S03.E12: So Long, Farewell

[mledawn]

On 6/4/2023 at 12:16 PM, scenicbyway said:

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

I've been vocal in my polar opposite view of this, but it is just so far from my interpretation of their relationship that I can't help but interjecting.

Quote

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.

This is dismissive of viewers who do not see Ted x Rebecca romantically. We're just not seeing it correctly? Nah.
 

On 6/4/2023 at 12:16 PM, scenicbyway said:

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? 

Rebecca's storyline was far more than her fertility. How disappointing and slightly offensive to have this woman's character distilled down to this plot point.

My "bias" as an audience member to these leads not getting together is that it was not shown and in the end clearly not intended. I'm a shipper more often than not (MSR XPhile from way back) but the answer to all these hypotheticals is the same. I didn't see something that wasn't there.

[lucindabelle]

I have to agree- rebecca and Ted were never shown as potential partners except in the Christmas episode and even there it really was very faint. Most of the time they seemed like FRIENDS. I didn’t feel any will they won’t they chemistry and I’d have found it weird if they’d slept together as it seems out of character for them both to take sex so lightly with someone they know (z52; and sassy sure. But look at rebecca and Sam- that wasn’t lightly for her)

[Crs97]

I remember early on wondering if Ted and Rebecca were being set up as endgame, but once he slept with Sassy I never looked at Rebecca as anything more than his cherished boss and friend.

[highway61]

I haven't seen it mentioned yet (apologies if I missed it) but there's a wonderful tracking shot near the beginning of the final episode that I really enjoyed and I think it's worth a re-watch all on it's own.

(For those not familiar - tracking shots are scenes where the camera follows the actors without (seemingly) any edits or cuts. They're visually so different from regular scenes, that seem to cut about once a second, and I always love to see them.)

Anyway, it's immediately after the 'So Long, Farewell' song - about 13 minutes into the eposide.

• We start on Trent arriving at the practice facility. He compliments Keeley's shoes and walks past, and now we're following Keeley.
• She walks down the hall, past Nate and into the coaches offices. She drops off presents for Ted and Beard and walks into the locker room.
• At this point, the camera seems to go through the glass window separating the rooms.
• Now we're in the locker room, and Keeley wishes the team good luck and leaves. The camera focuses on Jamie.
• Jamie walks out of the locker room (different door from Keeley) and catches up with her in the hall. They talk and then hug.
• When they separate, Roy is standing in the distance between them. Jamie and Keeley each leave in different directions as Roy walks straight up to the camera.
• We follow Roy back into the locker room, where he invites Jamie for a beer and leaves.
• Nate then walks up and asks if he and Roy are friends now.

"Uh, yeah, guess so."
"Wonderful"
"F'n mint, yeah."
Two and a half (seemingly) seamless minutes - well done, show!
 

[Capricasix]

I’ve been watching a Canadian police series called 19-2 - the French original and the English adaptation - and in both series there’s one episode that deals with a school shooting. In the original and remake, the episodes open with a *13-minute* tracking shot!

[MicheleinPhilly]

16 hours ago, Capricasix said:

I’ve been watching a Canadian police series called 19-2 - the French original and the English adaptation - and in both series there’s one episode that deals with a school shooting. In the original and remake, the episodes open with a *13-minute* tracking shot!

OMG, that episode messed me up for DAYS. 

[Schweedie]

Fun fact: ironically, West Ham are playing in the Europa League final tonight - if they win, they secure a spot in the Champions League next year.

[AncientNewbie]

Longtime Premier League fan (who will be focusing on the Championship next year...sigh) and I am okay with a lot of the liberties it takes with football. It is all personal preference and I get why people who follow the sport can get annoyed by it and their disbelief unsuspended. For me, it's "So Help Me Todd" on CBS, because major plot points are things that absolutely cannot and do not happen in the practice of law, which is what I do during the day when not on here. Sports teams do kangaroo courts and hand off penalties (I think Pep is still yelling at Haaland about that) and, sure, no one really kicks it through the net, but I can live with some smattering of silliness. 

