International Break
The Premier League takes a break for international play. Several of the Richmond players are called up to their national teams, but to everyone's surprise, Sam is not asked to play for Nigeria. Sam learns that Edwin Akufo, who is back in London trying to form a Super League
, bribed the Nigerian government to keep Sam off the national team. Nearly as shocking as Sam's snub is the week's other major piece of football news: West Ham has parted ways with Nate. Most of the Richmond staff, except Ted, are gleeful at his apparent firing; however, Nate actually quit on his own terms, which he tells Jade he doesn't regret even though he has been depressed since leaving West Ham. Nate, tired of being hounded by reporters outside his flat, goes to stay with his parents. Meanwhile, Keeley is going through her own professional low point, as Jack's venture capital firm have pulled funding and are shutting down KJPR.
While dropping Phoebe off at school, Roy runs into her old teacher Ms. Bowen. She tells him that he seems lighter and "less stuck" than the last time she saw him, and that she hopes his previous bad headspace didn't cause too much damage. Roy, realizing that he let his own insecurities ruin his relationship with Keeley, writes a letter explaining his feelings. He attempts to leave the letter on Keeley's doorstep, but is surprised by the newly-unemployed Keeley coming home early and catching him. Roy reads the letter aloud to her, telling her that she didn't do anything wrong leading to their breakup, that he pulled away because he didn't want to hurt her, and that he loves her.
Rupert invites Rebecca to a meeting of team owners being scouted for the Akufo League. Although she is initially hesitant, she decides to attend the meeting. Meanwhile, at Nate's parents' house, Nate finds his old violin in the attic. As Nate plays, Rebecca gives a speech to Akufo and the potential Super League members reminding them that they all used to love football the same way the fans do, and it would be cruel to turn the game into an inaccessible, elitist club just for the sake of making more money. The speech moves the other team owners, who all back out of the Akufo League. After the meeting, Rupert tries to kiss Rebecca, who rebuffs him. Nate is interrupted by his father, Lloyd, who says that he misses hearing Nate playing violin. Nate asks Lloyd why he was always so harsh on him growing up, and Lloyd explains that he pushed Nate to be the best at everything because he thought Nate was brilliant and wanted him to live up to his potential. Lloyd apologizes for his treatment of Nate and says that he doesn't care whether Nate is successful as long as he's happy.
Rebecca goes to Keeley's house and tells her about her success with the Akufo League meeting. Keeley in turn fills Rebecca in on KJPR's loss of funding, and Rebecca offers to finance the company herself instead, which Keeley accepts. As they talk, Rebecca notices Roy coming down the stairs in Keeley's bathrobe. At the KJPR office the next day, Barbara informs Keeley that she has resigned from Jack's company and would like to stay on as Keeley's CFO. At Richmond, Will walks into the locker room for the national team players' first day back, only to find the team's kits and equipment already set up for the day, along with a note addressed to him simply reading, "I'm sorry. —Wonder Kid." Upstairs in her office, Rebecca hangs up a painting given to her by Rupert that she had previously taken down because it reminded her of their marriage. She tells Ted that she's realized she no longer cares about beating Rupert—now, she just wants to win for Richmond's sake.
Tropes featured in "International Break" include:
- Ambiguous Situation:
- In-Universe, none of the other characters know why Nate has left West Ham. The audience knows the decision was spurred by Rupert trying to get Nate to cheat on Jade, but we don't yet know how Nate's resignation went down.
- Rupert is acting very oddly in this episode: trying to cosy back up to Rebecca and admitting that his former Sexy Secretary (with whom he was having an extra-marital affair behind Bex's back) has resigned due to 'too much drama'. It's hinted that she found out Rupert was cheating on her and left him, leaving Rupert looking for someone new - and, given Nate's resignation, it's possible he was the one to share this.
- Analogy Backfire: After Sam is snubbed from the Nigerian national team's roster, Ted tries to cheer him up by relating the popular story of how Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team before becoming an all-time great player. Sam points out that the coaches of Jordan's varsity team only cut him because their team needed taller players and they still put him on the junior varsity team so he could play while he developed physically. Ted does admit that knowing the full details makes the story less motivational, but Sam clearly appreciates Ted trying to cheer him up anyway.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Roy's sister goes along with "Uncle's Day" because she knows it annoys Roy.
