Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 3 Episode 9 of Ted Lasso.
Ted Lasso has introduced quite a bit of storyline and characters in Season 3. One of those new characters was Jack (Jodi Balfour), who entered the picture as the boss of Keeley (Juno Temple). Eventually, that work relationship becomes an actual thing outside the office. While this narrative added a new dynamic to Ted Lasso and Jack brought something new out of Keeley, the way in which her character arc unfolded, particularly in Episodes 8 and 9, undoes the goodwill that Jack had built up. In particular, the way that she handled the leak involving Keeley looks a lot worse after what we learned in Episode 9.
Jack’s Handling of the Leak Was Brutal
The leak itself was something that felt all too real in the worst kind of way. The manner in which Keeley was in the background of her own story speaks to what victims of leaks encounter. Jack’s response, both as her boss and as her girlfriend, showcase the unfortunate reactions that can be had by those around the victim. Not only did Jack fail to personally talk to Keeley in the work setting, but she also sent her assistant to hand over a pre-written statement for which Keeley would admit fault. It was an ugly direction taken by Jack but one that speaks of the character’s true inner workings.
If that wasn't bad enough, Jack wasn't done making Keeley feel shame for something out of her control. The way in which she belittled her by wanting her to admit her guilt was tough to watch. Keeley held her own in standing up for herself, expressing that she didn't regret sending the photos. It falls on deaf ears though as Jack is so narrow-sighted that she can't seem to grasp that Keeley is a victim and not the problem. Seeing her just up and leave with no care in the world for Keeley was a crushing blow to a relationship that had so much potential. It also showed the stark contrast in the way Keeley’s two former flames, Jamie (Phil Dunster) and Roy (Brett Goldstein), interacted with her after learning that she had been a part of the leak.
Jack Ghosting Keeley Makes it Sting Even More
The initial reaction from Jack was bad. There's no denying that. That being said, Ted Lasso had room to make these two work if it had shown Jack return in Episode 9 and admit that she was wrong in her response and hear Keeley out. We know that Keeley is pretty open-minded and can tolerate flaws (she did so with both Jamie and Roy), but Jack never even returning after walking out the door makes the leak worse than it already was.
Keeley not only was a victim of the leak but she also was victim-shamed by Jack. Though none of what happened was anything of her own wrongdoing, Jack couldn't see it that way, nor took any time to see it from Keeley’s point of view. While there were some parts of Episode 8 that maybe dragged on too much which took a bit away from the storyline at hand (like the elongated locker room scene), Ted Lasso did succeed in showing how those impacted by leaks are hurt more by the reactions of others than anything a photo could do.
All we get from Jack in Episode 9 is, well, nothing. A text from her is all the audience and Keeley get from her. Hearing Keeley read off the message definitely left a sour taste in our mouths, “She's saying that she’s in Argentina… for the next couple of months.” It's clear what happened here and resorting to ghosting Keeley all because of what had happened with the leaks is a major gut punch, just as Higgins (Jeremy Swift) had responded after she finished reading it, “Ouch.”
If that's really it for Jack, and with just one episode to go and a lot of storylines left on the table it may very well be, then she goes out on the lowest of low notes. The leak was bad at the moment. Keeley was a victim, but Jack saw her as the guilty party. She never sought to understand it from her own perspective. For that, Jack goes down as one of the more unlikeable Ted Lasso characters after having so much potential. It's a shame it went down like this, but Keeley has better options out there, and we already know that two of them handled the leak far better than Jack did.
Ted Lasso will release its Season 3 finale on May 17 on Apple TV.