Ted Lasso: The Strings That Bind Us
April 25, 2023 10:29 PM - Season 3, Episode 7 - Subscribe
Beard presents Total Football. Barbara continues to dislike Keeley and her boss-dating ways. Nate tries to get up the nerve to ask Jade out. Jack announces to the office that she and Keeley are dating and love bombs her. Sam gets into political protest again.
I've heard the whole red string soulmate concept before, but NEVER HAVE I SEEN IT TIED AROUND GUYS' DICKS OH DEAR LORD. Roy has a particularly sadistic side coming out without Keeley, y'all, and I'm concerned.
I'm hoping Jack's love-bombing isn't too bad, Keeley seemed to be aware of it and fighting back/negotiating of sorts, at least....?
Jade has consented to go out with Nate. So that happened.
I felt bad for Sam that not only did he get slammed online, and mistaken for a basketball player, his restaurant was trashed when his dad was coming. I did think it was sweet that the team was fixing up the place, though.
Quotes and notes:
Beard's mom is confident enough to keep her vibrator on the nightstand.
Barbara eats warm yogurt in her pajamas on the train.
"Hey, Siri?" "Yes, Wunderkind?" Siri can't advise Nate if a girl likes him. Neither can Nate's relatives.
"I guess marriage and pegging aren't all that different."
"I don't know what number four is, but I know it's important!" -Ted
"I'm not built for a secret office romance." -Keeley
"And I'm get-away-with-murder rich, so...." Like who? "Everyone connected to Epstein." -Jack. UH-OH.
"But yeah, I would have liked to have seen his penis." -all we hear out of Rebecca about last week.
Why are strings tied around everyone's dicks? "Well, that was Roy's idea."
Sam's restaurant gets trashed for him speaking out against some minister lady who was deporting people. "Shut Up And Dribble!" is spraypainted on the wall. Wrong sport, dumbasses.
"I've given this a lot of thought. Next time we do this drill, we tie multiple guys' dicks to one guy's dick." "That was a one-shot deal, Roy."
"Sometimes you need to leave space for God to walk into the room." -Ted on the missing "number four" idea that he hasn't had yet.
"Don't fight back. Fight forward." -Sam's dad Oba
"Rupert bought me so many tulips his florist was able to buy a castle. A castle in Scunthorpe, but still." -Rebecca on how Rupert's dating technique is reminding her of Jack's.
"I'm going to have to go back to filling the sausages with cardboard." -Mae's business isn't doing well, especially if they get relegated again.
"God, I hate what you've fucking done to me." -Roy to Ted
"Your goatee makes you look like you ate out Bigfoot's butthole." "AKA Assquatch." -Beard and Roy on the time Ted grew a goatee. (I note Roy wasn't even around for this, but knew what to call it.)
"The right idea is just sitting behind a couple of wrong ones." -Ted
EVERYBODY FLIPS OFF JAMIE. Including Ted.
"Numero quatro. Sacrifice. Putting aside glory for the sake of the team." -Dani to Jamie after he has an idea.
"What a fucking dork." "Yeah, but he's OUR dork." -on Trent and his enthusiasm.
I've heard the whole red string soulmate concept before, but NEVER HAVE I SEEN IT TIED AROUND GUYS' DICKS OH DEAR LORD. Roy has a particularly sadistic side coming out without Keeley, y'all, and I'm concerned.
I'm hoping Jack's love-bombing isn't too bad, Keeley seemed to be aware of it and fighting back/negotiating of sorts, at least....?
Jade has consented to go out with Nate. So that happened.
I felt bad for Sam that not only did he get slammed online, and mistaken for a basketball player, his restaurant was trashed when his dad was coming. I did think it was sweet that the team was fixing up the place, though.
Quotes and notes:
Beard's mom is confident enough to keep her vibrator on the nightstand.
Barbara eats warm yogurt in her pajamas on the train.
"Hey, Siri?" "Yes, Wunderkind?" Siri can't advise Nate if a girl likes him. Neither can Nate's relatives.
"I guess marriage and pegging aren't all that different."
"I don't know what number four is, but I know it's important!" -Ted
"I'm not built for a secret office romance." -Keeley
"And I'm get-away-with-murder rich, so...." Like who? "Everyone connected to Epstein." -Jack. UH-OH.
"But yeah, I would have liked to have seen his penis." -all we hear out of Rebecca about last week.
Why are strings tied around everyone's dicks? "Well, that was Roy's idea."
Sam's restaurant gets trashed for him speaking out against some minister lady who was deporting people. "Shut Up And Dribble!" is spraypainted on the wall. Wrong sport, dumbasses.
"I've given this a lot of thought. Next time we do this drill, we tie multiple guys' dicks to one guy's dick." "That was a one-shot deal, Roy."
"Sometimes you need to leave space for God to walk into the room." -Ted on the missing "number four" idea that he hasn't had yet.
"Don't fight back. Fight forward." -Sam's dad Oba
"Rupert bought me so many tulips his florist was able to buy a castle. A castle in Scunthorpe, but still." -Rebecca on how Rupert's dating technique is reminding her of Jack's.
"I'm going to have to go back to filling the sausages with cardboard." -Mae's business isn't doing well, especially if they get relegated again.
"God, I hate what you've fucking done to me." -Roy to Ted
"Your goatee makes you look like you ate out Bigfoot's butthole." "AKA Assquatch." -Beard and Roy on the time Ted grew a goatee. (I note Roy wasn't even around for this, but knew what to call it.)
"The right idea is just sitting behind a couple of wrong ones." -Ted
EVERYBODY FLIPS OFF JAMIE. Including Ted.
"Numero quatro. Sacrifice. Putting aside glory for the sake of the team." -Dani to Jamie after he has an idea.
"What a fucking dork." "Yeah, but he's OUR dork." -on Trent and his enthusiasm.
Jamie continues to be the unexpected voice of reason this season, and it’s very enjoyable.
Loved the hat-tip the the bicycle lessons in the training montage.
Rebecca drinks a LOT. Like, a lot. It struck me in the ep with the opening of Sam’s restaurant, with the shots on top of shots, and again with the ordering two extra bottles of wine to cap off their wine with dinner. It’s uncomfortable to watch.
Giddy Trent is wonderful Trent!!
The flipping off thing (that Trent joined in!) - I think that’s a “get off your high horse and share - we’re here for it.”
Barbara continues to dislike Keeley and her boss-dating ways
I think she’s seen Jack do this before - or is aware of other partners in other ports.
posted by Silvery Fish at 11:07 PM on April 25, 2023 [6 favorites]
Loved the hat-tip the the bicycle lessons in the training montage.
Rebecca drinks a LOT. Like, a lot. It struck me in the ep with the opening of Sam’s restaurant, with the shots on top of shots, and again with the ordering two extra bottles of wine to cap off their wine with dinner. It’s uncomfortable to watch.
Giddy Trent is wonderful Trent!!
The flipping off thing (that Trent joined in!) - I think that’s a “get off your high horse and share - we’re here for it.”
Barbara continues to dislike Keeley and her boss-dating ways
I think she’s seen Jack do this before - or is aware of other partners in other ports.
posted by Silvery Fish at 11:07 PM on April 25, 2023 [6 favorites]
and again with the ordering two extra bottles of wine to cap off their wine with dinner.
Rebecca ordered the two extra bottles, "to go." I interpreted that as once she found out Jack was footing the bill, Rebecca was buying a couple of hyper-expensive bottles to bring home and enjoy at a later time. Because she ordered one of the same bottles for their server as well, I think it was meant to be played for laughs, in "well, if the filthy rich venture capitalist is paying for it, we might as well run up the bill shamelessly," kind of way, although I'm not sure how much difference in wealth there is supposed to be between Rebecca and Jack.
The Nate/Jade storyline was awful. We've now got five episodes to go, and instead of confronting his own shittiness and trying to make amends, we have Nate and the writers focusing on construction paper and glitter projects so he can ask out a girl at the restaurant where she works. Her boss there is a big fan of Nate's (which Nate knows), but gosh darn it, as long as he puts on his, "oh I'm such an awkward bumbling dork" persona on, we're supposed to see it as fine and charming and perfect!
Thank goodness for the Sam storyline. I loved seeing an adult on the show have a decent dad, and having him show up exactly when Sam needed him was really nice.
posted by creepygirl at 12:46 AM on April 26, 2023 [14 favorites]
Rebecca ordered the two extra bottles, "to go." I interpreted that as once she found out Jack was footing the bill, Rebecca was buying a couple of hyper-expensive bottles to bring home and enjoy at a later time. Because she ordered one of the same bottles for their server as well, I think it was meant to be played for laughs, in "well, if the filthy rich venture capitalist is paying for it, we might as well run up the bill shamelessly," kind of way, although I'm not sure how much difference in wealth there is supposed to be between Rebecca and Jack.
The Nate/Jade storyline was awful. We've now got five episodes to go, and instead of confronting his own shittiness and trying to make amends, we have Nate and the writers focusing on construction paper and glitter projects so he can ask out a girl at the restaurant where she works. Her boss there is a big fan of Nate's (which Nate knows), but gosh darn it, as long as he puts on his, "oh I'm such an awkward bumbling dork" persona on, we're supposed to see it as fine and charming and perfect!
Thank goodness for the Sam storyline. I loved seeing an adult on the show have a decent dad, and having him show up exactly when Sam needed him was really nice.
posted by creepygirl at 12:46 AM on April 26, 2023 [14 favorites]
speaking out against some minister lady who was deporting people.
“Brinda Bardot” is definitely a direct nod to Priti Patel, the former, incredibly anti immigration and refugee Home Secretary.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 1:43 AM on April 26, 2023 [9 favorites]
“Brinda Bardot” is definitely a direct nod to Priti Patel, the former, incredibly anti immigration and refugee Home Secretary.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 1:43 AM on April 26, 2023 [9 favorites]
"Shut Up And Dribble!" is spraypainted on the wall. Wrong sport
Regretfully need to tell you, dribbling is also a football (soccer) thing.
The Nate/Jade storyline was awful. We've now got five episodes to go, and instead of confronting his own shittiness and trying to make amends,
I dislike the redemption arc. I did think it was interesting, though, that he retreated to the toilet - where he first did the self-hatred-spitting thing - to do that again to psych himself but .. didn’t.
chose a healthier path.
He still sucks butt.
posted by coriolisdave at 2:58 AM on April 26, 2023 [15 favorites]
Regretfully need to tell you, dribbling is also a football (soccer) thing.
The Nate/Jade storyline was awful. We've now got five episodes to go, and instead of confronting his own shittiness and trying to make amends,
I dislike the redemption arc. I did think it was interesting, though, that he retreated to the toilet - where he first did the self-hatred-spitting thing - to do that again to psych himself but .. didn’t.
chose a healthier path.
He still sucks butt.
posted by coriolisdave at 2:58 AM on April 26, 2023 [15 favorites]
Rebecca ordered the two extra bottles, "to go."
Ah. Thanks for the fact-check on the bottles. Even knowing that, I still find the level of Rebecca’s alcohol use unsettling.
posted by Silvery Fish at 5:30 AM on April 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
Ah. Thanks for the fact-check on the bottles. Even knowing that, I still find the level of Rebecca’s alcohol use unsettling.
posted by Silvery Fish at 5:30 AM on April 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
Pink sweats at the start of the episode suggests that someone on the crew is a Punch-Out fan
Sam’s dad has the world’s greatest laugh. That laugh could set a broken bone.
posted by DoctorFedora at 6:00 AM on April 26, 2023 [8 favorites]
Sam’s dad has the world’s greatest laugh. That laugh could set a broken bone.
posted by DoctorFedora at 6:00 AM on April 26, 2023 [8 favorites]
“Brinda Bardot” is definitely a direct nod to Priti Patel, the former, incredibly anti immigration and refugee Home Secretary.
Fortunately for the show, the current Home Secretary is also a massive anti refugee bigot.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:24 AM on April 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
Fortunately for the show, the current Home Secretary is also a massive anti refugee bigot.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:24 AM on April 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
I'm extremely interested to see how next match goes with Lasso's Total Football in play. I don't watch hardly enough football to appreciate how exciting that score against Arsenal was other than to take the cues from everyone else being super jazzed up about it. Whenever you see these big teams, like Arsenal, I always wonder if there isn't some clause in the contract granting the use of name, uniform, etc., that they be allowed to win or something.
Brent's enthusiasm was a delight to see burst out of his shell of reserved observation. I did feel like it was a bit of a misnomer by Brent to believe that it was all one grand scheme of Ted's, more like, a synergy that occurred when Ted's natural coaching style connected with a solid coaching strategy. I used the word synergy, I feel like I'm making a corporate pitch or something. Apologies.
