Heartwarming / Ted Lasso

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Season 1

Biscuits

• Ted has the team pitch in and throw Sam a birthday party. After a pretty rough loss, the team spends the end of the episode eating cake and playing music.
• At first Rebecca hates it that Ted keeps bringing her delicious biscuits every morning, but over the years she grows to love and depend on them, finding them her morning delight.
• An entire pub is booing Ted and chanting "Wanker! Wanker!" while watching the Richmond vs. Crystal Palace match. The pub owner, Mae, shuts that down real quick by chiding, "OI! Give 'im a chance!"
• Ted brings Rebecca a box of biscuits every morning as an icebreaker. Rebecca, hoping to end Ted's visits but enjoying the biscuits, asks him where he buys them, but he declines telling her. It's revealed at the end of the episode that Ted makes all the biscuits from scratch to give to Rebecca in the morning.

Trent Crimm :The Independent

• Trent Crimm writing a glowing editorial about Ted after spending the day with him:
  "Whatever you think of Ted Lasso as a football coach, I assure you, the truth is harder to swallow. And swallow you must, because Ted is out there in the community either bravely or stupidly facing the music. That's for you to decide. And, yes, he's in over his head. He insisted twice that he didn't care if Richmond won or lost. But if the Lasso way is wrong, it's hard to imagine being right. In a business that celebrates ego, Ted reins his in. His coaching style is subtle. It never hits you over the head. Whether that means allowing followers to become leaders, or in a show of respect, eating food so spicy it's sure to wreak massive havoc on his intestinal system. And though I believe that Ted Lasso will fail here and Richmond will suffer the embarrassment of relegation, I won't gloat when it happens. Because I can't help but root for him."
• Ted giving every member of the team a novel as a gift - each book personally chosen for each player.
• Ted and Roy spend their afternoon visiting the local primary school as a congratulations for the kids’ team winning their league. Granted, Roy says he’s only doing it because his niece goes to the school, but he still does a good job interacting with the other kids.
• When Ted and Trent arrive at Ollie's family restaurant Ollie is surprised to see him because he never thought Ted would take him up on his offer to try the place out.
  • Ted introduces Trent to Ollie and vise-versa calling them his friend and buddy, then congratulates them on having met a cool person.
• It's quick, but Ollie the waiter and his father-in-law are close enough for Ollie to refer to him as "dad".
• As Trent goes to leave the restaurant to begin writing the article, Ted tells him that he really enjoyed getting to spend the day with him. Trent, in what appears to be both shock and humility, asks Ted "you actually mean that, don't you?", to which Ted gives a small nod before Trent walks away.
• Roy reading the copy of A Wrinkle in Time Ted gave to him to his niece. Then he swears when he realizes Trent was right and Ted was using it to teach him a valuable lesson about leadership.

For The Children

• We spend the entire episode watching Rupert play to the crowd and gaslight Rebecca, and the way he seems to charm everyone he met while she is clearly distressed and being undermined at every turn but placed in a position where getting angry would make her look like the bad guy. Ted not only sees through this facade instantly, but makes it his mission to fix the entertainment problem the hard way—without forcing Rebecca to ask her abuser for "help".
• Even more heartwarming than the actual not-quite-confrontation with Rupert is Ted's conversation with Rebecca at the end of the evening. Ted quietly approaches her and, with his trademark lack of theatrics, makes it clear that he saw right through every one of Rupert's manipulations, and that Ted is far from the only person in that room fully aware that Rebecca's ex-husband is a cruel man.
  • Gaslighting is an insidious and devastating abuse tactic, designed to make the victim feel isolated and to make them doubt their own perceptions. Rebecca, being told frankly and kindly that she is not insane or overreacting, looks like she's about to cry out of sheer relief.
• Roy and Jamie's conversation at the bar. After spending the first few episodes at each other's throats, seeing them come to an understanding (however briefly) and cracking up over a joke together is sweet even if they still hate each other at the end of it.
  • A more subtle layer: After Roy shares the story of making peace with Doug, the senior player he fought with in his youth, Jamie asks him if the two ever became friends. The question suggests he's wondering if he could ever become friends with Roy, and that he doesn't really want to be at odds with his childhood hero.
• Angered by Jamie's most recent transgression, Keeley bids on Roy to make him jealous. Roy immediately sees through it and calls her out on using him in her fight with Jamie. Keeley immediately apologizes and Roy accepts her apology.
• Keeley kindly coaches Rebecca through photos on the red carpet, and later Rebecca tells Keeley that Jamie brought a second date, which is especially meaningful since Rebecca admits one of the worst parts of Rupert's cheating is that she was the last to know. They end the episode drinking champagne in a bicycle trailer, laughing together. They become close friends and diehard allies.

Tan Lines

• Jamie is nothing but nice to Ted's son, agreeing to sign his jersey for him even though moments ago he was arguing with Ted.
• Isaac invites Nate to sit next to him on the bench for Ted's half-time talk, a long leap from the way he and Colin used to bully Nate.
• After Ted finally gets his first win as manager, Roy gives him a sincere congratulations and commends him for having the guts to take Jamie out of the match for mistreating his teammates even though he had two goals.

Two Aces

• In order to lift the "curse" on the team's treatment room, Ted makes each member sacrifice something special to them. While most of it is Played for Laughs, there are some genuinely touching moments:
  • Roy shares a story about how he was recruited into the Sunderland academy system at a young age and was scared of leaving home. To help him deal with his fears, his grandfather gave him a blanket so that he would always think of home. The story becomes a Tear Jerker when we learn that his grandfather passed away before Roy returned home for Christmas.
  • Sam's favorite possession is a picture of the 1994 Nigerian World Cup team. He swore he would never take the picture down until he made the team himself and still plans to achieve this goal.
  • Jamie offers a pair of soccer boots given to him by his mother. Unlike his dad who walked out on him when he was a baby and only became interested in Jamie when he became good at soccer, Jamie's mom only wanted him to be happy and didn't even care if he was any good.
    • Jamie's gesture proves he's willing to change his tune and finally be part of the team. It's a damn shame Rebecca had to ruin it by sending him back to Manchester City.
• Sam goes to Rebecca and asks her to participate in the team's curse breaking ceremony as he sees her as part of the team just like the other players. Rebecca is clearly touched by this and agrees to join them.

Make Rebecca Great Again

• A small moment during Nate's roast of the team occurs when Roy takes Nate's piece of paper he's been reading off of and tosses it away before Nate can critique him. He doesn't do it out of any kind of anger, but because he wants Nate to have the confidence to be able to say the words himself.
• It's shown that Nate's relationship with Colin and Isaac has done a complete 180, with the three of them doing shots together at the karaoke bar and Colin and Isaac carrying Nate out when he gets too drunk to walk.
  • Not only has Ted been doing a great job lifting Nate up the whole season, you can also see that he's done a great job bringing the team together and including Nate in it. As Nate tries to psych himself up to give the pre-game pep talk, everyone offers encouragement.
  • Nate almost breaks down in tears when he tells Roy he shouldn't bottle up his anger, because "I'm afraid what it'll do to you if you keep it all to yourself."
• Rebecca helps Ted through his panic attack at the karaoke bar. She realized what was happening and cut her song short to run after him and help him. And anyone else who was sober enough to notice recognized that had to be a private moment and stayed inside.
• Sassy reveals that the reason she crashed Rebecca's Liverpool trip is because she knew it was Rebecca's first wedding anniversary since her divorce. Even though they hadn't spoken in six years, she still knew her friend would be having a difficult time and wanted to be there to support her.

