#ted going to kansas is also fine

[cleargreyskies]

It has now been 12 hours after I watched it and I have finally made up my mind that I am underwhelmed by the Ted Lasso finale. (spoilers and typos in the tags)

#ted lasso spoilers #it felt so sad for ted. leaving without having much to remember the team by. everyone portrayed as happy and together in london while ted #returns to the single house in suburbia. seemingly not reflecting on his past trauma enough. #i absolutely think him going back to kansas makes the most narrative sense but the finale lacked closure #i would have been fine with him being seen skyping or visiting everyone/anyone in london #like this it was just a bit too sad #also! trent's book should ABSOLUTELY have been named after him! him rejecting trent's title added to the sadness for me #i would have liked to see some narration from trent as closing words maybe #also: the cracks shown between michelle and dr jacob were unnecessary! not that i ever liked the guy but i disliked the final implied #message here #overall the finale just didn't tie things up enough and thrww in some new elements of confusion that were left open kn a way that was not #satisfying to me (dutch guy. the roy vs jamie about keeley moments.) #they could have gone for the full fairytale ending (with ted leaving for kansas) in my opinion! #this way i was just underwhelmed even thoigh the whole show was a constant 9/10 all the time and both a comfort wagch and something that #kept my attention for the full duration of each episode (a compliment) #i have more thoughts #ted lasso s3 #ted lasso s3 spoilers #ted lasso

[pandorasprongs]

JAMIE TARTT | call it what you want.

PAIRING: jamie tartt x fem!reader

WORD COUNT: 5.7k

SUMMARY: reader's family comes to visit london and she ends up having to hide her relationship with jamie till the final game of the season.

WARNINGS: language, innuendos

A/N: this is technically a sequel to my comfort crowd story that was my first one about jamie, but it can be read as a standalone too! would recommend reading it first since it gives a little backstory to the garden and reader's past relationship. also, you'll probably be able to tell that i rewatched match scene in the finale for a certain scene AHAHAHA i really wanted to show jamie's more affectionate side, so there's def a few cheesy scenes in here! the title is taken from 'call it what you want' by taylor swift

It's midnight when you hear a knock on your door. Any reasonable person would've ignored it and/or hid in case it was some axe murderer. Of course, you knew it wasn't a murderer, just your boyfriend.

"I thought I said you couldn't stay over tonight?" You say when you open the door to reveal Jamie, whose expression quickly turns into a pouty face.

"I know, but I missed you," You playfully roll your eyes, yet are unable to stop your smile. Christ, he could be annoying, but he could also be pretty sweet. Those two balanced each other out.

"Fine, come in, but you can’t sleep here," You take his hand and bring him inside your flat. He plants a kiss on your temple and the two of you settle down on the couch, which for you was a deserved reward.

The reason why you were up so late despite having to work in the morning was that you had been trying to make your place spotless before your brother and his family came to visit the next day. They had already been in England for a few days but were only coming to London now to visit you and to attend the final Richmond match of the season.

"How's the cleaning going?" Jamie asks, as he wraps one arm around you and reaches for the remote in the other one.

"Took five hours, but at least it’s done." You sigh as you settle closer to Jamie. Even if you had warned him not to come over tonight, you still appreciated his presence.

When you started dating, you never expected the football player to be so clingy, but not even a day after your first date, he was already hanging around you every chance he got.

You couldn’t even hide it from the team because the moment Sam caught the two of you arriving at the clubhouse together, that was it for you guys. They were happy for the two of you, though sometimes too happy, especially whenever you had to call Jamie for a physical and they automatically assumed it was code for something.

"How was practice?"

"Good. The team's having a hard time mastering the start though. The timing's always off," He explains about the surprise goodbye performance they were doing for Ted and Beard. 

They had been planning it from the moment they heard the news the two of them were leaving for Kansas at the end of the season. Well, right after they all finished processing — through crying, screaming, protesting, and the like — the news.

"You guys will do fine," you take the remote from his hand and start looking for a certain movie. "Plus, even if you fuck it up, I��m sure they’ll love it regardless." That gets Jamie to chuckle and you feel the vibrations from his chest.

"How about this? Let's watch the Sound of Music, so you can try and copy one of the von Trapp siblings!" You suggest as you press play on the movie. Jamie doesn't protest and simply wraps his other arm around you too.

You look up at your boyfriend and suddenly feel a pang of guilt. "I'm really sorry,"

You don't need to explain further because Jamie instantly understands. He kisses you on your forehead, "Stop saying that. I know you don't want your family to know you're dating such a talented football player because you're afraid one of them will try and steal me from you."

You remove yourself from Jamie before playfully pushing his head. "Yeah, that's exactly right." The both of you laugh as Jamie pulls you in again.

You had already explained why you were hiding it from them back when you found out they were visiting. You had already been dating Jamie for a couple of months, but not a single person back home knew. 

Most of your family knew about the disastrous way your last relationship ended and you were sure they'd be extra protective about the next guy. As much as you loved being with Jamie and knew he wasn’t that guy anymore, you knew that your football-obsessed family was aware of who he used to be.  Stories of the multiple scandals, hook-ups, and rumors of unsportsmanlike conduct throughout the years were the exact reason you were so afraid to tell them. Those were in the past and you knew that, but you weren’t so sure how to convince your family of that, too. 

Jamie, true to form as the prick he is, completely understood and never tried to pressure you to tell them. He was even the one to tell the whole team that your brother was coming to visit and they had to, in his words, shut the fuck up about your relationship.

This was probably the last night for a few days you two could comfortably spend together, so you didn't really want to force him away. The two of you just sat there watching a Julie Andrews classic where you'd occasionally hear Jamie sing along to the musical numbers.

It was around 2 am when the movie finished and now, he definitely had to go home. Even then, you had a hard time separating yourself from Jamie, but your rational brain was telling you it would be bad for a secret relationship if your family caught him in the apartment.

"See you tomorrow, yeah?" Jamie says as he opens the front door.

Instead of responding, you plant a kiss on his lips, catching him by surprise. He's quick to wrap his arms around your waist as he reciprocates it. You separate and finally, answer him. "Yup, see you tomorrow." Jamie gives you one last hug and a kiss on the cheek before he leaves your apartment. 

You look around your place for a second, seeing if there's anything you need to fix up before tomorrow. Once you assess that it's as clean as it can be, you go to your room and catch some much-needed sleep.

——

When you hear a knock at your door, you drag yourself out of your bed and to the living room. Before you can even twist the doorknob, you hear a voice on the other side, "You should be awake by now!"

"I am!" you respond, as you open the door. You're greeted by the sight of your older brother Frank, your sister-in-law Denise, and their son Gregory.

"Hello, family," you say drowsily, as the three of them envelope you with a hug. Once they let go, you lead them inside your apartment. "How's your vacation so far?"

"Oh, amazing. I get why you moved to Europe," Denise answers, as she looks around your flat. "They have you set up pretty nice here, huh?" She plops down on your couch and pulls Gregory down next to her.

"Yup," you head to the kitchen to make the three of them some drinks. "So, what do you two plan to do while Gregory comes to work with me?" They had already told you ages ago that Gregory wanted to visit the clubhouse badly, but you knew it was also free babysitting.

"Sightseeing mostly," your brother replies, grabbing his cup of tea from you. When you take a seat next to Denise and your nephew, the former leans into you and whispers, "And get into places where 18 and unders can't." 

You chuckle and she plants a kiss on her son's head. As they enjoy their drinks, the three of you start catching up. You steer clear of any questions about relationships and instead focus on you being a physical therapist for a football team.

"Do their feet smell?" Gregory asks and you nod your head.

"Extremely, so always remember to wash your feet, okay?" You reply and the 8-year-old gives you a thumbs up and drinks his hot chocolate.

The topic then shifts to the upcoming final game between Richmond and West Ham. You managed to get the 3 of them tickets, — thank you, Higgins, — which they said was the perfect way to end their trip.

"I'll get you some shirts today, too. Gregory's gonna help me pick them out, yeah?" You turn to your nephew who is more than excited to do so.

"Nice," your brother reacts. "I'd appreciate an Obisanya one."

"Yup, and I want a Colin Hughes one if they're available. And of course, this one here," Denise pulls Gregory into a hug, "wants the captain's jersey."

"Will do," you make a mental note, before excusing yourself to get ready for work. 

You’re freshening up in your bathroom when you hear your nephew call out to you. "Mom's asking if you have an extra blanket!" 

"Check my room!" You hear him go to the room across and as he passes you again, he shouts a quick 'Thank you!'

Once you’re done getting changed, you head back to the living room. All three of them were ready to head out, so you lock up and hail a taxi to the AFC Richmond clubhouse. On the drive there, the seatbelt was practically the only thing stopping Gregory from bouncing up and down in the car. 

When you get there, you find some members of the team along with the Director of Football Operations standing front and center near the entrance of the building. You thank the driver and grab Gregory by the hand. You say goodbye to his parents, and since they’re so excited to have some alone time, they don't even bother looking up at the scene in front of them.

"What's all this?" You say as you approach the entrance. Gregory, despite his excitement, was now walking more cautiously, lagging behind you. When they hear your voice, the team finally settles down.

"Well, a little birdie told me that you'd be bringing someone special to work today and so we decided to assemble the Richmond Welcome Committee for him." You stare at all of them in disbelief and your smile grows wider. You find Jamie in the group, whose smug expression tells you exactly who it was.

"Hello there, Gregory," Higgins turns to your nephew and sticks his hand out, who is still hiding behind you. You move to the side and crouch down next to him, so he feels more at ease.

"Hi," your nephew finally speaks up and shakes his hand. 

Higgins then bends down to the eye level of your nephew. "Welcome to AFC Richmond! We prepared a little gift for you if that's okay."

Gregory nods his head. Higgins and the rest of the team start doing a drumroll and move out of the way to reveal Isaac, with a personalized jersey. You exhale in disbelief and turn to your nephew. 

"What do you say, Greg?" Said nephew was too awestruck by his favorite player to even move. 

After a few seconds, he finally ran up to Isaac and hugged his favorite player. The team captain was now the one in shock, but slowly reciprocated it. Gregory then lets go and accepts the jersey from him. The rest of the team moves to crowd the boy and start talking with him. Almost immediately, your nephew transforms from his former terrified state to the life of the party.

You moved to the side to give them space and thank Higgins, who just shook his head. "It's no problem," he started. "Henry doesn't come here that often anymore, so it was nice to do this for another kid." You smile, before noticing Jamie going toward you.

"And here's the little birdie now," Higgins jokes before excusing himself. You see the team busy entertaining Gregory, so you take the chance to plant a kiss on Jamie's cheek.

"If only the tabloids knew how sweet the striker of AFC Richmond could be." You whisper afterward.

"I know, I'm a great not-boyfriend." He continues to show his smug smirk and before you can reply, you notice that your nephew is starting to look for you.

You put enough distance between you and Jamie to seem platonic, "Greg?" You catch his attention and see him already wearing his jersey over his shirt.

"Can we go inside now?" He asks and you nod your head.

You turn back to the "welcome committee," and thank them. "This was so great." They wave goodbye to the both of you — with Isaac giving Gregory a high-five — as they head to the field for training.

Once you're alone again, Gregory turns to you. "That was so much fun!" You laugh at the boy's reaction as you settle down in your office.

For about 2 hours, you had to deal with the boy asking you about every detail of the papers in front of you. Vitals, size charts, diagrams, he was curious about all of it. A part of you hoped that he'd want to talk about something, anything else, but you soon regret wishing that.

