okay thoughts (whiskey and 1am thoughts) about the Ted Lasso s2 finale to follow
Not a TON of thoughts, on account of the whiskey and 1am BUT
I had SUCH a good time and NO it wasn’t everything I had theorized but that is fine andgreat and frankly my id runs towards angst but I prefer when the actual canon doesn’t go so hard
I LOVE the way the s1 and s2 finales play off of each other, even on a first watch. The way that Jamie gives up the final goal when before he made it (and still wasn’t enough for his dad), the way that this time they are promoted instead of relegated but whereas in s1 there were shades of it still being a win, this time there are shades of it being a loss off the pitch on account of Nate. The way that this time they DO tie, and that was what they hoped for in the s1 finale and couldn’t make, and then had over and over again in the beginning of s2. It’s just so delightful to watch something that is simultaneously so attuned to making narratively resonant choices but at the same time also devoted to deconstructing common tropes of storytelling to get at something more real. Ooof I love this show and I still love it and wow.
on the flipside (still loving but about the angst side of things), OOOOOOOOFFF Nate did not hold back huh?? He’s not wrongabout what he said to Ted, and that really does make it hurt even more. And Ted knows it, too - he hadn’t clocked it before but he can see it’s the truth once it’s laid out. But damnandfuck that really was the most painful thing Nate could have said, WOW. That Ted didn’t let Nate know how much he was appreciated. The way he thinks he never let his dad know how much he was appreciated. ouch ouch ouch holy shit ouch
The s1 finale made me cry and I wasn’t at that place with this finale, but hot damn I am jazzed up with excitement about a forthcoming s3 probably even more than I was about s2! There’s just so much meaty stuff laid out to deal with, and I fully believe (NATE TEARING THE SIGN THOUGH!!) that s3 is going to deliver it!! I have not been disappointed yet and that is pretty impressive.
Like damn. Ted has such support now, from Sharon who knows the whole story, from Beard who knows part of it, from everyone else who barely know specifics but know Ted and that is fully enough for them to have his back. That’s so beautiful and wonderful and ahhh I love it SO MUCH. But he also just got told that he re-committed what he considers to be the worst thing he has ever done, but this time it wasn’t to his dad, it’s to someone he thinks of as a son. And we know that, because we (unlike Nate) know that the reason the picture isn’t in his office is because it’s in his home next to the picture of his son.His son that was in this very episode also juxtaposed in a picture against the newspaper article that Nate caused.
Woooof I just. I enjoy this show so much and it still has not let me down (in the relatively short time that I’ve watched it but also that’s two full seasons sooooo). And Roy and Keeley are EVERYTHING and the part where people were worried about a love triangle is so!! Of COURSE that’s not a WORRY because LOOK AT THEM they are so IN LOVE a Jamie confession is not going to ruin that?!??!?? And Keeley and Rebecca happy crying in each other’s arms is SUCH a mood I adore them so much and that they are such a genuine and loving depiction of female friendship?!?!!!!
ANYWAY the point is that I love this show and I shall continue to love it and be impressed by it and be completely DYING for s3 to finally come out and I have such faith in the creatives involved that this really will all work out, just the way Ted said it would, and even if some things don’t go the way I think or hope they will, it WILL work out and I’m going to enjoy every bit of it.
In the spoiler pics just released. Ted’s got his hands in his pockets. His hand are usually one of his first signs he’s stressed/anxious. And he’s hiding them.
It occurs to me that Ted never defends himself. At least not that I remember. Like when Beard explodes at him in All Apologies. As soon as Beard actually explodes, Ted never says a word.
I mean, granted, Ted may not have had anything to say at that point. Beard was correct and Ted knew that at heart. He was just having a really hard time with the emotional effect on Roy.
But it stands out more in the confrontation with Nate, because there is a point that Nate is objectively WRONG about. Through all of his hurt and pain, Nate makes one point that Ted could correct him on: the location of his photo.
Because WE know where Ted’s keeping Nate’s photo. And it might have made a difference for Nate to know that too. But Ted doesn’t tell him. He just doesn’t defend himself at all.
It’s probably why it was so good to see Beard so clearly on Ted’s side this episode, in a way that he hasn’t really had a chance to be all season. I want to see more people defend Ted, darnit, because he won’t do it himself.
(I also want to see more characters sitting in the seats during the opening credit sequence. Credit Ted always looks so alone, let him have his friends!)
so in the same night that trent tells ted about the article coming out about his panic attack and reveals that nate was his source ted still found time to bake rebecca’s biscuits even when he was going through it and she was also the first person to text him her support purple heart emoji included and then he stillbrought her biscuits in the morning and even though he switched the salt and the sugar she still ate them and didn’t hate them bc they’re her biscuits and she loves him them…. inch resting!
One thing we’ve been talking about a lot is Ted’s statement about not letting anyone get by him without realizing they might be hurting inside. And for good reason, of course, because Ted did miss what Nate was going through.
(I still maintain that this is not Ted’s fault. I disagree strongly with the idea that Ted “front-loads” his relationships. Ted always does his best to be there for people no matter what. He’s just not all-knowing or all-powerful. And sometimes he’s going to be distracted by his own shit. And Nate hid it very well from everyone.)
But I was thinking about how it’s true in reverse too.
I don’t think Nate has any idea how much he hurt Ted in that horrible confrontation in the season finale.
WE know how fragile Ted has been in general this season, because we spent the entire season watching him break, But Nate hasn’t seen that. Nate never heard Ted’s heart-wrenching conversation about his father. He doesn’t know that Ted flashes on glimpses of his son, or hears his son’s voice as he is hit with a panic attack.
He was there for Ted’s confession about the panic attacks, of course, but does he really understand what that means? He’s never seen one directly. And Ted presents it as something he’s already dealing with. How does Nate know this is any different than the brief anxious mania he showed at the beginning of Two Aces, or his drunken temper in Make Rebecca Great Again. As far as Nate knows, those were isolated incidents.
Nate pretty much hit every single one of Ted’s weak spots in that confrontation, but it wasn’t deliberate. This wasn’t a cold, calculating asshole punching exactly where it hurt. This was someone who felt hurt and betrayed, lashing out at the nearest cause of his pain. He wasn’t just yelling at Ted, though that was there too, but at his father. (And many children see their parents as invulnerable.)
“Everyone loves you.” He snarls at Ted, which hits at the core of his tragedy. Because everyone loves Nate too. And Nate is unable to see it. Just like Ted is unable to see it. Like father, like son.
I don’t think Nate even realizes that the Believe sign would hurt as much as it does. Nate knows, from the first season finale, that Ted has a bunch of those signs. He probably just thinks that Ted will replace it.
The show hasn’t been subtle about the father-son dynamic with Ted and Nate. Especially this season. We have Nate’s picture kept next to Henry’s on the mantle. We have Ted’s constant juxtaposition with Nate’s father (as early as For the Children, if we pay attention. Nate is first wearing his father’s poorly fitting suit, before Ted buys him the replacement.) Ted’s comparison of coaching to fatherhood in the first season finale, is even more appropriate to how he’s treated Nate this year. (Specifically, teaching him what he can and trusting he’ll make the best decisions…)
Which means we have another example of a son who has no idea how much his father is hurting. But thankfully, he still has some time to figure it out.