The Diamond Dogs

• Beard, Nate, and Higgins come together to help Ted through a sexual encounter he is ambivalent about. In gratitude, he dubs them the "Diamond Dogs" because he feels such a cool group needs a cool nickname. Later, when Roy presents his own issues, Ted summons the Diamond Dogs and, despite finding the whole thing silly, Roy listens to their advice.
• Roy approaches Keeley, hears her out for making her feel bad, and apologizes even though he didn't mean to and didn't know about it. Then he gets upset when she says she slept with Jamie while she was upset. Then he talks to the Diamond Dogs and realizes that he shouldn't hold it against her.
• Once Rupert shows up and drops the bomb that he used Bex to buy the Milk sisters' share of the team, Ted is nothing but supportive and concerned for Rebecca, stepping up to defend her from Rupert's relentless abuse.
• Roy admits that he does yoga with a bunch of middle aged women who have no idea who he is (giving him the opportunity to not be Roy Kent for a while), and he spent the entire night with them because one of them is having a hard time going through a divorce. So that's why he didn't text Keeley back. Then, foreshadowing her love of him opening up emotionally, she immediately asks to kiss him and maybe grab his ass.

All Apologies

• The episode opens with Ted walking in on a depressed Roy Kent because he knows Roy's beating himself up for losing the game. Just wants to comfort him.
• Rebecca finally comes clean to Ted and he magnanimously forgives her and offers her his hand in friendship. She's so moved that she wraps him up into a tight hug.^note Hannah Waddingham noted that when Ted tells her that he forgives because "divorce is hard", the tear in her eye was real.
  • Then she goes and patches things up with Higgins. She said he'd come back to her begging for his job back. In reality, totally reversed.
• Keely has Phoebe describe her Uncle Roy, with the young girl spouting off a cute list (none of which is about him being a footballer) before declaring she loves Roy. Roy can't help but crack a smile.

The Hope that Kills You

• Ted, Rebecca, Beard, Higgins, and the entire team surprise Nate by replacing him with another kit manager and giving him a full-time contract to become an official coach for the club.
• The scene where Roy tells Ted he needs to pick a new captain is both heartwarming and funny. Roy and Ted keep tossing the armband back and forth while metaphorically passing the buck between them about whose job it is to pick a new Captain, while Beard watches on gleefully. This scene has a lot of brotherly vibes between all three of them, which is especially true when Ted pretends to make the armband disappear and tosses it on Roy's head, culminating in Roy saying in a deadpan voice, "This is why it's hard to love you," before leaving and Ted and Beard smiling that they've finally won Roy over.
• After Roy has busted his leg preventing Jamie from scoring a goal, the others briefly stop him from getting up so he can hear the crowd chanting his name in a song from his glory days. He is cheered on further as he walks off the field, letting him exit with his head held high, even if, sadly, his career as a player might be done.
  • Keeley coming into the locker room afterwards and consoling a clearly distraught Roy.
• Down to the last minute and needing a draw, Isaac calls for the "Lasso Special" play, which was Ted's own trick play idea, so Richmond can score. Ted is touched that the players think it will work and that they called for the play on their own.
• Ted has nothing but nice things to say to Jamie and, after seeing how damaged Jamie really is, reaches out and offers the younger man one of his son's toy soldiers to show he'll always be there if he's ever needed.
• Ted's final speech to the team where he reminds them that even though they're all going through a hard time right now, they're going through it together:
  Ted: Now, look, this is a sad moment right here. For all of us. And there ain't nothing I can say, standing in front of you right now, that can take that away. But please do me this favor, will you? Lift your heads up and look around this locker room. Yeah? Look at everybody else in here. And I want you to be grateful that you're going through this sad moment with all these other folks. Because I promise you, there is something worse out there than being sad, and that is being alone and being sad. Ain't nobody in this room alone. Sam, do you remember what animal has the shortest memory?
  Sam: A goldfish.
  Ted: That's right. It's a goldfish. Sam, what do you think we should all do once we get done being sad and/or angry about this situation?
  Sam: (smiles) I think we should all be a goldfish.
  Ted: I agree. Let's be sad now. Let's be sad together. And then we can be a gosh-darn goldfish.

Season 2

Goodbye Earl

• It's heartwarming to see how the Richmond players are all in on Ted's philosophy, with Colin explaining the "be a goldfish" mentality to new player Jan without any embarrassment. The mentality behind the "goldfish" is thus: a goldfish is the happiest animal in the world, because it has a memory of only ten seconds. So don't worry about your failures or your mistakes, because they'll be gone soon. That was then; this is now.
• Roy and Keeley go on a double date with Rebecca and John, her new boyfriend. After holding his tongue for the evening, Roy finally lets loose when Rebecca says she thinks her new man is fine...
  Tell the truth! He's fine, that's it. Nothing wrong with that, most people are fine. It's not about him, it's about why the fuck you think he deserves you. You deserve someone who makes you feel like you've been struck by fucking lightning. Don't you dare settle for "fine"!
  • Also of note is the Meaningful Look Keeley gives Roy when she realizes he's talking about the way she makes him feel.
• After Dani overcomes his case of the yips and scores a goal during training, the entire team (and then Beard and Nate) pull him into an exuberant Group Hug.
• Jamie asking Keeley for advice on how to talk to Ted and maybe come back to Richmond, then her looking on slightly proudly at the end as he strolls onto the pitch for his first training back.

Lavender

• After Ted clears up the misunderstanding with Sam about his meeting with Jamie at the pub, Sam tells Ted how his father loves that Ted is Sam's manager because he knows that Sam is in safe hands with him at the helm.
• Jamie not only kept the toy soldier he was given in the s1 finale; he reveals that he named it "Ted". After Ted Danson, obviously.

Do the Right-est Thing

• When Rebecca asks Nora if she wants to spend a day with her at work, Nora jumps on the chance. She's wanted to know what it's like to run a football club ever since Rebecca started doing it.
• When Sam makes the huge decision to cover up the sponsor's name on his kit, the team begins to poke fun at him but falls silent when he explains what the sponsor is doing to his country. Isaac, proving himself worthy of the captain band, does the same after him, followed by Winchester.
  • After Sam assures the others it's okay if they don't want to join in the protest with him, Jamie, who was previously horrible to Sam, steps up as the first white player to join the protest and emphasize the importance of the team standing with Sam.
  Jamie: ...We're a team, ain't we? Gotta wear the same kit.
• During the post-game conference, Ted tells the press that while he had no idea the players were going to do the protest, he's nonetheless proud of them for doing so and that they have his full support. He then directly points out that he's never had to make the same kind of effort that Sam has to be heard, and immediately gives him the floor.
• When Sam returns to the locker room after the match, he finds the entire team celebrating. They might have lost, but they protested against a horrible company, came together as a team, and finally broke their streak of ties. Jamie leading the team in a toast to Sam for taking a stand on behalf of his countrymen, to which Sam sincerely tells Jamie it's good to have him back on the team, is the icing on the cake.
• When Sam politely but firmly explains that he's here to discuss the suffering in his home country and not football scores, Trent Crim's entire demeanor changes. He pauses, becomes noticeably more focused, and shifts tack to asking serious questions in a tone of genuine respect.