"Auntie (Y/N), is Jamie Tartt your favorite player?" You try and hide your shock at the question. He's 8 years old and it's probably an innocent question.

"Yes, he is." You answer honestly and turn your chair to the treatment table where Gregory was lying down. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I saw you talking to him earlier." He observes, sitting up and looking like he's about to launch into a whole monologue. "And I saw a lot of his jerseys in your room too, so I thought you must be a fan. But you work here, so are you guys close?"

Maybe you should have closed the closet door before sending him in there. You try and keep your calm. "Kind of. I mean I'm close to all of the players, in a way."

If Gregory thinks anything is off, he doesn't show it. Instead, he nods his head and goes back to his comic book as you continue to work on some reports for the players.

Once you finish, you bring Gregory to watch the morning training. His parents were going to pick him up during lunch, so you only had to keep up the charade for just a little longer. The team was doing a few drills when you got there and Ted spots the two of you approaching. He immediately runs over and greets, "Is this the little guy? Hi, I'm Ted."

What was it with dads and shaking little kid's hands? Gregory, already getting used to meeting such famous football personnel, took his hand and shook it as firmly as an 8-year-old could. Jamie was too busy with his drills to notice you there and you’ve never been more relieved about that.

After spending the next hour watching the game from the stands, it was time for lunch and you headed to the car park to find Frank and Denise. You smile at them and hand off Gregory who started telling his parents about his brand-new personalized kit.

You feel your phone vibrate and take it out to find a message from Jamie. secret boyfriend bought secret lunch for a secret date in your office ;)

You chuckle at the message and send him a quick reply before hearing Gregory mention your name. "Auntie's friends with all the players, especially Jamie Tartt. He's her favorite and they're close."

Oh, this child is going to ruin you. You try and stop yourself from overreacting, though you instead end up letting out an exaggerated laugh. "Yeah, I mentioned him being my favorite player, but he seemed to forget that I said I'm also close with all the players, not just Jamie."

Frank seemed to buy it, but you can tell that Denise was starting to pick up on things. She could always tell when you were lying, even before you left for London. After you had broken up with Matt, it took one call before she realized what happened. So it was only a matter of time till she figured it out, but you had hoped you could delay it till after their trip. You wave to the three of them as their taxi left the car park.

You headed back to your office to find Jamie already devouring his pasta. "Hey, I thought this was supposed to be a date?" His head snaps towards you with noodles still hanging out of his mouth.

"I didn't know how long you'd take and I need my carbs." You roll your eyes as you go to the seat across from him. Jamie puts his plate down and brings out yours.

The two of you start talking about the upcoming game this Sunday, to which you bring up your usual 'night before' ritual.

"I thought your family was gonna stay at your flat that night?" Jamie asks, but you just shrug.

"I'll find a way to escape. No way you're going to the garden without me. I'm your good luck charm, Mr. Tartt." You lean towards the football player and playfully narrow your eyes at him. He breaks into a smile and takes your hand into his.

"Yeah, you are." He says softly, and your smile starts to fade. Jamie would never say it out loud, certainly not in the clubhouse where his teammates could hear him, but his nerves always reached an all-time high before a big game. Even after the Man City match and the talk with his mum, you noticed he still felt uneasy in the days leading up to this one.

He was good at hiding it from most people, but over the months, you figured out the small tells that showed he wasn't feeling his best. That's one of the reasons Dr. Sharon suggested he find a safe space, one where he could collect himself before a game, especially like the game on Sunday.

"Hey," You get him to look back at you and squeeze his hand tighter. "You and the whole team are going to dominate. You've already guaranteed a spot in the Champions League, so you’re set for next season. Plus, your beautiful and frankly, awesome girlfriend is gonna be there in the dugout cheering you on."

Jamie pulls you in for a quick kiss as a thank you before you start to fix up the table. He then suggests a rather inappropriate after-lunch activity — "Ay! Call it a motivational activity," — and you have to physically push him out the door for his afternoon practice.

——

It's the night before the match and you were currently arguing with your brother about the sleeping situation.

"Frank, I'll be fine. There's three of you, it's a king-sized bed, and you know I love couches." This time, he gives in. You watch him disappear into your room and after five minutes, you start heading out.

You go down to find a parked car outside, with its owner leaning on the side of it scrolling through his phone. Since you had dinner with family and he got a drink with Roy, the two of you had planned to meet up later than usual.

"Told you I still knew how to sneak out." You say to him, and the moment his eyes land on you, his expression seems to relax. You approach him and ask, "How was hanging out with Roy?"

"Weird, but good," he answered as the two of you got into the car. "Told me he was proud of me."

"That's nice of him. After all those training sessions and him barging on both our doors early morning, you deserve it." You’re reminded of when Roy came to your flat at 4 am after he realized that Jamie wasn't at his own house, which ended with you scolding the coach about it.

You didn't want to make a big deal of it, but you knew how much Jamie appreciated hearing that from someone he looked up to since childhood. Especially with their history back when Jamie first joined the team.

He continued to tell you about what went down, even mentioning how he convinced Roy to go to Keeley that night and finally ask her out again. Though, he admitted he partly did that was so they could finish earlier and he could see you.

You get to the garden and despite visiting it almost every week, you’re still amazed at its beauty. You remember the first time he brought you there before you were even dating. You had been so touched that Jamie was willing to share this place with you that you ended up kissing him right then and there. 

Ever since then, you ended up going with him before games, even if the two of you would just sit there in silence and simply take in the surroundings. That's exactly what was happening tonight, with you and Jamie sitting on a bench and just observing the garden.

After a while, you took the chance to look at Jamie without him noticing. He was always the most calm here and you could tell it from his side profile alone. His jaw was relaxed, his eyes were closed and he was breathing steadily.

You suddenly get the urge to admit something. "I'll tell Frank and Denise tomorrow." Jamie looks at you as you repeat, "I'm telling them about us tomorrow, after the game."

The football player breaks into a smile, and you can't help but mirror it. If the two of them could only get a glimpse of the Jamie you knew, who was thoughtful, enthusiastic, and truly kind-hearted, they wouldn't even care about all the dumb stories of the past. 

After a little while longer, Jamie drives you home and you give him a quick goodbye kiss before heading back to your flat. You try to be as quiet as possible, turning the knob ever so slowly. You soon realized you didn't have to, as you hear someone clear their throat. You open the door to find Denise sitting on the couch in her pajamas and you freeze. "You went out?"

"Yes," you finally managed to croak out, as you closed the door behind you and leaned on it. "Wanted some fresh air."

"Fresh air? From the car I just saw you get out of?" Denise crosses her arms and you accept defeat. You say nothing as your sister-in-law asks, "Who's the guy?"

"Jamie Tartt," you admit, and her eyes almost pop out of her head.

"Oh shit, you are dating him. I really thought Gregory was just exaggerating things." You roll your eyes and join her on the couch.

You quickly plead, "Please don't tell Frank yet. I promise I’ll tell him after the match. You know, just in case he gets an urge to do bodily harm to my boyfriend."

"Come on, you know he wouldn't actually do that." You tilt your head. She adds, "He probably wouldn't. But fine, I'll keep it from him." You sigh in relief until she starts giving you a look. "So, Jamie Tartt, huh?"

You groan. "Oh God, can we not do this right now? What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing! I just didn't think you'd go for a guy like him. You know, more laidback with a slight douchy vibe."

"He is not a douche!" You're quick to defend Jamie, but now Denise narrows her eyes at you. "Not anymore. He was the one who planned that jersey thing for Greg. Would a douche do something like that?"

"Okay, okay, I believe you. He doesn’t seem like the prick from before." Denise holds her hands up in surrender. "But, I only know that because of how you're acting now." She nudges you on the shoulder and you tilt your head. 

"Look, you just seem happier, lighter. Much better than when you were with Matt. I was never going to admit it, but you should’ve ended things after college. Nothing was too toxic about your relationship, but you always looked like you were holding something back."

It was true. It took a few months of not being with him anymore to realize just how many red flags he had. Yes, he was smart, polite, and always knew exactly what to say, but he was also the first to criticize you when you didn't live up to his “standard.” You had convinced yourself that he was only trying to make you better, but in reality, he was just an ass. 

Being with Jamie is what convinced you of that. He got you out of your comfort zone to enjoy things, without ever making it feel like he was pressuring you. You did the same for him too, and instead of pushing back like Matt always did, Jamie would actually listen to what you had to say and cared what you thought.

You explain all of that to Denise and at the end of it, you're sure she's starting to see why you fell for Jamie in the first place. "I'm glad you're happy." 

You hug your sister-in-law tightly before you both start getting tired. Everyone had to get up early tomorrow, so it was best to get some rest before then.

You're already lying down and tucked into the couch, but you grab your phone and send a quick message to Jamie.

i hope you're sleeping because this is for when you wake up tomorrow. good luck and i know you'll be the best fucking player on the field!

You hit the send button before returning your phone to the table and drifting off to sleep.

——

You had planned on getting to the clubhouse earlier than usual. You had to prepare for the match and your family didn’t want to push through a bunch of people to get to their seats. 

But even then, there was already a crowd around the building. Maybe it was because this was your first time working here with the team making it to the finals, but you've never seen that many AFC Richmond fans present.

You had separated from the three of them once they got their tickets and insisted they could find their seats on their own. Because of all the chaos of getting ready and setting up with the whole crowd, you hadn't gotten a chance to check if Jamie had replied or even look for him.

It was only when Will showed up at the dugout saying that Jamie was looking for you did you see him for the first time today.

"I've been waiting for my good luck kiss," is how he greets you and you can only laugh as you embrace him. He met you outside of the locker room, so you avoided all the whistles and 'oohs' from his teammates. 

You give him a quick kiss before telling him about last night. You could see his relief when he realized that your sister-in-law did approve of him, which you almost felt guilty about. 

Jamie Tartt, world-renowned football player, was nervous about what a relative of yours thought about him. 

"I'll tell Frank later. And, if you guys win the game, maybe he won't come after you and injure your other ankle." You remind him and he chuckles, but your straight face is enough for him to take it seriously.

"Shit. I guess we do have to win." 

After hearing Ted asking everyone to huddle up, you separate from Jamie and the two of you join the crowd inside the locker room. You with the rest of the physical therapists and Jamie with the players.

You had to admit, you were a bit nervous for the game. You knew the team was doing great, but after their crying session right before the match, you were worried they'd be too teary-eyed to make it through. And in the first half, you were right to be. Despite their efforts, West Ham was ahead much to every Richmond supporter’s dismay. 

But after whatever happened in the locker room, they seemed to be picking it up. After those 3 misses, you and the rest of the people in the dugout were ecstatic when Jamie finally scored. 

But then it led to a whole different issue. Now, West Ham was focused on marking Jamie. From both a personal and professional standpoint, you were worried. Jamie's ankle could still easily be injured after what happened at Man City and Richmond would lose what was called "their central cog." 

You were grasping your medical bag as the game continued, ready at any moment to rush over there. You flinched when Jamie fell to the ground, but when the referee called for a penalty, you knew this was one of his tricks and you sighed in relief. 

He looks at you with one of his signature smirks as he's pulled up by Sam. You playfully shake your head and roll your eyes, as the teams get ready for the kick.

And thank God Isaac was able to get it in the net. Well, through it? You could feel Gregory's excitement over it, even if you weren't sure where they were in the crowd.

After eavesdropping on Rupert Mannion ordering his manager to "take out" Jamie, you felt a lump forming in your throat. But at least George still had some integrity, even if you ended up seeing his balls after he gets pushed. As Rupert got heckled off the pitch, Jamie catches your eyes.

