#Tedbecca speculation

[mskinkyafro]

HAS TED LASSO 3x06 SPOILERS

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One final crazy conspiracy late night thought/ rant about Rebecca’s psychic reading as it pertains to what we’ve seen in other episodes and especially after tonight’s episode. I feel like something click in my head as we head further along. This is my thought process on how connected Tedbecca is and it potentially happening.

So let’s breakdown each of the psychic’s warnings so far:

Green matchbook: Sam (a Spark, match brings much need warmth and light when in the darkness but it doesn’t last forever, and wasn’t design to last forever. ) Usually it takes just one match, spark to ignite a fire. To accelerate a burning desire, start her on the right path to discover not only what she needs, wants, but also deserves.

A Shite in Nining Armor: John W, he was kinda shite only bc he was boring. A contrast to the typical “A knight in shining armor” (A key difference to white knighting, which I think we were conflating too much as the same when it’s not. )

But the latter is supposed to be perfect and John was but what’s the use of perfect if there’s no spark no joy, and well boring. Just okay.

Then we have her words are “She’s upside down, drenched but safe”

The canal in 3x06 and Rebecca initial being confused by Dutch Man but the directions of the bikes and being in the bike lane, and somehow not realizing she was. Potentially a big metaphor and visual to reference of she has no idea in what direction to move forward. Not realizing where she stands in her personal life. How said emotional/personal world was turn upside down last week and she is confuse on how to proceed in her future and her own purpose. However, enter Dutch Man to the rescue.

He made her feel safe and comfortable and this warm ,cozy/ at home feeling. A feeling that Rebecca wanted to stay and last and an indicator of what she realized this is what she wanted and what the designation is at. To reach this point and never leave. She’s been looking for not just that in a partner but in her life as a whole. She WANTS that.

The last thing is Thunder and Lightning. I think a key factor to include is Thunder, something that I’ve neglected to think about. And so has Rebecca. We know Rebecca has been searching for the person that makes her feel like she’s been struck by lightening since Roy told her that back in S2. But you can’t just have lightening alone. You need/ will have thunder as well. This big boisterous invisible force of sound. That is entangle by the energy of bright and crackling fire of lightening.

Is it possible that Rebecca has been searching for lightening this whole time not recognizing the thunder that has always been there? And who has always been in plain sight, with similar characteristic as Thunder. Coach Lasso, himself.

What if she’s the lightening to Ted’s thunder? Together simultaneously being both for one another is what makes them getting together even more special and perfect than just one person being one or the another. They are both one another’s Thunder and Lightning.

Literally if anyone else has said this or understood my crazy ramblings, then Bless you 😂. I think I’m just crazy over fictional characters at this point.

[vrag-veshtica]

emotionally spiritually physically mentally supernaturally I'm still here

[cherish--these--times]

I am on the clown train and it ain't stopping anytime soon, babeh

[roamwithahungryheart]

Started writing my vision for s4. I'm posting this under Jason's door and banging pots and pans outside his house until he hires me.

[sy5starplaty]

IDK if Twitter’s r3beccawelton is on Tumblr, but their tweets are ON POINT (& also under the cut because there be spoilers & speculation...)

BONUS:

(full thread)

[jenniferbie]

Was it Ted and Rebecca that we were shipping, or was it Jason and Hannah?

Curious to hear everyone’s thoughts.

[thatonesquintern13]

okay i gave akufo too much credit in my other post lol, BUT i do still think ted’s mom is going to inspire the truth bomb.

adding on to my 3x11 theory, i want ted and rebecca to have a mom lunch like they did with deborah where ted’s mom is telling stories about young ted and says something along the lines of, “oh he was a menace! or a ‘little shite’ as y’all might say” to be cheeky with the british language and then rebecca is like “i’m sorry he was what.”

and thanks to this tweet (which sparked this train of thought) theorizing ted’s mom will call the army guy a green matchbox man, that would check two psychic predictions off the list for ted, specifically the two that rebecca has been paying attention to the most.

and then, you know the rest. soulmatism, truth bomb, rain kiss, yadda yadda.

[biscuitboxpink]

Soooo these are some of the lyrics for Ed Sheeran’s song that he wrote for Ted Lasso…and I don’t know what to do with it. Because we all know this is gonna be in the last episode. But ugh it’s all so perfect and there’s no way this isn’t THE Tedbecca song!

