Something became very clear during Ted Lasso’s Uncle’s Day celebration this week — and it wasn’t just the reveal that Roy Kent’s sister is, in fact, the doctor who treated Dr. Sharon after she was hit by a car in Season 2. (But while we’re on it: Great throwback!)
No, it was something thrilling, something profound, something so obvious I suspect even Roy’s niece, Phoebe, might have picked up on it as she counted her new Swear Jar donations: that Roy Kent and Jamie Tartt ought to get it together and, well, get together.
For the record, I’m not Team TVLine’s resident Ted Lasso guru; that would be my colleague Ryan Schwartz, who provides smart, insightful coverage of the Apple TV+ comedy each week. So, I realize that my contribution to the Lasso discourse thus far is, “Can Roy and Jamie be boyfriends, please?” But given how the show has developed their previously contentious dynamic into a lovely, sincere, mutually meaningful bond, it feels only natural that Ted Lasso’s third — and potentially final — season should culminate with something more than platonic for these two.
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I say that with nothing against Roy and Keeley, of course. In fact, I adored Roy and Keeley’s initial romance. It was, like both of those characters, sweet and sexy and a little complicated. And yet, their apparent reunion in Episode 10 felt unearned, and even a bit confusing. Keeley and Roy have shared minimal screen time since they called it quits at the start of the season, and neither of their subsequent arcs seemed to explain why they weren’t right for each other, or what kind of emotional work they were doing to warrant reconciling. I want to want them to patch things up — and yet, now that they apparently have, I’m left wondering how Attempt No. 2 will be any different, or whether it’s the right move for them at all.
Meanwhile, we’ve got Jamie and Roy right there. The early-morning workouts. The bike-riding lesson in Amsterdam. And now, Uncle’s Day. Have I talked about that enough yet? How Jamie Tartt actually came to celebrate a mostly made-up holiday in Roy’s honor? And brought a sentimental, custom-made gift, about which he was sheepish? And hang on — what about that expression on Jamie’s face, just before Roy confirmed he loved the present? You mean to tell me that’s a look exchanged by — [checks notes] — best pals? I think Roy would appreciate my grunt of bitter disagreement.
And, sure, up until this point, both men have been canonically straight. My counterpoint: So what? The show has proven several times this year that it’s comfortable exploring its characters’ sexuality, from Keeley’s short-lived romance with Jack to Colin’s coming-out storyline. But where Keeley and Jack’s fling felt aimless and hollow, Roy and Jamie’s elevation to More Than Friends feels like a logical next step for a pair that has only grown closer, in deeply gratifying ways, with each passing episode. (And no, I haven’t forgotten that Episode 9 moment in which half of AFC Richmond turned to Jamie in the locker room, assuming he was their gay teammate before Colin spoke up. Make good on that foreshadowing, cowards!)
There’s much about Ted Lasso’s third season that hasn’t made sense. Ask me what’s up with Nate’s arc, and I’d come up empty. Here’s one thing — maybe the only thing — that does make sense. Roy and Jamie’s bromance has been fine. But drop the “B” from that word, and we all might feel like we’ve been struck by f—king lightning.
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