It's a lot like the ambiguity for me...personal preference...sure, some things may have been left open for sequels/revivals, but part of the theme of the show was people are multifaceted. So we don't know all of the endings, happy or not, but see glimpses that give us some answers without final resolution. I also liked Lost for that reason, though, so I may be alone at my party of one. 

[Jeddah]

13 minutes ago, Schweedie said:

Fun fact: ironically, West Ham are playing in the Europa League final tonight - if they win, they secure a spot in the Champions League next year.

I know the show is not real, but there is an irrational side of me that will hate West Ham and Man City forever because of Ted Lasso.

[Schweedie]

6 minutes ago, Jeddah said:

I know the show is not real, but there is an irrational side of me that will hate West Ham and Man City forever because of Ted Lasso.

Yeah, I disliked City enough before the show - they're the reason why my team lost the title twice over the past few years - but the show definitely hasn't exactly made me like them more, heh. (Actually, City played my team in this episode, so when they said "City have taken the lead against Liverpool" I was like, yeah, this is realistic.)

[Night Cheese]

2 hours ago, Schweedie said:

Yeah, I disliked City enough before the show - they're the reason why my team lost the title twice over the past few years - but the show definitely hasn't exactly made me like them more, heh. (Actually, City played my team in this episode, so when they said "City have taken the lead against Liverpool" I was like, yeah, this is realistic.)

I booed loudly when they announced that. Go figure, the first time they reference LFC in Ted Lasso, they have them losing to City. 

[mledawn]

9 hours ago, Schweedie said:

Fun fact: ironically, West Ham are playing in the Europa League final tonight - if they win, they secure a spot in the Champions League next year.

And they won!

[Schweedie]

4 hours ago, mledawn said:

And they won!

They did! I messed up, though - it wasn't actually the Europa League but the Conference League, meaning that they'll play in the Europa next year. And they finished 14th in the Premier League this season.

So why couldn't they have let Richmond win SOMETHING? 😭 I'm more upset than I probably should be that they pushed the "They remain a club without a major trophy" last season, making it sound like they'd for sure win something next year, and then nothing. I wanted to see them lift a trophy.

[Haleth]

I loved the ending for everyone. Of course Ted would go back to his son. Of course Rebecca would continue to own and run the club. As for everyone else?  They all got what they wanted. Well, maybe not Roy but he knows it’s up to him to make the changes he needs.  He’ll find the way.

Love that Beard was wearing the shiny striped disco pants at his wedding.  I’m sad Ted wasn’t there though.

I lost it when the team all pulled out their scraps of the BELIEVE sign. And Ted’s note on Trent’s book. 

[TV Anonymous]

In real life, City took the lead of the League on April 30 and never relinquished it, but Gunners were on their heels in the second place. Did the show purposely make a last minute edit for the other match (supposedly City vs LFC) so that they could say that City took the title? Remember that we do not see any of that match on-screen.

I know that this show caters mostly to American viewers, but Ted's comment about 'Champions Leagues' do not make much sense. The second tier in English football pyramid is English Football League Championship while the prestigious European tournament is UEFA Champions League. There is no confusion between the two for those who watch football.

[Jeddah]

I rewatched it, and cried again! I caught a few things I hadn’t caught before like Keeley’s PR firm now being KBPR because of Barbara. I paused the newspaper articles and saw that Zoreaux is doing a remake of a Van Damme movie! Good for him!

I feel like I have to go rewatch it again to catch even more things.

[Schweedie]

It's been almost three weeks, and I'm aware that I'm probably taking the football comedy too seriously, but I'm still quite upset about how they ended things with Jamie's dad.

For me it's a really, really hurtful message to have Ted, the moral and emotional centre of the show, give the victim of abuse the advice to forgive his abuser, and then apparently follow through on that given that montage moment at the end - not to mention the "thank you" part, as if Jamie should somehow be *grateful* for the abuse because it got him to where he is, or something? That's a horrible thing to suggest. And I don't even mean just in-universe for these particular characters, but for actual real life situations like it. Like, we're talking about a character who exposed his kid to statutory rape, but it's okay, because the victim became successful and now the abuser is going to rehab? That's the message the show wants to leave us with?

