Headspace
Nate basks in the public praise he's received ever since his strategy won Richmond the FA Cup quarterfinal, but his father remains unimpressed with him. Ted attends his first session with Dr. Sharon, but is unable to open up to her and leaves after only a few minutes. During training, Dani, Jamie, and Colin all rib Nate about his recent accolades. Nate accepts Dani and Jamie's jokes, but when Colin references Nate's Embarrassing Nickname "The Wonder Kid", Nate fires back with a roast that turns cruel. Colin, upset, repeats his self-affirmation mantra as Beard looks on.
After training, Sam still has not received a reply from his Bantr match ever since he suggested they meet. Upstairs, Rebecca is agonizing over how to reply, while Keeley and Higgins encourage her to just go for it. Rebecca says they don't understand what it's like since their relationships are perfect, to which Keeley admits that she's bothered by the way she never has time to herself since Roy's always around. The next day, she and Roy get into a fight about her need for space.
Ted returns for another session with Dr. Sharon, telling her that he doesn't quit things. She asks him about his feelings on therapy, and he admits that he's not a fan—she only listens to people's problems and gives them advice because they pay her to do so, not because she actually knows or cares about them. Ted gets progressively angrier throughout the rant, ultimately declaring Sharon's work "bullshit" and storming out. Meanwhile, Nate is in his office, continuing to read tweets and news articles heaping praise upon him. Colin interrupts and asks if Nate is upset with him, since he didn't get mad at Dani or Jamie for teasing him. Nate explains to Colin that the reason he treated Dani and Jamie differently is because they're great players, while Colin is mediocre. Colin is hurt by this, but does not push back and leaves Nate's office without a word. Beard silently observes the exchange from his own office.
In the morning, Beard confronts Nate about his treatment of Colin and tells him to do better. Ted once again returns to Dr. Sharon, who tells him that she was hurt by his accusation that because she's being paid, it means she doesn't care. Ted apologizes, and the two are finally able to have a productive session. During training, Nate apologizes to Colin and is forgiven, while Roy realizes that he needs to give Keeley space. In the locker room, the team gifts Nate a custom jersey with the name "Wonder Kid," which they credit Will for suggesting. Keeley returns home that night to find that Roy, as an apology, has arranged for her to have the evening to herself. All seems well until Nate, still reading tweets about himself, comes across a tweet calling him a loser. Furious, he grabs the "Wonder Kid" jersey and throws it at Will, threatening to make his life miserable if he ever does something to humiliate Nate again.
Tropes featured in "Headspace" include:
- Aesop Amnesia: Nate, in a two-fold example — Nate completely ignores his father telling him “Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less” and proceeds to spend his free time throughout the episode searching his name on Twitter to boost his own ego; after Beard talks to Nate about the way he treated Colin, Nate seems to take Beard’s advice to “Do better” on board and apologizes to the team. Nate immediately backslides and threatens Will after seeing a single mean tweet about his coaching.
- Armor-Piercing Question:
- After 5 minutes of Ted's usual shenanigans (hiding how nervous he is), he finally asks Dr. Sharon, "So what's next?" She asks, "Why don't you tell me what happened the other day?" Ted gets up and leaves.Ted: Yeah, I don't wanna do this.
- Ted storms out of his second session after accusing Dr. Sharon of only caring about his issues because she's being paid to. When he returns for his third session, Sharon uses a sequence of these to set him straight.Sharon: Let me ask you something. Would you coach for free?
Ted: Yes, ma'am.
Sharon: And do you?
Ted: ...no, ma'am.
Sharon: And yet you care about your players, right?
Ted: Yes, ma'am.
Sharon: Then why would you assume it's not the same for me?
- After 5 minutes of Ted's usual shenanigans (hiding how nervous he is), he finally asks Dr. Sharon, "So what's next?" She asks, "Why don't you tell me what happened the other day?" Ted gets up and leaves.
- Atomic F-Bomb: Roy lets loose an absolutely epic "FUUUUUCK!" when he realises that Keeley was right about needing space.
- Call-Back: When Ted arrives for his second session, he mentions to Dr. Sharon that he never quits things, a policy he earlier mentioned in "Tan Lines". When he arrives for his third session, Dr. Sharon remarks that this time she knew he'd be back and brings up the policy.
- Downer Ending: The episode ends with Nate, after seeing a mean tweet about himself, throwing the "Wonder Kid" jersey (which was meant as a friendly gesture) back in Will's face and threatening to make his life "a fucking misery" if he ever embarrasses Nate like that again.
- Freudian Couch: Ted lampshades the trope when laying on the couch at Dr. Sharon's office.
- Freudian Excuse: Ted predicts that Sharon is just going to pull this out when delving into his issues, something he has no interest in hearing.
- Hidden Depths: While Colin was shown to be The Ditz throughout the series, this episode shows that he possesses enough knowledge of art history to know Picasso and Gauguin both had relationships with underage girls.
