It wasn't just no tedbecca ending after deliberate baiting, there were many things that disappointed me about the Ted Lasso finale.
The whole thing was lackluster and fell flat. All season, I thought the writers were going to nail it no matter what happened. That even if tedbecca were just "platonic," that their soulmate-sim and cosmic connection would be acknowledged. That if Ted went home, that it would somehow make sense. That even if the team didn't win the whole thing, I would get it. Or if Roy and Keeley weren't endgame, it would add to the overall story.
But nothing like that happened, and I look back at the criticism of this season where people said "the writers don't know how to land this plane" and...they didn't.
The whole Roy, Jamie, Keeley story line felt regressive to Roy and Jamie's journey. And I don't know why the fuck the writers pulled Keeley away from the team this season if it weren't for Roy to do some hard work on himself. Like it's great that he's decided to do so but with such an open end, it's like three years of their story meant absolutely nothing.
Ted going back to Kansas after Rebecca begged him to stay AND after she gave him options to have Henry closer to him didn't feel bittersweet to me. Ted's lack of emotion, which signified his regression made me bitter.
No thunder and lightning. I guess the matchbook and green army men meant nothing. All the references to romcoms meant nothing. All those ties that Ted and Rebecca shared were unacknowledged. It's like they left all these bread crumbs (and frankly, not just crumbs but whole ass chunks of bread) and did nothing to tie them together. Not even an effort to tie it together with a "platonic soulmate" ending. So what was it all about? What was the purpose of keeping Ted and Rebecca apart for so long? To subvert expectations? There's a way to do that without pissing off a portion of your audience (and the writers did that with other story lines). This just hits bad.
As does Rebecca's ending up with Dutch Ted, aka, some random character introduced at the last minute. That wasn't a nod to a romcom moment, it was bad storytelling.
And don't get me started on the impression that Ted and Michelle are going to get back together. After what she did. After the progress Ted supposedly made. That makes a mockery of the show's supposed overarching message. Onward, forward my ass.
But Beard and Jane, who have the most toxic of relationships, get married? AND Ted's not there? That is most unbelievable thing of all to be honest.
So what if Nora Ephron wrote a movie about sports? It's ending would have been a fuck ton better than what we got.
I see a lot of folks noting the things Ted Lasso has in common with Sleepless in Seattle after Ted said it's the superior Nora Ephron film.
And, yup, I did a rewatch of the film (it's one of my favorites) and took notes too just like a lot of you lol.
There are the obvious things of course. The whole soulmatey-destiny-cosmic-forces vibe, signs (that the heroine is a skeptic of), a focus on planes and boats, an Oklahoma reference, Dr. Fieldstone (who begs people to just talk to each other and admit their feelings). There are Wizard of Oz nods too: Somewhere Over the Rainbow plays after the first radio show, when Annie hears Sam for the first time, Annie and Walter's dinner at the Rainbow Room, Sam mentioning growing a new heart, the reference to a friend named Glenda.
But being the tedbecca clown and yoga enthusiast I am (*proudly adjusts clown wig before stretching*), here are a few other things I noticed:
When Victoria is traveling, she offers to bring Noah a snow globe from the place she's visiting.
The quote: "What we think of as fate is just two neuroses knowing that they are a perfect match." "Y'all's baggage just matches right up, don't it?"
When Annie stops at the diner, she orders tea.
Jonah's Seattle Mariners hat matches the believe colors, and (I know but I stretched before this reach) at the end of the movie, when Sam and Annie hold hands for the first time, he's wearing a yellow jacket and her coat is blue.
And, my favorite (I honestly gasped), the host who seats Sam and Victoria when they first meet for dinner is named...Derick.
Now for my Affair notes:
Sleepless in Seattle paid homage to An Affair to Remember, so let's think about that movie in relation to Ted Lasso, too.
(Before I really dig in, we all know from both movies about the Empire State Building and February 14, but do you remember the teaser trailer for this season was dropped on Valentines' Day?)