Carol of the Bells

• Pretty much the entire opening scene, which takes place during the team's Christmas party:
  • Colin receives his Secret Santa gift from Bumbercatch and it's a scarf he knitted. Bumbercatch is embarrassed because he didn't get Colin a bottle of liquor like everyone else did, but Colin loves the scarf.
  • Nate gives Ted a framed photograph of the group celebrating after Ted's first win with an inscription thanking him for everything he's done for Nate.
  • Even Will gets some holiday cheer as the team gifts him a shoebox full of cash.
  • Jamie turns out to have forgotten to buy a gift - not out of malevolence or haughtiness, but because he didn't understand the Secret Santa concept. Ted happily tosses him a bottle of liquor from his desk and the staff works together to elaborately wrap it.
• When Sam arrives for the Higgins Christmas dinner, one of Higgins's sons tells him how awesome his protest of Dubai Air was and drops a Precision F-Strike against them. Sam clearly appreciates his support as well as the fact that there are fans who are on his side.
• Ted is sitting alone on his couch, watching It's a Wonderful Life, and clearly depressed at spending his first Christmas away from his son and his now-ex-wife. Cue Rebecca showing up outside his window, with a 'Hi Ted!' message written in tinsel (similar to the 'Hi Boss!' he had the team make in Season 1). She then takes him around the city, delivering gifts as part of a "Letters to Santa"-like charity program.
  • A bit of a Genius Bonus for viewers more familiar with the movie: Ted is visibly at a low point, and the scene in he's watching is the one of George Bailey's near-suicide attempt. Ted sees Rebecca at his window at the same point in the movie that Clarence arrives (you can hear the scene continue on Ted's TV as background noise), showing that, essentially, Rebecca is saving Ted in the same way a guardian angel would.
• Keeley is preparing a very adult and sexy Christmas celebration for herself and Roy, but is thrown for a loop when he has to bring Phoebe along. Rather than get upset about it, she immediately switches gears and calmly works out an alternate day for when she and Roy can enjoy their original plans.
• Phoebe is spending Christmas with Roy and Keeley, as her mother was unexpectedly called into surgery. When Phoebe reveals that a boy at school had mocked her bad breath (later revealed to have been caused by allergy medicine), Roy and Keeley take Phoebe around Roy's neighborhood to find a dentist who can help. At the end of the night, they go to the boy's house to make their point and get him to make amends. The boy genuinely apologizes, which Phoebe gracefully accepts.
  • Beforehand, when Phoebe reveals to Roy and Keeley that a boy at school was mean to her, Roy goes into Papa Wolf mode and asks what the boy did to her. No matter the circumstances, Roy will not let anyone mistreat his family.
  • Keeley's initial attempt to reassure Phoebe that her breath can't possibly be that bad backfires spectacularly, but she rallies extremely well.
    Keeley: Sweetheart, listen. That's not like, "I forgot to brush my teeth" bad or like, "I ate onions" bad. That's actually medically bad, which means it's not your fault.
• Phoebe's hair was in pigtails when she arrives at Keeley's, but when they go out to Roy's neighborhood to find a dentist, her hair is now adorably styled to match with Keeley.
• The Higginses' Christmas party is chock-full of Heartwarming Moments as the Richmond players unhesitatingly join in on the Higgins family traditions:
  • While helping the youngest Higgins boy clean up wrapping paper, Sam convinces him that Santa Claus is real. Especially heartwarming since Sam is Muslim and didn't grow up believing in Santa, but he recognizes that the boy did and chooses to help preserve the magic for him even though he had no obligation to do so.
  • Dani and Zoreaux play out a nerf gun battle with the Higgins boys, which they treat as seriously as though they were in a World War II movie. Dani also bonds with Julie over the "pre-cheeked," tequila-spiked punch he brought.
  • Richard plays FIFA World Cup with one Higgins while Sam and Jan watch.
  • Richard's date is confused and off-put when she finds out where Richard brought her, but by the end of the night, she is happily enjoying dinner with everyone, rescuing (with Richard) the Higginses' youngest from downing a bottle of wine, and dancing with the second youngest, who has developed a crush on her.
  • The sheer number of people who show up to the party is heartwarming on its own. At the beginning of the episode Higgins mentions that every other year, they've gotten maybe one or two players who accepted their invitation. This year—the first Christmas after Ted joined the team—the Higgins house is full to bursting with all of their international players, all of whom brought food of their own and are enthusiastically grateful to be there. There's so many people that in order to seat them all, the Higgins have to balance their middle son's new surfboard between the dinner table and the billiard table in the next room, both of which have extra seats squeezed in around them. No one protests this and in fact everyone seems thrilled with the arrangement.
• The speech Higgins makes at Christmas dinner after a day of merriment with his family and all of Richmond's international players:
  I just want to thank you all for coming. To my lovely wife, Julie, my sons. To you and all your families back in Lagos, Guadalajara, Groningen, Cordon, Montreal, Benin City, Harare, Kingston, and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. I know you would have preferred to have been with them, but it was truly an honor to have you with us to share our traditions and help make a few new ones. To the family we're born with and to the family we make along the way. And most importantly to Richmond!

Rainbow

• Rebecca, nervous about how to open up to her Bantr match, asks Higgins for advice after listening to him speak lovingly about his wife. Higgins happily recalls how they first met, where he made an absolute fool of himself but still managed to meet the love of his life anyway, and ultimately advises Rebecca to just be herself. Rebecca takes Higgins's advice to heart, especially touching when one remembers their strained relationship in Season 1.
  • Higgins's ringtone for his wife is "She's a Rainbow" by The Rolling Stones (Band), which Rebecca notes is a little on the nose; Higgins just shrugs and admits "She really is my rainbow."
• Keeley's sponsorship deals earns the whole team coffee machines. Dani was "born caffinated," so he plans to give it to his neighbor, who would use it to encourage more visits from her son.
• Roy helps Isaac rediscover the fun in football, allowing the Richmond captain to spread his cheer to the rest of the team. Later, Isaac's smile when Roy arrives at the match is luminescent.
• Ted quotes as many romantic movies as he can in his attempt to recruit Roy as a coach. When Roy turns him down and walks away, he finishes with "As you wish!" That day the audience was amazed to discover that when he said "as you wish," what he meant was, "I love you."
• Doubling as a Funny Moment, Roy goes to the Richmond will call booth to finally pick up the match ticket Ted keeps saving for him (this time under the name Reba McEntire).
  Will Call Booth Operator: Good to see you back, "Reba."
• Roy returns to the Nelson Road pitch for the first time since his Career-Ending Injury and the crowd immediately gives him a standing ovation and sings his chant at full volume.
  • He walks off his job as an announcer, and his co-host asks him what the hell he's doing. Roy just replies "Jeff, this is something I have to do." after having spent a couple minutes talking about how much he misses the game, misses being in the locker room and on the pitch. Jeff nods and says no more. These men all love football, and they recognize Roy needs to be on the pitch with the lads.
  • Even Cartrick, the Jerkass former manager of Richmond we've always been meant to hate is hit by Roy's speech.

The Signal

• The episode opens on a match, Jamie has the ball, heading for the goal. The announcer says "He has options"... he passes to Dani, who scores. We then see Jamie super happy, celebrating with his teammates, specifically congratulating Dani. Such a wonderful change from where he used to be. And they're all so goddamn happy.
  • Similarly, in training, when Colin misses a kick so badly it goes into the carpark and sets off a car alarm, you can hear Jamie saying "Aright, chin up, lad.", which just serves to underscore the harsh abuse immediately served up by Nate, then contrasted by the concise and perfect advice offered by Roy on how to improve everyone's play.
• At the beginning of the episode, Ted greets everybody as he enters the arena. We see that he's ingratiated himself with the entire Nelson Road staff, not just the leadership.
  • He passes by Colin thanking Dr. Fieldstone for her help. It's a small moment, but a sweet one.
• When Jamie goes for his penalty kick, many characters (including Ted) express doubt that he can make it at that distance. The only person who disagrees is Roy (who still dislikes him).
• After an episode of trying and mostly failing to hold his tongue, and having everyone tell him to keep on doing it, Higgins tells Beard about his concerns over Beard getting back together with Jane again. Beard initially seems angry, but he pulls Higgins in for a Man Hug.
• It's a tear-jerker that Ted gets a call about his son not having his lunch and Ted being completely incapable of dealing with the situation (being on a different continent and all), but we get a reaction shot from Keeley showing she knows how painful this is for Ted and how it hurts her that it hurts him that he can't be there for his son.
• Rebecca shows a lot of concern over Ted in the last few minutes of the episode, because she knows he's having another panic attack and wants to comfort him.
  • Not just Rebecca. The reason the team winds up giving up the equalizing goal to Spurs is because the players see Ted running into the locker room and are more concerned about him than playing defense.
  • When Ted has his panic attack, the shots make clear Rebecca is the only one to see it for what it is and be upset for that reason. Then she seeks him out in the locker room. Her not finding him is a problem, and the team running in cheering their win just highlights it. Her following up later and Ted asking Doc for help cements it.
• Roy makes a point of congratulating Nate for his clutch game-winning strategy, and immediately gives him the credit when Rebecca asks about it.
• As the team goes off to celebrate their win, they bump into Sharon and promptly ask her to come for a drink with them. She has been keeping some personal distance in order to better do her job, but goes along for one drink because they did just win the quarterfinal.

