Ted Lasso – Season 3 Episode 2 Recap & Review

The Chelsea Match

At Keeley’s office, episode 2 of Ted Lasso season 3 begins with Barbara giving her notes about certain payments and when they are due. Keeley tries to suggest a picnic for the employees but Barbara isn’t keen. As she leaves the office, Keeley tries to give the other workers a friendly goodbye but there’s no response. Clearly, Keeley is struggling to connect with Barbara and the other employees.

Ted bursts into Rebecca’s office with his jolly morning greeting to find her, Keeley and Leslie talking with Trent Crimm. Turns out, the journalist wants to follow the club this year and write a book about them. Rebecca says it’s his call as manager. Despite her, Keeley and Leslie all vehemently shaking their heads behind Trent, Ted says yes and welcomes him on board.

Just then, Leslie gets the news about the famous footballer Zava leaving his Italian club Juventus. The world-class striker wants to join the premier league because his wife watched the office. They discuss whether they should try and get him to join Richmond or not, eventually deciding to go for it. Trent asks Rebecca if she’s doing it just because she knows Rupert is trying to get him for West Ham and she says yes. Outside, Ted and Keeley catch up. Ted suggests she and her co-workers should go outside and do something together.

Isaac sees Keeley and asks if he can get a shoe deal and she says she’ll look into it. She then meets a couple of other footballers including Jamie. Jamie and Isaac watch her speak to Roy. Roy hands her a bag and as they talk, Isaac deduces their breakup from their body language. As they part ways, Jamie heads towards them. He seems to be going towards Keeley but, in fact, approaches Roy. He asks Roy if they broke up, which Roy admits. Roy mistakenly thinks Jamie wants to know if it’s okay for him to ask Keeley out now but Jamie insists he just wanted to know if Roy was okay. Jamie tries to go in for a hug but Roy misunderstands and pushes him back. William, the new kit man, watches awkwardly from the side but agrees to not say a word.

Ted asks Coach Beard about his views on Zava. Beard tells Ted that he already knows of Zava and shows him the viral youtube video Veggie Dog Vigilante. In the video, a man tries to steal a store at gunpoint but is headbutted by a customer, who turns out to be Zava. As the clock strikes 11.11, both of them make a wish.

In the locker room, the boys get into a commotion, bringing the coaches out. While trying to ascertain the cause of disagreement, Ted reveals that Richmond is scouting Zava and Trent Crimm is writing a book on them. The players reveal that Roy and Keeley broke up, making Beard squeal in shock and Ted almost pass out. Roy enters at that moment and gets enraged at everyone’s awws. As he insists that he was the one who broke up with her, Ted tells William to go get his breakup mix from his apartment. When Trent Crimm enters the room, Roy angrily tells everyone to not say a word in front of him.

At a video shoot, Keeley meets an old friend named Shandy Fine. Shandy tells Keeley how proud everyone is of her for making it on her own. When the clients ask for 100 more people in the video, Shandy makes a suggestion to use the lights and camera to make it look crowded instead. Keeley is impressed.

Meanwhile, Rebecca’s mother calls her to let her know that her psychic Tish is considering meeting with Rebecca. Later, Leslie comes in to tell Rebecca that Zava’s refusing to meet them. His people said it was a waste of time and embarrassing. He thinks Zava’s signed with Chelsea instead.

Trent Crimm finds himself utterly ignored by everyone in Richmond. Although, Ted has made him share an office with Roy. Roy finds his desk covered in cards and other gifts about the breakup from his well wishers. When Trent attempts to take a phone call, he bursts balloons until the man is forced to leave.

Keeley introduces Shandy as the newest member of the company to Barbara. Barbara questions her on her experience and education and goes off on Keeley for employing her. Keeley goes after Barbara and calls her out for being rude. In her office, she sees Barbara’s snow globe collection from all the different places her office has sent her to. She tells Barbara that she believes in Shandy and that maybe they can believe in her together, the same way the office did in Barbara. Barbara concedes and gives Shandy the official post of client relations coordinator.

Trent tries to talk to Roy and asks him to give him a chance but Roy refuses.