Now, in Nora Ephron's Sleepless, the movie and especially the ending of Affair was touted as the most romantic thing ever.
To summarize it: The heroine (Terry) and hero (Nickie) meet while they're involved with others and take a quick "friends to lovers" journey. They realize their feelings and vow to resolve the issues keeping them apart (relationships, careers), and then meet in six months at the top of the Empire State Building. When that day comes, Terry's hit by a cab while rushing to meet Nickie...and Nickie waits in vain in the rain and thunder and lightning until he gives up, thinking she doesn't love him. She won't tell him about the accident because it left her unable to walk. Nickie visits Terry in her apartment and is just about to leave forever when he sees one of his paintings (that his agent gave to a woman in a wheelchair) and realizes what happened. Love and happiness ensues.
So:
-Ted and Rebecca aren't involved with others when they meet, but they are very hung up on their exes, and they have to work through their issues before they're ready to be in a relationship with someone.
-There's been debate for a while in the general Ted Lasso fandom about the show foreshadowing a car accident. Ted even almost steps in front of a car a few times.
-Rebecca's "thunder and lighting" haven't happened yet.
-Ted's not a painter like Nickie, but the Hockney drawing that Rupert gave Rebecca is important to her journey. And this show likes parallels, so I've been thinking about how a drawing/painting/piece of artwork involving Ted might play a part in an eventual tedbecca. I've wondered if he might get her a copy of one of Hockney's lightning prints because he knows she likes the artist.
I don't know.
I'm not thinking Ted and Rebecca will vow to meet at the top of the Empire State Building or anything like that. But I have long thought any revelation of feelings between Ted and Rebecca would be in the very ending of the show, just like in Sleepless in Seattle.
(*puts on clown shoes*)
Now I'm fully into the idea that a car accident, thunder and lightning, and possibly a painting...all in homage to An Affair to Remember...will play a part in the realization of feelings and ensuing confession.
So my very short recap of Ted Lasso S3E11 is: Rebecca munching on a kebab while Ted's mom talks about the time he was arrested for stealing a car. Jade munching on a kebab while Beard tells Nate about the time he stole Ted's car. And just before Beard went to Nate's to tell him that story, Ted was whistling...Islands in the Stream, sung by Dolly Parton and Kenny Fucking Rogers.
It's either endgame (and by endgame, I mean I think it's very last second aka Sleepless in Seattle where they just hold hands) or we are being deliberately baited.
"Is the lightning a good thing or bad thing? Depends whether you're ready for it or not."
When Rebecca puts the David Hockney drawing back up, she's ready for it, and Ted walks in the door just at that moment.
You know what's really interesting?
Hockney was fascinated with Japanese art and culture (ahem), and he used stylized qualities of Japanese woodblock prints as his inspiration for his Weather Series.
What I found intriguing about "We'll Never Have Paris" is the parallel with the season's first episode. In "Smells Like Mean Spirit," we see Rebecca consumed with Rupert. Of beating him. She begs Ted to help beat him. In this episode, Ted's consumed with Michelle. Of the fact she might get remarried. He begs Rebecca to help him by hiring a private detective. In each instance, the person asking for help is still in their dark forest (and the help they receive moves them closer to getting out of that forest).
A lot more behind the cut.
When Rebecca begs Ted to focus on winning so she can "beat him," Ted keeps correcting her, saying, "them." He knows her focus on Rupert is unhealthy, so he keeps trying to redirect her in the most Ted way possible. But of course, when she begs him to fight back and is in obvious emotional turmoil, he promises to help her. But he doesn't stop trying to help her with what she really needs, which is to realize she's already won because Rupert is out of her life. He tells her that outright, and she gets it, finally. That realization is one of the final steps she needs to get out of her dark forest.