He notices your worried expression and gives you a reassuring look. It was his way of saying "Don't worry, you think they can take me out?" You not as the players head back onto the field.

Even then, the players were completely boxing Jamie in, but you watched as Ted signaled a strategy for the free kick which they seem to understand quickly. Jamie's trying everything to get Bumbercatch's attention, but the moment he sends it Sam's way, you know exactly what's going on.

"Go, go, go," You whisper, on the edge of your seat. You're squeezing Will's arm a little too tight, but even he is too immersed in the game to care.

Sam gets the ball in and the whole stadium erupts in cheers. You wait, but when the final whistle was blown, you and Will start celebrating too. The whole team starts running onto the pitch and at that point, you weren't thinking. 

The moment your eyes landed on Jamie, you were running across the pitch towards him. He catches you in his arms and pulls you into a kiss. You deepen it as if you weren't surrounded by thousands of people right then and there.

You break apart for a split second to say, "You guys absolutely smashed it. I knew you would win." 

He pulls you back for another kiss, before smiling against your lips. "You aren't worried about your brother seeing us?"

The thought hadn't occurred to you at that moment, but you try and find them in the crowd, still not removing yourself from Jamie's grasp. With all the chaos, you give up and just shrug it off, turning back to the football player. 

"I don't really care anymore." You admit as you laugh.

Jamie pulls you into a hug and spins you around in the air. You laugh and hold onto him tightly. When he puts you down, you find your family coming toward the two of you. Frank is the only one who seemed shocked by this whole ordeal, with Denise simply smirking and Gregory being distracted by all the people celebrating on the field.

"Right, hi Frank," you start and you slide your hand down from his arm to intertwine it with Jamie's hand to steady yourself. "Did I forget to tell you I have a boyfriend now?"

"Yeah, I don't think it's come up, no," He replies.

Jamie takes a step forward and stretches his other arm for a handshake. "Hello, it's nice to meet you. I'm Jamie—"

"Jamie Tartt, yes." Your brother firmly grasps his hand. "I know who you are." Jamie's legs buckle slightly at Frank's strength, but Denise puts a warning hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Not too hard, honey." which prompts Frank to finally let go of Jamie.

It's a few minutes of silence, — well, as quiet as a celebrating football stadium could be — before you finally try and escape the situation. "Maybe we should let Jamie celebrate with his team!"

"Yes, of course! Congratulations, Jamie! You guys did amazing." Denise says, causing Jamie to flash a genuine smile.

"Yes, you and your team did great," Frank adds on, notably less enthusiastic. "Especially with that last shot from Obisanya." Of course, he had to add his favorite player to this.

You try and pull Jamie away to bring him to his celebrating team, but your brother pulls him into a hug, forcing you to let go of Jamie's hand. You watch Frank whisper something in his ear, before letting go. He then says out loud, "Congratulations on making the Champions League. Can't wait to see you guys play next season."

All Jamie can do is nod in gratitude, as he seems to still be processing what happened before that. You decide to thank him on your boyfriend's behalf.

"See you guys later!" You say to your family as you bring Jamie away from them, his expression slightly worrying you. Once you put a safe amount of distance between them, you whisper, "What did he say?"

"Nothing," Jamie pursed his lips. "Just that he'd make my life a living hell and find a way to ruin my career if I broke your heart." He laughs it off, but you can hear a slight shakiness in his voice.

"Alright then," you interlock your arms with Jamie's, but neither confirm nor deny the truth in his statement.

"That was a joke, right?" Jamie tries to ask but you just shrug. His face almost turns white, but you laugh and instead, he playfully narrows his eyes at you. "That's not funny."

"Well, I’m pretty sure you aren't going to break my heart, so you'll never have to find out. You plant a kiss on his cheek and remove yourself from him. “Now go, celebrate your win!" 

You push him to the rest of his teammates, who are in the middle of celebrating, but he's quick to grab your arm and pull you close. "I know how I want to celebrate this win." He moves in for yet another kiss.

You briefly wonder if this is being televised and if it might be how all your friends and family back home find out, but you'd deal with that later. Right now, it's just you and Jamie. 

And you've always wanted that celebratory field kiss.

#jamie tartt #jamie tartt x reader #ted lasso #jamie tartt fanfiction #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tartt fic #jamie tartt fluff #ted lasso fanfic #jamie tartt fanfic

[celsfandomrave]

Ted Lasso Costume Deep Dive

I asked if anyone would be interested if I did a deep dive analysis into the Costume Design of Ted Lasso and people seemed to be very interested!

I work as what is called a Stitcher for opera and theatrical costumes which means I am one of the people who sews the costumes you see people wearing on stage. I am not a costume designer and I have never worked in TV. That said, many of the people I work with have worked in TV and I work with costume designers everyday, so I like to think I have a relatively realistic idea of what choices are intentional and what are not. This is my costume design degree put to use.

Part 1: Ted Lasso

Ted has simultaneously the most and least interesting costume design in the show so let’s talk about it and why I am freaking out about Ted’s orange shirt in Sunflowers.

With only very few exceptions here is a list of colors Ted wears:

White

Beige

Grey

Blue (Navy, Light Medium)

IF Ted wears a suit if will be black with a white shirt and a red tie for special occassions or a black tie for funerals

IF Ted is seen in his sleepwear it will be a pair of grey joggers with either a blue shirt, a black “Joe Arthur” T-shirt, or a Kansas City T-Shirt

IF Ted is seen at training or around the club just before or after he will be wearing some combination of (depending on weather):

White or grey polo shirt

Navy Blue Richmond Track Pants

Nav Blue Richmond Track Jacket

Orange Tinted Aviators

White Richmond Visor

On very rare occassions Ted will wear a RED POLO SHIRT. This is outside of Ted’s normal uniform.

The first time we see this shirt in Season 1 Episode 6, Ted is taking off his wedding ring. This immediately establishes that red polo means something is off in Ted’s world, even if it’s something minor. He might wear this shirt more than we actually see in the show but I would think of this as the shirt he wears if he hasn’t had time to do laundry.

This rule continues

Season 2 Episode 2

Ted is dealing with the fact that Dr. Feldstone is staying and the dinamics at the club are changing.

Season 2 Episode 3

Worn as Led Tasso. As though I needed  help proving this meant something was off.

Season 2 Episode 6

When he wears the shirt early in the episode it seems like there is very little going on with him, everything is fine. So why do we get red shirt Ted? and then he gets a panic attack in the middle of a game. That red shirt was the only indication that something was wrong.

Season 3 Episode 5

The Team are in a losing streak following the game with West Ham. He is also wearing it when he finds out about the bullying situation with Henry.

Other exceptions to the rule that I’m not reading too much into, due to them not being quite as noticeable:

Season 2 Episode 5

Ted wears this brownish yellow sweatshirt under his Navy Richmond jacket. I will let this slide because it is mostly covered by the jacket and it is very cold and snowy during this episode.

Season 3 Episode 1

Ted wears a green sweater dropping off his son at the airport. The green doesn’t stand out as much as the red or orange shirt do. I do think this is sort of an indication that we are getting a Ted in season 3 who branches out a little bit more.

Season 3 Episode 3

Ted wears a maroon sweater with a pocket to Sam’s restaurant. Notably, we have seen this sweater in Navy previously. Ted is branching out in colors but only when it is a style he knows he likes. This is also the same style as the orange shirt.

And now SEASON 3 EPISODE 6 he shows up in ORANGE out of nowhere.

and hopefully you understand why I am freaking out enough to do a breakdown of the whole show.

A few things I’d like to note.

The fact that Ted has a reasonably constrained wardrobe doesn’t really surprise me. The way these sorts of shows tend to work is that they will shop for a character’s closet. Even Keeley repeats, if not whole outfits, pieces of them at times. Ted is not the most fashion forward guy, it makes sense that he has a relatively short number of outfits. That said, Coach beard has much more variated style than Ted.

In the episode, what does the Orange shirt tie Ted to?

To me, the most obvious answer to this is actually Colin. Yes, you could argue that he is being tied to to Sunflower painting, maybe to the tea, maybe to the warm colors or the houseboat but if you are going to argue any of those, Colin is being tied to the same thing. I could definitely see both Ted and Colin being tied to the sunflowers. We are definitely meant to compare Ted to Van Gogh in the museum seen. Both are Inspiring creative people who are trying to get past their “inner demons”. Perhaps we are supposed to see that Colin is also one of these people or perhaps it is meant to connect Ted’s journey with Colin’s sexuality storyline. I genuinely don’t know the answer, but Ted’s costume tells me that something is going on.

Stay tuned for future parts where I will reveal which 2 characters are wearing the same distinctive T-shirt and have a similar freak out about Rebecca breaking all of her clothing rules.

Part 2

#ted lasso #ted lasso spoilers #ted lasso costumes #ted lasso costume design #ted lasso meta #tedependent

[my-soupy-brain]

ted and y/n go visit dottie for the holidays and she keeps nagging at ted that he let himself go since she last saw him and y/n jumps to his defense 🥰

It's getting close to the holiday so I wanna squeeze this in. I think this could be really sweet with a little angst. So let's gooo!

---

Relationship: Ted Lasso x reader

Warnings: Angst + comfort + cuteness

---

Ted took a deep breath as he parked the rental car in front of his mother's house in Kansas.

"You okay, babe?" you ask, squeezing his big, warm hand. He tries to smile but you can see the worry bunched between his brows and in his deep hazel eyes.

"We'll be okay. I promise," you answer, kissing his hand, his smile growing.

Everything goes alright at first. Dottie wraps you both in a big hug, she's smiley and pleasant. You have a lovely dinner she made -- homemade barbecue and cornbread, Ted's favorite. Afterward, she offers coffee or something to drink, and you and Ted take your seats in the living room.

You smile and marvel at the photos of a younger Theodore Lasso, his eyes bright with round apple cheeks, all over the walls in various sports uniforms and photos with him and his mom.

Ted starts to relax on the sofa, his hand still holding yours, when Dottie brings out coffee and sets it on the coffee table in front of you.

"Thank you," you smile, and she gives a terse, rigid smile in return.

A little icy. But let's proceed.

"So, how was your flight?" she asks brightly, taking a sip. "I can't imagine a flight that long."

You chuckle and smile. "It wasn't so bad. We had one layover that was short and sweet, but we got here in once piece and that's what matters."

Ted smiles.

"I like the color you painted the shutters," he says, leaning forward a little. "Looks nice."

Dottie waves it off. "Oh, that? Mrs. Benson's son Robert did that for me. He's always home doing handiwork on her house."

Ted clears his throat. "That's nice, Momma."

Dottie continues, "Yeah, he's there all the time. He visits her often, actually, even if not just for home improvements. She's really lucky."

Ted clears his throat again and looks down, his hands wringing together nervously.

"It's too bad I can't say the same for you..."

She takes a self-confident sip of coffee and smiles tightly at us again and I take a breath.

"It's hard for us to get home, with Ted's job and my job. I'm glad Mrs. Benson can have that time with her son, but some jobs just aren't so flexible," you offer. Dottie's face goes stern.

There's a beat of silence that feels like an hour.

"Robert also has been running in some local charity 5Ks," she say, talking about this woman's son as if it were her own.

Ted looks up at her. His breath is stalled as he waits for what he assumes is coming.

And it does.

"You could use some runnin' in your life, Teddy. You're gettin' a little tire in the middle there. London food that fatty?"

Nope. Not on your watch.

"Excuse me. Mrs. Lasso," you offer.

"Dottie," she corrects.

