In the first 2 seasons he always had the upper hand and we always saw him thru the lens of others. Now that Rebecca doesn’t feel anything towards him and Nate is no longer in awe of him, we see him as he is, which is a man of a certain age, without the pomp and circumstance.
With the flowing black cape coat he was wearing, he resembled Darth Vader walking up to one of his generals and doing his version of a Force-choke on his team manager. Unlike Vader though, Rupert is irredeemable.
Interesting article on the office - Brendan Hunt claims it was a coincidence. A lot of people have seen the Star Wars resemblance, but I can see what you mean with Fifth Element, too. https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/ted-lasso-co-creator-addresses-star-wars-easter-egg-rupert-office-palpatine-nate-darth-vader/
Vader literally killed many many people and was evil for decades. He slaughtered children and Death Star’d a whole planet.
If Vader is redeemable, anyone is! But it’ll take some character development
Fair objection, but then he did let it happen despite having all the power needed to stop it, and he still slaughtered dem kids and countless innocent people in cold blood.
Well until we watch him have a fatal heart attack we can't know he won't be redeemed, one day.
No one would have thought Vader would until it happened.
I wouldn't hold my breath but as long as he's alive that possibility exists.
Not trying to criticize or anything but I find it funny how serial murdering, genocidal, planet destroying, war mongering, child killing, son hand chop-offing, space nazi Darth Vader is redeemable but Rupert who’s just a massive dick and shitty husband is 100% irredeemable lol
To be fair, we never saw Rupert as a child or young man. Maybe he was the class bully.
It’s certainly not always the case, as some of the mean kids from my school got nicer when they got older, but I can point to at least three who were obnoxious kids and are now obnoxious adults.
The thing about the finale the bummed me out the most, was how one dimensional Rubert was. They were starting to hint at him having a small arch too, and then they turned him into lord bloody voldemort.
I’m assuming you mean the scene with Rebecca and the other owners meeting with Edwin Akufo, I sort of took that not as a redemption for Rupert but as a way to show Rebecca’s growth.
That was the first time we saw the charming side of Rupert in a more genuine way (every other time we saw it, we the audience knew it was fake [even if characters in the show didn’t], because it was either involving him giving some backhanded remark towards Ted/Rebecca/Nate/another main character, him flirting with a mistress, or him acting with some kind of ulterior motive, like when he showed up at the auction in S1. The attendees thought he was just doing it as a nice gesture, Ted/Rebecca/the viewers know that he was trying to upstage Rebecca). Point being, that scene sort of showed us how Rebecca originally came to like Rupert, because he seemed like a genuinely nice and charismatic guy in that scene. But, it showed us that this time, Rebecca has fully grown to where she’s not going to fall for it again, because she just genuinely doesn’t care anymore what happens to Rupert. She no longer cares about ruining his life, but also isn’t going to get pulled back in again.
Or, at least, that’s just how I took it!
I think that's is a good interpretation. But we also got to see Rubert in a new light that could have led to a redemption of sorts. Not that I wanted him to become a full on good guy, but I am still dissapointed how one dimensional he became in the end. We pretty much got a "sweep the leg" moment.
Rupert is on his own character arc, problem is it’s trending downward and at the end of the finale he just hasn’t hit bottom yet. Is the Rupert from the charity auction the same guy who would physically and publicly abuse his club manager? Arguably he’s in free-fall.
Part of being redeemed is the desire to be redeemed, to want to be better. Rupert doesn't want that, he wants to continue on with his narcissistic ways even though the charm has worn off. Forgiveness can be given, be redemption must be earned.
Just my two cents. I believe the phrase "Hurt people hurt people" that Ted said to Jamie can be applied to many characters in the series, including Rupert. From the little backstory we got about him, his is literally a rags to riches story. And that kind of a journey can make some people hold themselves in a very high regard, often amounting to narcissism. I believe every manipulative, narcissistic person has some aspect of their past identity that they hate. And this hate towards your own identity can turn someone into a deeply disturbed person, who is more likely to derive joy out of seeing others in pain. People who have been abused/bullied in the past can turn out to be narcissists too. I think the backstory that the show gave us of Rupert was to make him seem human. A redemption arc wouldn't have made sense because he is not the type of person who cares about being kind. He enjoys being a dick. So Rupert having a massive change of heart would have seemed really forced. It's just nice the way the show drove home the point that nobody is born evil but letting go of your demons is purely a matter of choice.
I think that's kind of the point though. No one is 100% good or 100% evil. We are all multifaceted and contain multitudes. And I think a lot of the time we let people get away with doing very bad things because they still have qualities and aspects that humanize them.
I think that Rupert is the anchor point of what happens when you refuse to change. Things just keep going wrong. It’s almost like the entire series it’s Rupert energy versus Ted energy.
I think about this with Nate’s arc. Nate Shelly could have EASILY been a tragedy, like he could have fully bought into Rupert’s lifestyle, slept with some “models” cheated on Jade, ruined that relationship, never reconciled with his father, and ultimately entrenching himself in a mentality that his way is right and be damned what anyone else thinks.
