Against all odds, Jamie Tartt is now the best part of Ted Lasso
Phil Dunster transforms cocky himbo Jamie into the series' most compelling character in season 3. Who would've thought?
TV Features Jamie Tartt
Listen up, lads: Ted Lasso’s writing has worked its magic again. The show has evolved Phil Dunster’s cocky freak Jamie Tartt into one of its most fascinating characters, allowing the actor to inhabit a compelling, multi-dimensional role. Who would’ve thought after watching the first season back in 2020 that Jamie would be the one pacifying his friends—and that he’d make sense doing just that? “It’s all poopy,” (pronounced by him as “poo-peh,” of course), Jamie tells his fellow Richmond AFC players in the third season premiere, his way of spreading Ted Lasso’s (Jason Sudeikis) advice not to let shit distract anyone.
It’s a real sign of growth compared to Ted Lasso’s pilot, which opens with Jamie expertly playing football on his home turf. Perhaps that first scene is not as memorable anymore because the camera then pans to club owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham). She’s redecorating her new office and hiring a wide-eyed Ted as the coach, kickstarting the show’s award-winning journey.
In early episodes, Ted Lasso makes it clear that Jamie—an essential player for the team—is not a team player at all. His first words in the pilot’s half-hour? An appropriately casual “fuck off.” Jamie initially comes across as a typical douchebag whose ego trumps everything else. He bullies fellow players (who despise him in return), doesn’t take his relationship seriously enough (no wonder Keeley leaves him for Roy), switches teams, and has a brief stint on a dating reality show. He’s a thriving himbo, so it’s easy to be irritated by him. (That heavy Mancunian accent Dunster puts on for the role only adds to it.)
To its credit, Apple TV+’s comedy hints at hidden depths underneath Jamie’s prickliness, like when he sweetly talks about his mother in season one’s “Two Aces.” Then, a tragic aspect of his upbringing is expanded in the sophomore run with the arrival of Jamie’s abusive dad, James (Kieran O’Brien). The immense pressure Jamie feels is bubbling under the surface before erupting in episode eight, “Man City,” in a locker room kerfuffle. Never has a slap—from a son to his father, no less—felt this satisfying. James later beats up Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) in a filler outing that further sheds light on his destructive behavior and how it’s impacted his son’s defense mechanisms.
However, Ted Lasso has gradually pulled down those mechanisms, making it easy to empathize with Jamie. It’s all added up to a rewarding arc for him as the show nears its supposed endpoint. In season three, Jamie is more settled into his position at Richmond. He’s sufficiently apologized for his tormenting tactics; he’s bonded with his teammates and coaches, especially Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh) and Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), and has evolved into a decent human being. He’s still haughty and full of one-liners, but his behavior’s not irksome anymore, because Ted Lasso and Dunster have put in the work, with the actor striking a commendable balance between being utterly ridiculous and utterly vulnerable.
Jamie’s charming character development is a pleasant surprise in the final season, like in the second episode when he finds out Keeley (Juno Temple) and Roy have split up. Instead of running after his ex—to whom he confessed his feelings not long ago—he genuinely checks in on Roy and offers a hug. The result is hilarious because Roy (obviously) punches him instead, with Jamie going, “I’m sorry, I forgot how skittish elderly people could be because of the war.” Hey, he’s a nice person now, but he can still unwittingly dole out the snark.
The rewarding payoff here feels pertinent because season three introduces a new star player for Richmond in Maximilian Osinski’s Zava. Jamie’s insecurities flare up, and the third outing ends with Roy agreeing to train him (after Jamie unironically explains that prima donna and “pre-Madonna” aren’t the same). But Jamie’s not throwing tantrums like he would’ve before.
His arc is an interesting parallel to Nate Shelley’s (Nick Mohammed) heel turn last season. Richmond’s former kitman went from being a soft-spoken, Jamie-bullied victim to a public Ted Lasso hater once he felt less valued and appreciated by the new coach. The journey for Nate the Great, a.k.a. Wonderkid, from Richmond to West Ham mirrors Jamie’s, a Man City transplant. But if there’s one thing we know about Ted Lasso’s writers—with Jamie as a prime example—a redemption arc might be in Nate’s future.
