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kalinara · 2 years

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I know I’ve mentioned this before, but one of my favorite parts of how Ted Lasso handles Ted and Rebecca’s dynamics is that the show allows him to help her against Rupert, without ever undermining her.

It would have been so easy to write the Gala episode differently, for example. To write Ted seeing Rupert’s cruelty and have him storm to the rescue. To have him punch Rupert or frogmarch him out of the affair. I think many tv shows would have done that in a heartbeat.

It would have been so easy to write the dart game scene differently. To have Ted swoop in on his high horse, turn everything into a pissing contest over the fair maiden.

It would have been so easy to write the romance novel version, or the Hallmark movie version of these scenes, where Ted is the romantic hero saving the swooning heroine.

I’m so happy that they didn’t do it that way though.

One of the many reasons I’m so opposed to the idea of Ted punching Rupert is because, not only is it out of character for Ted who is a very rare example of a genuinely peaceful and gentle male character, but it changes the focus of the story. A story where Ted punches Rupert becomes a story about a man who has been driven to the point of violence because of awful things said by another man, and he has to step up! It makes it about Ted’s reaction.

And it undermines Rebecca. In character, I mean. Rebecca is a public figure in a position of authority. She’s said herself how hard that can be. Sometimes she still feels like her colleagues see her as a little girl in pigtails. As satisfying as it is to imagine a white knight publicly coming to her rescue, we forget that Rebecca will have to work with these people in the future. And, even though it’s unfair, the sight of her being the helpless bystander while a man saves her would NOT help her when dealing with them.

But that’s where Ted’s particular genius comes in.

Take the Gala. At no point does Ted confront Rupert directly. The most he does is tell the man, indirectly, that he sees through what he’s doing. Then he goes and gets Higgins, and he tracks down Cam Cole the street busker. The genius move, of course, was bringing Higgins. Ted already knew what he was going to do. He could have gone alone. But he brought Higgins, who is Rebecca’s right hand man. That tells everyone that he’s acting on Rebecca’s behalf. (And it gives Higgins a much needed confidence boost.) So when Cam Cole turns out to be awesome, the triumph and the credit goes to REBECCA.

The dart game is a little different, of course. That IS more of a direct rescue. But Ted was clever there too. Because he isn’t the one to challenge Rupert directly. He gets Rupert to challenge him. It’s a wounded gazelle gambit, really. He makes a few crappy shots with his non-dominant hand, knowing that Rupert won’t be able to resist putting this young upstart in his place. He manipulates the stakes. He plays weak, by claiming the monetary bet is too rich for him, and offers up what he really wants (Rupert leaving Rebecca alone vs. Rupert getting control of the team) as a counter-offer/afterthought.

The focus therefore is on Rupert, as the challenger. And because Rupert is Rupert, all anyone is thinking about is what Rupert will get when he wins. So when he loses, to a folksy speech about judgment and appearances, he can’t really back out of his deal without losing face.

Ergo, Ted saves Rebecca, without it ever LOOKING like he’s saving Rebecca. At no point is it suggested by anyone that Rebecca would have a difficult time with Rupert in the owners box. At no point does it look like Rebecca needs this help. She comes out of this situation getting exactly what she wants and needs, without being undermined. And because Ted coaxes her into buying drinks for the club, to the public, his triumph becomes her triumph.

And to me, personally, it’s much more satisfying than the romance novel/Hallmark movie fantasy of the white knight rescuer. (Ted might use the phrase “white-knighting” but he’s not giving himself enough credit here.)

It occurs to me that there’s a very interesting parallel that we see in No Weddings and a Funeral. Ted isn’t involved here. But instead, we see Sassy and Deborah, and their respective ways of helping Rebecca. Sassy directly confronts Rupert, for his behavior, and it’s very satisfying, don’t get me wrong. And it’s very necessary as a beat for Sassy, whose prior words could be interpreted as victim blaming (though as I’ve said before, I don’t agree with that interpretation) - it’s good for us to see that she’s clearly and unequivocally on Rebecca’s side in all this. It doesn’t seem to have that much of an effect on Rupert though.

Whereas Deborah’s saccharine kindness, as frustrating as it is for Rebecca to watch, actually does take the wind out of “Rupey’s” sails. When Rebecca follows her mother’s lead, Rupert is visibly thrown off. He still gets his little power play: giving Rebecca back his (Bex’s) shares of the team, but it’s a lot less slitheringly triumphant than when he showed off Diane earlier in the episode. Deborah, like Ted, knows what Rupert actually wants from Rebecca. And she shows her how to deny it to him, without ever losing face.

It’ll be really interesting to see what happens when Richmond plays West Ham. Ted won’t be in the owners’ box with Rebecca and Rupert. It will be interesting to see how she handles it.

#ted lasso #rebecca welton #theodore lasso #rupert mannion

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