Ted Lasso (Season 3), Episode 2: Imagine owning a football club in the Premier League, barging into the washroom just to insult someone of the stature of Cristiano Ronaldo, and then getting him to sign for your club.
My biggest problem with the second season of Ted Lasso was the extremely unconvincing quick conflict resolution, just for the sake of wholesomeness. After the new season premiered last week, I genuinely thought the show’s makers may have learned something and will do things differently.
Sadly, this week’s episode has pretty much proved me wrong by stomping all over the good work the show did last week. To make matters worse, the Roy and Keeley post-breakup drama is going to become a major arc of this season. I am sorry if this hurts you, and if you happen to be one of many takers of that plot, it just doesn’t work for me.
With all that said, the episode redeemed itself just enough by leaving us with an incredibly moving, genuinely effective scene and a few tears in our eyes. That is enough reason for me to tune into it next week, even without duty calls. Oh, you can always count on this show for wish fulfillment, as we got Trent Crimm back, after all.
Ted Lasso (Season 3), Episode 2 Recap:
Match-day is here, and Richmond is starting their season with an away game against the formidable Chelsea FC, which will certainly not be an easy affair. But before we get into that, there are certain other things.
Let’s start with Keeley
Keeley Jones is the most Ted Lasso-esque character of the show, along with Richmond forward Dani Rojas. Now with her own company with people working for her, Keeley struggles with making a new commercial where her own colorful personality traits clash with the ways of the cruel business world. Her much level-headed right hand, Barbara’s sensible perspective, does not seem to help much either, in fact, it is making things rather difficult for her.
Upon a chance to meet with her former friend Shandy while shooting the commercial, Keeley ends up hiring Shandy as a PR person for her company with a fake title. The decision is not welcomed by Barbara, which upsets Kelly. She immediately confronts Barbara for being rude to her friend, and while doing so, she notices Barbara has a collection of Snow Globes in her chamber.
Keeley asks what is the deal with those, to which Barbara says she collects them while shifting from company to company. I am guessing there’s a story here that will be revealed eventually. Given it is Ted Lasso, Barbara can’t be just a random character. Barbara promises to help Keeley and the new hire in a much softer tone for now.
Look who’s back
Yes, our favorite sports journalist Trent Crimm is back. And he is not only back, but he also wants to write a book about Richmond which only ensures getting more of him. Rebecca, Higgins, and Keeley put the ball in Ted’s court while secretly gesturing not to entertain Crimm. But Ted is as delighted to see Crimm as we are, so he obviously says yes.
Meanwhile, one of the biggest footballers in the world, Zava, suddenly becomes available for signing after abruptly leaving the Italian club Juventus. The reason being Zava’s wife being a fan of “The Office” and wanting to move to England is preposterous, but I am gonna let it slide because Ted unintentionally made a joke about Zava relocating to Scranton, Pennsylvania instead, obviously referencing the American version of “The Office.”
Anyway, despite the superstar footballer potentially being out of reach for Richmond, Rebecca wishes to go into the ugly war of signing him because West Ham also plans to do the same, and our boss-lady cannot let Rupert win.
Roy hates post-break-up drama
When Keeley visits Richmond and stumbles onto Roy, Jamie, and Issac, he realizes that the two have broken up by looking at their body language. The news spreads like wildfire, and everyone, led by Ted, wants to be there for Roy in this dire time. The problem is that Roy doesn’t want any of it and wants everyone to mind their business.
Roy is further annoyed with the inclusion of Trent Crimm in their world and angrily instructs everyone not to say a word in front of Crimm, hinting that the two have some kind of beef from the past. Ted being Ted, puts Crimm in Roy’s office, which leaves Roy with no option but to share the space with Crimm.
The Chelsea supporters chant Roy’s name at Stamford Bridge, showing love and support for their formal star. During the halftime of the game, it is finally revealed why Roy has a grudge against Crimm. Years ago, a young, edgy Crimm wrote an article about an “overrated” seventeen-year-old youngster, Roy Kent, which wrecked him. Crimm apologizes to Roy, admitting he was only trying to sell his piece. The two also agree that both of them have become better since then.
Ted Lasso (Season 3), Episode 2 Ending, Explained:
Richmond initially falters in their opening game against Chelsea as the hosts quickly score a goal and get ahead of them. But thanks to Jaime’s strategic influence, Richmond bounce back in the second half with a very important equalizer. In the end, they leave with one valuable point from a difficult game. But that is not all they leave with.
Meet Zava
I mentioned Cristiano Ronaldo as an example, but Zava is a pretty obvious fictional take on Zlatan Ibrahimovic. A colorful character who is a great player without a shred of doubt but also quite a bit of a nuisance, as you would imagine. Considering Chelsea is the front-runner in the race to sign the Superstar, we get his first glimpse during the match between Richmond and Chelsea.
And right beside Zava, none other than our in-house villain Rupert Mannion, with the clear intention of signing him for West Ham. Looking at the scene, a furious Rebecca makes a desperate attempt to get a hold of Zava, a player who has refused even to meet them once.
Things don’t go well for Rebecca when she gets rebuffed by Zava’s bodyguard, who seems to have no problem giving Rupert access. A clear case of misogyny, and I hate this character already. As expected, Rupert behaves like a perfect gentleman while also getting snarky at the same time by mentioning Nate and how great the little guy has been for West Ham.
Seeing no other option, Rebecca breaks into the men’s washroom to get face-to-face with Zava. But instead of sweet talking him into signing for Richmond, she insults Zava by calling him overrated, overpaid, and basically a coward hiding in successful teams. To Rebecca and everyone else’s surprise, Zava announces in a press conference that he is going to sign for Richmond.
Why did Zava sign for Richmond?
From what I understand, it is a case of both pride and ego getting hurt. Zava has moved around many teams and won so many trophies. And he certainly has contributed a lot to those success stories. But Rebecca’s words not only hit him hard but also give him a reason to prove his supremacy further. Considering this is Ted Lasso, Zava at Richmond will certainly have a much better spell than his real-life counterpart at Manchester United.
What does the final scene mean?
In my favorite scene of the episode, Ted asks Roy how it felt to be back at Chelsea, his former club, especially when the fans were chanting his name. Roy reminisces about his last game for Chelsea against Arsenal, where his team annihilated the opponent 3-0, but his own performance was really poor. That game eventually pushed him towards leaving Chelsea and the rest we all know. Returning to the world once his, Roy had this epiphany that he could have stayed back and enjoyed it a little more, maybe.
To my understanding, this also works as a relationship metaphor for Roy. The breakup clearly hurts him, and this only indicates that the decision may have been harsh, especially on himself. I am still not sold on the Roy-keeley thing, but I genuinely appreciate how the episode has left us here. Hoping for a better episode next week and three points for Richmond.
