Ted Lasso’s fifth episode of the season, “Rainbow,” can best be summed up in one word:
Spoilers ahead!
However, while viewers waited in anticipation to learn the couple that would be the center of this romcom tribute, everyone was surprised by the answer: Roy Kent and the game herself, Lady Football.
The main vein of this episode consists of Roy’s reunification with not only AFC Richmond, but the concept of football. Ted recruits Roy’s help to get Isaac out of a slump, and Roy reminds him to have fun with the game he is playing. He clearly was also listening to his own advice as he realized that being in the middle of the football action, even if he’s not playing, is the one true thing that makes him happy. The final scene consists of a classic rom-com setup: Roy storms out of his job to pursue what he truly loves. He runs across town, beats time itself, hurts his knee in the process, but finally makes it back to Nelson Road Stadium, where he promptly tells Ted, “You had me at ‘Coach’.”
In the B plot of this episode, we are finally getting more into Nate’s supposed “dramatic arc” for the season: he is learning how to be more assertive. We can see this journey start in season one when he gives the team a pep talk in Liverpool. It is the first time where he feels empowered. Now that he is a coach, his character is snappy and rude, causing me as a viewer to wonder if he’s simply paranoid of having his empowerment stripped away. Deep down, he is still a shy, awkward kid, as we see in the Greek restaurant. He recruits help from Keeley and Rebecca, who practice with him and give him tips to be more assertive and stand up for himself, but not aggressively. Nate comes out on top in his restaurant spat and gets the table he wants for his parents’ anniversary dinner. However, now that he has this confidence instilled once again, along comes Roy Kent, who is also joining the coaching staff now. What does this mean for Nate’s job? Is he going to be thrown on the backburner? Just from Nick Mohammed’s facial expressions in the final scene, we can tell that Nate is once again paranoid of having his confidence and empowerment stripped from him.
This episode, while fun, hilarious, and touching, was also a brilliant example of rising action, and I cannot wait to see the follow-up to these storylines. Oh, and also, bonus points for the cameo photo of Norm from Cheers.
Ted Lasso Season 2, Episode 5 “Rainbow” is streaming now on Apple TV+.