I felt the red string joke was kind of a miss, and really only paid off when we had Roy excitedly drawing up the next practice plan involving strings around penises. Roy continues to be weird. It's also weird, but I guess, a sign of Ted's trust in Roy, to go forward with this in the first place?
The Keeley-Jack storyline really edged into Jack really exerting control over Keeley, and I was really happy to see that Keeley recognized it at the restaurant with Rebecca and put her foot down. I'm nervous about where that relationship is going in part for what Silvery Fish said, Barbara's reaction to everything. I mean, Barbara tends to have a bad reaction to everything, but still I can't tell if the writers are trying to fake us out or what.
The Nate-Jade thing is definitely undercooked in terms of Jade agreeing to date him so quickly, especially after some creepy behavior (walking by the restaurant every morning to peer in at her??). I think it would have worked a lot better if she had laid out some rules to help define her privacy, space, and expectations, before granting Nate's wish. Or even, at minimum, Nate telling his sister and mom what he'd been doing (daily check ins) and them telling him to knock it off or something. The episode was a step forward in Nate realizing he can be who he wants to be, without basically expelling who he is from himself. I expect that a major step in Nate's development is going to boil down to a Taste of Athens, wherein, he's going to do something that will infuriate the owner (we know the guy is betting money on Nate, so a reason to be upset) and Nate will have to choose between the restaurant and Jade. Naturally, Nate will choose Jade because it's been made abundantly clear how important the restaurant is to him.
We didn't get much Ted introspection this week, which is fine.
I have an expectation that the open practices are going to get bigger and bigger. In a good way.
posted by Atreides at 7:05 AM on April 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Brent's enthusiasm was a delight to see burst out of his shell of reserved observation. I did feel like it was a bit of a misnomer by Brent to believe that it was all one grand scheme of Ted's, more like, a synergy that occurred when Ted's natural coaching style connected with a solid coaching strategy. I used the word synergy, I feel like I'm making a corporate pitch or something. Apologies.
I felt the red string joke was kind of a miss, and really only paid off when we had Roy excitedly drawing up the next practice plan involving strings around penises. Roy continues to be weird. It's also weird, but I guess, a sign of Ted's trust in Roy, to go forward with this in the first place?
The Keeley-Jack storyline really edged into Jack really exerting control over Keeley, and I was really happy to see that Keeley recognized it at the restaurant with Rebecca and put her foot down. I'm nervous about where that relationship is going in part for what Silvery Fish said, Barbara's reaction to everything. I mean, Barbara tends to have a bad reaction to everything, but still I can't tell if the writers are trying to fake us out or what.
The Nate-Jade thing is definitely undercooked in terms of Jade agreeing to date him so quickly, especially after some creepy behavior (walking by the restaurant every morning to peer in at her??). I think it would have worked a lot better if she had laid out some rules to help define her privacy, space, and expectations, before granting Nate's wish. Or even, at minimum, Nate telling his sister and mom what he'd been doing (daily check ins) and them telling him to knock it off or something. The episode was a step forward in Nate realizing he can be who he wants to be, without basically expelling who he is from himself. I expect that a major step in Nate's development is going to boil down to a Taste of Athens, wherein, he's going to do something that will infuriate the owner (we know the guy is betting money on Nate, so a reason to be upset) and Nate will have to choose between the restaurant and Jade. Naturally, Nate will choose Jade because it's been made abundantly clear how important the restaurant is to him.
We didn't get much Ted introspection this week, which is fine.
I have an expectation that the open practices are going to get bigger and bigger. In a good way.
posted by Atreides at 7:05 AM on April 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm loving the team stuff this week, except for the red string being tied to their dicks instead of like, their waists or something. Sam's father is everything I hoped for. And I'm glad that I'm not supposed to like Jack, and now I have a reason beyond her not being Roy.
I'm all for Nate earning redemption but this isn't it. He didn't spit, and ended up taking his mum & sister's advice (just ask her) over trying to copy his dad. But it's still all in service of getting a girl he doesn't really know, he just thinks she's pretty. When are Will & Ted going to get an apology? Will he stand up to his dad, or Rupert?
And speaking of Will, he was the crowning glory of the Versatility section of the training. Perfection!
posted by harriet vane at 9:00 AM on April 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'm all for Nate earning redemption but this isn't it. He didn't spit, and ended up taking his mum & sister's advice (just ask her) over trying to copy his dad. But it's still all in service of getting a girl he doesn't really know, he just thinks she's pretty. When are Will & Ted going to get an apology? Will he stand up to his dad, or Rupert?
And speaking of Will, he was the crowning glory of the Versatility section of the training. Perfection!
posted by harriet vane at 9:00 AM on April 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
Semi-serious prediction / fanfic / how I would write it if I were in charge:
Jade witnesses Nate bullying an employee, or doing something similarly bad, and... that's it. He might repent, he might grovel, but for Jade, it's an "I've seen who you really are and I can't unsee it" moment.
And then Nate has to actually start being accountable for his own behavior to the people he's hurt.
posted by Jeanne at 9:36 AM on April 26, 2023 [24 favorites]
Jade witnesses Nate bullying an employee, or doing something similarly bad, and... that's it. He might repent, he might grovel, but for Jade, it's an "I've seen who you really are and I can't unsee it" moment.
And then Nate has to actually start being accountable for his own behavior to the people he's hurt.
posted by Jeanne at 9:36 AM on April 26, 2023 [24 favorites]
I hope it's on purpose that Roy's "5 guys tied to 1 guy" plan looked an awful lot like the "play through me" strategy Tartt came up with at the end. Roy actually knew what to do but couldn't express it properly.
posted by Gary at 9:56 AM on April 26, 2023 [18 favorites]
posted by Gary at 9:56 AM on April 26, 2023 [18 favorites]
Jade witnesses Nate bullying an employee, or doing something similarly bad, and... that's it. He might repent, he might grovel, but for Jade, it's an "I've seen who you really are and I can't unsee it" moment.
From your fingertips through the wormhole back into the past to the writer's room for Season 3 months ago.
posted by Atreides at 11:16 AM on April 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
From your fingertips through the wormhole back into the past to the writer's room for Season 3 months ago.
posted by Atreides at 11:16 AM on April 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
the current Home Secretary is also a massive anti refugee bigot
Well yeah, that's the job description with the Tories, sadly.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 11:27 AM on April 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
Well yeah, that's the job description with the Tories, sadly.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 11:27 AM on April 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
Monkees on the soundtrack!
posted by gnuhavenpier at 11:51 AM on April 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by gnuhavenpier at 11:51 AM on April 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
Fortunately for the show, the current Home Secretary is also a massive anti refugee bigot.
Yup. I paused in the middle of the episode to bounce around the internet and saw a link to an article about her: "Home Secretary Suella Braverman claims people arriving in the UK on small boats have 'values at odds with our country'"
While I was looking for that article to paste the title here, I saw that this is far from the first objectionable thing she's said.
The flipping off thing (that Trent joined in!) - I think that’s a “get off your high horse and share - we’re here for it.”
That's a callback to last season. Roy told Jamie that he would give him a sign when he was supposed to play like the old Jamie. Roy didn't say what the sign was, only that Jamie would recognize it when he saw it.
posted by stuart_s at 12:22 PM on April 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
Yup. I paused in the middle of the episode to bounce around the internet and saw a link to an article about her: "Home Secretary Suella Braverman claims people arriving in the UK on small boats have 'values at odds with our country'"
While I was looking for that article to paste the title here, I saw that this is far from the first objectionable thing she's said.
The flipping off thing (that Trent joined in!) - I think that’s a “get off your high horse and share - we’re here for it.”
That's a callback to last season. Roy told Jamie that he would give him a sign when he was supposed to play like the old Jamie. Roy didn't say what the sign was, only that Jamie would recognize it when he saw it.
posted by stuart_s at 12:22 PM on April 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
Loved Trent being a total dork.
Loved Will as Beard.
Loved Roy trapped in a Lasso he can't escape ("Make it stop.")
Loved the guys showing up to fix the restaurant.
SUPER-LOVED Sam's dad! I hope he sticks around. (And what a lovely reveal regarding the name of the restaurant.)
Did not love Nate and Jade in any way.
Kind-of-maybe-enjoying Jack isn't as great as she seems?
Also kind-of-maybe-enjoying Sam's dad slightly putting Rebecca off and slightly bringing Simi to the fore (which they've hinted at in earlier episodes this season but juuuuuust barely, like the way La Croix water hints at fruit being at all involved in its creation)
SUPER-HATED: How can you tell if a woman likes you as a prospective romantic partner or is just a friend - "you can't." That is BULLSHIT and is at the absolute root of every fucking "friend-zoned" guy ever and way worse besides. That's just flat-out, regressive, "women are cock-teases and liars" incel-level shitty writing. And making the women say it is not the smart move they seem to think it is.
posted by tzikeh at 3:00 PM on April 26, 2023 [23 favorites]
Loved Will as Beard.
Loved Roy trapped in a Lasso he can't escape ("Make it stop.")
Loved the guys showing up to fix the restaurant.
SUPER-LOVED Sam's dad! I hope he sticks around. (And what a lovely reveal regarding the name of the restaurant.)
Did not love Nate and Jade in any way.
Kind-of-maybe-enjoying Jack isn't as great as she seems?
Also kind-of-maybe-enjoying Sam's dad slightly putting Rebecca off and slightly bringing Simi to the fore (which they've hinted at in earlier episodes this season but juuuuuust barely, like the way La Croix water hints at fruit being at all involved in its creation)
SUPER-HATED: How can you tell if a woman likes you as a prospective romantic partner or is just a friend - "you can't." That is BULLSHIT and is at the absolute root of every fucking "friend-zoned" guy ever and way worse besides. That's just flat-out, regressive, "women are cock-teases and liars" incel-level shitty writing. And making the women say it is not the smart move they seem to think it is.
posted by tzikeh at 3:00 PM on April 26, 2023 [23 favorites]
Isaac is the team captain but has no idea what you would want to accomplish with a corner kick? Much like when Ted still doesn't know basic rules, it's one of those jokes that doesn't quite land and makes your characters worse. These episodes are coming in at over an hour and you don't need to keep every joke you wrote.
posted by Gary at 3:25 PM on April 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Gary at 3:25 PM on April 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
After last week's delightful episode, I'm back to "what is this show?" Apart from the Sam story (which ended just as I expected and delightfully so), I don't care about Nate and I'm not sure what this Keeley-Jack story is trying to accomplish.
Nate is an awful guy and making his redemption the wooing of a woman who has reasons to dislike his shitty behaviour is so regressive. His dad's map for his mother was super creepy and yet he was still going to run with that idea before he falls on his face. And he still gets the date.
Love-bombing is borderline stalking behaviour, it is a red flag and having Keeley coin a term about women who turn red flags into green is... WTF? Like, who are these people? (Also, giving Keeley a first edition book signed by Jane Austen and then adding to that signature with a you go girl???? Needed a trigger warning.)
Even Sam's story felt a bit like "don't criticise people on Twitter" but then, yeah, shitty people on Twitter is a cornerstone of that place and I guess all of those things might happen. But it turned out to be a good bonding experience for him and his dad AND him and the team, who are working together better.
Now that this show has fully expanded its focus (Ted was almost completely lost from the story this week), it's feeling a bit more like a traditional sitcom. It's fine. It's pleasant. But it's not what it used to be.
posted by crossoverman at 3:48 PM on April 26, 2023 [7 favorites]
Nate is an awful guy and making his redemption the wooing of a woman who has reasons to dislike his shitty behaviour is so regressive. His dad's map for his mother was super creepy and yet he was still going to run with that idea before he falls on his face. And he still gets the date.
Love-bombing is borderline stalking behaviour, it is a red flag and having Keeley coin a term about women who turn red flags into green is... WTF? Like, who are these people? (Also, giving Keeley a first edition book signed by Jane Austen and then adding to that signature with a you go girl???? Needed a trigger warning.)
Even Sam's story felt a bit like "don't criticise people on Twitter" but then, yeah, shitty people on Twitter is a cornerstone of that place and I guess all of those things might happen. But it turned out to be a good bonding experience for him and his dad AND him and the team, who are working together better.
Now that this show has fully expanded its focus (Ted was almost completely lost from the story this week), it's feeling a bit more like a traditional sitcom. It's fine. It's pleasant. But it's not what it used to be.
posted by crossoverman at 3:48 PM on April 26, 2023 [7 favorites]
How can you tell if a woman likes you as a prospective romantic partner or is just a friend - "you can't." That is BULLSHIT
Hmmm, I dunno. A lot of people (unfortunately myself included) take any vague sign of positivity as hope that someone is interested, and women are socialized to be friendly and preferably not reject someone cold, for fear he might, I dunno, kill her. This is the old "does she like me or does she LIKElike me" and unless someone's being super obvious with their flirting, and/or the person with the crush is clueless/optimistic, I can see why "you can't" is an answer.