"Fine. Dottie. Your son is just fine the way he is. He's handsome and brilliant. He's brought an incredible skill to this team of young men they never had before," you offer, she interrupts.

"Ha! What's that, showin' how to feel sorry for yourself?"

You take a deep breath in your nose.

"The opposite. How to heal yourself. How to be better. How to move forward. How to be honest with yourself and with each other," you start, and you let the next words tumble. "Something you could stand to learn from."

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me."

Dottie sits and stares at you while you glower at her. How dare she rub Ted's face in all these things -- not visiting enough, not being trim enough. What kind of mother is she?

"I am madly in love with your son because most of all he's a good person. He puts everyone first except himself!"

She sighs, feels a tinge of guilt rush through her body, and sips her coffee.

"And above all else, he's perfectly exactly as God or the universe made him. Every inch of him. Inside and out. He's perfect," you say the last part softly, looking back at Ted, who's leaning against your hip now, his eyes teary at your defense of him.

Your fingers stroke his hair and he sucks in a breath.

"Momma, I've been goin' to therapy back in London," he starts. "And she's been..."

"Lemme guess," Dottie holds up her hand. "I'm the root of all evil?"

"Let him finish," you scold her, and she shuts her mouth.

"No, but there's a lot of things from... after dad died that I didn't get to process then. And it's affectin' me now. And I think it would do you some good to see somebody, too."

Dottie laughs.

"Ted, I'm just fine. I took care of you, raised you, and I didn't need any help."

"You did though, Momma. You just didn't know how to ask for it."

Dottie takes a breath but doesn't answer.

"I'm learnin' that nothin' I could've done could've saved Daddy," Ted says, tears in his eyes. "And all I can do now is show up for the people I love, and show up for myself. Not live to some standard that can't be reached."

"And you're doing a lovely job, sweetheart," you whisper, sitting next to him and grabbing his hand. "You've come so far."

Dottie watches the dynamic between the two of you -- how comforting you are, how much he's grown, how honest he's being.

"When your daddy died, Teddy... I had one job: To raise you. I didn't stop moving until I knew you were safe and grown and headed in the right direction," she admits. "But you're right... I didn't take time for myself. And I probably shouldn't have tried to get things back to normal. I should've asked you if you're okay."

Ted nods and you squeeze his hand.

"Everyone can benefit from therapy, or at least talking to someone," you answer. "And we aren't all good at asking for help. Ted here was very nervous about starting therapy."

Ted nods and agrees. "Marriage counseling left a bad taste in my mouth."

Dottie nods, understanding what he means since Michelle and Dr. Jacob are dating.

You look at Dottie again.

"I know you feel like criticizing people is the way to help them, but it's not. We have to help ourselves first. And love each other for all our flaws and differences. But to me? Ted is perfect in every way. I wouldn't trade him in. I wouldn't change a thing about him."

Ted's eyes marvel at you while you say this with full confidence. He squeezes your hand and you squeeze back.

Dottie smiles and sits back in her chair, a look of defeat.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you with my unending love for your son," you chide, trying to lighten the mood.

Dottie smiles after a breath. "No, I appreciate ya sayin' all that. I really do. I guess... I just assume since he's not here much anymore..."

"Ya know what they when we assume, Momma," Ted says, smirking. "Makes an 'ass' of 'u' and 'me.'"

She smiles brightly at his joke. Eventually, the conversation returns to normal. Dottie listens to Ted's stories about the team, life in London. About how the two of you spend your weekends. You offer her to come out and visit sometime.

By the time you leave, she gives both of you a big hug, grateful to have the time, grateful to be together.

"We'll be back over tomorrow for Christmas dinner," Ted says, pulling away. Dottie nods and smiles.

Ted is quiet in the rental car on the drive back to the hotel.

"You okay there, sugar bear?" you ask, trying to use a rhyming nickname. He looks at you and grabs your hand, kissing it again.

"I'm happy. For the first time in a long time, especially here in this town, I'm happy."

...

Once in the hotel, Ted changes into some soft joggers and a tshirt, and you do the same. You curl up on the bed together, showered and clean, ready to sleep comfortably.

Ted crawls up to you, his head on your chest so you can rub his back and play with his hair.

"You did good today, babe. I'm proud of you," you whisper, kissing the top of his head. His long arms squeeze around you a little tighter.

"Couldn't have done it without ya, sugar," he replies quietly.

"Yeah, you could. If it had been you there alone, you could've."

He takes a breath and moves to pull you into his chest now.

"I'm not sure how this journey'd go without you by my side."

You smile and kiss his chest gently.

"Well I'm here for a long time, not just a good time," you answer with a smile, his own painted across his face as he pulls you closer to his body, turning out the lamp.

---

I wasn't sure how this should go but I've met parents who brag about their friends' children as a way to get their own child to do something. It's real shitty, and something I could see Dottie doing. So... there we have it.

#ted lasso x reader #ted lasso fanfic #ted lasso fanfiction #ted lasso fluff #ted lasso x you #ted lasso angst

[itsclydebitches]

Did I just saw with my own two eyes an episode, where Ted’s mother shows up and acts in this very disinterested “I am not interested in you and your achievements whatsoever, you are not even the main attraction of this trip and I’m going to tell you that in this indirect passive-aggressive way, but at the same time I AM here because I am displeased with you, now guess what’s wrong while I tell lies about you to your friends and colleagues. The lies that are kind of nice but also lies and it makes you feel uncomfortable and I do not care”.

And then Ted goes back to Kansas where he can’t have his career, his friends, but he will be in contact with Michelle (who dates their couple therapist, and that is something that makes Ted very uncomfortable) and mom???? Like? And Henry never asked him to return and in fact is not suffering at all. Henry is shown to be fine. He never has meltdowns when he leaves London, he doesn’t express any hurt feelings towards Ted. They seem to just have an unconventional arrangement and Henry misses Ted, but doesn’t feel neglected. It also seems like his mom just believes that Ted should be home with his son, an unassuming father who doesn’t have public panic attacks and causes her embarrassment??? Because the way she showed him the clippings from the papers?? Boy! I don’t know how else to interpret that tbh

Ted has just achieved one of the best moments in his career and his mom actively and purposefully poisoned that moment for him, this whole thing is being contrasted to Jamie’s mom, I just don’t believe that Ted is going to stay in Kansas. That can’t be.

Also I feel like the tedependance tinfoil hat is not a tinfoil hat at all because actually! Ted having suppressed a huge part about himself (bisexuality), and not being able to live his life because of his roots works really well here.

It's precisely readings like this that make me hope a permanent Kansas ending can't be possible and likewise believe that if that is our ending... Ted Lasso will have failed in a pretty significant way. Even just a few episodes ago I was fully on team, "I 100% don't want Ted to return to Kansas, but if he does I accept that this was an ending long in the making and just because I personally dislike it doesn't make it bad." Now though? They've introduced so much lately -- and emphasized so much else from past seasons, like Ted's rocky relationship with Michelle/Jake -- that I just can't read Kansas as a positive ending for Ted anymore. It's not just me and my preferences anymore, I don't think that ending fits the show, period. Is, in fact, a betrayal of everything Ted Lasso has argued for.

Ted's mom was a big part of that feeling this episode, as you've nicely laid out, anon. It's no coincidence that in an episode titled "Mom City," Ted's story with his mother does not run parallel to Jamie's (unfailingly supportive, knows him better than he knows himself, Jamie comes to her when he's ready, an act of agency that Dottie doesn't allow Ted), but rather closer to Jamie's dad. Which I don't mean as a way to say, "She's abusive!" but rather the more nuanced take that we end the episode on: You can forgive someone while still acknowledging that they've hurt you so badly. Ted, normally so polite with his "Oh boy"s and "Darn"s and "Shucks"s really says it all with a string of direct, angry, "Fuck you"s. That level of anger and disappointment will not be magically fixed with one dinner. By continually introducing Kansas-aligned characters that make Ted uncomfortable at best, uncharacteristically angry at worst, it HEAVILY sells the idea that the space itself is no longer healthy for him. He can slowly rebuild those relationships -- and arguably should -- but that's not the same thing as throwing himself back into their mix. Allowing Ted to stay in London with visits from his family is akin to Jamie remaining removed from his dad, but sending him a text on his own terms.

As for Henry, yeah. I've been arguing for ages that Henry does not act like someone who feels abandoned and the few arguments I've seen fans bring up aren't very persuasive to me. Basically, framing every normal child struggle as a result of Ted's distance. Henry being a short-term bully is not automatically some cry for attention tethered to an absent dad -- there's no evidence for that, especially when Henry uses Ted's own teachings to realize his mistake and apologize -- and him being sad with Beard is because he's finally seeing his dad and Ted is ignoring him. I'd be sad too if I hadn't seen someone in a while and they were spiraling instead of hanging with me. That doesn't mean I need them to drastically change their life to accommodate me in new ways. Henry as a character needs to be allowed to make mistakes without that automatically reflecting badly on what Ted has chosen for his own happiness and mental health. Anyway, yeah, Henry has consistently been shown to likewise be happy, well-adjusted, and fully engaged with Ted through visits/over Zoom, so this claim that Henry needs his dad in this way doesn't jive with three seasons of Henry flourishing through Ted's parenting this other way.

All of which means that, frankly, I think we should take Dottie's "Your son misses you" with a serious grain of salt. That's a damn broad statement because of COURSE Henry misses Ted and vice versa, but that basic reality of missing people in life when you're separated from them doesn't mean he misses him in the way that I think Dottie is implying: he's hurting to an extent that you need to fix in this specific way (moving back home). Beyond everything you've listed about how Dottie makes Ted uncomfortable, I think it's significant that she has Very Traditional Ideas about how this family should function. She couches it in a lot of humor and starts to demonstrate a bit more open-mindedness at the end of the episode, but we're still left with:

Telling all Ted's friends that he's done Amazing, Unique, Super Cool Things That are Objectively Impressive. To be clear, I found her interactions with the team as funny and surface-wholesome as we were supposed to, but I do think there was this underlying implication that Dottie is not as satisfied with Ted's choices as Ted himself is, so she 'accidentally' makes up stories that make him seem 'better' than he actually is. This is compounded by what you've pointed out, about how she only gives a cursory congratulations for this MONUMENTAL achievement. Compare that to Jamie's mom absolutely loosing her shit in support of him.

She brings the 'gift' of the clippings -- Ted should be GRATEFUL for this. Only a terrible son would be upset by a mother keeping track of his accomplishments! -- which not only include the headlines about the panic attacks, but she's situated them front and center, ensuring they're the first thing Ted sees. Combine that with her 'concerned' question about whether he's still getting panic attacks and you have this strong implication that Ted Is Bad For Showing Weakness. Men don't do that. The Lassos don't do that. They bury things in positivity, even the suicide of a father/husband. The fact that Ted immediately lies and says the panic attacks are gone says it all. He knows trying to explain this to her is a lost cause.

Speaking of mental health, are you really seeing that therapist? Oh, well, good for you, I guess. Me? No, no, no, I would never see one. I'm going to be suspicious of it to the point of implying that it's a flaw to need one. This is the one point where I cut Dottie a lot of slack because Ted himself went through the same arc of needing to accept the benefits of therapy, but we're nevertheless seeing where he (in part) got that biased perspective from.