Headspace

• Nate's mom is super proud of him, which he really appreciates.
• Rebecca and Sam bump into each other in the hallway, because each were distracted by their phones. A small moment, but one that shows that they have quite a bit in common. Which is why they get along so well on Bantr, though neither knows it yet.
• The rest of the team is genuinely rooting for Sam when they find out how well he's been getting along with his Bantr match, and excitedly gather around him when he announces the three "typing dots" appearing.
• Trent Crimm takes a moment to check in on Ted. He says that it's to get a quote for the paper (which is true as far as it goes), but it's clear that he was personally concerned.
• When Nate apologizes to Colin in front of the team, he extends his hand for a handshake. Colin instead goes for a hug, which leads to a group hug with the team.
• When Sharon finally gets Ted into therapy for real, she tells him without heat or judgement that just because she gets paid for being a therapist doesn't mean she doesn't care for her patients.
  Dr. Sharon: Would you coach for free?
  Ted: Yeah. Yeah, I would.
  Dr. Sharon: But do you?
• Roy's apology to Keeley for having been so clingy is very sweet: He draws her a special bath, makes her a special bath playlist (called the "Roy Is Sorry For Not Understanding Keeley Playlist"), and promises to be out of her hair for at least three hours.
• It's subtle, but in two different scenes of the team hanging around the locker room, Jamie casually has his arm on Sam's shoulder, showing how much their relationship has improved.

Man City

• Sam gets a phone call from his father happily informing him that Cerithium Oil has just been ordered to stop operating in Nigeria and that he's so proud of Sam for the role he played in making it happen.
  Oba: You are the butterfly whose wings flapping made this happen.
• The entire team celebrates with Sam after his Bantr match agrees to meet him for a date.
• Isaac fixing Sam's hair, since it actually follows a long tradition of talented amateur hairdressers in the black community taking care of their own when the professional trade doesn't provide for them^note Afro hair has only recently become a mandatory part of the hairdresser training curriculum in the UK.
• Before Sam gets his haircut from Isaac, Jamie expresses genuine concern for Sam that him and his Bantr match might only have chemistry over texting and an in-person relationship won't work out. Sam, appreciating Jamie's thoughts for him, assures him and the others that he truly feels this could be something special and he needs to go for it.
• Roy has a long heart to heart with Phoebe, admitting how much he loves spending time with her but is worried he's not a good influence. She reassures him she's as good as the best of him and they resolve to be the best versions of themselves.
• Roy, of all people, giving Jamie a hug after his abusive and seemingly inebriated father visited the locker room to gloat on the losing team and criticize Jamie's performance. The scene is emotional on its own, especially so when one takes into account that Roy and Jamie were not on good terms throughout Seasons 1 and earlier in Season 2. Two little things add up to raise the scene's impact: Roy hesitating to place his hand on Jamie's back (and Jamie squeezing him tighter when he does so), and the shocked faces of the entire team.
  • In Season 1, Jamie briefly talks about how he idolized Roy when he was a kid. While the two had had a rough relationship during the time before and during the events of the show, in this moment a young Jamie Tartt is being comforted by his hero.

Beard After Hours

• As a reward for giving him a ride home (and their companionship during the evening), Coach Beard lets Paul, Jeremy, and Baz visit the stadium after hours. The three are absolutely delighted, running around and playing football until they collapse on the grass in pure joy.
  Paul: Is that Heaven?
  Renee: No. That's Nelson Road.
  The Trio: [so fucking happy]
• The three Oxford men in the bar seem snobby and unpleasant at first but gradually warm up to Baz, Jeremy and Paul and get along great with them, not even caring when the latter three reveal that they didn't go to Oxford and being invited to one of their country manors for Easter.
• Beard thinks his relationship with Jane might finally, really be over. He said he loves her and she didn't say it back; she won't be openly emotional with him. After a long, exhausting, terrifying night, he finally gets his phone back and sees dozens of messages from her where she finally opened up. His howls of rage when his phone's battery immediately dies shows how important this was to both of them.
• The burly man rescues Beard from James Tartt and his friends and, just as it seems he's about to brutally beat Beard, he simply gives him his phone and wallet and the two talk out the situation with the burly man apologizing for his behavior and even sharing a moment of vulnerability as he tells Beard how his paranoia is related to his own past infidelities.

No Weddings and a Funeral

• After the team gets word of Rebecca's father's death, Isaac tells the other players that they will all be attending the funeral and will show Rebecca respect by wearing proper suits without their usual gimmicky fashion choices like not wearing shirts or wearing sneakers. Despite their reluctance to wear proper dress shoes, they all comply and Rebecca is touched by the gesture.
  • While mostly Played for Laughs, it's rather sweet to see Jaime help a visibly limping Dani off the bus, reassuring him that he'll be able to sit down soon, especially given his former attitude. Jamie has also apparently taken to calling Dani "muchacho", which is downright adorable.
• Roy giving his condolences to Rebecca with a kiss on the cheek. For all their aloof loner tendencies, the two appear to be genuinely good friends.
• During Ted's therapy session with Sharon, Sharon asks him if there was anything he loved about his father, since he'd already expressed hatred for the man for committing suicide and therefore "quitting" on his family. After some thought, Ted brings up a time when he was in fifth grade and his class had to read Johnny Tremain, but he never read the book and was very anxious the night before there was going to be a big test about it. Ted's father told him to just go to bed while thinking about something he was looking forward to. The next day, Ted's father drove him to school and talked him through the entire book during the drive, since he'd stayed up all night reading it just so his son wouldn't be stressed out over a test. Ted ended up getting an A.
  Ted: He was a good dad. And I don't think he knew that. I think if he would've known how good he was and stuff he didn't really care about being good at, he...I don't think he would've done what he...and I wish I would've told him. [tearing up] I wish I would've told him more.
• Everyone at the funeral joining Rebecca in singing “Never Gonna Give You Up”, as it is the song that makes her mother happy.
• Roy apologizing to Keeley for his flippant attitude about death throughout the episode and admitting he's just uncomfortable with the subject because of how traumatic his grandfather's death was for him.
• Sam pulls Rebecca into a coat closet and tells her "I've been wanting to do this all day, but I didn't have the chance." Instead of the stereotypical Sex for Solace, he doesn't even kiss her, just gives her a hug.
• Rebecca and Sam have such a beautiful, loving relationship. It's fulfilling and happy for both of them.

Midnight Train to Royston

• Billionaire Edwin Akufo telling Sam that, yes, he would like Sam to join his team because he's an excellent player. But more than that, he wants Sam to join his team because his protest of Dubai Air inspired to world to care more about what's happening in Africa and he wants his team to be led by Sam's excellent character.
• Sharon telling Ted that as much as she has helped him with his mental health, Ted in turn has helped her realize that being vulnerable is actually important for connecting with her clients and that he's helped make her a better psychologist. She also explains that she wrote about all of this in detail in her goodbye letter to him. Ted finally opens it and reads it and he's visibly touched by what it says. The scene is just the camera going from him to her to him to her. He's reacting to what she wrote, she's reacting to his reaction, he's reacting to that. No dialog, just ...
• Even though Trent Crimm wrote the hit piece of Ted's panic attack at the FA Cup match, he respects and cares about Ted enough that he not only warns him of the article's publishing ahead of time, but he also tells him that Nate was the anonymous source that told him about it.
  Trent: As a journalist, I had to write that.
  But as someone who respects you...
  My source was Nate.

