It was Higgins' fault!

SpoilerSeason 1 Discussion

In Two Aces, Rebecca has a breakthrough thanks to Sam - she had been focusing on destroying the team that Rupert loved, but when Sam asked her to attend the de-cursing ritual, pointing out that it was her team, it got through. That's why she attended the ceremony in the first place.

But Higgins betrayed her; he went behind her back, concealed information from her, for the express purpose of acting against her, just as he had done when acting in service of Rupert's affairs.

It was upon learning of Higgins' betrayal that she went back to her office and finalized the return of Tartt to Man City, and Jamie was directly responsible for the outcome of the season's final game.

It certainly wasn't Higgins' intent, but unintended consequences are still consequences.

in TedLassoby Ejigantor

71%

23d

Healthy-Factor-2841

Diamond Dog

23d

At the time, she also assumed Higgins was forced to be her Le Fou in the name of keeping his job. She learned in that moment Higgins is his own man, and isn’t as enthusiastic about her mission. I think she would have traded Jamie, or done whatever she could to casually hurt the team, either way.

I think hearing Higgins taking a little stand in that moment changed the way she looked at Higgins and that hurt her, though. I think it’d be easy to think “You had no problem helping Rupert to hurt ME but, you won’t help ME to hurt Rupert without pushback?!” I think it’s foolish and misguided thinking like that on Rebecca’s part, which we’ve all been guilty of before, that lead to her little speech to Higgins about paying his salary, etc. when he quit. She viewed herself as the boss and assumed by paying his salary, she was buying the same kind of sidekick loyalty she thinks her ex had. Instead, they all healed and became much better, stronger people. Ted shook things up enough with his unwavering goodness to give space to grow and confidence to Higgins, while giving Rebecca the grace she needed to heal in order to be her best self, too.

Music-and-Computers

23d

S1E4 (For the Children) was the start of Rebecca’s change arc. This is one Ted helped her with issues at the Charity ball.

MinimumAnalysis5378

23d

And she and Keeley become friends.

Ejigantor

-29

23d

Which is relevant to the point I'm making how, exactly?

I didn't say her arc started in Two Aces, I said she made a breakthrough, and Higgins' action caused her to relapse.

viewfromtheclouds

Coach Ted

23d

I'm filing that under Stinkin' Thinkin'

SuperRajio

23d

Higgins didn't hide any information from her. Higgins had the idea to hide Dani's status from the team, so that they'd believe the curse was removed.

She was always going to terminate Jamie's loan. She was just hoping that Jamie wouldn't bond with the team, and that Ted would be forced to bench him again and she'd be able to cover her tracks. Instead, Ted managed to break through to him, so she had to get her hands dirty. She even says it herself: "That's a team united, Ted".

She was pissed at Higgins, but she got back at him by forcing him to work the weekend when the team went to play Everton.

aversethule

23d

Higgins didn't hide any information from her

I don't think that's the point being made. It's not that he hid the info from her, it's that he went against her directive to help sabotage the team and betrayed her by helping the team out.

SuperRajio

22d

That still wasn't the reason she terminated Jamie's loan. She did it to break the team up. Her act of revenge on Higgins was not letting him go to Liverpool for the Everton match and making him work on the weekend instead.

aversethule

22d

True, although I'm not sure those two things are easily segmented from each other. The observation OP was making is that Rebecca was starting to "join" the team and move in a healthy direction and finding out about Higgins betrayal, from her perspective, abreacted her into undermining the team. There was likely an impulsive piece of her Jamie decision that was precipitated by Higgins act out of a need to punish him and re-commit to her destructive nature. There is also the connection that these are all men who have done this to her (notice Keeley was not present at the ceremony, yet she was very aware of what was going on and has been in the locker room another other part of the team functions). Maybe a coincidence, although with the thoughtfulness the writers put into this show with their other call backs, I suspect it is part of the message.

LadyLixerwyfe

23d

Wow. I hope you warmed up before that strrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeetch!

ArteePhact

23d

That’s a broad assumption. He didn’t conceal information from Rebecca. He hid the information from the players. We don’t know if Rebecca ever directly asked Higgins about Dani’s status.

Ejigantor

-9

23d

We don't know if Rebecca ever directly asked Higgins about Rupert's affairs either though.

He acted in secret, in direct opposition to her interests (misguided as they were at the time) and caused a backslide in the progress she had been making.

wineandcatgal_74

Charles Edgar Cheeserton III

23d

When Rebecca tells Rupert that Higgins was gone he said “Maybe he’ll accept my job offer now.” I think he was trying to lure away anyone he could. He whispered in Nate’s ear at the funeral. George coached for him after Nate. Higgins knew he fucked up and was then loyal to Rebecca.

ZebZ

22d

Of all the takes, this is certainly one of them.

mynameisJVJ

23d

He didn’t go behind her back.

He told ted that Danny was okay. Rebecca had given zero input or thought into the “curse” situation nor given Higgins any instructions.

AbbreviationsWide331

I am a strong and capable man

22d

Wait how did be betray her, what information did he conceal?

Ricardo1184

22d

Higgins knew that Rupert was cheating on Rebecca, and helped arrange his day-to-day calendar, so he probably lied a lot to Rebecca about where Rupert was when he was out with a bird

flockofturtles420

22d

This is a bad take. It’s all Rebecca’s fault(that’s why she ends up apologizing to Higgins and rehiring him). It’s 100% Rebecca’s misplaced anger that causes all the problems. Her actions have consequences and she ends up dealing with them.

viewfromtheclouds

Coach Ted

23d

Reads like it’s written by someone Jeremy Swift beat up in grade school.

Ejigantor

-6

23d

That's not a very Ted like thing to say - but thanks for attacking me while ignoring the point I made; that's a totally cool and groovy way to debate ideas.

flockofturtles420

22d

Some ideas don’t deserve a debate.

Ejigantor

22d

Shame you decided to be judgemental rather than curious.

But I guess it's all you're capable of.

LadyFeckington

23d

Higgins never betrayed the team. He had specifically betrayed Rebecca.

Ejigantor

23d

Yes, that's the point. He betrayed her before aiding Rupert's infidelity, and he betrayed her again to aid the team, which triggered her into finalizing Jamie's recall to Man City.

aversethule

23d

Much of what you say seems to track well (at least is consistent with what I got out of the show). I do think Higgins helped with Dani because he felt wrong about sabotaging Ted and it was related to the guilt he still carried from sabotaging Rebecca with Rupert. Rebecca experienced it as a re-created of betrayal from Higgins, which is why she reacted by sending off Jamie, as you say. I also wonder if it was easier for Higgins to stand up to Rebecca's demand for loyalty than it was for him to stand up to Rupert's because Rupert presented so much more powerfully capable of hurting Higgins (which has roots in all sorts of cultural misogamy as well). I'm not sure why folks are disagreeing with you though, as I think you are pretty much spot on, as evidenced by how Rebecca was bonding with the team and then left the bonfire upset right after the scene you are mentioning. It is also likely something else would have triggered Rebecca if this hadn't happened, as the road to redemption is rarely a simple and straight journey, which is part of the larger point of the show.

chicknsnadwich

Butts on 3!

23d

I don’t think i would say it’s his fault. She was gonna do that regardless. However It probably didn’t help…