Did I miss closure on Rebecca’s matchbook?
I’m glad I stuck with the show but still annoyed with the Rebecca/Sam arc. Terrible on so many levels. Glad they just dropped it.

My take...

It was pretty clear to me Kiely did not choose Roy or Jamie. She has been in relationships the whole show and "chose herself" for now. This also allows Roy and Jamie's friendship to continue.

While I thought the Beard scene on the plane was odd, it makes sense to me that he had trouble admitting to Ted that he wasn't going to go home. Remember the last episode how we learned that Ted rescued Beard... Beard probably felt enormous guilt telling Ted he wasn't going. So he didn't... until he felt like he was at the point of no return.

I think they were setting up Michelle and the therapist to split up in the scene where they were watching the game but it's not totally clear.

The one thing I'm a little unsure of (which was mentioned above) was - did all the future scenes really happen or was that in Ted's dream/imagination? I hope they happened... Rebecca with her Dutchman, Jamie with his dad, Beard getting married, etc., but I think it was a little ambiguous.

I didn't love this season as much as the others (the first was really magical) - the episodes dragged and I agree that the stuff with Kiely and Jack was awful. But I thought it wrapped up nicely (especially if the future scenes were real!)

I know there are rumors they are setting up a spin-off or future seasons but I just can't imagine it would be the same without Ted.

Anonymous wrote:The whole point of the show is that life is not about the big moments and the grand gestures. It’s about relationships and all the small moments that make up those relationships. That’s why Ted went back to the US and that’s why the writers did not defers the need to show Nate quitting, etc. They are writing from a thematic perspective.

Except the final episode focuses a lot on big moments and grand gestures (the Sound of Music goodbye, the team's last "court", Ted's final team pep talks, the final match, Beard faking sick to get off the plane, etc.) while skipping over or not even showing smaller moments that are more about relationships between the characters (Ted and Beard discussing leaving, Ted telling Rebecca he decided to leave).

Even the smaller moments that we DO see, were handled a lot in montage, which can be effective but is not really "writing" relationships -- it relies heavily on soundtrack and tugging emotional strings instead of on dialogue and acting. For instance, we see in montage that Dr. Fieldstone has taken a job with the team and also that Roy has decided to start therapy. This is a nice moment for both characters and I liked it as a way to wrap up their stories, but it's like 10 seconds of screen time and all that information is conveyed not with words or emotions or interaction, but with the Cat Stevens score and some signposting (Sharon's title on the door, Roy playing with the toy soldier and then looking up).

The final episode was all about big set pieces and actually sacrificed some of the smaller moments to fit them in.

Not saying that's right or wrong -- I really enjoyed some of the big moments. Just disagreeing that the finale matched what you claim is the whole point of the show.

Anonymous wrote:The whole point of the show is that life is not about the big moments and the grand gestures. It’s about relationships and all the small moments that make up those relationships. That’s why Ted went back to the US and that’s why the writers did not defers the need to show Nate quitting, etc. They are writing from a thematic perspective.

I disagree and think you’re making excuses for a pretty bad season because you love the show.

This sums up my feelings: https://ew.com/tv/tv-reviews/ted-lasso-season-3-finale-review-so-long-farewell/

Apologies if someone already linked to this.

The whole point of the show is that life is not about the big moments and the grand gestures. It’s about relationships and all the small moments that make up those relationships. That’s why Ted went back to the US and that’s why the writers did not defers the need to show Nate quitting, etc. They are writing from a thematic perspective.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hated the bit with the opposing West Ham coach and his crotch shot when Rupert pushed him down. What a crass joke in the midst of real dramatic tension.

It wasn't a crass joke - it was Rupert showing in public what he usually hides: his cruelty. It also helped Nate's redemption in the public eye - people can see how horrible and vicious Rupert is, and put together that this may be why Nate left, too.

Sorry, I misunderstood - you were talking about the junk on display. I think another person caught what we missed - it was a callback to the first episode.

I also really liked the very understated way in which the ref told him to tuck it in after he stood back up. That seemed to me very British — both blunt and understated at the same time.

I really think the Jamie character arc is the best of the series and shows what a difference on man can make. Jamie was very set on a path where he was going to let his arrogance and his lack of mooring just squander his natural talent and any hope of real relationships. Ted showed him another way and even more importantly showed Roy that he could be the kind of person that makes a difference in someone’s life (remember that scene from the first season where Ted basically gets Roy to step up as a leader?). It leads to a total 180 for Jamie and changes the whole course of his life in a way that I found very natural and believable. (More so than the Nate trajectory which I found a little unnatural or nonsensical at times.). I don’t know why but at some point I had the impression Jamie’s mom had died, though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hated the bit with the opposing West Ham coach and his crotch shot when Rupert pushed him down. What a crass joke in the midst of real dramatic tension.

It wasn't a crass joke - it was Rupert showing in public what he usually hides: his cruelty. It also helped Nate's redemption in the public eye - people can see how horrible and vicious Rupert is, and put together that this may be why Nate left, too.

Sorry, I misunderstood - you were talking about the junk on display. I think another person caught what we missed - it was a callback to the first episode.

Also, for those of us who went to high school in the 80s—all of the coaches wore those shorts (and at my high school at least, these were definitely former athletes who had let themselves go) so I’m sure the writers were poking fun at that too.

