S03:E09: La Locker Room Aux Folles

[lovinbob]

I adore Colin and Billy Harris. The character is so earnest and honest, and the portrayal is understated and authentic.  Didn't particularly love the misdirection with Isaac. But it was as I expected it would be. 

16 hours ago, reallyjustjen said:

And the briefest shot of Keeley just after Roy finished speaking at the presser, spoke a thousand words. 

I loved the way she played this and how it was shown. She was totally off to the side, barely on camera, but even from the sidelines you could see her pure emotion and compassion and pride. Loved that.

6 hours ago, Insert Username said:

Finding out that Jade is Eastern European explains so much about how she approaches everything. I thought she was but it's nice to have it confirmed.

Where did they say she was from? I couldn't pick up on it. 

3 hours ago, reallyjustjen said:

Ted’s indirect “that’s what she said” when Higgins said the size of the press crowd was big after their win. 

I'm ashamed at how long it took me to comprehend this reference.

18 hours ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

and Beard's guitar controversy with the press.

Sometimes Beard is just a little ... too Beard.

[AD55]

15 hours ago, PurpleTentacle said:

Oh also nice that Jack seems to be out of the show for good. Not so nice that Keeley wasn't the one who ended it and instead even text-bombed her. After what Jack did, I would have thought the Keeley we've known from previous seasons would have had enough self respect to kick Jack to the curb herself.

This bugged me, too. It was a missed opportunity to show that Keeley is still the Keeley we know and love.

[Good Queen Jane]

13 minutes ago, lovinbob said:

Sometimes Beard is just a little ... too Beard.

Never!!!

[Capricasix]

42 minutes ago, lovinbob said:

Where did they say she was from? I couldn't pick up on it. 

I believe Rupert asked if she was from southeast Poland, and she confirmed it and said the name of the place she was from.

[Enigma X]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I was really hoping Rebecca was going to say Jimi Hendrix, so when she said "the guy from Cream" I was hoping she'd still say Hendrix because he did sort of jam with Cream once, and now I know too much about Eric Clapton.

 

I was upset with  Beard, because I am on Team Page. 😀

[Athena]

This episode had lots of great moments. Rebecca, Roy, Trent, and Colin moments were stand outs for me.

May be an unpopular opinion, but I like Jade and always have. Even when she was rude, I guessed she was European. I don't like how they are dealing with the Nate arc but I like her.

I agree that Rupert is such an abhorrent person. He is the biggest Narcissist. Good acting by Anthony Head as usual.

8 hours ago, kwnyc said:

And the Isaac/Colin scene at the end was sweet. I find it had to believe that Isaac is REALLY that clueless about gay people, but his making the effort was beautiful.

I loved this scene and how it ended. I could see Isaac being ignorant and curious. A lot of footballers like Isaac have been funneled to play football since they were young kids and have a cloistered upbringing in a different way than some other kids. He probably stopped going to school by age 16 and he likely comes from a working class and immigrant household. Colin is not the first gay person he's ever met, but Isaac probably doesn't interact with gay people in his personal life. It makes sense how he wouldn't even say ILY to one of his best mates but he does feel it. 

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

This episode was a definite uptick from most of this season - showing Richmond actually playing winning soccer! yay!! - but I'm sooo tired of the Nate/Rupert & West Ham stuff.

I can't, nor won't, root for either one and every time the scene cuts to them, I just want to FF and get back to the actual reason(s) I watch Ted Lasso.

I think the perfect outcome for them both is Nate outing Rupert for the cheating & big bag of human excrement he is, causing him to lose another FC - via settlement - to the woman he was involved with at the time.  But Nate's image gets tanked in the process.  So, Nate does the right thing (for the redemption arc), however he ends up with little to nothing also.

Edited May 11, 2023 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[justmehere]

A little detail from the match: The glimpse of Dani's shoe inscribed: Football is Life (I think they've showed it before, but he doesn't really say it anymore, and I liked seeing it.)

The guitar player argument: I also hoped Rebecca would say Hendrix, but this may have been a bit of a Brit vs. American thing: Jimmy Page vs. Joe Walsh for Beard, and then Rebecca mentioning "the guy from Cream" who is British. I'd assume she knows of Hendrix, but if she doesn't know Eric Clapton's name, maybe not? Anyway - it made sense that she picked someone British.

Loved Roy's story, his conversation with Isaac, and seeing that he is changing - with a little kick in the backside from Rebecca. It does feel like he will reunite with Keely, even if at the end. I would much prefer to see more, sooner.

Rebecca is still helping everyone else and not having any movement with her own situation. Love her. Need to see more.

Cannot figure where Nate will end up. I was glad to see him leave Rupert at the bar. There will probably be consequences of some kind, even if just a very cold shoulder (because the team is continuing to win) - possibly worse. Maybe Nate would leave on his own, but going back to Richmond seems far-fetched. Even supposing he agreed to work under Roy, which seems unlikely, there's a lot that would need to happen to make it palatable. Maybe the humbleness in accepting a lesser position could help.

(Just saw this:

1 minute ago, iRarelyWatchTV36 said:

I think the perfect outcome for them both is Nate outing Rupert for the cheating & big bag of human excrement he is, causing him to lose another FC - via settlement - to the woman he was involved with at the time.  But Nate's image gets tanked in the process.  So, Nate does the right thing (for the redemption arc), however he ends up with little to nothing also.

