#GIVE US THE TED BECCA SCENE

[jicklet]

Oh no I forgot you ship Ted/Becca.

😆 Hi anon! I hope this doesn't ruin your day or anything, whomstever you are. If you don't ship it or ship something opposing or whatever's your bag, I'm sure we can still be friends, or whatever we are.

But I've been mulling this all over since the finale, and this is a good excuse to get my thoughts out. Because I come from ye old timey shipping days of "the idea of them together is cool, regardless of whether it happens or not." so that wasn't really my problem with the ending.

Here are the things that are true:

I really like themes and parallels. I like connecting dots and finding connections and all that jazz

The number of themes and parallels they set up between Ted and Rebecca was delicious and very fun for me.

My reaction to the finale is less upset than it is frustrated and confused.

My frustration isn't purely 'they didn't get together romantically so it sucks.' I had started making peace early S3 with realizing it probably wasn't gonna happen

I am frustrated because I wanted all those bits of cool narrative shit they laid out to Do Something

I am frustrated because it feels like Ted and Rebecca have had very few emotionally connected scenes since season one, and what's the point of parallel journeys and soulmateism if their journeys are going to stay so parallel and not join up more, and then just apparently diverge completely

And on the apparent diverging, I don't love it but it would have sucked less if their lines just matched up more in the middle! That could be poignant! But as is, it's more disappointing than tragic, because whatever potential was there wasn't almost realized and then lost, but instead just... never really approached. It feels wasted.

The show did not owe us them getting together, but what it did give us, I found unsatisfying. That's just a bummer, man.

Forgive me this metaphor but I cannot find a better way to put it: I am frustrated because I feel like I got ridden for 3 seasons while they went 'just wait it'll feel so good' and then they were like 'are you ready?' and then just hopped off and left.

I am confused because at the end of their story, I cannot figure out what I am meant to be feeling about it.

Again, I didn't need them to get together romantically, they totally could've found some other way to make it satisfying! But. Ted and Rebecca getting together romantically would have also tied it up in a lot of ways that worked and made the narrative satisfying.

Having a romance arc that works with their character arcs and the themes they've built on is just really cool as a story.

Obviously all that parallel journey stuff would've actually been leading them somewhere, ie to each other, yay woo

And not to each other just because they've been through similar shit, but because, as that last post said, among a lot of other reasons, they've been set up well to be what the other person needs.

Romance is not the be all, end all. But:

Ted and Rebecca both want to be in love with someone, someday.

Here is someone who already understands and balances and supports them.

Like, that's awesome. Is that not the qualities you want for them in a future romantic partner?

I can't see how it diminishes their friendship if it caries on very similar to it has been, just like, sometimes they smooch. Maybe I'm just too demisexual for this idk

Boat guy. I like boat guy, but he's a chiller version of Ted. I can't find that post that points out all the parallels there, but that episode by the time we got to Kenny Rogers I was like. Uh. Hm.

It's confusing to have boat guy have a beautifully intimate evening with Rebecca, all the while having so many specific details similar to Ted, and then just act like romantic Tedbecca is a wild, character-ruining concept.

Because the show ends with Ted leaving and Rebecca miserably walking out of the airport and straight into proxy-Ted. I have no idea how to feel about that.

I could keep going, but I'm about out for now, so uh. Woe, wasted Tedbecca potential be upon ye~

[bibliothekara]

though knowing this show, we will get the next meaningful TedBecca scene and IMMEDIATELY regret it

(y’know....because of PAIN)

It has been 1 2 3 episodes since the last meaningful Ted/Rebecca scene with no explanation why

[ranmanwen]

I got fixed on the colours schemes in ep. 1x05 Thanks Tedbecca Tumblr Fandom and sorry if somebody already analysed heck of it.

