Ted Lasso sees several of AFC Richmond’s players receiving call-ups to their national team. While there is a break from club football for the week, there doesn’t seem to be any from the drama. Unemployment, relationship issues, and a controversial business opportunity all come up in this week’s episode.
Once again, Ted Lasso draws upon real life for one of its storylines. This time it’s the potential of a Super League that looks to fatten the wallets of the select few clubs invited to the meeting. It is peculiar that The Greyhounds are in consideration since they aren’t necessarily world renowned and struggle with relegation/promotion.
Theoretically, Super League is reserved for the Man Cities and Barcelonas of football and no amount of optics with a female owner involved or Rupert’s influence would make it believable that AFC Richmond would be invited. Merely having a seat at that table takes away from the underdog role the show has developed. The series consistently demonstrates it has no understanding of the sport it revolves around.
Rebecca’s journey during the Super League ordeal is a mixed bag. The experience allows her to completely overcome her Rupert issues and gives her a boss moment with an inspiring speech. However, like much of this season, it comes off so heavy handed and sanctimonious that it doesn’t have the emotional impact and significance it should.
Elsewhere on Ted Lasso, Keeley’s business has lost it’s funding and is close to going under. This causes her to reflect back on her decisions and what she should do next. Her meandering eventually leads to some pairings we have yet to see on the show, specifically with Mae from The Crown & Anchor. This mixes things up and brings two strong, independent women together. Her going away present to Barbara is a touching call back from earlier in the season but the recipient’s responses distract from the sentiment.
Unfortunately, a big negative takeaway from Keeley’s subplot is all the handwaving to resolve the conflicts. It’s a bit of a cop out how she eventually finds funding, and her relationship options take a big turn. She and Roy always seemed to be destined for each other but their reconciliation doesn’t feel earned. All season Roy has been doing and saying the wrong things towards her, and we are to believe one aha moment and a hand written note is enough to get the girl back? That’s quite a stretch.
Nate’s road to redemption on Ted Lasso has been fun to watch. He’s no longer the manager of West Ham United – either he quit or was fired depending on who you ask. Though he lost a dream job, he is no longer under the negative influence of Rupert. As he escapes the public scrutiny at his parents’ house, there are intimate moments that show a different and endearing side to the character. The scene with his father is moving and helps settle their problems brought up previously.
More importantly, it’s setting the stage for an AFC Richmond reunion now that Nate is back on the market. He’s already starting to make amends starting with the person he regularly mistreated, Will. For his part, Ted Lasso is still one of his biggest defenders at Nelson Road Stadium. Unlike other plot developments, when Nate returns, it will feel deserved based off of his growth this season.
Speaking of redemption arcs, Jamie’s is still going on with plenty of comedy and good vibes. Whether it’s picking out the best present for Roy or showing his support to Sam, he has definitely taken a positive turn this season compared to the selfish teammate we first met. In addition, the Van Damme and Dani Rojas bit was a fun little diversion from the heavier material.
As we approach the end to the season, it seems the writers’ have mailed it in placing the different characters where they want them to but, other than with Nate, without developing a strong narrative as to why. Still, “International Break” still has some fun moments.
New episodes of Ted Lasso are released Wednesdays on Apple TV+.
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