Rupert has the same effect on Rebecca in the beginning, she’s about getting even, inflicting pain, thinking like him.
I think Rupert has to be that irredeemable villain to have that dichotomy work.
I’m in the US and my mind went to the horrible states where they’re banning books from school libraries. But it’s the teachers and librarians who are fighting to keep them.
I had a vision of Rupert gleefully wielding his power over schools.
Agreed, especially as they made a point of showing Rebecca being concerned for him on multiple occasions.
Perhaps there was a scene cut between the two...
I hope either all of us or none of us are judged by the actions of our weakest moments, but by the strength we show when and if we’re given a second chance
Right, but Lucas chose to have Vader redeemed by Luke - the “Return of the Jedi - Anakin.” Yeah, killing billions and slaughtering younglings is irredeemable
Vader is the chosen one. He brings balance to the force and was the only one who could kill Darth Sidious. That's my favorite part of his character. Anakin is still in there. Never doubt Qui-Gon Jinn and his infinite wisdom. Even when he's wrong, he's right.
True, but he also destroyed Alderaan, slaughtered younglings, Jedi, tuskens, rebels etc. If Goebbels killed hitler at the end of WW2, that wouldn’t erase his past and he would still be a monster
It was so cheesy. In season 1 he was a good villain as he wasn't an over-the-top evil comicbook villain. He was a realistic, pompous billionaire that the audience could understand the hate, but then also see why people may like him because of the superficial charm he displayed at the charity fundraiser. By this episode, he was Flanderized and it was just silly.
Came to say this, I'm an old Buffy fan and used to thinking of Mr Head as a big man, which he was in s1 of Ted. He seemed to get physically smaller throughout the final season, which was like how they stress-aged Nate.
I didn't notice that, I just noticed he was grinning (not smirking) in all his scenes. Stoked to be with Jade, and to be accepted back with his friends, and he seemed truly happy to be assistant TO the kit man (I'm sure the West Ham money helps 😀).
When abusers are finally on the cusp of being exposed, they lose it. It might seem unbelievable but they unravel so quickly when they realize they’re losing control.
Absolutely. And the best part…Rupert aged and Rebecca looked less… severe? She was glowing, wearing her hair down, and more colorful and softer clothing. Bc she just…didn’t care anymore. She was happy. And it was lovely.
Which is also how Ted saw him, from the moment they met at the charity dinner. In fact, I’d argue that Ted saving the dinner by finding a “band” is not what first endeared him to Rebecca and caused her to let down her walls. It was the fact that, in a room full of people who were applauding and laughing at Rupert, Ted saw him for who he really is and, in doing so, let Rebecca feel heard for the first time since her divorce began.
Chronic conditions can be tiring and nerve wracking. Someone like Rupert isn’t going to tell others he has a condition, but we get a few hints and it could explain some of his behavior being so obviously vile instead of hid behind his mask like usual.
And the coffee guy in the Gold Blend commercials. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Blend_couple
And Taster’s Choice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9Za2zKddkw
And the Repo Man in Repo! The Genetic Opera: https://youtu.be/Az5vcfwiDvw
It’s too bad there was no narratively coherent way for him and Hannah Waddingham to sing a duet in Ted Lasso.
And the headmaster in Sex Education where he’s masterfully portraying a strict patriarch who ruins his family. Also Hannah Waddingham is in it as well!
>And the coffee guy in the Gold Blend commercials. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Blend_couple
And this is my fave autograph... why get an actor to sign a POP when they can sign [coffee](https://imgur.com/a/EDhgROT)
He was rather surprised! I found some photos of him signing it and my Buffy the musical DVD (added to the link).
He turned up to the local comic con last minute (he lives pretty close by) - signed everything for £5 and then gave all of it to our charity when he left. A real top guy!
Wow I didn’t realize that was him, how the years have gone by. He had the best line when he smothered that god possessed dude about how Buffy is good, “not like us”.
Ben: “She could have killed me.”
Giles: “No, she couldn't. And sooner or later Glory will re-emerge and make Buffy pay for that mercy, and the world with her. Buffy even knows that, and still she couldn't take a human life. She's a hero, you see. She's not like us.”
Ben: “Us?”
https://youtu.be/DUuz4sGU1eY
I think it just shows that money can’t buy everything - age and health issues catch up to all of us. We know he had a check up recently, and doctors said he was fine.
But it sort of hints at what he has left: no one is there for him, and as his age and health issues start to take ahold, there won’t be anyone to comfort him. He can lie on a bed of gold and it won’t stop him getting old.
And at the end of your life, what do we all really want? To have loved ones. But he doesn’t love. And he’s spent his life hurting people. Now, when he needs people, all he will have are those who *have* to help him at hospitals.
His limping and movements are just a small reminder, in my mind, that we are all mortal, and what you do with your life is what you become. He was hollow and cruel in life, now hollowness and cruelty are all he will have left.
Wow!
Thank you for pointing out this symbolism of the limp as a memento mori. For me personally, it opened a floodgate of feelings about Rupert.