 - the scene in Rebecca’s office; Ted and Rebecca wore the same coloured tops and the talk showcases they do have common interest in musicals (not only failing divorces) - they whole conversation just flows, yeah mostly due to Ted’s rambling about his marriage but still comparing to his later talks with Michelle

- the scene where Michelle and Henry showed up at the pitch; Michelle has kind the same dark blue jacket like Ted’s training suit, while Henry is all in red jacket (like Richmond stripes on Ted’s blouse) - they look like one team, one unit

- the scene in which Lassos are going to the pub; common! first things you notice is how they clash with each other! Michelle has such strong red blouse as if she’s from fire department. She clashes not only with her family unit but whole surroundings - it just gives those vibes that she’s not in her element in England, everything around her is in muted colours. Hey, even Henry’s long sleeve is more muted, pinkish (as the flowers in pub’s garden).

What’s more, Henry’s blouse is mostly red (although muted) as his mum’s with whom he spends most his time now in the US BUT there is blue logo on it and this itty bitty thing connects him with Ted’s outfit pallete. Isn’t it perfect way to show kid being connected to both parents?

I don’t need to add that Ted in his all blue outfit looks in synch with background, do I?

- the scene in Ted’s flat when they spent family evening; Michelle wears beige cardigan over her strong red blouse as if she tries to be part of this home (beige walls) and not look as such separate, contrasting element.

Henry has his red-blue long sleeve on. And they all build a red double-decker. I also just love how somewhere in between Michelle and Ted we can see beige couch pillow with red Queen’s guards (ekhem, ekhem, Becca, ekhem).

- the scene in Ted’s flat in the the other morning; Henry’s just again in his red-blue dinosaurs long sleeve

- and don’t get me please to be too emotional on this one scene when Ted looks back at the owner’s seats during match and tries to see his family; the first person, most noticable is Rebecca in all creme-yellowy look - like a beacon of light (yep. I’m willing to die on the hill of fan theory out here that for Leslie love is like rainbow, for Keeley-Roy like f*cking lightning and for Ted-Becca it’s sunshine). Rebecca there is just like only light point in between sea of dark, black coats. 

Her looking straight forward and red dot of Henry’s jacket. While Michelle has this dark coat on and looks around scared and not feeling comfortable. Not in Ted’s (or pitch) direction.

To sum up, I would connect red in this ep as synonym of home or grounding points. Let’s go through this once more: 

Red is one of AFC Richmond colours - so it always surrounds Ted.

Michelle wears it at the beginning of the ep but her blouse is such strong hue that it clashes with English surroundings and then slowly as ep goes on and Ted comes to terms with letting her go her wardrobe just becomes dark blueish.

Henry has through whole episode some red clothing (or red and blue if full Lasso family is center of the scene)

In the last scene where Ted lets Michelle go only red points are: Ted’s trainers; Henry’s jacket and red London telephone boxes - if it ain’t saying that Ted’s home is in Richmond, I don’t know what says it.

[magnoliapip]

Ranked: Mother of the Year (Choices) Main Characters

I can’t sleep so that means I need to make another list that I’m not going to proofread before I post, right? Of course it does. But before we start, please remember this is my opinion on who I liked best. Not who impacted the story the most, not who was the best written fictional character of all time, yada yada. This is my personal opinion of the characters I liked best.

Spoilers WILL be featured below. You have been warned.

#13 -- Tallulah Copeland

Tallulah is a parent to a child at Bernhardt Academy, a friend of Vanessa Blackwood, and an active member of the PTA. Hugo is her partner.

This woman. I would flat forget this woman existed until she would show up again just to wreak havoc on MC’s day, usually at someone else’s urging. Every single time she spoke, I just wanted it to be over and she is just an awful, AWFUL person. She’s also the only awful person in this book who never pretends to be nice and/or never apologizes for her actions. Just an all around nasty person.

#12 -- Hugo

Hugo is a parent of a child at Bernhardt Academy and an active member of the PTA. Tallulah is his significant other.

If you’re actually reading these little blurbs, you have to be wondering “MagnoliaPip? How in the hell is Hugo ranked lower than two other unmentionables in this story?”

Thank you for asking, no one ever.

Put frankly, Hugo just annoyed the crap out of me. I know that’s supposed to be part of his character, but it went above and beyond the scope of acceptable annoyance. I grew to hate every second he was speaking. He never really contributed anything to the plot other than some irritating drivel. He wasn’t an antagonist, but he also wasn’t a pleasing good guy. He’s also the reason I’m considering not re-reading this book again right away like I want to.