This could help in the humbleness department and accepting a lesser role if he goes back to Richmond.)

No idea what in the world is going on with Ted. He's so disengaged that it does seem like he'll leave, but it doesn't feel like a good choice. Maybe he moves on with Beard to another underdog UK team, leaving Richmond to Roy? Maybe not. Just, not with Michelle, please. That phone call with him reverting to an inappropriate joking pattern might have distanced her again.

I agree in wishing for Keely to return to her old self. However, with it being relatively soon (months?) after the breakup with Roy, I'd say the text bombing and lack of strength are not about real feelings for Jack but about getting dumped twice - and having a very personal video made public. That could derail anyone. She did stand up to Jack, at least. She'll get there, and Rebecca certainly will help. (And despite his insensitive question last ep, Roy is clearly there for her more than Jack ever was.)

Glad to see the outcome w/Colin, Isaac, and the team. This isn't a heavy drama, and I'm OK with the easy acceptance. Ted's roundabout point about caring was good. 

I'm so anxious for resolutions to all these dangling situations (well, there was some w/ Colin and Isaac), but I'm also dreading the end of the show. Even with its faults this season, it's still a great show and probably will play better on re-watch without waiting a week in between episodes.

[lasu]

I wonder if Jade is in London on a work visa. I don't see Rupert simply hitting on her. Buying the restaurant, firing her, and causing her to be deported seems more his speed. 

[DEL901]

1 minute ago, lasu said:

I wonder if Jade is in London on a work visa. I don't see Rupert simply hitting on her. Buying the restaurant, firing her, and causing her to be deported seems more his speed. 

Is soccer big in Poland.  Maybe they could ship Nate off with her. 

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

1 hour ago, justmehere said:

I'm so anxious for resolutions to all these dangling situations (well, there was some w/ Colin and Isaac), but I'm also dreading the end of the show. Even with its faults this season, it's still a great show and probably will play better on re-watch without waiting a week in between episodes.

Maybe, maybe not.

I held off as long as I could - initially tried for the whole season, to binge afterwards - but after bingeing the first 8 episodes, the first 2/3rds of the season still dragged and was more-than-a-little unenjoyable;  especially the constantly too many Nate scenes in every episode.

[DearEvette]

This season is such a roller coaster.  This episode was fantastic after last week's very, very meh outing.

"Worthwhile to meet you." Oh, Jade.  Ha! Using her disdain powers for good.   She was not impressed with Rupert and he knows it.  And like the shitheel he is, he attempts to sabotage Nate relationship.  if nothing else happens I hope Rupert gets his definitively. Periodt. The end. No ambiguity.

I was hungry for good, quality team interaction and this episode fed me a meal.  I loved that so much of it took place on the field or in the locker room.  I knew the Isaac stuff was a fake out.  The type of person they had been building Isaac to be wouldn't have sat right if they have gone with him being a homophobe. 

“It’s just Poop-eh, Ignore it.” - Jamie saying poopy will never get old.

Excellent deployment of the pub crew.

Roy was the MVP though.  First his outrage at the team not standing up for his non-hairy ass and then his perfect press conference. His press conference was fantastic!  I love his names for the reporters, ‘Goblin Head’, “New Trent’. LOL.

This episode felt like first season Ted Lasso.

[angora]

21 hours ago, Girl in a Cardigan said:

Happy to have Keeley back at Nelson Road, even if she doesn't seem to be doing their PR (as it seems she would be busy with the Isaac vs fan situation if she was). So Jack has fucked off to Argentina instead of breaking up with Keeley - bye, bitch! I'm just sad that Keeley would even want her back after that all thing last week. C'mon Keeley Jones, Independent Woman - get your groove back already!

Probably not one I'll watch again, but I really like where we're going in these final three episodes - prove me right, show!

That disappointed me too. But she's back with the people who love her, and I have hope that she'll find her footing again. While she did text-bomb Jack, she pretty quickly accepted that it was over after getting the Argentina text and moved on to letting Rebecca and Higgins tell her everything they didn't like about her. And I like that she was the one to suggest Roy for the press conference in the first place.

12 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

The Colin/Isaac plot made me sad because of Isaac ignoring Colin for the entire episode, but I really liked Trent's explanation to Colin ("Just give him time. Some people need it."). I was relieved when Isaac had that violent reaction to the homophobic fan because it showed that he was absolutely going to be on Colin's side, he just needed time like Trent said. And I'm glad it ended with the two talking things out. I liked Isaac's question about what he personally did to make it so that Colin couldn't tell him, and I equally loved Colin's answer ("I was 99% certain you'd support me, but the 1% you wouldn't scared the shit out of me.")

And I loved the team's response to Colin coming out, even Ted's clunky speech (thank goodness Colin called out the comparison). 

ITA with all of this. I also like that, when Trent advised Colin to give Isaac time, he added that Colin shouldn't *have* to do that, but it is what it is. And oh man, "I was 99% certain you'd support me, but the 1% you wouldn't scared the shit out of me," that is so incredibly true. In some ways, the more confident you are that someone will accept you because they love you, the scarier it is to actually tell them. Because it just shows crushing it would be to lose that love if the 1% turns out to be true and they reject you.