Yeah. Three weeks later and I'm possibly more pissed off now than I was then.

 

[AngieBee1]

4 hours ago, Schweedie said:

For me it's a really, really hurtful message to have Ted, the moral and emotional centre of the show, give the victim of abuse the advice to forgive his abuser, and then apparently follow through on that given that montage moment at the end - not to mention the "thank you" part, as if Jamie should somehow be *grateful* for the abuse because it got him to where he is, or something? That's a horrible thing to suggest. And I don't even mean just in-universe for these particular characters, but for actual real life situations like it. Like, we're talking about a character who exposed his kid to statutory rape, but it's okay, because the victim became successful and now the abuser is going to rehab? That's the message the show wants to leave us with?

As Ted suggests to Jamie -if hating his father isn't working for him he should try something different. Jamie was using his hurt and anger to prove something. He no longer needed it. Being afraid of his father was trapping him. Ted suggesting that Jamie forgive his father really was for him; not his father. He needed that peace. Ted didn't say mend fences. That isn't necessarily what forgiveness is about. It can also look like just laying that hurt aside. Jamie choose the next step to visit his dad. Phil Dunster doesn't even feel that Jamie reconciled with his father and everything is hunky-dory.  He needed to trancend those feelings. No one said it is a catch-all for every situation but some people do decide that what works for *them* is forgiveness.

 

.

Edited June 19, 2023 by AngieBee1

[Schweedie]

5 hours ago, AngieBee1 said:

No one said it is a catch-all for every situation but some people do decide that what works for *them* is forgiveness.

Right, but a lot of the time, if not most of the time, that's exactly what media chooses to portray, because forgiveness is meant to be good and heartwarming. And constantly seeing that is tiring, and it can be damaging. The show had the chance to show something different, like a shot of -- I don't know, Jamie texting his dad 'Good luck, goodbye", then blocking the number and deleting the contact and looking relieved, and yet they went with what they did. 

5 hours ago, AngieBee1 said:

Ted didn't say mend fences. That isn't necessarily what forgiveness is about. It can also look like just laying that hurt aside. Jamie choose the next step to visit his dad. Phil Dunster doesn't even feel that Jamie reconciled with his father and everything is hunky-dory. 

Exactly - you can lay that hurt aside without without necessarily forgiving and mending fences, but the show *chose* to show the second part. Whether the actor thinks they really reconciled doesn't really affect what we see on the show. We see them smiling together as if everything *is* hunky-dory.

The way I see it, if you're going to portray abuse, you have a responsibility about how you handle it, and the show kept almost downplaying it. They turned Jamie's story about what happened in Amsterdam into a joke, almost ("No, she loved it"), they had Ted say that "sometimes having a tough dad is exactly what drives certain men to become great at what they do", they had the "I'd say thank you" as if he should be grateful for it. No one ever even brought up what went down at Wembley afterwards. When you take all that and then end it they way they did in the finale, with forgiveness, for me that is a really poor message to send.

[AD55]

7 hours ago, Schweedie said:

7 hours ago, Schweedie said:

The way I see it, if you're going to portray abuse, you have a responsibility about how you handle it, and the show kept almost downplaying it. They turned Jamie's story about what happened in Amsterdam into a joke, almost ("No, she loved it"), they had Ted say that "sometimes having a tough dad is exactly what drives certain men to become great at what they do", they had the "I'd say thank you" as if he should be grateful for it. No one ever even brought up what went down at Wembley afterwards. When you take all that and then end it they way they did in the finale, with forgiveness, for me that is a really poor message to send.