- Bait-and-Switch: Rebecca and Ted have a conversation about something that arrives once a month except if you're pregnant, which sounds an awful lot like they're talking about menstruation. It turns out they're really talking about a wine delivery service.
- The Bartender: Mae, naturally, gives Keely advice and support when Keeley goes to the pub for a drink and Drowning My Sorrows.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Since Season 2, Nate has craved recognition from the press for his coaching achievements. Now that he has suddenly left West Ham, he finds himself trapped inside his flat because the reporters won't leave him alone.
- Beard of Sorrow: Nate, hiding from the press and staying in bed all day, has serious stubble and scruffy hair when he sneaks out and goes to his parents' to hide and get some sleep.
- Big, Stupid Doodoo-Head: Akufo continues his Manchild shtick from season 2, this time he insists in calling Sam "pinky dick".
- Big "WHAT?!": Keeley delivers one when Rebecca tells her that Rupert tried to kiss her.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Jack texts Keeley claiming that she tried to keep the board from pulling her funding, but the fact that she didn't contact Keeley when she told Barbara indicates otherwise.
- A Bloody Mess: Akufu’s temper tantrum following Rebecca’s speech leaves her and the others drenched in a red sauce. When Rebecca later rings Keeley’s doorbell, Keeley screams in shock because she mistakes the sauce for blood.
- Break His Heart to Save Him: Roy reveals that he broke up with Keeley to keep her from getting caught up in his shit.
- Break-Up/Make-Up Scenario: An extended one, since Roy broke up with Keeley before the season premiere, but they get back together here.
- Call-Back:
- Edwin Akufo makes good on his threat to keep Sam off the Nigerian National Football Team, which he made at the end of Season 2. He does it by bribing corrupt officials in the Nigerian government, after Sam has previously protested against corrupt Nigerian officials turning a blind eye to Ceritheum Oil polluting parts of the country.
- When Ted admits he wants to win for Richmond, Rebecca spits her tea in his face, a reversal of what happened at the last scene of the first season.
- Way back in Season 1, Nate's 'worst-case scenario' of Ted not liking his ideas was that he'd be fired and have to move back in with his parents. Here he actually does lose his job and temporarily move back in with his parents—though Nate actually quits instead of being fired, and the situation ultimately turns out to be a good thing since it gives him the opportunity to reconcile with his father.
- When Dani turns into a cold Competition Freak for the international game, he dons a pair of aviator sunglasses, just like Ted did when he channeled Led Tasso.
- Before her meeting with the billionaires, Rebecca performs her lioness pump-up ritual she previously demonstrated in season 2.
- Rupert sneaks into the ground via the secret entrance to invite Rebecca to the Akufo League meeting. Nate later sneaks in the same way to apologise to Will.
- Rebecca's reaction to the Akufo League plan is identical to Trent Crimmnote 's reaction to Ted appointment in the very first episode: "Is this a fucking joke?"
- Nate signs his apology note to Will 'Wonder Kid' - calling back to the nickname Nate picked up in Season 2, which Will thought was "cool" but Nate interpreted as mockery. He also attaches a sprig of lavender to the front of the note, having complained to Ted and Beard that Will using lavender-scented fabric softener would “cause unnecessary distraction” to the team (the way Will sniffed the air before finding the note suggests that it was the scent that drew his attention to it).
- For that matter, Will entering the changing room to find his job's already been done for him is reminiscent of how Will himself was introduced back in Season 1.
- Realizing that Roy isn't interested, and thinking it was something she'd said, Ms. Bowen mutters, "Nice going, fuckwitch", borrowing an insult one of her students had previously directed towards her.
- Keeley's growly "Hey, what're you doing?!" startles the hell out of Roy, just as it did to Ted in the first episode
- After the reveal that Roy and Keeley got back together, we cut from Keeley's house to the stadium's lawn sprinklers going off, which were used as a metaphor for the two of them getting it on before.