Also, a little tiny moment I absolutely loved: Sam/Jamie silently fighting for the temporary captain's band and Sam giving Jamie the middle finger because he had it first. But THEN, coupled with Sam trying to lead the team to the second half and Jamie jumping in to support Sam. Amazing that these two seem really close after season 1.

Lol, *yes* loved all of that, especially Jamie getting the team to shout, "I love you guys so much!" on three. So cute.

My replies above in bold.

2 hours ago, Athena said:

I loved this scene and how it ended. I could see Isaac being ignorant and curious. A lot of footballers like Isaac have been funneled to play football since they were young kids and have a cloistered upbringing in a different way than some other kids. He probably stopped going to school by age 16 and he likely comes from a working class and immigrant household. Colin is not the first gay person he's ever met, but Isaac probably doesn't interact with gay people in his personal life. It makes sense how he wouldn't even say ILY to one of his best mates but he does feel it. 

This was another moment I loved: Colin recognizing that Isaac couldn't say it and having this affectionate reaction to that, then Isaac still wanting to make sure Colin knows he *does* love him, even if he couldn't say it.

1 hour ago, justmehere said:

Loved Roy's story, his conversation with Isaac, and seeing that he is changing - with a little kick in the backside from Rebecca. It does feel like he will reunite with Keely, even if at the end. I would much prefer to see more, sooner.

I'd love to see them get back together at the end of episode 11--I mean, I'd *prefer* eight-and-a-half episodes ago, but if they do episode 11, the show can have its climactic reunion moment and still have the finale left to give me the Roy/Keeley awesomeness I want.

I could *not* stop laughing at Roy's betrayed reaction to none of the team standing up for him against the hairy ass allegations, omg. Also, I appreciate how everyone treats Roy a bit like Oscar the Grouch, like, "Yeah, that's Roy, he's grumpy but we love him anyway." Teasing him about it, like when Beard mock-fainted when Roy said "great job." But at the same time, they're not *not* scared of him, at least a little. I loved when the whole team went "oooooh!" after Roy got summoned to the principal's Rebecca's office, but then went dead silent when he turned around to glare at them.

So glad to be getting more development for Roy, it's long overdue. I feel like he started pretty strong in episodes 2-3 and got a hint of a bit more in Amsterdam, but otherwise, he's been much more in the background this season. Wonderful to see him step up, first with Isaac and then at the press conference. Love that Keeley got to see him in that moment. Even if it took some tough love from Rebecca (a.k.a. a swift kick in the ass) to help give him that nudge, he finally took it and ran with it.

A few have mentioned how we didn't see the actual moment of Colin coming out to the team. I'm still deciding what I thought of that choice, but I appreciate something else they chose to omit: actually hearing that Richmond fan call them "f****ts." I like how they did that, making it very clear from context what was being said but drowning out the word itself with a noise like ringing in the ears as we zoomed in on Colin's reaction.

And while it may seem like a bit of a pat conclusion to Colin's story, I *love* that he did so well in the second half. All the time we've seen him play, he's been carrying the weight of that secret around, which takes so much of your energy/focus and adds so much stress. Not only has he finally lifted some of that off his shoulders, he's just been affirmed and accepted by a whole room of people who mean a lot to him. I'm sure he felt invigorated and invincible in that moment, and it was reflected in his game play.

[Quilt Fairy]

22 hours ago, juno said:

I am really disappointment at a major turn of events this season... What the hell have they done to Ted? Aside from a few scenes on this episode and the crap with the ex-wife he is complete MIA from this show. I have no idea what the hell the showrunners are doing? If you cut the garbage with Nate (which I still refuse to watch) then you have a great show about Ted and the team. Why is time given every week to Nate and his development and his storylines, yet absolutely nothing to Ted?

That is just crushing this season for me.

The review in the Daily Beast theorized that this episode was possibly a way of slipping (the character of) Ted Lasso out of (the show) Ted Lasso, if they try to carry on past season 3 without Jason Sudeikis.

[Enigma X]

I fast-forwarded through Nate's scenes. 

 

I liked this episode but loved Colin, Roy, and Rebecca in this episode. All of what I am feeling has already been eloquently said.

[juno]

12 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

The review in the Daily Beast theorized that this episode was possibly a way of slipping (the character of) Ted Lasso out of (the show) Ted Lasso, if they try to carry on past season 3 without Jason Sudeikis.

Yep, exactly what I was thinking. They keep pushing him more and more into the background. I think the ultimate goal is to have Roy the coach with Nate as Assistant. Beard and Ted going home and Keeley back with Roy and working for Richmond again. That may be the new season.

Problem is I still won't watch any scenes with Nate. Once again they could have Nate save a dozen puppies from a burning building, a hundred doggies from a flood and I still won't watch him. I still can't believe the utter massive mistake they made by turning Nate into a heel and now trying to push him back into a face.

[Eureka]

8 hours ago, Blakeston said:

The coming-out story was cute, but very predictable (even for this show). A bunch of us figured out last week that Isaac's issue would turn out to be "why didn't you tell me?" rather than anti-LGBT hatred. And of course the team ended up being supportive. Not showing Colin actually coming out was an....odd choice.

The one thing that I really appreciated, and struck me as unique, was Ted's "we don't not care" speech, which was great. "I don't care one way or another if someone is gay" would be seen as a very supporting thing to say back in the '90s. But nowadays?

