and Sam don’t already have some inkling of who they’re chatting with, it must be quite shallow flirting indeed.  And in the end, the only issue will be the boss/employee relationship they already have.

Also, I noticed Becs has another chat partner named something like “Horndogg”, so..

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