- The very first scene of the show featured Rebecca getting rid of a David Hockney painting in her office because Rupert gave it to her. Rupert asks about the painting in this episode, and Rebecca ends up hanging it back up after realizing she no longer cares about beating Rupert.
- When Edwin Akufo first appeared, Higgins remarked that he coincidentally once wrote a play where a billionaire and a footballer went to dinner and a museum just like Edwin and Sam. He also mentioned that in the play, they got their meals comped because they found a bit of glass in the food, which is exactly what happens when Edwin visits Sam's restaurant in this episode.
- Keeley buys Barbara a snowglobe, a nod to her large collection from all of the places she works.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Nate finally snaps at his father, who sincerely apologizes and recognizes his own insecurities and failings caused his son serious hurt and damage. In the process, he recognizes Nate as a genius who was always amazing at anything he put his hand to.
- The Cameo: Iconic football commentator Martin Tyler is heard commentating on Jamie Tartt's England debut.
- Character Development:
- Rebecca was introduced as trying to destroy Richmond in order to hurt Rupert. One of the big things that dissuaded her was the fact that she was hurting other people who loved the club and the game. Now, she ends up giving a big speech in defense of affordable access to the game, and one of the examples she gives was of a young Rupert and how much he loved both Richmond and the game. Rupert was visibly touched. This culminates in Rebecca realizing that she doesn't care if she beats him or not. She still wants to win it all, but for Richmond.
- Trent asks Beard where he's from originally. Beard initially blows him off, but when Roy comes in with another (albeit darker) tie-dyed shirt, he has a change of heart. He's from Peoria.
- Nate acknowledges his poor treatment of Will and apologises by setting up the locker room for him. He also sneaks out of the locker room rather than stick around to see how the gesture landed in a big change from his season 2 self, which was largely motivated by external approbation. Nate signing his apology letter as "Wonder Kid" - a name he previously viewed as mocking - is the icing on the cake.
- Conscience Makes You Go Back: After dealing with everyone's reactions to the tie dye shirt Phoebe made him, Roy takes it off in the parking lot and tries to leave it there as he drives off. He ultimately can't go through with it because he loves Phoebe, knows she worked hard on the shirt, and that tossing it would hurt her feelings.
- Country Matters: Jamie claims he had Roy's last name changed from "Kent" to "Kunt" on the back of the shirt he gifted Roy. It takes Phoebe a moment to figure out what Jamie means and she charges him a pound for making her think of a bad word.
- Curse Cut Short: Unusually for a series with so much swearing, this happens to Van Damme's reaction to Dani's sudden switch in personality.Van Damme: What the f— [cue opening theme]
- Disproportionate Retribution: It bears reminding that everything Akufo does to Sam in this episode is all in retaliation for Sam amiably declining his offer to play for his club so he could stay at Richmond.
- Drowning My Sorrows: After KJPR gets shut down due to Jack pulling the funding, Keeley goes into a downward spiral and spends her time drinking at the Crown & Anchor.
- Enter Stage Window: Nate climbs in the window of his parent's home because they moved the key and he didn't want to wake them up.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Akufo asks the Russian club owner to leave his summit, if only because it's a bad look.
- Evil Is Petty:
- Edwin Akufo makes good on his promise to ruin Sam's life by:
- Bribing the Nigerian government to leave Sam off the national football team's roster.
- Filling out Ola's with several fake reservations so Sam won't make money that night plus bringing along Charles Siziba, a food blogger for the Times, and convincing the writer to see Sam in a bad light.
- Announcing that he is opening his own restaurant to drive Sam out of business.
- He also dubs Sam "Pinkie Dick" just to be mean.
- Francis, Edwin's assistant, forces Sam to engage in a high-five ritual just so he can pull back on the last one.
- Charles Siziba joins in on Akufo's insulting of Sam, also calling the player "Pinkie Dick", and claims that a piece of glass was found in the meal, forcing Sam to comp everything.
