Ted Lasso – Sunflowers

By: Kelly Kearney

In episode six of the award-winning series, the Richmond team goes to Amsterdam for a “friendly” match that ends in another unfortunate loss for the Greyhounds. The London football club has officially lost their mojo and it might be due to the fact their coach sent his with Henry on the plane back to Kansas City. Since the start of the series, Ted Lasso’s attention has been thousands of miles away with his ex-wife, who started dating a new and very familiar man, and with their son, who is growing up without his Dad nearby. Ted is standing at a crossroads this season, but he is not alone. After her breakup with Roy, Keeley is in a new relationship with her firm’s top investor, Jack, and she is all smiles after weeks of tears. Meanwhile, her best friend and Richmond club owner, Rebecca, can’t help but stumble on clue after clue proving that the psychic’s prediction about a future family of her own might be coming true. Mr. Right is on the boss lady’s radar now, but who is he?  We also check in on Roy, who might’ve found his happiness in the most unlikely friendship of the series. The ex-footy star turned assistant manager, is struggling with matters of the heart, and working alongside his ex, Keeley, has turned his disappointments into a simmering rage–more so than usual. Now he’s chosen to unleash that fury in Jamie Tartt’s direction because “Oiy!” It’s training time and they have no time for museums and hokey windmills. They have games to win and miles to run, or however many kilometers it takes to forget about the girl that got away.  Everyone in Ted Lasso’s world is changing, evolving, and becoming their whole selves, but will that enlightenment result in game wins?

No Curfew!

We begin in Amsterdam where Ted (Jason Sudeikis) learns the term “a friendly” means the team is set to play an exhibition game, one the Greyhounds lose spectacularly 5 -0. At Keeley’s (Juno Temple) request Roy (Brett Goldstein) agrees to do the post-game press conference and answers questions surrounding the team’s losses in his own special blunt and brutal way. He reminds the interviewer that a friendly is a fake game and he’s a fake journalist just like this fake interview and then shoves the guy off. We all know Roy is not a fan of sports journalism so asking him to play nice with the press, or with anyone over the age of eleven, is a risk. Speaking of the PR Queen, we find out Keeley isn’t staying the night in Amsterdam to hang with her bestie, Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) because her new girlfriend is whisking her away on a flight out of town. It’s all very new and uber-wealthy rainbow posh so while she does feel guilty over ditching Rebecca, she’s practically vibrating with excitement over this new relationship. Rebecca could never deny Keeley anything so she gives her friend her blessing and decides to explore the Dutch city on her own. The only one who isn’t smiling as Keeley skips off to her date is Roy because when he asks Rebecca where Keely is off to, she responds with a slight dig at him, “With someone who thinks they deserve her.” Roy can’t handle that truth and winds up growling and punching the posters on the wall outside of the locker rooms.

On Team Greyhound’s bus the mood is somber thanks to that friendly slaughtering they took on the pitch. They’re playing loose and sloppy and it has nothing to do with Zava leaving and all to do with how he changed the dynamic from a united team to a cult of one. The guys forgot they were a unit, and the more those losses rob them of their hope, the worse their doubt and division become. Ted thinks the best way to give the team a boost is to let them have their freedom for the night. So, he announces they have no practice the next day and no curfew that night. They can do what they want as long as they’re back on the bus the following morning by 10:00 a.m. This gets the team cheering because Amsterdam is full of late-night art shows and historical sights to visit, which we soon found out is Jamie Tarrt’s (Phil Dunster) favorite part of the city. Luckily for him, or maybe not- so- luckily, he doesn’t get the night off because a brokenhearted Roy needs to take his feelings out on him in another training session. The two take off running right from the bus and Jamie winds up driving Roy nuts because their training session turns into a sightseeing adventure Roy never signed up for. Jamie loves Amsterdam and, after hours of running, it’s obvious as he practically dances and flips through the streets. An exhausted Roy needs a break and doesn’t believe that windmills are real so Jamie takes him to rent a bike. There is just one problem: Roy doesnt know how to ride a bike and he’s sensitive about it. Apparently, this bike trauma is all tied up in the loss of his beloved grandfather. The man was going to teach him how but then died before Roy had his first lesson. In honor of Granddad Kent, his grandson never climbed on a bike and he is extra-grumpy but also intrigued when Jamie offers to teach him. The competitive nature of this relationship forces Roy onto the street cruiser and Jamie into the coaching role for a change. He holds the grown man’s seat and lets the big broody boy go until eventually, after a few threats of bodily harm and one impressive bike launch into the air, Roy gets those wheels turning! He and Jamie ride all over town in search of a windmill and it’s nice to see these two exes of Keeley’s leaning into their chemistry and building a friendship outside of the woman who owns their hearts. Jamie fills Roy in on the first time he came to Amsterdam with his dad–who took him to the red-light district to lose his virginity. Roy muses about how hard that must have been, but for Jamie it wasn’t the sex that made it awkward. It was the fact his father spent quality time with him which doesn’t happen anymore. Jamie explains that his second trip to the city was with his mother and the two left his drunken father behind, but he felt that loss of family, even if his mom took him shopping for whatever he wanted. We’ve only seen Jamie’s father in a negative light – abusive, manipulative, and cruel, but according to this jaunt down memory lane, the man wasn’t always that way and that loss seems to affect Jamie the most.

