Awesome / Ted Lasso

Three cheers for Zava!

While it's ultimately a story of the relationships between the various characters, Ted Lasso is chock-full of incredible happenings on and off the pitch.

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Season 1

Trent Crimm: The Independent

• The episode has Roy twice confront Jamie about his bullying of Nate. The second time has him headbutt a mocking Colin to intimidate him and mock Jamie for drinking "vanilla vodka".
• Ted was able to win over Trent Crimm so much that Crimm writes in his article that he was rooting for Ted even though he was likely to fail.

For the Children

• Ted on the surface appears to be just as taken in by Rupert's act as everyone else, but reveals at the end of the gala that he realized Rupert was behind the last-minute sabotage the moment he mentioned that he could fix it with a phone call. He was just being polite so as not to make a scene.
• After sussing out that Rupert convinced major music acts to stay away from Rebecca's gala to sabotage the night, Ted goes out and brings in Cam Cole, a busker, who proceeds to blow off the roof with his one-man-band act.

Tan Lines

• Ted decides to pull Jamie from the match because he refuses to be a team player, and that gets him a lot of flack from the fans in the bleachers who all shout "WANKER! WANKER!". When the move actually works and the team wins, the fans keep shouting "WANKER!", but this time in a different context.
  • Seeing that Ted has the balls to make such an unpopular, yet clearly right decision is what finally brings Roy around. He finally accepts Ted as the team's manager and all the other players fall in line, just as Ted predicted.

Two Aces

• After Jamie tells Ted he's sitting out of training due to an injury, Ted drops his cheery demeanor and rips into him by directly quoting Allen Iverson's infamous "We talkin' about practice" rant (in this case the meaning of the rant being Jamie is being selfish by refusing to be with his teammates as they prepare for their next match), officially demotes him to the reserve team, and orders him to set up the cones on the pitch.
  • Following Ted's dressing down, Jamie tries to save face by ordering Colin to set up the cones for him. Colin refuses and Isaac backs him up, showing the team is firmly on Ted's side and Jamie's lost everyone's respect.
    Roy: (smugly) Ohhhh, that's gotta sting.
• When the players begin complaining about Ted's instructions to bring a personal valuable to the clubhouse at midnight, Roy continues to show his support for Ted by standing right up and telling them that every single one of them is doing it whether they want to or not.
• Higgins finally starts to stand up to Rebecca and what she's doing to the team. It was his idea to wait until after the ceremony to let the players know that Dani was okay.
  Rebecca: Putting the team first, eh, Higgins?
  Higgins: Yes, I am.

Make Rebecca Great Again

• Nate's pre-game roast session that perfectly picks out the flaws in each of the players humorously and pushes them to win against Everton.
  • Roy gets his own two moments during this as well. First, before Nate roasts him, he grabs the piece of paper Nate was reading the roasts off of and tosses it aside so Nate will be forced to say it to Roy's face. Then, when Nate accuses him of having lost the anger and fire he used to play with that made him a legend, Roy picks up a bench that has been nailed to the floor and flips it to psyche himself and the team up.
• Hot damn, Hannah Waddingham's got pipes!^note Ironically, Hannah actually had to tone down her singing ability because Rebecca isn't supposed to be a professional-quality singer. Hannah herself, meanwhile, is a West End veteran and musical theatre legend with a four-octave range and vocals that stand out even amongst the professionals as insanely good.

The Diamond Dogs

• Ted's game of darts against Rupert. After clumsily throwing a couple of darts, Ted agrees to dangerously high stakes (Rupert picking Richmond's starting line-up for their next three games vs. Rupert never attending a game in person again), and then casually announces "I forgot I'm left handed", before annihilating Rupert.
  • The speech about how one should be curious rather than judgmental otherwise you'll underestimate people like Ted. Absolutely badass, especially punctuated with every dart landing its target coming right after Ted's comment about Rupert needing better manners when Rupert effectively calls Rebecca a whore. You absolutely do not treat any of Ted's friends like that, especially in his presence, because he'll annihilate you with ruthless positivity.
  • Rebecca also gets a moment, telling one of the trio to shut his twat mouth or she'll shut it for him for criticizing Ted and supporting Rupert. Dude was shocked, and Rebecca finally started standing up for herself, even if by proxy.
• Higgins has finally had enough. He tells Rebecca to fuck off, that this team means something to the community and it's incredibly important to the players, he apologizes for never having the courage to stand up to Rupert, and then he quits.
• Keely storms into Rebecca's office and says she knows all about the early plot to drive a wedge between Ted and Jaime, demands Rebecca tell Ted or she will, then storms back out. Rebecca's stunned into silence.