- Sam's reaction of stoic annoyance really emphasizes how petty it all is
- When the gathered team owners don't agree to go along with his plans to form a new super league, Edwin throws a fit and sends food flying everywhere. A close look at him and Francis as they leave the meeting shows that Edwin's hands are clean while Francis' are covered in food - suggesting that he had Francis throw the food for him. Which is somehow even more petty.
- Edwin Akufo makes good on his promise to ruin Sam's life by:
- Everyone Has Standards: Applied to Nate - Rebecca, Ted, and Trent all have good reason to disapprove of Nate, but none of them can believe he has anything to do with the rumoured inappropriate workplace behaviour over at West Ham.
- Fictional Holiday: Phoebe invented a Mother's/Father's Day-type holiday called "Uncle's Day" for Roy. Roy finds it irritating, which is exactly why his sister goes along with it and makes him take part.
- Foreign Culture Fetish: Edwin Akufo demonstrates a love of Chicago and insists on serving Chicago-style hotdogs alongside traditional Ghanaian cuisine.Akufo: Please, take your seats and let us enjoy some Ghanaian bites as well as some Chicago-style hotdogs as enjoyed by the likes of Scottie Pippen, Obama, and Ferris Bueller!
- Friendship Moment:
- When Jamie gets tapped to play for England, he chooses "24" as his shirt number in honor of Sam, who was passed over for Nigeria thanks to Edwin Akufo's meddling. He also checks on Sam following the call-ups and the realisation that he'd been snubbed by Nigeria, rather than celebrating his personal success.
- Upon finding out that Jack had pulled her funding for KJPR, Rebecca immediately offers to provide the money herself.
- Keeley buys Barbara a snowglobe to thank her for their time working together.
- After calling his dad out and getting a sincere apology, they're shown playing cards as a family, having repaired a lot of damage.
- Fun with Acronyms: Phoebe used Red, Orange, and Yellow dye for Roy's t-shirt for this reason.
- The Gadfly: Roy’s sister is fine going along with Phoebe’s made-up "Uncle's Day" purely because she knows that Roy finds it annoying.
- Getting Crap Past the Radar: This episode sneaks in a use of the only curse word explicitly prohibited by Apple TV+ when Jamie gives Roy a Kent jersey and tells him he had the E changed to a U. Phoebe figures it out, but she never actually says the word out loud.
- The Glomp: Keeley surprises Barbara with a big hug when the latter returns to work at KJPR.
- Groin Attack: The target Jane selects for ax-throwing is a picture of Nate with the target over his crotch.
- Heel Realization: Continuing from the previous episode, Nate has quit West Ham United now that he knows just how vile a person Rupert is and wants nothing more to do with him.
- Hidden Depths: Nate is revealed to be a talented violin player.
- Homemade Sweater from Hell: Roy really doesn't like the tie-dyed shirt Phoebe made for him, but he gamely wears it to work even though everyone who sees him stares at him, with one coworker even laughing. When he gets off, he angrily strips it off in the parking lot and throws it to the ground before driving off (though he does go back to get it).
- Hypocrite: After waxing lyrical about how the world would be better off without billionaires hoarding their wealth in his first appearance, Akufo has decided to launch a new soccer super league, something that by his own admission would only benefit the already wealthy owners of the major clubs.
- Hypocritical Humor: Downplayed. Rebecca tells Keeley that Rupert tried to kiss her, and she is shocked. She asks who would ever go back to a guy who hurt her like that. Meanwhile, a shirtless Roy comes down from upstairs. Keeley doesn't see him at first, but an amused Rebecca does. Of course, what Rupert did to Rebecca was a lot worse than what Roy did to Keeley.Keeley: Jesus! Can you imagine if you fell for it, and you got back with Rupert? After all that floppy cock has done! You would have to be insane! You would have to be at the bottom of your emotional barrel to do something that dumb, right?
- I Ate WHAT?!: Edwin Akufu casually reveals that the Chicago-style hot dogs he served at his meeting were 85% horse meat, to Rebecca's disgust
- Immoral Journalist: Charles Siziba (food blogger for the Times) proves to be one. He joins in on Akufo's insulting Sam, and claims that a piece of glass was found in Akufo's food. Akufo's taunt about bribing the Nigerian government indicates that he bribed Siziba as well.
