Midnight Train to Royston
In the second-to-last match of the season, Sam scores a hat trick that puts Richmond within striking distance of promotion back to the Premier League. His rising star attracts the attention of Edwin Akufo, a Ghanaian billionaire looking to sign Sam for his new football team. During training, Nate suggests that the team play a false nine tactic in the final match, but is resentful of Ted, who he feels gets all the credit for Nate's ideas. Training is interrupted by the arrival of Edwin Akufo. Edwin talks to Rebecca about the prospect of buying out Sam's contract. Rebecca is reluctant due to her feelings for Sam, but tries not to show it. The two of them agree that this is a decision Sam should make for himself. Edwin invites Sam to spend the day with him so they can talk. After they leave, Rebecca confesses to Ted that she had an affair with Sam and is unable to be objective about the prospect of him leaving. Ted declines to tell her his own opinion of the situation and simply says that she should listen to her heart and her gut.
Ted goes to find Sharon to bring her to a going-away party for her last day of work, but Higgins informs him that an emergency came up and Sharon has already left. Ted goes to Sharon's flat and angrily demands to know how she could just abandon the team. She tells him that she wrote all of them individual letters saying goodbye and convinces Ted to read the one she wrote for him, which helps him come to terms with her departure. Ted and Sharon go to the Crown and Anchor to get a drink before Sharon has to leave, and they enjoy their last day together. When it comes time to part ways, Ted slips out of the pub in secret, leaving behind a goodbye note and a green plastic army man for Sharon.
Keeley is asked to appear in Vanity Fair as a "powerful woman on the rise." She goes to buy some outfits for the photoshoot and brings along Nate, who needs a new suit. The two of them have fun shopping together and bond over their shared desire to be a boss instead of working under someone else. The outing is soured when Nate kisses Keeley, who does not return the kiss. Nate apologizes and Keeley tells him it's okay, but Nate nevertheless hides in the dressing room and spits on his reflection in disgust. During the photoshoot, Keeley tells Roy about Nate kissing her. Roy is sympathetic and thanks her for telling him. However, he then admits that when Phoebe's teacher asked him if he was married, he just said no and didn't elaborate, and Keeley confesses that Jamie told her he was still in love with her at Rebecca's father's funeral. The two of them are disturbed by each other's revelations and sit in uncomfortable silence.
Edwin takes Sam to a museum and a Nigerian restaurant, where he tells Sam that his dream is to break up his father's empire and use the money to improve the world. Part of his plan is to buy the football club Raja Casablanca and stock it with all the best players, making Africa one of the powerhouses of the football world. He adds that the reason he wants Sam to join the team is not just because he's a good player, but because his protest against Dubai Air inspired the world to care about what's happening in Africa. He gives Sam until the final match of the season—only 72 hours—to make his decision. Sam arrives home from his day with Edwin to find Rebecca sitting on his doorstep. She tells him that while she can't give him an answer about the future of their relationship and she knows it would be wrong of her to ask him to stay, she hopes he doesn't go. Ted receives a text from Trent Crimm linking him to an article Trent has written revealing that Ted ran out of the Spurs match due to a panic attack, not food poisoning. Out of respect for Ted, Trent warns him that his source for the article was Nate.
Tropes featured in "Midnight Train to Royston" include:
- 419 Scam: Higgins tells Rebecca about a Ghanaian who has recently inherited a vast fortune and wants to share his newfound wealth with the club. Classic 419 scam, right? Wrong: nobody at Richmond has any doubts about Edwin, implying they've already done their research on him, and any doubts the audience might have are dispelled very quickly once he actually arrives at the club.
- Actor Allusion: Jason Sudeikis has a history with the "Bye Bye Bye" dance and performed it multiple times in talk show appearances as well as during his Saturday Night Live tenure.
- Actually Pretty Funny:
- Ms. Bowen drearily rattles off the various derisive nicknames her pupils have invented for her... then notes that one kid simply calls her "fuck-witch", which she actually does find funny.