There are a lot of throwaway lines that paint Dottie as a Good Traditional Mother, very much in contrast to Ted Lasso's queer, open-minded, gender roles-bending world. She continually reminds him that she is NOT having sex, it's those Australians. Why-ever would an older woman be having loud, enthusiastic sex? (Compare that to Rebecca nearly getting it on with the boat guy, a celebration of romance and sexuality for older women.) Dottie can't take the bed. That's not the polite thing to do. She needs to be coaxed into accepting even the simplest of care while, simultaneously, expecting Ted to offer it despite the inconvenience. (If I bring up the awful hostel I've been staying in you'll offer to let me crash here instead, right?). That's one of the big differences between Ted and his mother: Ted has a lot of trouble accepting help, but honestly doesn't expect anything in return for the intense kindness he doles out to others. In contrast, Dottie has trouble admitting that she's accepting help, she pretends to do the nice thing while waiting for someone to insist strongly enough that she do what she's wanted to do from the get-go, then she's off the hook because, well, they basically made her. Will Dottie go to a football game like Henry and Higgins and Rebecca and Keeley and Bex and all the other emotionally open characters, screaming for her son in the midst of chaotic action? Oh no. No, no, no, that's not for her. She'll just stay home and do the Proper Thing of making a home-cooked dinner for her little boy... while making him feel guilty about that by sending texts about how now she kinda does wish she was at the game. The conclusion to their moment of honesty and growth is Ted (a man, the child in the relationship) serving her (the woman, the mother) for once, which I think highlights how much of the Good Traditional Kansas Woman mask Dottie has learned to maintain.

All of which is to say that we've been introduced to a loving but incredibly flawed mother who puts a LOT of stock in old-school values and appearances. There's no way that this all doesn't extend to her views on Henry, her grandson. Right now, Dottie is not someone who can fully embrace Ted's nontraditional style of life (divorced, in therapy, taking some risks like drinking not-actually-drugged tea) or parenting (long-distance, "It takes a village"). She doesn't outright reject Ted's choices, but she does spend the entire episode being passive-aggressive, even manipulative at times, to make it very clear that she does not approve of all this. When she says, "Your son misses you" it reads as a very biased view of the situation, driven by the idea that no child could possibly be happy without that nuclear family living their white-picket fence life in the good old US-of-A. Ted needs to move back to Kansas not because of Henry, but because that's what Good Fathers Do. I don't think Dottie should be seen as a reliable source here for what Henry actually wants or needs. She certainly hasn't been a reliable source for Ted.

Which -- as said numerous times -- paints Kansas in an incredibly negative light. We haven't actually seen Ted in Kansas on the show, so our understanding of his relationship with that place is filtered through the people living there. Michelle, Jake, and Dottie are all emotional landmines that Ted still needs a lot of time to diffuse and Henry is written as perfectly content with their arrangement. If Ted permanently goes back to Kansas I'm really gonna be ????????????????????????????????? about it.

#Ted Lasso #Ted Lasso spoilers #mymetas #Dottie Lasso

[jamiesfootball]

I’ve been twirling it around in my head how Ted and Jamie had similar but opposite movies assigned to them, both revolving around the concepts of dreaming and waking up, but which are very very different in execution. Like literally so different, that that’s the only common thread they have.

Ted, son of Dorothy, with the Wizard of Oz. Leaving the tornado back home in Kansas and traveling to another world where he builds relationships with people trying to discover the magic in themselves. Something about a road (but also something about quoting Robert Frost’s ‘the road not taken’). Crossing through the Dark Forest. Making his way to the Emerald (Man) City. And we know the point of Oz is that eventually you can not stay in the dream. The shoes you’ve found and worn will carry you back home - you’ve had the power within you this whole time. But it also begs the question: has Ted met the man behind the curtain yet? Or is that man meant to be the reflection of himself, the person - the dad and husband - he always assumed he’d be? Wizard of Oz is ostensibly a story about growth and questioning your belief in the role you’ve been assigned and when you’re ready, seeing who you really are and what the world really is. You had the power all along. The dream is a wonderful place, but it’s closing time and you want to go home. You want to go home.

“There’s no place like home.”

In Nightmare on Elm Street you are never safe in your home. Freddy Krueger hurt and sexually abused kids when he was alive (in the waking world), and after he died preyed on kids when they were asleep (in the dream world). And even when they were awake, the kids were always afraid that Freddy was after them. Jamie is literally afraid of his own Freddy Krueger. There are no magic shoes. There is no exploration of self, no growth, no learning - there is just constant, exhausting vigilance. The only way to kill Freddy Krueger is with fire, and even then he keeps coming back. And that’s the note that every Freddy Krueger movie leaves on. The idea and hope that maybe you’re safe. Maybe this time. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. So you try to enjoy that possibility as hard as you can, as much you can, but it’s forced, because you know deep inside that you can’t truly know that if you’re safe ever again. Because it’s the hope that kills you.

So Ted. Sweet Ted. Amazing Ted with his red heels and his beloved witches and his strange but wonderful companions and his flying monkeys. Ted probably feels like he is wrapping up in Oz, ready to face the wreckage of the tornado head on. He’s ready to leave the dream. And he thinks as he’s talking to a Jamie from his world, a Jamie that has grown so much and who’s so strong and smart and kind, a kid who’s so so brave. Because that’s what Ted has seen. That’s the role he’s played. From his viewpoint, this is how the movie goes.

But that’s not Jamie’s viewpoint. Jamie may have wandered into Ted’s play, but to him if he ever fit in, it was only because he was pretending. Because he was stopping himself from being a prick. Everyone else is great and does great things - it’s Jamie who needs to try harder. Ted’s dream was a great place to hide for a while, but Jamie was never waiting for the slippers; he was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. One, two, Freddy’s coming for you. You can’t hide from him. You can’t escape him. And he can even get you in your dreams.

Which is why there’s a point in every Freddy Krueger movie when the victim says they’ve had enough of hiding, and they take some sleeping pills, and they decide to face him head on.

So Ted thinks he’s ready to leave Oz behind and that everyone in Oz will be fine once he’s gone, when actually what he’s accidentally done is given Jamie an idea: to wade into the Dark Forest and confront Freddy Krueger head on. Jamie doesn’t h

Ted and Jamie are talking, but they’re not in the same movie. They’re not in the same genre. They’re both at the end of their movies, ready to face the bad guy, so they think they’re having the same conversation. But they’re not.

And once again I’ve typed so far that I’m not sure where I’m going with this, but there’s definitely. More story there. A climax that hasn’t happened. Another story to explore. Because what becomes of the companions after Dorothy leaves Oz? Even if Jamie defeats Freddy, will he survive to the end of his own movie? Does he make it to the sequel?

Will Roy Kent get to fight his dad like Jason Vorhees? Does he already own a machete, and does he borrow the hockey mask from Van Damme?

Now I’ll just pivot down a different somewhat related path (road):

Shoes.

Isaac literally told Keeley he just wanted to do something with shoes. Something about the shoes. Something about Jamie burning the shoes his mum got him. Something about all the football lads fighting over what kind of shoes they’re allowed to wear, and Dani hating mourning shoes and stealing Rebecca’s soft bright cozy ones that she never wears. Jamie being stuck in his socks at the locker room at Wembley. Roy wearing his colorful socks with the yoga mums. Keeley wearing shoes that out her on eye level with everyone else. Trent’s leopard shoes. All these people in Oz with their fucking shoes or lack thereof.

Dreams!

And shoes!

#ted lasso meta #ted lasso #jamie tartt #some posts take time to percolate but I made this one with instant #it’s not my fault #I was already laser focused on the Wizard of Oz part during that episode #and then they bring up Freddy Krueger?! #i fucking love horror #it was too much to resist #now if you’ve made it this far you may be wondering #‘what about the Todrick Hall album of the wizard of oz? the one that’s a queer allegory and also fucking slaps’ #to which I say you’re so smart- that one is also percolating but I am only a one mug person #ted lasso spoilers #this should have been three posts I see that now

[thechargrey]

This episode suggested Ted will leave prior to the end of the season, both with Rebecca and Higgin's discussion of firing him, and with Ted's talk with Henry. Basically I think they're setting up for Ted to leave and go back to Kansas, realize that's the wrong place for him, and then return before the end of the season.

I think outside of a romance, this is the best way to show how much Ted has grown as a character. The scene with Henry on the phone was meant to show that Ted's doing fine parenting Henry from so far away. Henry is still able to absorb Ted's teachings...and yet Ted still feels horrible about it all. He's not there and he wants to be with his son. All other scenes with Henry have hit home the distance Ted feels from him. It's been setting Ted up to go back. And yet simultaneously each of these scenes has shown Henry being capable/ok without Ted's physical presence needing to be there. He flies home just fine by himself, seems ok with his mom having a "friend," and when he gets mad and makes a mistake by bullying someone he realizes it himself.

Ted has created the foundation Henry needs to thrive. Even with him being a world away, Henry's doing just fine. Ted doesn't need to be in Kansas, he just wants to be. To build an actual life in Britain Ted needs the reality check of his son doing ok.

In the first season Ted talks about leaving Kansas bc him being there was messing up his relationship with Michelle. It was too much for either of them to handle. I think him moving back to Kansas will actually hit this home again. It'll be another reality check, that Ted is actually free to move on himself. I also think Ted going back permanently at the end could actually cheapen the decision of him deciding to move away in the first place, especially for viewers who binge all 3 seasons together. It's too stark a contrast at the moment.

But Ted going back temporarily and then realizing what he left behind would be a good way to show his growth and that he now wants to be in England not just as an escape, but bc that's actually home for him.

And I'm calling it now, that when Ted leaves, Beard will actually stay rather than follow Ted for the first time in his life. (And as he breaks his codependency on Ted he'll also break his codependency on Jane...)

#ted lasso #ted lasso spoilers #ted lasso predictions #predictions #ted lasso s3

[wodrueckts]

so i’ve been sitting with the ted lasso finale for a few days now, trying to nail down what exactly it is that made me not like it very much. because generally i don’t really think it was BAD. i think it was fine. as far as overall plot beats are concerned it hit pretty much all of what i was expecting or at least thought was very possible (ted going back to kansas, beard staying, rebecca getting with dutch guy, nate being back, keeley, roy and jamie all being single at the end) and i don’t really have a problem with these developments on paper although the execution often left some things to be desired.

for me personally especially how nate’s arc with ted resolved was particularly unsatisfying. i mean, what we got was a nice, emotional scene (thanks for the most part to nick mohammed’s acting) but all in all it just lacked impact (at least for me). i mean, i’ve waited the whole season for these two to finally have a heart to heart but then it ended up being quite underwhelming.

and i think that’s what i’d call the finale in general: underwhelming. lacking emotionality. especially from ted, as many people have already pointed out.

 so it was underwhelming, big whoop, finales rarely feel wholly satisfying. so why did it kind of make me feel worse about the whole show? that’s what i’ve been trying to figure out.

and i think it has to do with how it made me look back on ted as a character. because it opens the door for me to see him in a less favorable light than before and it undermines the arc i thought (or hoped) they were going for for him.

ted starts off as a very *kind* character. kindness is pretty much his core attribute. but not in a naive or unthinking way; his kindness is a conscious choice. he is kind because he thinks everyone deserves kindness and because he believes kindness will lead to the best outcome. his kindness is also a defense mechanism, a kind of armor. it keeps people at arm’s length without them noticing. and ted deploys his kindness to that effect a lot. because ted is also afraid of letting people in. he’s nice to everyone but doesn’t really let anyone get close.

and i thought his arc would be that ted finally learns to let people in, to make himself vulnerable to them and risk them being able to hurt him. and i do think that that was actually the writers’ intention. and they did achieve that, kind of.

but for me the finale calls all that into question again and makes me wonder whether ted actually DID let people in. whether he actually CARED about anyone at richmond (beyond the way he generally just cares about everyone).