- It's All About Me: Nate is spending all his time perusing Twitter, enjoying how much Richmond's fans love him after his inspired play during Ted's panic attack. Seeing a single negative comment pushes him to lash out at Will.
- Jerkass Has a Point: When Nate visits his parents, his father is shown reading the newspaper, with the sports page featuring a story about Nate’s successful coaching during the FA Cup. Once Nate tries to draw his attention to it, his father takes one look at the story before telling Nate that “Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less”. While he fails to give Nate the approval he obviously craves, he still has a point about how Nate shouldn't let his newfound fame go to his head, which it definitely does as Nate keeps searching his name on Twitter throughout the episode.
- Kick the Dog: Nate finally crosses the line, first by being vicious to Colin, then by being even more vicious to Will.
- Mistaken for Pedophile: Very briefly. When Nate says that Dani and Jamie are like Pablo Picasso or Paul Gauguin
, Colin thinks he's calling them pedophiles.note - One Dialogue, Two Conversations: During training the day after his fight with Keeley, Roy criticises Jamie for running away from Richard instead of backing him up. Jamie argues - and Jan agrees with him - that he's drawing the defence away from Richard and "giving him space", as that's "the best thing I can do in that situation". Roy realises the parallel between Jamie's play and his relationship with Keeley and storms off, angry with himself, leaving Jamie (who's unaware of Roy and Keeley's fight) wondering what he did wrong.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Ted becomes unusually short-tempered and dismissive (to the point of actually swearing, which he normally doesn't do) during his first two therapy sessions with Sharon, showing that his aversion to therapy is hiding some deeper issues. On the other hand, when he arrives for his third session, he shows he's serious this time by toning down his usual shenanigans and stopping Dr. Sharon's drinking bird toy, which he had used to distract himself during the previous sessions.
- Pet the Dog: Despite often being exasperated by Colin's ditzy behavior in a few previous episodes, Coach Beard won't stand for Nate belittling and humiliating him and forces Nate to stop and apologize.
- Poor Communication Kills: Keeley struggles to confront Roy about his clingy behaviour, and while Roy is aware that she's talking about him behind his back, he doesn't confront her about it because he assumes it's just inane gossip. This results in a massive argument once Keeley finally reaches her limit and explodes at him.
- Precision F-Strike: Ted outright states he believes that all therapy is "bullshit" - and repeats it for good measure before storming out - making it only the second time Ted uses off-color language in the series.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Nate gives one to Colin when he asks if he’d done something to offend him after Nate punished him for making a joke at his expense even though Dani and Jamie had done so first.Nate: You see, Jamie and Dani are like Picasso or Gauguin.
Colin: Pedophiles?
Nate: Artists. They're artists. And Colin, you paint too, but your work doesn't end up in museums. It hangs at... well, you're like a painting at a Holiday Inn, you know? You don't inspire. You don't move people. You're there. You cover a bloodstain. You do the job, so just... do the job. - Rule of Three: It takes Ted three tries before he settles in and accepts therapy with Doc. Sharon.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Ted runs away from his first session with Doc. Sharon. And his second.
- Self-Serving Memory:
- When Nate corrects his mother that his nickname is “Wonder Kid” rather than “Boy Wonder” whilst visiting, he goes on to claim that he said Wunderkind before trailing off.
- When Will and the team gives Nate a personalised “Wonder Kid” jersey, he outright claims to have said Wunderkind in the interview.
- Something Else Also Rises: In a rare female example, a Sexy Discretion Shot between Roy and Keeley cuts to the stadium's lawn sprinklers going off.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: When Coach Beard confronts Nate over his treatment of Colin, he waits in Nate's office until he arrives, which catches Nate off guard. Then, when Nate is about to leave and remembers that it's his office, he turns around to discover that Beard has somehow disappeared.
- Strange Minds Think Alike: When they see Roy approaching as Keeley complains about him always being there, both Higgins and Rebecca start jazz scatting. After he and Keeley leave, they get right back into it because it was just so fun.
- A Taste of Their Own Medicine: Played with. Nate bullies Colin in this episode the same way Colin used to bully him, but the key phrase is "used to"—Colin has long since mellowed out into a Nice Guy with a friendly relationship with Nate, making Nate's "The Reason You Suck" Speech to him sad and needlessly cruel rather than satisfying.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Nate lets the praise for his successful tactical change in the FA Cup go to his head, and spends his free time vanity searching Twitter for comments praising him, and continues to do so days after the game. On top of that, he verbally abuses Colin and Will, the latter because Will suggested the team gift him a “Wonder Kid” jersey - Nate having deluded himself into believing the press gave him the nickname to mock him, rather than it rising from Nate using the term himself.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Beard tells Nate off for his treatment of Colin.Beard: Do better.
