History Recap / TedLassoS2E11MidnightTrainToRoyston

This episode premiered on October 1, 2021.

!!This episode provides examples of:

* CulturalPosturing: Aside from Sam and Edwin having some light hearted banter over Nigeria vs. Ghana, Edwin reveals himself to be one for Africa as a whole, aiming to use his fortune as a means to raise its profile. His grand plan is to buy Raja Casablanca and sign all of the top African footballers to play for the team so that they will ultimately become one of the world's elite clubs and bring respect to the continent.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Sharon gets a chuckle out of Ted leaving her at the pub with just a note.

** When Edwin introduces Sam to who may or may not be Creator/{{Banksy}}, he says [[Recap/TedLassoS1E03TrentCrimmTheIndependent "Congratulations, you both just met a cool person."]]

* CantTieHisTie: Keeley helps Nate with his tie which gives rise to a MomentOfWeakness for Nate when he can't resist planting a ForcedKiss on Keeley to which he apologizes afterwards.

* ConspicuousConsumption: When spending the day with Sam to try to sign him for the Moroccan club he intends to buy, Edwin rents out a museum and fills it with actors during their visit. He also sets up a pop-up restaurant with his personal chefs cooking African food especially for the occasion, but this time the other guests aren't actors, just friends of his.

* CulturalPosturing: Aside from Sam and Edwin having some light hearted banter over Nigeria vs. Ghana, Edwin reveals himself to be one for Africa as a whole and he uses his fortune as a means to raise its profile. His grand plan is to buy Raja Casablanca and sign all of the top African footballers to play for the team so that they will ultimately become one of the world's elite clubs and bring respect to the continent.

* FailedDramaticExit: If you drive a bright green Lamborghini, you want to make an impression. In Colin's case however, the flashy statement gets greatly dulled by the fact that he maneuvers himself out of the parking lot like a driving school beginner. He's previously admitted it's too much car for him, and he demonstrates that here with a 7 point turn.

* HandshakeRefusal: Edwin Akufo doesn't like to shake hands with Ted. He has an assistant doing it for him. At the end of the episode, even the assistent refuses to shake Ted's hand when they leave in anger.

* IgnoredAesop: When Nates complains to Coach Beard and Roy about how Ted gets all the credit for Richmond's success even if the ideas came from them instead of him, they explain that when it comes to coaching it doesn't matter who actually comes up with the ideas or gets the credit as long as the team as a whole performs well. Nate completely dismisses this and ultimately decides to make a power play with the press.
* ImmediateSelfContradiction: Edwin says Sam has all the time to in the world to consider his offer then says that he has 72 hours.
* IsThisThingStillOn: When Rebecca enters Ted's office, he is finishing up a video call with his son Henry ... and as soon as she starts talking about her relationship with Sam, Henry's voice is heard informing them that the call is still going. Ted apologizes to his son and hangs up properly.
* LampshadeHanging: After Rebecca tells Ted about her secret relationship with Sam, Ted notes that she's starting to develop a habit where she drops major truth bombs on him at this point of the team's season.[[note]]In Season 1's penultimate episode, Rebecca came to Ted and confessed that she'd been trying to sabotage him[[/note]]

* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Ms. Bowen has to pull Phoebe out of the school's art fundraiser after all of the artwork she provides for it are drawings of nude female breasts.[[note]]They're shockingly accurate.[[/note]]
* UnfortunateImplications: InUniverse. After Edwin apologizes for interrupting Ted, Ted assures him it's fine and says "[[Franchise/TheLionKing Hakuna Matata]]". He immediately realizes that saying this to a native African could be considered racist and apologizes, but Edwin lets it slide since Timon and Pumbaa are cartoon animals and not negative African stereotypes.[[note]] it's also Swahili, which is spoken in ''East'' Africa ... not West Africa, which is where Edwin's from[[/note]]

* WhatTheHellHero: Ted chews Doc Sharon out for leaving without saying goodby, just leaving a letter. But then he reads the letter and it turns out to be beautiful and moving, and he accepts that it's okay not to be okay with saying goodbye face to face.

--> '''Higgins:''' Don’t “letter” get away with it!\\

* FailedDramaticExit: If you drive a bright green Lamborghini, you want to make an impression. In Colin's case however, the flashy statement gets greatly dulled by the fact that he maneuvers himself out of the parking lot like a driving school beginner.

* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Ms. Bowen has to pull Phoebe out of the school's art fundraiser after all of the artwork she provides for it are drawings of nude female breasts.