#11 -- Guy Ledford

This man. This. Man. THIS MAN!

This part is going to include major spoilers, y’all, so if you haven’t read it and are still intending to, skip away now!! Again, major spoilers from here on out kids.

Guy Ledford is your main character’s ex-husband who has been absent for four years since the start of the book and wants to reconnect with his daughter. He is also a CEO of a snack food company/app, Nomme. He is the main antagonist of the book.

The reason I didn’t rank him lower is he genuinely adds something to the plot. He IS the plot. He’s the reason this book exists. However, he is such a scumbag he deserves nothing. He feels like a trope for quite a lot of the time, but at least he’s not physically abusive like a true trope could have been (at least, I never noticed him being physically abusive). Just, you know, a gaslighting, manipulative, arrogant, rude, selfish son of a-

I also love that they named him “Guy”. I’ve only ever met one man named this in my life, so it’s funny to me that they named this jerk “Guy” so it’s not only the most generic sounding name (did his parents also get a dog named “Dog” and a cat named “Kitty”?), but also one that a lot of men won’t likely have so they don’t have to get name checked in relation to him.

I like that you can get a good outcome (Guy ends up with joint custody with visitations  every weekend and having to back pay) without spending diamonds in this game as long as you make the right choices, but for those who DID spend all of the diamonds, I would have liked to have seen Guy end up with worse. I would have liked to see, if you made most of the right choices and bought all of the diamond stuff, him ending up with every other weekend or maybe just visitation. I know he’s trying to be a good dad (but still an absolutely terrible human being), but every weekend seems like so much when your daughter is in school.

#10 -- Augustus Blackwood

August Blackwood is one of Vanessa Blackwood’s sons and is a student at Bernhardt Academy.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time on this one. But he hurt my daughter and that’s enough. I would have liked to have seen him fleshed out a little bit more beyond being basically just a schoolyard bully. His motivations for his actions are hinted on, but nothing is really ever done and he’s mostly just a prop for something to hurt your daughter.

#9 -- Vanessa Blackwood

Vanessa Blackwood is the president of the PTA, a single mom, and a lawyer and becomes an antagonist to your character.

I’m probably going to get hate for this, but I want to like Vanessa. Obviously, she’s hateful and offensive, in some very, very unredeemable ways, but there’s something about characters like that which makes me want to forgive them and teach them how to be better. How to rehabilitate their bitterness. I felt it with Olivia Nevrakis, I felt it with Victoria Fontaine, and I know certain people in the fandom felt it with Becca Davenport and Poppy Min-Sinclair. 

**DISCLAIMER** Keep in mind, I’m not trying to excuse homophobia and racism here. They are both despicable things and should be accounted for. However, after having grown up in a homophobic and racist home and learning to leave that shit in the dust by the time I was eighteen and SLOWLY teaching my family to do the same over the course of the last 10 years, I believe people can change if you give them room and help to. Not everyone will, not many people will, but I believe in giving the chance. We need to force people to take responsibility and learn from their mistakes. Should the book have been approved as a series rather than a stand alone, I think this might have been a very real option within book 2.

#8 -- Ajax “AJ” Blackwood

Ajax Blackwood is one of Vanessa Blackwood’s sons and a student at Bernhardt Academy.

AJ is the quieter of the Blackwood boys, AJ is a shy kid who hates that his brother is mean just as much as your daughter does. He finally has enough within the book and stands up to him, which was more than a little satisfying and he does seem to have a genuinely good heart. I think it would be so cute for him, your daughter, and Luz to be their own adorable trio of friends. 

#7 -- Levi Schuler

Levi Schuler is your neighbor who helps save the day for MC early on in the book and becomes a friend to both her and your daughter. He is also one of your love interests.

And if this list is going to invoke hate from the masses, it will be this entry that does it. I know how loved Levi is. And I love him too! I just find him, and his musician plot, to be a bit tiring. He’s a wonderfully supportive friend/love interest, just about one of the nicest people, and he’s great with your daughter. I swear, all of the love interests in this book would be god tier in any book. It’s truly unfair to the others that we got three amazing ones here along with a great cast of characters. However, since that did happen, Levi will sit here at #7. He can have a consolatory rugelach while I continue on.