But I think a lot more people understand now that if someone doesn't give a second thought to sexual orientation or gender identity, that means they're very lucky. People who grow up queer don't have that luxury. And if you're not queer, you should care that your friends don't get to take certain rights for granted the way that you do.

 

“Not that there’s anything wrong with that” comes to mind for 90s tv. 

[AD55]

7 hours ago, reallyjustjen said:

Highly recommend watching a second time to catch all the small and/or subtle moments it’s easy to miss on the first watch.   Beard’s dramatic faint when Roy paid the team a compliment, the way Keeley and Rebecca were bopping their heads in unison as Ted sang his awful song in Rebecca’s office, the look between Nate and Rupert when Rupert helped himself to the (symbolic?) baklava, the hilarious randomness of the commentators during the game, Ted’s indirect “that’s what she said” when Higgins said the size of the press crowd was big after their win. 

So much this. I just rewatched the episode, and I loved catching all the moments I missed (thanks to everyone who listed things to look out for!). Girl in a Cardigan referenced Trent taking in the scene in the locker room, which I did register on first watch. I loved that so much. James Lance makes the most of every scene he's in.

A few people have mentioned that we haven't seen enough of Rebecca's growth. I've thought that, too. But as I watched this episode, it occurred to me that throughout this season, we've been witnessing all the ways that Richmond is truly her team now.  For Rupert, the team was an extension of himself, and Rebecca got sucked into that. But I think she was wrong when she said that Richmond was the only thing Rupert had ever cared about. I don't believe he genuinely cares about anyone or anything, except insofar as they reflect back his narcissistic view of himself as a superior being. Hiring Ted was the kind of dickish move that Rupert would make, but Rebecca is now the anti-Rupert. She doesn't overidentify with her friends and employees, which is why she is able to help the people in her orbit become better versions of who they already are, rather than shaping them in her own image. 

To bring this back to my rewatch of the episode, a couple of folks remarked on how luminous Rebecca looked in her scene with Roy. I had totally missed that. Lighting and makeup are so important in TV and movies that her radiant look must have been intentional. She has come into her own. A feature of Rebecca's relationship with Sam was her being validated as a desirable woman. That's what she needed at the time, and that was okay. I do hope we see the return of HDG and a glimpse of Rebecca finding her joy separate from her work life. But I don't believe she needs HDG, or a kid, to prove to herself that she is a worthy human being.

[Saph]

While I really enjoy this show,  I do have an issue with the ominous background music, whenever Rupert appears onscreen.  It's so heavy-handed & obvious.  We get it: Rupert is evil & not to be trusted.  You don't have to hit us with a musical anvil about it  every single time. 🙄

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

On most other shows I tend to watch, a character like Higgins would probably annoy the hell out of me.  But on this show, he brings out a few chuckles.

(not verbatim)

Keeley:  Ok.  Since Jack appears to have officially dumped me, let it rip on what you didn't like about her.
Rebecca:  uhhhh....
Higgins:  Ooh!  I have one.  Whenever we met, she squeezed my hand too hard on handshakes.  Grrrr [while imitating squeezing a hand during a handshake].  I mean we get it, you're friendly!

The looks on Keeley and Rebecca's faces during & immediately following that little monologue were priceless.

Edited May 11, 2023 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[MissLucas]

It really bugs me that Rupert could pinpoint Jade's origins after hearing her speak only a couple of words. Is it that obvious? Is he a hobby linguist? Or just the lord of darkness who can mind-read? Or has he Nate under surveillance and did already a background check on Jade?

Great episode. So many things to love. Trent's face after Colin's observation that he 'never looked back' - Colin's words of wisdom out of nowhere - 'Goblin King'.

I laughed at 'guy from Cream' - almost correct, obviously the right answer is Duane Allman.

[angora]

It occurs to me that, in a way, Rebecca's conversation with Roy in her office is her returning the favor for, "Don't you dare settle for fine." The two speeches have a different impetus and are tailored to the specific insecurities of the person receiving it, but both have the same theme of "don't miss out on true happiness because you're afraid to try/you think you don't deserve it." Yet another reason to love that scene!

[kwnyc]

4 hours ago, lasu said:

I wonder if Jade is in London on a work visa. I don't see Rupert simply hitting on her. Buying the restaurant, firing her, and causing her to be deported seems more his speed. 

Well, until Brexit, Poland was part of the EEC, and people could go to different countries to work without a lot of permits and visas (and a lot of Poles came to England and Ireland because there were jobs). I don't know how it is since Brexit, but the right wingers might be pushing to get everyone who's not a British national out.

[Girl in a Cardigan]

52 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

It really bugs me that Rupert could pinpoint Jade's origins after hearing her speak only a couple of words. Is it that obvious? Is he a hobby linguist? Or just the lord of darkness who can mind-read? Or has he Nate under surveillance and did already a background check on Jade?

I think he was just "class checking" Jade. When I was going to London a lot (about 5-10 years ago, pre-Brexit), most of my servers in restaurants were Eastern European and a lot were Polish. I figure Rupert talks to a lot of these women as part of his charm offensive, so he's picked up info about the different regions in Poland as a way to figure out which women may be easily impressed or easily identified as "other" for reasons.