- It's a Small World, After All: We finally meet Roy's sister, and she turns out to be the doctor who treated Sharon after she was hit by a car.
- Jerkass Realization:
- Lloyd finally realizes that his behavior towards Nate caused a lot of emotional and mental damage to him and apologizes for how he treated him.
- After some self-reflection, Nate recognizes how much of a Jerkass he was to Will and decides to secretly perform his morning duties for him and leave an apology letter.
- Rupert, of all people, remembers how much football means to people and rejects Edwin's offer to make even more money through a new super league. It doesn't stop him from trying to make a move on Rebecca, though.
- When talking with Ms. Bowen, she points out he was a mess last time she saw him and hopes that mess didn't cause too much damage, leading Roy to realize that yes, he really hurt Keeley with his bullshit Break His Heart to Save Him rationalization.
- Kiss Diss: After some mild bonding, Rupert tries to kiss Rebecca, but she rejects him since she cannot forgive nor forget how he hurt her over the years.
- Last-Second Word Swap: Roy, when he is talking to Phoebe’s teacher and realizes that he still has feelings for Keeley:Roy: Fuuuuuu...dge.
- Lightbulb Joke: Alluded to when Jade invites Nate to Poland to "help my family screw in lightbulbs". He's not sure if she's joking or not.
- Moose and Maple Syrup: Richmond settles down to watch the Canadian broadcast of the Canada-Mexico friendly match featuring Zoreaux and Dani. The commentators (played by Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles) pronounce "-ou" as "-oo", punctuate their sentences with "eh", make mention of poutine, and apologize for their language after one of them says "gosh".
- My Sister Is Off-Limits: When Jamie makes a comment about how fit Roy's sister is, Roy tells him he will cut Jamie's eyes out before letting that happen.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- Beard has taken Nate's past betrayal so personally that he disregards the "nein schadenfreude" philosophy he and Ted first laid out in Two Aces: chuckling over Nate's (apparent) downfall and going out to celebrate by throwing axes at a target with Nate's face on it. Ted calls him on it, but Beard doesn't care.
- Roy, who dresses all in black when not in kit, dons an orange tie-dyed shirt from Phoebe. The sight is so jarring, no one knows what to do when he passes by. By the end of the episode, he's started wearing more colourful outfits more often, as a sign of his Character Development.
- Nate signing his apology letter to Will as "Wonder Kid" shows that he truly does feel remorseful and has humbled himself.
- Opinion Flip Flop: Now that Nate has left West Ham, George Cartrick, who had praised Nate's skills earlier in the season, dismisses his talents and gives Rupert all the credit for West Ham's success.
- Phenotype Stereotype: Inverted and Played for Laughs. The dark-skinned Bumbercatch turns out to be a Swiss national. When Ted and Beard express surprise, Bumbercatch is confused and believes his appearance made it obvious.
- Poor Communication Kills: Turns out to be the case of Lloyd and Nate. Lloyd recognized Nate's potential from an early age and wanted to encourage him to grow and develop his talents. However, because he was hardened from living a life without privilege, he didn't know how to properly communicate this to Nate, who interpreted his brusque comments as him being dismissive of Nate's talents and interests.Lloyd:I didn't know how to raise a genius. I thought I had to push you. I'm so sorry.
- Product Placement: When Dani dumps out the chips Van Damme tried to share with him, he hands the bag back in a way that clearly shows the Doritos logo.
- Rags to Riches: Turns out to be Rupert’s backstory. He had to sneak into a Richmond game as a child because he could not afford a ticket.
- Ripped from the Headlines: Edwin Akufo's attempt to launch a new super league of the world's largest football clubs is inspired by the aborted attempt at launching the European Super League. While Akufo's version never gets off the ground, the real version was announced and then ripped apart for being an elitist attempt at monopolizing money and talent.
- Sanctuary of Solitude: Nate first subverts this by leaving his (or Jade's) apartment for his parents house, but then he spends all of time their hiding in the bedroom until he thinks he's alone.