 

All of this, especially the bolded part. I wanted to throw something when Ted said that. The substitution of "tough" for "abusive" and the notion that abuse leads some people to do great things are appalling messages. Further, they are inconsistent with what we've learned about Ted. I'm thinking about Ted's "Way to make the extra pass" note to Jamie and the fact that witnessing his father's abuse and contrasting that with how Sam's father relates to his son motivate Ted's decision to let Jamie return to Richmond. Even if we accept the idea that Jamie became a skilled player only because his dad abused him (which I don't), Ted knows that Jamie became "great" when he learned how to be a team player, which meant rejecting the lessons he learned from an abusive parent. I have no problem with Jamie forgiving his father, but if the show wanted to portray their reconciliation (and I don't see how that scene at the rehab facility can be read any other way), they could have borrowed some of the time they wasted on the KJPR storyline, or one of the other pointless arcs that went nowhere this year.

I rewatched the finale on the weekend, and I disliked it even more the second time around. There were sweet scenes, such as Roy joining the Diamond Dogs, but those just make me wistful for what might have been.

ETA, while I'm on the subject of Roy, a more logical outcome of Keeley's abusive relationship with Jack would have been a recognition that Roy encouraged her to be her authentic self. Instead, it seems to have led her to the conclusion that being on her own is necessary for growth. I guess this is another example of how abuse leads to greatness? Before folks jump all over me, I'm not saying that a woman needs a man. But I also don't think a healthy relationship is an impediment to a person's autonomy. Try to imagine Roy telling Keeley she needed to apologize for a sex video! To justify Keeley's rejection of Roy, the writers had to turn him into an immature asshole. Not forgetting that Roy broke up with Keeley, a better choice would have been focusing on the fact that Roy needed to recognize he is deserving of love. Throughout season 3, we were led to believe that's where we were headed, from Phoebe's telling Roy he was an idiot for breaking up with Keeley to Rebecca's pointing out that Roy needed to believe he deserved her to Roy's plaintive "How do you know if a girl likes you?" and "Can people change?"

Edited June 19, 2023 by AD55

[AngieBee1]

7 hours ago, Schweedie said:

The way I see it, if you're going to portray abuse, you have a responsibility about how you handle it, and the show kept almost downplaying it.

The writers makes the choices that work for them narratively and creatively and also not everyone are dialed up to the same notion of what constitutes abuse/harm. For example there are people who were angry/dismayed that Brendan Hunt said Jane and Beard's relationship isn't abusive. There are people who while in the moment are pained by someone who rides them hard the way Jamie's father did him or how many couches/bosses do but an individual can also appreciate how that experience shaped them. I have had horrible bosses whose behaviour could have been viewed as abusive but I can appreciate the tools and fortitude that experience gave me. 

There seems to be an insistence that media be aspirational and be virtuous instead of a reflection of the human condition and experience which isn't cut and dry and is filled with contradiction. And people transfer their ideals and worldview on this show and others and unfairly ding it when it doesn't line up with how they feel things should be.  

[Schweedie]

3 hours ago, AngieBee1 said:

There are people who while in the moment are pained by someone who rides them hard the way Jamie's father did him or how many couches/bosses do but an individual can also appreciate how that experience shaped them. I have had horrible bosses whose behaviour could have been viewed as abusive but I can appreciate the tools and fortitude that experience gave me. 

There seems to be an insistence that media be aspirational and be virtuous instead of a reflection of the human condition and experience which isn't cut and dry and is filled with contradiction. And people transfer their ideals and worldview on this show and others and unfairly ding it when it doesn't line up with how they feel things should be.  

Okay, but -- there is a very big difference between a father/coach/boss "riding someone hard" and what the show portrayed James Tartt as doing. (And not only to Jamie - we saw him literally about to beat Beard with a crowbar, which might well/would probably have killed him before that one guy intervened.)

So no, I don't think criticising a show for sending the message that victims of abuse should in fact be grateful because it made them successful is unfairly dinging it.