[chainofclovers]

Do you personally think tedbecca will become canon

Short answer is I dunno but I decided to write a lot of S3 speculation under the cut. I don't have any spoilers for how the show ends, nor do I want any, but I've watched a lot of interviews and read a lot of reviews and what I type will be informed by the not-spoilery-but-suggestive-about-the-overall-arc vibes of those.

Will Ted/Rebecca become a canonical romance? I'm not sure! For basically all of the things I have predictions and/or feelings about for s3 (Ted/Rebecca relationship, Nate's arc, whether Ted stays in London or returns to Kansas in the medium term or "forever"...), I have a suspicious lack of gut feelings...or rather, all my feelings are like a swinging pendulum of deep convictions and I can easily feel convinced of one outcome then another within the span of a few minutes.

Since you're anonymous I have no idea how much press you've listened to, what fandom spaces you're a part of, whether you're a T/R shipper or not, whether I'm friends with you or not, etc. So I'm going to write this without worrying about offending you and just go for it from the heart, haha.

The press has been a little bit of a rollercoaster for me, especially in terms of Hannah Waddingham's remarks about why she sees more longevity in relationships that aren't just the typical romantic/sexual route, and some of the other writer-actors' (Jason, Brendan, Brett) statements about audience expectation and their awareness of fandom preferences vs. the intentions of the story they're telling. I've actually loved a lot of what they've said, and I've been really frustrated by some people in the fandom calling Hannah an idiot for being tired of all the romance questions or for daring to call those expectations social conditioning when to me they very much are social conditioning. (Even if romance can also be a deep and beautiful thing! I don't feel like she's saying romance is lame! She's saying it's frustrating to zoom in on this one thing and value it above all others! And as a result of her saying that people have said awful things about her personal life and intelligence and that's absolutely uncool!)

I think it's completely possible that these interviews are at least in part about setting realistic expectations that a canonical romantic and sexual relationship between T/R isn't something we are gonna see on our TVs. I don't think these answers are coyness or lies. Really grappling with that possibility has bummed me out a bit more than I expected it to, honestly. I think a T/R romance would be super beautiful and wonderful and would make perfect sense within the larger story being told here.

That being said, I also think it's true that none of the press we've seen so far has explicitly spoiled any endings of this show. I don't feel like the interviewees are being coy and winking to fans, but I also think they've all carefully prepared ways of speaking about this show because they know the barrage of questions they'll face and they want to protect their story. When reporters directly ask if the relationship will be canon, they speak to expectations and societal structures and the soulmate connection between these characters without revealing any plot points. When the writers or actors have gotten more opinionated about the possibility of romance, it's often in the context of questions about fandom expectations or what is "expected" or "unexpected" about the story, and I think it's completely fair and understandable to express genuine frustration for the obsessive, repeat nature of those types of questions when there are so many other things these people would probably love to discuss about their writing and acting choices. They're all smart people who are extremely close to each other and have spent years constructing this story, and I can see myself responding to the repetition and surface-level stuff in a similar manner.

We know there's gonna be a huge component of Ted deciding what his commitment to AFC Richmond is and how his relationship with his son and his feelings about the family he's left behind impact that decision. We know they're setting up storylines in which other characters are learning how to coach, learning how to balance the emotional side and the tactical side. We know this is a story that simultaneously grapples with "leaving well"/letting go/why quitting isn't always bad AND with the complications of space AND with why burying or running away from your emotions while they fester inside you for 30 years is, um, bad. We know the writers have not deviated from their original plans for any of these characters even as they've rewritten and redefined certain things about this season. And we know the writers and actors all agree that Ted and Rebecca are divinely connected even if they've said many kinda contradictory things about what form that takes.

Even knowing all that, I think it's still possible that T/R will be a factor in s3 in a romantic and sexual sense. I have basically prepared myself to not see it on screen, but every time I watch the actual show I'm watching a show that sets up delicate, beautiful connecting points for these characters with intention and purpose. Which is awesome no matter what. If they don't go the romantic route onscreen, I think we'll still be watching a meaningful relationship that is full of possibilities (especially since s3 canon will end in, like, spring 2022, not spring 2058 or something). Some of the choices they've made are things that I'd probably only write if I was setting up a canonical romance, but if a romance doesn't happen within the show I don't think that means those choices were inconsequential or, worse, designed specifically to torment and make fun of fans. This is a show that is loving towards its audience but removed from its audience.