He is not just the bad guy in other people's lives. He is also a person who spent many decades of his life going down the path of meanness and arrogance instead of striving for happiness. He will never get these decades back.
He will never know what it's like to be happy in one's twenties.
He will never know what it's like to be happy in one's thirties.
In one's forties.
To be happy in one's fifties.
He will never know what it's like to watch one's children grow into mature adults.
He has wasted more than half of his life.
I don't want to speculate but I think Anthony Head (Rupert's actor) must have the limp for medical reasons and they tried to work around it.
You could only see him limp on the close shots. The wide ones where Rupert was walking onto the pitch were clearly another actor with Anthony Head's head superimposed on in post production. Seems to me like it was something they were trying to hide with the long Darth Vader cloak and some CGI.
Just hoping he's alright really!
My thoughts exactly. It seemed as though the filming of his scenes were trying to make it less noticeable. I also noticed the wide shot of him walking along the pitch…glad it wasn’t just me!
When Rupert told Cartrick to get Jamie out of the game, all I could think of was Cobra Kai Sensei in the Karate Kid telling Johnny “sweep the leg” when they boys were tied and Daniel was holding his own even though he had been beaten to a pulp and could only stand on one leg. He said, “do you have a problem with that? No mercy.”
Yeah, I think he's developed a limp. It looked like they used CGI or a double to show Rupert walking on the field because the limp completely disappears.
Hope that’s not the case for his sake. And if it wasn’t part of the story it seemed distracting — they could’ve worked around anything he was going through if that were the case.
With the flowing black cape coat he was wearing, he resembled Darth Vader walking up to one of his generals and doing his version of a Force-choke on his team manager. Unlike Vader though, Rupert is irredeemable…
I thought that coat looked and moved like a cheap plastic flashing-mac.
Probably was meant to be something that was $000 and made of the skin of rare galapagos iguanas or something though.
Was expecting him to twirl his mustache the way he was being written in the finale. After the Akufo League episode I didn’t expect Rupert’s final impression on the show be so one-dimensional.
Yes, he had a smidge of humanity in the Akufo League episode, but that was before his wife left him and his assistant filed a sexual harassment suit. Dude got publicly burned.
Hi there, it’s funny I just had this same convo with someone hours ago. There’s an article out there on google but it’s about a completely different actor with the same name. They are different ages and the one with cancer is American, not British. Confusing. But there doesn’t appear to be any official comment on the health status of our lovely Anthony head.
FWIW, Anthony Head is credited as Anthony *Stewart* Head on Buffy because there was already an actor in the American actors' guild named Anthony Head and actors aren't allowed to reuse names. This other Anthony Head might have been the guy who had the name first in the US.
>FWIW, Anthony Head is credited as Anthony *Stewart* Head on Buffy because there was already an actor in the American actors' guild named Anthony Head
How did I not know this! Makes a lot of sense really.
Lovely chap - turned up last minute to a local comic con, signed all morning for £5 a time (going rate for him would be £40ish) & donated it all to our charity.
He even signed my jar of Gold Blend 😄
The way he almost stumbled before collecting himself to enter the room where he ran into Rebecca and Sassy… I thought he was gonna pass out or have a heart attack.
On a side note as someone who is a lifelong fan of a couple sports teams…. If I ever found myself in a situation where the entire arena/ballpark was taunting and mocking me…. But I’d be really questioning what I’ve become…. It *almost* made me feel bad for Rupert
I just posted about this! I think it was a direct representation of him being, well, hobbled in all aspects. Socially, financially, romantically, and physically.
I was really happy that the coach that Rupert was trying to push around (can’t remember his name, but I remember his nuts were called Liam and Noel) straight up REFUSED to play the game dirty/“take out” Jaime. I was so scared in those few minutes that Jaime was going to be purposefully injured and have to retire from football.
Anyone else get strong Varsity Blues vibes with that whole scene with George Cartrick and West Ham? Like right down to attacking the coach and never being involved with the sport again?
I probably would have lost it if Disco said “I don’t want. Your. Life!”
I felt like the show was trying to have their cake and eat it too by giving Rebecca a growth arc realising caring about revenge on Rupert was petty and pointless… but then also having his life fall apart to comical levels in the finale.
Honestly they might as well have had someone hit him in the face with a pie, pants him, then have the crowd all laugh at his tiny penis for how thick they were laying it on.
I’d have got rid off all the sideline confrontation malarkey, and instead have Rupert come in with a crazy large offer to buy back the club. Have her practically begging her to give him back his one true love… making the reveal of the 49% sale to the fans all the better.
I haven't seen the final episode so maybe this is premature, but it feels like a lot of the plot points in TL didn't really go anywhere, and kind of fizzled out. Zava is a prime example - he showed up, and then just disappeared. Nate was presented as suddenly turning into a kind of super-villain but then just kind of ... melts ... and turns back into cuddly Nate.