Threesomes with Chet Baker

While the unlikeliest duo gets closer on their bike ride, the football team is coming apart at the already tattered seams. They’re attempting to make plans for their big night on the town but nobody can agree on what they want to do. Higgins (Jeremy Swift), on the other hand, knows exactly how he plans on spending his night off and turns to Will (Charlie Hiscock). He asks him to join him in something very underground. They tell everyone that Higgins is taking Will to lose his virginity in the red light district but really Higgins just needs company to live out his jazz music obsessions. Apparently, he doesn’t want the team to know he’s a bit of a fangirl of Chet Baker’s and later we see him take Will to the brothel where Chet fell, was pushed or jumped out of an upper-floor window and died in the streets below. Higgins wants company as he takes in a jazz concert in honor of his trumpet hero and tests out his bass-playing skills on stage. If Will finds love in the meantime… Well, that’s just the cherry on top of Higgins’s cake. Later, and much to Higgins’s excitement, he does wind up on stage plucking his bass with his heroes. Will also has the night of his life when he locks eyes with a couple making out and they later approach him to join their romance. Welcome to manhood, kitman!

The group that isn’t having such an exciting night is the football club. The team is back at the hotel and still cannot decide what they want to do with their free night in the city.  Van Damme (Moe Jeudy-Lamour) would like to take in a sex show while Sam (Toheeb Jimoh) would be quite happy staying at the hotel to watch movies. Dani (Cristo Fernández), on the other hand, is just interested in seeing the Netherlands’ most famous flower: the tulip. No, not a field of tulips, that level of beauty is way too overwhelming for Danny Roja’s sensitive disposition. He just wants to see one tulip– just a single flower and his life will be complete. Jan (David Elsendoorn) suggests a 2-hour trip to Spain to see his cousin DJ Martin Garrix perform. Team Captain Isaac (Kola Bokinni) tries to take a vote because if they’re going to work together then they’re going to play together, too. He decrees that the choice must be unanimous, which is tough in a room full of men who all have different definitions of the word fun. The ideas they suggest aren’t really appealing to Colin (Billy Harris), who is currently hiding in the closet from his teammates and is not really interested in a two-girls-at-once show. In fact, he makes up some excuse about not feeling well and then slips out while Isaac is screaming at everyone to get their votes in. He thinks no one notices his exit, but Trent Crimm (James Lance) – who previously saw Colin kissing a man in an alleyway – follows Colin all the way to a gay club called Priks. While the football star chats up the bartender, Trent walks up behind him and orders a drink startling Colin, who starts to panic and rattles off some excuse about walking into the wrong bar. When he tries to make a hasty escape, Trent follows after him and lets the outed player know he knew Colin was gay for a while but did not say anything, and there is a reason why. Trent confides in Colin about his late-in-life coming-out story that included a wife, and now a very supportive daughter. The two men talk about the differences between a journalist coming out to his family versus a famous football player coming out to his team, his fans, and his sponsors. That’s a whole other level of pressure that Trent never had to go through but he understands why Colin is hesitant to tell his teammates, even if he thinks they will probably be supportive. Colin admits he doesn’t want to be a spokesperson or make a statement, he just wants to be able to kiss his boyfriend at the end of a winning match as all the other guys do with their girlfriends. As they sit outside drinking beer and swapping stories about what it means to be a gay man in their fields and pitches, we head across town to check in with Ted and Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt).

Trippin’ Daisies

Ted had plans to hang out with Beard and Rebecca but after a few missed phone calls and unreturned texts from the boss-lady, it looks like the two men are on their own. Ted is hungry and Googles up an American-themed restaurant but Beard is not about that Yankee Doodle life right now, he has better ideas and they involve a bag full of magic mushrooms and Ted getting out of his head and into a world of inspiration. Coach Beard thinks his buddy’s channels of creativity are clogged and a little mushroom tea would clear those pipes and allow his football creativity to flow freely. It might even free a path to a winning football strategy. There is just one problem with this idea, Ted hates tea! He can’t get a sip past his lips. Beard doesn’t have that problem and he downs the whole glass and then hangs on to the arms of his chair waiting for the trip to kick in. It’s not long before the sober Ted realizes he is killing Beard’s buzz and tells his oldest friend he can go out without him. Beard doesn’t think twice and ditches his pal for a wild night on the town. When I say wild, just imagine the Bowie/Muppet-inspired “Piggy Stardust ” outfit he shows up in the next day. With Beard off into the night, Ted is alone and still can’t get hold of Rebecca. All he has to comfort him now is a tall glass of his least favorite beverage– although this one does have a new and exciting twist to it, and maybe that’s why Ted downs the mushroom madness and heads out to a Van Gough art show.

The guide (Mike Reus) at the gallery–who coincidentally bears a striking resemblance to the tortured artist, stands next to Ted and talks about finding inspiration in beauty. Ted, who is listening as intensely as he is staring at the famous artist’s painting of the Kansas State flower, does take in the beauty but he still can’t get his mind off of home. No matter where he is in the world, Coach keeps finding reminders of the life he left behind, and it’s almost as if they’re all acting like a North Star guiding him back to where his heart felt whole. The chatty guide tells him how Vincent never stopped doing what he felt he was meant to do. If it’s a calling, you should keep trying, even if you feel like the inspiration is slipping away. He then gives Ted a book of Vincent’s work and tells him they are closing in minutes so he needs to go. The coach’s next stop is the American restaurant Burger Barn which caught his eye earlier. Sure, the place has a 2.5-star rating, but maybe the Dutch haven’t realized the glory of an onion ring tower. Ted sure has and, after the southern twang of an Aussie transplant greets him at the door, Ted seems to enjoy the familiarity even if it is very obvious this gimmicky eatery doesn’t know the first thing about the country he calls home. It doesn’t matter though, because as he is seated in the windy city section of the restaurant munching his way through the greasy foods and BBQ sauces of his people, the tea starts to kick in and the Micheal Jordan basketball game on the restaurant’s TV starts to inspire him. The Bull’s championship season reminds Ted of his father and also of their winning triangle offense. The scene goes from the Burger Barn to a cartoon drawing of each triangle birthing a new triangle and giving way to a possible strategy forming in Ted’s drugged-out mind. He grabs the book he was given at the museum and starts lining up all the ketchup and mustard bottles he can find. Hours later the Burger Barn staff watches as his red and yellow squeezy men lead him to frantically map out plays. If the Bulls could dominate their league with these types of moves then Ted can turn that champion basketball technique into a winning football game.

Speaking of the team, they wasted their one night off arguing about how to spend it! None of them could agree on where to go and as the hours ticked by, Isaac was almost horse from screaming at them to figure it out. That is until Sam hands their captain a piece of paper with an idea they can all agree on… PILLOW FIGHT! All of their pent-up disappointments and anger at losing games– at losing Zava, and maybe even losing out on a sex show, come pummeling out of their feather-filled frenzied takedowns! They wind up having a blast–together, which is exactly what Isaac wanted because teamwork, even if it’s smacking each other in the face with a pillow, is the mood booster they desperately needed.

Not All Heroes Wear Capes

Speaking of happier moods, we check back in with Colin who seems to be feeling better now that his secret is out – even if it’s just with Trent. The two head to the gay club where they drink and dance the night away. It is the first time Colin can breathe freely and it shows on his happy face when he sneaks back into the hotel as a fury of feathers reigns down on his friends.

Another person who seems to be breathing a huge sigh of relief is Rebecca, who after taking a tumble into the city’s famous canal, is rescued by a tall and handsome Dutchman (Matteo van der Grijn) who seems to fit all the psychics’ “future family” clues. Could this be the man Rebecca was destined to find? Maybe. Or it could just be the man who makes her realize she deserves to be with someone worthy of her hear?. The two sort of dance around each other with a bit of verbal sparring and jokes that land like serial killers. Thankfully, the man isn’t one because Rebecca throws caution to the wind and dries off on his houseboat. She showers, drinks the tea he makes for her, and when he returns, they chat over many glasses of wine and dinner. We learn the man’s wife left him after she was unfaithful and the child’s room Rebecca spotted towards the back of the boat suggests he has a daughter.

All of this screams LITTLE GREEN MATCHBOOK but when things look like they might go from friendly to friends-with-benefits, Rebecca winds up passing out from the wine. He does the decent thing because this is a kindcore show and would never hurt our blonde glamazon with the voice of an angel, which this guy is lucky enough to both see and hear in person. He covers her with a blanket and when she wakes in the morning in a bit of a daze and quiets her concerns by letting her know they didn’t sleep together. The fact they don’t even know each other’s name makes sex seem a bit early anyway, but still the idea is on both of their minds. After an awkward goodbye, Rebecca hesitates at the door and rushes back to kiss the man for the first and last time. She tells him she won’t forget him, and he cracks some joke that she will. Their encounter lights a spark under Rebecca, who was searching for something she wasn’t even sure was real. She is the last on the bus at 10 AM and to say Ted was worried would be an understatement. He spent the night coming up with killer plays that Beard thinks are winning ideas but he had hoped to get to know the boss lady a bit better, especially after she screamed at him the week before over the team’s repetitive losses. Only she never returned his calls and while he is smiling at how carefree and happy she looks, you can tell he is filled with concern. She quiets those by explaining how her phone wound up at the bottom of the canal and he is sort of relieved she wasn’t avoiding him. She never does mention the man or the boat she spent the night on, or even why she’s so invigorated with life, she just sings, and Beard backs her up until the whole bus joins in, because “every little thing will be alright.” Ted Lasso wouldn’t have it any other way.