Seriously don't get Jade saying yes, though. The woman is a cipher.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:05 PM on April 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
Hmmm, I dunno. A lot of people (unfortunately myself included) take any vague sign of positivity as hope that someone is interested, and women are socialized to be friendly and preferably not reject someone cold, for fear he might, I dunno, kill her. This is the old "does she like me or does she LIKElike me" and unless someone's being super obvious with their flirting, and/or the person with the crush is clueless/optimistic, I can see why "you can't" is an answer.
Seriously don't get Jade saying yes, though. The woman is a cipher.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:05 PM on April 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
Love-bombing is borderline stalking behaviour, it is a red flag and having Keeley coin a term about women who turn red flags into green is... WTF?
She said "flag blindness," in other words, not being able to see the difference between red and green flags.
I don't think that's there by accident. Keeley saw the red flags with Shandy as green flags at first. And there is an impression she's doing that with Jack as well. Keeley had always seen the best in people, and her plotline this season seems to be that she needs to develop a bullshit detector. Mind you, I don't think they're doing a good job of it (Jodi Balfour is giving it all she's got with Jack but we know more about Houseboat Guy than we do about Jack). But that seems to be the point of her plotline.
posted by rednikki at 6:32 PM on April 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
She said "flag blindness," in other words, not being able to see the difference between red and green flags.
I don't think that's there by accident. Keeley saw the red flags with Shandy as green flags at first. And there is an impression she's doing that with Jack as well. Keeley had always seen the best in people, and her plotline this season seems to be that she needs to develop a bullshit detector. Mind you, I don't think they're doing a good job of it (Jodi Balfour is giving it all she's got with Jack but we know more about Houseboat Guy than we do about Jack). But that seems to be the point of her plotline.
posted by rednikki at 6:32 PM on April 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
I really dislike the Nate Jade storyline. I’m agnostic about Keeley and Jack (but atheist, like Beard, and enjoyed that joke). The Sam storyline was good, dick string flopped, except for setting up Roy’s plan for the next version. Willbeard was great. There were plenty of fun moments, but it is awkward that 1/3 of the storylines seem to be going the wrong way and I don’t have enough faith. Happy to be proven wrong in the future episodes!
posted by snofoam at 6:34 PM on April 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by snofoam at 6:34 PM on April 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
Isaac is the team captain but has no idea what you would want to accomplish with a corner kick? Much like when Ted still doesn't know basic rules, it's one of those jokes that doesn't quite land and makes your characters worse. These episodes are coming in at over an hour and you don't need to keep every joke you wrote.
I totally expected that to be a Checkov's Kick, leading to having Isaac boot the absolute shit out of the ball to get it to Jaimie at the other end of the field, to score out of nowhere or something right at the climax of the game against the gunners.
I don't think that's there by accident. Keeley saw the red flags with Shandy as green flags at first. And there is an impression she's doing that with Jack as well.
Yes.. but she also seems to now be aware of it, and taking steps to address it. Jack's response to it was ambiguous, but I'm hopeful genuine
posted by coriolisdave at 6:44 PM on April 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
I totally expected that to be a Checkov's Kick, leading to having Isaac boot the absolute shit out of the ball to get it to Jaimie at the other end of the field, to score out of nowhere or something right at the climax of the game against the gunners.
I don't think that's there by accident. Keeley saw the red flags with Shandy as green flags at first. And there is an impression she's doing that with Jack as well.
Yes.. but she also seems to now be aware of it, and taking steps to address it. Jack's response to it was ambiguous, but I'm hopeful genuine
posted by coriolisdave at 6:44 PM on April 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
How can you tell if a woman likes you as a prospective romantic partner or is just a friend - "you can't." That is BULLSHIT
The Nate/Jade story line is bad, but it did illustrate a sure-fire way to tell if a woman likes you, despite the “you can’t” line being repeated by everyone.
Nate: “Would you like to go on a date with me?”
Jade: “Yes”
posted by rajbot at 7:28 PM on April 26, 2023 [17 favorites]
The Nate/Jade story line is bad, but it did illustrate a sure-fire way to tell if a woman likes you, despite the “you can’t” line being repeated by everyone.
Nate: “Would you like to go on a date with me?”
Jade: “Yes”
posted by rajbot at 7:28 PM on April 26, 2023 [17 favorites]
I too definitely have hopes for the Nate-Jade storyline involving Jade catching Nate being a petty tyrant and being disgusted at it, leading him to do some serious introspection
separately, I did quite enjoy the foreshadowing of Roy's advanced dickstring plan being exactly what Jamie suggested
posted by DoctorFedora at 7:30 PM on April 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
separately, I did quite enjoy the foreshadowing of Roy's advanced dickstring plan being exactly what Jamie suggested
posted by DoctorFedora at 7:30 PM on April 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
Like literally everyone else, I wish most of the Nate/Jade storyline had gone completely differently, but this episode had it trending better: the way to know how a woman feels about you is just to ask her. This requires being an adult and putting yourself out there, and being emotionally mature enough to risk being rejected without that rejection becoming, like, your douchebag origin story.
I was growling at Nate the whole time he put off the asking-out in order to do some bullshit rom-com grandiose act like his dad did… and relieved to see his gift get destroyed, which forced him to just try the simple thing and learn a lesson. I was extremely relieved that he didn't spit at the mirror.
The Jamie payoff has been building so subtly for this whole year and it's really satisfying. They didn't hit the note too hard, which I appreciate, but it's there. Zava had arranged the board to be a cluster of dudes in the middle… and Zava at the top. As far as we've seen, Jamie still hasn't scored a goal all year, but recognizes that this system requires him to be a creator, not a target man. He moves himself away from goal. He wants to maximize the number of goals scored, but does not care whether he's the one who scores them.
Jamie and Roy have been doing these 4am workouts since the team were at their peak with Zava. The impetus was that Jamie couldn't stand being the second-best player on the team, and wanted to push himself harder. Zava's been gone for weeks, yet the workouts remain.
Yes, the red strings were dumb. Yes, this show would rather get laughs in the trainings scenes than go for accuracy. (Beard does that whole PowerPoint about Cruyff and Total Football at the begining for the benefit of… the audience, because all these players would know who the fuck Johan Cruyff is and what Total Football is.) I don't mind that stuff, except that in general I'd prefer for them to dig a bit deeper rather than write down the first joke that comes to mind.
My girlfriend is back on board after being annoyed at the tone of the last few episodes. It could've been for a number of reasons, but she said that Will's Beard impression alone would've gotten the show out of her doghouse.
posted by savetheclocktower at 8:17 PM on April 26, 2023 [9 favorites]
I was growling at Nate the whole time he put off the asking-out in order to do some bullshit rom-com grandiose act like his dad did… and relieved to see his gift get destroyed, which forced him to just try the simple thing and learn a lesson. I was extremely relieved that he didn't spit at the mirror.
The Jamie payoff has been building so subtly for this whole year and it's really satisfying. They didn't hit the note too hard, which I appreciate, but it's there. Zava had arranged the board to be a cluster of dudes in the middle… and Zava at the top. As far as we've seen, Jamie still hasn't scored a goal all year, but recognizes that this system requires him to be a creator, not a target man. He moves himself away from goal. He wants to maximize the number of goals scored, but does not care whether he's the one who scores them.
Jamie and Roy have been doing these 4am workouts since the team were at their peak with Zava. The impetus was that Jamie couldn't stand being the second-best player on the team, and wanted to push himself harder. Zava's been gone for weeks, yet the workouts remain.
Yes, the red strings were dumb. Yes, this show would rather get laughs in the trainings scenes than go for accuracy. (Beard does that whole PowerPoint about Cruyff and Total Football at the begining for the benefit of… the audience, because all these players would know who the fuck Johan Cruyff is and what Total Football is.) I don't mind that stuff, except that in general I'd prefer for them to dig a bit deeper rather than write down the first joke that comes to mind.
My girlfriend is back on board after being annoyed at the tone of the last few episodes. It could've been for a number of reasons, but she said that Will's Beard impression alone would've gotten the show out of her doghouse.
posted by savetheclocktower at 8:17 PM on April 26, 2023 [9 favorites]
At least I learned how to say “Cruyff”.
posted by gluejar at 8:23 PM on April 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by gluejar at 8:23 PM on April 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
I didn't mind the Nate/Jade stuff except that it felt like something we would have seen with "Old Nate" in Season 1 or 2. The Nate we have now owes all of us (and Ted) something, and seeing it not happen over and over is grating. I'm glad he's figuring himself out I guess, but his relationship with the restaurant hostess isn't what we're all invested in.
Now that this show has fully expanded its focus (Ted was almost completely lost from the story this week), it's feeling a bit more like a traditional sitcom. It's fine. It's pleasant. But it's not what it used to be.
This is something I've noticed too. If this was a traditional sitcom (especially if it had 22 episodes a season) then spending a few episodes on Zava would make sense, spending a couple on Nate's dating life would make sense. The big games and romantic breakups would happen in sweeps week and we'd get filler episodes in between. But this show has what, 2-3 episodes left in this final season, and we're focusing on the wrong things.
Jack is creeping me out. I do have to give the writers credit-- if Keeley had dated an older man who bombed her with gifts and whisked her off to Paris, we would have been comparing him to Rupert from the beginning. But with Jack I didn't spot the resemblance until Rebecca pointed it out. I really feel like she's got some very Rupert-esque traits we haven't seen and Barbara knows exactly what they are.
I guess it's confirmed that Rebecca doesn't know Dutch Guy's name or number, which drives me INSANE. I watched every freaking romantic comedy of the 80s and 90s and it's such a ridiculous trope! I couldn't spend 3 hours in someone's house without finding out their name, either by talking or by glancing at their pile of junk mail.
Case in point: In "Beard After Hours", Coach Beard spent a much shorter time at a woman's house for laundry-related reasons, and he was quite intoxicated at the time. Her name was Mary. He knows this.
Also, the inevitable second act of that rom-com cliche is the characters stumbling back into each other by some unlikely coincidence. Dutch Guy will visit the UK and go to a game with some friends or something. I hope that doesn't happen because we live in the modern world. Rebecca is a rich person who knows his address and various other details. A few phone calls and she could easily find him. And if she mentioned "football" at any point in their long conversation, he could find her with a 2-minute Google search too. For heaven's sake, stop relying on magical realism and just take control of your life, people!
Will's Beard impression alone would've gotten the show out of her doghouse.
I have to agree. That and Roy making bad puns and then getting mad at Ted for making him into the kind of person who makes bad puns did it for me.
posted by mmoncur at 8:23 PM on April 26, 2023 [9 favorites]
Now that this show has fully expanded its focus (Ted was almost completely lost from the story this week), it's feeling a bit more like a traditional sitcom. It's fine. It's pleasant. But it's not what it used to be.
This is something I've noticed too. If this was a traditional sitcom (especially if it had 22 episodes a season) then spending a few episodes on Zava would make sense, spending a couple on Nate's dating life would make sense. The big games and romantic breakups would happen in sweeps week and we'd get filler episodes in between. But this show has what, 2-3 episodes left in this final season, and we're focusing on the wrong things.
Jack is creeping me out. I do have to give the writers credit-- if Keeley had dated an older man who bombed her with gifts and whisked her off to Paris, we would have been comparing him to Rupert from the beginning. But with Jack I didn't spot the resemblance until Rebecca pointed it out. I really feel like she's got some very Rupert-esque traits we haven't seen and Barbara knows exactly what they are.
I guess it's confirmed that Rebecca doesn't know Dutch Guy's name or number, which drives me INSANE. I watched every freaking romantic comedy of the 80s and 90s and it's such a ridiculous trope! I couldn't spend 3 hours in someone's house without finding out their name, either by talking or by glancing at their pile of junk mail.
Case in point: In "Beard After Hours", Coach Beard spent a much shorter time at a woman's house for laundry-related reasons, and he was quite intoxicated at the time. Her name was Mary. He knows this.
Also, the inevitable second act of that rom-com cliche is the characters stumbling back into each other by some unlikely coincidence. Dutch Guy will visit the UK and go to a game with some friends or something. I hope that doesn't happen because we live in the modern world. Rebecca is a rich person who knows his address and various other details. A few phone calls and she could easily find him. And if she mentioned "football" at any point in their long conversation, he could find her with a 2-minute Google search too. For heaven's sake, stop relying on magical realism and just take control of your life, people!
