#praying rebecca goes to kansas with him

[existential-labrador]

I have no doubt now that Tedbecca will happen but whether they stay in the same country at the end is another thing

[time-is-restored]

ted lasso 3x11

got through the latest episode tonight, below are unassorted ramblings abt a kansas ending (which i, despite being almost certain is where the show is heading, am still ardently rooting against):

so i was talking a little with my family abt the extremely likely kansas ending*, and was mentioning how much i really don't vibe with it. i said smth like 'i mean, what's even there for him in kansas?' to which they said (fairly, and rightfully!) 'his son!'. like, that's a pretty bulletproof argument, so i guess im just writing this to figure out why i feel like even that isn't. idk. enough?

[*though if that is the ending, what's the point of the cliffhanger? it's the most obvious + expected outcome, how would it be a 'reveal'? idk, some part of me is still praying for one of those classic Twists™ ig]

like. we've known that ted has a kid since day one. we've known that he loves + misses that kid since day one. according to the text, the number one reason ted left kansas was as a last ditch effort to save his marriage, by giving michelle as much space as humanly possible. they were divorced by the middle of the season, and ted chose to stay at the end.

so like. idk. am i missing something? did he just stay bc he felt an obligation to the team? and now that they're doing well (absurdly, breaking the bounds of belief well), he feels okay moving on? like many ppl have already pointed out, that's a pretty standard plot line in these kind of stories: the mary poppin's style exit stage right. but, say ted goes home (potentially even without beard???? agh??). what's happened to him, these past few seasons? what's different now?

like, it kind of feels like im only gonna be hurt by reading in between the lines here, but kansas doesn't seem to hold a lot of good associations for ted w/o the bedrock of his + michelle's marriage. he's reduced to a morose, spaced out mess within 5 minutes of talking with his mother, he very nearly goes through the Extremely fucked up move of paying someone to spy on michelle after seeing her + jake together for an afternoon, and ofc if anything even remotely reminds him of his dad he gets triggered really badly.

and of course, maybe the idea is 'well, he's started to cope with that all now, and he's starting to talk openly with his mum + grieve his dad, so he has the tools to return' but like. does he???? his support system are EXTREMELY london based. setting aside sharon since he could always telehealth w her, all of the positive progress he's made in his 'home' life seem to exclusively come after he talks w his support group at richmond.

he ended up admitting he was mad at michelle after speaking with the diamond dogs, he was pulled out of his obsessive spiral by rebecca, and he was able to put words to his feelings abt his mum by talking w jamie. to be clear, those are all massively positive things for ted to have done, and i think they at least make a good case for ted progressive positively w his mental health (even if its all gotten a bit tell don't show in this last season). but like. what happens when all that's on the other side of an ocean?

to be clear, from the perspective of real life, it absolutely makes sense that ted would want to return to his son. but on a narrative level, im just. i feel like im being expected to take certain things about ted + henry's relationship for granted, when the text itself hasn't even tried to make those things apparent.

is henry miserable or even generally upset when he has to leave his dad/go back to his mum? not that we ever see! im pretty sure the only time we've seen henry explicitly upset is when ted was ignoring him while he was like five feet away which, yeah, mood! and last we saw, henry even sees more enthused abt richmond winning the whole thing than ted is, so its not like he thinks his dad is just going away to do absolutely nothing of import.

do ted and henry not spend a lot of time together/talk very often? technically we don't see enough of ted's daily routine to know for sure, but the casual mention of playing roblox seems to imply they spend a lot of time together! and ofc none of their phone calls ever have the vibe of 'i haven't spoken to you in ages, here's ALL THE THINGS you've missed!'. they're almost all abt stuff that happened that day.

is ted struggling with being away from henry? well... yes, duh, but i don't even think this season's done particularly well establishing THAT (incredibly obvious and free) piece of ted characterisation.

is ted capable of feeling anything other than vague nostalgia (ie: all of his annecdotes being set there) or extreme distress wrt kansas? apparently not! like, seriously, what is there for him? does he have any friends? a job? family that isn't his mother? where's he gonna live? does he miss the weather? his neighbours? like i am literally on my hands and knees give me ONE (1) concrete opinion ted has about the fucking place that isn't about its FOOD (<- ESPECIALLY coming off the back of an episode where ted was able to experience texan food So Authentic™ that it inspired a literal career-changing epiphany?? like HOW are we supposed to take that as anything other than 'ted is at his best when he acknowledges BOTH of his lives rather than cutting one out in favour of the other'???).

idk. i guess my real problem this late in the game is i can see so many POTENTIAL versions of this show, but what ive been given doesn't feel like it matches up with any of them.

i can imagine a story in which ted's avoidance + variations upon running-away tactics for dealing w conflict get thoroughly deconstructed and challenged while in london, so at the end of the show he's finally emotionally prepared to return to his life in kansas even though it's never going to be a fairytale picturesque no-problems-ever ending again.

i can imagine a story in which going back to kansas isn't good for ted, and will be a major sacrifice, but it's a sacrifice he will be making with the support of his new friends + family, and something that he is determined to make in order to be there w his son, all meaningfully juxtaposed w how he feels his dad 'quit' on him.

i can imagine a story where ultimately, the life that ted's made alongside richmond is just as important to him as his life in kansas, and so he + michelle work out a more equal and long-term custody arangement* with henry (it definitely seems like the 'you get him for the whole year and i get him on school break' was something haphazardly worked out while they were both still under the assumption he'd be in richmond for less than a year), and they alternate who goes to whose home for holidays and shit.