people have said they were upset about the finale because ted left his (found) family and his support system behind. but is that even true? have we really seen them be his family and support system? or rather have we seen him think of them like that?

the show has shown us a lot of instances of people loving and caring for ted but i don’t remember a lot of instances where we really see how much that means to HIM. or that it actually means anything to him at all.

what i’m trying to say is that i don’t really remember feeling like they were really IMPORTANT to him. of course he cares about them but ted cares about everyone. he cares about them in a very selfless way. but i think if someone is really important to you, you also care about them in a “selfish” way (and i don’t mean selfish in a negative way here). and the only times we’ve seen ted care about someone selfishly was with michelle, which makes sense because she was his wife and he loved her and they have a kid together so of course she is important to him, and with dr sharon, when she left and triggered his abandonment issues. but of course dr sharon is also his therapist so it’s a whole different dynamic in general.

with everyone else he’s just very accommodating, very forgiving, very nice, very... dispassionate.

and i was hoping we’d get to a point where we actually see how much the people in richmond mean to ted, where it would actually be hard for him to leave them, not because of some sense of duty or obligation but because he just genuinely, deeply loves them. but i feel like the show never quite got there. they got kind of close with nate at the end of s2 and beginning of s3 when ted seemed genuinely sad about what happened with him and missed him but that also just fizzled out (and was ultimately squashed in the finale when ted was essentially like “eh no biggie” in the scene where nate apologized)

and the finale just cemented ted’s seeming lack of care when we didn’t seem him wrestle at all with his decision to leave. he just decided to leave and that was that. and many other people have noted how he didn‘t even seem emotional or like he cared at all while other characters (especially rebecca) were practically throwing their love at him.

so really, what was his supposed growth in the show? that he finally went to therapy (admittedly a big step, not slagging that)? that he can ask for help in the form of letting his friend hire someone to stalk his ex? (not the kind of help i’d want him to ask for tbh)? There was some growth in other departments of course, like when he actually admitted to michelle that her relationship with dr jacob bothers him, something he probably would’ve never done before, but again, that’s him selfishly caring about michelle.

so the show now appears to me as: ted runs away to england, he touches many people’s lives without really getting too close himself but does learn some life lessons before he goes back home.

and maybe that was the intention. it is a story, i guess. but not a very satisfying one. at least to me.

or maybe they just made ted a bit TOO nice, a bit TOO caring and forgiving and perfect, that it reached all the way around to coming across as uncaring and detached, which was then only exacerbated by the finale.

(OR this is just my own baggage and issues with social anxiety rearing its ugly head which always makes me a bit suspicious of people who are nice and caring to everyone not because i think these people are fake or not genuine or anything like that but how can you tell if someone like this actually likes you or is just nice to you because they’re a genuinely nice and lovely person. which meant ted has always been on thin ice for me anyway and seeing him leave everyone with seemingly not much trouble just confirmed all my fears. WHO’S TO SAY)

#ted lasso #ted lasso spoilers #does any of this make sense its 2 am i cant tell

[evendumbo]

on media literacy, shipping, and Ted Lasso...

This post was helpful to learn Hannah's more nuanced thoughts about Ted & Rebecca. I put the quotes in a word doc for people who can't see the words.

---

The T&R discourse is all over the place and I'm realizing that there needs to be a hard distinction between:

1) Ted & Rebecca as endgame (profess mutual romantic love, live happily ever after), and

2) Ted feeling romantic love for Rebecca and that truth is made clear to the audience through the writing, Rebecca's feelings are ambiguous-soulmate, and the characters are not necessarily endgame.

I had hoped for option 1. I reasonably thought the red bottom shoes were the clearest sign that Rebecca was going to Kansas, and I think the writers intended for me to think that. But the show also has a clear thread of melancholy and I wouldn't have been surprised if endgame was not in the cards. (I was also haunted by the reference to Once in the Christmas episode...)

So, as co-creator, Brendan Hunt, says, there was no enthusiasm in the writers' room for option 1. But option 2 is right there. Instead of the ambiguous ending that created feelings of confusion and being baited, I wish they had let the reasons for the heartbreak be clearer. Let the audience inside a little more so that the signs could maintain their narrative power and promise. In any other show that wasn't organized like a tight three-season arc that's filled with callbacks and parallels and signs, then ambiguity could be fine. But the way Ted Lasso is uniquely written, clear payoff on the central romantic arc was always going to be crucial and total ambiguity was always going to feel like a set up.

The anti-shippers who argue that there were no narrative signs towards a possible romance are dead wrong, but I agree with them that there was very little explicit romantic heat between Ted and Rebecca throughout the show. (I can't think of any except maybe Ted's "body language" during the gala and apology embraces.) I was hoping the story would get there given the signs and the narrative arc, but it never happened. So we're arguing about "media literacy" using different evidence, and I believe that signs are the stronger evidence given their specificity. We can all see that Ted Lasso is baking cookies so he can give them to Rebecca Welton every damn day, and I think most people can agree that that's at least peculiar. These signs of peculiar behavior and symbols piled up over three years, defining a clear likelihood of a romance in the works. But the case about heat is more subjective, a feel.

I have a friend who is a very respectful anti lolol. I encouraged her to watch the show and, when Ted found the matchbook in his pocket, she texted me "👀", even though she still didn't want it to happen. We had different hopes for the story outcome, but having "media literacy" is literally our jobs 😂 and she absolutely agrees the signs for romance were there and affirms the reasons the shippers are upset. The only difference between us was that, as a devotee to the TL writing approach, I became invested in the signs, and figured the heat would come when it came.

So when it ended, I had two distinct feelings. As a shipper, I was disappointed that option 1 did not come to pass. (ETA: Here's a great article breaking down the reasons for that.) But as a lover of the art of television, I felt a legitimate sense of loss that option 2 also did not come to pass, meaning the narrative signs were never acknowledged, they were just dropped like they didn't mean anything. Signs sometimes not being signs after all is life, sure, but tv shows aren't a realistic representation of life, they are an art form. The abrupt abandonment of their unique approach to writing created unnecessary turmoil in the fandom. This would have been bad enough, but then Brendan (and Hannah a bit as well) unhelpfully poured gas over it 🙄 by refusing to seriously contend with the show's narrative method and, instead, implied shippers (largely women) were making things up. But turns out that shippers are fucking smart and we took that shit seriously, look no further than the detailed gif sets on the tumblr tedbecca tag. Their comments broke trust between the storytellers and their very captive audience (including some media literate non-shippers). Their repeated "soulmates can be platonic" explanation was never in debate, it was always what we were seeing on the screen, the storytelling itself.

So, I'm sad that the project of it all played out the way it did. There's still a part of me that thinks maybe it will come back around someday so that the story can pay off the narrative debts it created, "thunder and lightening," daily homemade biscuits, etc. But it's hard for me to imagine I'd want to come back to the story whether or not that happens. Re-watches have also lost something special.

Maybe with time... 💜

#ted lasso #tedbecca #rebecca welton #rebecca x ted #ted x rebecca #media literacy

[araivallejo]

I’ve only ever “shipped” characters in two programs I’ve watched. The first one was Niles and Daphne from Frasier, when I was a teen/young twenty something, and Ted and Rebecca from Ted Lasso.

These two pairings could not be more different. Niles was smitten from the start with Daphne, despite being married (!) with seemingly everyone clued in except Daphne herself for seven years (!!) until Frasier blurts it out to her. Only then does she start to view Niles as someone she might love. The Frasier writers had all the tropes on display for this one. Ah, the 90s.

Looking back now as a much older adult, I see glaring red flags in the Niles and Daphne pairing. The man was married, not once but twice, while claiming to be in lust/love with Daphne. Young me didn’t care though. I thought – romance! And when they ran off together, I was smitten. My one and only delve into fanfiction I wrote in 2000 when they both took off in the Winnebago. Oh my. With the benefit of hindsight, I wonder just how much I’d ship those two these days. Now if Frasier were to be remade the creators would have made the Niles character what he should have been all along, which is gay. The early 90s you just couldn’t do that, although the Frasier team loved to give a wink to it at times.

For Ted and Rebecca, I’ve mentioned before that I didn’t ship them in season 1 and most of season 2 at all. I thought this was simply a lovely friendship and that’s that. It was only the writers’ little bantr fakeout that clued me in on the possibility. I knew it wasn’t Ted, but it got me thinking when it was revealed to be Sam and I was disappointed it wasn’t Ted. Why was I disappointed? Then looking back at the earlier episodes and seeing all the ways they cared for one another and seemed to be clued in to each other. I thought – aha! This is the way to go about a real relationship. Show the friendship. Show the trust. Show each other at your best and your worst. It’s not a fantasy. I never minded that there were no obvious longing looks between the two because I saw all those signs the writers put into the show that kept pointing back (for me) to only one conclusion: Ted and Rebecca were meant to be together. The two obviously long for a romantic relationship and are deeply loving people. It wouldn’t be lazy writing! It would be brilliant to have it slowly evolve into a beautiful relationship built on friendship.

My only sticking point on the two getting together was the fact that at the end of the day, Rebecca was still Ted’s boss. Having grown up in the same region at the same time as Ted, I figured his midwestern values would deem that as unethical and therefore a deal breaker, no matter how deep the attraction was. I figured Ted would always choose his son and want to go back to Kansas, but I also concluded he would still need someone else in his life and not make Henry his sole reason to live. That’s too much of a burden on Henry. So if there were some way to have Ted be with Henry and Rebecca not be his boss… There have been some wonderful fics written to show how these two could still manage that feat. Both Ted and Rebecca are wealthy – with Rebecca shown to be “filthy” rich. Miss “I’ll just buy the restaurant” could make just about anything happen.

It all seems like a hell of a missed opportunity. I believe Jason was so enamored of the movie “Once” that he wanted to make his own version. That’s fine – it was his show. I just wish maybe they would have thought more about why they needed to do some of these little fakeouts. Having read some of the writers and editors’ responses this past week I have concluded that while some of this was purely accidental, the vast majority was absolutely intentional to keep the incredibly loyal and vocal fanbase (the shippers) coming back for more. They knew exactly what they were doing. I’m not naïve; I get that it is a product, and they need eyes viewing said product. But this show was a huge hit from day one when many of us didn’t give a damn about the pairing. Why go to these lengths?

What is hilarious to me is what we’ve been given instead of the well thought out relationship is the very definition of lazy writing: throwing Rebecca with some random man we’ve seen ONE TIME in the last season. We don’t even know his name. Yes, he is attractive and clearly Rebecca enjoyed being around this man. I even said after the ep aired that I wouldn’t mind it, but I was hoping there would be more buildup between the last time we saw him and now. And unlike above with Ted, boat man has not seen Rebecca at her worst, nor she his. It does not feel earned at all and that just pisses me off.

Don’t even get me started on Beard and Jane. Jesus that’s a topic for another post.