The Hope That Kills You

• After a season's worth of everyone treating him like a joke for being an American football coach, Ted, with Rebecca's encouragement, realizes how his background can be used to the team's advantage: by taking the deception and trick play strategies prevalent in that sport and applying them to Richmond's game plan. This leads to two awesome moments during the match:
  • Off of a corner kick, the team runs a set piece Dani's old club in Mexico used called "The Sandman". The play involves him kicking the ball inbounds and having several Richmond players make dummy runs to trick the Manchester City defense into thinking they're the shooter before the true shooter takes his shot against the confused defense. The play nearly results in a goal and only doesn't work because Man City's goalkeeper makes a lucky save at the last second.
  • With only a few minutes remaining in the game, the team runs a play of Ted's own invention, the "Lasso Special". This involves the players forming an American Football line of scrimmage with Zoreaux acting as the "quarterback". The players proceed to act out an American football play before they break and run in several directions to take advantage of the confused defense. Zoreaux proceeds to kick the ball to a wide open Sam who then hits the equally wide open Dani with a set up pass and he scores the equaliser.
• When the entire stadium is filled with the sounds of phones going off and being passed around, Ted confusedly starts to ask what's going on, only for Nate to shush him and close his eyes. Not only does he immediately recognize the sound of "twenty six thousand people checking their mobiles", he instantly clocks what it means for the score of the Crystal Palace Norwich game.

Season 2

Lavender

• While it was an incredibly short-sighted decision in the long run, the fact that Jamie decided he was done with his father's abuse and quit soccer to be a reality TV star was a gutsy move and a satisfying way to get back at the man for everything he put him through.

Do the Right-est Thing

• While it wasn't actually necessary because Jamie genuinely wants to turn a new leaf and be a better teammate, Sam tackling Jamie during training is still satisfying to watch since it shows Sam's growth in confidence and proves he's not going to take any bullying anymore. Plus, Jamie arguably did still deserve some karma for the way he acted towards Sam the previous year:
  Sam: Hey, while you were off filming your little TV show, some things changed around here. Don't bring that weak rubbish my way.
• After learning that Dubai Air's parent company is responsible for wrecking havoc on Nigeria's environment and bribing the government to look the other way, Sam not only decides to step down from an advertising campaign they wanted to feature him in but also decides to cover up the Dubai Air logo on his kit with tape. And when the rest of the team sees this and he explains the reasons for his actions, they all take the roll of tape and do the same thing.

Rainbow

• Roy's return to Nelson Road, starting with his realisation that, as a pundit, he's only commenting on the team from a distance and that he wants to be there with them, helping them play. He walks out of the Sky TV Studio (after a long look and a nod from host Jeff Stelling), gets a cab to the neighbourhood of the ground, tries to run the rest of the way but is let down by his bad knee, so he then gets a cycle rickshaw for the last stretch and then limps to the stadium gates… where security fails to recognise him. Fuming, he goes to the VIP entrance and asks for the ticket in the name of "Reba McEntire" (a Call-Back to the joke about tickets for Roy always being left under the name of female country music stars), growls at the small boy who recognises him (delighting the small boy), goes back to the gates and gives the guards the ticket, whereupon they finally recognise him. (Roy: Fuck you. Security: It is you!) Then, at last, he walks down the steps to the pitch, finally looking like he's where he belongs, and as the crowd sees him, they start chanting his name. The whole thing is written and scored like the triumphant climax of a romantic comedy, lampshaded by his line to Ted: You had me at coach.

