Rebecca not understanding his Casablanca references. Not having seen the movie. Not wanting to see it ever.
Literally the following scene, we see Ted having a Casablanca poster on his wall. Trent referencing Casablanca in a romantic way. The episode "We'll Never Have Paris", in which Ted thinks Paris is the most romantic proposal spot, including Trent saying he would propose in Paris, while looking directly at Ted. Thinking they would be the ones who will never have Paris.
dottie lasso is the final boss of the show (and ted loses)
someone commented on my ted-is-a-feminine-junior-too post about recognizing dottie lasso and what she did, and i'm a Johnny-come-lately to this fandom so i missed all the discourse
but surely it's been discussed to death that Dottie Lasso is the Final Boss of Ted's life, right? like, she shows up on that bench and you should feel the opening of "MEGALOVANIA" in your soul because she's the villain of the story.
honestly, in Ted Lasso, the main villains are: Rupert Mannion, Twitter, Rupert Mannion again, cisnormativity/heteronormativity, and Dottie Lasso, kind of in that order IMO.
"Mom City" is kind of a genius episode with its thesis and punchline. Because Dottie shows up and derails Ted's entire life and not in a good way. She makes him palpably uncomfortable and all of his usual kindness and interest is just turned off around her.
This episode isn't shy about reminding the audience that Richmond has become Ted's home. From the most fish outta water who nearly gets killed looking the wrong way crossing the street, Ted knows his neighbors, knows the culture here, and is defensive with that knowledge because it's been hard-won over time.
No but really, look at how UNCOMFORTABLE Ted is EVERY MINUTE of this episode. It's so stark bc this charm offensive Dottie's doing on everyone at Richmond is so clearly a Lasso Thing. This is the exact tactic Ted used when he was new in town and completely at sea.
(fuck this got long, there's a lot more under the jump)
But he isn't charmed or permissive or entertained, he never once Yes, Ands what Dottie says. In fact, he corrects her all the time.
because Dottie being here is a nightmare. she's the person who knows the Ted Lasso Source Code and the way she maneuvers and nudges him, he seems helpless against it. So he continuously separates himself from her in what feels to me like a fearful reaction.
Like, when Dottie explains where she's staying, she does this trick
DOTTIE: An adorable little hostel. I've met so many Australians. They are backpacking through Europe. So much sex.
TED: Mom.
DOTTIE: Not me, the Australians.
TED: No, no, I get it, okay. How about you stay here for the rest of your trip, all right?
DOTTIE: Only if I'm not a hassle.
This is such a fucking move, you realize? She has been in London a fucking WEEK without telling him, then as soon as she tells him where she's staying, she, a midwestern mom to her open-minded but very romantically private son, invokes sex so he'll be uncomfortable with the situation and invite her to stay. This is a chess move they should call the Wichita Shuffle.
And Ted absolutely hates the way Dottie lies about him. The connection is pretty straightforward; Dottie deals with her trauma and pain by covering them up with pretty little lies and melting truths until they fit the shape she wants them to be in. Everything she says in this episode is bullshit.
(points up) THIS INCLUDED, BTW. This is the Ted that Dottie wants him to be, the guy who will fall on his sword at the first sign of someone else's discomfort.
But that isn't who Ted is anymore and Dottie saying this is vicious and cruel. It's disrespectful to Rebecca, to everyone at Richmond, and to the work Ted's done with Sharon.
which oooooooooh
hey, anyone else remember Ted's "I love meeting people's moms, it's like an instruction manual on why they're nuts" from S2? boy that's a brick joke
and this bit of dottie saying her anxiety re: ted's therapy out loud, that hissing sound is a fuse being lit in this moment
Ted calls her out directly. He knows how she operates because she raised him in her own image. As I noted in the other post, Leslie Higgins is not the only feminine junior at Richmond, so is Theodore Lasso, son of Dorothy Lasso.
THAT FUCKING DARK CHUCKLE, THE "YEAH OKAY" MOMENT this is the fuse finally reaching the dynamite
this is the moment, this moment of push-back, implicitly the first time Ted's ever pushed back in his life
this is the moment Dottie takes every single thing she knows about Ted, everything she put into him, and she destroys his fucking life with the exact four words it would take to make Ted give up everything he's worked for, all so he'll go back to being what she expects from him.
and hell if he doesn't know it.
everything he's done for himself, all the space he's finally allowed himself to fill, the progress and labor he's put into becoming a better person
mom shows up and tells him no, you're coming back.
(and the fact Dottie Lasso, a character who has not said five truthful things this entire episode, tells us how someone else feels should be questioned very fucking directly. i don't trust this woman to honestly report on Henry's opinion of peanut butter and jelly, let alone if he wants his father to give up his life and return to Kansas. i know every single fic has brought up the question of "hey why doesn't anyone ask Henry what he wants" but that's because SOMEONE needs to ask the question instead of taking Dorothy fucking Lasso's word for it, christ)
I don't know how tf you don't read this show as a tragedy. Dottie Lasso is incredible, she's so pitch-perfectly written and acted, and she's absolutely the final boss of the show. And Ted doesn't win that fight.
hell THE SHOW SAYS THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD, i would put the screencap here but I've run out of images, but THEY FUCK YOU UP, YOUR MUM AND DAD, THE SHOW SAYS IT this is a fantastic tragedy, i love it
I had a wonderful time with this episode. I've watched it twice. The first few minutes in the grocery store in the first viewing were (re)calibration time for me. Here is Ted. I know Ted. Right? This is fine? I'm watching a new episode of the show? But I settled in, so did the characters, and we were off.