#ted lasso #tedbecca #working through my grief #i'm so tired #don't know if when i will ever watch the show again #except maybe season 1 - that was the shit #let's just say this show ended at season 1 #frasier #niles and daphne #i still love this pairing #rebecca welton

[mexicangela]

it really does suck that ted’s ending was apparently always supposed to be “mary poppins” because, well, viewers related to him. people don’t watch mary poppins to relate to mary poppins. they relate to the kids or to the father, but not the magical nanny character that flies in on an umbrella to make everything nice. we also know that mary is a character that is not meant to stay. we never learn anything of substance about her and safely assume that her one purpose really is to fix other people and leave. that’s fine, that’s what the whole story is set up to be.

but people related to ted on a deep level. we saw his mental health struggles and his panic attacks and his conflicting emotions and said “man, ted’s just like me.” and then we saw him make a family in richmond because of the job that rebecca gave him. it changed his life. he said so himself. ted was a much more complex character than mary poppins. it isn't fair to turn him into her because he's just not. and to have left us with the impression that you can go right back to the place that gave you all your issues and expect your child to fulfill you is kinda bonkers, i won't lie. i just don't understand why, in this television show, in this made up universe, with all these made up characters, ted couldn't have taken rebecca up on her offers. i mean, if we're aiming for realism here, what real life person in their right mind is gonna automatically veto an eight-figure-per-year salary? also, we didn't see michelle and henry in kansas with friends or family or anything like that. we only saw them there in the end with michelle's dickhead boyfriend who we can assume she broke up with. but we did see ted in richmond with the family he made for himself there. we did see ted finally belonging there; and, more than that, even, we saw him being accepted there as one of their own before his mom dropped in on him unannounced. we did see ted forge this incredibly important relationship with someone who had baggage that matched right up to his and it could have been something so beautiful but it feels like the ball was dropped on all aspects of their relationship. i dunno, i don't think that i'll ever be over it because this show and its characters were something really special to me (still are) and it makes me sad to think about the ending we were given. i've said it before and i'll say it again: ted deserved so much more than mary poppins.

#ted lasso #ted lasso tv #rebecca welton #tedbecca #ted lasso season 3 #ted lasso finale #i wish i could just be happy about it #but it hurts my heart when i get to thinking about it #sorry i guess i was in a rambling mood #and thinking about the whole mary poppins thing drives me crazy

[brookezilla]

I can agree that Henry would benefit from Ted going back to Kansas but I can’t agree that Ted would be 100% fine if he did.

Ships aside, Ted has literally changed careers from US to British football. Professionally he’d be in a weird space unless you imply he would take a position as a Major League Soccer coach.

He was a lower division American Football coach so he’d be regressing if he went back there to his old team.

Secondly, I would argue that having an ocean between him and Michelle is a good thing. As we saw in 3x10, Ted isn’t entirely fine with her and Dr Jacob’s relationship, which Id agree may stem from fears he’s being replaced back in Kansas. I don’t read this as jealousy over his and Michelle’s marriage as I think that was settled and he’s moved on, willing to ask Sassy out on a proper date etc.

Ted has also built a strong support network in Richmond with his friends; Rebecca, Keeley, Roy Trent and especially Beard.

While his bestie would probably leave with him, the others wouldn’t. In terms of family, there’s obvious trauma between him and his mum, and without Michelle or his Dad, Ted really only has Henry in Kansas to bring him back.

Maybe I’m a fool but I interpreted Henry’s troubles this season as a foundation for them to have him come live with Ted for a fresh start. The bullying and failing classes provides a need for Ted to step up (I agree) but I don’t think it will be from Kansas.

Ted has experienced first hand what an unhappy father, and subsequent trauma, can have on a child. The last thing he’d want would be to impose a degree of that on Henry by being miserable in Kansas instead of happy in London.

Message me if you wanna negate this, obvi more than happy to.

#ted lasso #ted lasso speculation #henry lasso #brookerants

[politelymenacing]

If they're not doing a reboot where they're married, and Henry gets to live happily in England with his two dads and go to a better school than he could go to Kansas???? then why are they showing us this?

APPLE TV EXPLAIN!!

Is that not what happened....?

Must've just been in my head, damn. 😛

OK. Here is my pitch to Apple to make it happen (because is just makes sense):

Why do the bit about Henry acting out and bullying a kid?

Why have Henry failing science (scandal!)?

To me, that should have nudged them in the direction of 'maybe he would be better at a new school in England?' rather than 'he'll be fine just as soon as Ted returns to Kansas'.

Then we have the whole Dr. Jacob of it all... they were clearly hinting at his and Michelle's relationship breaking down (thank god. I can't even go into how much that angered me). To me, that was freeing her of her ties to Kansas so she could move with Henry to England. But instead they just kind of maybe left it a bit ambiguous. Are we supposed to believe that Ted and Michelle would ever get back together? Because no.

Also, it was clear that Henry didn't really like him and would benefit from being closer to his Uncle Beard (ugh that bit outside of the pub with them two absolutely got me 😭)

There's also Dottie. Now, I will admit that that episode fucked me up a little (yay, mums...), so I have only rewatched it once, but if I were Ted her attempt at manipulation would have just made me want to get Henry away from her, so even more reason to bring him to England.

Now Ted:

He's doing better. Ok, not amazing, but he is getting regualr thearapy and he can control his panic attacks

He knows the offside rule. He (re)invents Total Football. He is finally understanding the sport he came over to coach.

He is starting to use British terminology for things! He's acclimatised! Honestly, if he'd been there any longer, he'd have been drinking tea.

They specifically show him interacting with his neighbours and the community.

And then you tear him away from all of that. It is beyond cruel.

Also, even though Sassy was not right for him at all, he was maybe starting to show that he could move on from Michelle and let someone else into his life. (I do not have enough time to lay out the Bi Ted agenda, I'm sure people have done excellent metas about it, but let's just say the Bi Triangles will haunt me forever.)

Which leads us to Trent.

I am definitely missing things because I'm just rattling this off the top of my head, but:

Are we just going to forget that Trent got fired for Ted? And then following his bliss lead him straight to Richmond to write a love letter book about Ted.

What was the whole thing about the right idea just sitting behind a couple of the wrong ones?? In the red string of fate episode, no less!

Whatever was going in during Girl Talk with Rebecca.

Why did Ted tell Henry that it was "good to have people in your life that are excited to be around you" literally the episode after Trent was SO EXCITED about Total Football and how Ted got them there. Like. Seriously.

TRENT’S LITTLE FINGER STICKING OUT IN THE RED STRING OF FATE BIT THAT WAS POINTING DIRECTLY TO THE RED STRIPES ON TED'S JACKET ahem.

Trenthouse magazine. TRENTHOUSE MAGAZINE.

The Robert Redford/Dustin Hoffman thing. Followed by a sodding wink.

And then there's the fact they are both middle aged single dads who have so much baggage. They get one another.

Finally. Because this is turning into a bloody essay. The ending. Ted was FOR SURE asleep and dreaming at the end. I don't give a fuck what Brendan said.

You can't get that close to Stonehenge, it all looked too fake, there's no way Ted wouldn't be there, Jane needs to get in the bin.

How did Sam manage to get into the Nigerian team? (Don't get me wrong, I desperately wanted that for him, but it seemed like it was never going to happen??)

Ted thinks Trent will agree to change the book's title, and even dreams up someone he knows (Shannon) to get a copy singed.

OH AND THE GLASSES. Trent has new glasses. Why? Because Ted doesn't want to imagine him with the ones from before because the first thing he said to Trent was a compliment about the glasses.

Basically, what I'm saying. Is that that is what makes most sense from the ending. HOWEVER, Apple TV, if you are convinced it was all real, here are some ways you can keep that ending (more or less) and still have the Romcommunism ending we deserved that will lead to you picking up this reboot idea:

Ted goes back, gets a final copy of The Richmond Way, the dedication says something about how Trent changed the title because he asked, but it was always about Ted, of course it was. Ted realises his huge mistake. (Maybe he goes to rush to the airport, only to find Trent standing outside his door.)

Trent didn't say goodbye to Ted because he was already on a flight to Kansas to wait for him with a sign that says 'Coach Lasso from England". (OK, this doesn't quite fit with the ending, but you know it's a cute AF idea so shhh)

Trent is singing copies of his book and asks who it's for without looking up and just here's Ted say his name.

In all these scenarios someone says "Is this a fucking joke?" END.

And now you are ready to start your spin off/reboot/series 4 with the footage of Jason and Jimmy at the Emmys. You're welcome.

You can have all of these ideas for free (plus whatever other headcanons you get out of me), Apple TV, if you let me play one of the minimal acting required background players in the AFC Richmond Women's team (Because that is a part of the finale i can get behind and I have credentials if you need to verify I can actually play)

#fuck me. #apologies this clearly triggered something!! #answered #jamiepoptartt #ted lasso #HERE YOU GO APPLE TV #hire me #meta #i guess #mainly just ramblings

[nicollekidman]

not that i'm happy about the ending (fuck that divorcee cope strategy from jsuds) but ted still has a young son who's struggling with his dad moving halfway across the world i can't imagine ted making a better choice...

rebecca literally had a ten point plan as to how it could’ve worked like. i get that people are like “what did you want him to do, abandon his son???” but also like tbh having your dad leave a group of people you also loved, and a sport you loved rooting for him in, to go back to your mom who just was dating someone else to have his whole life revolve around you is like. it’s own burden. like sorry but they were all fine with him leaving them to give michelle space so idk why the only thing that would’ve made ted a Good Dad to his son was following his shitty mom’s guilt trip back to the place he was in before the show started. and also like. henry isn’t a real kid. the hi is a narrative consideration and not a “is this child being taken care of 🥺” problem.

also AGAIN this is a problem with the writing and the showing not telling because???? we are never once given an indication that henry is lacking ANYTHING or struggling at all with ted gone!!!!!! when he visits, he’s engaged, he’s with the team, he’s having a ball. they facetime regularly. ted is going to parent teacher conferences. henry is using ted’s advice to resolve conflicts at school. henry is always answering the phone and happy to talk to ted. i understand that IN REAL LIFE kids can put on a happy face when they’re suffering but in this show??? narratively???? we have only seen henry very active and engaged and happy, and he has never asked ted to come home or insinuated he resented ted. the first inkling of that came from his mother, who spent her entire appearance dodging responsibility for her own actions and trying to get ted back with kansas. if they wanted ted to Go Back To His Son To Raise Him Right then that should’ve been an emotional and plot through line of (at least) this season, instead of ted obsessing over michelle’s boyfriend to the point that he’s leaving henry alone at the pub with beard to wallow. tbh. at most ted says “i miss my kid” and that’s the end of it. so really like. it feels like a lazy way to get ted out of there and end it and keep ted a good guy.

#good in real life sure but half baked storytelling at best #henry being happy and thriving (or at least with no consideration given otherwise) #only for ted’s shithouse mother to be like : you have to go back #does not a well earned ending make. #especially since rebecca OFFERED AN ALTERNATIVE #and plenty of kids grow up happy and healthy and loved when their parents are separated #i know people have differing opinions and people loce to joke about ted abandoning henry which fine #but there is a difference between ted being present for henry #and ted going back in time to have NOTHING in his life other than his young son #with unaddressed alcohol problems i might add

[my-soupy-brain]

ted blowing your brains out in kansas cause he can see the way seeing him around michelle makes you uncomfortable (and also bc he needs to remind himself you're there and you're his)

Gonna challenge myself to go hella spicy with this, because I want to be a better smut writer. And I love this prompt. Love it. So let's goooo!

---

Relationship: Ted Lasso x reader (f)

Warnings: Angst and smut ahead!

---

The knots in your stomach were multiplying the minute the plane touched down in Kansas City.

Ted was giddy, of course, to spend time with Henry. Maybe see some old pals from his coaching days here. You were happy just to be with him.

After nearly a year of dating (and several months of courting before that), Ted still can't believe he found you and found love again. And well, Ted is the best. You never dreamed of meeting a perfect man until he waltzed into his life with that perfect smile.

"You ready, spaghetti?" Ted chimes with a grin, heading out the doors to the awaiting cabs. You nod pensively. "Yep, sure am."