The Signal

• The episode opens with Arlo and Chris commenting on what a positive influence Roy has been for Richmond's coaching staff and Roy proves them right during the team's next training session. When Colin misses a shot, Roy tells him exactly what was wrong with his technique and what he needs to do to correct it, unlike Nate who just yelled at Colin for missing.
• Frustrated by Roy's refusal to coach him, Jamie asks the rest of the staff for help. He takes some advice from Keeley. Though it gets heated between them, he handled himself with maturity throughout.
  • Ted, despite the way he's grown extremely uncomfortable around interpersonal conflict since his divorce to the point that he essentially blew off Jamie's first request to intervene, takes the opportunity to back him up this time. Roy's job is to coach the team, and his history with Jamie aside his behavior is incredibly unprofessional—especially since Jamie is acting like an adult, asking for help, willing to accept guidance, and rightfully upset that one of the coaching staff is actively refusing to help him play better.
  • This leads Roy to actually give him some coaching. He tells Ted that his strategy of making Jamie a team player worked too well, and that what they really need is for Jamie to channel his old Jerkass behaviour in ways that help the team. Essentially, Jamie did need to stop being abusive to his teammates; but he didn't need to change his entire personality or sabotage his own playstyle for the sake of showing humility. He tells Jamie to keep on as is, until the coaching staff gives him the signal.
  • When Jamie gets the signal, he immediately manipulates an opposing player into fouling him, earning Richmond a free kick. Everybody but Jamie and Roy believe he can't score a goal from that distance. Everybody but Jamie and Roy are soon proven wrong.
• When Ted has to leave the pitch because of his panic attack, Beard and Roy discuss what to do. Nate quickly figures out the best strategy and steps up, giving orders like a leader, and that wins the game.
  • His strategy itself was brilliant. The game was tied, and both sides needed a win as it was the quarterfinals. Nate benched some of the better offensive players and sent out some of the better defensemen. The strategy was to park the bus^note Crowd all the players around the goal in an effort to deny the opponent any openings to score to deny the other team a goal, and wait for their opponent's frustration to cause them to make a mistake that Sam and Jamie could exploit for a counterattack. It worked beautifully.

Headspace

• When Beard overhears Nate doubling down on his comments to Colin, he takes it on himself to handle it without involving Ted. Beard proceeds to tell Nate in no uncertain terms what he did was wrong and he needs to be better. It works, and Nate apologizes. Ted clearly realizes something had happened, but is happy that the problem is resolved. Except in regards to Will.
• When Roy berates Jamie for a play in training, Jamie calmly and respectfully defends his actions. Even Jan Maas, who once told Jamie that he didn't like him, agreed. This in turn leads Roy to a Heel Realization in regards to his situation with Keeley.
• It takes Ted a few false starts, but he eventually begins therapy for real.
  • Sharon handles Ted's outburst with dignity, leading him to a Heel Realization of his own.

Man City

• After his father criticizes both him and his teammates in the locker room, Jamie gives the bastard a punch right across the jaw. Then when the man gets back up to retaliate, Coach Beard grabs him and tosses him out (while deliberately hitting him against the door beforehand).

No Weddings And a Funeral

• Isaac holding his ground when the other players protest his orders that they all wear dress shoes instead of trainers with their suits to the funeral:
  Zoreaux: But what if they're really nice Yeezys?
  Isaac: (already having a good idea of what the answer is) What colour?
  Zoreaux: Bright red.
  Isaac: (glares at him)
  Zoreaux: OK...I'll wear some dress shoes...
• When Rupert crashes the funeral of Rebecca's father to taunt her with his newfound family life, Sassy supports her best friend in her own way: By roasting him at any opportunity.
  Rupert: I'm afraid we have to go. It's nap time.
  Flo: For you or the baby?
  • Her best zinger comes when Rupert claims that he's changed because of the birth of his daughter:
  Flo: Oh, right. Having a daughter erases all the shitty things you've done to women in your lifetime. Cool.

Midnight Train to Royston

• Trent Crimm, who prides himself in his journalistic integrity, decides to go against ethics and reveal to Ted that Nate went to him in secret and told him about Ted's panic attack at the FA Cup so he would write about it.
• The team pulling off a pretty flawless dance routine to N Sync's Bye Bye Bye.