Will's Beard impression alone would've gotten the show out of her doghouse.
I have to agree. That and Roy making bad puns and then getting mad at Ted for making him into the kind of person who makes bad puns did it for me.
posted by mmoncur at 8:23 PM on April 26, 2023 [9 favorites]
Oh, and Sam's whole plot was great. I love his dad, Sam has talked so much about him and the actor/character lived up to it. "I met Rebecca." "Did you make it awkward?" "Yes I did." And it's a good followup to the previous time Sam had to decide between taking political action and keeping everybody happy. (I guess the team doesn't have to worry about losing a sponsor this time, hopefully.)
posted by mmoncur at 8:36 PM on April 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mmoncur at 8:36 PM on April 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Jamie and Roy have been doing these 4am workouts since the team were at their peak with Zava. The impetus was that Jamie couldn't stand being the second-best player on the team, and wanted to push himself harder. Zava's been gone for weeks, yet the workouts remain.
I appreciated they showed the payoff of this extra work, too - when a bunch of the team were puking from the conditioning session, Jaime was noticably ahead of everyone else and looking comfortable af.
posted by coriolisdave at 9:41 PM on April 26, 2023 [15 favorites]
I appreciated they showed the payoff of this extra work, too - when a bunch of the team were puking from the conditioning session, Jaime was noticably ahead of everyone else and looking comfortable af.
posted by coriolisdave at 9:41 PM on April 26, 2023 [15 favorites]
The Nate/Jade story line is bad, but it did illustrate a sure-fire way to tell if a woman likes you, despite the “you can’t” line being repeated by everyone.
I am trying hard to believe the intention here is you can't, i.e., Nate, you can't tell because you're a fucking moron. Not that nobody can.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 12:02 AM on April 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
I am trying hard to believe the intention here is you can't, i.e., Nate, you can't tell because you're a fucking moron. Not that nobody can.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 12:02 AM on April 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Also, the inevitable second act of that rom-com cliche is the characters stumbling back into each other by some unlikely coincidence.
In season 2, they did a whole extended bit on how Ted is a big believer in RomCommunism. They might be aping the tropes this season.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 12:09 AM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
In season 2, they did a whole extended bit on how Ted is a big believer in RomCommunism. They might be aping the tropes this season.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 12:09 AM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
Oh, and Sam's whole plot was great.
I watch this show because its absurdity is pure escapism. Seeing some of the ugliness here in the UK portrayed was really jarring. But it had a (predictable) heart warming end so I forgive.
Non UK audiences may wish to know that the Twitter story line (right down to the “stick to football” type lines), as with the reflection of the increasingly far right rhetoric from our Home Secretaries regarding asylum seekers arriving on small boats), is very much drawn from real life. Prominent examples include attacks on Marcus Rashford for campaigning on child hunger.
posted by chill at 12:20 AM on April 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
I watch this show because its absurdity is pure escapism. Seeing some of the ugliness here in the UK portrayed was really jarring. But it had a (predictable) heart warming end so I forgive.
Non UK audiences may wish to know that the Twitter story line (right down to the “stick to football” type lines), as with the reflection of the increasingly far right rhetoric from our Home Secretaries regarding asylum seekers arriving on small boats), is very much drawn from real life. Prominent examples include attacks on Marcus Rashford for campaigning on child hunger.
posted by chill at 12:20 AM on April 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
My wife pointed out something I missed in the Nate/Jade storyline, which is this: Nate totally missed the point of his mother's advice.
In telling the story about Nate's dad's elaborate map thing, she says that they knew each other all semester and he never said anything, and instead resorted to this elaborate and rather silly way to ask her on a date. What she was saying was that he could have skipped all of that and just talked to her in the first place.
Nate hears that story and thinks the takeaway is that he should do some stupid elaborate gesture rather than just talk to Jade. Idiot.
I liked this episode -- more than anything, I liked that they returned to Ted actually being good at coaching. It's why he's there, to inspire the team. Jamie's "play through meh" moment was wonderful. The dick string thing was funny just for the purpose of being funny, and I am totally here for stupid physical humor. I agree with chill that the refugee story was jarring at first, but I liked that they ended it with a lesson about teamwork and family (Oba's "don't fight back, fight forward" thing is brilliant).
Don't really care about Jack and Keeley, but I thought Rebecca was way out of line comparing Jack to Rupert. Even if she's right, you don't say that kind of shit to a friend in a new relationship. "Your new girlfriend did something similar to my shitty ex," absent actual knowledge of a problem, is just going to make them paranoid and distrustful. Bad form, Rebecca.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 6:59 AM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
In telling the story about Nate's dad's elaborate map thing, she says that they knew each other all semester and he never said anything, and instead resorted to this elaborate and rather silly way to ask her on a date. What she was saying was that he could have skipped all of that and just talked to her in the first place.
Nate hears that story and thinks the takeaway is that he should do some stupid elaborate gesture rather than just talk to Jade. Idiot.
I liked this episode -- more than anything, I liked that they returned to Ted actually being good at coaching. It's why he's there, to inspire the team. Jamie's "play through meh" moment was wonderful. The dick string thing was funny just for the purpose of being funny, and I am totally here for stupid physical humor. I agree with chill that the refugee story was jarring at first, but I liked that they ended it with a lesson about teamwork and family (Oba's "don't fight back, fight forward" thing is brilliant).
Don't really care about Jack and Keeley, but I thought Rebecca was way out of line comparing Jack to Rupert. Even if she's right, you don't say that kind of shit to a friend in a new relationship. "Your new girlfriend did something similar to my shitty ex," absent actual knowledge of a problem, is just going to make them paranoid and distrustful. Bad form, Rebecca.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 6:59 AM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
I enjoyed this episode and the last one much more than any other episodes this season.
I don't care for the Nate / Jade plot primarily because I don't think Nate's done enough to earn the audience's trust or sympathy again. This episode seems to largely ignore the fact that he's ostensibly still on the side of the antagonist (Rupert) and whatever "work" he is doing in his personal life doesn't yet link to the main narrative, so from a storytelling perspective (for me, at least) it's meaningless. It feels like they're trying to use Jade to show us who Nate "really" is, but it's not who he really is. He didn't spit in the mirror this time, even though it seemed like that was what he went there to do. But he hasn't earned any growth yet, that we've seen.
On the other hand, they've handled Jamie's redemption and growth very well, as described above. They've shown us in small interactions how he's changed since season one and he's become far more likeable for it.
And as for Jack and Keeley, I'm really uninterested and I am not sure why I am supposed to care. It's so far removed from the rest of the plot. It's like we're watching a different show, except that Keeley occasionally shows up at matches or meets up with Rebecca. I suppose at some point this will collide with Roy, but we also haven't seen Roy dealing with the break-up much (aside from some pointed comments from other characters). If it wasn't season three, I'd suspect that Keeley will break up with Jack and it will threaten her business and/or the team somehow, but it feels a bit late for that—and they already did the threat of a sponsor pulling out previously. (Sort of. It didn't really amount to much, plot-wise.) I don't think they'd do it again.
Sam continues to be my favourite, and him moving from outrage to collapsing into his father's arms was an affecting moment. And I enjoyed the team helping him put the restaurant back together a lot.
posted by synecdoche at 7:14 AM on April 27, 2023 [8 favorites]
I don't care for the Nate / Jade plot primarily because I don't think Nate's done enough to earn the audience's trust or sympathy again. This episode seems to largely ignore the fact that he's ostensibly still on the side of the antagonist (Rupert) and whatever "work" he is doing in his personal life doesn't yet link to the main narrative, so from a storytelling perspective (for me, at least) it's meaningless. It feels like they're trying to use Jade to show us who Nate "really" is, but it's not who he really is. He didn't spit in the mirror this time, even though it seemed like that was what he went there to do. But he hasn't earned any growth yet, that we've seen.
On the other hand, they've handled Jamie's redemption and growth very well, as described above. They've shown us in small interactions how he's changed since season one and he's become far more likeable for it.
And as for Jack and Keeley, I'm really uninterested and I am not sure why I am supposed to care. It's so far removed from the rest of the plot. It's like we're watching a different show, except that Keeley occasionally shows up at matches or meets up with Rebecca. I suppose at some point this will collide with Roy, but we also haven't seen Roy dealing with the break-up much (aside from some pointed comments from other characters). If it wasn't season three, I'd suspect that Keeley will break up with Jack and it will threaten her business and/or the team somehow, but it feels a bit late for that—and they already did the threat of a sponsor pulling out previously. (Sort of. It didn't really amount to much, plot-wise.) I don't think they'd do it again.
Sam continues to be my favourite, and him moving from outrage to collapsing into his father's arms was an affecting moment. And I enjoyed the team helping him put the restaurant back together a lot.
posted by synecdoche at 7:14 AM on April 27, 2023 [8 favorites]
I thought Rebecca was way out of line comparing Jack to Rupert. Even if she's right, you don't say that kind of shit to a friend in a new relationship.
I don't know, I think part of Keeley's thing is that even though she's savvy about business/branding stuff (though we've seen less of that this season than last) she's been portrayed as kind of naive about relationship stuff, or her own at least. Rebecca is definitely a "been around the block" person and I think her "be careful" warning was totally appropriate. She didn't tell Keeley what to do, she just gave her some perspective on what was going on. And I don't think we're meant to know, at this point, if Jack is really sincere or if she's just a lazy billionaire tossing money at a casual shag. And I continue to wonder what the deal with Barbara is, like she's such a constant awkward jerk, it's just odd.
I agree with others, Nate was too much of a jerk to really have earned this redemptive arc at this point and absent some other context, Jade being into him is confusing. It was weird having Higgins' only role in this show spilling hot tea all over himself. Will as Beard was hilarious; I'm glad that character gets to do some good stuff.
The Sam and his dad thing was so nice and pure and absent any weird subtext (except maybe his dad being pro-Simi in terms of who Sam winds up with), it was nice seeing male characters being supportive of each other in such a tender way.
posted by jessamyn at 9:14 AM on April 27, 2023 [6 favorites]
I don't know, I think part of Keeley's thing is that even though she's savvy about business/branding stuff (though we've seen less of that this season than last) she's been portrayed as kind of naive about relationship stuff, or her own at least. Rebecca is definitely a "been around the block" person and I think her "be careful" warning was totally appropriate. She didn't tell Keeley what to do, she just gave her some perspective on what was going on. And I don't think we're meant to know, at this point, if Jack is really sincere or if she's just a lazy billionaire tossing money at a casual shag. And I continue to wonder what the deal with Barbara is, like she's such a constant awkward jerk, it's just odd.
I agree with others, Nate was too much of a jerk to really have earned this redemptive arc at this point and absent some other context, Jade being into him is confusing. It was weird having Higgins' only role in this show spilling hot tea all over himself. Will as Beard was hilarious; I'm glad that character gets to do some good stuff.
The Sam and his dad thing was so nice and pure and absent any weird subtext (except maybe his dad being pro-Simi in terms of who Sam winds up with), it was nice seeing male characters being supportive of each other in such a tender way.
posted by jessamyn at 9:14 AM on April 27, 2023 [6 favorites]
Ben Trismegistus: I thought Rebecca was way out of line comparing Jack to Rupert. Even if she's right, you don't say that kind of shit to a friend in a new relationship. "Your new girlfriend did something similar to my shitty ex,"
I super-disagree. It wasn't "something," it was a pattern of lots of things, and holy shit, I would hope any friend would point that kind of thing out to me immediately, not when the relationship had been going for such a long time that it would just feel like they were attacking my partner for no reason. Friends look out for you, not hold their tongue on something that they have previous experience of and can read with hindsight. If it was just one gift, that's not a problem, but that's not what Keeley described and that's not what Rebecca was seeing.
posted by tzikeh at 9:36 AM on April 27, 2023 [13 favorites]
I super-disagree. It wasn't "something," it was a pattern of lots of things, and holy shit, I would hope any friend would point that kind of thing out to me immediately, not when the relationship had been going for such a long time that it would just feel like they were attacking my partner for no reason. Friends look out for you, not hold their tongue on something that they have previous experience of and can read with hindsight. If it was just one gift, that's not a problem, but that's not what Keeley described and that's not what Rebecca was seeing.
posted by tzikeh at 9:36 AM on April 27, 2023 [13 favorites]
I loved that Sam's dad was there exactly when he needed him, and was a big man who could give him a big hug, and that Sam is capable of showing a range of emotions in front of other men.
The restaurant storyline was predictable, but I enjoyed it anyway.
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:12 AM on April 27, 2023 [7 favorites]
The restaurant storyline was predictable, but I enjoyed it anyway.
