Editor’s note: The following are spoilers for Ted Lasso’s third season. Ted Lasso episode “We’ll Always Have Paris” was… a lot. In an hour of watching TV, we see a video leak, the shock of a possible offer, a love story on top of another love story, and of course, a big dose of our favorite AFC Richmond players in the locker room. However, this particular episode was hard for Keely (Juno Temple), who has already been given the short end of the stick this season. With an intimate video of how she was hacked and posted to the public, Ted Lasso have commented on this real issue, but the way they handled it leaves a lot to be desired.
To recap one of the many subplots in this episode, a private video Keely once sent to someone later revealed to be Jamie (Phil Dunster) - leaked and put on public display along with other female celebrities in a hack similar to the one in 2014. Jack (Jody Balfour), her friend and boss, thinks more about protecting her brand than comforting Keely. She sends Keely a lawyer-prepared apology statement and then tries to come up with another one for her, both of which Keely says she won’t read - she doesn’t need to apologize. Jack then leaves, signifying the end of their relationship. So Keely was right? Should she apologize?
Does Keely need to apologize?
No, it doesn’t exist - it was violated. Something that was personal and for one person was taken from her without her consent and spread around the world to see. We are in a post-Pam and Tommy post-2014 leak where hopefully the general public has come to understand that celebrities deserve their privacy as much as anyone else and the idea that fame comes at a price. only gives more power to dehumanize people. Dehumanization is intensified when one considers that in Ted Lassohacked and exposed mostly female celebrities.
Let’s go back to 2014 when hackers posted a lot of celebrity intimate photos on 4chan. Many actresses, models and public figures have been reduced to semi-nude shots, which they have every right to. However, as is the case with many other things that our society suffers from, the response to it has been unsatisfactory. While many people saw what a serious violation this was, there were those who felt the need to punish these people for taking nude pictures. Instead of looking at misogyny at the heart of the problem, this toxic corner of our society criticized the victims of such acts rather than wondering why anyone would ever want to leak personal photos.
Ted Lasso Takes the Easy Way
In this episode, the AFC Richmond team has a hunch about what happened with the break-in. It works less like a TV scene where characters talk to each other than like a vessel in which different topics of conversation collide with each other. We have a guy who thinks no one should be photographed naked. We have a guy who protects women. We get a guy who is somewhere in between. The closest we get to hackers getting any attention is when Jamie says, “It’s only the idiots who steal your shit and put it online.” But it is immediately interrupted when he says, “That’s why I’m deleting all the photos from my phone.” This exercise in social commentary is well-intentioned. As the team decides to review their photos and delete them, it doesn’t feel like a natural conversation with people, but just a show giving their opinion on the matter, which ends with the conclusion that if you’re famous, your private photos should be deleted.
It seemed Ted Lasso wanted to start a conversation about fame, humanity, privacy, and rape culture, but to no avail. The leak is only about how embarrassing it is to have these photos in the world. We didn’t have an inspection or discussion of the privacy violation that Keely or any other female celebrity is entitled to. Saying “delete photos” Ted Lasso accepts the idea that these women have no right to privacy. By saying “delete photos” you release the hackers from liability. By saying “delete the photos,” the show provides an opportunity to dive into a social issue with care and nuance.
Ted Lasso clearly felt that this issue was part of the social fabric and needed to be discussed, but decided to take the path of least resistance and maintain the status quo. By advocating for the removal of the images, they defend the lack of action needed to combat society’s perceptions of women as sex objects. For a show about positivity and forward thinking, he’s oddly defeatist. This is tantamount to a rape discourse calling on women to hang out with others at night, watch their drinks, or go to their car with the keys in hand. Women shouldn’t rape, but men shouldn’t rape. Ted LassoThe company’s stance on hacking is extremely conservative and refuses to even consider the misogyny inherent in these hacks.
So what’s next for Keely? What awaits her after the events of this storyline? It’s hard to know what the show will bring to Keely given all she’s been through. But it’s clear that Keely will have to find a way to rise like a phoenix and rise above the obstacles she’s faced in both her personal and professional lives. If not, what is the purpose of getting Keely through all this trouble, if not for character development?
New episodes Ted Lasso Season 3 premieres every Wednesday on Apple TV+.
Source: Collider
I have worked as a journalist for over 7 years and have written for many different publications. I currently work as an author at Daily News Hack, where I mostly cover entertainment news. I have a great deal of experience in the industry and am always looking to learn more. I am a highly motivated individual who is always looking to improve my skills. I am also a very friendly and personable person, which makes me easy to work with.