- Sharon gets a chuckle out of Ted leaving her at the pub with just a note.Sharon: [amused] Son of a bitch stole my move.
- Bait-and-Switch: We see Ted and Beard on the side of the pitch lamenting that the team can't maintain their lines and just aren't in sync, making it seem like training is going terribly. Then it's revealed that the team is actually struggling to learn the choreography to *NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye", which Ted is having them learn as a goodbye present to Sharon.
- Big Entrance: Billionaire Edwin Akufo arrives at Nelson Road by landing his helicopter in the middle of the pitch.
- Brick Joke: Surprisingly, one Played for Drama. Back in "Man City", Sam texted Rebecca the address to his house "for next time" before they ultimately spent the night together at her place. Now, Rebecca having broken up with him in "No Weddings and a Funeral", after spending the day with Edwin Akufo, Sam arrives home to find Rebecca waiting for him at the door to plead with him not to leave Richmond.
- Call-Back:
- Colin previously admitted that his beloved Lamborghini was "too much car" for him. In this episode we see him seriously struggling to maneuver it out of the club's parking lot.
- When Ted finds out that Sharon has left a day early and storms out of Higgins’ office, he’s coaxed back in by Higgins making a pun.Higgins: Don’t “letter” get away with it!
[Ted storms back in]
Ted: Yes. - When Edwin introduces Sam to someone who may or may not be Banksy, he says "Congratulations, you both just met a cool person."
- In his pep talk, Roy calls Keeley "Keeley [fucking] Jones, The Independent Woman", a title she gave herself at the mock press conference she held when he first asked her out.
- Ted leaves Sharon with one of the toy army men he gave to team members throughout season 1.
- Can't Tie His Tie: Keeley helps Nate with his tie, which gives rise to a Moment of Weakness for Nate when he can't resist planting a Forced Kiss on Keeley, for which he apologizes afterwards.
- Celebrity Paradox: Sam mentions recognizing a fellow museum guest from I May Destroy You. Did he ever notice that cast member Sarah Niles looks exactly like Dr. Fieldstone?
- Conspicuous Consumption: When spending the day with Sam to try to sign him for the Moroccan club he intends to buy, Edwin rents out a museum and fills it with actors during their visit. He also sets up a pop-up restaurant with his personal chefs cooking African food especially for the occasion, but this time the other guests aren't actors, just friends of his. Justified, as Edwin notes that he doesn't believe billionaires should exist and is more than willing to splash the cash.
- Comically Missing the Point: When Ms. Bowen reveals Phoebe has been drawing nude female breasts at school, Roy is more focused on the fact that they're actually very good drawings for someone Phoebe's age.
- Crowd Chant: At the beginning of the episode, after Sam scores a hat-trick in a match, the crowd is chanting his name to the tune of "Seven Nation Army".
- Cultural Posturing: Aside from Sam and Edwin having some light hearted banter over Nigeria vs. Ghana, Edwin reveals himself to be one for Africa as a whole, aiming to use his fortune as a means to raise its profile. His grand plan is to buy Raja Casablanca and sign all of the top African footballers to play for the team so that they will ultimately become one of the world's elite clubs and bring respect to the continent.note Edwin: Please, finish the jollof. I insist.
Sam: Thank you. You know, I appreciate you had it made the Nigerian way.
Edwin: Well, I thought you'd prefer it, even though the Ghanaian way is better!
Sam: Oh...I know we've been getting along, but I will fight you on this one.
Edwin: Then let us fight, then! - Face–Heel Turn: Nate, who's been more of a Jerkass this season, finally goes full heel when he outs Ted's mental health issues to the press.
- Failed Dramatic Exit: If you drive a bright green Lamborghini, you want to make an impression. In Colin's case however, the flashy statement gets greatly dulled by the fact that he maneuvers himself out of the parking lot like a driving school beginner. He's previously admitted it's too much car for him, and he demonstrates that here with a 7-point turn.
- Foreshadowing: Edwin makes a few lighthearted jabs at Sam's Nigerian heritage, hinting at how he'll react when Sam rejects him in the following episode.