Inverting the Pyramid of Success

• While it doesn't happen because Ted won't let them do it, it's cathartic to see the Richmond players ready to dish out some physical punishment on the person who leaked Ted's panic attacks to the press and Nate, who's only known by Ted and Coach Beard to be the snitch, being visibly nervous by the bloodlust they display.
• Jan Maas telling Ted that they should stick with the false nine tactic and rousing the other players by telling them they're perfectly capable of executing the strategy.
• With halftime about to end, Ted brings everyone in for a cheer. All of the players put their hands in except for Isaac. He proceeds to walk through the huddle up to the "Believe" sign and puts his hand on it. He looks back at the others and they proceed to do the same thing. Once everyone has a hand on the sign, then Isaac leads them in the Richmond cheer and they go out to the pitch ready to take care of business.
• In the closing seconds of the decisive match against Brentford, Dani attempts a penalty for the first time since Earl's death at the start of the season... and scores, sending Richmond back to the Premier League.
  • The moment is also a culmination of Jamie's Character Development over the past two seasons. After learning to be a good teammate while remaining an abrasive prick on the pitch when it will help the team win, Jamie is the one who draws the penalty and gets ready for the kick. However, he realizes that Dani has a better chance of converting it than he does, so he gives the opportunity to him.
    • It's even better than that. Dani doesn't have a better chance of scoring than Jamie does—the commentators note that Jamie hasn't missed a penalty kick all season, while Dani hasn't even attempted one since killing Earl Greyhound. Jamie would have been totally justified in taking the kick himself, but he gives it to Dani anyway because he knows it's what Dani needs in order to get closure.
  • Jamie's father expects him to dominate the pitch by scoring all the goals, never by passing to someone else so they can score. Jamie giving the PK to Dani is the ultimate rejection of his father's philosophy.
• Richmond makes it back to the Premier League after just one season.
• Having to publish the article on Ted's panic attack proved to be the last straw for Trent Crimm, who promptly quit The Independent to seek a position where he could have more control over what stories he reported on.

Season 3

Smells Like Mean Spirit

• Nate, with encouragement from Rupert, is running his mouth off at Ted and Richmond, with Rebecca desperate for a response from Ted. While Ted initially does not want to respond, he eventually does in his signature 'Ted' way: making jokes about everything from his nationality to even his panic attacks while inviting the press to be part of the joke. Nate can only watch from his computer and seethe as Ted handles the press conference with signature grace and wit. It calls to mind the final rap battle from 8 Mile where Rabbit wins by rapping about everything Papa Doc would target about him, rendering any attacks from him pointless and fangless.
  • The icing on the cake? Nate once again scrolls through social media and finds that Richmond's supporters are firmly behind Ted. Plus, several of them have taken to mocking Nate.
• After the players learn about Nate's comments and initially react with outrage, it's Jamie who reminds them of the lesson Ted just taught them about letting the outside criticism flow away. This immediately calms them down.

(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea

• Rebecca barges into the men's restroom to give Zava a "The Reason You Suck" Speech, and this speech ultimately convinces Zava to sign on to Richmond instead of Chelsea or West Ham.
  Rebecca: You are such a fucking chickenshit! I mean, if you were great, truly great, you could play anywhere. But instead you choose a club like West Ham, because it's big and shiny, and you know that they'll win whether you're there or not. And you'll never have to wonder if you're still as good as you tell everyone you are. But you and I know that you're not. You're overrated. You're overpaid. And you eat too much fucking asparagus!
• It's rare for Ted to pull rank as Richmond's manager, but when Roy's grudge against Trent Crimm threatens to cost Richmond a chance to pull even with Chelsea thanks to his ban on the team saying literally anything in Trent's presence, even halftime adjustments, Ted firmly orders Roy to make peace, immediately.
  Ted: Hey, look man, I don't know what your beef is with Trent. But I'm gonna need you to order off the vegan menu right now and squash it. Because your ego's about to sabotage a lot more than a silly football match. You feel me?
• After a shaky first half, Richmond manages to regroup and draw with the highly ranked Chelsea, who were also playing at their home ground, 1-1. It's clear that, despite the pundits' skepticism, the team is going to contend in the Premier League and won't be an easy opponent for anyone.

4-5-1

• Jamie comes into Ted's office to talk to him and Beard about Zava's attitude. Beard somewhat smugly asks Jamie if he's being ironic. As Jamie leaves, he points out that he was in fact being hypocritical. Ted asks Beard if Jamie was right, and a chagrined Beard admits that he was. Ted then points out that that was ironic.
• Richmond, with the addition of Zava, go on an unbeaten run that leaves them third in the Premier League - behind Manchester City and West Ham.
• Roy tells Jamie in no uncertain terms that now with Zava on the team, it's up to Jamie to step up his game and bring himself up to Zava's level instead of moping. Roy even offers to train him himself if Jamie is willing to put in the work and Jamie accepts.

Big Week

• After finding out that Rupert is once again cheating on his wife, Rebecca discreetly confronts him about it. Despite her earlier resentment of Rupert's latest wife, Bex, and the daughter they had together, she knows full well that Rupert's philandering ways will harm them just as much as they harmed her and she won't stand for it.
  Rebecca: I saw you with your assistant. Your daughter deserves better, and so does Bex. Stop fucking around.
  • Even better, Rupert is left speechless after he was all set to rub West Ham's victory in her face. This counts as Catharsis Factor for anyone who's sick of seeing Rupert screw over everyone in his life and facing zero consequences.
• It's a relatively minor moment, but seeing that Bex is not cowed by Rupert and making several gentle jokes about his age is pretty satisfying too watch - particularly given he's sleeping around behind her back.
• After Richmond loses to West Ham, Jamie shows that he's taking his training seriously by suiting up for another session with Roy mere hours after the loss.
• After the events of the episode, Ted shows some Character Development by calmly, but firmly confronting Michelle about her relationship with Dr. Jacob and making his personal feelings on the matter known. Michelle is taken aback, but also seems proud of Ted for opening up to her like this:
  Ted: Look, I, uh... I know that you and I aren't, you know, together anymore. A-And... And I respect that. Okay? I... I do. Um... But, um... Well, uh, you know, this whole thing with you and Dr. Jacob really ticks me off. And I'm upset that we didn't ever really get to talk about it before it all started. Yeah. A-And l-look, I understand that m-me saying all this, uh, might be the wrong thing to do, but... I just feel like not saying it... i-i-isn't the, um... Well, wouldn't be the right thing either. 'Cause we gotta raise this little boy together, you know? We're stuck with each other. We're gonna share grandkids. I love you, Michelle. And I love Henry. And I love our family. No matter what it looks like. Okay?
  Michelle:... Of course.

Signs

• Nate gets an understated moment of awesome when he calmly and confidently expresses his thoughts on the restaurant he loves to Anastasia when she insults it. After two seasons of debilitating shyness and insecurity, he's reached a point where he both knows what he wants and can express those wants. Not only that, but when Jade gives him some gentle teasing to help him deal with getting ditched by his date, he smiles and accepts it rather than blowing up.
• After the loss to Man City, Ted starts to have another panic attack. However, this time he immediately starts talking himself through it by reminding himself Henry is okay and is able to calm himself down in seconds.
• Ted's Rousing Speech to the team after the loss and Zava's sudden retirement proves He's Back! and the season is far from over. He even goes so far as to rip the "Believe" sign into pieces to drive the message home and it works:
  Ted: Belief doesn't just happen cause you hang something on the wall. It comes from in here (heart) you know? Up here (brain) and down here (gut). Only problem is, we got so much junk floating around through us, a lot of the time we end up getting in our own way. You know, crap like envy or fear, shame. I don't want to mess around with that shit anymore. You know what I mean? Do you? You know me either, hell no! You know what I want to mess around with? The belief that I matter! Regardless of what I do or don't achieve… or the belief that we all deserve to be loved. Whether we've been hurt or maybe we've hurt somebody else… or what about the belief of hope? That's what I wanna mess with. That I can get better. That we can get better. Oh man to believe in yourself. To believe in one another…. Man that's- that's fundamental to being ALIVE. If you can do that, if each of you can truly do that, can't nobody rip that apart!
• When Ted finishes his speech, he tells the players he'll see them all on Monday following their Sunday off. But Jamie has other ideas:
  Jamie: (to Roy) Tomorrow at 4:00 a.m.?
  Roy: Damn fucking right.

Sunflowers

• While watching an old Chicago Bulls game at the Yankee Doodle Burger Barn, Ted suddenly realizes that the concepts of the team's triangle offense might be able to be translated to football and begins scribbling the strategy down. While Beard later informs Ted that the tactic he came up with does already exist and is known as "Total Football", he does note that the tactic is a good idea for Richmond and could be the thing that brings them out of their funk.
• While entirely Played for Laughs, Isaac's very Shakespearean meltdown over the team's bickering does have to be seen to be believed.
  Isaac: Enough! We are riven by this crossroads! Is this it? Should we huddle around the laptop for a movie night? How else do we proceed? How doth we channel this lack of compromise? This dissension? This rage?
• Will getting invited to a threesome.

The Strings That Bind Us

• Jamie's extra training sessions with Roy are shown to be paying off as, when Roy forces the team to repeatedly run on the pitch from end to end, Jamie is the only one who isn't completely winded or vomiting from exhaustion.
• It may have been a Curb Stomp Cushion, but the sole goal in the Arsenal game was a thing of beauty. The constant passing kept the defenders off their guard, and the passes were executed flawlessly. It indicates that Richmond's slump may have come to an end.
• The players did an excellent job of repairing Ola's, considering their lack of expertise. Doing that kind of work to professional standards is harder than it may seem, but they did it. Special credit to Bumbercatch, who repaired the neon sign.

We'll Never Have Paris

• The opening scene shows that Richmond's new Total Football strategy is working like a charm and the club has returned to their winning ways. Even better, Rupert is shown to be furious about it, while George Cartrick can only weakly argue that the streak is because of luck rather than Ted's and the players' skill.
• When the subject of leaked nudes comes up, Isaac brooks absolutely zero argument from his team in insisting they shouldn't view any subject matter from the leak and delete all intimate media of exes from their phones immediately. Tellingly, he does this before the team even hear that Keeley was involved.
• Keeley, despite how hurt she was by the leak, doesn't doubt for a second that it wasn't her fault, and refuses to grovel for forgiveness.

La Locker Room Aux Folles

• The narrative makes it clear that violence isn't the answer...but still, it's immensely satisfying to see Isaac standing up to the homophobic Richmond 'fan' (particularly when the guy's been hurling abuse for weeks now).
  • It's also satisfying to watch because, up to this point, Isaac has been distant with Colin following the discovery that Colin is gay, with it left unclear as to whether this is because Isaac has a problem with his best friend's sexuality, or simply because Colin kept it a secret for so long. We also know that Colin has been terrified of telling the team about his sexuality in case they react poorly. Through publicly standing up to a vocal homophobe, Isaac effectively demonstrates to Colin - and the audience - that he's a safe space, and that he has Colin's back.
  • Roy Kent also has his awesome moment in this scene, because even though he's upset at Isaac for attacking the spectator, he's more upset with the spectator, and tells the Security Guards to get rid of him. The guards promptly kick the horrible man out of the stadium.
    • While he ultimately agrees that attacking the spectator was wrong, he also shoots down the idea that they should brush off the slur like it's any other heckling. Not only is it much worse in principle, but as he correctly points out (without giving any hints about Colin) that any one of them could be gay and in the closet, and they can't just tolerate that sort of discrimination.
• After confessing his sexuality to the other players and coaches, Colin proceeds to have his best match of the season and gets two assists as Richmond, who are also playing a man down due to Isaac's red card, comes back to defeat Brighton 2-1. With the weight of his secret being lifted, it's clear that Colin will now be able to play to his true potential.
• Nate finally defies Rupert by bailing on their night out together, after realizing Rupert is planning for both of them to cheat on their significant others with random groupies.
• Jade clocking straight away what a rubbish human being Rupert is.
• After Richmond's win, Roy goes to handle the post-match press conference to make up for disobeying Rebecca earlier in the week. Despite Isaac's actions creating a media firestorm, he handles all of the reporters' questions like a pro and uses a story from his early career to drive home the message that, while the club does not condone Isaac's actions, he is still supported by them and the media shouldn't be so quick to judge him because they don't know what's going on in his life.