 

4 hours ago, AD55 said:

All of this, especially the bolded part. I wanted to throw something when Ted said that. The substitution of "tough" for "abusive" and the notion that abuse leads some people to do great things are appalling messages. Further, they are inconsistent with what we've learned about Ted. I'm thinking about Ted's "Way to make the extra pass" note to Jamie and the fact that witnessing his father's abuse and contrasting that with how Sam's father relates to his son motivate Ted's decision to let Jamie return to Richmond. Even if we accept the idea that Jamie became a skilled player only because his dad abused him (which I don't), Ted knows that Jamie became "great" when he learned how to be a team player, which meant rejecting the lessons he learned from an abusive parent. I have no problem with Jamie forgiving his father, but if the show wanted to portray their reconciliation (and I don't see how that scene at the rehab facility can be read any other way), they could have borrowed some of the time they wasted on the KJPR storyline, or one of the other pointless arcs that went nowhere this year.

Completely agreed. Especially the part about Jamie only becoming *truly* great after he left his dad's "lessons" behind. He had the skills on his own, what's to say he wouldn't have been even better earlier on if his dad hadn't been involved? ETA - not to mention the fact that Jamie literally left his club to go do reality TV to get away from his dad, nearly ending his football career because no one wanted him after that. But sure, he should say "thank you".

And yeah, if they wanted to do a Jamie-forgives-his-dad storyline, fine. But throwing it in the way they did just does not work, especially not with the background it has.

Edited June 19, 2023 by Schweedie

[Girl in a Cardigan]

15 hours ago, Schweedie said:

They turned Jamie's story about what happened in Amsterdam into a joke, almost ("No, she loved it")

But that's not what happens in that scene. Jamie starts to share his trauma relating to his first visit to Amsterdam and Roy replies with sympathy, "That must have been traumatizing." Jamie replies glibly, "Nah, she loved it" and you can feel his dad coming through in that moment. It's such a quick response that you can tell it's a trained response to telling that story. But Roy didn't respond initially the way most men Jamie (or James) told that story to and he doesn't respond to Jamie's glib remark, just lets the moment sit. Then Jamie shares "Oh for me? I don't...I don't really remember it." He's blocked it out because it WAS traumatizing and he is starting to feel safe enough with Roy to talk about it and maybe start processing that experience. He goes on to talk about his mum and their trip, but how his dad was always there. And we see that his dad is STILL there from the earlier response and things like Jamie doing that little fake punching thing (on the Skinny Bridge) that his dad does in Man City. James Tartt is in Jamie Tartt and Jamie has to figure out what to do with that.

[Haleth]

On 6/18/2023 at 4:25 PM, Schweedie said:

That's the message the show wants to leave us with?

I think the message is that forgiveness is to help the victim. Jamie can let go of the pain/resentment/anger. Whether or not his father continues on a path toward sobriety Jamie is in control of the relationship. He can reach out or walk away and be at peace. 

[Schweedie]

8 hours ago, Girl in a Cardigan said:

But that's not what happens in that scene. Jamie starts to share his trauma relating to his first visit to Amsterdam and Roy replies with sympathy, "That must have been traumatizing." Jamie replies glibly, "Nah, she loved it" and you can feel his dad coming through in that moment.

No, I agree, hence my "almost", heh. But since it clearly *was* traumatising, it's another thing that a victim shouldn't be expected to forgive.

7 hours ago, Haleth said:

I think the message is that forgiveness is to help the victim. Jamie can let go of the pain/resentment/anger. Whether or not his father continues on a path toward sobriety Jamie is in control of the relationship. He can reach out or walk away and be at peace. 

Which is my problem - as I think someone else said before in this thread, there is *so* much ground between forgiveness and letting go of pain/resentment/anger. And the show *chose* the former, combined with reaching out, which is the standard in media - and if you're someone living with that, and that's what you keep seeing, how are you supposed to not feel like that's what you're expected to do, what you should be doing? The walking away at peace is something a lot of people could do with seeing more of, and exactly what I really wish they had given us instead.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Schweedie said:

…the show *chose* …reaching out,… The walking away at peace is something a lot of people could do with seeing more of,…

I like to think that if/when Jamie’s father falls off the wagon and returns to his abusive drunk persona that Jamie will walk away.

There would likely be a dance of attempts at healing the relationship alternating with retreat, eventually ending in estrangement and/or death.