- Grammar Correction Gag: When Ted starts reading Dr. Fieldstone's emotional letter, he can't help pointing out that she misspelled "favorite".
- Handshake Refusal: Edwin Akufo doesn't like to shake hands with Ted. He has an assistant do it for him. Subverted when he meets Sam and does shake his hand.
- Hypocrite: Edwin Akufo states that billionaires should not exist, to the extent where he states his intention to gradually break up his father's business empire. However, he spends the entire episode flaunting his lavish wealth (see the entry for Conspicuous Consumption above) while trying to recruit Sam into his vanity project football club. To his credit, he acknowledges it and admits he feels very conflicted about it.
- Ignored Aesop: When Nate complains to Coach Beard and Roy about how Ted gets all the credit for Richmond's success even if the ideas came from them instead of him, they explain that when it comes to coaching it doesn't matter who actually comes up with the ideas or gets the credit as long as the team as a whole performs well. Nate completely dismisses this and ultimately decides to make a power play with the press.
- Immediate Self-Contradiction: Edwin says Sam has all the time to in the world to consider his offer, then says that he has 72 hours.
- Is This Thing Still On?: When Rebecca enters Ted's office, he is finishing up a video call with his son Henry... and as soon as she starts talking about her relationship with Sam, Henry's voice is heard informing them that the call is still going. Ted apologizes to his son and hangs up properly.
- Lampshade Hanging: After Rebecca tells Ted about her secret relationship with Sam, Ted notes that she's starting to develop a habit where she drops major truth bombs on him at this point of the team's season.note
- Motive Misidentification: Rebecca initially thinks Edwin Akufo requested a meeting with her because he wants to buy AFC Richmond from her. When they meet, Edwin reveals he's actually in the process of buying another club and is interested in buying out Sam's contract with Richmond so he can play for him.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Nate gets overly excited when Keeley is the first person to voice support for his becoming more of a boss, and he impulsively kisses her. He immediately regrets it, apologizes profusely, and spits on his own reflection.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: The episode begins right after a game in which Sam has scored three goals, the first hat-trick in his career.
- Pet the Dog: Trent Crimm's professionalism required him to publish the article about Ted's panic attack, but he lets Ted know who his source was and offers to let him make comments he can add to the article.
- Rage Against the Reflection: Downplayed. Nate spits at his reflection in a mirror after kissing Keeley.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Even though revealing one's source is a massive breach of journalistic integrity, Trent lets Ted know that Nate was the one who told him about Ted's panic attack out of respect.
- Shout-Out:
- After Ted leaves Sharon at the pub with a goodbye note and parting gift, Sharon chuckles and says, "Son of a bitch stole my move", which is from a movie about a therapist who becomes very close to a troubled but gifted patient.
- As Higgins points out, Edwin Akufo is making Rebecca "an offer she can't refuse".
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Ms. Bowen has to pull Phoebe out of the school's art fundraiser after all of the artwork she provides for it are (shockingly accurate) drawings of nude female breasts.
- Unfortunate Implications: In-Universe. After Edwin apologizes for interrupting Ted, Ted assures him it's fine and says "Hakuna Matata". He immediately realizes that saying this to a native African could be considered racist and apologizes, but Edwin lets it slide since Timon and Pumbaa are cartoon animals and not negative African stereotypes.note
- The Unreveal: We never learn what exactly Sharon wrote in her letter to Ted.
- Wham Line: The episode ends with Trent Crimm texting Ted and dropping a major bombshell:This will be in the print edition tomorrow morning.
[sends a link to an article of his about Ted's panic attack in the quarterfinal, citing an anonymous source]
As a journalist, I had to write that.
But as someone who respects you...
My source was Nate. - What the Hell, Hero?: Ted chews Doc Sharon out for leaving without saying goodby, just leaving a letter. But then he reads the letter and it turns out to be beautiful and moving, and he accepts that it's okay not to be okay with saying goodbye face-to-face.