He's showing off a "party trick" but letting Jade know that he knows she's an "other" (not British) and not of his class. She's, of course, giving it right back to him, which is excellent. But that's why it annoys me more that Nate's sitting there, smiling like his boss bestie and his girlfriend are hitting off when that is NOT what is happening at all.

[debraran]

21 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

This was a great episode. Lots of little great moments spread throughout the episode.

I did really enjoy Nate's plot. Even though I do know that Nate's issues stem far before Rupert, I think the difference is that Nate's had some great role models over at Richmond to try to keep him grounded, and Rupert only enables the problem. With Nate starting to realize on his own that he doesn't want to be like Rupert, and with him having some wins to show that he's quite capable of being better, I hope his next step is recognizing that his behaviour is unacceptable.

I really like Jade this episode. I think she really won me over, and here's why. I do think some of her behaviour was similar to how she initially treated Nate, but I think it's because she saw through his bullshit, just like she sees straight through Rupert. In both cases, she barely knew either man but saw that they were not being genuine. But here, she treated Rupert slightly different than she treated Nate. It seemed like, here, she did see through Rupert completely and was not impressed, but she was clearly faking it FOR Nate. She had a couple of fake smiles, and she seemed to try to be cordial because of Nate and how she saw that he looked up to him. So, even Jade is showing a little growth. 

And Nate seeing through Rupert's cheating and deciding to go back to Jade was a good step in the right direction. I don't love Nate's arc, but this episode showed him in a more positive light with him recognizing things himself instead of being told these things. But he really needs to address how he lashes out through his words when he's not in a good position. His redemption is getting there, but there IS that self reflection that is currently missing that pulls him back from a full redemption. Hopefully, that's coming.

The Colin/Isaac plot made me sad because of Isaac ignoring Colin for the entire episode, but I really liked Trent's explanation to Colin ("Just give him time. Some people need it."). I was relieved when Isaac had that violent reaction to the homophobic fan because it showed that he was absolutely going to be on Colin's side, he just needed time like Trent said. And I'm glad it ended with the two talking things out. I liked Isaac's question about what he personally did to make it so that Colin couldn't tell him, and I equally loved Colin's answer ("I was 99% certain you'd support me, but the 1% you wouldn't scared the shit out of me.")

And I loved the team's response to Colin coming out, even Ted's clunky speech (thank goodness Colin called out the comparison). 

Rebecca has been a delight, especially since Amsterdam. You can physically see the change as she becomes more of a mentor and guidance with different characters these last few episodes. I loved her standing up to Roy and Roy taking her words to heart. Roy is also another one who has shown a lot of change. Imagine even early season 3 Roy pulling a Lasso and answering a question with a personal story. 

Also, a little tiny moment I absolutely loved: Sam/Jamie silently fighting for the temporary captain's band and Sam giving Jamie the middle finger because he had it first. But THEN, coupled with Sam trying to lead the team to the second half and Jamie jumping in to support Sam. Amazing that these two seem really close after season 1.

I didn't finish since I was so tired, will tonight, but I agree Nate has lots of issues but probably wasn't "evil" most of his life, some people react to bullying and oppression in different ways. I hope Jade is "real" and Rupert fooled Rebecca who is much more savvy in many ways, and I'm sure he fooled his new wife. Look at Jack and Keeley as unseemly as text bombing someone is after they ghost you and use you. She didn't do that with others, is it the money? Ugh. I'm glad although I like not worrying about it, I never found really rich men or women  appealing. It's rare but they exist, when you can have a lot and still be grounded. We all have issues (but Keeley has little time to get back to independent woman) but the show wants Nate back in the fold and I'm sure we will see the Lego board again and maybe even though REALLY corny, Ted will say how he never took him off. He didn't kill anyone, he was awful, but the apology will come, it's Ted Lasso, we all aren't black and white, I think if they have a decent conversation, a believable one, I can see it being more real than some of the crap on TV today.

My biggest peeves are Ted seems to be stagnating and many reviews seem to say the same thing, glad it is the last season so to speak because they lost the heart. I'm not that bad but he seems to be a piece on the Lego board, he's the star. Why is his transformation so slow? Everyone seems to be progressing but him.

 

[Zaffy]

One thing that kind of annoys me is that Ted still seems so soccer ignorant. Yeah, he might "discovered" Total Football when in Amsterdam, but he doesn't know which team they play next week and keeps asking Coach B, who is apparently the real coach of the team with Roy. Ted seems to be more like a leader/motivating person than a real coach and that happens in the most demanding football league. Coaches in Premier League are not just motivators, they have one of the most difficult jobs in the world and just telling nice stories doesn't even cover 1/10th of it. 
I know this show it is just a nice fairy tale, but still this unrealism bugs me.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, debraran said:

...Nate has lots of issues but probably wasn't "evil" most of his life, some people react to bullying and oppression in different ways....

Yep! That's been my take on Nate.
I had an incredibly kind friend who had a childhood of abuse and neglect, but she is probably more of the exception.
I keep wondering if Rupert had a mean father or an impoverished childhood. Do we know? Will we ever? Aren't villains usually given an origin story?

 

2 hours ago, debraran said:

...hope Jade is "real" and Rupert fooled Rebecca who is much more savvy in many ways, and I'm sure he fooled his new wife....