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:12 AM on April 27, 2023 [7 favorites]
The guy playing Jamie is the best actor in the cast. He def should get an emmy this year. Even just the bit where Sam is hugging his dad. When they cut to Jamie, he's acting his ass off (as he has been for three straight seasons) but it's so subtle it doesn't feel like acting at all. More than anyone in the show, Jamie feels like a real human being, rather than a character in a comedy show.
Sam's story was great. This season continues the theme of fatherhood, extending it out into mentorship. Lots of mentors this season. Speaking of...
Keeley's relationship with Rebecca is morphing into a mentor/mentee relationship: Rebecca has had her heart broken, and she is providing good advice to Keeley about love-bombing et al. Keeley's relationship with Jack is wrong, and bad. There is a power inequality there and I cannot believe more people aren't freaking out about it. Keeley has now put her professional and her personal lives in the hands of one person, who has every advantage over her, since she's crazy-rich.
Prediction: Keeley is going to get dumped, and when she does, Jack is going to take her funding with her. This is why Barbara has worked at so many places, and has learned not to get attached to people at the places where she works: she knows it will be short-lived. Jack is a psychopath. She's using capitalism to give that compliment sandwich.
Finally, Nate: Nate is going through the same arc as Jamie. He was loved, then he's a villain, and now he's having to figure out how to be okay with himself in order to be a good person. All his life, Nate has looked for acceptance from others: his dad, Ted, the masses on the internet, his boss, and throughout he's felt like a fraud. Last night we saw Nate have to drop it all and trust that he wasn't a complete ass and just ask out the girl. I know we've seen Nate at his worst, and he has definitely screwed up and needs to beg forgiveness for the shitty things he's done, but this show is about people trying to be good to each other, even when others aren't. In the first season, Ted said they were going to "win it all." I truly believe that the writers understand that winning it all isn't about a soccer match. It's about your actions with other people, and how you make the world better. And part of that is learning to forgive people. We're all going to need to forgive Nate. He fucked up but he's trying.
I hope I'm right.
posted by nushustu at 10:30 AM on April 27, 2023 [11 favorites]
Sam's story was great. This season continues the theme of fatherhood, extending it out into mentorship. Lots of mentors this season. Speaking of...
Keeley's relationship with Rebecca is morphing into a mentor/mentee relationship: Rebecca has had her heart broken, and she is providing good advice to Keeley about love-bombing et al. Keeley's relationship with Jack is wrong, and bad. There is a power inequality there and I cannot believe more people aren't freaking out about it. Keeley has now put her professional and her personal lives in the hands of one person, who has every advantage over her, since she's crazy-rich.
Prediction: Keeley is going to get dumped, and when she does, Jack is going to take her funding with her. This is why Barbara has worked at so many places, and has learned not to get attached to people at the places where she works: she knows it will be short-lived. Jack is a psychopath. She's using capitalism to give that compliment sandwich.
Finally, Nate: Nate is going through the same arc as Jamie. He was loved, then he's a villain, and now he's having to figure out how to be okay with himself in order to be a good person. All his life, Nate has looked for acceptance from others: his dad, Ted, the masses on the internet, his boss, and throughout he's felt like a fraud. Last night we saw Nate have to drop it all and trust that he wasn't a complete ass and just ask out the girl. I know we've seen Nate at his worst, and he has definitely screwed up and needs to beg forgiveness for the shitty things he's done, but this show is about people trying to be good to each other, even when others aren't. In the first season, Ted said they were going to "win it all." I truly believe that the writers understand that winning it all isn't about a soccer match. It's about your actions with other people, and how you make the world better. And part of that is learning to forgive people. We're all going to need to forgive Nate. He fucked up but he's trying.
I hope I'm right.
posted by nushustu at 10:30 AM on April 27, 2023 [11 favorites]
I super-disagree. It wasn't "something," it was a pattern of lots of things,
A pattern of what? I'm asking seriously, because maybe I've forgotten some details. My recollection was that it was a few gifts from a very rich girlfriend. I totally understand the idea that we want our friends to clue us in to red flags, but I think it's a stretch to go from "love bombing" to all the shit that Rupert got up to. And I know that if I were in Keeley's place, hearing "this is just like Rupert" would likely make me paranoid and sabotage the relationship.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 10:42 AM on April 27, 2023
A pattern of what? I'm asking seriously, because maybe I've forgotten some details. My recollection was that it was a few gifts from a very rich girlfriend. I totally understand the idea that we want our friends to clue us in to red flags, but I think it's a stretch to go from "love bombing" to all the shit that Rupert got up to. And I know that if I were in Keeley's place, hearing "this is just like Rupert" would likely make me paranoid and sabotage the relationship.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 10:42 AM on April 27, 2023
The guy playing Jamie is the best actor in the cast. He def should get an emmy this year. Even just the bit where Sam is hugging his dad. When they cut to Jamie, he's acting his ass off (as he has been for three straight seasons) but it's so subtle it doesn't feel like acting at all. More than anyone in the show, Jamie feels like a real human being, rather than a character in a comedy show.
Completely agree. And I was completely shocked to learn in an interview that he's not a Northerner at all, but actually has kind of a posh accent. :)
In the first season, Ted said they were going to "win it all." I truly believe that the writers understand that winning it all isn't about a soccer match. It's about your actions with other people, and how you make the world better. And part of that is learning to forgive people. We're all going to need to forgive Nate. He fucked up but he's trying.
That makes even more sense in light of Oba's advice that the most radical thing Sam can do to those who hate him is to forgive them.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 10:45 AM on April 27, 2023 [5 favorites]
Completely agree. And I was completely shocked to learn in an interview that he's not a Northerner at all, but actually has kind of a posh accent. :)
In the first season, Ted said they were going to "win it all." I truly believe that the writers understand that winning it all isn't about a soccer match. It's about your actions with other people, and how you make the world better. And part of that is learning to forgive people. We're all going to need to forgive Nate. He fucked up but he's trying.
That makes even more sense in light of Oba's advice that the most radical thing Sam can do to those who hate him is to forgive them.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 10:45 AM on April 27, 2023 [5 favorites]
Ben Trismegistus: " I totally understand the idea that we want our friends to clue us in to red flags, but I think it's a stretch to go from "love bombing" to all the shit that Rupert got up to. And I know that if I were in Keeley's place, hearing "this is just like Rupert" would likely make me paranoid and sabotage the relationship."
I mean, I think it happened after Rebecca's warning, but the fact that Keeley enters her office and finds an absolute shit-ton of flowers in there on every single surface struck me as the sort of thing you do when you're trying to drown someone in affection. Maybe the show should've shown-not-told some more of this stuff, but I'm prepared to accept that Rebecca's warning was well-placed, and Keeley seems not to have overreacted to it.
posted by savetheclocktower at 10:47 AM on April 27, 2023 [7 favorites]
I mean, I think it happened after Rebecca's warning, but the fact that Keeley enters her office and finds an absolute shit-ton of flowers in there on every single surface struck me as the sort of thing you do when you're trying to drown someone in affection. Maybe the show should've shown-not-told some more of this stuff, but I'm prepared to accept that Rebecca's warning was well-placed, and Keeley seems not to have overreacted to it.
posted by savetheclocktower at 10:47 AM on April 27, 2023 [7 favorites]
I mean, I think it happened after Rebecca's warning, but the fact that Keeley enters her office and finds an absolute shit-ton of flowers in there on every single surface struck me as the sort of thing you do when you're trying to drown someone in affection.
Sure, that was totally weird. I think the only one we saw on camera before that was the Sense & Sensibility book (WHY WOULD YOU DEFACE A FIRST EDITION JACK?!), so maybe that's why I thought Rebecca's warning was jumping to conclusions.
Regardless, I'll agree that Jack got creepier after that (a ring stuffed in a croissant?) and Keeley is right to be suspicious.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 10:50 AM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
Sure, that was totally weird. I think the only one we saw on camera before that was the Sense & Sensibility book (WHY WOULD YOU DEFACE A FIRST EDITION JACK?!), so maybe that's why I thought Rebecca's warning was jumping to conclusions.
Regardless, I'll agree that Jack got creepier after that (a ring stuffed in a croissant?) and Keeley is right to be suspicious.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 10:50 AM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
I think the only one we saw on camera before that was the Sense & Sensibility book (WHY WOULD YOU DEFACE A FIRST EDITION JACK?!), so maybe that's why I thought Rebecca's warning was jumping to conclusions.
That, and flying her out to see the Aurora Borealis at the beginning of last week's episode - which struck me as pretty intense for the short amount of time they'd known each other.
posted by Jeanne at 11:01 AM on April 27, 2023 [6 favorites]
That, and flying her out to see the Aurora Borealis at the beginning of last week's episode - which struck me as pretty intense for the short amount of time they'd known each other.
posted by Jeanne at 11:01 AM on April 27, 2023 [6 favorites]
Rebecca talks about how on her second date with Rupert he bought her a Jaguar, which is pretty much on par with Jack's "private jet to see the Aurora Borealis," from the Amsterdam episode, among other examples. This is not an isolated instance (also agree with whoever up above said it was sacrilegious to write in a first-edition ANYTHING). Exactly what Rebecca is referring to - constant, very expensive and over-the-top gifts.
Jack got creepier after that (a ring stuffed in a croissant?) I don't think Jack got creepier -- the show directed us, via Rebecca, to *notice* what she'd already been doing.
posted by tzikeh at 11:02 AM on April 27, 2023 [10 favorites]
Jack got creepier after that (a ring stuffed in a croissant?) I don't think Jack got creepier -- the show directed us, via Rebecca, to *notice* what she'd already been doing.
posted by tzikeh at 11:02 AM on April 27, 2023 [10 favorites]
Contrast the gifts that Jack bought (where she probably had her assistant do all the legwork of getting a florist to fill Keeley's office, buy an old book, etc.) with the gift Nate made for Jade: hand-made, thoughtful, pretty amateur, but also sweet. It doesn't have the same romantic notes that his dad's map had, but he's trying.
posted by nushustu at 11:07 AM on April 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by nushustu at 11:07 AM on April 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
Nate is going through the same arc as Jamie. He was loved, then he's a villain, and now he's having to figure out how to be okay with himself in order to be a good person.
I've been rewatching Season 1 and I think Jamie's arc was very different than Nate's. Jamie made a positive step toward being a better person (having an open conversation with Roy about working together on the team despite their frustration with each other) by episode 4 of season 1. Even if I agreed that asking Jade out was a positive step, this is happening in episode 7 in a season where episodes are running up to 1 hour long.
I don't agree that asking Jade out was a positive step (he did it at her work, where her boss is very excited to have a Famous Football Coach as a customer, which is a fucked-up power dynamic, and Nate's shittiness to Will involved an abuse of power). So from my perspective, Nate has done fuck-all to be a better person this late in a much longer season. The pacing and execution is entirely different from Jamie's Season 1 arc.
posted by creepygirl at 11:12 AM on April 27, 2023 [8 favorites]
I've been rewatching Season 1 and I think Jamie's arc was very different than Nate's. Jamie made a positive step toward being a better person (having an open conversation with Roy about working together on the team despite their frustration with each other) by episode 4 of season 1. Even if I agreed that asking Jade out was a positive step, this is happening in episode 7 in a season where episodes are running up to 1 hour long.
I don't agree that asking Jade out was a positive step (he did it at her work, where her boss is very excited to have a Famous Football Coach as a customer, which is a fucked-up power dynamic, and Nate's shittiness to Will involved an abuse of power). So from my perspective, Nate has done fuck-all to be a better person this late in a much longer season. The pacing and execution is entirely different from Jamie's Season 1 arc.
posted by creepygirl at 11:12 AM on April 27, 2023 [8 favorites]
The whole idea of writing "You go, Keeley" on a signed first edition of Jane Austen book made me viscerally repulsed, but I 100% don't believe there is such a thing as a signed first edition Jane Austen anything so I'm going to lump it in with all the other Jack gifts as "Jack is super creepy" to me now. Yeah, it's nice to know that your boss is in a relationship with the owner of the company so every time they're in with the door closed you have to wonder what's up? Ew. There's a reason companies have rules against that, and "I'm incredibly rich" doesn't actually bypass them. Plus she's made Keeley, one of my favorite characters, less fun as a result. I'm not on board.
Loved Will as Beard. So good. And I loved the Sam storyline. "I met Rebecca." "Oh. Did you make it weird?" "Yes I did!" Though I can't imagine having that happen to the restaurant and not going to the press about it. Especially if it's so hot that you can't get a table on a Saturday night.