Inverting the Pyramid of Success

• Although the press and plenty of the public are delighting in the opportunity to take down Ted over his panic attack, there's also plenty of people who show him support. In fact, the only people who celebrate Ted's problems are people we've seen to be absolute dicks.
  • When Cartrick bashes Ted on an episode of Soccer Saturday, Jeff and Chris are sympathetic to Ted and urge Cartrick to show some compassion. Jeff opens the spot by talking about his former "foul-mouthed colleague, Roy Kent." After Cartrick acts like a dick, Jeff turns to the camera and says, "I miss Roy."
  • Rebecca immediately throws her support behind Ted both privately and publicly.
  • Sharon leaves Ted a voicemail telling him that the reveal will ultimately be good in the long run, but she understands if he's feeling hurt right now and he can call her if he wants to talk about it.
  • The local drunk who calls Ted "wanker" on sight insults him, saying "[i]f my father had a panic attack at Normandy we'd all be speaking German!", but clearly has second thoughts and takes a moment to give Ted a thumb's up and say some encouraging words.
  "Just do the work, pal. You'll be all right."
  • Mae rips up a patron's newspaper because it has a negative article about Ted on the back.
  • Trent Crimm's article only briefly appears onscreen for a few moments and isn't shown in its entirety, but pausing at the right time to read it reveals that it's nothing but sympathetic and only mentions Ted in general terms before moving on to address the issue of poor support for mental health in sports. Later, Trent himself approaches Ted and says that having to write the article about Ted's panic attack was the last straw for him, and he's quit so he can focus on the stories he truly wants to cover in detail.
• Ted talks frankly to the team about his panic attack and apologizes for not being forthright with them. No one is offended, however, and immediately rally around Ted while also swearing that they'll track down whoever leaked the story and make the traitor pay with blood.
• While talking to his father over the phone, Sam admits to being conflicted about Edwin's offer. Sam's father advises him to pay attention to let the universe guide him... and right after ending the call, he notices two kids playing football in a nearby park in Richmond shirts with his name and number (one of them being an old shirt with the Dubai Air logo covered with black tape). The sight ultimately inspires Sam to stay in Richmond.
• Keeley telling Rebecca that she's about to start her own PR firm (and having to leave Richmond), with Rebecca being absolutely delighted. The two of them are in tears over it, and it's adorable.
  • Likewise when she tells Roy. He grasps that this means she's "a CEO and shit" and is nothing but happy for her, picking her up and spinning her around.
    Roy: You won't have time for me any more!
    Keeley: You shut your pretty mouth.
• Before heading back out for the second half of the episode's decisive game, Isaac rallies the team around Ted's "Believe" poster, showing — yet again — that Ted really is getting through to them and they're taking their coach's philosophy to heart.
• While the conversation quickly goes south thanks to Nate going full Heel, it's still heartwarming that, even though Ted didn't really do anything wrong to Nate and has every right to be furious at him for leaking a personal secret to the press, he still wants to hear him out and fix things between them rather than judge him.
• Jamie prepares to take the penalty that will decide whether or not Richmond will be promoted back up to the top flight. He suddenly turns to Dani and demonstrates just how much he's grown as a character by passing on the opportunity and giving Dani sincere encouragement.
  • Before taking the penalty Dani looks over at where Earl last stood...and sees Richmond's new mascot puppy. Football is life.
    • For bonus points the puppy is wearing a helmet showing the club aren't going to let another dog get hurt. Dani also has RIP Earl written on his boots.
• The entire team celebrating Richmond's promotion with highlights including the coaches racing onto the field to hug the players; Dani piggybacking Will the kit boy; Rebecca, Higgins and Keely's overjoyed response from the stands; and Roy finally embracing Jamie in genuine friendship — albeit after butting him in the head to get rid of lingering bad blood. Jamie is ecstatic that he's finally been accepted by someone he's idolized for years. It's topped off by all the players facing the Richmond fans in the stands and leading them in chanting "We are going up, say we are going up!"

Season 3

Teaser Trailer

• The first teaser trailer for the season shows a montage of Rebecca, Higgins, Jamie, Roy, Keeley, Sam, Dani, and Isaac all making their own "Believe" signs, presumably to replace the old one Nate destroyed. Ted is clearly touched when he and Beard enter the locker room and see the signs all hanging up:
  Ted: Well, if "seeing is believing", I believe we've been seen.

Smells Like Mean Spirit

• As the players complain about all of the pundits predicting they'll finish last, Jamie assures them it won't happen because he's on the team. Unlike in Season 1, Jamie clearly means this in jest and everyone else knows it which shows how much Character Development he's gone through and that he's a real member of the team.

(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea

• Upon learning that Roy and Keeley broke up, Jamie makes a sincere attempt at offering Roy support. Unfortunately, this makes Roy jumpy.
• Richmond's away match at Chelsea marks the first time Roy has returned to Stamford Bridge since his playing days. When the Chelsea supporters see him enter the visitor's bench area, they immediately greet him with his chant.
• Before coming onto the pitch Roy reunites with Bruce, a Stamford Bridge security guard that he was friendly with during his career. Bruce is happy to see Roy and gives him his condolences on his breakup with Keeley, admitting that he thought they were perfect together.

4-5-1

• While Colin being closeted at work is difficult to watch, his relationship with Michael is actually quite sweet. The two of them are obviously fond of each other, given the way they banter affectionately throughout the episode and are both clearly looking forward to Michael getting back from Dubai. In particular, the fact that Michael comes to the team dinner at Sam's restaurant is heartwarming on multiple levels: Colin likes Michael enough to want to introduce him to his teammates even though they've seemingly only been dating a few months at most, Michael likes Colin enough to go to a dinner celebrating AFC Richmond even though he doesn't care about football, and in a refreshing aversion of Coax Them Out of the Closet, Michael is totally unbothered by pretending to merely be Colin's friend as he's fully aware of the position Colin is in as a professional footballer.
• Despite their contentious relationship, Roy is the only one on the coaching staff to take Jamie's unhappiness with Zava's effect on the team seriously and offers to personally train Jamie so he can get to the same level of skill. Not bad for a guy who wouldn't even speak to Jamie during training a season ago.
• After seeing how much abuse was heaped on Nate as a kit man and how much he in turn heaped on Will, seeing Zava insist on introducing himself to Will first and calling him "the most important person on the team" is incredibly sweet. It's not performative, either—during the team dinner at Sam's restaurant over a month later, Zava spends most of the night talking to Will.
  • Think about Zava's specific wording: "Your passion is why I play." Zava knows that if someone chooses to do such a vital yet thankless job for a football team, they must truly love the sport. Zava isn't just being nice; he may be encouraging the next generation of star players or simply making sure Will's love of football doesn't die.
• During the montage of AFC Richmond's winning streak contrasting with various characters dealing with their issues, there's one brief moment of levity when Jeremy runs into the Crown & Anchor wearing a suit, excitedly telling the other pub regulars that he just got a job. Baz and Paul are clearly happy for him.
• The fact that Trent, upon seeing Colin making out with his boyfriend, decides to keep walking and act as if he saw nothing. The viewer can't help but breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that Trent would have no interest in outing Colin (being a friend of the team and no longer a member of the press).

Big Week

• In a funny moment, it's revealed that Baz actually has a friend who is a West Ham United supporter and he invited him to The Crown & Anchor to watch the match with the group, not caring that he's on the opposite side. Unfortunately for them, Mae is having none of it and kicks the guy out.
  • Also a little Heartwarming in Hindsight, since this acts as a contrast to Ted's later story about his childhood classmate who was the sole Denver Broncos fan so no one thought to watch the Super Bowl with him when the Broncos were in it so he had to watch (and eat all the snacks) alone.
• When Rebecca finds out that Rupert is once again cheating on his wife, her first reaction is to tell him that Bex and baby Diana both deserve better. Despite her obvious hurt over Rupert's new baby and previous resentment of Bex, her first impulse is to stand up for Rupert's new family, as she knows Rupert's infidelity will inflict the same harm on them as it did on her (as well as how her own father's infidelity affected her and her mother).
• It's a little moment, but when Nate is rehearsing for the big West Ham v Richmond match alone in his apartment, he accidentally knocks over the miniature figurine of Ted and hastily places him back onto the table with a quiet 'there you go'. It's a nice What You Are in the Dark moment, and shows that despite everything, Nate knows deep down that knocking Ted isn't a good thing to do.
  • Really, all the moments where Nate is psyching himself up to apologise to Ted count as this. Even if it's ultimately unsuccessful (thanks mostly to Rupert acting as a mixture of Evil Mentor and The Corrupter) it's evident that Nate still has strong feelings of friendship for Ted. And, judging by Ted refusing to use Nate's actions as 'motivation' for the team, the feeling is mutual.

