#I hate beard/jane but if it was gonna happen then at least have ted be his best men instead of roy???

[gaytedlasso]

I would literally be so much more okay with the finale if we just had Ted present during the whole little montage at some point. Shown visiting his friends in Richmond again or even showing up at Beards wedding. I'm aware that we can assume that he kept up those connections, but I'm so tired of having to fill in the gaps myself with headcanons or fanfiction. Why is it always up to us to make an ending fulfilling?

[lunar-years]

I think it’s hard for me with defending Keeley because like on one hand don’t talk bad about her you losers… but also like her season 3 sucked and the shows insistence that she’s flawless and she’s a successful girlboss with no back up evidence makes me sort of meh about her

You’re very valid for this. There’s no defending her season 3 plot, like I will never, ever be forgiving them for that 😭😭😭

I’ve been trying to do more self-reflecting lately before shouting “bad writing” because of the whole “was this actually bad writing or are you just upset that what you wanted to happen didn’t happen” thing. A problem which is admittedly. Ahem. Somewhat rampant in this fandom. Butttt I’m gonna be honest I still chalk so much of Keeley in season 3 up to genuinely terribly writing. like??? Separating her for the majority of the time from all the other characters we’ve cared about for two seasons, making her inexplicably bad at her job (if it was meant to be imposter syndrome they needed to like. Actually dive into that? What.), making Shandy a(n extremely long-winded) gag character instead of someone actually meaningful to Keeley’s growth, giving her no voice in the ending with Roy and Jamie (having whatever she said to them happen offscreen sure was a choice), having Rebecca’s money swoop in and easily solve her work issues, like…WHAT was the reason??? They even ruined her sense of style like they didn’t give my girl a break my GOD 😭😭

I also totally get the flawless girl boss complaint because I fucking hate when shows do that women. Like ughhh?? But something interesting to me about Ted Lasso is that many of the things they set many things up REALLY well and compellingly and then lost their own plot in the last half, lol. I’m thinking, for example, of how they clearly knew how many people would view beard/jane, because they had their other characters recognize and call out their problems ONSCREEN! The diamond dogs have a full ass conversation about how none of them actually like or support this relationship but don’t think it’s their place to say anything, and then Higgins is like actually no I think that’s stupid and I’m going to talk to my friend about how I think this relationship is harming him! And then he does! Even beard ignoring the advice is like. Okay, that’s realistic. The setup is equal parts messy and compelling!! But then it’s never addressed or brought up again and suddenly they’re getting married?!

Similarly, I think a lot of the ~flawless girlboss~ thing going on with Keeley is a perception other characters have of her that I actually think makes sense for those characters (such as Roy and Jamie) but isn’t actually reflective of Keeley herself even in what we do get to see onscreen. And the writers weirdly seem at least somewhat cognizant of this at the same time as they give her girlboss immunity in weird places? Like, she DOES have flaws, she falls into the same patterns of bad behavior across all three seasons, the writers are actually extremely consistent in having her make the same pitfalls. Rebecca literally calls her out on her actions multiple times (in headspace, and in season 3…). This all would have been perfect setup for a season 3 plot where Keeley finally runs her problems into the ground and is forced to confront them, while the characters who put her on a pedestal realize she isn’t perfect but that they love her anyway. The threads for this are THERE but never go anywhere!!! Keeley just ignores Rebecca’s advice, continues to make the same mistakes with no accountability or reckoning and then her problems are magically solved at closure. EURGH.

This leaves viewers to fill in all kinds of gaps and make up their own backstories and reasons, which I’m more than willing to do as someone who was a huge fan of Keeley to begin, but I can totally understand why many fans don’t care to go through the trouble to fix-it. Like if you were not super invested in her to begin with of course you’re going to see her as meh after s3. Her plot was undoubtedly shit.

I only get pissed when people complain about the wrong things and/or are just being misogynistic or biphobic or both. Like, calling her bisexuality unnecessary or out of nowhere, only caring that she didn’t get back together with Roy…on the opposite side a new one I’ve been seeing is going on about how she was actually terrible for Roy and he deserves better than her?? HELLO?! I’m the first to say she wasn’t perfect in that relationship but good god neither was Roy? Calling out just Keeley is crazy crazy and also why do these people hate women.

[tea-with--honey]

The Ted Lasso Finale has left me EMPTY. like man I knew they were gonna be kind of realistic about and it stuff but a lot of it just didnt feel like an ending to me? Do I think its probably what would happen if the show was completely realistic? Yes. Do I think it made ANY sense narratively? NO.

Like I'm actually very happy about what they've done with Roy and Colin and maybe maybe maybe Nate but thats it. Nate on paper worked okay for me but I just felt like he didnt have his big moment? That could have been intentional though.

I may ship Tedbecca/Tedpendent but I would have been fine without it if they didnt??? Do them so dirty like that???? Like they did NOT need to tease us like that throughout the entire episode that was just plain mean. Like hello????? the scene in Rebecca's house?? The 'you go, I go?' Ted actually saying that Rebecca pulled a rom-com moment on him? Hell Rebecca getting a first-class seat and Coach Beard leaving the seat next to Ted open? Its like they loaded MULTIPLE Chekov's guns that didnt fire. i would have been fine okay and THEN they pulled up with Boat guy coming back. What. Even. I hated that so bad.