The Kansas City that Rebecca and Keeley and Higgins see is so bright, and Ted's house which they are not invited into is so sterile and dull! Rebecca seems the most clued in to Ted's somewhat muted existence, which is perfect, but I truly love that the newcomers to this place get to experience sunshine and the sparkle of Dazzle Me Moi (Rebecca and Keeley lowkey crushing on Ted's longtime youthful crush as she sells Rebecca a phoenix suit? What?!) and expanding horizons (baseball museum, KC Current being this thriving institution for the city) and I love that Rebecca is repeatedly drenched in barbecue sauce (!). I love that we get to see them love KC not because Ted is necessarily currently in love with it, but because it's a great place. It was a neat trick to show how Ted is struggling, being away from his vocation as coach, but nonetheless does live in a wonderful place that has been a very important home for him. I'm doing a poor job articulating how I feel, but it felt like a lot of different threads of home unknotted themselves and nonetheless became better connected.
Very fun how Ted in particular is in a bit of a holding pattern, but so is everyone, sort of. Not because the last three years have been wasted--far from it--but because they needed to figure out a way to continue the story without stranding anyone, and for the most part I think they did that. Rebecca's sustained honeymoon period with Matthijs, which owes everything to the physical distance between them (gotta believe that's going to be challenged at some point soon!), and Keeley's performative breeziness about her really, really, really great friendship with Roy, etc.
The new Henry actor is fantastic. The way he and Jason played off each other in even a few scenes felt real and lived-in, a father and son who are truly close in the ways Ted wanted to be even if something else is missing and they both kinda know it.
Obsessed with Ted and Michelle's parenting dynamic. Their face journeys realizing Henry's over-serious teacher is just reading out lyrics, not some "dark poem" Henry created himself? GOLD. I was relieved and happy that they arrived in a good place. The decision to move to London together would not have been able to happen back in 2022 when Rebecca offered it; I truly felt like a lot of the healing needed to take place specifically in Kansas City, and that outgrowing their lives there (for now anyway...) was a natural unfolding of circumstances that in no way negates Ted's decision to leave Richmond.
It is so lovely to think about Ted moving back without having to be away from Henry, and choosing to do it while allowing himself time with his super heart-wrenching shrine of coaching/Richmond/etc. memories. And he enters that room with a cup of TEA from REBECCA and a very important memento from his dad. Fuck. It's always growth and stasis, freedom and anxiety, all those dualities.
I truly had no idea how the show was going to handle making it clear that Ted needs a change and owes it to himself to go back without completely erasing, like 3x11 - 3x12, or the entirety of s3. But they did it! They were able to complicate the "happy ending" in a way that actually made that ending feel like the bittersweet one I watched and enjoyed even if it propelled me into an actual emotional breakdown! I feel like they ended up agreeing with me on what that ending said, so obviously I'm delighted.
Keeley and Rebecca!!!! There is going to be so much tension as they navigate this new venture, omg. But there was genuine delight. My favorite moment might be Rebecca professing annoyance at the overly friendly barista whom Keeley has of course also bonded with, but at the same time being able to recall all of the specific facts about him. Hey, Ryan's bisexual sister, are your ears burning? Because Keeley Jones and Rebecca Welton are talking about you! And holding hands. I adore them.
Another favorite moment is the Keeley/Ted hug. And all three planeside hugs and exchanges.
The T/R of it all is alive and well in my soul. I am pretty certain that one of the arcs this season will be about Rebecca and Matthijs navigating their romantic commitment to each other--measuring it and deciding what the future looks like. I anticipate they'll stay together and be the stronger for navigating what post-honeymoon looks like, and that feels bittersweet for me, but I don't actually hate it. I'm looking forward to more of their interactions and seeing how I feel, and no matter what it's gonna make for some incredible fic explorations of how these decisions and various canonical romances on the show intersect with the other bonds. And there was certainly a very strong T/R bond, so much so that I've been saying to anyone who'll listen that I'm just planting a flag in the ground for a third relationship category that is Ted And Rebecca's Soulmate Situation and Whatever The Fuck That Means For Them. That simply has to exist alongside whatever else they've got going on with romances and other commitments, and in my heart and my docs (and hopefully on the show!), it will. I'm not looking for a canon T/R romance around every corner; it's just not a healthy level of anxiety and disappointment for me to sustain! But I love them very much and they're hot together and that just stays true!
As the season progresses, I'm sure there will be ups and downs. I'm thrilled to start meeting new characters and get into the meat of the season (not unlike how Rebecca was nonstop chomping down on meat slathered in Ted's favorite condiment, ha ha ha). I'm excited to see some old faves again. Despite everything in that last bullet, I'm half-nervous that I'm going to end up craving more Ted and Rebecca interactions than I see on the screen, but I'm also absolutely thrilled that 4x1 has laid the groundwork with their connection and multiple other meaningful connections that matter a lot to me.