In the meantime, as Ted Lasso brushes with various storylines, including the fate of Keeley and Roy’s relationship, Rebecca’s fierce need to beat Rupert (Anthony Head), Nate’s antagonism, and Ted finally focusing on his mental health, Jamie has transformed into a breath of fresh air for the series. Thanks to Dunster’s affability, he’s reliable as both a quick-witted jokester and, in true TL fashion, a heartwarming character—even if they’ll never give him a hairstyle we can root for.
43 Comments
That haircut though
it is definitely poopeh
hahahahahahahaha
Did you notice his silver earrings in the scene with Roy last night? I feel like the evolution of his outfits is part of the joke by this point.
The earrings had a George Michael circa 1987 vibe.
He looks like Sam Witwer in that left picture and I was like, “Oh, Sam Witwer is in this show, maybe I should check it out.” Oh well. Long live Sam Witwer.
Holy shit. He’s NOT Sam Witwer??
His trans-Atlantic counterpart, Sam Britwer.
“Who would’ve thought after watching the first season back in 2020 that Jamie would be the one pacifying his friends”You mean besides anyone familiar with the basic conventions of narrative storytelling?
Just the line “I wasn’t being ironic, I was being hypocritical” shows enormous intellectual and emotional growth.
That exchange very slightly annoyed me because from Beard’s perspective the situation was ironic—the team’s heretofore biggest pre-Madonna prima donna warning the staff of the dangers of narcissism—whereas from Jamie’s perspective he was being hypocritical.
Right but doesn’t he say “Don’t you think that’s a little ironic”? As in, the subject perspective is Jamie’s.Is it too early to be pedantic? IT IS NOT
I fucking clapped at that line, and I think it is now my favorite Jamie moment in this show.
…he was always the best part of Ted Lasso. Or among the best parts anyway.
“I’m sorry, I forgot how skittish elderly people could be because of the war.” …is a damn funny line. Even in print.
his earnest delivery of the line makes it funnier!
It must have been super hard for Brett (Roy) and Phil (Jamie) to have this many scenes together even in just the first 3 eps. If you watch the first two seasons, they aren’t in many scenes together (especially season 2) and thats because Brett, who’s on the writers team, says Phil is one actor who constantly cracks him so he intentionally wrote less interactions between them in s2.If Brett smiles as Roy, that’s it, the scene has to be re-shot and apparently Phil just constantly makes him smile/laugh/etc when they are in a scene together.
This is really cute, and they should pull a moment of that into the show, perhaps when Roy’s one on one training leads to a scene when it’s clear Jamie truly has bettered Zava’s skills then Roy can smile for a moment? A person can dream!
That makes their first lines together in the restaurant scene even better. RK: “You frowning while we’re on a win streak, that’s a bad look” JT: “You frowned your whole career.” RK: “No, I never smiled, that’s different.”
Furthermore, the other actors also say Brett is the one who most easily breaks and laughs all the time. I recall Brett said in an interview it’s extra hard for his character since if others crack up a smile during takes, they can chalk it up to the character just smiling(aka the That 70s Show method), but Roy never smiles, so any takes where he as much as cracks a smile they can’t use.
The progression of Jamie Tartt’s wardrobe is amazing. That scene where he’s talking about prima donnas (“Pre-Madonna”) he’s literally wearing bedazzled earrings. Brilliant touches.
Also that clip of Jamie about to score a goal and then Zava tips it in right as its rolling in the net was the hardest I’ve laughed in a long ass time.
Yeah I didn’t even want them to bring Jamie back in s2 and now he is one of my favorite characters & I am looking forward to Roy training him more than anything else this season. If Roy believes he can be better than Zava it must be true. Splitting hairs but I don’t think Keeley left Jamie for Roy, Keeley & Jamie split up and then later Keeley & Roy got together
Yeah in season 2 it felt like they didn’t know what to do with Jamie and now (for better or for worse) he seems to have reverted back to the season one version of himself (rivalries with Roy, wanting to be the best on the team which he went threw these exact beats with when Danny Rojas showed up). I’m not complaining but it just feels like we’ve got season one Jamie back and I am okay with that.
I think Jamie is himself still, but has done the hard work of making amends with his teammatesHim covering up the logo on his jersey in solidarity with Sam and then dismissively saying he has to because the team has to wear the same kit might be my favorite moment on the show
He’s also implied to have done a LOT of work with Doctor Sharon.“So I just get to sit here, and talk about myself?”
Yeah… I don’t see that at all.