Signs

• Even though Rebecca is frustrated with the team's recent performance (to the point she yells at Ted about it), she absolutely refuses to consider replacing him as the manager and trusts him to right the team's direction.
• When the team engages in some locker room talk about the attractiveness of Nate's alleged date, Zava counters with a small speech about how much he loves his wife and how he only has eyes for her, to the point where he doesn't even see other women as sexual beings. His teammates are just as endeared by it as the viewer.
• Jade, the hostess at Nate’s favourite restaurant that he fancies, is typically indifferent to Nate’s attempts to speak to her, but after she sees Anastasia ditch him to hang with her friends, Jade sits down to eat baklava with him and engage in conversation. Further, in a nice showing of growth, when she teases him gently (repeating his over the top compliments toward the food), he takes it in stride as the good-natured comradery it's intended to be, rather than exploding like he did with Will and the team giving him his Wonder Kid jersey.
• When Roy is encouraging each member of the team before the Man City match he reaches Colin, who glumly reminds him he's not due to play. Roy instead orders him to cheer until his voice gives out. Even though Colin's not playing, Roy still considers him very much part of the team.
  • Blink and you'll miss it, but Roy already had his fist poised and ready to give the customary fist-bump before Colin spoke. Clearly in Roy's eyes there's no difference between the starters and the reserves.
  • In a mixture of funny and heartwarming, Roy's exhortations to various team members are typically aggressive: 'beat them' 'mince them', 'slice them'. When he gets to Sam he immediately switches to shake Sam's hand and tells the young player simply to 'outclass them'.
• After spending most of the season up to this point somewhat depressed and disengaged from his job, Ted manages to rally when he sees the team spinning out of control over Zava's retirement and delivers one of his signature Rousing Speeches, and it's one for the ages:
  All right, guys, listen to me. Belief doesn't just happen 'cause you hang something up on a wall. All right? It comes from in here. You know? And up here. Down here. Only problem is, we all got so much junk floating through us, a lot of time we end up getting in our own way. You know, crap like envy or fear, shame. I don't wanna mess around with that shit anymore. You know what I mean? Do you? No, me neither. Hell no. Well, you know what I wanna mess around with? The belief that I matter, you know? 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? Yeah? That's what I wanna mess with. Believing that things can get better. That I can get better. That we will get better. Oh, man. To believe in yourself. To believe in one another. Man, that's... That's fundamental to being alive. And look. Yo, hey. If you can do that, if each of you can truly do that... can't nobody rip that apart.
  • Adding to the effect is the way Ted rips up the iconic "Believe" sign as he speaks to reinforce the message that belief has to come from inside.
  • What really sells it is the way the scene cuts to different characters who each part of the speech particularly resonates with, even if they're not in the room. It truly gives the impression of how Ted's positive influence reaches even farther than he knows:
    • When Ted mentions wanting to be done with fear and shame, the camera cuts to Colin clearly taking Ted's words to heart.
    • "The belief that I matter" plays over Nate, whose insecurity and need for external validation has plagued him for the entire show, happily chatting with Jade after standing up for his "uncool" favorite restaurant.
    • The camera cuts to Roy looking contemplative and Keeley hooking up with Jack as Ted talks about "the belief that we all deserve to be loved." Roy and Keeley broke up because Roy felt unworthy of Keeley, and both of them are still deeply sad about the breakup, but this scene suggests that they'll both find love and happiness again someday, whether it's with each other or someone new.
    • "The belief of hope" is paired with Rebecca smiling at her green matchbook, implying that she hasn't given up hope of having a family.

Sunflowers

• Before learning that Higgins took him to the red-light district to visit the site where Chet Baker died, Will shows concern that the Happily Married Higgins is visiting the area and asks him if he's having marriage troubles.
• Trent finally reveals that he's known about Colin for some time. He gently sits Colin down and shares his own coming-out story and how it ultimately strengthened his relationship with his family. When Colin discusses how he's reluctant to go public, Trent doesn't try to persuade him otherwise and just listens.
  • While telling Colin his story, Trent reminisces about an unnamed woman - implied to be his wife - who eventually came to terms with his sexuality and now they're 'closer than ever'. At this point it's ambiguous whether Trent is gay and divorced from his wife, or bisexual and still married...but either way, we know his family supports and loves him.
    • In the same story, Trent mentions that his coming out improved his relationship with his daughter.
• Though the situation is entirely Played for Laughs, there's something incredibly sweet in how Isaac continues to insist the team decide on an activity to do together in Amsterdam. The poor guy clearly feels the team could do with some much-needed bonding time after their terrible match. Fortunately, he eventually gets his wish when the team finally decides what to do: stay at the hotel and have a massive pillow fight.
• Upon learning that Roy never learned how to ride a bike because of his granddad's death, Jamie takes it upon himself to teach him so Roy can honor his granddad's wish. Jamie and Roy bond during training, with Jamie sharing his love of the city, then teaching Roy to ride a bike is just so sweet.
• Ted overshares with his waitress about how much he used to love watching basketball with his dad, clearly being way too emotional with a stranger. She makes it through the moment and quietly thanks him for sharing.
• Three of the stories are about an older man taking a younger man under his wing. Higgins shares his love of jazz with Will, who is delighted to be invited out with Higgins even before he learns what the night is about and is quickly enthralled by the music. Trent spots Colin ducking out, correctly guessing he's going to try and just be openly gay in the anonymity of a foreign city, then shares that he's also gay and shares the pain of having been in the closet and giving Colin a friend he can be open with at Nelson Road. Finally, Roy spend the evening in Amsterdam, with Jaime enthusiastically sharing his encyclopedic knowledge of the city and then teaching Roy how to ride a bike, somewhat inverting that relationship. In each case, an older man takes on a father-figure role and shares part of their life with a younger man.
• The whole romance movie-esque storyline with Rebecca and her Dutchman. Especially how she came to feel more and more carefree and open to being taken care of.

The Strings That Bind Us

• After a few scenes where the only glimpses we see of Nate's family are an emotionally-distant father and a slightly infantilising mother, we get a very touching scene of Nate hanging out with his parents, his sister, and his niece, both of whom clearly love him. And then Nate's mum and sister support him in encouraging him to ask out Jade.
  • Even Lloyd Shelley is shown to have a soft side, as proven by the adorable hand-made map he created for his now-wife in order to ask her out.
• Sam is so devastated by the destruction of his restaurant that he's seriously considering not reopening it out of fear that it will just get vandalized again. Ola encourages Sam by reminding him of how much the restaurant means to him, his staff, and all of the Nigerian expats and that the best way to get back at the vandals is to forgive them and push forward. Sam thanks Ola and they embrace. Ted comes into the room and lets Sam know he has permission sit out of training that day. Sam thanks him but decides to push forward and leaves to get dressed.
  • The scene ends with Ted and Ola formally introducing themselves to each other. They immediately hit it off, calling back to how Sam told Ted how much Ola appreciates Ted as a manager, and they go to Ted's office so they can indulge in his American candy stash.
• After Sam's restaurant is destroyed by racist vandals, Ola tells him he still wants to stop by and see it. When they arrive, they're surprised to find all of the other players cleaning up and repairing the restaurant. They're disappointed that Sam showed up because they didn't want him to know until they were finished with their work, but Sam doesn't care and is grateful anyway. Ola offers to cook the team dinner and the episode ends with everyone enjoying their impromptu party as Sam, Ola, and Simi prepare the courses.
• Ola is visibly touched when he sees the neon sign repaired, implying that he didn't know his son named the restaurant after him.
• When Ola arrives, Sam is in the middle of an angry rant about the racism he's faced and at first he's shocked by his son's language. Then Sam bursts into tears and goes to his father for comfort. They have such a beautiful relationship.
• When Nate tries to psyche himself up to ask Jade out he stands in front of the mirror but doesn't spit at his face as we've seen before: ditching his old, self-loathing ritual to instead make an arts-and-crafts project as a way of asking Jade on a date.
  • And even when he falls flat on his face in public (ruining the box in the process) Nate doesn't go into another humiliated spiral; instead keeping his confidence up enough to ask Jade out. Their arc ends with the two on a very cute-looking date.