I now see Jade's early rejection of Nate as a possible set up to show that she's not so easily swayed by a man's flattery or attraction to her, which might play out if Rupert pursues her further in the remaining episodes.
I'm not sure what to make of Rupert's remarks about his being able to tell that Jade is Polish? Maybe there will be followup on that, or is it some current European cultural common knowledge of which I am ignorant?

Edited May 11, 2023 by shapeshifter
typo

[MissLucas]

I'm always a bit baffled by the expectation that someone who was exposed to years of emotional abuse and bullying would automatically turn into a well rounded, nice and easy going personality once their life took a turn for the better. It can happen but it's not a given like Hollywood would like us to believe. Tons of internalized vitriol does not magically disappear. As much as I loathe the things Nate has done I applaud the show for going this dark (literally with his admittedly snazzy suits which are really a thing of beauty) with his storyline.

[Enigma X]

For me, with Nate, it comes down to if you believe he is an asshole only because of his abuse or if he is an asshole and was abused. I am no specialist, but Nate's trajectory for me seems like the latter.  I am well acquainted on a personal level with how abuse works in the real world and know it is different for everyone.  I just still see Nate as selfish, and his turn away from being a heel will be for selfish reasons only.

[sjankis630]

I hate to admit it but I have been kind of fast forwarding thru the Nate parts and some of the Keeley away from the team parts of late. I never did that during the first two seasons.  I am simply not particularly interested in their story archs and it seems like a completely different show when their parts are on.

Only 3 more episodes left and I think I am ready for this to finally end.

[shapeshifter]

28 minutes ago, sjankis630 said:

I hate to admit it but I have been kind of fast forwarding thru the Nate parts and some of the Keeley away from the team parts of late. I never did that during the first two seasons.  I am simply not particularly interested in their story archs and it seems like a completely different show when their parts are on.

Only 3 more episodes left and I think I am ready for this to finally end.

No shame, @sjankis630. 
However, in this episode I did notice Keeley was better styled than she has been since, well, since I can remember this season.

[tennisgurl]

That was a great episode, I love how things went with Colin coming out. Isaac really should have been honest with Colin right away, at least let Colin know that he wasn't having some kind of homophobic freak out, but I loved how they ended up talking things out. I, like many people, guessed right away that Isaac was mad about Colin not telling him and not Colin being gay, so I was glad to see that play out. That it all was tied into some good quality team time made it even better, I always love this show most when its focused around the team, we even got to see them play well! Colin has always been seen as one of the teams weaker players, looks like all he really needed to do to play up to his potential was to unburden himself. 

Lots of great little moments, like Trent's expressions as everything was going on with Colin, Leslie's very awkward hand gestures when he was talking about Jack's "overly hard" handshake, the focus on Danny's futbol is life sneakers, lots of great stuff. Sam being made temporary captain was adorable, he was so happy, and the silent bit between him and Jamie was hilarious.

I don't love that so much of Nate's growth is being tied to his relationship with Jade, instead of him realizing that Rupert is a garbage person who's using him and that was a total dick to his old friends, but I do like Jade more and more. She really read Rupert for filth instantly, even while he tried to turn his charm offensive on her while Nate stood there smiling like an idiot. He was such a creep with her, first passively hitting on her and then his pinging onto her accent in a way that felt like he was trying to put her down based on her place of origin, it probably says a lot about Nate that he still hasn't caught onto what an obvious bad guy Rupert is. Not surprising at all that Rupert immediately tried to get Nate to cheat on her, at least Nate isn't bad enough to take him up on his offer. 

Everyone looking at Jamie as they were trying to guess who was gay on the team had me rolling, as did his reaction.

Rebecca really nailed it with Roy, he has such trouble getting out of his comfort zone because he feels like he cant do something so he wont try, he really needed that kick in the pants. Then he gave a very Ted style answer to the question, great growth for both of them.

[DearEvette]

2 hours ago, Enigma X said:

For me, with Nate, it comes down to if you believe he is an asshole only because of his abuse or if he is an asshole and was abused. I am no specialist, but Nate's trajectory for me seems like the latter.  I am well acquainted on a personal level with how abuse works in the real world and know it is different for everyone.  I just still see Nate as selfish, and his turn away from being a heel will be for selfish reasons only.

These are some good points. Also I wonder about the abuse narrative for Nate.  Yes, we saw him being bullied by Jamie, Isaac and Collin but I am not sure I am comfortable with calling his relationship with his father abusive.  We have seen his father being stern and less than complimentary but I don't know if for me those couple of interactions rise to the level of assuming Nate was abused.

Maybe his father is not a fulsomely emotional person and left the nurturing side of the children to his wife.  Maybe he disapproves of Nate's profession and wanted him to be a doctor or engineer so he is less than enthusiastic about anything to do with soccer? Maybe he's always seen that Nate was just a really insecure kid to start with and the only way he knew to combat that is to give him 'toughen up' homilies instead of hugs.  I think our pity and liking of Season 1 Nate may have gone a long way to coloring how we perceive any negative interactions with him and wanted to be on his side and find reasons for his pitiable nature.

But Nate himself as he morphed into what he became is S2 makes that pretty hard to sustain, imo.  He himself is an unreliable narrator because he changes the narrative to fit his own perceptions and he frankly sees everything as a slight, even nice things being done for him.