As the match with Chelsea begins, the commentators suggest that Richmond will have a short stay in the premier league. At the local pub, Mae and the three boys (Baz, Jeremy and Paul) get ready to enjoy the game. Keeley and Rebecca settle in the stands while the former looks uncertainly at a text from Shandy about getting mimosas to work. Leslie tells them he heard the news that Zava is most likely signing with Chelsea.

Roy enters the stadium and greets Bruce, from the Chelsea security team, who also seems concerned about his breakup. As he takes his seat, Chelsea fans from the crowd begin to sing the Roy Kent chant and it grows and grows until he gets up and acknowledges it. Zava then makes his entrance into the stands, sending the crowd into louder cheers. On the field, Dani tells Jamie he’s nervous to play in front of him but Jamie is unconcerned.

The match begins but not well for Richmond as Chelsea almost immediately wins a goal. At half-time, Leslie sees Rupert meet Zava. Rebecca says that he always gets what he wants and narrates the story of how they met. She was bartending at a party for him and his wife. The next day he asked her out and when she refused he kept coming back if only to sit and chat with her. Six weeks later she said yes because he had made her feel lucky and special.

Inside, Ted tells the team they are being too unoffensive. Jamie has an idea but shuts up as soon as Trent walks in. Ted takes Roy aside and tells him, sternly, to call this thing with Trent off as there are bigger things at stake than his ego. Roy agrees and speaks to Trent alone. He shows him a clipping from an article that criticised Roy’s debut in the premier league. It was unnecessarily harsh and destroyed a 17-year-old Roy. Trent admits he wrote that because he thought he was being edgy and making a name for himself but he shouldn’t have. They make up and Roy lifts the ban on the players from talking in front of Trent. Jamie says that the Chelsea players are blocking their passing lanes and not marking them, which they can take advantage of.

Leslie’s contacts confirm that Zava might be going to West Ham. Rebecca decides to go and try sweet-talking Zava herself but finds her way blocked by Zava’s security. Rupert arrives and gloats about Nathan being a great manager. Zava comes out and Rupert introduces them. When he leaves, Rebecca muses that Richmond used to be what Rupert loved the most. He says it became old.

Rebecca storms into the men’s bathroom and rants at Zava for picking a team like West Ham for being big and shiny and the obvious winner, even without him. She calls him overrated and says he wouldn’t have chosen it if he really wanted to prove how great he was.

The second half of the match goes well for Richmond. Their tactics work and earn them a goal right off Dani’s face! It’s a draw with Chelsea.

As they leave, the Chelsea manager announces Zava as their newest member. He even hands Zava the papers and pen for him to sign in front of the reporters but Zava claims he changed his mind. He will be joining Richmond. Rebecca and the others are shocked but elated while elsewhere, Rupert is disappointed. The team, too, is ecstatic with the exception of Jamie.

Back in the office, Coahc Beard heads off and Ted and Trent discuss how it’s been a heck of a week. Ted asks Roy how it felt to be back at Chelsea. He said it was a bit sad. He describes his last season with Chelsea, how the team did well but he didn’t play well and it haunted him through the season. He quit rather than wait to be dropped by the team. Now, a part of him thinks he should have just waited and enjoyed himself. But that’s not who he is. Not yet, says Ted.

The Episode Review

This episode definitely feels more like a traditional Ted Lasso episode in that there are one (or two) key conflicts and Ted plays his usual optimistic and supportive role. That ending really emphasises the general theme of how we’re all flawed people, working to be better. Although Ted’s telling off of Roy felt a bit more stern than usual and I wonder if the show is going anywhere with that.

Rebecca’s feud with Rupert feels like a drag. As engaging as Hannah Waddingham is while narrating the story about how Rupert wooed her (it’s a good story), their ongoing back and forth continues to feel regressive. However, the way she dealt with Zava was fun to watch.

On the other hand, a really interesting scene was when Jamie noticed that Roy and Keeley broke up. We see him head towards them and the obvious assumption is that he’s going after Keeley but he takes a sudden turn and approaches Roy instead. And all to just ask if he was doing okay. I’d love to see the writers focus on this more as it’s a hundred times better than a love triangle!

Seeing Roy open up at the end about his stint with Chelsea and its mirroring his breakup with Keeley was a nice touch as well. It’s also interesting because everyone’s assumption that Keeley broke up with him is, technically, proving his fears right. Overall, a good episode!