We'll Never Have Paris

• Nate may have burned bridges at Richmond, but that doesn't mean he didn't learn a thing or two from his former colleagues. Recognizing the benefits of healthy emotional communication, Nate attempts to form his own version of the Diamond Dogs with Disco, Roger, and Rupert (who, being a jerk, doesn't bother to show up). It's a genuine attempt to bridge the gap between himself and his coworkers, even though it ends up falling flat for various reasons.
• During their discussion of the leaked nudes, the all-male team come up with some sadly common responses, with even fan-favourites like Colin, Thierry and Richard saying that women shouldn't take intimate photos if they don't want them leaked, and they shouldn't be expected to delete pictures of exes after break-ups because it's '[their] property'. Luckily Isaac, Dani, Sam and Jamie are having none of it, and insist that the guys start deleting.
  • While played for comedy, it's incredibly sweet to see that as much as Richard Really Gets Around he genuinely respects each of his partners, thanking each one for their experiences as he deletes their pictures.
• During a training session, the entire team watches and cheers Henry on as he demonstrates his keepie uppie skills. After doing so for a prolonged period, Jamie congratulates him for his achievement.
• Despite everything, Ted and Henry whole-heartedly support Nate during his West Ham match (and even Beard doesn't do anything to spoil the event), and the little smile when Nate sees them in the stands shows how touched he is by this.
  • Jade even acknowledges that Ted and Henry were celebrating Nate's win at the match.
• After Ted ducks away from lunch at the Crown & Anchor to take a call from Rebecca, the busker nearby bursts into a rendition of "Hey Jude" by The Beatles. Henry recognizes the song, and Beard explains to him how Paul McCartney wrote the song for Julian Lennon after John Lennon and his first wife Cynthia divorced. Beard then tells Henry he knows how hard Ted and Michelle being divorced and living in separate countries is, but that Henry needs to remember they both still love him and that like Julian Lennon, he can "take a sad song and make it better." They then go and join the busker in singing the song's famous outro.
  • It's played for laughs, but there's something sweet about Beard going along to the West Ham match without a word of complaint just because Henry wants to. He even defends Henry's choice to Mae!
• Given Jade's Deadpan Snarker tendencies, Nate spends much of the episode angsting about whether or not she's as invested in their budding relationship as he is. Then at the end of the episode she refers to him as 'her boyfriend' unprompted.
  • How she confirms their relationship is very sweet as well, giving Nate one of the first genuine complements - that doesn't relate to his skill as a coach - we've seen him get in a while.
  "There it is...I love your smile. I like to see my boyfriend happy."
• Jamie goes to Keeley's house to apologize for her leaked video because he forgot to delete it from his email, and while the leak isn't his fault he feels guilty anyway. Keeley obviously doesn't blame him and flings herself into the biggest hug with him, appreciating his care and comfort after a pretty horrible day of embarrassment and not much of either of the former.

La Locker Room Aux Folles

• While it's acknowledged that he really shouldn't have resorted to violence, Isaac standing up to the Jerkass Richmond "fan" after he says the f-word is very heartwarming. After being so distant with Colin following the reveal, Isaac proves to Colin - and the audience - that he has his back and won't tolerate any homophobia on his watch.
  • While the Pub Regulars don't know the full details of what happened, having only watched the incident on TV, they surmise that Isaac had to have had a good reason to go after the guy and support his actions. Then when Mae reveals she knows the fan and had banned him from the pub for mistreating her niece Claire, the trio, who clearly adore Claire, is outraged and agree the jerk had it coming.
• Upon learning that Isaac lost his cool over a homophobic slur, the team immediately concludes that Isaac must be gay and agree that they should be supportive. Seeing this pushes Colin to come out, to which everyone is nonchalantly accepting. Ted, albeit through a rather awkward and sloppy story about not really "supporting" a friend who liked the Denver Broncos, tells Colin that everyone supports and cares about him.
• The team hug-piling Colin at the end of the match, with Jamie going for a proper full-body hug. Far from feeling awkward about physical contact now that he's out, all the guys are at least as affectionate with him as they always have been, if not more.
• At the end of the episode, Isaac, who has been giving Colin the cold shoulder ever since discovering his secret, arrives at Colin's house where he reveals that he's upset because Colin didn't trust him after all their years of friendship and he feels like it must be because he's done something wrong. After Colin explains his reasons for not telling him, they make up and go inside to play video games as Colin answers all of Isaac's questions about his sexuality. At the end of the conversation, Colin tells Isaac he loves him, and while Isaac can't say it back, Isaac asks "You know I do, right?", to which Colin gives a barely perceivable nod.
  • When Colin refuses to admit who he thinks is the most attractive member of the team, Isaac guesses Moe Bumbercatch straight away. It's funny but also sweet that the two are so in sync that Isaac can guess his best friend's type instantaneously.
• Nate, after a season of getting approbation and approval from him, ends the episode clearly coming to terms with how terrible Rupert actually is. When he bails on a night out with Rupert to visit Jade the two just hug each other, with Jade evidently aware that her boyfriend is going through some stuff.
  • The lyrics of the soundtrack - "I hope you find somebody who loves you for all that you are "- are particularly heartwarming, given that this strikes at the heart of Nate's arc this season.
  • It’s also lovely to see that Nate has settled in to life at West Ham enough that he’s no longer the Mean Boss that he was at the beginning of the season. A brief scene shows him casually chatting with a colleague and being invited to post-match drinks with his workmates - while Nate can’t join them, he makes it clear he’d like to in the future.
• In a far cry from their relationship in Season 1, Jamie and Sam now playfully bicker over the captain’s armband in the halftime break.
• Sam's huddle speech as temporary captain is already heartwarming enough, topped off by Jamie swooping in when he doesn't know what to say.
  Ted: Alright. Captain, count us off.
  Sam: Oh, wow, that's me. Yes. Okay. I…don't know what to say. Uhm—I'm honored to be your captain. And, you know, I love you guys so very much.
  Jamie: On three. One, two, three.
  Everyone: I LOVE YOU GUYS SO VERY MUCH!
  [Sam gives Jamie a grateful smile]

International Break

• It's revealed that Phoebe has invented a holiday just for Roy called "Uncle's Day", where she and Roy's sister celebrate him for being a good uncle. Even though Roy clearly finds it irritating, he still goes along with it.
  • She invited Jamie to the celebration because clearly he's her uncle Roy's best friend considering how much time they spend together and how much Roy talks about Jamie. In addition, Jamie brings a gift and it's perfectly tailored to Roy's tastes.
  • Roy wears the tie-dye shirt Phoebe made him throughout the episode, even as it causes people to stare at him in bafflement or tease him (if they're Keeley)
• Nate and Lloyd's heart-to-heart is a combination of this and Tearjerker. After their discussion, Nate finally realizes that his father has always been proud of him and only wanted Nate to be a good person and happy. Meanwhile, Lloyd, realizing that his attempts to encourage Nate's talents growing up only harmed Nate's mental health, is genuinely remorseful for what he did and apologizes for making Nate feel unloved. The two of them are last seen playing cards with Nate's mother and clearly on better terms than ever before.
• Following his self-reflection and reconciliation with his father, Nate decides to start making amends for the wrongs he's done. He starts off by sneaking into the Richmond locker room before Will arrives to work and setting everything up for him. Once finished, he leaves Will a letter apologizing for bullying him and signs it as "Wonder Kid". Will is surprised at first, but then happy about what Nate did when he reads the letter and clearly forgives him.
• After Edwin Akufo's meddling results in Sam being left off the Nigerian national team roster despite his great talent, Jamie apologizes to Sam for what happened before leaving to join the England squad. Jamie then decides to pay tribute to his friend by wearing Sam's 24 as his number during England's match. Sam, watching the match on TV with the other Richmond players who weren't selected for their national teams, is visibly touched.
• After Jack's company pulls their funding from KJPR, Keeley gives Barbara a snow globe as a nod to Barbara's hobby of collecting them, thanking Barbara for her help and saying she wishes they could have worked together for longer. When KJPR goes back into business thanks to Rebecca's funding, Barbara returns the snow globe to Keeley; she clarifies that she only buys one when she leaves a job, as she's given Jack her resignation from the venture capital firm and decided to continue working with Keeley, who's so elated that she hugs Barbara. Despite the two of them being at odds for most of the season due to their different personalities and approaches to workplace management, it's nice to see that they've grown to care about each other.
• Roy and Keeley sleep together after Roy admits to her that he was in the wrong and apologizes for ever making her feel like she was.
• Rebecca not even hesitating to fund KJPR, even when Keeley tries to refuse her help. Rebecca still insists, and Keeley gives in but she's still overjoyed.
• Higgins comparing Edwin Afuko to a murderous Willy Wonka is wholly played for laughs, but his passionate insistence that Rebecca get out of the 'super league' meeting the second she sees other members going missing is really very sweet.
• Not only is it heartwarming to see Nate recover from his depressive funk by just enjoying playing the violin, but that really is Nick Mohammed playing his old violin from home - and his wife is playing the accompanying piano throughout the scene.
• Rebecca gets a twofer at the Akufo meeting. We see that she and Nate may have inspired Rupert to take his current marriage more seriously, having replaced his "corporate pixie dream girl" with a much less model-looking assistant. What's definite is that her impassioned speech at the meeting shows a genuine connection with football and a shared history with Rupert that wasn't just abuse, and is enough to get all the men in the room to tell Akufo to fuck off.

