Brendan Hunt, the guy who plays Coach Beard, and who is one of the co-creators of the show, did an Ask Me Anything on Reddit today. Being a co-creator and writer, he had a pretty definitive answer about whether or not the ending was a dream. I’ll spoiler for those who don’t want to know whether it was or wasn’t a dream.
Was it real?
Beard’s wedding was real. Ted wasn’t dreaming and the sequence before he woke up on the plane wasn’t a dream. No, Ted wasn’t there but that’s because he just couldn’t make it, and as adults they were all ok with it. Hunt described a situation he was in where he missed a very close friend’s wedding too.
That’s weak sauce. We just see Nate getting the apology, we don’t see what convinced the players - just being told of the apology doesn’t seem enough. We don’t get to see the reaction where Nate would be a bit worried if all the players would really accept him. He just is there, as if nothing has happened at all.
Is he assistant coach, or is he an assistant to the kit man? If he’s the former, why is he doing the job of the later? If it’s to make it up to Will, why is not that asserted.
Lots of sloppy writing. And lots of focusing on things that didn’t matter while not showing things that did.
The easy forgiveness of Nate is kind of a reflection of how things apparently work in that sport as epitomized by Dani’s Jeckyll/Hyde turn during International week.
I will admit, it was a bit easy, but better to have the one, most significant act of wrongdoing atoned for on screen (or at least the very clear message presented on screen that it was atoned for) and have the rest just sort of worked out in the shadows than… actually depict the rest getting worked out on screen and doing a really lousy, hamfisted job of it. Sometimes narrative efficiency can double as a cover for weak writing, true. But I’m fine with that kind of cover if the alternative is being subjected to more “in your face” weak writing.
Presumably, towel boy told them what happened, and the players considered it at least enough atonement to let him has his foot back on the door (and then be subject to a massive fine for full admission).
You’re griping that you as a “casual” viewer didn’t catch the more obscure references, when you barely remember what’s happened from one season to the next (or even one scene to the next, evidently)? A show that spans 3 seasons over 3 years is going to have things in it that wouldn’t likely be remembered without repeat viewing. Don’t expect to be spoonfed every reference as it happens. That would just dumb it down for the rest of us who have paid any attention or bothered to rewatch to refresh our memories.
I meant for the players to develop their characters, but as a poster notes upthread, it probably would have been more of the hamfisted stuff. I feel the ensemble team stuff was written differently from the rest of the show, by which I mean facile and mostly for comic relief. I would have appreciated at least a scene with the players grappling with their feelings about Nate. It was kind of jarring to see them waltz in Taste of Athens all friendly. Like we’re not even going to talk about this?
This is a very accepting group. This is a group that all realized they should delete the naughty photos off of their phones after only like a 5 minute discussion. They all had no problem with Colin. They spend an inordinate amount of their valuable practice time choreographing musicals and music videos. You can criticize not showing the reunion, but another way to look at it is that they didn’t pander to the audience with a gratuitous “You like me! You really, really like me!” scene.
For the majority of this episode, he was assistant (to the) kit man. In your original post that I replied to, you asked Nate’s position in the end. I took that to mean the very very end when he’s taping back up the believe poster (now with kintsugi) after Roy is named manager. Roy, Beard and Nate are all wearing the exact same outfit, so I’d call that shorthand for he’s been promoted to assistant coach.
All these scenes were shown. Unlike the should have been climatic scene of Nate walking into the room. We got a scene with Nate and Beard and Nate and Ted (eventually)… but Nate and the team who were driven mad by the video of him ripping up the beloved poster, just a 3 representatives announcing a unanimous vote at the Greek restaurant. Meh.
Something interesting I learned from reading Brendan Hunt’s AMA: the same child actress played the younger version of Rebecca that she saw in the mirror before the meeting with Akufo and the Flying Dutchman’s daughter at the end of the finale.
But isn’t the “stack of stock certificates” essentially the same thing that the Green Bay Packers do with their public ownership? At least that’s how I understand it, but I don’t actually own any shares of the Packers.
There would have been nothing climatic about it. Nate had already made his character turn. His arc on that score was complete. I guess sometimes it’s not the destination, it’s the journey.
I did not know (but discovered after the finale) that Jason Sudeikis is actually George Wendt’s nephew. It’s true! Adds another level to that picture of Geronimo …
It also did not hit me until the day after I watched it that Ted’s celebratory running man dance on the pitch was a nod to Sudeikis’ track-suit dancing on the “What’s Up With That?” skits on Saturday Night Live (which was always my favorite part of those skits). Blindingly obvious once it hit me, but I didn’t catch it as I watched it.
When Alan Sepinwall comes in here and wants to start participating in the conversation, I’ll look forward to engaging with him. Until, then I am much more interested in your (and the others contributing to this thread) opinion.
There was also an earlier shot of Rupert’s office, which somewhat resembled the emperor’s throne room from The Empire Strikes Back. There’s a photo in this article from Variety.
