How Jodi Balfour Really Felt About Jack & Keeley Arc in Ted Lasso Season 3
The actress is not sure if the characters can be reunited, but she wants them to find a resolution.
Ted Lasso has developed incredibly deep characters over the course of three seasons. None of them is perfect, as each carries huge baggage of complexes and traumas. Not surprisingly, the focus of the show has shifted dramatically from soccer to personal drama.
Season 3 introduced us to a new character, Jack Danvers, a wealthy venture capitalist who decided to fund Keeley's PR firm. Their friendship quickly turned into a romantic affair that ended in a very painful way for Keeley. Jodi Balfour, who played Jack, shared her thoughts on this and the possibility of reconciliation.
Keeley was one of the victims of a hacking attack that resulted in her sex tape being leaked to the Internet. Jack, who became her girlfriend after a very manipulative love bombing, promised to deal with the issue, but her solution turned out to be an apology statement written by lawyers for Keeley.
'There was a large amount of discourse and ideas shared back and forth, and [Sudeikis] sharing articles about "love-bombing" with me, and us discussing exactly what that was, and unpacking it so we don't just villainize this person, so that we understand the motivations behind something like that,' Balfour explained.
Jack's actions showed that she was not so much using Keeley as she was experiencing a deep-seated internal misogyny that had been cultivated by her toxic, rich environment.
'But there's so much informing her response that actually has nothing to do with her beliefs, but more the way she's been conditioned,' the actress continued. Yes, Jack is obviously worried about how her patriarchal, powerful friends will look at her, and that's what the character needs to overcome.
As for a Jack and Keeley reunion, Jodi Balfour still hasn't given up hope.
'I would love to see an attempt at resolution. There's a version of these two people who have a lot to learn from each other,' the actress noted.
At the same time, Balfour realizes that because of their different backgrounds and the vast disparity in privilege, Keeley and Jack exist in different worlds and simply can't be together.
As the last episode revealed, Jack has decided to stop funding Keeley's company, and now Rebecca has taken over that responsibility. We may still see some development in Jack and Keeley's arc in the season's remaining two episodes.
The next one will air on Apple TV+ on May 24, 2023.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter.