S03.E03: 4-5-1

[Whimsy]

Quote

Richmond adjust to an exciting change, but Jamie has reservations. Ted learns there’s something new going on back in Kansas as well.

03/29/2023

[Girl in a Cardigan]

Apple TV+ app has the title as 4-5-1. And the summary is: "Richmond adjust to an exciting change, but Jamie has reservations. Ted learns there's something new going on back in Kansas as well."

[Thalia]

The episode has dropped. 

[braziliangirl]

I didn't like Michelle/Ted storyline to be honest. Ted having to deal with life moving on post-divorce was interesting enough for me and more true to life I guess. I would've rather watched Ted deal with his ambivalent feelings about Michelles new boyfriend (which him being their former marriage counselor makes him so unethical that makes it impossible to not detest him from the go). 

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by braziliangirl

[Crs97]

I think it is very crappy that Michelle didn’t give Ted a heads up about dating their marriage counselor, especially with him spending so much time with Henry.

Trent doesn’t write a column anymore.  I know Colin isn’t ready to be public, but Trent’s nowhere near publishing.  I am hoping that this turns out not to be a big deal in the premier league.

Roy and Jamie continue to be delightful together.  I also liked Zava’s and Roy’s head nods of respect.

More Doc Sharon please!  She can take Shandy’s screen time.

Edited March 29, 2023 by Crs97

[Seelouis]

Trent Crimm loves Princess Diaries! Great episode. 

[Capricasix]

Rebecca in that red dress? 🥵

[Athena5217]

Does Richmond wear orange kits for away games? It’s been so long since the previous season I’ve forgotten these details.

I find a marriage counselor dating a former patient less believable than an American football coach bring hired by a British club. So unethical.

 

 

[anna0852]

The marriage counselor thing is gross. Like so gross and unethical. Says something when tipsy and on the prowl Sassy is immediately seriously disapproving.

I guess that ‘like Grindr’ comment from Colin last season wasn’t a throw away joke.

Glad that Zava isn’t turning out to be an egotistical prick. Just really weird. Man definitely goes his own way and has the talent to back it up. Clearly a team player.

Loving how Will (the kit man) is treated with so much respect and camaraderie. He might not be a player but he’s clearly part of the team and his work is recognized.

[funnygirl]

Speaking of unethical, Rebecca and Sam. I thought that was put to rest and will be very disappointed if it's reignited. 

Loved Roy's "Fuck yeah, Princess Diaries!" and Jamie schooling him on prima donna. 

Edited March 29, 2023 by funnygirl

[dmeets]

Didn’t like the look on Trent’s face at the end there, but I figured Colin’s secret wouldn’t last long in any case. I wonder if his boyfriend is in the closet as well, he seemed to have no problem at all pretending to be his wingman.

DID like Jamie correcting Beard that he was being hypocritical, not ironic. Between that and correctly schooling Roy that women like Tina Turner and Stevie Nicks were working their asses off way pre-Madonna, Jamie’s gained a lot of intelligence lately. Keep it up! But fix your damn hair!

Dani mimicking Zava entering the locker room is a troubling sign. But hopefully Zava gratefully accepted his friendship bracelet. Dani must be protected at all costs.

My only qualm with this episode was too much Nate 😉. Well, that and the possible hint of a Rebecca/Sam/chef love triangle.

Edited March 29, 2023 by dmeets

[Girl in a Cardigan]

Thought I didn't have a lot to say, but then I got wordy again 😂

Love canonically mlm!Colin. It does feel a bit like the writers have been reading a lot of fanfic with the foreshadowing of an accidental outing of Colin. Not that I think that Trent Crimm is going to do it, but if he's seen them making out on the street, guarantee someone else has. And while I think that it would be awesome to really address homophobia in sport in a Ted Lasso way, I'm sad for Colin to be caught in the middle if he doesn't want to come out.

I also wonder if the team actually knows (or some of them do), but don't really talk about it because he doesn't or if they are oblivious. It did seem a bit of an interesting move for Colin to bring his "pal Mike" to Sam's restaurant when no one else brought a +1 (except for Jane, but I don't buy that Beard actually invited her!)

Oh Ted! Like I get that it would be devastating to find out that your ex-wife is now dating your ex-marriage counselor, but damn dude. I really hope Ted and Dr. Sharon can figure out a way to stop triggering his panic attacks right before games. Also, how the hell do you get all the way to work and just before game time without realizing you don't have you phone? Also didn't Ted already know that Michelle had a boyfriend? I though that Henry dropped that in a previous episode. I mean, who it is still sucks and is VERY weird, but it's not exactly BRAND new information. I hope Ted and Sassy hook up again because I like them together and Ted needs to continue to get his groove back. (Like he did when he got divorced - like immediately after signing the papers, sir! Not judging, but also just pointing out that your ex-wife is also allowed to move on - especially she's the one who served papers). Like I love Andrea Anders, but I'd be very happy to not see her on this show anymore.

The Zava of it all confuses me. He's good at football and not a total dick. Like he's participating in the team (even if it's mostly just bending the team to what he wants) and he's scoring all the goals, which apparently is all that matters. Him showing up in Rebecca's office, eating her biscuits and then soul-bonding with Higgins is bizarre, but if no one is going to call him on it, then why would he think he can't behave that way.

I see the reason for moving Jamie's locker to that weird corner for two episodes was so that he can be all put-out when they make that the Zava corner. And oh Jamie! I get that we're setting up for absolutely delicious Roy and Jamie training montage goodness, but I find it hard to believe that Ted can't see that Jamie isn't meshing with the Zava-ness, given his usual Jamie-dar. LOVE Jamie's "hypocrisy" talk with the coaches though - brilliant! Also his convo with Roy about prima donnas - fantastic!

Rebecca at the psychic did absolutely nothing for me and neither is her apparent quest to be a mother. I did like her telling the psychic to fuck off though. It was nice to have a nod at her past with Sam, but I was never on board with that relationship (the life stages are just too different, even if you discount the boss/player of it all).

So Keeley is still doing PR for the club, which is great (though I would think that a Premiere league team, even one like Richmond would have its own PR office, not just KJPR, who should have a list of a clients). So far, her friend hasn't made any wrong moves, but she and Rebecca keep acting like she's a mess, so I'm a little confused. (And if she is doing it wrong, it's time to actually Boss Babe it and let her know.)

Trent Crimm and the Princess Diaries - yes please!

Don't get me started on Higgins and Jane.

At least Nate didn't spit on anyone this week?

And Rupert was mad! Love that for him!

[Schweedie]

Yes to gay Colin! That old Grindr comment DID go somewhere and I think this could be really good if they handle it well.

God, please don't let them do the Rebecca/Sam thing again. I love them both, but that is a relationship I just can't get behind. But what I did like was the callback to Rebecca wanting to be a mother. I remember how devastated she was when Rupert told her he and Bex were having baby and said that apparently he just hadn't wanted one with *her*, which clearly indicated that she had wanted children but resigned herself not to because Rupert didn't. I could get behind a storyline where this happens, but I'd also be okay with it if it's a misdirect and she ends up being a stepmother to -- someone.

Zava sure is, well, a lot. It's interesting, because he's clearly self-centered but not in a way that causes friction with the team, the way Jamie used to. Him leading the team in meditation was great. (But I'll say this, him stealing Jamie's goal was a real dick move. I *hate* it when I see players do that, and then celebrate as if they'd run the length of the pitch with the ball at their feet. Ugh.)

Poor Jamie. I look forward to seeing where this takes him, but I actually felt really bad for him in the scene where he talked to the coaches. I get that it's amusing for them to hear him of all people talk like that, but he was being sincere in his reservations and reducing him to "a little bitch" over it was unfair. They could've made him feel a bit more heard, although I guess Ted tried.

And Jamie's so used to naturally being the best, and he's 100% the type of person who ties his own self worth to that, so this is going to be a struggle for him on so many levels. I really liked Roy's "You used to be the best player on the team and now you're not, it happens" because yes, that's how it goes. Also, Roy voluntarily offering to train him was such a nice contrast to last season when he refused to do just that! And I think Jamie's going to take his game to the next level with Roy's help and the newfound motivation to be better than someone.

Also, I very much enjoyed the pacing of this episode, burning through matches like that! One of my complaints about last season was that there wasn't enough football, so I was happy to get to see some of their progression. 

Edited March 29, 2023 by Schweedie

[Trillium]

I don’t think the “Zava is just weird but not toxic” isn’t going to last very long. Right now, save for Jamie, they all are in the honeymoon phase with him, but eventually they’ll tire of just following him. Like him telling Sam avocados aren’t apart of West African cuisine…yet. 
 

Shandy is annoying and her thing seems to just be outrageous. At some point I feel her advice or actions is going to cause harm. She was rude to Roy. Yeah he broke up with her and as a friend it’s fine to be “WTF dude”, but they obviously both still care very much for each other, and Shandy wasn’t around during their relationship. If feel she likes drama and that’s going to be a problem. 

Speaking of Roy and Keeley, OMG just get back together already! Although Brett is an amazing fucking actor. The way he looked when she passed him in the hall, you could feel the hurt. (To be fair I don’t think Keeley saw him) Hopefully there’s no only a few more episodes of the longing glances before they reunite. 
 

Roy training Jamie is going to be a riot.  And Jamie being correct, twice? Who is this guy? LOL. 

I think Ted knew Michelle was dating someone else, but that someone else being their marriage counselor, and spending lots of time with Henry is a lot different than his casual hookups with Sassy. If it was just some random guy I think he’d not be in panic mode. But I’m glad he’s taking to Dr Sharron. And as someone who didn’t get how she fit in at the start of last season, we need more of her ASAP. 

Sam and the chef were really hot in their brief interactions. Hopefully the whole green matchbook is a temporary misdirection. This show does have a habit of doing that. 

Trent, you just keep sweet Colin’s secret  in that glorious hair of yours. It’s going to come out, but hopefully Colin gets to do it on his terms. He is a strong and capable man.  

Edited March 29, 2023 by Trillium

[DEL901]

I think Roy training Jaime will have a big payoff when Zava flakes at some point.  He is a great player, but only human.  He could get injured or maybe just decide to quit….or Rupert could lure him away.    Zava has no loyalty to any team. …although I did enjoy him calling out the kitman.  

And sooner or later, the team will realize that as great as winning is, being part of Zara’s supporting crew isn’t very satisfying.  

Also the commentators talking about how Ted isn’t a great coach…their results are all because of Zava.  Nate, on the other hand, they call a great strategist.  I’d like to see Nate try to manage Zava.  Can you imagine the response if he told Zava to stand on the dum dum line?

[Schweedie]

20 minutes ago, Trillium said:

Sam and the chef were really hot in their brief interactions. Hopefully the whole green matchbook is a temporary misdirection. This show does have a habit of doing that. 

I thought that, too. They seem to enjoy doing that, and it made me wonder - last season they made it look like Ted and Rebecca were texting each other, but it was Sam all along. Are they planning to turn that around this season? Are we going to see a green match book that's actually a book that belongs to Ted later on? I'm not sure that's something I'm hoping for, either, but I do hope that the green matchbook we saw here is a misdirect.

9 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

I’d like to see Nate try to manage Zava.  Can you imagine the response if he told Zava to stand on the dum dum line?

Ha! If Zava does end up defecting to West Ham, seeing Nate trying to deal with him will be wild.

[AheadofStraight]

I'm only 4 minutes into the episode but "My tummy's got more knots in it than Wayne's World 1 and 2 smooshed together" just made my day. Not! (j/k) GenX references for the win, heh.

[kwnyc]

My favorite Julie Andrews character is Victoria Grant/Count Victor Grazinski. Trent's preference of Queen Clarisse, the grown-up boss bitch of Genovia reads to me as another hint he's going to be a match for Rebecca. Queen Clarisse has a low-key thing with her head of security. The other Diamond Dogs prefer the nanny who will scold them, or the foul-mouthed Covent Garden urchin (of course, that's Coach Beard!)

Also, the team as a whole has good taste in its streaming series because they agree Mrs. Maisel is great.

I also think the green matchbook is a fake-out...Rebecca is not rekindling things with Sam. 

So much of this season seems to be fan service, and I'm there for it: Roy Kent training Jamie to be the best player on the team (because I'm also betting Zava fritters off before an important match). Danny Rojas also clearly has a Lesson to Learn. (But how sweet was it that he made Zava a friendship bracelet?)

Ted was closer to a panic attack than we've seen him in awhile, and I hope he had hot uncomplicated sex with Sassy, who also gave him a reality check that the new boyfriend was unprofessional/unethical. I hope we get Doc Sharon back in person soon!

Shandy is a chaos agent, and she's lucky Keeley hired her; Keeley turned herself from a spokesmodel to the head of a PR firm by being smart, resourceful and not pissing important people off. I'm hoping Shandy picks up on that and goes from a diamond in the rough to an asset to KJPR.

And Colin's going to come out soon (or be outed) and I think it'll be Roy Kent who tells the team there's to be no backlash.

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by kwnyc
Netflix is not Amazon.

[Thalia]

When Zava showed up, two hours late, I was thinking that he would be impossible to coach.  I expected several awkward training sessions and frustration on the part of the coaches.  So glad they didn't go that route and instead went for the montage.  The conflict will come, I guess, from Jamie's efforts to best him.  

Zava is clearly is an angel a god on the pitch (LOL on his tattoo), and was needed to get Richmond up in the standings so quickly.  But part of me wishes Our Richmond Team had created the magic on their own.  And I kind of hate the idea of Richmond beating West Ham simply because of Zava.  

If Colin wants to keep his private life private, and I think he does, he's taking chances, and not just with the PDA.  When he walked out of his boyfriend's house, he seemed nervous, looking around, putting on the sunglasses.  I don't think it was just because he was worried about the Lamborghini being too much car for him.  Aside:  The false start to the theme song, interrupted by Colin hitting the trash can?  Comedy.  Gold.  I think he was afraid someone might see him and was checking around for other people. 

But, Colin sweetie, if you don't want to be noticed, don't drive a car like that, in f***ing orange as Roy would say, and park it all night in front of your "wing man's house."  Colin is just the sweetest, and I want him to be happy.  

Count me in with those who don't like the Ted/Michelle/Doctor Feelgood triangle.  The show has shown Ted drinking alone in his apartment twice this season, and it scares me.  Dr. Sharon knows he covers up his fears with quips, but he also masks his pain with alcohol.  I hope the inevitable crisis happens sooner rather than later so he can begin the healing process.  

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by Thalia

[iMonrey]

3 hours ago, Trillium said:

I don’t think the “Zava is just weird but not toxic” isn’t going to last very long. Right now, save for Jamie, they all are in the honeymoon phase with him, but eventually they’ll tire of just following him. Like him telling Sam avocados aren’t apart of West African cuisine…yet. 

Yeah, you can kind of predict where this is going to go. Richmond is number four right now, so I foresee the season climax as the big match for the number one spot, Zava will be absent for whatever reason and Richmond will either have to pull this off without him or lose without him but still be OK with it.

I'm kind of surprised they've done such a huge time jump in just one episode. How many episodes are there this season? They have all been longer than usual too.

I don't even remember there being a character named Colin.

[Juneau Gal]

1 minute ago, iMonrey said:

I don't even remember there being a character named Colin.

Nate abused him horribly all last season.

[kwnyc]

He's Welsh, his granny wouldn't speak to him when his team got relegated, and he's not a piece of shit!

[tennisgurl]

Looks like that Grinder line from ages ago wasn't just a one off joke, hopefully Trent Crimm uses this information wisely. I cant imagine he would out Colin, even if he was still writing his column, but he might talk to him about ways he could come out on his own terms if he's interested, especially if Trent Crimm suspects that someone is going to find out anyway if he isn't more discreet. He's making out with his boyfriend in an alley near where the whole team is hanging out and parking his giant very recognizable car (which he still cant drive) outside his "wingman's" house and driving off in the morning, he's not being all that sneaky. Hopefully if/when he does come out things go pretty smoothly, I'm glad that Colin's getting more of a story, he's too cute.

The soundtrack was absolute fire in this one. Out of my Head at the beginning with Colin, Everybody Knows at the end, and even that batshit crazy Adriano Celentano song during the montage of the teams many wins. 

I really like that they went a different way with Zava, you think he's going to be an insufferable asshole who's going to clash with the whole team, basically Jamie from season one all over again, but instead they went in a different direction. He's not really an asshole, he's just really strange and lives in his own little world and the team loves him, but I am still waiting for the other shoe to drop. He might be an amazing player who's taking the team all the way, which has everyone over the moon, but he's also flighty and plays by his own rules, I could see him randomly deciding to leave the team at an important time because the stars told him he needs to be in Alberta randomly and then they're in trouble. I also think that when they honeymoon stage ends the guys might not be so happy about just being Zava's backup dancers instead of a team. I hope that Dani doesn't get his sweet heart broken. 

Michelle their marriage counselor is so icky and deeply unethical, I cant believe that she didn't talk to him about it, especially as this guys spending time with Henry. What a horrible way to find out that bit of information, poor Ted. have some drinks with sassy! Ted even mentioned that the marriage counselor always took his wifes side when they talked, which just makes it even creepier, like he was deliberately trying to break them up so that he can make a move on Michelle later.

I hope that the green matchbox is a misdirect and not them teasing Sam and Rebecca getting back together, I am so not interested in them as a couple, its just too weird with her being the owner of the team he's on. Plus, as much as I love both of them, there just isn't a romantic spark for me.

Roy coaching Jamie is going to be an absolute blast, I cannot wait. Fuck yeah Princess Diaries!

Edited March 29, 2023 by tennisgurl

[Schweedie]

30 minutes ago, kwnyc said:

My favorite Julie Andrews character is Victoria Grant/Count Victor Grazinski. Trent's preference of Queen Clarisse, the grown-up boss bitch of Genovia reads to me as another hint he's going to be a match for Rebecca.

So much of this season seems to be fan service, and I'm there for it: Roy Kent training Jamie to be the best player on the team (because I'm also betting Zava fritters off before an important match).

 

I was waiting for someone to say Queen Clarisse and for some reason it made me very happy that it was Trent. And of course Roy likes the Princess Diaries.

And yes about the fan service, and I'm also not mad about it. Roy coaching Jamie privately, Trent Crimm writing about Richmond, Colin being gay... I've seen people write all of this.

13 minutes ago, Thalia said:

When Zava showed up, two hours late, I was thinking that he would be impossible to coach.  I expected several awkward training sessions and frustration on the part of the coaches.  So glad they didn't go that route and instead went for the montage.  The conflict will come, I guess, from Jamie's efforts to best him.  

...

But, Colin sweetie, if you don't want to be noticed, don't drive a car like that, in f***ing orange as Roy would say, and park it all night in front of your "wing man's house."  Colin is just the sweetest, and I want him to be happy.  

 

I also expected several scenes with coaching issues and was pleased that they just sailed straight into the winning streak montage! (I had a minor quibble - after the win against United they said this meant Richmond was on a six match winning streak, but the table showed them having played six matches win five wins and one draw.

And I thought the same thing about Colin. You're not incognito just because you put on sunglasses before getting into your bright orange Lamborghini that you drive like a madman, sweetie.

11 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I'm kind of surprised they've done such a huge time jump in just one episode. How many episodes are there this season? They have all been longer than usual too.

I don't even remember there being a character named Colin.

There's twelve episodes. That's part of the reason why I enjoyed the time jump, means we (hopefully) get to spend more time with them when it's squeaky bum time - last season they ordered two extra episodes making it twelve instead of ten after they'd already wrapped filming, if I remember correctly, and that's how we got Carol of the Bells and Beard after Hours that kinda stood apart from the rest of the season. This time those extra two episodes were included from the start, which means they have more time for everything they want to tell.

And excuse you, Colin has been one of the best side characters from the get go. 😜

[Crs97]

I hope the psychic bit is just how you can start believing things they say rather than the psychic is right.  She is putting meaning into the matchbook (are those still big souvenirs?) only because of the psychic.  I hope she just uses that half session to take control of her life rather than act like it’s happening because the psychic said so.

Zava says he is open to Ted’s coaching, and I loved his calling Will out as the most important team member.  I’m hoping he becomes integrated into the team, and their winning without him is due to injury rather than his flaking.

[Enigma X]

This was my favorite episode thus far. I really hope they do not turn Zava into the selfish asshole we usually see in these situations. In certain ways, he is a selfish asshole, but he does not seem toxic. I don't think Trent will out Colin. I also hope, when the inevitable time comes, for Zava to have to share the limelight that Jamie and Colin (since he was bumped) are the ones in that pivotal role. Colin is a strong and capable man (unless driving). 

Oh the trouble with Nate and his upcoming redemption arc is that two things (in my eyes) are true: he does suffer from low self-esteem, probably caused by never being enough for his father (older episodes hinted at that), and he is also a narcissist who is self-centered who most likely would have been even if he grew up with all the hugs and kisses. The disappointment he seems to have while reading about Richmond's winning streak when no one else was watching is telling. Of course, the show will not spin this that way, but if Nate were real, he would be an asshole who also has issues and not an asshole whose issues were the main reason for his assholery.

[Juneau Gal]

4 hours ago, Trillium said:

Speaking of Roy and Keeley, OMG just get back together already! Although Brett is an amazing fucking actor. The way he looked when she passed him in the hall, you could feel the hurt. (To be fair I don’t think Keeley saw him) Hopefully there’s no only a few more episodes of the longing glances before they reunite. 
 

 

Bolded part above: And that is why it hurt Roy so much. They used to be so in-tune, Keeley would have known Roy was there even with her attention distracted. (Except for those times he popped up on her unexpectedly and scared the beejaysus out of her.)

[kwnyc]

14 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

Zava says he is open to Ted’s coaching, and I loved his calling Will out as the most important team member.

That also has resonance, because Nate came up from kit man, and then abused Will terribly. This is going to come into play somehow...

[mledawn]

Colin has made other offhand remarks - he even says “ so I guess I don’t have to sleep with him” (referring to Zara coming to Richmond). I actually thought everyone knew Colin was gay. This is an a odd storyline based on things from previous episodes.

Ted needs to accept Michelle is gone, this is dragging 

[Crs97]

I think there is a difference between knowing your wife is dating a guy named Jake and knowing your wife is dating the guy you paid to help save your marriage who then strongly encouraged you to give her space.  I was surprised that his panic attack disappeared so quickly when Zava scored.  Can that actually happen?

[shapeshifter]

When Zavo turned back from rearranging the magnet board, I was more than half-way expecting to see the blue magnets arranged like a happy face, but no, they were bunched together, like a team.

 

The psychic gets info from Rebecca's mother, and Rebecca's mother insisted she see the psychic.
So, regarding the "reading"...

• The green matchbook:
  Rebecca's mom told the psychic about Sam, so the psychic did some sleuthing and found out Sam had ordered uniquely green match books to hand out to the team, including Rebecca.
   
• The motherhood prediction:
  Could Rebecca's mother have distracted Rebecca long enough to get enough urine from the (clean and drained) toilet before flushing to do a pregnancy test that was positive? 

 

About Ted's ex-wife dating their marriage counselor: 
Unethical? Definitely.
Surprising? Not too much. 
Rare? Meh. Maybe.

It could serve to help Ted realize the deck was stacked against him rather than that he failed.
I don't think Michelle would realize that and go back to Ted, though. At least I hope not.

 

 

So well written. Loved the bookends to the episode:

At the beginning of the episode, best punch line ever?

• They're panicking about Zavo's no-show and Keeley talks about accommodating genius--
  [KEELEY]Did you know that when {Daniel Day Lewis} made Lincoln, he actually texted Sally Field as Abraham Lincoln?
   
• [REBECCA] Well, that's ridiculous. Abraham Lincoln couldn't text.
   
• [TED] Exactly. Every time he looked down at his phone, his hat would fall off.

 

At the end of the episode, best music: "Everybody Knows" (Leonard Cohen).

 

[angora]

5 hours ago, Trillium said:

I don’t think the “Zava is just weird but not toxic” isn’t going to last very long. Right now, save for Jamie, they all are in the honeymoon phase with him, but eventually they’ll tire of just following him. Like him telling Sam avocados aren’t apart of West African cuisine…yet.

ITA. He's not being toxic to the other players, but that's because they're all worshipping him and and letting him do whatever he wants. Playing "Jesus Christ Superstar" over the game montage was great. I laughed at his back tattoo, and I loved the scene where he finally joined the rest of the team for hands-in, but then stood in the middle of the circle so they all put their hands on him.

It extends to the coaches too--maybe Ted is deferring to Roy for strategy/line-up, but we're certainly not seeing Ted take Zava to task for not doing the extra pass. Zava is "just weird and not toxic" when he's lapping up the adoration, but I think all bets will be off once a coach actually tries "molding" him or when the team gets tired of his savior routine.

1 hour ago, kwnyc said:

Shandy is a chaos agent, and she's lucky Keeley hired her; Keeley turned herself from a spokesmodel to the head of a PR firm by being smart, resourceful and not pissing important people off. I'm hoping Shandy picks up on that and goes from a diamond in the rough to an asset to KJPR.

That's what I hope too. Shandy was genuinely smart and resourceful with her advice during that commercial, and I want to believe she's got what it takes to be an asset to KJPR. I feel like maybe, because she and Keeley are friends, she's a bit too comfortable and thinks she can just do whatever. I want to see Keeley find a good friend/boss balance, give Shandy some firmer parameters, and have Shandy prove that Keeley was right to hire her. I just hope there aren't TOO many growing pains along the way.

Some fantastic bits here. I loved Higgins' just-in-case DJ name being Damage Control, the exquisite Julie Andrews conversation, Dani imitating Zava in the background, and the "pre-Madonna" vs. "prima donna" thing. I also got a kick out of Ted trying to push Roy ahead to talk to Zava and Roy retorting, "You're the coach!"

I liked seeing some of the guys looking out for each other. Even before Roy came to talk to Jamie at the restaurant, you could see him clocking Jamie's reaction when Zava stole his goal. And I appreciated Isaac checking in with Colin when he got benched.

[Capricasix]

2 hours ago, Thalia said:

The false start to the theme song, interrupted by Colin hitting the trash can?  Comedy.  Gold. 

I didn’t even notice that when I watched, so I had to go back and look for it 😄

[anna0852]

One thing I didn’t like was Sassy saying she wanted to scale Mount Zava if Ted wasn’t there. Zava is married. He’s in the UK because his wife binged The Office.

[mledawn]

1 hour ago, Crs97 said:

I was surprised that his panic attack disappeared so quickly when Zava scored.  Can that actually happen?

People experience them differently but sure - it would redirect from the panic focus. 
 

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

When Zavo turned back from rearranging the magnet board, I was more than half-way expecting to see the blue magnets arranged like a happy face, but no, they were bunched together, like a team.

Well, except for the magnet that clearly represented him, which was alone in the offensive zone. So it was Zava… and then everyone else.

[MissLucas]

Okay, closing out with Leonard Cohen is always winning me over. Not that that was necessary.

I love new Jamie. Beard's face after Ted made the ironic observation was priceless. Looking forward to the Roy and Jamie bromance.

Always happy to see Sassy. Can't stand Shandy (and Keeley's pink Versace atrocities). Also on that list: Jane.

The green matchbook can mean all sorts of thing. TV shows like to play with those psychic message plots. Characters think they know what was meant but in the end the meaning was something completely different. (Putting aside here whether psychics are just frauds or not - in tv land the rules are different.) Rebecca might think Sam is her sh+te in ninning armor but that's a misdirect by the writers.

Oh Colin ,if you want to stay under the radar get a different car. I don't think Trent Crimm will out him but things will get messy and I'm not particularly looking forward to how that plot unfolds.

[Insert Username]

There is a reason why Zava, with his transcendent talent, has been on 14 different teams

[Thalia]

I wonder what Macy Greyhound thinks of Zava? 

[DEL901]

I think the decision to out Colin will be Trent’s moral dilemma.  What a juicy piece for his book, but he has already shown decency to Ted and remorse to Roy… this will be a pivotal decision for him, I think. 

[RockShrimp]

18 hours ago, Girl in a Cardigan said:

The Zava of it all confuses me. He's good at football and not a total dick. Like he's participating in the team (even if it's mostly just bending the team to what he wants) and he's scoring all the goals, which apparently is all that matters. Him showing up in Rebecca's office, eating her biscuits and then soul-bonding with Higgins is bizarre, but if no one is going to call him on it, then why would he think he can't behave that way.

This is one of those moments where actually following soccer is a plus because Zava is such an insane character and even more so when you realize they’ve kind of toned him down a bit from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the player he’s based on (like Roy is based on Roy Keane. When Zlatan signed with LA he literally took out a full page ad in the LA Times that said “you’re welcome” and then proceeded to score some insane goals in his first game. 
 

 He’s a categorically absurd human being but in a wrestling heel kind of way. And bizarrely charismatic. 
 

 

 When the psychic mentioned Rebecca becoming a mother I became extremely concerned for Sassy, so her showing up later in the episode made me hold my breath for a while. 
 

 There’s no way that orange/red kit combo against man united would have been allowed. 

Edited March 29, 2023 by RockShrimp

[AD55]

Does anyone else think the Knight in Shining Armor line might be a callback to Ted's telling Rebecca he was "White Knighting" during the darts episode?

Edited March 30, 2023 by AD55

[Sakura12]

46 minutes ago, RockShrimp said:

When the psychic mentioned Rebecca becoming a mother I became extremely concerned for Sassy, so her showing up later in the episode made me hold my breath for a while

That's where my thoughts went to as well. Isn't Sassy's daughter Rebecca's goddaughter?

While Zava isn't a complete dick, he's the star and everyone else is  supporting him. He doesn't let anyone else score, only he can. He knows if he acts charming and nice they will let him do what he wants. I hope they will eventually care that no one talks about them, only Zava.

Having a tattoo of him self on his back makes Jamie chanting "me" seem tame. I'm interested in meeting Zava's wife. 

I'm here for Roy teaching Jamie how to be better than Zava. He's got a step up because he's at least loyal to the team. 

Michelle dating their ex marriage counselor is completely unethical and gross. Ted probably told that man a lot about himself and now he's dating his ex wife. Is he the one that told him to give Michelle space? If so that is so wrong. 

[PWHCHCH]

Does anyone know what shoes Colin was wearing in the opening scene ? 

[Zaffy]

Any TV episode that uses an Adriano Celentano song is a good TV episode!
Am I the only that finds Kelley and her friend Shandy annoying this season?

The Zava thing will definitely cause a crisis soon, cause you know, thinking you are the centre of the universe doesn't really goes well inside a team.

[SnarkShark]

That was... odd.  Several parts of it.

[Captain Carrot]

I really don't like Zava. He might not be abusive like Jamie was in S1 or Nate in S2, but he is toxic in his own way. Everything is about HIM. Talking about Will being the most important person? Segue to talking about how he started as a kitman. Talk about how important the coach is? Literally stand in front of him and take his place in the locker room. Show up to a team mates restaurant for a party? Stay for five minutes and tell them to change the menu.

The thing is there's a difference between pleasant and nice. He reminds me of people I've met that were very pleasant. Until you said no to something they wanted. Then the mask comes off.

[SnarkShark]

Clearly Zava can't last long.  There's no story if they just win the title solely on his back.

[mledawn]

3 hours ago, Sakura12 said:

Having a tattoo of him self on his back makes Jamie chanting "me" seem tame.

I laughed so hard at that. Also the tshirt he was wearing at Sam's restaurant opening (I think) which was one of those shirts that has the first names of people in a band, or on a team and his was just 
Zava &
Zava &
Zava &
Zava

[Quickbeam]

Enjoyed this episode and hope it goes in a good direction for Colin. Loved the restaurant. Zava is more layered than I had conceived in my head. 
 

I do need 100% less Shandy in my episodes. 

[MerBearStare]

18 hours ago, Trillium said:

Trent, you just keep sweet Colin’s secret  in that glorious hair of yours.

That's why his hair is so big. It's full of secrets.

13 hours ago, mledawn said:

Colin has made other offhand remarks - he even says “ so I guess I don’t have to sleep with him” (referring to Zara coming to Richmond). I actually thought everyone knew Colin was gay. This is an a odd storyline based on things from previous episodes.

Yeah, all the way back in the third episode of the first season there's a brief moment, when Roy is walking into the club to tell Jaime to quit picking on Nate, where we see Colin flirtatiously hanging on another guy. I also thought he was out and it just wasn't talked about because everyone had already accepted it.

Edited March 30, 2023 by MerBearStare