Ted Lasso is a fun television show! I feel grateful to have gotten to sit back and have fun watching the first episode of a return I didn't count on or ask for but am genuinely happy to have received!
Ok throwing this into the void. But based on what I've seen announced about S4 the only way I will accept Ted Lasso manages a 2nd tier women's team is if it actually has Ted struggling with the realities of managing a 2nd tier women's team
So here's my pitch
Ted comes back because he is miserable in Kansas and Rebecca comes to him with a proposition. The women's team is floundering, it's just not going anywhere, so funding is lacking, and they need a spark. He gets his ego played and comes back to "advise". But he arrives and the current head coach (we'll call her L as I cba coming up with a name) is royally pissed. Ted is adamant that he is not replacing her, he's only here to help. L's main problem, Ted coming in actually does help because suddenly the media care. Now they are getting sponsorship deals, now they are getting people coming to the matches, now they are getting local investment.
However Ted is at a loss because when he came into the men's team they were a good team that lacked direction. This team don't have that; they get on (some of them are even fucking each other), they have good tactics. This team is just what it is ... a 2nd tier team. Majority of the team are part time, including L who is a men's team physio as her main job, as Rebecca can't funnel that much money in without returns. They are training basically in a field and playing on a pitch with one stand that is a storm away from collapse. And some of the players just aren't good enough but they don't have the calibre to get loans or the money to get better players.
I want to see Ted have to fight for his team. I want to see Ted in the media campaigning for more investment into women's football. I want to see Ted have to tell a player they aren't renewing her contract. I want to see Ted run into one of his players working in JD Sports when he goes to get Henry some new boots. I want to see Ted walking the training pitch with L before a session filling in rabbit holes. I want to see Ted's anger that more women footballers get injured because all the research on sports injuries is about men. I want to see Ted stepping back and realising that as a coach he needs to rely on those that have the insight, and know the game.
I want to see Ted realising that he doesn't have all the answers but he is going to keep fighting anyway because these girls deserve better
I also want to see L going to Roy and Beard for advice on how to deal with Ted and moaning about him. I want Roy sighing and going "yeah ... he is all those things but he also gets it done" (I also want every time L talks to Roy there to be the lads doing increasingly insane things in the background 😂)
Ahh my heart. Rewatched Ted Lasso in need of some post-op comfort binging and noticed that Roy did not pick Isaac as team Captain only ‘cause he broke the TV !!?
Right before Ted starts up his famous Tan Lines speech in the locker room, Roy tells everyone to sit down and listen. But it’s Isaac who remembers to include Nate and invites him to sit as a member of the team. We are even shown Roy watch it happen, since Isaac has to bump Roy to make room and then pats the seat for Nate to join in.
Then in the next episode when the whole team is together for a movie night and watching Iron Giant, Isaac stops another player from scrolling on their phone to make sure they stay present for what is quickly becoming their emotional team-bonding experience. Again, we are shown Roy watching as it happens, this time more deliberately as the camera focus and lightning change to emphasize Roy’s reaction.
The first time I watched the show I adored Isaac but didn’t really connect with why Roy chose him, but now seeing that it was actually a thoughtful choice informed by these quiet moments of care where Isaac shows how mindful he is of the entire team and that he knows how important it is to keep everyone together without being told or asked??
God that’s precious. Makes me appreciate both Roy and Isaac so much more.
One of the things I particularly like about Jamie’s redemption arc is that the explanation for his bad behavious comes after he makes reconcilatory overtures. In a lot of TV shows you’ll have a jerk and then you’ll have a flash to someone treating them badly as a way to demonstrate why they are are the way they are and to make them more sympathetic, and then you’ll get them – maybe – trying to do better – but with Jamie you don’t get any of his sad backstory until he’s already making moves towards decent: in season one he makes the good choice to show up to the bonfire sacrifice, to follow Keeley’s advice and show willing, and then he offers up some of his dad stuff as part of that, and as part of an (admittedly very, very understated) kinda, sorta apology and suggestion that he’ll try to be less of a prick going forward. In season two the big showdown with his dad and the stark truth of their relationship revealed doesn’t come until well after Jamie’s made good with the team. Rather than cheaply buying our sympathy the show has Jamie do the work to earn the audiences’ favour, just as he does the team’s, before suggesting that, hey, maybe assholes are often assholes for a reason – and I just think that’s neat.
I know it was meant to be a joke, but it kind of breaks my heart that S2 Jamie thinks the best way to make friends is to buy all his teammates PS5s. The way his logoc
Like he really thinks his likeability is tied to his talent, money and looks. The way he says what better thing to spend money on than love just screams to me low self value.
I really think he struggled to make friends his whole life and most of the people who came in his life like him for his talent, star potential and what he could do for them.
Which means when Zava comes along in season 3 he probably legit thought he was going to lose all his friends. Now, they didn't need him on the pitch. So now I just want to give him a great big hug.
His S3 storyline really helps him learn what true friendship is.