#6 -- Faye Devore

Faye Devore is your ex-husband’s new girlfriend, a younger social media influencer.

I loved Faye. Right from the start, I loved Faye. I prayed they weren’t going to make this into one of those books where we were supposed to hate the “other woman” because those plots are old, outdated, and overused. Thankfully, MOTY lets us skirt right around it and we end up with a wonderful character like Faye, who is the human definition of having the best intentions.

She gets on well with your daughter, even pointing out to MC at one point that she thinks of her like a little sister, and goes above and beyond to make her happy. She is genuinely upset about going against MC’s wishes about your daughter appearing on social media and doesn’t appear to want to cause any harm or hard feelings with MC at any point during the book. In fact, she wants to be friends. 

I would have loved for this and for it to be fleshed out more, again, if we had ever gotten a book 2. I’m also that jerk who would have totally romanced her in a replay and would have emptied my wallet to get a scene in that hypothetical book 2 where Guy finds out. Take that homophobe!

#5 -- Dr. Eiko Matsunaga

Dr. Eiko Matsunaga is a science teacher who teaches at the private school your daughter goes to and becomes friendly with MC because of your daughter. She is also one of your love interests.

If I would have had a teacher like Dr. Matsunaga when I was in school, maybe I would have cared about science at any point during my childhood. Eiko is so incredibly smart but has a heart of gold. She could be off teaching at colleges or writing published journals, but she’s teaching elementary science at a private school and honestly enjoying herself! She wants to see children succeed and will give any child who wants to do so, like your daughter, all of the help they need.

I want to romance her. I want to be her friend. I want it all because I’m selfish even when I don’t because I could never possibly be worthy of the supremacy that is Eiko. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

#4 -- Your Daughter / Zoey

Your daughter is 9 years old at the start of the book and desperately wants to be an astronaut. She is a science whiz and moves from public school to Bernhardt Academy at the beginning of the book to kickstart her education.

It makes me so sad that I will never actually have this child. “Zoey” is just so smart and funny and sweet and I love her so much. I spent so many diamonds on her. She’s a pixelated little bundle of amazing and I would die for her. That’s it.

#3 -- Alma Velasco

Alma Velasco is your neighbor, best friend, and (for part of the time) co-worker.

What did our character do to deserve such an amazing ride-or-die friend like Alma? She never disbelieves MC, is forever supportive as a shoulder to cry on and a supplier of good wine, and also helps MC out of more than one pinch. Seriously an amazing friend, and I wish we could have done something equally amazing for her to reciprocate.

#2 -- Thomas Mendez

Thomas Mendez is a lawyer and a single dad who becomes friends with MC very early on in the book. He is also one of your three love interests.

A big reason for why Thomas is at #2 is because of who #1 is but we’ll get there in a second.

There’s also something about Thomas that speaks to me as a person. It’s more than just being interested as a love interest or as a friend. There’s something about who he is. His awkwardness, his humor, his kindness and his generosity all make him someone I envy as much as I admire.

He takes on MC’s case pro bono when he doesn’t have to. He shrugs it off like it’s no big deal, but stepping back and looking at the it, by all accounts he was walking into a handily losing situation. He was also super busy at this time being a single parent himself and working on his class action lawsuit. That’s not even saying anything about him still grieving for Soledad.

However, the biggest reason I love Mr. Mendez is...

#1 -- Luz Mendez

Luz Mendez is a student at Bernhardt Academy who becomes best friends with your daughter early in the book. She is a soccer and art fan.

This little girl is the best thing I have ever read in my entire life. She made the entire book. Every character that came before her pales in comparison to her majesty. She is a goddamn queen and deserves everything.

Every scene with her is gold and I wish we had more. This little girl was completely willing to curb stomp someone with her cleats at the courthouse if something would have happened to your daughter. She is so aggressively herself and it is a joy to see. The relationship between her and her father is what really kept me going through the book’s more difficult spots. There is such true love and acceptance there, as well as the drive and desire to do better for the other than I just...There is really no way for me to properly explain the perfection that is Luz Mendez so I guess you’ll just have to read it yourself.