Now we have Ted, emerging from the forest, but not fully out of it. He's focused on Michelle's relationship with Jake, so much so that he has a hard time paying attention to Henry. He goes to Rebecca and begs her to help by hiring a private detective. She knows Ted's focus is unhealthy and in the most Rebecca way possible, tries to redirect his attention. She also sees the turmoil he's in and agrees to help. Still, she doesn't stop with what he really needs, and that's to stop obsessing over Michelle and Jake and focus on his son. Her advice (Who gives a flying fuck if Michelle gets engaged/that time in your relationship with her has passed but your time with Henry hasn't/stop letting yesterday get in the way of today) pulls him out of his obsession and he moves forward a little.
I don't think Ted's fully out of the forest yet, and I don't think Rebecca's done helping pull him into the light. It took a few episodes for the narrative to play out when it came to the Rebecca being obsessed with beating Rupert story line. It'll be the same with Ted.
See, Ted's focus on Michelle/Jake is much more about Henry than it is Michelle. He's worried about being replaced as a father figure in Henry's life. He's not concerned with being replaced as a husband and romantic partner. That point is made a few times. There's the scene with the coins for the vending machine (in which our magnets of symbolism and green matchbook of fate appear), and later his questions about Jake when he's reading the bedtime story (questions totally focused on Jake/Henry's interactions, not on Michelle at all).
Basically, I think Ted is clinging to Michelle as a means to stay fully in Henry's life, and Ted doesn't get that yet. And I can totally the show ending with Michelle asking to reconcile and Ted saying, "great!" but (at the very last minute, because rom com!) realizing his feelings for her have changed, that he's confusing his needs to be involved with Henry with his feelings for her, and that it would not be healthy for any of them to get back together given those circumstances. (And that his heart is with someone else romantically.)
I mean, like Rebecca said, she's always right. And she clearly said, "that time in your relationship with her has passed."
Also, did you see that split second look on Rebecca's face and the sound of her voice when she said "Michelle" in the "who gives a flying fuck" part? Girl doesn't like Michelle or how she treated Ted at all. Phenomenal acting too.
Well, well well, Ted and Rebecca after Amsterdam. Each hanging out with one of their besties. Each looking relaxed and happier than we've seen them in ages. How about that.
Re: Dutch Ted & the Derek thing - Derek is a name derived from Theodoric aka Theodore aka TED. If that is his name I SWEAR
Insert Ted's mind blown emoji here.
You are amazing!
I looked to see if there was a Dutch version (for that part of me that was thinking, "it's such an English name and the character isn't."). And yup. Diederik, the Dutch variation of Theodoric, often shortened to Derik.
I have more thoughts (based on pens of all things) that I mentioned in the Derek post. I just need to go back over a few episodes first.
I'm scrolling through all the vehemently anti-tedbecca people's posts, and they're saying in lockstep, "Ted and Rebecca don't make sense as a romantic couple! Dutch guy is perfect for her!! He's kind and funny and cooks for her makes her feel safe and understands her trauma and has a kid she can be a mother to!!!!!!"
All I can think is, "So you guys think the perfect guy for Rebecca is the Dutch version of...TED?"
So, I'm asking myself, why did the writers make certain choices? We all know they're very deliberate. Everything on this show is deliberate, down to clothing choices and props.
A few thing below the fold.
So why cut from Rebecca meeting Dutch guy to Ted texting her? Why have her say "fuck me" when she drank the tea (same as with the biscuits)? Why add the Kenny Rogers connection? Why make a point to have Ted keep texting Rebecca?
And why have Rebecca lose her phone? I don't think it was just (or even) a means to keep her on the boat to bond with Dutch Ted (DT). It's a stretch to say losing it (or DT throwing his away) forced her to shower and have her clothes washed and dried on the boat. She's in a major city. She could have walked off the boat and asked someone for a phone. She could have had her phone and still been convinced to clean up and have her clothes taken care of. No. The writers had her lose her phone so Ted wouldn't be able to reach her. And so she could have her experience with DT, understand how a nice/safe/funny man who cooks for her and takes care of her makes her feel, and for Ted to see her after and think about a few things.