** When Ted finds out that Sharon has left a day early and storms out of Higgins’ office, [[Recap/TedLassoS1E02Biscuits he’s coaxed back in by Higgins making an]] IncrediblyLamePun.

* UnfortunateImplications: InUniverse. After Edwin apologizes for interrupting Ted, Ted assures him it's fine and says "[[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing Hakuna Matata]]". He immediately realizes that saying this to a native African could be considered racist and apologizes, but Edwin lets it slide since Timon and Pumbaa are cartoon animals and not negative African stereotypes.[[note]] it's also Swahili, which is spoken in ''East'' Africa ... not West Africa, which is where Edwin's from[[/note]]

* ShoutOut: After Ted leaves Sharon at the pub with a goodbye note and parting gift, Sharon chuckles and says, [[Film/GoodWillHunting "Son of a bitch stole my move"]], which is from a movie about a therapist who becomes very close to a troubled but gifted patient.

''[sends a link to an article of his about Ted's panic attack at Wembley, citing an anonymous source]''\\

In the second-to-last match of the season, Sam scores a hat trick that puts Richmond within striking distance of promotion back to the Premier League. His rising star attracts the attention of Edwin Akufo, a Ghanaian billionaire looking to sign Sam for his new football team.

During training, Nate suggests that the team play a false nine tactic in the final match, but is resentful of Ted, who he feels gets all the credit for Nate's ideas. Ted himself is more focused on getting the team to learn the choreography to [[Music/NSync "Bye Bye Bye"]], which he wants them to perform as a going-away present for Dr. Sharon's last day of work. The rehearsal is interrupted by the arrival of Edwin Akufo.

Edwin talks to Rebecca about the prospect of buying out Sam's contract. Rebecca is reluctant due to her feelings for Sam, but tries not to show it. The two of them agree that this is a decision Sam should make for himself. Edwin invites Sam to spend the day with him so they can talk. After they leave, Rebecca goes to Ted and confesses to him that she had an affair with Sam and is unable to be objective about the prospect of him leaving. Ted declines to tell her his own opinion of the situation and simply says that she should listen to her heart and her gut.

Ted goes to find Sharon to bring her to her going-away party, but Higgins informs him that an emergency came up and Sharon has already left. Ted goes to Sharon's flat and angrily demands to know how she could just abandon the team. She tells him that she wrote all of them individual letters saying goodbye and convinces Ted to read the one she wrote for him, which helps him come to terms with her departure.

Edwin takes Sam to a museum and a Nigerian restaurant, where he tells Sam that his dream is to break up his father's empire and use the money to improve the world. Part of his plan is to buy the football club Raja Casablanca and stock it with all the best players, making Africa one of the powerhouses of the football world. He adds that the reason he wants Sam to join the team is not just because he's a good player, but because his protest against Dubai Air inspired the world to care about what's happening in Africa. He gives Sam until the final match of the season--only 72 hours--to make his decision.

Keeley is asked to appear in ''Vanity Fair'' as a "powerful woman on the rise." She goes to buy some outfits for the photoshoot and brings along Nate, who needs a new suit. The two of them have fun shopping together and bond over their shared desire to be a boss instead of working under someone else. The outing is soured when Nate kisses Keeley, who does not return the kiss. Nate apologizes and Keeley tells him it's okay, but Nate nevertheless hides in the dressing room and spits on his reflection in disgust.

Roy goes to pick Phoebe up from school, only to find that school let out early that day and his sister has already picked Phoebe up. He stays to chat with Phoebe's teacher, Ms. Bowen, as she prepares the classroom for a student art fundraiser. When Ms. Bowen asks if he's married, he says no and doesn't elaborate.

During the photoshoot, Keeley tells Roy about Nate kissing her. Roy is sympathetic to her and thanks her for telling him. However, he then admits to not telling Ms. Bowen about her, and Keeley confesses that Jamie told her at [[Recap/TedLassoS2E10NoWeddingsAndAFuneral Rebecca's father's funeral]] he was still in love with her. The two of them are disturbed by each other's revelations and sit in uncomfortable silence.

Sam arrives home from his day with Edwin to find Rebecca sitting on his doorstep. She tells him that while she can't give him an answer about the future of their relationship and she knows it would be wrong of her to ask him to stay, she hopes he doesn't go.