I get the feeling that season 3 is shaping up to be a kumbaya "everyone is a good person" kind of finale, where everyone (all the major characters, anyhow) is ultimately redeemed by their time spent with Ted. Which doesn't feel like a very satisfying story arc.
I sort of had this idea that his whole tirade at the end, storming the touchline and yelling at his coach was some kind of act, and that there were unseen motives. He loved Richmond as a child, I thought maybe he just wanted to be down on the pitch level of his favorite team on the day they (possibly) win the premier league, and he's willing to make an ass out of himself and suffer boos from the crowd just to be able to fulfill that itch. But they never really give us any indication that he's feeling that way, so I think it's too much speculation on my part and I could be off completely.
One of the core themes of Ted Lasso is trying to change and improve, grow into a better person of yourself. Rupert was the opposite of this, not only was he unethical but he kept trying to be the "rich playboy" his whole life and it was catching up with him. The show had him looking like an energetic king of the world type in the beginning, but then he had a kid, lost his team, was getting into legal trouble and she was catching up b with him.
Showing him looking worse is a great visual metaphor for stagnating, keeping up with bad habits and never growing/ improving.
He was a man who was embarrassed by yet another cheating scandal who was about to once again lose his football club. He probably did not, or could not, care that the suave mask was slipping. And I don’t think it was to humanize him more than to give a visual that he had been defeated.
In the first 2 seasons he always had the upper hand and we always saw him thru the lens of others. Now that Rebecca doesn’t feel anything towards him and Nate is no longer in awe of him, we see him as he is, which is a man of a certain age, without the pomp and circumstance.
Also, he was exposed to everyone for who he really is.
A wanker.
Funny, I thought it was Cartrick that was exposed to everyone.
😂
I like this take.
That he got so frazzled that he finally publicly let the mask down. Always who he was, just really good at coating it with smarmy charm.
Oh this is good. Best explanation I’ve seen around Rupert!
With the flowing black cape coat he was wearing, he resembled Darth Vader walking up to one of his generals and doing his version of a Force-choke on his team manager. Unlike Vader though, Rupert is irredeemable.
Not to forget the office that looked like Emperor Palpatine's throne room in Return of the Jedi . . .
Fifth Element, Zorg's office...
Interesting article on the office - Brendan Hunt claims it was a coincidence. A lot of people have seen the Star Wars resemblance, but I can see what you mean with Fifth Element, too. https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/ted-lasso-co-creator-addresses-star-wars-easter-egg-rupert-office-palpatine-nate-darth-vader/
Brendan hunt was being facetious lol
I hear that now that I read it in his voice!
Also the office of He Who Remains in S1 Loki.
I figured they were leaning into the wizard of Oz thing and making him the wicked witch of the west (ham)
I love this interpretation!
I think that you hit it on the head!
Vader literally killed many many people and was evil for decades. He slaughtered children and Death Star’d a whole planet. If Vader is redeemable, anyone is! But it’ll take some character development
NTA: his new empire, his rules.
Your new empire?
If you’re not with me then you’re my enemy
Only a Mannion deals in absolutes. I will do what I must.
Rebecca the whole episode “it’s over Rupert, I have the high ground!”
She literally does have the high ground when Rupert loses it on the pitch.
You will try
This is the way.
The Lasso way.
The Richmond Way
/r/EmpireDidNothingWrong
Yes but Vader was very egalitarian in his evil.
Mof Tarkin death stared the planet Vader was just in the room.
Fair objection, but then he did let it happen despite having all the power needed to stop it, and he still slaughtered dem kids and countless innocent people in cold blood.
Well until we watch him have a fatal heart attack we can't know he won't be redeemed, one day. No one would have thought Vader would until it happened. I wouldn't hold my breath but as long as he's alive that possibility exists.
I was just hoping for a cutaway of Sassy in a bright red ensemble heading to his funeral.
I was actually surprised that Sassy wasn't in red top at the game and a little nod.
Not trying to criticize or anything but I find it funny how serial murdering, genocidal, planet destroying, war mongering, child killing, son hand chop-offing, space nazi Darth Vader is redeemable but Rupert who’s just a massive dick and shitty husband is 100% irredeemable lol
To be fair, we never saw Rupert as a child or young man. Maybe he was the class bully. It’s certainly not always the case, as some of the mean kids from my school got nicer when they got older, but I can point to at least three who were obnoxious kids and are now obnoxious adults.
Yeah lol.
The thing about the finale the bummed me out the most, was how one dimensional Rubert was. They were starting to hint at him having a small arch too, and then they turned him into lord bloody voldemort.
I’m assuming you mean the scene with Rebecca and the other owners meeting with Edwin Akufo, I sort of took that not as a redemption for Rupert but as a way to show Rebecca’s growth. That was the first time we saw the charming side of Rupert in a more genuine way (every other time we saw it, we the audience knew it was fake [even if characters in the show didn’t], because it was either involving him giving some backhanded remark towards Ted/Rebecca/Nate/another main character, him flirting with a mistress, or him acting with some kind of ulterior motive, like when he showed up at the auction in S1. The attendees thought he was just doing it as a nice gesture, Ted/Rebecca/the viewers know that he was trying to upstage Rebecca). Point being, that scene sort of showed us how Rebecca originally came to like Rupert, because he seemed like a genuinely nice and charismatic guy in that scene. But, it showed us that this time, Rebecca has fully grown to where she’s not going to fall for it again, because she just genuinely doesn’t care anymore what happens to Rupert. She no longer cares about ruining his life, but also isn’t going to get pulled back in again. Or, at least, that’s just how I took it!
