What a series… absolutely great, feel good stuff right from the first episode; but Richmond missing out on the title to City really knocked the wind outta the sails of the ending for me. Everything on the show was unrealistic from a football fans perspective, so why not go the full hog and give them the league title to round it all off! Even in the fictional world of Ted Lasso bloody Man City win everything!
as a few people mentioned, a freshly promoted team winning the league would be unrealistic for viewers that watch English football. my memory is sketchy so someone please correct me if i’m wrong, but i think Forest did it in the 70s (way before big money entered football); in the Premier League era, Leicester was promoted, managed to stay up, and won the season after.
also, as a storytelling device, it leaves a goal for the rumored spin-off, if it happens.
I watch English football and the entire show was unrealistic… a freshly promoted team getting second place after making like 3 transfers in 3 years (is basically the same squad that got trampled out of the prem) is extremely unrealistic. But it’s a Tv show and you have to suspend your disbelief and the way the episode was leading up it teased you into thinking it was possible. If they had set it up as Richmond were 5th and a win against West Ham would put them in the champions league (finishing 4th) for the first time ever that would’ve been nice
Mate. It’s a bloody FICTION tv show. Meaning it doesn’t have to be completely “realistic”.
It’s a realistic ending, 2nd place (pretty sure) isn’t bad.
For brendans answer:
Though I agree. Its a bit of a trope that you can’t have weighty, emotional media with the “good guys” winning in the end, which I think is a cop out to taking the time to making it work.
I think it had to do with Ted reiterating early in the show that wins and losses did not matter to him…also in the final season trailer, the song that was played was rolling stones “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just mind find, you get what you need.” I think this show celebrates struggle, and overcoming struggle…it also defines characters as works in progress…the show, even though they didn’t win the title, proves the team is STILL a work in progress. While I didn’t like that Roy didn’t actually wind up with keeley at the end, I liked that he was going to a therapist to work on his problems. I even enjoyed that Ted, at the end, was half happy, half sad being back home…because when he started the show, he was half happy, half sad (happy because he was learning this new life, sad because he missed his family…whereas when the show ended, he was half happy to be back with his son, but sad that he left another family he created). This show really hits on the fact that not all of life is perfect…not winning the title, not being COMPLETELY happy, not winding up with the girl at the end…there’s just a lot of reflection of real LIFE in this show…and you can take that or leave it, but I feel like it’s pretty darn good.
Well said. No one was in the perfect place at the ending. But they all had a path forward to be better, from my point of view.
Onward…forward.
The only real bastard in the show is Rupert, and he got what he deserved. (well, I take that back, Dr. Jakeass was equally on that level, manipulating Michelle, but I digress).