[monagatuna]

16 hours ago, angora said:

A few have mentioned how we didn't see the actual moment of Colin coming out to the team. I'm still deciding what I thought of that choice, but I appreciate something else they chose to omit: actually hearing that Richmond fan call them "f****ts." I like how they did that, making it very clear from context what was being said but drowning out the word itself with a noise like ringing in the ears as we zoomed in on Colin's reaction.

 

I completely agree with your second point. We know what was said; we don't need to hear that ugly word just for shock value. It allows the story to be told without us having to be subjected to slurs.

As to not seeing Colin come out, I like how they did it. The audience already knew. We got to see the team's reaction. The story was told in a creative way and, again, we weren't pounded over the head with it. 

For the life of me, I cannot keep the characters Isaac and Colin straight (lol...straight). To me, the white guy seems more like an Isaac. He just looks like an Isaac to me, and I can't figure out why.

[Enigma X]

34 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

But Nate himself as he morphed into what he became is S2 makes that pretty hard to sustain, imo.  He himself is an unreliable narrator because he changes the narrative to fit his own perceptions and he frankly sees everything as a slight, even nice things being done for him.

This ^

Getting the Nate we got through what we saw onscreen is missing a middle for it to simply be something I am willing to forgive in the time we have left.

[Dandesun]

I am not going to stand for this Jeff Beck erasure, people. Absolutely not!!

While I'm in agreement that Roy's ass is probably hairy, not only did he defend himself to the team but pointed out that they all knew well and good that it wasn't, and no one pushed back on that so... I'm going to have to believe that training room and just understand why Rebecca would make assumptions.

I did get a kick out of former dickhead manager/current TV pundit going on about how Isaac wasn't captain when HE ran Richmond because he wasn't temperamentally suited to it. Um, no, he wasn't captain BECAUSE ROY WAS THERE. And of course, Isaac has proven to be a wonderful captain. So wrong on all counts former dickhead manager!

Rupert continues to be Rupert. I don't believe any of his behavior was in thinking that Nate could 'do better' than Jade. I don't think for a moment that Rupert even thinks of Nate as a person. He's a tool for Rupert to use, nothing more, nothing less. The car? A means of making that tool remain beholden to him as the 'one who sees so much more in Nate than anyone else ever did.' Will Nate not participating in Rupert's... whatever that was? result in retaliation? Mmm, I think it will only be a means of Rupert being able to shed Nate whenever Rupert feels like it, or when he starts losing or something. "Well, I could see you weren't really cut out for the job after all. You don't really have that killer instinct that's necessary for a Real Man." Blah blah blah nonsense. Rupert tears down. That's all he does.

Meanwhile, Rebecca is building up and that's a beautiful thing to watch after season one where she was just lashing out. Seeing her as a complete person who got that forgiveness from Ted and then moved forward to repair the various bridges in her life and now be a source of comfort and inspiration herself... and yes, tough love towards Roy who actually responded. Although I loved the initial comment from Keeley about Roy doing the presser. "He hates them but he's really good at it." Keeley was absolutely right.

Please heat that rift between her and Roy! They are so good together!! 

[Enigma X]

1 minute ago, Dandesun said:

I am not going to stand for this Jeff Beck erasure, people. Absolutely not!!

I could get on board with this.

[Mrs. Stanwyck]

On 5/9/2023 at 10:24 PM, juno said:

What the hell have they done to Ted? Aside from a few scenes on this episode and the crap with the ex-wife he is complete MIA from this show.

My thoughts are that Ted is like Mary Poppins (Apologies if that isn't an original thought and I read it here or somewhere else - it is not my intent to take credit for someone else's idea).  He showed up, helped out some people and then will move on, leaving everyone in a better place.  

I've also decided that end game is not for Nate to end up back at Richmond - he seems to be doing well as a head coach so I would expect him to move on from Rupert into another head coach position.  I do think Nate's journey is about deciding for himself the kind of person he wants to be - like Rupert who appears to have all of the respect that Nate has craved; or be more like Ted who is a good person.

[kwnyc]

23 minutes ago, Mrs. Stanwyck said:

My thoughts are that Ted is like Mary Poppins (Apologies if that isn't an original thought and I read it here or somewhere else - it is not my intent to take credit for someone else's idea).  He showed up, helped out some people and then will move on, leaving everyone in a better place.  

 

Mary Poppins, Nanny McPhee. Jesus. ;-)

I think it was absolutely inevitable from the beginning that Ted would move on, and my real hope is that when he does, HE's achieved the kind of healing & integration he's brought about at Richmond. (I'm still hoping we see Doc Sharon again).

(I also love that they've continued letting the fans watch practice. It's a great marketing move.

A thing I also realize in this era of limited-episode series that might be extended is that it's very hard to keep supporting characters around because of course they've got other jobs. Perhaps that's why we've seen so little of Keeley with the team this season (isn't she doing next season of Fargo?) And Doc Sharon might also be busy on a series or film.

(Of course all bets are off for ANY new series/next seasons, at least in the US, with the WGA strike. Solidarity!)

[DEL901]

1 hour ago, kwnyc said:

Mary Poppins, Nanny McPhee. Jesus. ;-)

I think it was absolutely inevitable from the beginning that Ted would move on, and my real hope is that when he does, HE's achieved the kind of healing & integration he's brought about at Richmond. (I'm still hoping we see Doc Sharon again).