I'm not on board with Nick and Jade. When he looked at himself in the mirror and then told her he'd be back because he had to do something first, I thought he was going to go to Ted and apologize. That he was realizing that he needed to walk things back to being someone more likeable himself. Nope. I like the idea that she'll see him being awful and leave. The fact that they showed his Siri calling him "Wunderkind" seems to indicate that he's still not over being a dick, deep down. While I don't need him to stay a villain, if he's going to be redeemed it needs a lot more redeeming than some "aw shucks" behavior.
posted by Mchelly at 12:01 PM on April 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
Loved Will as Beard. So good. And I loved the Sam storyline. "I met Rebecca." "Oh. Did you make it weird?" "Yes I did!" Though I can't imagine having that happen to the restaurant and not going to the press about it. Especially if it's so hot that you can't get a table on a Saturday night.
I'm not on board with Nick and Jade. When he looked at himself in the mirror and then told her he'd be back because he had to do something first, I thought he was going to go to Ted and apologize. That he was realizing that he needed to walk things back to being someone more likeable himself. Nope. I like the idea that she'll see him being awful and leave. The fact that they showed his Siri calling him "Wunderkind" seems to indicate that he's still not over being a dick, deep down. While I don't need him to stay a villain, if he's going to be redeemed it needs a lot more redeeming than some "aw shucks" behavior.
posted by Mchelly at 12:01 PM on April 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
Was that a cameo appearance by Cruyff on the sidelines during the dick-string practice?
posted by cardboard at 12:01 PM on April 27, 2023
posted by cardboard at 12:01 PM on April 27, 2023
cardboard: "Was that a cameo appearance by Cruyff on the sidelines during the dick-string practice?"
He's dead, so most likely not.
posted by savetheclocktower at 12:05 PM on April 27, 2023 [12 favorites]
He's dead, so most likely not.
posted by savetheclocktower at 12:05 PM on April 27, 2023 [12 favorites]
My bad. But there was some late middle-aged guy in a Richmond jacket at 34:22 who shrugs at the camera.
posted by cardboard at 12:12 PM on April 27, 2023
posted by cardboard at 12:12 PM on April 27, 2023
I'm asking seriously, because maybe I've forgotten some details. My recollection was that it was a few gifts from a very rich girlfriend.
I think it's really the girlfriend/BOSS aspect that takes this in a weird direction.
- first hookup while hammered (no judgment but it's a potential yellow-flaggy thing if there are other red flags)
- making a big statement to the entire staff about their relationship which just seemed weird (again she is their boss's boss, why is this seen as okay? This is the one way the Lasso universe strikes me as missing these unethical bits, felt the same about Sam/Rebecca)
- trip to Norway/Aurora which isolates her from her other friends (though the whole season has kind of been doing that to her and it sets up Rebecca being solo so she could meet Hot Dutch Man)
- first edition book ($$$) specifically vandalized so Keeley couldn't re-sell it (kind of said to Keeley in a haha only serious way)
- ring in croissant and seeming to not really be that cool about Keeley's boundaries about not wanting gifts
And all this stuff is really NOT KEELEY'S TASTE. Like she enjoys different things, has a different style, enjoys the pampering and the fanciness of stuff but none of the gifts scream "Keeley." But it's all done in that Lasso-ish way of "This could be an issue or it could be okay but we don't know yet" way.
posted by jessamyn at 12:24 PM on April 27, 2023 [10 favorites]
I think it's really the girlfriend/BOSS aspect that takes this in a weird direction.
- first hookup while hammered (no judgment but it's a potential yellow-flaggy thing if there are other red flags)
- making a big statement to the entire staff about their relationship which just seemed weird (again she is their boss's boss, why is this seen as okay? This is the one way the Lasso universe strikes me as missing these unethical bits, felt the same about Sam/Rebecca)
- trip to Norway/Aurora which isolates her from her other friends (though the whole season has kind of been doing that to her and it sets up Rebecca being solo so she could meet Hot Dutch Man)
- first edition book ($$$) specifically vandalized so Keeley couldn't re-sell it (kind of said to Keeley in a haha only serious way)
- ring in croissant and seeming to not really be that cool about Keeley's boundaries about not wanting gifts
And all this stuff is really NOT KEELEY'S TASTE. Like she enjoys different things, has a different style, enjoys the pampering and the fanciness of stuff but none of the gifts scream "Keeley." But it's all done in that Lasso-ish way of "This could be an issue or it could be okay but we don't know yet" way.
posted by jessamyn at 12:24 PM on April 27, 2023 [10 favorites]
I haven't played soccer since I was about 8, but I've been weirdly into all the football storylines. That includes Zava, for being a force that shakes up the team and then leaves them high and dry and worse than before, since they were coasting with him around (except Jamie). I love that Beard is always reading books on strategy. His talk on Total Football had me pumped. The strings-around-dicks thing was stupid and cringe-y, but otherwise I loved all the training and gameplay scenes. Training montages are some of my favorite things. It's a great way to get storyline and character at the same time, and here they managed to fold in some development for the fans in the pub too.
I'm meh-to-ick on all of the romantic relationship stuff (except I liked Sam's dad Ola making Rebecca squirm a bit). Keeley's storyline is especially disappointing, because it seems like she's just in a holding pattern until they can bring her back to join with the other characters somehow. None of it is progressing her, and I'm kind of worried the whole business will blow up in her face and she'll return to Roy and the team but in a way that feels like a lack of growth or even regression for her.
By the way, if you're curious what dribbling in soccer looks like, there are lots of cool videos of the pros doing it! It's how you keep control of the ball and move it around the field without passing to a teammate. Just like in basketball, it's an essential skill because you can't just run around carrying the ball. I remember lots of dribbling drills as a kid around cones and stuff.
posted by j.r at 12:45 PM on April 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm meh-to-ick on all of the romantic relationship stuff (except I liked Sam's dad Ola making Rebecca squirm a bit). Keeley's storyline is especially disappointing, because it seems like she's just in a holding pattern until they can bring her back to join with the other characters somehow. None of it is progressing her, and I'm kind of worried the whole business will blow up in her face and she'll return to Roy and the team but in a way that feels like a lack of growth or even regression for her.
By the way, if you're curious what dribbling in soccer looks like, there are lots of cool videos of the pros doing it! It's how you keep control of the ball and move it around the field without passing to a teammate. Just like in basketball, it's an essential skill because you can't just run around carrying the ball. I remember lots of dribbling drills as a kid around cones and stuff.
posted by j.r at 12:45 PM on April 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
And all this stuff is really NOT KEELEY'S TASTE
One thing we learned Keeley doesn't like is when someone becomes over-present in her life. When it's revealed Jack paid for dinner, whereas Rebecca's reaction is "wine for everyone" we definitely see a look of trepidation cross Keeley's face. I think the show wants us to still feel some ambiguity. Could be a nice gesture*, could be a general red flag, or could be a red flag for Keeley specifically. It would be helpful to know if Keeley mentioned where she and Rebecca were having dinner or if Jack dispatched one of her assistants to find out.
As someone mentioned, since this is the final half of the final season it colors our expectations a bit. Whereas I think Rebecca *will* end up with Houseboat Guy, my feeling is that they don't float this ambiguity with Keeley and Jack for a few episodes and conclude with "it was all fine, actually". Then again, if they are setting up the Keeley spinoff show then all bets are off.
If we see Barbara shopping for a Richmond snow globe, probably a bad sign.
Part of the uncertainty, I think, comes from the massive scale of being a billionaire. That rare book probably cost less than me buying someone a contemporary hardcover best-seller and the trip to Norway less than a dinner out if you were to compare it by percentage of net worth.
posted by mikepop at 12:59 PM on April 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
One thing we learned Keeley doesn't like is when someone becomes over-present in her life. When it's revealed Jack paid for dinner, whereas Rebecca's reaction is "wine for everyone" we definitely see a look of trepidation cross Keeley's face. I think the show wants us to still feel some ambiguity. Could be a nice gesture*, could be a general red flag, or could be a red flag for Keeley specifically. It would be helpful to know if Keeley mentioned where she and Rebecca were having dinner or if Jack dispatched one of her assistants to find out.
As someone mentioned, since this is the final half of the final season it colors our expectations a bit. Whereas I think Rebecca *will* end up with Houseboat Guy, my feeling is that they don't float this ambiguity with Keeley and Jack for a few episodes and conclude with "it was all fine, actually". Then again, if they are setting up the Keeley spinoff show then all bets are off.
If we see Barbara shopping for a Richmond snow globe, probably a bad sign.
Part of the uncertainty, I think, comes from the massive scale of being a billionaire. That rare book probably cost less than me buying someone a contemporary hardcover best-seller and the trip to Norway less than a dinner out if you were to compare it by percentage of net worth.
posted by mikepop at 12:59 PM on April 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
I can't usually see what Coach Beard is reading, so if people wanted to toss the titles into here I'd appreciate it. (I usually love catching that stuff but I have wonky eyes at the moment.)
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:15 PM on April 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:15 PM on April 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
Usually the issue with "love bombers" is that they bombard you with love, have a freakout and then dump you immediately. Hope that's not the case here.
Yeah, it's nice to know that your boss is in a relationship with the owner of the company so every time they're in with the door closed you have to wonder what's up?
....but yeah, good point. That was ick.
To be fair to Nate, he only knows how to find her at her job. It could have been worse if he asked for her address and found her there :/
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:17 PM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yeah, it's nice to know that your boss is in a relationship with the owner of the company so every time they're in with the door closed you have to wonder what's up?
....but yeah, good point. That was ick.
To be fair to Nate, he only knows how to find her at her job. It could have been worse if he asked for her address and found her there :/
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:17 PM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
I can't usually see what Coach Beard is reading, so if people wanted to toss the titles into here I'd appreciate it. (I usually love catching that stuff but I have wonky eyes at the moment.)
I generally can't either, but one was pretty clear in this episode -- Friend of the Devil, the first in the Bill Walton Mysteries series by James Kirkland.
Bizarrely, it's a book series in which 7-foot-tall Lakers legend and now-basketball announcer Bill Walton solves crimes. A little less highbrow than Beard's regular fare, but totally up his alley.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 1:24 PM on April 27, 2023 [11 favorites]
I generally can't either, but one was pretty clear in this episode -- Friend of the Devil, the first in the Bill Walton Mysteries series by James Kirkland.
Bizarrely, it's a book series in which 7-foot-tall Lakers legend and now-basketball announcer Bill Walton solves crimes. A little less highbrow than Beard's regular fare, but totally up his alley.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 1:24 PM on April 27, 2023 [11 favorites]
im sorry it is fucken wot
posted by Etrigan at 1:39 PM on April 27, 2023 [19 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 1:39 PM on April 27, 2023 [19 favorites]
Contrast the gifts that Jack bought (where she probably had her assistant do all the legwork of getting a florist to fill Keeley's office, buy an old book, etc.) with the gift Nate made for Jade:
What I liked about this is that Nate chucked everyone else’s suggestions and went back to what HE loves - how he has consistently shown love to others since season 1. It was a “this is what I do - this is me- I hope me being loving-me is something you see and appreciate and see as valuable” moment. That’s why, I think, he didn’t spit - he’d already taken the first step to redeem his best, caring self. And because of that, he is able to take the NEXT step, which is Nate without objects to act as intermediaries.
We haven’t seen the acts of contrition with the team yet, but Jamie’s arc of redemption from ass to EVERYONE to most beloved was awfully quick too. The whole show is a bunch of real, fat, allegorical brush strokes of personas. (Strings on dicks???) There’s a whole lot that would be terrible if a real person did that real thing. I’m ok to just let the show be what it is for now, and see where it ends up.
posted by Silvery Fish at 1:43 PM on April 27, 2023 [7 favorites]
What I liked about this is that Nate chucked everyone else’s suggestions and went back to what HE loves - how he has consistently shown love to others since season 1. It was a “this is what I do - this is me- I hope me being loving-me is something you see and appreciate and see as valuable” moment. That’s why, I think, he didn’t spit - he’d already taken the first step to redeem his best, caring self. And because of that, he is able to take the NEXT step, which is Nate without objects to act as intermediaries.
We haven’t seen the acts of contrition with the team yet, but Jamie’s arc of redemption from ass to EVERYONE to most beloved was awfully quick too. The whole show is a bunch of real, fat, allegorical brush strokes of personas. (Strings on dicks???) There’s a whole lot that would be terrible if a real person did that real thing. I’m ok to just let the show be what it is for now, and see where it ends up.
posted by Silvery Fish at 1:43 PM on April 27, 2023 [7 favorites]
what the deal with Barbara is, like she's such a constant awkward jerk,
OOOoohhh!