And guys Trent not even getting a moment to really say goodbye to the man who he got fired over was so??? AHHAHSHSJDDGSB

AND IM MAD ABOUT COACH BEARD AND JANE. Especially after so many scenes that indicated that the better choice for Beard was to break it off. And also jane was just, incredibly toxic.

Also I would have hoped that they spent a better part of the season establishing that Ted needed to go home? Idk it just felt like I was waiting for Ted to reveal that he stayed in London the entire time. Henry is obviously a very important part of his life but we didnt even get to see Ted being fulfilled and being there for the reason he went back home in the first place!!! At least give us some scenes where Ted doesnt look like hes about to have another panic attack back in Kansas and he's actually spending time with his little boy.

Okay im just gonna put all the other things that bothered me in a list because im sleepy but I gotta get this all out

The way we have 0 idea what rebecca found out from the doctor

The green matchbox thingy not being addressed

The lack of Bex and the Rupert's ex assistant girlie in the episode. I know them going into Rebecca's house served as a plot point but I wish we still got to see them yknow

Not getting to see Sam's restaurant again

We literally dont even get to hear what Trent wrote in 'The Lasso/Richmond Way' I had hoped there would be at least a reading of it played over some 'future' scenes

Also that Ted looks so unhappy at the end and he just as always steps aside. WHERE DID HIS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT GO

Also how OOC Ted seemed this episode, I thought they were setting up him revealing to be just really upset hence the behavior but nope nothing nada

Lack of Jade

Doctor Sharon's reaction scenes feeling shoehorned in

While I do love her getting her own official position in the team I wish they just saved showing her character for that scene specifically. Idk the rest of her cheering scenes just didnt really add much

the lack of discussion on mr awful therapist

Ted seemingly still living in the same house as his ex wife who is currently dating his ex marriage counselor

Theres more I just cant think about it anymore

Anyways they did the Diamond Dogs and the Sound of Music routine so right but thats really it for me. Would love to rant about the ending with anybody so DMs are always open

[parvuls]

so many thoughts about the ted lasso finale but they're all a mess

SPOILERS BITCHES

many people said they found the finale anticlimactic and while i don't necessarily agree, i do see their point. i think the reason is that the s1 finale truly felt like a wrap up episode where all the arcs got an ending (even if the ending had an obvious afterthought that would come in s2, like jamie, like getting relegated, etc.), while the s2 finale was just one huge semicolon where all the arcs got to their peak and we'll only get to see their fallout in the concluding s3.

it's a logical way to format a three seasoned show - s1 serving as an exposition, s2 building up tensions, s3 tying everything with a nice bow - but i guess it is a bit of a frustrating watching experience. literally the only two arcs having a clear ending is the soccer (in the first they get relegated, in the second they get promoted, in the third they win the whole fucking thing - ted promised us that), and nate's arc.

ted spent the whole season struggling to face his mental health issues - which came to a head when he finally confronted his dad's suicide, but then the arc peaked when he decided to turn his circumstances for the better and talk about mental health in sports. the conclusion to ted's personal journey will only come next season, so in fact, after admitting to his problems we haven't seen much progress.

keeley spent the whole season working on her career and slowly allowing herself to express her goal of being the one in charge in the business sense. it came to a head when she got a dream offer, but it all happened in the last possible second so we don't know anything about how she feels, what it's gonna be like, how it's going to affect her life. that would comd in the next season.

roy and keeley spent the first half of the season establishing a serious adult relationship and then the second half tugging on several plot threads of Relationship Issues. this is perhaps the arc I'm least happy with - unlike the others, it didn't even peak. i assumed they'll have a big fight this finale, but instead we got a six week separation keeley claimed is good, while metaphorical ominous music sounded in the air thanks to roy's diamond dogs moment. obviously there's some commitment issues and lack of communication lingering there, but it's just a weird place to leave them off. s3 will simultaneously deal with having that fallout, fixing them and with getting their happy ever after? can't imagine the flow, tbh. sounds too heavy for a season that has so much to accomplish already.

nate's arc, while unbelievably complicated, is the only thing other than soccer that's very very clearly divided into three neat sections. season 1 dealt with him cementing a place within the team, season 2 dealt with his gradual downfall and had an obvious ending when he betrayed them and went to work for rupert (as we predicted), and season 3 will deal with his redemption. i hated nate for a lot of the season, but you have to admire how round his character is, how well he's written and acted. we'll see how they sell him back into our graces, but i've got hopes.

then there are all the things that are kinda floating around and i'm ??? about them, because when your main arcs get left off at their peak on purpose, it's hard to know what else is unresolved on purpose and what's just been neglected. what was the point of sambecca? unless s3 features endgame tedbecca and sam will somehow serve as a plot device for that, i don't understand why it happened, why it was left off like it was, and why no one has voiced concerns yet. what even was jamie's arc in the second half of s2? becoming a team player already started last season and his dad didn't get a resolution. when is the fallout from beard and jane supposed to happen? what was the point of the ted/flo build-up? were they going somewhere with pheobe's school struggles (and the breast drawings)?

i enjoyed this episode more than i expected but i still have more questions than answers for s3, and i'm not sure how i feel. mostly i'm confused and concerned, even though my babies got promoted, which really says a lot.