One of the first posts I made about this show was a straightbaiting joke. That seems extra funny now, knowing what I know. As a queer woman who has mostly been involved in fandoms as a femslash shipper up to this point, I can say that a lot of the shipping culture around this show and around M/F ships in general makes me really uncomfortable. I watch the joy of the show drain away from people as they focus deeper and deeper on "Tedbecca" (even to the point of ridiculing people for shipping other stuff or not understanding why it could be a fun exercise to write fic about people who will never be together in canon...which...what? the queer history of fandom didn't happen for canon-or-bust to be such a prevailing attitude!). I even feel some of that drain myself, being in an interesting place as an enthusiastic multi-shipper who just so happens to love T/R (and want to see it happen in canon) to the point of modding a whole discord about it. I love T/R and I love that it feels like a thing that is real and true in the text, and that is something I've rarely gotten to be invested in textually speaking as a queer woman accustomed to living off little subtextual crumbs. This show makes me feel both privileged and desperate.

The whole T/R thing, and the literal years of suspense it's implanted in my brain, has been a really fascinating journey for me. I can honestly say I've never had a suspended state of suspense and wonder about a single topic for this long before. I've waited for other things for this long, but they've all been matters in my personal life that I had some level of control over. Even things like election cycles take less time than this. I think the healthiest thing to do in this situation is to protect each of our viewing experiences and to respect that we're watching the creation of artists who are brilliant and lovely and fallible. To take what serves us from the text and continue to play with it all in our own spaces.

Watching 3x1 was a fuckin' delight of an experience that reminded me why I love this show and why I'm willing to experience the lows and highs of disappointments and joys in a way that just feels a lot more raw than basically any viewing experience or fandom experience I've ever had in the past with anything.

THAT WAS PROBABLY SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU BARGAINED FOR. YOU ASKED A YES/NO QUESTION AND GOT A DIARY ENTRY. BUT I'M NOT ACTUALLY SORRY BECAUSE YOU ARE AN ANON AND IT FELT NICE TO GET THIS OUT. 😂

[autumn-sundrop]

In the (very anxious) hours leading to the Ted Lasso finale, I’ve been thinking about all the hints, clues, and signs that Tedbecca could possibly be endgame, and the one that really sticks out to me is the scene where Rebecca pulls out the green matchbox soldier/army man stuck inside the green matchbook.

I’m probably majorly overthinking it, but this moment keeps sticking out to me as a “if it doesn’t mean anything at all, then why do it?” kind of moment.

Because if there’s an item that’s a pretty significant callback to a moment from the early days of Ted and Rebecca’s history, it’s the green matchbox soldier. (As well as the biscuits and the pink box that is also in this scene.)

A green matchbox soldier that was given to Rebecca by Ted.

Why bring this significant item back and draw attention to it if you don’t want us to think it means something? Especially when it is with the green matchbook, the item that keeps popping up as a symbol in Rebecca’s path to the life she’s meant to have, especially after showing Ted pulling out the same matchbook? Unless it is all a misdirect (which I really hope it isn’t).

Also, the green matchbox soldier was one of many given to Ted by his son Henry. So, in a way, Henry gave Rebecca the green matchbox soldier too… and if Rebecca is meant to have a family and be a mother… The green matchbox soldier connects all three of them. Perhaps the green matchbox soldier (which it seems she’s been carrying around in her handbags) is not just her “first line of defense”, but also a symbol of the family she could build with Ted and Henry?

This is all guesswork and Tedbecca may or may not be endgame, but if the green matchbox soldier with the green matchbook means nothing, then why?

—

Thank you to @cherish--these--times, for encouraging me to make this post.

(I’m no good at making posts like this, I hope it was alright and it doesn’t sound too crazy lol.)

[vrag-veshtica]

we finally have a rebecca who doesn't HAVE TO win and a ted who wants to START FIGHTING to win

[cherish--these--times]

Important information. SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE. UPDATING AS I WATCH THE MOVIE ALONG BEAR WITH ME. The film they watched at the hotel is You've Got Mail, this is Sam and Rebecca's story. When they messaged each other not knowing who the other person was. Ted said Sleepless in Seattle was far superior. This is the one where airports play a significant part and it's about a man who lost his wife and has a son finding love again with the woman he never knew until the last second would be the one. He first sees her in an airport and is knocked sideways. By all accounts the last of Ted we will see will be in an airport based on previous seasons with first and last shot being a character’s face in the same location.