[*side note, why hasn't that come up at all? i'd personally think somewhere around the six month mark of working overseas i'd want to have a talk w my expartner + kid about a schedule that isn't so much of a 80/20 split? like, it's fine if henry moving isn't on the table at all for one reason or another, but at least take the time to actually SAY that??? like, what does michelle do for a living? why is SHE so happy to stay there? give me Literally Anything here gang!!!]

...but ultimately what ive actually seen on screen feels like it fits into none of those categories. eleven hours (in as many episodes!! HOUR! long! episodes!!!!!!) in and i feel like i know infinitely less about ted + his mental state than i did in s1. like, from episode to episode, the writer's aren't sure if he's stuck, or progressing, or going through that classic recovery 'one step forwards, two steps back' dance, or just completely and utterly depressed. there's no continuity. nothing that happens to him in one episode seems to have literally any bearing at all on the ted in the next episode. if u scrubbed all of the notable Ted Scenes™ of any overarching plot references, and shuffled them all up, i genuinely think you would end up w a plateau of scenes totally indistinguishable from each other!*

[*of course, this is my main critique of s3 for like. literally everyone, but it's paticularly damning when im left feeling this lost about the main fucking guy.]

i don't know. i guess after the past few weeks of being really genuinely hurt + angry + upset abt the choices made this season, the feeling im left with near the end of it all is. underwhelmed. and im really not sure what 3x12 could possibly do to change that feeling... even if i am still regrettably, but sincerely rooting for a last minute switcheroo.

[david-muffin-nolan]

After he fails to respond to her text, Rebecca calls Ted to check he safely arrived in Kansas.

(Would love some feedback comments! This is a side blog, so I can't reply, but in the words of Ted Lasso, I appreciate you!)

Ted managed to get another hour of sleep, before the light blaring through the curtains became too bright, and he finally gave up. Making his way into the kitchen he set about making some pancake mix ready for Henry’s breakfast.

Pancake mix prepped, and a sweet but strong coffee in hand, he had just sat down at the table when Rebecca’s number lit up his phone. Smiling to himself, he pressed accept without hesitation.

“Good, ah-morning Ted?”

Warmth spread through him immediately as he heard her voice, and his smile brightened. But as he looked down at the time, anxiety began brewing at the pit of his stomach. It was 7AM in Kansas, and that meant 1AM in London.

“That’s right boss. But ain’t it late in London? What are you doin’ calling me for? Not that I mind of course. It’s good to hear from you.”

“Yes. Believe it or not I’m still in the office. I was just finishing up some last minute paperwork before I take a week off, thank God. Nothing to worry about. I was just ringing to check you landed.”

Relief flooded through him. She was fine. Rebecca was fine. And she was worried about him.

“Yeah sorry about that, didn’t get the chance to reply to message yet. Got back late last night”.

“No of course I understand.”

“So, how’s it going across the pond?”

“Well its pitch black and raining here. Typical fucking England.”

“Ah, I’ll get my momma to pray y’all get some good weather Boss. Got anything nice planned for tomorrow?”

“Unfortunately, I’m having lunch with my mother, God help me”.

Ted chuckled lightly “Say hello to Deborah for me, will ya?”

“Of course, I think she likes you more than me at this point Ted.”

“Well now that’s not true.”

“Well, we have come to some sort of a mutual understanding since my father’s funeral. But she’s still grieving him. And I suppose, I’m still angry at him, even now he’s gone. It doesn’t make things easy.”

As the conversation suddenly shifted tone, Rebecca was suddenly silent, as though suprised by her own admission, her soft breathing on the line the only confirmation she was still there. Ted’s brow furrowed in concern, as he tried to understand the implication of her words.

“Hey Rebecca, you doin okay?”

“What me?” she scoffed. “Of course I’m fine Ted, I’m always fine.”

“Well I know that ain’t always true.”

“Well yes I suppose you do.”

Ted could hear her sigh, a rustling, and the sound of her high heels across the floor; he pictured her moving away from her desk, to sit more comfortably on the couch, as she organised her thoughts.

“The truth is, I never really know what to do with myself on the off season. Of course I have things to organize, but with Keely working such long hours now, and with you gone, I’ve found myself at a bit of a loose end. Plus I’m already having biscuit withdrawal, no thanks to you.”

“Well you can always call me Boss. I always here to provide an ear. And I’ll be back before you know it, with a fresh batch of biscuits just in time for biscuits with the boss, okay?”

Rebecca gave a resigned chuckle. “Thanks Ted. And the same goes for you. I’ll let you get back to Henry.”

“Well the little guy isn’t actually awake yet. But as soon as he is, he’s going to be hankering for pancakes.”

“That sounds lovely Ted. And to reiterate, please do call me if you need anything. Were all thinking of you here in Richmond.”

“That’s mighty sweet, thank you Rebecca. I hope you sleep well.”

“Bye Ted.”

Then the line went dead.

The silence was marked by a sudden emptiness that filled his chest. He’d only been away two days and already he missed her?

Fuck.