Before Rebecca got control of Richmond Higgins worked for Rupert.
He was Rupert's awkward administrative jerk. Back Higgins was sneaking page 3 girls into Rupert's office behind Rebecca's back.
Barbara is pre-season 1 Higgins to Jack's Rupert.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 4:59 PM on April 27, 2023 [14 favorites]
OOOoohhh!
Before Rebecca got control of Richmond Higgins worked for Rupert.
He was Rupert's awkward administrative jerk. Back Higgins was sneaking page 3 girls into Rupert's office behind Rebecca's back.
Barbara is pre-season 1 Higgins to Jack's Rupert.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 4:59 PM on April 27, 2023 [14 favorites]
What I liked about this is that Nate chucked everyone else’s suggestions and went back to what HE loves
I did like that, Nate was making decorated boxes back in Season 1 when Ted wanted a suggestion box. So really he decided to be himself instead of trying to be Mister Cool Guy. Of course making an elaborate "Will You Go Out With Me" artwork for a first date is just as weird and overpowering as Jack filling Keeley's office with flowers. So he was kind of lucky he lost the box.
posted by mmoncur at 7:49 PM on April 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
I did like that, Nate was making decorated boxes back in Season 1 when Ted wanted a suggestion box. So really he decided to be himself instead of trying to be Mister Cool Guy. Of course making an elaborate "Will You Go Out With Me" artwork for a first date is just as weird and overpowering as Jack filling Keeley's office with flowers. So he was kind of lucky he lost the box.
posted by mmoncur at 7:49 PM on April 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
Then again, if they are setting up the Keeley spinoff show then all bets are off.
I am REALLY not on board for The Keeley Show. It's so incredibly boring and weird. Her company has no clients and does no business. The employees are ciphers. Jack is boring (or maybe creepy?). They even made Katy Wix boring somehow -- she's usually hilarious.
If they do a spinoff I would rather see "Richmond" (the team) or "Ola's Restaurant" or "Trent Crimm and Roy Kent Solve Crimes". Heck, Rebecca and Dutch Guy already have a more compelling relationship for a spinoff.
posted by mmoncur at 8:00 PM on April 27, 2023 [21 favorites]
I am REALLY not on board for The Keeley Show. It's so incredibly boring and weird. Her company has no clients and does no business. The employees are ciphers. Jack is boring (or maybe creepy?). They even made Katy Wix boring somehow -- she's usually hilarious.
If they do a spinoff I would rather see "Richmond" (the team) or "Ola's Restaurant" or "Trent Crimm and Roy Kent Solve Crimes". Heck, Rebecca and Dutch Guy already have a more compelling relationship for a spinoff.
posted by mmoncur at 8:00 PM on April 27, 2023 [21 favorites]
an elaborate "Will You Go Out With Me" artwork for a first date is just as weird and overpowering as Jack filling Keeley's office with flowers
Ehhhh I dunno. Weird? Sure. Misguided? Certainly.
But not billionaire love-bombing weird and overpowering.
posted by coriolisdave at 8:51 PM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
Ehhhh I dunno. Weird? Sure. Misguided? Certainly.
But not billionaire love-bombing weird and overpowering.
posted by coriolisdave at 8:51 PM on April 27, 2023 [2 favorites]
The other warning flag is that Jack self-describes as jealous, right?
posted by rivenwanderer at 10:15 PM on April 27, 2023 [11 favorites]
posted by rivenwanderer at 10:15 PM on April 27, 2023 [11 favorites]
Does anyone else remember how Keeley started off Ted Lasso not wanting to be defined (or restrained) by others because of who she was dating?
And also how she wanted people to respect her for something other than getting naked?
'Footballers Girlfriend', 'glamour model' etc.
Interesting that.
Interesting.
posted by Faintdreams at 5:05 AM on April 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
And also how she wanted people to respect her for something other than getting naked?
'Footballers Girlfriend', 'glamour model' etc.
Interesting that.
Interesting.
posted by Faintdreams at 5:05 AM on April 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
As the season has progressed, my expectation that somehow Roy and Keeley get back together has dropped a bit. Unless they start focusing again on Roy and the idea he made a bad decision, I think the split up was entirely to bring in Jack. Not as a replacement, but because they see the relationship with Jack as something to help push Keeley's character forward more into who they want her to be by the conclusion of the show. I think that unless Jack starts respecting Keeley's feelings about how she (Keeley) wants it to go, Jack will get the boot. That could result in Keeley getting the boot, but since this is Ted Lasso, Keeley will rise up from that type of scenario. Heroes are rewarded for making right choices.
This show does have a weird blindness to the ethical aspects of bosses dating employees. Sam and Rebecca (oh my god, total Cheers reference), Jack and Keeley, and I think they're setting up Sam with his chef, courtesy how Sam's dad referenced her and Rebecca in the very same way "Sam told me a lot about you."
posted by Atreides at 6:40 AM on April 28, 2023 [6 favorites]
This show does have a weird blindness to the ethical aspects of bosses dating employees. Sam and Rebecca (oh my god, total Cheers reference), Jack and Keeley, and I think they're setting up Sam with his chef, courtesy how Sam's dad referenced her and Rebecca in the very same way "Sam told me a lot about you."
posted by Atreides at 6:40 AM on April 28, 2023 [6 favorites]
As the season has progressed, my expectation that somehow Roy and Keeley get back together has dropped a bit.
I’ve wondered about this too. It was The Big Thing in the first ep, and Roy talked about how he’d rather “…quit than be fired…” , with a thoughtful glance by Ted, but since then almost nothing. If they veer back to a reconciliation, not sure how they can make that happen without it feeling incongruously plopped in.
posted by Silvery Fish at 7:46 AM on April 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
I’ve wondered about this too. It was The Big Thing in the first ep, and Roy talked about how he’d rather “…quit than be fired…” , with a thoughtful glance by Ted, but since then almost nothing. If they veer back to a reconciliation, not sure how they can make that happen without it feeling incongruously plopped in.
posted by Silvery Fish at 7:46 AM on April 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
For all my criticisms of the stories this season, I want to make it clear that the Jamie progression is the exception. His plot is well-paced, the changes feel earned, he's still funny in a way that feels authentic to what we know of him already.
And all of the actors are knocking it out of the park. I don't like some of what their characters are doing, but the actors themselves are brilliant.
posted by harriet vane at 8:03 AM on April 28, 2023 [17 favorites]
And all of the actors are knocking it out of the park. I don't like some of what their characters are doing, but the actors themselves are brilliant.
posted by harriet vane at 8:03 AM on April 28, 2023 [17 favorites]
This show does have a weird blindness to the ethical aspects of bosses dating employees.
More generally, it has a weird blindness to wealth and power. Which I guess it kinda has to be, since on some level it's a show about extremely wealthy celebrities, but the show definitely likes to throw glamour around as a spectacle choice without examining it all that closely. "Bosses with lots of power" is a part of that glamour, and it's less "reckoned with" than conveniently structured so that it never becomes an issue: Sam pursues Rebecca (and is totally chill when she decides to break things off), Keeley sees Jack as an inspirational figure, etc etc. Weirdly, Nate and Jade are one of the least problematic ongoing couples on the show (which says nothing good).
posted by Tom Hanks Cannot Be Trusted at 9:45 AM on April 28, 2023 [6 favorites]
More generally, it has a weird blindness to wealth and power. Which I guess it kinda has to be, since on some level it's a show about extremely wealthy celebrities, but the show definitely likes to throw glamour around as a spectacle choice without examining it all that closely. "Bosses with lots of power" is a part of that glamour, and it's less "reckoned with" than conveniently structured so that it never becomes an issue: Sam pursues Rebecca (and is totally chill when she decides to break things off), Keeley sees Jack as an inspirational figure, etc etc. Weirdly, Nate and Jade are one of the least problematic ongoing couples on the show (which says nothing good).
posted by Tom Hanks Cannot Be Trusted at 9:45 AM on April 28, 2023 [6 favorites]
Keely seems to be solidly fighting back against the love-bombing. We've seen her end relationships before, so hopefully we'll see her do the right thing if Jack doesn't get in line with the whole "don't be like Rupert" thing.
I don't care about a potential redemption arc for Nate, but I think some of what we're seeing with Jamie is *his* redemption, or at least growth into a better player with some team leadership skills.
posted by rmd1023 at 10:59 AM on April 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
I don't care about a potential redemption arc for Nate, but I think some of what we're seeing with Jamie is *his* redemption, or at least growth into a better player with some team leadership skills.
posted by rmd1023 at 10:59 AM on April 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Man, that shot of Roy Kent grinning like it was Christmas morning when it seemed like Jamie might have injured his dick in the drill — and then a cutaway later, he’s crestfallen when Jamie’s dick is okay —
that’s worth rewinding for.
posted by sixswitch at 11:43 AM on April 28, 2023 [6 favorites]
that’s worth rewinding for.
posted by sixswitch at 11:43 AM on April 28, 2023 [6 favorites]
I'll stand by what I said that Jamie's redemption arc wasn't actually handled much better than Nate's is being handled now, but I fuckin' adore seeing Jamie on-screen and don't particularly care about Ted Lasso being "quality" (since I was a hater from the start and always thought it was pretty lame).
Similarly, Sam's stories could not be more heavy-handed, but I don't remotely care, I'll keep drinking that garbage.
I thiiink I trust the Ted Lasso writers to do something interesting with Nate's plot, and I also think there's some value in depicting the steady step-by-step of a person learning this particular sort of confidence—I don't think it's quite as cut-and-dry generic as a lot of the critics are making it out to be, in part because it's so focused on this being a series of gradual steps rather than on a dramatic catharsis where Nate is forced into an emotional reckoning—but it's the kind of thing that I appreciate on some levels while acknowledging that, on others, it's pretty clunky even for this show.
tbh, when I rewatched season 2, I was surprised at how well it held up mechanically, when my week-by-week watch of it last year made it feel sloppy as shit. I suspect that season 3 will similarly work better as a whole than in installments, because Ted Lasso does like this slow incremental approach to storytelling where very few dramatic pivots happen. Everything's a slow-motion build, good or bad. And it worked best in the first season because, well, the first season was the least ambitious season by a mile, but also brought most of its plots to meaningful conclusions; the show literally couldn't repeat that trick because virtually all of its tensions had been completely resolved. So on some level, perversely, I find its arcs more interesting when they are clumsy and not-quite-fitting, because it's where it feels like the show's attempting mechanically-interesting narratives, and (also perversely) find it easy to forgive all the clonkiness because it always felt kinda dumb to begin with.
In a way, the show itself is a lot like Ted: really dopey, frustrating in the things it doesn't care to do well, and at the same time surprisingly nuanced.
posted by Tom Hanks Cannot Be Trusted at 12:03 PM on April 28, 2023 [7 favorites]
Similarly, Sam's stories could not be more heavy-handed, but I don't remotely care, I'll keep drinking that garbage.
I thiiink I trust the Ted Lasso writers to do something interesting with Nate's plot, and I also think there's some value in depicting the steady step-by-step of a person learning this particular sort of confidence—I don't think it's quite as cut-and-dry generic as a lot of the critics are making it out to be, in part because it's so focused on this being a series of gradual steps rather than on a dramatic catharsis where Nate is forced into an emotional reckoning—but it's the kind of thing that I appreciate on some levels while acknowledging that, on others, it's pretty clunky even for this show.
tbh, when I rewatched season 2, I was surprised at how well it held up mechanically, when my week-by-week watch of it last year made it feel sloppy as shit. I suspect that season 3 will similarly work better as a whole than in installments, because Ted Lasso does like this slow incremental approach to storytelling where very few dramatic pivots happen. Everything's a slow-motion build, good or bad. And it worked best in the first season because, well, the first season was the least ambitious season by a mile, but also brought most of its plots to meaningful conclusions; the show literally couldn't repeat that trick because virtually all of its tensions had been completely resolved. So on some level, perversely, I find its arcs more interesting when they are clumsy and not-quite-fitting, because it's where it feels like the show's attempting mechanically-interesting narratives, and (also perversely) find it easy to forgive all the clonkiness because it always felt kinda dumb to begin with.
In a way, the show itself is a lot like Ted: really dopey, frustrating in the things it doesn't care to do well, and at the same time surprisingly nuanced.
posted by Tom Hanks Cannot Be Trusted at 12:03 PM on April 28, 2023 [7 favorites]
I've been mainlining Jamie Tartt TikToks, and noticed that his accent has been getting a lot more pronounced, like he's getting more relaxed. Same thing with his hair and clothing becoming more casual, more comfortable.
