Editor’s Note: Below are spoilers for the season 3 finale by Ted Lasso.
One of the highlights Ted Lasso there has always been a relationship between Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) and Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), and it’s in the third season that they really have a chance to prove themselves as a dynamic duo. They start the series as players who are as different from each other as possible, but gradually gravitate towards common ground as they are influenced by coach Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) infectious positivity. And, of course, they are both in love with Keely Jones (Juno Temple) and at some point were in a relationship with her. Seeing them become friends throughout the show despite all that was priceless, so why did the show ruin their friendship in the very last episode?
“Ted Lasso” must commit: a love triangle or not?
many fans Ted Lasso wanted to see a love triangle between Jamie, Keely and Roy, while others wanted anything but that. However, the show itself was never sure what to do with them in that sense. He played with this idea many times, but there was never a moment when all three actively followed each other. So it’s weird that the show left him seemingly in the last episode to work out an arc that wasn’t even properly developed.
When Ted Lasso begins, we see Jamie and Keely together as a couple in a rather troubled relationship. Jamie was already the star of the team, but was also arrogant and toxic in the dressing room with teammates like Colin (Billy Harris) act as his henchmen and intimidate everyone, from other players like Sam Obisanya (Tohib Jimo) to the order picker, who was then Nate Shelley (Nick Mohammed). It was great to watch Jamie go from being an arrogant, selfish player to a confident team player, especially since we needed to immerse ourselves in what made him the way he was, and the main reason for that was his toxic father.
Roy was the opposite. While Jamie was a rising star, Roy was in the twilight of his career. He was already a football legend, had already played for England many times and was looking for a peaceful retirement. And he had his problems too. A rather rough player, he left his insecurities and problems on the pitch, and it wasn’t until he was forced to retire due to injury that he learned to actually deal with his problems and found himself in the way. along.
Keely played a very big role in how these two people have grown so much over the past few years. Jamie never recovered from her, now realizing that he was the one who ended their relationship because of his ego and toxic self-image. Roy finally realized that he himself was a difficult person who didn’t allow himself to be who he wanted to be and knew he could be. Keely had a big stature too, especially thanks to her friendship with AFC Richmond owner Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), and that’s how she ended up affecting Jamie and Roy - always being kind and honest with them even after her relationship with both ended. But men will always be a difficult group, so of course there must be something else…
Jamie and Roy’s friendship on Ted Lasso was an example of healthy masculinity
All three parts of this “love triangle” were affected by the so-called “Lasso Effect” - a general change in the way people relate to each other that occurred after Ted arrived at AFC Richmond. Jamie and Roy are probably the best examples of what a positive influence Ted has had on everyone, but all of their growth has been on their own terms. They were influenced past him - Ted just pointed them in the right direction.
Their friendship is the best example of how they acted of their own accord when it came to each other. After the match against Manchester City at Wembley in season 2, Jamie got into a fight with his father James (Kieran O’Brien) in the middle of the Richmond locker room, and for the first time Roy saw Jamie for what he was: a man who found it difficult to be himself. And that’s something Roy can probably relate to just as well as a person who finds it hard to show his vulnerability.
Roy and Jamie never got along even before Roy started dating Keely at the end of the first season, and unfortunately for men like them, women are usually annoying. So the way Roy hugs Jamie after the Manchester City match meant a lot to the many men watching. He showed that it is possible to improve at any moment - all we have to do is offer help, ask for it or accept it. Struggle is natural for everyone, and in most cases, we only need to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes. It’s not rocket science, but Jamie and Roy were denied the opportunity for so long that it became a defining moment for them and the relationship they had before.
Their fight for Keely in the finale of Theda Lasso reveals all their height
However, in the third season, Jamie and Roy’s relationship really develops into a friendship. Jamie may have grown up to be a real adult and become a team player, but he’s still Jamie so he naturally got jealous when ZawaMaximilian Osinsky) joined Richmond. And Roy just broke up with Keely because, well, he’s Roy, so their joining forces is exactly what was supposed to happen. They were both grown men and needed support, so they leaned on each other. Perfect, right?
What seemed good to Jamie and Roy at the time was that they could both grow up without Keely. They became better people because of their friendship. Jamie didn’t pursue her and apparently saw her as a friend, and Roy had a brief affair with her at the end of Season 3 that could have blossomed into a real relationship, which would have been great, but far from official. but because, well, he’s Roy. Jamie and Roy’s outing to have a beer together seemed like another moment to prove that men can be friends without rivalry and that they can be friends with women without being interested in them - but in the end it was the other way around.
Jamie and Roy’s fight over Keely was probably considered a funny moment, but it ultimately gave away the height the two men had achieved both together and separately. They had no problem sacrificing what they had achieved together because of Keely and even fighting physically. This was especially disappointing for their friendship, as it always seemed to be more than any romantic relationship. It was about two men who were rivals, admitting they had more in common than loving the same person, but their fight ultimately showed that the person they loved was more important than their friendship. Of course, most people never think straight when it comes to love, but the friendship between Roy and Jamie was so meaningful because it was an example of healthy masculinity. That’s why it’s such a shame that in what is probably their last episode, they’re back to square one.
Source: Collider
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