I did think it was a little odd that we never found out what was the final straw for Nate with Rupert and also we don’t know who keely picks (or no one!). I really thought both she and Jamie were going to realize that their relationship was actually pretty weird in that she was as obviously a mommy substitute for him — eg a woman who encouraged him and helped mother him, get his shit together. But he’s got his own self confidence now and basically got his shit together so he doesn’t need keely or mommy doing that for him now. I think for his story arc he really needed to step away from keely.

I also loved how Rebecca was reaching out to help the little Dutch girl before she saw the dad. It just really was a moment that showed both how much she loved kids and also what a kind person she is. Not a lot of millionaire fancy rich people that would worry about the skinned ones of a little girl they didn’t know. She’d be an awesome step mom I think—loving, not too pushy, not insecure about her role.

I wished she got the shortbread recipe from Ted before he left. He should have left it for her in a little pink box on her desk.

Anonymous wrote:Glad the spitting stopped- my most hated recurring bit in the show, hated it in inverse proportion to how much I loved Roy’s “Whistle!”

We must be twins. Totally agree on both.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hated the bit with the opposing West Ham coach and his crotch shot when Rupert pushed him down. What a crass joke in the midst of real dramatic tension.

It wasn't a crass joke - it was Rupert showing in public what he usually hides: his cruelty. It also helped Nate's redemption in the public eye - people can see how horrible and vicious Rupert is, and put together that this may be why Nate left, too.

Sorry, I misunderstood - you were talking about the junk on display. I think another person caught what we missed - it was a callback to the first episode.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hated the bit with the opposing West Ham coach and his crotch shot when Rupert pushed him down. What a crass joke in the midst of real dramatic tension.

The crotch shot was a callback to the first episode when Rebecca fired him.

Oh my gosh I totally forgot about that!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The episode prior to the finale, Ted told Rebecca they needed to talk. We knew/assumed it was to tell her he's quitting.

Some people would have preferred to see it, rather than just have it implied. When you are invested in characters, it's a lot less fun or interesting to simply be told later "yup, that's what they decided."

It was the same when Nate quit -- many viewers were frustrated that the show didn't bother include a pivotal scene between two important characters.

If you have time for a 5 minute musical number and multiple locker room speeches, you have time to show us two characters experiencing in real time a really significant moment in their lives.

This season wasted so much time on weird stuff (like Keely's entire relationship with Jack, for starters) but then glossed right over a bunch of central plot lines. I don't get it.

DP. That’s because they assumed the audience was smart enough not to need a literal play-by-play.

lol. It’s not about smarts. It’s about enjoying the growth, the experience, the development along the way. Would you have valued it more if Nate had just told someone random Aw Jamie put in extra money this time and a few years ago he just chucked in his gum!
Nope.
Seeing it and enjoying it as a part of the show is part of why you watch it. The show really suffered without bill Lawrence who knew that the big emotional payout needs to be seen to be…. BELIEVED.
That said I loved it all and will miss it! Even with its flaws.

This. I'm the PP above who was told I needed too much handholding. It's not that I need everything explained, it's that I had invested years in these characters and wanted to actually see them experience these things, not just hear about it later. It's a testament to the characters and the show that I was invested enough to be disappointed about all the stuff they randomly decided to have happen off screen this season.

I'll never quite understand the time devoted to Jack, specifically. Just a whole character and relationship they decided to devote significant screen time to over multiple episodes, only to get rid of quickly and have her barely referenced again, much less playing a role in the way the Keeley's storyline wrapped up. She was 100% a plot device.

I would have loved to simply find out via exposition that Keely's investor had pulled funding inexplicably and she was devastated, and then still get the stuff with her restarting up with funding from Rebecca and working with Barbara, which are the aspects of that story that were funny and interesting. And then there would have been time to maybe show Ted in therapy a bit, or show Ted and Beard discussing Ted wanting to go home or feeling conflicted about it.

I really disliked the Jack character, and thought the show spent way too much time on that relationship - but I wonder if it did pay off. It makes sense that after Keely went through the confusing breakup with Roy, then the confusing relationship with Jack, that she'd want some time without having to really get into something with another person - even if it's these two treasures of men who are vying for her attention. She didn't say it, but it does make sense - she's had enough of other people needing her like that for a while.

Anonymous wrote:I hated the bit with the opposing West Ham coach and his crotch shot when Rupert pushed him down. What a crass joke in the midst of real dramatic tension.

It wasn't a crass joke - it was Rupert showing in public what he usually hides: his cruelty. It also helped Nate's redemption in the public eye - people can see how horrible and vicious Rupert is, and put together that this may be why Nate left, too.

Anonymous wrote:I loved the finale. I'm really glad Roy is the new head coach, I love him.

In my imagination Roy ends up with Keely and continues to try to change for the better including only using really bad language like the F word and the C word around adults.

nice callback

Anonymous wrote:Alcohol is also not allowed at your seats during Premier League games. Yes, there are reasons (tragedies) for this.

Do you think all the paid US youth travel soccer coaches are out there thinking, wow, I should be more like Ted Lasso?

I wish my kids' travel coaches had been more like Ted Lasso. Telling a 10-year-old "that pass sucked", and during practice not even a game, isn't exactly inspiring.