You weren't nervous about being in Kansas. No. You were nervous about Michelle.

How would she feel about you? She knows you exist, but you've yet to meet. And Ted was so broken after his divorce... after so many years of love...

The knots in the stomach are back.

When the cab pulls up to Michelle's house (formerly Ted's house) you get out and put on a brave face. Michelle greets you both at the door.

"Hi, y/n! Great to finally meet you," she says, offering a warm hug. So far, so good. She seems...lovely.

"Hi, Ted," Michelle answers quietly, and Ted nods. "Hey there, Michelle."

Hearing her name off his lips even made you uncomfortable, but you stifle the jealousy down. It's in the past.

...

At dinner though, it's a different story.

Ted and Michelle exchange silly inside jokes and stories. She fills him in on folks around town they both know, and he laughs and jokes along with her as they gossip.

"I need to use the bathroom, I'll be right back," Michelle says, leaving the table and winking at Ted. He smiles brightly in return.

You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding.

"You OK there, sugar?" he asks, noticing the aura around you.

You nod and take a sip of your cocktail. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

Ted scrunches his eyebrows, not believing you. You smile again and try to push it down.

When Michelle returns, she has yet another story.

"Oh, Ted! Did I tell you about..."

It turns into garbled noise. Your brain is starting to spiral. The history they have. The friendship they have. They've seen each other naked. They had Henry! They're a family! What are you doing here? The minute he can get her back, he'll leave...

"Excuse me," you say, getting up from the table. "I just need some air."

"Do you want me to come..." Ted starts to rise from his chair, and you shake your head. "No. Stay."

Ted's face is painted with worry and you can't hear much as you walk away, but then you hear them laugh.

They're laughing at you. You're another member of their inside joke punchlines…Panic. Breathe. Panic. Breathe. Take a seat. The sun is going down. It's lovely here. Take a breath. Breathe. You're safe. You're OK.

"Baby, breathe," you hear a familiar drawl when you look up from the bench. Ted's kneeling in front of you, his hands gripped around yours.

"It's OK, darlin', you're OK..."

Your eyes are leaking tears down your cheeks -- and when did that start?

His big, warm hand cups your cheek.

"You don't gotta talk about it, but if you wanna tell me what's goin' on, I'm here," he offers quietly, and your eyes scan around, hoping you're not drawing a scene. You open your mouth to answer but you stutter, and nothing comes out.

"Let's head back to the hotel, 'kay?" he asks.

"No, I don't want to ruin the dinner..."

He waves it off. "It's fine, I'd rather be with you anyway."

Your heart lightens a little at that.

In the car, Ted reaches over to grab your hand. Your eyes are out the window, looking at the sunflower fields as they pass by. You take a breath.

"If you want to...I mean...Michelle and you..."

Ted looks over, his own breath hitching.

"If you and Michelle want to get back together, I understand," you finish, clenching your eyes shut. "You have a history. You're a family. I...if I'm in the way..."

Ted shakes his head.

"Darlin' is that what's been on your beautiful brain all night?" he asks quietly, trying not to explode with praise to calm your nerves.

You nod.

"I just see how you are together. I can see...why you two were together...I just..."

Ted squeezes your hand as he pulls up to the hotel.

"Sugar, look at me..."

You look at him, your eyes welling with tears again.

"There ain't a soul on this earth that could get between the two of us," he says, now holding both your hands in his. "That's history. Sure, we share Henry. But everything changed when I met you. And we've moved...on..."

You nod.

"But it's so effortless between you two, don't you think? All that history, all those jokes..."

Ted smiles a little from the corner of his mouth.

"Old jokes. History, not future. You're my future, and I'll have jokes with you, too. We already have our own, right?" You muster a smile.

He gets you both out of the car and to the elevator, holding your hand the whole way. In the room, you feel...better. Just being away from the situation. Alone with Ted again.

...

Ted pulls you in for an embrace as you kick off your shoes.

"I don't want it to be a habit or nothin', sugar, but it's sexy that you were a little jealous..." he whispers to your hair, and you let out a small chuckle.

"I just don't wanna share you, that's all..." you answer. "You're mine."

Ted tightens his embrace, kissing your neck, leading up to your lips, and kissing those, too. His tongue sneaks out and runs against your lips and you moan a little as it turns into a passionate make-out session.

He leans you down in the bed, your faces never separating as you scoot backward toward the pillows, his hand climbing under your shirt.

"That's the sexiest thing I've ever heard," Ted mutters, his breath coming in short and hollow as his arousal takes over.

"What? That you're mine," you answer, and he growls, kissing and sucking on your neck, his hands becoming needier as they move to unbutton your jeans.

He returns the praise, kissing down your neck, then lifting your shirt off and kissing down your breasts.

"I've never felt like I do with you, princess," he murmurs to the soft skin of your chest, your hands pushing down your pants as he unbuckled his belt. The clink of the metal has you salivating.

"You're so damn sexy, so perfect... you turn me on like a damn lightswitch, I swear," he says, leaning over you, his hair mussed from removing his sweater. Your fingers run up under his white t-shirt, over his belly, and to his chest hair.

"No one's touched me like you touch me, no one's wanted me like you want me," he whispers in your ear. "And I'm gonna show ya how much I appreciate how fucking gorgeous and perfect you are for me."

You shudder when he lets out a rare curse, which he only does when his emotions are heightened.

His hands unclasp your bra, his left hand massaging your breast and his mouth wrapped tightly around a perked nipple. He moans while he kisses you, moving down your body, his right hand now grabbing your thigh.

"I'm gonna show you," he says, working his fingers to your panties and tugging them down your thighs. "I'm gonna show you that you're mine. And I'm yours..."

He lowers his face between your legs, his tongue flicking against your clit at a measured pace, but that has you seeing stars and grasping at the sheets below you. His big, warm hands hold your thighs open, his eyes connect with yours, and they're dark and practically black with lust.

"Oh God!" you shout, closing a hand over your mouth from the volume.

"No, none of that now," he says, his voice low and husky in his Kansas drawl. "Let everyone hear how good that feels..."

Your back arches off the bed when he sucks against your hole, a finger and then two sliding in and hooking just right, massaging the spot inside you that makes you goddamn delirious.

"That's right, my sweet good girl..." he coos to you. "Let go for me, because I ain't done with you tonight."

Your eyes roll back as your climax crashes through you, your thighs quivering around his head. He smiles proudly, riding you through it with soft strokes against your swollen lips.

When he climbs back up the bed you pull him down into a deep kiss, tasting yourself on his lips. Your hands push his pants and underwear off in one motion, and he kicks them off the bed, curling under the blanket with your naked bodies wrapped together.

"Lay on your side," he mutters, his voice shaky. Your hand grasps him for a moment, pumping him slowly and he groans as he watches you work his cock.

He lays down and faces you, bringing your leg over his hip, and he pushes his hard, thick cock into you, making you shudder.

"Oh fuck, Ted..." you murmur, feeling your soaked pussy take each delicious inch of him.

His hand on your thigh holds you in place while he thrusts slow but so damn deep you can feel it in your stomach.

"Look at me," he requests, and you do. His eyes are dark, his hair falling over his forehead. He kisses you passionately again, your breath between you short and staggered.

"You're all I want in this damn life," he says to you, whispering it to your lips but looking in your eyes. "You're all I'll ever need. All I'll ever want..."

He ruts his hips harder, your hands on his broad chest, your mouth caught agape in a moan.

"Yeah, right there," he whispers to himself. "Ya feel that? That's what you and only you can do to me..."

A deep, long moan escapes your lips. "Oh, God, Ted..."

He smiles kissing your neck, his own moans peppered against your skin as he fucks into you.

"Mmmm...you're so tight, sugar," he praises you. "And this body, my God...you're so damn perfect, every curve. Every delicious curve on this body..."

You kiss the words from his lips, your body starting to tremble and tighten again...

"I can feel you, baby. Come on my cock for me, I'm yours and you're mine, so come just for me," he begs. "My fucking goddess."

Your head rolls forward against his shoulder as you cry out his name, your body pulsing, pussy clenching around him, milking him.

"Yeah, there she is," he coos. "That feel good, baby? I'm almost there..."

You kiss him passionately, deep. Pouring every ounce of yourself into it.

"No one makes me feel like you do, baby," you answer. "You're all mine, and I'm all yours..."

He groans loud, crying out your name as he clutches your hip, playfully slaps your ass and ruts into you with everything he has.

"Keep going, oh God, I'm about to..."

He smiles, wanting you to come over with him. With one tiny adjustment to his angle, he hits a place that has you seeing stars. Your body let's go in a shudder, cursing, with your chest blushed and eyes glassy.

"Oh God, y/n..." Ted moans, and with three more hard thrusts he explodes, spilling into you, your bodies still pushing with each other to ride through it. He nearly shouts in relief.

He rolls you to your back and goes into the bathroom, returning with. a damp warm washcloth, opening your thighs and running it between you.

"Come back," you beg, your voice hoarse from the moaning and shouting. Sweat glistens on your forehead and your body is warm with a flood of endorphins.

He crawls in next to you with a smile, kissing your shoulder, rolling you to his chest.

A few moments of breath catching and he smiles down at you.

"Damn, sugar. You took the wind right outta me," he says with a smirk. "Ain't nothin' can top how you make me feel."

You sigh and run your hand down his chest, and he covers it with his own. You feel him deliver a kiss to the top of your head.

"I love you so much, Ted... I'm sorry for..."

But he cuts you off.

"Not to interrupt ya, darlin', but you've got nothin' to apologize for."

You look at him. "Well, I just got in my head..."

He scoots down and faces you, nearly nose to nose, leaning in to kiss you. His soft lips and warm breath and tease of his tongue makes you forget what you were gonna say next.

"You're my future, sweetheart. I ain't goin' nowhere without you."

---

I'm really trying to be better at writing spicy stuff. But thank you for this prompt! It was so sexy and cute. I just think Ted would be floored to have someone who cares about him that much, and he'd want to return the sentiments. Thanks for the prompt, my friend

#ted lasso x reader #ted lasso x you #ted lasso reader insert #ted lasso fanfiction #ted lasso fanfic #ted lasso smut #ted loves being claimed

[moon0fairy]

Ok so what if Ted returning to Kansas is kinda like 911 Eddie quitting as a firefighter because he thinks that‘s what Christopher wanted?

Eddie quit and felt miserable afterwards, he wasn‘t happy with his new job and spiraled into depression, putting far more pressure on Chris. He had to be the one to tell his dad, that that wasn‘t what he wanted for him. He wanted him to be a firefighter and do what makes him happy (and be safe).

Ted going back to Henry might make him happy at first but it also means seeing Michelle and Dr Jacob constantly together. Realizing, maybe that there‘s not really space for him like there used to be. And what about everything else? Will he find a new job and be happy with that? Probably not, he‘ll constantly think about the people he left behind, the life he spent building during the last couple of years. And Henry probably sees his dad getting more unhappier the longer he‘s staying and probably has to be the catalyst to tell him to go back because as much as he would like his dad back, he doesn’t want his dad to sacrifice his happiness for him. Paralleling his mom showing up and being the catalyst to Ted returning to Kansas.

In conclusion, I do believe Ted should go back to Kansas but realizing that‘s not whats best for him or Henry. He needs this closure that Henry‘s fine and that he found his place at Richmond so that he can return at the end.

#had to make the 911 parallel sorry #it was just too perfect #gimme some time jumps #i don‘t even care anymore #ted lasso #ted lasso spoilers #ted lasso predictions #henry lasso #911 #eddie diaz #christopher diaz