The show ending with a moment of reconciliation is just a snapshot of The Ted Lasso Way. It’s not a prescriptive daily regimen  
— unless James Sr. does do a permanent 180° personality turn, replete with an abundance of apologies  
— which is not likely, so there might be years between those father-son visits.

Or I’ve got it all wrong.

[DEL901]

10 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I like to think that if/when Jamie’s father falls off the wagon and returns to his abusive drunk persona that Jamie will walk away.

There would likely be a dance of attempts at healing the relationship alternating with retreat, eventually ending in estrangement and/or death.

The show ending with a moment of reconciliation is just a snapshot of The Ted Lasso Way. It’s not a prescriptive daily regimen  
— unless James Sr. does do a permanent 180° personality turn, replete with an abundance of apologies  
— which is not likely, so there might be years between those father-son visits.

Or I’ve got it all wrong.

I agree. Jamie knows now that he can walk away if needed.  And he plays for himself and his team, not dear old dad.  

I think him meeting with his father was necessary and made Jamie happy because it reinforced that he is finally free.  He was I; his father’s presence and not afraid.  Sure, he’d like a sober loving father, but if the old man falls off the wagon, Jamie can walk away.  He has friends now, real friends and a support system he didn’t have before.  

[TeenMom69]

I'm kind of glad they left Roy Jamie and Keeley unresolved because I was actually shipping Keeley and Jamie. They were hot together and now that he's grown as a person I'd like to see them as a couple. Am I alone in that? That ending makes everyone happy because there's still a chance for whichever guy you were rooting for.

I don't see Ted coming home to Kansas City as depressing or the loss of a career. He took a second tier league team to promotion and finished 2nd in the EPL. That's a pretty big deal and I bet he could coach MLS team Sporting KC right there at home once he's had time to readjust and reestablish his bond with Henry. 

[justmehere]

" Even with its faults this (3rd) season, it's still a great show and probably will play better on re-watch without waiting a week in between episodes."

Quoting myself from another ep. I just finished a re-watch of the whole series, and this held true for me. The things that bothered me week-to-week were less of an issue this time.

Keeley still stumbled, but her time with Jack went by quickly, and she came out stronger - not needing to be attached to a man, which I imagine she has been for most of her life (though I still mourn Roy/Keeley).

Nate was still a jerk, but his redemption flowed more easily and felt right (to me). He acted out of wounding, and yet after trying a nasty, aggressive way of being, realized that that's not who he is (or wanted to be) and started on the road to himself. I still wept at Beard's forgiveness of him and the dawning appearing on Nate's face as it happened - then him still thinking he deserved a headbutt and getting a serious hug instead - no, being held instead. Then cried again when he apologized to Ted. I felt happy seeing him back with the Diamond Dogs. He wasn't apologizing for everything - he was just happy and felt like he was where he belonged. Nate was another one who couldn't accept love/didn't feel worthy of it, and seeing him opening to it was heartwarming.

As much as I would have liked for Michelle and Henry to move to England, Ted made the right choice for himself. I hope he's continuing therapy and found someone as good as Dr. Sharon to work with. (Side note: Yay Roy for beginning work with her.) I imagine Ted and Michelle being good friends going forward in co-parenting but not reuniting. It was nice seeing him using his own coaching style with Henry's team - Ted being Ted no matter the level of the team - but I would have really liked to see a flash-forward where he's happily settled with someone and accepting love as well as giving it. Not everyone needs to be paired up, but Ted desires it and deserves it.

And of course, Jamie's and Rebecca's growth over the whole series was wonderful. Higgins too - though we didn't see him enabling Rupert, he grew from there. Trent Crimm, Colin, and all of them grew. Even the shorts-wearing coach drew a line on awful behavior at the end. Ultimately, I wasn't happy, per se, with Rupert's downfall. He needed some comeuppance, but we know he wasn't always evil. In my head, he changes too. (We know now how Beard grew prior to us meeting him; here, he seems to have found his niche and is who he is, though maybe accepting love is new for him, too, and he chose it with Jane. - I understand the arguments about her abusiveness, but we didn't really see her story; maybe she, like Nate, moved through that behavior by the time she and Beard married. That's my head cannon, anyway.)