Also Rebecca mentioning she has a private jet and the thing with airports; SUSP AS HELL.

Keeley assumed the moment Rebecca spent with Dutch Guy was "Magic" This is also a quote from Sleepless in Seattle. Turns out it was Gezellig instead. But this is definitely where we're going. And that'll either be Dutch Guy or Ted. Both fit the man who lost their partner and have a kid formula. Definitely not Sam. But Ted tripped over the Red String of Fate, has the matchbook, loves Kenny Rogers, bakes the biscuits who are home to her, she carries his army man everywhere she goes. She hasn't been struck by lightning yet which to me means it's not Dutch Guy; Ted is leaving which means her world is about to be turned upside down. I keep the faith. i don't care.

AND there's a tear in Meg Ryan's wedding dress and she says oh no it's a sign to which her mum says "You don't believe in signs!" And Rebecca doesn't really believe in signs either! All the signs have been pointing to different people except the obvious one! They're there so she can see something about herself she completely missed.

FUCK MY LIFE. It's about making wishes!! Tom Hanks' son in the film wishes for his father to find a new wife!! His son is worried about his dad!!!

The psychiatrist on the radio is called Dr. Fieldstone FUUUUUUCK MEEEEE. IT WAS RIGHT THERE ALL ALONG.

Sam and Annie speak the same words at the same time in two different places, soulmatism right there!

Annie thought Sam sounded "Nice" on the radio and Ted is one of the "nicest" humans Rebecca has ever met!!

Quote from a guy : "This is fate, she's divorced and you need a new wife." (not talking about Annie here, it's another woman) "What is that thing when everything intersects?" To which Sam replies: "The Bermuda TRIANGLE."

One woman who writes to Sam after he was on the radio lives in OKLAHOMA!

Dr. Fieldstone tells Sam she can tell he is a good dad just like Beard told Ted!!

One woman says on the radio: "Why do you want to be with someone who doesn't love you?" (Michelle, anyone?)

"Sam, tell me what was so special about your wife?" "It was a million tiny little things then when you added them all up it just meant we were supposed to be together. I knew it the very first time I touched her it was like coming home, only to no home I had ever known!"

Annie asking a friend: "But when you met her (his wife), did you believe she was the only person for you? That in some mystical, cosmic way, it was fated?"

Sam's friend about relationships:

"Things are different, now. First, you have to be friends. You have to like each other."

Annie talks to her best friend about the concept of DESTINY.

Annie hires a private detective to run a background check on Sam!! Ted wanted Rebecca to do it with Dr. Jacob!

Wonderful addition by @doctorbeverlycrusher : Rebecca’s mom said a couple times that when she loves something, she loves it forever. The main song from Sleepless in Seattle, When I Fall in Love, starts with the lyric “When I fall in love, it will be forever”.

ANNIE MUNCHES ON SUNFLOWER SEEDS ON THE PLANE.

Sam's son to his dad: "Jessica says you and Annie never got together in that life, and your hearts are like puzzles with parts out of them and when you get together the puzzle's complete. The reason I know this and you don't is that I'm younger and purer so I'm more in touch with cosmic forces."

There's even a mention of Horticulture!

We spotted the word Rainbow in the pub game, the romcommunism episode was called Rainbow. Let me leave you with the quote from Ted again.

"Now, it may not work out how you think it will or how you hope it does, but believe me, it will all work out. Exactly as it's supposed to."

I might be setting myself up for disappointment but the writers are building every step up to the cliff egde, baby!

Thank you for coming to my Ted Lasso Talk

[roamwithahungryheart]

OKAY BUT Trent Crimm, Independent bringing up the fabulous, inimitable, iconic Queen Clarisse Renaldi - Princess Diaries girlies assemble! - Queen Clarisse entered into an arranged marriage with Rupert Renaldi, in spite of being in love with her best friend Joseph.

And this excerpt from the character bio?? HELLO??