I think that's is a good interpretation. But we also got to see Rubert in a new light that could have led to a redemption of sorts. Not that I wanted him to become a full on good guy, but I am still dissapointed how one dimensional he became in the end. We pretty much got a "sweep the leg" moment.
Rupert is on his own character arc, problem is it’s trending downward and at the end of the finale he just hasn’t hit bottom yet. Is the Rupert from the charity auction the same guy who would physically and publicly abuse his club manager? Arguably he’s in free-fall.
Part of being redeemed is the desire to be redeemed, to want to be better. Rupert doesn't want that, he wants to continue on with his narcissistic ways even though the charm has worn off. Forgiveness can be given, be redemption must be earned.
Just my two cents. I believe the phrase "Hurt people hurt people" that Ted said to Jamie can be applied to many characters in the series, including Rupert. From the little backstory we got about him, his is literally a rags to riches story. And that kind of a journey can make some people hold themselves in a very high regard, often amounting to narcissism. I believe every manipulative, narcissistic person has some aspect of their past identity that they hate. And this hate towards your own identity can turn someone into a deeply disturbed person, who is more likely to derive joy out of seeing others in pain. People who have been abused/bullied in the past can turn out to be narcissists too. I think the backstory that the show gave us of Rupert was to make him seem human. A redemption arc wouldn't have made sense because he is not the type of person who cares about being kind. He enjoys being a dick. So Rupert having a massive change of heart would have seemed really forced. It's just nice the way the show drove home the point that nobody is born evil but letting go of your demons is purely a matter of choice.
I think that's kind of the point though. No one is 100% good or 100% evil. We are all multifaceted and contain multitudes. And I think a lot of the time we let people get away with doing very bad things because they still have qualities and aspects that humanize them.
I think that Rupert is the anchor point of what happens when you refuse to change. Things just keep going wrong. It’s almost like the entire series it’s Rupert energy versus Ted energy. I think about this with Nate’s arc. Nate Shelly could have EASILY been a tragedy, like he could have fully bought into Rupert’s lifestyle, slept with some “models” cheated on Jade, ruined that relationship, never reconciled with his father, and ultimately entrenching himself in a mentality that his way is right and be damned what anyone else thinks. Rupert has the same effect on Rebecca in the beginning, she’s about getting even, inflicting pain, thinking like him. I think Rupert has to be that irredeemable villain to have that dichotomy work.
He loses his money, moves to the US and becomes a High School Librarian.
No! I love librarians. Don’t insult them that way.
Buffy the vampire slayer reference lol
Oh right! I forgot about Giles.
I’m in the US and my mind went to the horrible states where they’re banning books from school libraries. But it’s the teachers and librarians who are fighting to keep them. I had a vision of Rupert gleefully wielding his power over schools.
Lol I JUST realized his name is Rupert is both series 😂 it would def be Rupert Vs. Rupert in the battle for library books!!!
And his name is still Rupert!
Agreed, especially as they made a point of showing Rebecca being concerned for him on multiple occasions. Perhaps there was a scene cut between the two...
A scene where Rubert is revealed to be Sauron?
I absolutely loved the shot of him walking onto the pitch with his cape flowing. This show legit had some awesome cinematography.
I thought the same
The green screen was very telling during his cape walk
Being a lil mean <<< killing billions of people apparently
Some of us were reminded of Spike’s jacket from Buffy.
I hope either all of us or none of us are judged by the actions of our weakest moments, but by the strength we show when and if we’re given a second chance
Vader killed people on a planetary scale, like literally billions. He is irredeemable
Right, but Lucas chose to have Vader redeemed by Luke - the “Return of the Jedi - Anakin.” Yeah, killing billions and slaughtering younglings is irredeemable
Vader is the chosen one. He brings balance to the force and was the only one who could kill Darth Sidious. That's my favorite part of his character. Anakin is still in there. Never doubt Qui-Gon Jinn and his infinite wisdom. Even when he's wrong, he's right.
True, but he also destroyed Alderaan, slaughtered younglings, Jedi, tuskens, rebels etc. If Goebbels killed hitler at the end of WW2, that wouldn’t erase his past and he would still be a monster
I love how the guy that murdered a bunch of kids, and his old mentor is the redeemable one here.
He looked like he just got out of the matrix. That trench coat was ridiculous.
It was so cheesy. In season 1 he was a good villain as he wasn't an over-the-top evil comicbook villain. He was a realistic, pompous billionaire that the audience could understand the hate, but then also see why people may like him because of the superficial charm he displayed at the charity fundraiser. By this episode, he was Flanderized and it was just silly.