What struck me particularly this time was the whole display of men's emotions. Women were emotional but also strong and capable, and we've become more accustomed to seeing that. And I loved seeing women supporting each other, Barbara included by the end. But we don't as often get to see men growing softer-stronger, acknowledging emotion and showing it openly, talking about feelings - even Roy! - and I loved that about the show. That and the whole theme of forgiveness, of others and of self.

Also cried again - with joy - at the So Long, Farewell song and at Ted's running-man with the team gathered around him. We saw that original video at the beginning, not knowing what it was about, and then we learned the Lasso Way and understood. 

I may need to keep this show on a loop. It's just so lovely. 

[blackwing]

I'm very late to the party, but finally finished the season.  I echo the thoughts of many that this was a weak season.  The negatives outweighed the positives.

Good:  Jamie becoming a decent person, Roy and Jamie becoming friends, Rebecca finding happiness and a family. 

I also seem to think there was a lot more actual football action in this season than in the first two seasons.  There was a lot of game footage and actual plays, even if some of it was done by stunt performers.

Bad: 

NATE.  I hated Nate.  I hate that he was so readily welcomed back.  Did he ever apologise to the team for ripping up the sign?  How was that not criminal trespass and property damage?  He should have had a public humiliation in the papers.  Instead, everything came up roses, he gets the girl and he gets a job, even if it is assistant kit man.  I found his redemption to be so unsatisfying, this was a character who had committed multiple unforgiveable wrongs, he shouldn't have gotten redemption.  I felt the same way when Thomas Barrow never got his comeuppance on Downton Abbey.

Jack.  What a waste of time.  I disliked her intensely, not sure whether it was the mannerisms or the fake looking hair or what.  But this character added absolutely nothing to the show.

Lack of Dr. Sharon.  Was the actress unavailable?  We see her briefly on the phone with Ted in an early episode and then we see her watching the team on TV at home in the finale.  And a final glimpse during the "future scenes" montage.  I resent that all the screentime spent on Jack and Nate could have been given to Sharon.

Keeley.  What was the point of having Keeley open her own PR firm, only to have her fail because she and the venture capital person (?) broke up?  I wasn't a fan of Barbara either.  Barbara is a contract CFO who often acted like the rat police, telling Keeley what to do even though she was only the CFO.  Why did Barbara get her name on the revitalised firm?  As a CFO, she knows diddly about PR, and Rebecca was funding the whole thing so I'm confused as to why Barbara got to be a partner.

Ted's journey.  The show implies that Michelle dumped the therapist boyfriend and that opens the door for Ted and Michelle to get back together.  But they had problems in the marriage even before he found out about Dr. Jake.  Are things going to change just because he's home?  He gave up a dream job because he valued the relationship with his son, and not at all because of Michelle.

Zava.  Another waste of time.  What was the point of this character, they didn't even need him.

Background players.  The only ones we really got to know were Jamie and Sam and Colin.  Dani, Zoreaux, Isaac and Jan Maas got decent lines at times.  But beyond that, there's about half the team we barely or never saw.  I wish they had used the ones that we actually had names of a bit more, like Montlaur and Bumbercatch. 

But what about the others?  There was a very tall white guy we saw in the background a lot, and a tallish white guy who was the player on the Fathead right outside the coaches' office that I learned to recognise.  But that's about it.   I noticed in the final episode that there was actually a guy that appeared to be Filipino, where has he been this whole time?  There were also some players from the first two seasons that disappeared with no explanation.  I guess it's very accurate of a real life team for people to come and go, but still.

 

This season was OK overall, I wish the show had ended on a higher note, but it was still very entertaining in general.  Would love to rewatch from the beginning one day and enjoy it all, now knowing how it all ends.