'Clarisse and Joseph remained deeply in love with each other and although they kept it hidden from the public, several people, including Clarisse's right-hand woman, Charlotte Kutaway were aware of their true feelings for one another.'

HIGGINS IS GOING TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO CLOCK TEDBECCA I FEEL IT IN MY SOUL

[sy5starplaty]

After reading some Tedbecca Fandom theories regarding the truth bomb scene & whether or not 3.12 will pick up right after, I got an idea forming in my brain...

*~*~*

Ted: "I got one." Rebecca: "Oh? Uh... Okay. What is it?"

Ted, suddenly overwhelmed with what he has to say, starts fiddling with his backpack.

Ted: "Well, y'know how... Like I said after my first season here..."

The zipper gets stuck on the side pocket.

Ted: "Shoot! What's holding that up?" Rebecca: "Ted, focus. What did you say that's important?"

Ted pulls out the item that got the zipper stuck.

Ted: "Well, how the heck did that get there?"

He holds up his Ola's green matchbook. Rebecca's eyes go wide. Ted tosses it to his desk. She focuses on the matchbook while Ted keeps rambling...

Ted: "I was gonna quit, and you were against that. Which... thank you for your confidence in me. It's been a hell of a last two seasons, that's for sure." Rebecca: "Yes, it has."

She draws her eyes away from the matchbook to look back at Ted who looks between her and the matchbook with uncertainty. Rebecca smiles.

Rebecca: "Go on."

Ted gulps.

Ted: "Yeah, well, I've...  You've been a great friend to me, Rebecca. And I appreciate you... a lot, and..."

He's distracted by the noise of the locker room behind him. Ted turns to look out the window at Jamie laughing with Roy. Rebecca looks back at the matchbook, then shakes her head (everyone got one of those). She then notices Roy come into his office via the other door. They acknowledge each other.

Ted: "Boy, Jamie turned out to be a shite in nining armour, huh?"

Ted chuckles, glances back at Rebecca. She appears shocked.

Ted: "I was just making a pun because Jamie’s the...” Rebecca: "He's number nine." Ted grins: "Yeah, that's it! You get me."

He looks at the locker room again.

Ted: "Which is why this, uh, truthbomb of mine is so hard to say, 'cause I... I think I need to..."

He turns fully around... but Rebecca isn't there. 

Ted: "Boss?"

[CREDITS]

[madmaddoxfuryroad]

getting in on the fun because i only have few days left to wear my clown make up with pride.

as much as i would love to see a full confirmed tedbecca endgame, i am not the most confident in that happening at this point. and even though i might be a little bummed, i would be okay with them not going there so long as they really take the time to acknowledge just how fundamentally important these two have been to one another and give their relationship the attention it deserves in this last episode.

with that being said, i believe it would truly be a disservice to these two characters if we did not get an “i love you”. and before you write me off as tedbecca trash (i mean, i am but not the point) HEAR ME OUT. i don't NEED it to be in a romantic context at all. in fact, the one thing i keep coming back to that gives me quite a bit of comfort is how 30 rock handled jack and liz.

if tedbecca really is nothing more than platonic soulmates, they still deserve no less than what jack and liz got in their finale. which was honestly a beautiful scene that paid respect to the relationship between these two characters. that acknowledged how indispensable they had been to one another. that made me cry. and if they can do that on a show like 30 rock, that never took itself too seriously and was often irreverent about so many things, surely a show as earnest as ted lasso would do AT LEAST this.

what might this scene look like you ask? oh don't worry. i got you covered.

to preface: i like to think of it as a sort of hybrid of the 30 rock jack/liz finale scene and the fantastic beasts newt/tina scene before he gets on the boat all wrapped up in an airport scene because of course it is. 

i am operating on the popular assumption that ted told rebecca at the end of the last episode that he is moving back to the states. and as such, some of the finale episode is focused on ted trying to have dedicated moments with each character as a way to say goodbye (ie. crown & anchor one last time with beard). 

so i would think that for rebecca it would be their last biscuits with the boss. but due to plot reasons (maybe rebecca is off helping bex with her divorce or whatever that storyline is going to be), they are unable to get the timing right and that last moment never happens. 

ted, taking a page out of doctor sharon’s book, decides he will at the very least write her a goodbye letter. he pairs it with a fresh box of biscuits, along with the recipe, and leaves it all with higgins to give her. 

rebecca, however, does not take this as an acceptable send off. when presented to her, her expression is unreadable, but almost looks angry. she snatches the letter from higgins and marches out. 