Finally, my wild but not totally wild but still kind of wild spec: the staff at the Yankee Doodle Burger Barn sure as hell hate Derek. Why even bring him up? And notice the cut from that scene directly to DT. If someone can identify DT's phone and it's not an iPhone, then I'm convinced that he's Derek (and ultimately not a nice guy at all).
So let’s talk about how some of the couples Rebecca was watching in the doctor’s office in S3E5 were the same ones she watched in the cafe (S2E1) before she broke up with John (who…was in this episode with his new fiancée).
Then let’s talk about how she stared at the paperwork’s emergency contact area. You know, the person to call when you need to be safe. Convince me Rebecca wasn’t a heartbeat away from putting down Ted’s name.
Fandom: Thor (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media TypesRating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s) Characters: Loki (Marvel), Asrior, Hlin, Thor (Marvel), Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Warriors Three (Marvel), Sif (Marvel), Steve Rogers, Hogun (Marvel), Pepper Potts, Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Kagoq, Valtur the Unmerciful, Ragnar the Undaunted, Sazur Additional Tags: Asgard (Marvel), Avengers in Asgard, Canon Divergence - Post-Thor: The Dark World, POV Loki (Marvel), POV Female Character, Avenger Loki (Marvel), Angst and Fluff and Smut
Summary: As Loki and Asrior return to Okershall, many seasons come to pass.
Working on The Elf Thief's epilogue. Hoping to post it this weekend.
A little spoiler text below the cut.
One of the things a few readers have commented on are children. Understandable, given the prevalence of certain behaviors, and that Loki himself has mentioned them. Well, if or when or how (ok, not really how) there will be progeny is dealt with in this final chapter. A little taste of what's to come:
...
Hlin added, “Did you know, Kagoq has been teaching me the most interesting words lately.”
“Whatever do you mean?” she asked, perplexed.
“Words like these,” he said, and demonstrated.
Pregnant. Infant. Baby. Childbirth. Gestation.
Asrior’s hand flew to her cheeks, which were indeed incredibly warm. “No…he has not.”
With a grunt, Hlin signed, Labor. Midwife.
Then he made a sign she did not recognize. Asrior tilted her head, asking, “What is that one?”
“Umbilical cord,” he said, snorting at the look that crossed her face. “I think he just made that one up during the lesson, but he found a book in the library and went through everything with me. Everything.”
“Hel’s tits,” she muttered, glancing over to where Kagoq sat. “He must think there will be babies soon.”
“Well? Will there be?” Hlin looked beyond curious.
Fandom: Thor (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media TypesRating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s) Characters: Loki (Marvel), Asrior, Hlin, Thor (Marvel), Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Warriors Three (Marvel), Sif (Marvel), Steve Rogers, Hogun (Marvel), Pepper Potts, Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Kagoq, Valtur the Unmerciful, Ragnar the Undaunted, Sazur Additional Tags: Asgard (Marvel), Avengers in Asgard, Canon Divergence - Post-Thor: The Dark World, POV Loki (Marvel), POV Female Character, Avenger Loki (Marvel), Angst and Fluff and Smut
Summary: After the official consecration of their union, Loki is determined that he and Asrior take part in a tradition from Jotenheim.
tldr: Loki and Asrior take turns talking dirty to the other.
Fandom: Thor (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media TypesRating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s) Characters: Loki (Marvel), Asrior, Hlin, Thor (Marvel), Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Warriors Three (Marvel), Sif (Marvel), Steve Rogers, Hogun (Marvel), Pepper Potts, Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Kagoq, Valtur the Unmerciful, Ragnar the Undaunted, Sazur Additional Tags: Asgard (Marvel), Avengers in Asgard, Canon Divergence - Post-Thor: The Dark World, POV Loki (Marvel), POV Female Character, Avenger Loki (Marvel), Angst and Fluff and Smut
Summary: Past mischief rears its head as Loki and Asrior prepare to consecrate their union; and once the ceremony is finished, Kagoq has words of advice and a request.
tldr: Loki regrets an old trick on Thor involving a chastity belt.