International Break

• Five AFC Richmond players (Jamie for England, Van Damme for Canada, Dani for Mexico, Bumbercatch for Switzerland, and Colin for Wales) get the honor of being selected for their home countries' national teams during the international break. For Jamie, this is his first selection to the team ever and shows how much he has improved as a player during the season thanks to his commitment to Roy's training. As for Colin, him being named to the team after his struggles earlier in the season, including being benched during Zava's tenure, is very satisfying to see.
  • While not official, it's all but stated that Sam would have been a sixth player selected if the government wasn't bribed to not choose him due to Edwin Akufo holding a grudge for being turned down.
• Rebecca gives a truly magnificent "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Edwin and the wealthy club owners at the meeting for essentially planning to ruin a beloved pastime for their countless fans and make the ability to actually see their games a luxury afforded to a privileged few, all to make money atop the bountiful riches they already have. This actually convinces the owners to back out. Even Rupert's impressed.
  • Rebecca is graceful enough to highlight an awesome moment for a certain someone else in the room during her speech. She tells everyone the story of a boy who would actually sneak into the stadium to watch the games because his family couldn't afford tickets, before one day he got caught by a guard and punched in the face. Then one day many years later, that same boy now grown-up bought the whole club, tracked down the guard responsible... and gave him a raise without any explanation. He may have become a certified dick in the long run, but Rupert Mannion's Rags to Riches backstory must be absolutely epic.
• She gets yet another at the end of the episode when talking to Ted about the upcoming game against West Ham. She admits to him that despite having been mainly in it to beat Rupert in the championship, she doesn't even really care about him anymore. She just wants her team to win for its own sake, having grown to genuinely care about the club and its players and staff. It's a far cry from the show's beginning, where she wanted to ruin Richmond as revenge towards Rupert.

Mom City

• AFC Richmond finally defeats Manchester City in a match 2-0 thanks to Jamie putting in a gutsy performance where he nets a goal and assist despite being briefly injured and having to deal with an extremely hostile crowd as well as Van Damme being a brick wall in goal by making save after save even with a broken nose and Richmond having to briefly play with 10 players while Jamie regroups from his injury.
• It was a bit brutal, but Ted finally fully opening up to his mother is a sign of how far he's come.
• When Roy and Keeley are in Jamie's childhood bedroom we see the two posters with pride of place are none other than Roy Kent and Keeley Jones. As turbulent as his relationships with both of them have been over the time of the show, young Jamie Tartt would be incredibly proud of his adult self.

So Long, Farewell

• Isaac takes a penalty kick and it looks like he puts it completely over the bar. However, the referee wants to take another look and finds a hole in the net. Turns out Isaac kicked it so hard that it tore through the net for a goal! It's not so fortunate for the Richmond fan who takes the full brunt of the shot to the face but he's seen holding his scarf high and celebrating the goal with everyone else, broken nose and all!
• The team finally uses the decoy play that Nate suggested to Ted all the way back in the first season. Jamie even fully imitates the overly dramatic “give me the ball” gestures that Ted demonstrated to him two years ago and it works like a charm, as West Ham leaves Sam wide open to score the game-winning goal.
• Ted finally learning what the offside rule is and recognizing when a West Ham player is offside during the finals match, even before Beard and Roy.
• Rupert finally gets his comeuppance for all of the crap he's been pulling since the beginning of the show when he tries to get George Cartrick to have his players try and injure Jamie to take him out of the match. George, who himself had been an unsympathetic Jerkass for most of the show, immediately refuses, clearly aghast at the order. Rupert's calm collected demenor drops for the first time as he angrily shoves George to the ground... in front of the entire audience while the cameras were focused on him. He's ultimately forced to walk off the field, utterly humiliated, while the fans of his prized football club angrily chant "Wanker! Wanker! Wanker!" just like they did to Ted in season 1.
  • Despite largely being over her desire to get back at Rupert, Rebecca can't resist giving a satisfied cheer as he's forced off the field. Some particularly sweet Sweet and Sour Grapes.
• In the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue, Sam is seen playing for the Nigerian national team, just like he's always dreamed of. It seems Edwin couldn't keep him off for long. Plus, he's wearing the "10" shirt (reserved for playmakers), meaning his skills are valued and recognized.

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