~airport scene~

ted is in the airport with henry (yes i decided he comes to london to see the last match and if this does not happen, i blame michelle). they are walking toward their gate.

rebecca: (spotting ted & henry) THEODORE LASSO!

her tone carries across the terminal. she sounds angry. ted’s head snaps up. he sees her almost immediately. he looks confused. rebecca continues making her way toward them. once she is almost in front of the two, ted leans down to henry.

ted: hey bud, why don't you go buy us a pretzel and i’ll catch up to you in a sec?

as ted is saying this he is searching his pockets for money. at the same time rebecca is already in front of them. her expression softens a little toward henry. she pulls out cash from her pocket.

rebecca: (handing henry the money) it’s on me.

henry examines the bill.

henry: this is a hundred pounds.

rebecca: and keep the change. (&take that doctor jacob)

henry looks to his dad for permission. ted just shrugs. henry takes this as the green light to go get his pretzel. he runs off contentedly. ted turns his attention back to rebecca whose expression has returned to angry. 

rebecca: (holding up the letter) what the fuck is this?

ted: (still looking confused) did you read it?

rebecca: no i didn’t fucking read it. what the fuck is this?

it’s subtle, but her tone shifts from pure anger to anger laced with hurt.

ted: yeah, i’m sorry about that. i wanted to say your goodbye in person, but you were busy all day and then before i knew it i had to make like a tree and leave (looks up, sees rebecca is unamused. this is not the time for folksy wordplay) ...for my flight. 

rebecca is still holding up the letter. this did not answer her question. ted takes the hint and continues. 

ted: but i didn't want to go without saying anything so i wrote that and left it with higgy for when you got back. 

rebecca nods. taking in what he is saying. she folds the letter into quarters. creasing it a couple times, mulling over her next words. 

rebecca: (much softer now. but the hurt is still audible) did it ever occur to you that you’re not the only one who needs to say goodbye, ted?

comprehension finally dawns on ted. a contrite look crosses his face, but he stays silent. he knows she is not done speaking.

rebecca: because i cannot fathom the idea of you back in kansas not knowing exactly how much you have meant to richmond. and to me.

she gives a soft smile. he meets her eyes, wordlessly telling her she can go on. 

rebecca: (somewhat pulling back from the moment) i hope it’s something you already know. so perhaps me making the point of saying this is a terrible waste of your time. and now that i’m thinking about it this whole dramatic airport chase is starting to feel a bit foolish. i’m sorry. i shouldn’t’ve––

ted: oklahoma.

ted has not broken his gaze the whole time. rebecca meets his eyes again, a little surprised at how quickly he cut her off. she nods. 

rebecca: right. then. i’ll just say it. because this is something you of all people deserves to not only know but to hear. 

beat. 

rebecca: and it’s the best way i can properly express how profoundly important to me you have grown. 

beat.

rebecca: so i’m just going to say it now. 

longer beat. rebecca is struggling to say what she wants to say. her eyes are starting to grow glassy, but not quite tear-filled. 

rebecca: i don't know why this is so difficult. what i am trying to say...

rebecca closes her eyes, trying to recapture the confidence she had at the start of the conversation. 

ted: it’s okay. you don't have to. (simply) i love you, too. 

rebecca’s eyes dart back open to meet ted’s. her expression is blank for a moment then she quickly pulls him into a hug (very truth bomb #1), which he immediately reciprocates. she hugs him a little tighter.

rebecca: i love you.

still in the hug, ted cracks a smile. 

ted: hey. there it is. 

they break apart. ted is still grinning. rebecca is wiping away a tear, but smiling as well. 

ted: now that wasn’t so bad.

rebecca lets out a tear-filled laugh and lightly shakes her head ‘no’. she smiles back at him. 

she wipes her eyes again, happy with herself that she was able to say what she wanted to say. 

rebecca: well, then. off you pop!

rebecca gives him a nod, letting him know he can go back to his son. ted turns back toward henry. about halfway he stops and looks back at rebecca, who is still standing in the same spot. she gives him an encouraging smile and a small wave, which he returns. 