I have searched in vain for an analysis video of the shifts in his accent over time but I've got to believe it's intentional, right? A call back to the insults from his dad calling him "soft" and how he's coming out from under that?
Also, the conversation around "How can you tell if a woman is interested or just being nice?" "You can't" on the Nate/Jade storyline seems to echo Keeley and Rebecca's discussion of lovebombing. i.e. "How do you know if a new love interest is just kind & generous or if they're a narcissist?"
Counting down the minutes until Rupert's lovebombing of Nate (he bought him a car too!) takes a turn ...
posted by alicat at 12:34 PM on April 28, 2023 [10 favorites]
I have searched in vain for an analysis video of the shifts in his accent over time but I've got to believe it's intentional, right? A call back to the insults from his dad calling him "soft" and how he's coming out from under that?
Also, the conversation around "How can you tell if a woman is interested or just being nice?" "You can't" on the Nate/Jade storyline seems to echo Keeley and Rebecca's discussion of lovebombing. i.e. "How do you know if a new love interest is just kind & generous or if they're a narcissist?"
Counting down the minutes until Rupert's lovebombing of Nate (he bought him a car too!) takes a turn ...
posted by alicat at 12:34 PM on April 28, 2023 [10 favorites]
I think I trust the Ted Lasso writers to do something interesting with Nate's plot, and I also think there's some value in depicting the steady step-by-step of a person learning this particular sort of confidence—I don't think it's quite as cut-and-dry generic as a lot of the critics are making it out to be, in part because it's so focused on this being a series of gradual steps rather than on a dramatic catharsis where Nate is forced into an emotional reckoning—but it's the kind of thing that I appreciate on some levels while acknowledging that, on others, it's pretty clunky even for this show.
After all, this is how Nate went to the dark side, so to speak. He kind of got worse and worse, while his hair went whiter and whiter. I've been watching his hair and trying to determine if it's regaining its color or not. Heh.
posted by Atreides at 2:15 PM on April 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
After all, this is how Nate went to the dark side, so to speak. He kind of got worse and worse, while his hair went whiter and whiter. I've been watching his hair and trying to determine if it's regaining its color or not. Heh.
posted by Atreides at 2:15 PM on April 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
I 100% don't believe there is such a thing as a signed first edition Jane Austen anything
As this is somewhere in the realm of my expertise, I feel compelled to add that a signed first edition of Emma sold for £375,000 last year. Even for the super-rich, not exactly a “casual coffee date” gift, and certainly not something one would amend with their own inscription.
posted by rabbitbookworm at 2:39 PM on April 28, 2023 [10 favorites]
As this is somewhere in the realm of my expertise, I feel compelled to add that a signed first edition of Emma sold for £375,000 last year. Even for the super-rich, not exactly a “casual coffee date” gift, and certainly not something one would amend with their own inscription.
posted by rabbitbookworm at 2:39 PM on April 28, 2023 [10 favorites]
….and certainly not something one would amend with their own inscription.
…unless you were one of those weird musk-esque techbros who only see value in things they can possess and pee on and wave around in their own particular way with the sole goal of impressing other people who actually DO understand the inherent value of people and history and interconnectedness of what makes us who we are.
I was on the fence about Jack until this. This was when I crossed over to the belief that she, actually, values nothing beyond the impression her money allows her to make on other people. I think she is a person with experiences but no values.
posted by Silvery Fish at 8:01 PM on April 28, 2023 [9 favorites]
…unless you were one of those weird musk-esque techbros who only see value in things they can possess and pee on and wave around in their own particular way with the sole goal of impressing other people who actually DO understand the inherent value of people and history and interconnectedness of what makes us who we are.
I was on the fence about Jack until this. This was when I crossed over to the belief that she, actually, values nothing beyond the impression her money allows her to make on other people. I think she is a person with experiences but no values.
posted by Silvery Fish at 8:01 PM on April 28, 2023 [9 favorites]
I thought that £375,000 seemed like an awfully small sum and clicked on the link. That edition was signed by the publisher. Jane Austen is not known to have signed any copies of her work.
posted by gnuhavenpier at 11:47 PM on April 28, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by gnuhavenpier at 11:47 PM on April 28, 2023 [7 favorites]
Now I’m wondering if that’s true in the Ted Lasso universe, too.
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:58 PM on April 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:58 PM on April 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
- first edition book ($$$) specifically vandalized so Keeley couldn't re-sell it (kind of said to Keeley in a haha only serious way)
"I can get very jealous and I hate the idea of you re-gifting that"
It's not about selling it, it's about Keeley'srelationships. Jack ruined the first edition (and it is ruining) so that a hypothetical gifting of the book to someone else can't happen. It's definitely controlling and gross. And it certainly ruins the resale value as well, so if something were to ever happen where Keeley needed the money- like even forty years from now- there's Jack's scribble!
posted by oneirodynia at 2:16 PM on April 29, 2023 [3 favorites]
"I can get very jealous and I hate the idea of you re-gifting that"
It's not about selling it, it's about Keeley'srelationships. Jack ruined the first edition (and it is ruining) so that a hypothetical gifting of the book to someone else can't happen. It's definitely controlling and gross. And it certainly ruins the resale value as well, so if something were to ever happen where Keeley needed the money- like even forty years from now- there's Jack's scribble!
posted by oneirodynia at 2:16 PM on April 29, 2023 [3 favorites]
I assumed Jane's signature was faked.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:20 PM on April 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:20 PM on April 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
That was my assumption too, either a cheeky lie (still defacing a book) or worse, Jack assuming Keeley's too dumb to know the signature was fake. But it would make it a $30 book instead of $300K.
posted by mmoncur at 9:15 PM on April 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mmoncur at 9:15 PM on April 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
Ted Lasso — A Conversation with Brett Goldstein and Phil Dunster | Apple TV+
posted by ellieBOA at 10:03 AM on April 30, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by ellieBOA at 10:03 AM on April 30, 2023 [4 favorites]
I knew that Brett Goldstein sounded nothing like Roy, but I hadn't heard Phil Dunster speak before.
I'm quite entertained by his posh southern accent.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 4:14 AM on May 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm quite entertained by his posh southern accent.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 4:14 AM on May 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
'ted lasso' fan has sinking feeling show is for losers
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 10:22 AM on May 1, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 10:22 AM on May 1, 2023 [2 favorites]
NYT: Ted Lasso, Holy Fool
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:59 AM on May 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
The holy fool, or yurodivy (also spelled iurodivyi), is a well-known, though controversial, character in Russian Orthodox spirituality. In his book “Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond,” the historian Sergey A. Ivanov writes that in the Orthodox tradition the term designates “a person who feigns insanity, pretends to be silly, or who provokes shock or outrage by his deliberate unruliness.” In other words, the holy fool is a person who flouts social conventions to demonstrate allegiance to God. Holy fools dwell in ordinary, secular life, but they approach it with completely different values. Rejecting respectability and embracing humility and love, holy fools are so profoundly out of step with the broader world that they appear to be ridiculous or even insane and often invite ridicule. And yet, they teach the rest of us how to live.Note: I have tech week this week, I have no idea when I'll get to watch the show, if anyone wants to post episode 8 ahead of me, go to it.
The so-called foolishness of holy fools is tethered to their spiritual insight. They offer a change in perspective. What appears “normal” and “successful” in the world is revealed by the fool to be hollow, vain and pointless. What appears foolish, it turns out, is the true path of flourishing. Above all, a holy fool is an icon for radical humility. And this is where Lasso most clearly embodies this persona.
Holy fools are marked by this sort of opulent, irrational, prodigality of grace. As Dostoyevsky sketched out the main character of “The Idiot,” Prince Myshkin, perhaps the most famous holy fool in literature, he wrote: “His way of looking at the world: He forgives everything, sees reasons for everything, does not recognize that any sin is unforgivable.”
Still, I’m drawn back to the show each week because of Ted’s genuine, though troubled, joy, redemptive silliness and relentless embrace of people.
In a time when our culture is marked by outrage, division and cynicism, Ted Lasso calls us back to humility. He asks us to lighten up a little, to not take ourselves too seriously. In doing so, he reminds everyone he encounters — including us watching at home — of our shared humanity. We are all, in the end, not winners or losers, successes or failures, pure heroes or villains, but people who long to be known, loved and delighted in. This is the gift of Ted Lasso. He shows us what’s possible when we give up winning — soccer games, power grabs, professional success, culture wars or online fights — and, however foolish it may be, choose to root for the people all around us."
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:59 AM on May 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
Ted Lasso Believes in Its LGBTQ+ Characters [Advocate]
posted by ellieBOA at 10:22 AM on May 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by ellieBOA at 10:22 AM on May 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
Ok, I have only just started the episode but I need to pop in and post this gem I just caught:
Early in the ep, when coach is giving the speech to introduce Total Football to the team, the music in the background is the theme to Victory, a 1981 movie about a group of Allied POWs challenging their German captors to a soccer match, and using it as a cover for an escape plot. Starred Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone, and Pelé. Quite a good film, really - I loved it as a kid. Michael Caine explaining rules of soccer to Stallone's meathead American is quite fun. And it's a great "good guys win" movie that mixes the right amount of sports and WWII nostalgia.
posted by dnash at 7:28 PM on May 3, 2023 [4 favorites]
Early in the ep, when coach is giving the speech to introduce Total Football to the team, the music in the background is the theme to Victory, a 1981 movie about a group of Allied POWs challenging their German captors to a soccer match, and using it as a cover for an escape plot. Starred Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone, and Pelé. Quite a good film, really - I loved it as a kid. Michael Caine explaining rules of soccer to Stallone's meathead American is quite fun. And it's a great "good guys win" movie that mixes the right amount of sports and WWII nostalgia.
posted by dnash at 7:28 PM on May 3, 2023 [4 favorites]
Definitely not the first reference to that movie (I haven’t seen the movie so there may be more)
9. Escape to Victory
There are a plethora of sports references to both real and fictional teams in Ted Lasso. One of the latter is in Season 1, Episode 7, "Make Rebecca Great Again." When Coach Beard is strategizing and writing names on the white board many fans noticed he wrote the name "HATCH" in the goalkeeper's spot. In case you had any doubt that was a reference to the 1981 movie, Victory, in which Sylvester Stallone plays a goalkeeper named Robert Hatch, just check the rest of the names on the board(opens in a new tab). Beard's got the whole lineup on there. King.
posted by TwoWordReview at 5:11 PM on May 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
9. Escape to Victory
There are a plethora of sports references to both real and fictional teams in Ted Lasso. One of the latter is in Season 1, Episode 7, "Make Rebecca Great Again." When Coach Beard is strategizing and writing names on the white board many fans noticed he wrote the name "HATCH" in the goalkeeper's spot. In case you had any doubt that was a reference to the 1981 movie, Victory, in which Sylvester Stallone plays a goalkeeper named Robert Hatch, just check the rest of the names on the board(opens in a new tab). Beard's got the whole lineup on there. King.
posted by TwoWordReview at 5:11 PM on May 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Roy making bad puns and then getting mad at Ted for making him into the kind of person who makes bad puns did it for me.
Yes, this. I don’t believe for a moment that Roy Kent has the first clue who ZZ Top is. But for the sake of that joke, I’ll allow it.
posted by Naberius at 8:23 PM on May 16, 2023 [3 favorites]
Yes, this. I don’t believe for a moment that Roy Kent has the first clue who ZZ Top is. But for the sake of that joke, I’ll allow it.
posted by Naberius at 8:23 PM on May 16, 2023 [3 favorites]
This was really fun to watch. The last scene, Sam and Ola, was a beautiful expression of parent & child. Absolutely lovely, had to watch it a couple times.
posted by theora55 at 8:22 PM on May 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by theora55 at 8:22 PM on May 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
Late to all this and I know the series has ended, but the Nate/Jade and Keeley/Jack relationships feel very much like learning lessons for the characters. No spoilers obviously!
As to Nate needing a better or fuller redemption arc, I agree emotionally, but want to note that Ted forgave Rebecca's immediately when she revealed the sabotage. So it'll be interesting to see how this all goes for the character.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:20 AM on June 26, 2023
As to Nate needing a better or fuller redemption arc, I agree emotionally, but want to note that Ted forgave Rebecca's immediately when she revealed the sabotage. So it'll be interesting to see how this all goes for the character.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:20 AM on June 26, 2023
I like every scene with Nate and Derek, if only to see the two of the more idiosyncratic Dictionary Corner guests crossing paths.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:49 AM on November 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:49 AM on November 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
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Sam’s dad is the best, and I wonder what to make of the two “Sams told me so much about you moments”
(Will cosplaying Beard was the bestest though)
posted by TwoWordReview at 10:46 PM on April 25, 2023 [9 favorites]