---

I’m not sure why it took me so long to start reading Mother of the Year (MOTY), but I’m so glad I did. In 3 days flat I binged the entire book, wasted so many accumulated diamonds, and had the time of my life. The cast of characters in MOTY is perfect and I wanted to rank them according to my opinion on which ones were the best. I ranked all of the characters I found to be profound enough to matter to the storyline or that MC or “Daughter” had enough interactions with to matter. As a result, there are several characters who didn’t make this list. 

Sound off below if you wish.

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Pixl TV Movies premiering on the Hallmark Channel.

There isn’t much new Hallmark news going on right now, so if anybody is interested the Hallmark Channel will be premiering some Pixl TV movies. In the past Hallmark has aired such Pixl movies as Romantically Speaking, Adventures in Love & Babysitting (Bound & Babysitting), and a cushy Saturday night premiere for Bad Date Chronicles. 

Rescuing Madison (2014) 

Thursday August 27 4:00 PM / 3:00c 

Starring Alona Tal, Ethan Peck, Ted McGinley, Sherilyn Fenn, C. Thomas Howell, and Zack Lively. 

Synopsis: 

Pop sensation, Madison Park (Alona Tal), is finally back on the music scene after a six year hiatus. Suddenly, Madison’s life is turned upside down when she’s saved from a burning building by handsome fireman, John Kelly (Ethan Peck). Once devoted to her sweetheart and band mate, Jordan Vanderpool (Zack Lively), her manager, Rad (C Thomas Howell) attempts to use John as a publicity stunt but Madison finds herself falling for the firefighter. John and Madison each delve into the others’ life, leaving Rad threatened by Madison’s new sense of individuality. Madison’s relationship with John is compromised as Rad interferes in an attempt to refocus Madison on her career. Under pressure from her manager and the media, Madison is forced to defend her love and prove that their relationship can break the boundaries of vastly different worlds. 

Hometown Hero (2016) 

Thursday September 10 4:00 PM / 3:00c 

Starring Brooke Nevin, Jake Sandvig, Megyn Price, and Antonio Sabato Jr. 

Synopsis: 

A cynical divorce mediator (Brooke Nevin) is forced to care for a client’s dog. The mischievous hound warms her heart, and after spending time with the local vet (Jake Sandvig), she begins to find that maybe the true love she dared not believe in is actually closer than she thinks. 

My Favorite Bachelor (Hallmark Title) - A Man For Every Month (2017) 

Tuesday September 22 2:00 PM / 1:00c 

Starring Carlson Young, Aaron Jakubenko, and David Sutcliffe. 

Synopsis: 

MEGAN (Carlson Young) is a quirky blogger at a large online news and entertainment company called Newsmaze. Content to sit behind her computer and post cat videos online, she doesn’t do a lot of dating. That all changes when her boss, BRENDA (Jolene Blalock), gives her a new assignment- she must go on a date with each of the 12 Bachelors they interviewed for their Man for Every Month column on eligible men. Megan freaks- she’s terrible at dating- and enlists the help of her beautiful roommate, Vanessa (Justene Alpert) to give her advice. Making everything worse is the fact that Megan must recap her dates in front of the camera for a live vlog directed by a cute new employee, Scott (Aaron Jakubenko). The dates are mostly disasters until Megan finally hits it off with Jack (Justin Deeley), an actor who seems just as quirky as she is. 

Do I Say I Do (2017) aka Before You Say I Do 

Tuesday September 22 6:00 PM / 5:00c 

Starring Becca Tobin, Ryan Kelley, Jason London, and Jack Coleman. 

Synopsis: 

Relationship therapist, Jessica Bender (Becca Tobin), has finished her book, “Do I Say I Do?”, finally fulfilling her contract with her ex-boyfriend Mike’s (Ryan Kelley) publishing company. Jessica’s excitement at being done with Mike is tempered when he reminds her of a clause in her contract, which obligates her to do promotional videos for the company’s website. As they are forced to work closely together, Jessica begins to realize that she may still have feelings for her ex.