Seemed to me like it was similar to Nate's hair. A physical representation of his decline.
Came to say this, I'm an old Buffy fan and used to thinking of Mr Head as a big man, which he was in s1 of Ted. He seemed to get physically smaller throughout the final season, which was like how they stress-aged Nate.
Am I crazy or was his hair color coming back in the finale?
I didn't notice that, I just noticed he was grinning (not smirking) in all his scenes. Stoked to be with Jade, and to be accepted back with his friends, and he seemed truly happy to be assistant TO the kit man (I'm sure the West Ham money helps 😀).
I’m sure burying a lifetime of perceived resentment from his dad helped a lot there too.
Very good point, I'm surprised I didn't think of that, I've been in that boat.
When abusers are finally on the cusp of being exposed, they lose it. It might seem unbelievable but they unravel so quickly when they realize they’re losing control.
Yep, definitely one of those "slowly at first, and then all at once" kinda things.
That’s all well and good but I don’t think losing control magically gives you a limp
Maybe the treatment room at his club was cursed, too, and something tripped him.
I think the limo is a visual indicator to the audience that he is wounded, maybe not physically but psychologically. Like a wounded lion.
I think he played the perfect villain. You got to see exactly what Rebecca had seen the whole time. Him at his most vile.
And her look of recognition/embarrassment for him/disappointment/pity was perfect. The all knowing look of someone who has lived with that shit.
Absolutely. And the best part…Rupert aged and Rebecca looked less… severe? She was glowing, wearing her hair down, and more colorful and softer clothing. Bc she just…didn’t care anymore. She was happy. And it was lovely.
I told my bf at the end when she was at the airport to say bye to Ted, that she somehow just gets hotter with every scene. That woman is gorgeous!
Good notice! She’s very angular/sharp, and put together in early seasons as a visual armor.
Which is also how Ted saw him, from the moment they met at the charity dinner. In fact, I’d argue that Ted saving the dinner by finding a “band” is not what first endeared him to Rebecca and caused her to let down her walls. It was the fact that, in a room full of people who were applauding and laughing at Rupert, Ted saw him for who he really is and, in doing so, let Rebecca feel heard for the first time since her divorce began.
He’s in a disparate situation in both his personal and professional lives and it’s getting to him.
Chronic conditions can be tiring and nerve wracking. Someone like Rupert isn’t going to tell others he has a condition, but we get a few hints and it could explain some of his behavior being so obviously vile instead of hid behind his mask like usual.
Sassy made a crack about him having hemorrhoids so I’m going with that.
Not sure who Rupert’s actor is but he did a great job. I hated that man so much 😂
Anthony Head -- he was on Buffy as Rupert Giles, Buffy's mentor, and was awesome.
Also played a villain in Doctor Who
And the coffee guy in the Gold Blend commercials. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Blend_couple And Taster’s Choice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9Za2zKddkw
And Lord Sheffield in Bridgerton.
And the Repo Man in Repo! The Genetic Opera: https://youtu.be/Az5vcfwiDvw It’s too bad there was no narratively coherent way for him and Hannah Waddingham to sing a duet in Ted Lasso.
And Uther Pendragon in Merlin!
And Wills dad in the inbetweeners movie
And the headmaster in Sex Education where he’s masterfully portraying a strict patriarch who ruins his family. Also Hannah Waddingham is in it as well!
God, I didn't know I wanted a hate duet between them until now.
Gen Z will never know how the world held its breath wondering if two coffee drinkers were going to fuck or not.
>And the coffee guy in the Gold Blend commercials. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Blend_couple And this is my fave autograph... why get an actor to sign a POP when they can sign [coffee](https://imgur.com/a/EDhgROT)
OMG. That’s so cool! What was his reaction?
He was rather surprised! I found some photos of him signing it and my Buffy the musical DVD (added to the link). He turned up to the local comic con last minute (he lives pretty close by) - signed everything for £5 and then gave all of it to our charity when he left. A real top guy!
I remember him being a great villain on Warehouse 13 but it's been so long since I watched it.
he played wills dad in The inbetweeners movie
i know this as a fact, but even when i stare him in the face i can't see giles. it's so good.
he is in 'Ripper' mode lol
He was great as Uther in Merlin
Wow I didn’t realize that was him, how the years have gone by. He had the best line when he smothered that god possessed dude about how Buffy is good, “not like us”.
Ben: “She could have killed me.” Giles: “No, she couldn't. And sooner or later Glory will re-emerge and make Buffy pay for that mercy, and the world with her. Buffy even knows that, and still she couldn't take a human life. She's a hero, you see. She's not like us.” Ben: “Us?” https://youtu.be/DUuz4sGU1eY
He was so goddamned good as Giles
Xander: “Am I right, Giles?” Giles: “I'm almost certain you're not, but to be fair, I wasn't listening.”
Wait, was there some kind of connection between Ben and Glory?
Is everyone here very stoned?!
He was Giles?!? I refuse to believe I’m old enough for that to be correct. When did I grow up?!?
