Nathan Shelley - Tumblr Posts
how it started / how it’s going
THIS THIS EXACTLY THIS. IF NATE SHELLEY HAS NO SUPPORTERS I AM DECEASED.
I’m in love with Nate facilitating his own growth through his own connections, through connection with his family, through connecting with his own values. It’s not a Ted inspired speech. Nate did this on his own. He saw through Rupert and left. He worked through his anxiety and fear. He connected back to his family. He did all the work. And I love that Will is the person he made amends to - not the guys that used to bully him, not even to Ted. The kitman he was shit to because Will reminded him of himself, and he tried to treat Will the way his father treated him. The healing, you love to see it.
Nick Mohammed should win an Emmy
There’s been a lot of anger at the Emmy’s this year for the lack of win for POC actors. Rightly so. It’s hard for actors to be given roles that are written with nuance, that really let them shine as skilled artisans. And even when they are given those roles, their incredible work is rarely recognized.
Nick Mohammed should win an Emmy.
I’ve watched interviews with the cast and crew of Ted Lasso and what really stood out to me is how much the writers really love Nick. You can tell by the way they hang on to his every word that they think he is so funny and is so brilliant. And their admiration of him is reflected in the trust they put in him to play such a controversial role. They have written a script where Nick’s acting is an absolute highlight of the season.
Nick Mohammed should win an Emmy.
The way Nick has been able to carry us all on this journey is beyond stunning. I have never seen an actor who so bravely took on the position of transitioning from one of the show’s Most beloved characters to the undeniable villain of the season. This journey is so hard to watch because dear god is it convincing. We feel Nate’s pain, his hubris, his fear, his malice.
Nick Mohammed should win an Emmy.
Do you realize how hard it must have been, to be an actor of color and then asked to play a villain? To become a character hated by the fandom and be given little empathy by racist fans? I am in awe of Nick’s bravery and I am extremely thankful for it. I am thankful to see a thoughtful depiction of the kind of self-hatred that drives people to harm others. I am thankful to seeing this story because even though right now it’s uncomfortable as shit, I know it will end in a way that teaches me something I didn’t even know I needed to learn.
Nick Mohammed should win an Emmy.
me watching and researching Ted Lasso knowing every detail of the show is thought out and meaningful
La’Darius Marshall and Nate Shelley
So let me preface and say I don’t want to conflate or speculate on someone’s real life (La’Darius from Cheer) but since Cheer exists as a piece of media- something edited and directed into a story- I do want to point to an incredibly similar “character arc” that exists in both the narrative of Cheer and Ted Lasso.
So in season 2 in Cheer, the conflict between La’Darius and his former coach Monica becomes tense and personal. While in season one, the two were depicted as becoming incredibly close, like family, in season two Monica leaves the team for a semester. La’Darius end up fighting terribly with the interim coach and eventually quits the team. He and Monica have a falling out which comes to a head as La’Darius starts to publicly releases damning information on Monica on social media. For Monica, this betrayal completely blindsighted her. Sound familiar?
At one point La’Darius says, “I always looked at her as my mom. I did. Like she was like...she was something very special to me. I let a lot of things go. I let a lot of things pass over, because I really wanted her to be the woman that I’ve always wanted in my life. And just this past year, I just felt like she wasn’t there.”
For anyone who still feels confused about Nate’s arc, watching Cheer may be a good way to really learn from someone, in their own words, the particular pains they experienced when the parental figure they thought they had was not there for them the way they needed. There are some obvious differences (there really needs to be an essay about how gay Black men are fetishized in the cheer community and how Cheer depicts the commodification of them) but there are certain intersections of race and class that definitely are subtexts for both narratives.
There is also just a lot that can be learned through the vulnerability La’Darius and Monica share when speaking about their real lives.
The problem with Ted Lasso S3
It doesn’t feel like the last season.
Let’s imagine Ted Lasso was like any other show, slated to keep running until it eventually concluded after 5 or even 10 seasons. If we as viewers knew this, would these episodes feel so lopsided? Would the missing thematic tie-ins feel so odd? Would new characters and plot points feel like frustrating distractions?
Even with the entire season written and filmed, Apple is still not letting anyone doing press for the show say outright this is the last season. Why? To make space for a spin off? Or....maybe this isn’t the last season after all?
Either way, it definitely seems like the writers room were given the directive to not make these episodes feel like they’re leading to an end. And they certainly do not. However the strength of Ted Lasso has always been the foresight of the writers. Every character, line, and scene felt meaningful because they were - everything lead to an inevitable end. Without that, we’re left with a show that doesn’t feel bad per se. But definitely off.
For folks frustrated by Ted going back to Kansas, it might be helpful to think about this story within the framework of the hero’s journey
There always has to be the return, to go back to the start BUT go back completely changed. Why is it the hero must always return? Why has this story structure existed across cultures and the world for thousands of years? Many answers but...I think in life we can transform and grow meet new people and lovers and the most beautiful thing is we can never lose those things. Ever. Even when we go back to the beginning. It will never be a reset. It will always be a new beginning.
💎 Time to round up the Diamond Dogs! 💎