Ted and Sharon go to the Crown and Anchor to get a drink before Sharon has to leave. Ted slips out of the bar, leaving behind a goodbye note and a green plastic army man for Sharon. When he arrives home, Ted receives a text from Trent Crimm linking him to an article Trent has written revealing that Ted [[Recap/TedLassoS2E06TheSignal ran out of the Spurs match due to a panic attack, not food poisoning]]. Out of respect for Ted, Trent warns him that his source for the article was Nate.

As Sharon prepares to leave Richmond behind, a Ghanaian billionaire arrives at Nelson Road looking to sign Sam for his new football team.

[This description was copied in violation of our Administrivia/{{Plagiarism}} policy. Please replace it with original writing.]

Sam scores the first hat-trick of his career. Ghanaian billionaire and football enthusiast Edwin Akufo visits Richmond and informs Rebecca that he wants to buy an African club and sign Sam as a player. Akufo elaborates on his vision during lunch with Sam, explaining that he wants to buy Raja Casablanca and sign an ensemble of Africa's most talented players, hoping to making it one of the biggest clubs in the world, and predicting that an African team will win the FIFA World Cup within 20 years. Sam is given three days to consider the offer. Rebecca admits she hopes he won't leave though she could ask not him to stay as she still hasn't worked out what to do about their paused relationship. Nate continues to feel the frustration of developing the team's tactics while receiving none of the credit. Keeley agrees to help him buy a new suit; while trying on outfits, Nate impulsively kisses Keeley, confusing her. During Roy and Keeley's photoshoot for the latter's magazine profile, Keeley admits both Nate's kiss and Jamie's confession of his feelings for her at the funeral, the latter of which leaves Roy shaken. Ted learns from Higgins that Sharon left early on her last day and wrote letters for everyone on the team. Angered that she left without saying goodbye, Ted tracks down Sharon to give her the team's parting gift, and the two go out for drinks. Upon returning home, Ted receives a text message from Trent Crimm tipping him off about a forthcoming article on Ted's panic attack on the pitch, and out of respect to Ted, reveals Nate was the anonymous source.

Sam scores the first hat-trick of his career. Ghanaian billionaire and football enthusiast Edwin Akufo visits Richmond and informs Rebecca that he wants to buy an African club and sign Sam as a player. Akufo elaborates on his vision during lunch with Sam, explaining that he wants to buy Raja Casablanca and sign an ensemble of Africa's most talented players, hoping to making it one of the biggest clubs in the world, and predicting that an African team will win the FIFA World Cup within 20 years. Sam is given three days to consider the offer, though Rebecca pleads with him not to go. Nate continues to feel the frustration of developing the team's tactics while receiving none of the credit. Keeley agrees to help him buy a new suit; while trying on outfits, Nate impulsively kisses Keeley, confusing her. During Roy and Keeley's photoshoot for the latter's magazine profile, Keeley admits both Nate's kiss and Jamie's confession of his feelings for her at the funeral, the latter of which leaves Roy shaken. Ted learns from Higgins that Sharon left early on her last day and wrote letters for everyone on the team. Angered that she left without saying goodbye, Ted tracks down Sharon to give her the team's parting gift, and the two go out for drinks. Upon returning home, Ted receives a text message from Trent Crimm tipping him off about a forthcoming article on Ted's panic attack on the pitch, and out of respect to Ted, reveals Nate was the anonymous source.

* ShoutOut: After Ted leaves Sharon at the pub with a goodbye note and parting gift, Sharon chuckles and says, [[Film/GoodWillHunting "Son of a bitch stole my move."]]

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Nate gets overly excited when Keeley is the first person to voice support for his becoming more of a boss, and he impulsively kisses. He immediately regrets it, apologizes profusely, and spits on his own reflection.

* WhamLine: The end of the episode ends with Trent Crimm texting Ted and dropping a major bombshell:

* LampshadeHanging: After Rebecca tells Ted about her secret relationship with Sam, Ted notes that she's starting to develop a habit where she drops major truth bombs on him at this point of the team's season[[note]]In Season 1's penultimate episode, Rebecca came to Ted and confessed that she'd been trying to sabotage him[[/noet]].

* UnfortunateImplications: InUniverse. After Edwin apologizes for interrupting Ted, Ted assures him it's fine and says "[[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing Hakuna Matata]]". He immediately realizes that saying this to a native African could be considered racist and apologizes, but Edwin lets it slide since Timon and Pumbaa are cartoon animals and not negative African stereotypes [[note]] it's also Swahili, which is spoken in ''East'' Africa ... not West Africa, which is where Edwin's from[[/note]].