(I also love that they've continued letting the fans watch practice. It's a great marketing move.

A thing I also realize in this era of limited-episode series that might be extended is that it's very hard to keep supporting characters around because of course they've got other jobs. Perhaps that's why we've seen so little of Keeley with the team this season (isn't she doing next season of Fargo?) And Doc Sharon might also be busy on a series or film.

(Of course all bets are off for ANY new series/next seasons, at least in the US, with the WGA strike. Solidarity!)

The whole gang seem to have a lot on their plate going forward.    I must say I like knowing that this show was built on a three season arc which means all the main conflicts should be resolved to greater or lesser extents.   While one part of me wants more, besides Ted leaving the UK, I can’t Roy or Keeley being available for a spin off.  She has three movies in preproduction according to IMDB and Roy/Brett has Shrinking, the MCU and a development deal with WB.  

Edited May 11, 2023 by DEL901

[Atlanta]

I believe Jade has mentioned in the past that she's a university student so possibly a student visa.

[AD55]

56 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

The whole gang seem to have a lot on their plate going forward.    I must say I like knowing that this show was built on a three season arc which means all the main conflicts should be resolved to greater or lesser extents.   While one part of me wants more, besides Ted leaving the UK, I can’t Roy or Keeley being available for a spin off.  She has three movies in preproduction according to IMDB and Roy/Brett has Shrinking, the MCU and a development deal with WB.  

I think spinoffs work best when the lead is a minor character from the original series (e.g., Fraser). I would totally watch a series starring Trent Crimm, independent.

[bourbon]

11 hours ago, debraran said:

Everyone seems to be progressing but him.

To me, that is the point of the season, and the reason why I don't agree with some criticisms of the show that this season has lost its heart or is too dark. I feel like Ted has done as much as he can in the UK for the team. The lightbulb moment that Trent had a couple of eps ago that Ted's genius wasn't for football strategy, it was for building a strong and supportive organization/team, was as much a lightbulb for me as an audience member. He's done his bit, it's time for him to do that same work on himself. It's time for him to take a stronger role in his kid's life and be a strong co-parent with Michelle. He's floundering and not progressing b/c he can't really do that half a world away. I feel like the show is building to an exit strategy were he leaves a happy, productive team in good hands and then goes back to Kansas full of hope and optimism for his own future.

I LOVE this season. LOVE it. It's blue and wistful and warm and funny and everything. I'm not missing anything. It's not lacking anything for me at all. Even if I could do with less Keeley's job and Nate's love life. 

[chitowngirl]

5 minutes ago, AD55 said:

I think spinoffs work best when the lead is a minor character from the original series (e.g., Fraser). I would totally watch a series starring Trent Crimm, independent.

I’ll add The Jeffersons, Maude, and Laverne & Shirley to that list of Minor Character spin-offs!

Edited May 11, 2023 by chitowngirl

[debraran]

1 hour ago, bourbon said:

To me, that is the point of the season, and the reason why I don't agree with some criticisms of the show that this season has lost its heart or is too dark. I feel like Ted has done as much as he can in the UK for the team. The lightbulb moment that Trent had a couple of eps ago that Ted's genius wasn't for football strategy, it was for building a strong and supportive organization/team, was as much a lightbulb for me as an audience member. He's done his bit, it's time for him to do that same work on himself. It's time for him to take a stronger role in his kid's life and be a strong co-parent with Michelle. He's floundering and not progressing b/c he can't really do that half a world away. I feel like the show is building to an exit strategy were he leaves a happy, productive team in good hands and then goes back to Kansas full of hope and optimism for his own future.

I LOVE this season. LOVE it. It's blue and wistful and warm and funny and everything. I'm not missing anything. It's not lacking anything for me at all. Even if I could do with less Keeley's job and Nate's love life. 

I found myself wondering last night what you are thinking. It's not lackluster writing because they are lazy etc but Ted is "done". He can't stay there, he wouldn't be a good dad so far away and his heart was never in UK although he made some great friends. Unless he married someone there and it's not looking like it, I think he "fixes" them and moves on. Maybe someone's suggestion Roy and Nate work together or something like that will work now that everyone is working on themselves and Ted teaches forgiveness not only for them, for Nate, but his wife and himself.

[tennisgurl]

Maybe Ted just travels around the world fixing broken sports teams like a coaching Mary Poppins? 

[LilJen]

2 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

I’ll add The Jeffersons, Maude, and Laverne & Shirley to that list of Minor Character spin-offs!

What, not Joanie Loves Chachi?

[sharifa70]

1 hour ago, LilJen said:

What, not Joanie Loves Chachi?

Or Mork & Mindy!

[bugsmum]

4 hours ago, bourbon said:

 

I LOVE this season. LOVE it. It's blue and wistful and warm and funny and everything. I'm not missing anything. It's not lacking anything for me at all. Even if I could do with less Keeley's job and Nate's love life. 

This.  

[Athena5217]

I think Nate gets more mumbley every episode. I depend on closed captioning to tell me what he says. Anything with Nate is my least-favorite part of wn episode.

My favorite part of this episode was Sam and Jamie silently arguing over who would get to be captain and Sam giving Jamie the finger. Second favorite was Roy’s dismay that no one defended his non-hairy ass. Another reason for Roy and Keely to get back together.