once she sees ted has rejoined henry, rebecca smiles to herself, turns on her heel, and starts to leave. 

henry: rebecca!

rebecca turns back at the sound of her name and sees henry running toward her, pretzel in hand. ted is jogging behind him. 

henry: i wanted to say thank you.

rebecca: oh no need to thank me. you’re very welcome for the pretzel. 

henry looks down at his pretzel.

henry: oh not that! well, thank you for that too, but i meant thank you for everything you've done for my dad. it made it a lot easier being away from him knowing he has nice people like you who care about him over here.

rebecca: (looking at ted) well he certainly does. (turning to henry) it was my pleasure, henry.

rebecca extends her hand to henry. they shake. 

ted puts his hand on henry’s shoulder.

ted: come on, bud, we should get over to the gate and let rebecca head home. 

henry: okay. we’ll see you tomorrow?

rebecca: (deeply confused) sorry, what’s tomorrow?

henry: the first digital biscuits with the boss, karlie kloss!

rebecca shoots ted a look. ted raises his hands in surrender and points to henry. 

ted: all his idea. and only if you’re up for it. but we figured we could facetime you. even if it’s just once a week or once a month and––

rebecca: that sounds wonderful. 

rebecca beams at ted and henry. 

ted: good. well, we best be going. say goodbye.

henry: (waving while already turning away) bye, rebecca!

rebecca: bye, henry!

ted takes a step toward rebecca. he reaches for the letter that has been clasped in her hand this whole time. he undoes the extra folds she had nervously made, until it resembles how it looked when higgins first gave it to her (save for the additional creases).

ted presents it back to her. 

ted: goodbye, rebecca.

rebecca: (carefully taking the still unopened letter) goodbye, ted.

they hold each other’s gaze for one beat longer. and then he is back with henry walking toward the gate. they don't look back again. 

~cut to~ rebecca in the back of her car leaving the airport.

she is looking out the window, but redirects her gaze to the letter still in her hand. rebecca finally gives in and opens the letter. 

she pulls out a piece of paper with a single sentence written on it. she rereads it a couple times over, smiling to herself: i think i’ll miss you most of all. 

i was going to end it at off you pop. but i couldn’t resist giving henry the chance to interact with rebecca since we were robbed of this dynamic. i think i got a little off message along the way. well i hope you enjoyed this chaos anyway.  

**bonus details for the shippers I left out of the scene: -when ted is searching his pockets for cash, he pulls out the green matchbook again -part of the reason this interaction can take place at all is because the flight had been delayed. due to weather. thunder and lightning.  -and as part of his thank you to rebecca, henry gives her another army man, so hers doesn’t get lonely. and he mistakenly calls it a green matchbook army man (ted politely corrects him, it is a matchbox army man, but the damage is done)

[thatonesquintern13]

okay i’ve figured it out.

3x10 - whatever edwin akufo’s business proposal is sparks a conversation with ted about going back to the states. no real plans, but casual mentioning of henry and ted’s mom, stuff like that. but then, edwin turns around plants that idea in rebecca’s head. maybe it’s after a whole day of ted and rebecca hanging out and just enjoying each other’s company (making up for amsterdam) and rebecca is just starting to see ted as someone she could be with (matchbook cameo perhaps) and then she’s thrown this curveball of him leaving and she realizes she definitely has Feelings about ted not being around.

3x11 - ted’s mom comes (??) and rebecca sees how much he misses her and starts to think that there is a real possibility of him going back to kansas. maybe she’s retreating back to season 2, and kinda avoiding ted bc it’s “too bleak” to think about. then someone, higgins? beard?? keeley? ROY?, gives her the “he’ll never know unless you tell him” speech so she goes to his office and the third truth bomb is her telling him he can’t leave and that she’ll miss him too much, not just as a coach but as a… friend. and maybe it’s not explicitly “i love you” but it feels like i love you. and ted is just…. dumbfounded ???? bc leaving richmond hasn’t crossed his mind in months. and his mom came here to reassure him that everything back in kansas was fine. and henry understands that ted can love him just as much from a different country bc uncle beard told him that during hey jude. and he tells her they’ll be alright. and it’s not explicitly “i love you too,” but it’s i love you too.

3x12 - opens with richmond winning the whole fucking thing??? time jump???? tedbecca endgame????? IDK this is as far as i got.