 

[Ottis]

By midway through the second season, I was hate watching Ted Lasso. And the finale fit that bill. Not only was it treacly sweet, it was also weirdly sloppy. Sam made the Nigerian national team … how? What happened to the guy Michelle was with (and honestly, his lack of interest in soccer is common and isn’t enough to stand in as “not a great guy”)? Wouldn’t bringing his kid to the UK while still coaching and making tons of money be a better choice for them all (especially if Michelle appears to be interested again)? Why the barest glimpse of the gay kiss and women’s team proposal?

All the meandering, downhome wisdom in the world could not have made this show substantive. Somewhere after season one it became a Hallmark sitcom, unrealistic and paper thin. That’s its audience, ultimately, and it’s a shame. It could have been so much more and still been fun.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Ottis

[QuantumMechanic]

On 11/30/2023 at 7:06 AM, Ottis said:

What happened to the guy Michelle was with (and honestly, his lack of interest in soccer is common and isn’t enough to stand in as “not a great guy”)? Wouldn’t bringing his kid to the UK while still coaching and making tons of money be a better choice for them all (especially if Michelle appears to be interested again)? Why the barest glimpse of the gay kiss and women’s team proposal?

Pretty clear she left him.  Maybe she finally realized what an unethical turd he was and dropped him.  Though it's more likely because he didn't give a single shit about what the kid was interested in.  He was exhibiting way more than "lack of interest in soccer".  That was asshole levels of "I'm going to performatively demonstrate how little I care about or share one of your major interests."

I don't think Michelle is interested in Ted again.  I think they've reached an amicable co-parenting place.

And why rip the kid away from all his friends, etc. to go to the UK where he probably won't see much of his father anyways?  (Being the head coach of a Premiere League team is a huge time sink.). I'm also not convinced that Ted wants to remain in the UK anyways.  He took the job as an escapist way to avoid the pain of his personal situation.  With that mostly resolved he has no need to stay there.  And will be more comfortable back in the US anyways.

Edited December 1, 2023 by QuantumMechanic

[Ottis]

23 hours ago, QuantumMechanic said:

Pretty clear she left him.  Maybe she finally realized what an unethical turd he was and dropped him.  Though it's more likely because he didn't give a single shit about what the kid was interested in.  He was exhibiting way more than "lack of interest in soccer".  That was asshole levels of "I'm going to performatively demonstrate how little I care about or share one of your major interests."

I don't think Michelle is interested in Ted again.  I think they've reached an amicable co-parenting place.

And why rip the kid away from all his friends, etc. to go to the UK where he probably won't see much of his father anyways?  (Being the head coach of a Premiere League team is a huge time sink.). I'm also not convinced that Ted wants to remain in the UK anyways.  He took the job as an escapist way to avoid the pain of his personal situation.  With that mostly resolved he has no need to stay there.  And will be more comfortable back in the US anyways.

Perhaps surprisingly, I don't disagree with your read on each situation - it could be true, or not. That's part of the problem of Ted Lasso the show. It's careless with details other than Look at Ted Emote, and situations like his ex-wife's engagement or how to be with his son are just plot boulders to be moved around for Ted's benefit.

Another read might be that after all the glimpses we saw of Michelle with her new guy, his quick disappearance at the end was jarring and unclear.  And after all the scenes we saw of Ted wanting to be with his son (and vice versa), and both of them embracing travel. the UK and Richmond, AND all the money Rebecca promised Ted if he stayed (which would be a choice of schools for his son as well as travel back to the States as desired), AND Beard staying, that there was more than enough benefit there for Ted and his son (heck, and maybe Michelle) to stay in the UK. And while he may have been more comfortable in the US, he seemed plenty comfy in the UK, so if he had a preference it didn't seem large (there weren't, for instance, older relatives in the US who he pined to see).

The show gave us what it is: Good ol' Ted, headin' home, to ... something. Yay?

 

[Anela]

I’m going to miss this show. 
I like that people didn’t just magically get back together, and that Ted and Rebecca remained friends.  The best of friends.  I wonder if Rebecca apologized to that psychic.