The scene where Roy hugs Jamie is my favorite scene in the whole series.
The two best parts of Ted Lasso are the Roy Kent and Jamie Tartt pairing (I don’t think Jamie is much by himself) and the Rebecca Keeley pairing.
That pic on the right makes him look like the emo-est member of Rogue Squadron.
Team Zava
I want the Zava & Zava & Zava & Zava shirt.
My only (only!) beef with Zava is he’s too close to Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I was hoping he’d be less identifiable with any one player, maybe a more stereotypical weirdo superstar.Anyway, for those unfamiliar with Zlatan, YouTube that man. He is amazing.
Sure, as if Ted Lasso has any good parts…
Hey, look. We got an edgy guy! Everyone look at him!
Jamie is definitely one of my favorites. I love when they can realistically take a character, make you dislike them, then make you empathize with them and understand them to the point that you just want to give them a hug and hang out. Also, Jamie has had some of the best laughs this season for me. His pronunciation of “poopy” in the first episode, the line about old people and the war in the second episode…just hilarious writing and excellent delivery. Love me some Tart.
He’s one of the best written characters on the show. Earned and very carefully handled layers. More subtle, to me, than Nate’s craving for recognition, for example, which is a fine arc but has been told more like a “cliffhangery” situation for a while. I remember the scene in Man City where he asks Higgins for tickets for his father and his mates (“Just Bug. One G.”) and they have a short but genuinely deep moment about how we should try to forgive our fathers for their faults. At the end, he looks at Higgins and says “Hum… Thanks for that”. Beautifully done. And then, one of the best scenes of the show… The confrontation with his father in front of his teammates who finally get to understand where he’s coming from, the split second of fear when Roy comes to him, the necessary embrace with Roy (the footballer he loved as a kid), the letting go, Beware the darkness by George Harrison (Callback to season 2 : “The Second That I found Out That George Harrison Died, I Realized That I Had To Stop Waiting For Life To Begin.” “But George Harrison died 20 years ago.” “Yeah, but I only just found out.”). Layers. And the funny lines and attitudes like his precious look of disappointment when he asks Roy if he’s allowed to be a prick again and Roy says “No”. A rich character made only richer by Phil Dunster’s performance.
It is a crying shame that Dunster is the only series regular since day one who hasn’t gotten an Emmy nod.
It’s criminal he wasn’t nominated for any acting awards, for that episode especially.
“a redemption arc might be in Nate’s future”
Perhaps this is tongue-in-cheek, and I don’t mean this in a snarky way, but why wouldn’t there be? Also, it feels like a show where even Rupert could have a redemption arc (though, please, no).
I understand why people think Nate’s a dick (I think he’s been a dick!), but the idea that he’s just a dick completely ignores the story Ted Lasso has been telling all along. Nate might be the most traumatized character on the show, and *not* having him work through it and become a better person like the others would be such a letdown. The panic attack was probably a sign they’re about to get that ball rolling.
Nate might be the most traumatized character on the show, and *not* having him work through it and become a better person like the others would be such a letdown.Maybe, but it would be very true-to-life and Ted Lasso has done a very good job of being that while still remaining funny and upbeat.The simple but unfortunate truth is that not everybody makes it to the other side, and having a character we very much want to would be an exceptionally bold narrative choice. It would be much more affecting than doing the same thing with Jamie.To be clear, I don’t think for a second that it will happen, and I’m not saying I want it to happen, necessarily (though I kinda do), but it would be a hell of a big swing to take and I love it when shows take those kinds of risks.
They really need to cut back on the dialog -backing guitar, I feel like I’m watching Caillou…
It’s funny you bring up Nathan towards the end: it could be said that his heel turn could at least partly be attributed to Jamie’s treatment of him in season 1. It wasn’t just the other players he was bullying, it was the kitman as well, and while Nathan’s father is ultimately the reason why he is how he is, and the flashback of being being bulled at Richmond during his season 3 press conference shows that Jamie may have contributed to fucking up Nathan’s psyche. With that said, Jamie has come leaps and bounds since season 1, so much so that people are surprised when he’s wearing a tuxedo WITH A SHIRT on underneath. I loved his peppy “let’s go coach!” zoom out of his house when Roy went there the second time for 4 AM training, but it’ll be interesting to see what Zava will end up causing. Jamie seems to be one of the only ones on the team not on his bullshit.