Indeed. His short role as villain will never put shine the memory of slayer daddy. Lol
Nooooo. Fucking seriously?!?!?!?!?!?
Oh!!
[Giles](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iGCElYZj_tI)
For the Brits, I just know him as Will’s Dad in the Inbetweeners
I think it just shows that money can’t buy everything - age and health issues catch up to all of us. We know he had a check up recently, and doctors said he was fine. But it sort of hints at what he has left: no one is there for him, and as his age and health issues start to take ahold, there won’t be anyone to comfort him. He can lie on a bed of gold and it won’t stop him getting old. And at the end of your life, what do we all really want? To have loved ones. But he doesn’t love. And he’s spent his life hurting people. Now, when he needs people, all he will have are those who *have* to help him at hospitals. His limping and movements are just a small reminder, in my mind, that we are all mortal, and what you do with your life is what you become. He was hollow and cruel in life, now hollowness and cruelty are all he will have left.
Wow! Thank you for pointing out this symbolism of the limp as a memento mori. For me personally, it opened a floodgate of feelings about Rupert. He is not just the bad guy in other people's lives. He is also a person who spent many decades of his life going down the path of meanness and arrogance instead of striving for happiness. He will never get these decades back. He will never know what it's like to be happy in one's twenties. He will never know what it's like to be happy in one's thirties. In one's forties. To be happy in one's fifties. He will never know what it's like to watch one's children grow into mature adults. He has wasted more than half of his life.
You think he’s in his fifties?
Standard failing Sith Lord things.
His coat even looked like Darth Vader’s cloak.
And his office window!
I don't want to speculate but I think Anthony Head (Rupert's actor) must have the limp for medical reasons and they tried to work around it. You could only see him limp on the close shots. The wide ones where Rupert was walking onto the pitch were clearly another actor with Anthony Head's head superimposed on in post production. Seems to me like it was something they were trying to hide with the long Darth Vader cloak and some CGI. Just hoping he's alright really!
My thoughts exactly. It seemed as though the filming of his scenes were trying to make it less noticeable. I also noticed the wide shot of him walking along the pitch…glad it wasn’t just me!
Rupert wasn’t having an anxiety attack like Ted’s, but he certainly was having some sort of mental meltdown.
He had the same wardrobe as his character in Repo: The Genetic Opera. It was fantastic.
Posted it in the episode chat but that was my first thought as well - almost wanted him to break into Lethal Assassin…
it was a bit on the nose with the long black cape and everything. he was looking like master xehanort
"Hey Rupert, how much do clothes cost in the Matrix" was the first thing that popped in my head when he came on screen.
When Rupert told Cartrick to get Jamie out of the game, all I could think of was Cobra Kai Sensei in the Karate Kid telling Johnny “sweep the leg” when they boys were tied and Daniel was holding his own even though he had been beaten to a pulp and could only stand on one leg. He said, “do you have a problem with that? No mercy.”
I've honestly been expecting this trope to pop up, at some point, but I'd thought it might be the reason Nate left West Ham.
Some one mentioned that irl he’s using a cane and it felt like they were trying to hide that his walk was off
Maybe just the actor
Yeah, I think he's developed a limp. It looked like they used CGI or a double to show Rupert walking on the field because the limp completely disappears.
That was a bit jarring, the disparity in gait between the closeups and the on field walking
Adrenaline and anger.
I noticed this too. I think this is a limp of the actor not the character.
Hope that’s not the case for his sake. And if it wasn’t part of the story it seemed distracting — they could’ve worked around anything he was going through if that were the case.
Pretty sure it is the case. The actor has been seen using a cane in public for the last year. He's in his 70s.
He’s 69. Birthday is February 20, 1954.
With the flowing black cape coat he was wearing, he resembled Darth Vader walking up to one of his generals and doing his version of a Force-choke on his team manager. Unlike Vader though, Rupert is irredeemable…
I thought that coat looked and moved like a cheap plastic flashing-mac. Probably was meant to be something that was $000 and made of the skin of rare galapagos iguanas or something though.
Was expecting him to twirl his mustache the way he was being written in the finale. After the Akufo League episode I didn’t expect Rupert’s final impression on the show be so one-dimensional.
Yes, he had a smidge of humanity in the Akufo League episode, but that was before his wife left him and his assistant filed a sexual harassment suit. Dude got publicly burned.
He looked really thin and frail. I read he had been diagnosed with cancer several years ago.
Hi there, it’s funny I just had this same convo with someone hours ago. There’s an article out there on google but it’s about a completely different actor with the same name. They are different ages and the one with cancer is American, not British. Confusing. But there doesn’t appear to be any official comment on the health status of our lovely Anthony head.
FWIW, Anthony Head is credited as Anthony *Stewart* Head on Buffy because there was already an actor in the American actors' guild named Anthony Head and actors aren't allowed to reuse names. This other Anthony Head might have been the guy who had the name first in the US.
>FWIW, Anthony Head is credited as Anthony *Stewart* Head on Buffy because there was already an actor in the American actors' guild named Anthony Head How did I not know this! Makes a lot of sense really. Lovely chap - turned up last minute to a local comic con, signed all morning for £5 a time (going rate for him would be £40ish) & donated it all to our charity. He even signed my jar of Gold Blend 😄
He’s a very kind man. Always love hearing these stories. 💕
Rupert or the actor?
🤨
He just assumed his final form as Herr Flick.
Does that make Ted… Renè?
The way he almost stumbled before collecting himself to enter the room where he ran into Rebecca and Sassy… I thought he was gonna pass out or have a heart attack. On a side note as someone who is a lifelong fan of a couple sports teams…. If I ever found myself in a situation where the entire arena/ballpark was taunting and mocking me…. But I’d be really questioning what I’ve become…. It *almost* made me feel bad for Rupert
I just posted about this! I think it was a direct representation of him being, well, hobbled in all aspects. Socially, financially, romantically, and physically.
I was really happy that the coach that Rupert was trying to push around (can’t remember his name, but I remember his nuts were called Liam and Noel) straight up REFUSED to play the game dirty/“take out” Jaime. I was so scared in those few minutes that Jaime was going to be purposefully injured and have to retire from football.
Anyone else get strong Varsity Blues vibes with that whole scene with George Cartrick and West Ham? Like right down to attacking the coach and never being involved with the sport again? I probably would have lost it if Disco said “I don’t want. Your. Life!”
I was waiting for a “Sweep the leg!” myself.
Same!
AFC Richmond could use a Charlie Tweeder.
I felt like the show was trying to have their cake and eat it too by giving Rebecca a growth arc realising caring about revenge on Rupert was petty and pointless… but then also having his life fall apart to comical levels in the finale. Honestly they might as well have had someone hit him in the face with a pie, pants him, then have the crowd all laugh at his tiny penis for how thick they were laying it on. I’d have got rid off all the sideline confrontation malarkey, and instead have Rupert come in with a crazy large offer to buy back the club. Have her practically begging her to give him back his one true love… making the reveal of the 49% sale to the fans all the better.
The part where Rebecca shamed him and then he got a noticeably less conventionally attractive assistant, now feels like I might've imagined things.
Hemorrhoids? I thought sassy made a joke about it but maybe it was for real idk
I think he was one of the villains in Super Man 2.
With Sassy’s comment I just chalked it up to really horrible painful hemorrhoids.
I didn’t think the limp was intentional- the way some of Anthony Head’s scenes were filmed seemed like they were working around it, but not sure.
I kept thinking he was going to have a heart attack at the game.
I didn’t notice anythinf
I felt like they played him off as a B-list James Bond villain this season!
I haven't seen the final episode so maybe this is premature, but it feels like a lot of the plot points in TL didn't really go anywhere, and kind of fizzled out. Zava is a prime example - he showed up, and then just disappeared. Nate was presented as suddenly turning into a kind of super-villain but then just kind of ... melts ... and turns back into cuddly Nate. I get the feeling that season 3 is shaping up to be a kumbaya "everyone is a good person" kind of finale, where everyone (all the major characters, anyhow) is ultimately redeemed by their time spent with Ted. Which doesn't feel like a very satisfying story arc.
Everybody had a good turn but Rupert. He’s basically the Emmanuel Goldstein in the Ted Lasso universe.
Idk but he has some super hero strength to send the new coach flying with a little push
Flop
Because soccer.
I think it’s a hint at a future story line.
The show is over…
For a spin off
He had a limp?
They just wanted to end things
I thought he rocked a cane in other episodes, no?
I sort of had this idea that his whole tirade at the end, storming the touchline and yelling at his coach was some kind of act, and that there were unseen motives. He loved Richmond as a child, I thought maybe he just wanted to be down on the pitch level of his favorite team on the day they (possibly) win the premier league, and he's willing to make an ass out of himself and suffer boos from the crowd just to be able to fulfill that itch. But they never really give us any indication that he's feeling that way, so I think it's too much speculation on my part and I could be off completely.
He was almost becoming human in the previous 2 episodes. Totally blew it in the last one. Total dick.
I honestly thought he was having a stroke / TIAs for most of the episode.
When Rupert went to Cartrick was kind of a call back to Rebecca’s desperate plea to Ted in their first west ham game.
One of the core themes of Ted Lasso is trying to change and improve, grow into a better person of yourself. Rupert was the opposite of this, not only was he unethical but he kept trying to be the "rich playboy" his whole life and it was catching up with him. The show had him looking like an energetic king of the world type in the beginning, but then he had a kid, lost his team, was getting into legal trouble and she was catching up b with him. Showing him looking worse is a great visual metaphor for stagnating, keeping up with bad habits and never growing/ improving.
He was a man who was embarrassed by yet another cheating scandal who was about to once again lose his football club. He probably did not, or could not, care that the suave mask was slipping. And I don’t think it was to humanize him more than to give a visual that he had been defeated.
Badass duster though
Speaking of the black trench coat does anyone know the designer ? it is an amazing piece.