- Serious Business: Dani treats playing for Mexico as this, as he declares that Van Damme, who is playing for Canada as the opponent of the friendly match, is now his enemy. The match commentators even note that Dani is a completely different person when he wears the Mexican kit instead of Richmond's.
- Ship Sinking: A number of viewers picked up on some chemistry between Roy and Phoebe's teacher. Here they acknowledge that there was some flirtation earlier and the teacher states that, unlike Sassy, she is interested in cleaning up messes... but this only makes Roy realize that he needs to talk to Keeley, and as he walks away, the teacher acknowledges that this isn't going to happen.
- The Shut-In: Nate briefly becomes one, sneaking out of his house to go live with his parents after he quits West Ham. Then he takes it a step further and refuses to leave his bedroom until he thinks he's alone.
- Significant Wardrobe Shift: It's noted that Roy seems lighter and driven by a new purpose. This is signified by his wearing a dark, yet multicolored shirt on his own accord. On the other end, you have Nate, stuck in his sorrow and spending the entire episode in pajamas instead of his usual well-tailored suits.
- Silent Offer: When Rebecca asks Keeley how much money Jack's firm floated her, Keeley replies by writing the number down.
- Speak of the Devil: When Ted, Rebecca, Trent, and Higgins talk about Akufo's proposed super league, Rebecca thinks that Rupert might be involved. Sure enough, he phones her right after she says so. We see that he is listed in her contacts as The Devil.
- Stealth Pun: It's easy to miss, but Rupert's former Sexy Secretary, Miss Kakes, is implies to have broken off their workplace affair and resigned, leaving Rupert with the far less glamorous Miss Bread. Rupert used to be having Cake at work, now he's only got Bread.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Roy's sister, who was previously seen in "Man City" but not identified until now, shares a lot of his physical features, including having thick eyebrows.
- Suddenly Ethnicity: Bumbercatch is revealed to be Swiss when he is named to their national team. He's surprised the others didn't already know this.
- Swear Jar: Phoebe continues to keep tabs on Roy's language. Jamie isn't exempt when he's in Phoebe's presence and hands over cash after each offense.
- Take That!: Rebecca's impassioned speech criticising the Akufo League (and Higgins' description of it to Ted earlier) is one to the European Super League, pointing out that it exists solely to make wealthy football club owners even richer while pricing genuine fans out of the game and denying smaller clubs a shot at glory.
- Unexpected Kindness: At the Akufo League meeting, Rebecca recalls an anecdote about how Rupert used to sneak into Nelson Road to watch matches, until one day he was caught by a security guard who punched him to the ground. Rupert didn't return to Nelson Road until 25 years later, when he first bought the club, and upon learning that the security guard still worked there, Rupert walked up to him and... gave him a pay rise. It's implied that the security guard didn't recognise Rupert after all that time and was very confused about the whole thing.
- Unseen No More: Zigzagged. After three seasons, with two episodes left to go in the series, we finally meet Roy's sister. However, it turns out we have met her once before (see It's a Small World, After All).
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Phoebe invites Jamie to Roy's "Uncle's Day" celebration because he's Roy's best friend. Roy and Jamie both deny it, even as Phoebe points out how much time they spend together and how much Roy talks about Jamie.
- Wham Episode: Nate leaves West Ham, Jack pulls all of her funding from Keeley's PR firm and Rebecca decides to take over herself, Roy and Keeley reconcile, and Rebecca and Rupert seem to come to an understanding after the meeting with Akufo.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Rupert has a new assistant and offers a vague answer when Rebecca asks him about it.
- Worth It: Jamie is surprised that he gets roped into paying 1 pound to Phoebe for swearing. The second time it happens (when Phoebe presents Roy with the tie dyed shirt), however...Jamie: Well, I fucking love it.
Phoebe holds her hand out, and Jamie gives her another pound.
Jamie: Worth it. - Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Roy reluctantly rocks the tie-dyed shirt Phoebe gifted him and remains unfazed by all the confused glances and chuckles from his colleagues, but when Kenneth the bus driver makes a cheerful remark about their matching looks, he angrily takes it off and tosses it on the floor.