Mom City

• Jamie's mother Georgie is introduced in this episode, and it's quickly apparent that she is the polar opposite of his father in every way. Her relationship with Jamie is warm and affectionate, and she demonstrates understanding and empathy towards his loss of ambition. She's also incredibly proud of him and keeps a display celebrating his accomplishments in her house.
  • Also worth noting is Jamie's stepfather, who warmly welcomes Jamie back home and is shown to be a kind-hearted, supportive partner to Georgie. Considering her tumultuous relationship with James Sr. (as told by Jamie), it's nice that she was able to find a more loving partner.
  • In Jamie's old bedroom, Roy and Keeley see that Jamie has a poster of Roy back when he was at Chelsea. Jamie's stepfather explains that many player posters went up and down but Roy Kent always stayed, further driving home just how much Jamie idolized Roy and how much being able to work together means to him.
  • Roy and Keeley's concern for Jamie throughout the episode—leading to them meeting his mother and stepfather in his childhood home, then staying with an injured Jamie to hang out in the therapy room after the game while everyone else goes out to celebrate—solidifying the friendship between the trio.
• Out of all the guys on the team to invite Nate back to Richmond, the three who end up at the restaurant are Isaac and Colin (who used to make Nate's time at Richmond miserable) along with Will, who Nate in turn treated poorly. It's a clear sign of an olive branch being offered on all sides.
  • When Nate is told the team wants him back, the first thing he does is look to Will to make sure he's okay with this.
  • After a tumultuous dynamic spanning the first two seasons, it's incredibly sweet to see Colin taking the lead in trying to bring Nate back to Richmond. Gets even more heartwarming a few scenes later when Nate is watching the Richmond v Man City game, urging Jamie to pass to Colin and tearfully applauding when Colin scores.

So Long, Farewell

• When Rebecca is having lunch with her mother at the Crown & Anchor, Mae reveals that the Pub Trio have already paid their bill for them. Then the three of them approach Rebecca and sincerely thank her for everything she's done for AFC Richmond; this is a far cry from the first season, where they were resentful of Rebecca for hiring Ted as a coach for their beloved team.
• The team singing "So Long, Farewell" to Ted and Beard after their final practice, complete with movie-accurate choreography and Dani Rojas singing little Gretel's part. Beard even tears up. When Ted tells them it was perfect, the team cheers even louder than they have for any previous wins.
• Ted and Nate’s reconciliation. Even as Nate tearfully apologizes to Ted for how he treated him, Ted has already forgiven him.
• Before the final match against West Ham, Zava sends the team a care package consisting of t-shirts and one of his farm's giant avocados to wish them luck.
• Nate is shown to be assisting Will and hanging out with the team in the locker-room (even participating in the team antics with 'Judge McAdoo' fining the Greyhounds for various offences throughout the past year). Although dialogue indicates that he will return as coach in the next season, for now he's just happy to hang out with his friends again.
  • Isaac ends the fining session by fining Nate 5,000 pounds for having missed every training and team event—but of course that implies that Nate has always been a member of the team, even while he had left
• During half-time, each Richmond player pulls out a piece of the "Believe" sign. Although Ted tried to downplay its significance earlier in the season, the players clearly took Ted's philosophy to heart and regarded it as a talisman. As they put it back together, Nate gives Ted a meaningful look to show that, yes, he now understands the lessons Ted was trying to impart.
• George Cartrick proves to have a decent side to him when he refuses to follow Rupert's instructions to have Jamie taken out of the match to keep Richmond from coming back. And when the match does end with Richmond victorious, he's a Graceful Loser who shakes hands with Ted and congratulates him.
• As Ted and Beard's plane is about to take off, Beard finally breaks and reveals that he can't leave - he's in love with Jane, but he also doesn't want to abandon Ted. Ted tells him that staying behind isn't abandoning him and that if he truly loves her, he should stay with her, promising that he'll be fine by himself. As Beard tearfully thanks him, Ted thanks "Willis" for everything, and Beard then fakes a medical emergency to get off the plane.
• The entire ending montage is a collage of heartwarming moments for the entire team, as individuals and as a group:
  • Rebecca reunited with Matthijs and meets his young daughter, with the implication being that she will become a stepmother to the girl.
  • Roy has been promoted to club manager and appears to be adjusting to the role.
  • Jamie is shown to be rebuilding his relationship with his father.
  • Despite Akufo following through on his threat in "International Break," Sam eventually does makes it onto the Nigerian national team.
  • The team has a cookout at Higgins' house, implying that the get-togethers are no longer limited to the international players on Christmas. At the cookout, Dani and Richard are still having their Nerf war with the Higgins boys, and Keeley has Phoebe on her lap, showing that despite her and Roy breaking up, she still kept up her relationship with his niece.
  • Mae and the Pub Trio are gifted shares in the club.
  • Trent gets his manuscripts for "The Lasso Way" back from Ted and Beard. While Beard's is covered with tabs, Ted says he loves it and only has one request: "I'd change the title. It's not about me. It never was." Trent honors his wish and publishes it as "The Richmond Way", with Roy providing a "very brief" Forward for the book.
  • Jade joins Nate to meet his family over dinner, with Nate and Lloyd shown being physically affectionate in a way that seemed impossible before.
  • Keeley goes to Rebecca's office to pitch a women's team for AFC Richmond, something that Rebecca seems excited to build.
  • Dr. Sharon has been hired by the team again, this time in the seemingly permanent position of "Head of Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being". Her first patient is none other than Roy, who still has his army man toy.
  • Nate uses gold glitter glue to put the "Believe" sign back together, kintsugi style, and hangs it back up in the Richmond locker room with Beard and Roy's assistance.
  • Beard and (a pregnant) Jane get married, joined by almost all of their friends, including the lady in the red dress, her boyfriend, and their new baby. Roy is standing beside Beard and Colin has Michael as his date.
  • Finally, Ted lands in the United States and is given a hero's welcome from Henry, with even Michelle, though she obviously doesn't show it as strongly, happy to welcome him home.
• Colin finally gets to kiss his partner Michael on the pitch after winning a game like he said he wanted back in "Sunflowers". Even better, after the kiss, you can clearly see Michael mouth the words "I'm so proud of you" to Colin.
  • Michael's presence is doubly heartwarming since it was established back in "4-5-1" that he's not a football fan, yet he not only attended the match to support Colin, but also stormed the pitch with the die-hard fans afterwards to celebrate.