Is there crying in baseball? No, there is not. Is there crying in soccer, though? Yes, and apparently lots of it. At the risk of sounding cheeky, the AFC Lady Greyhounds are truly in a “league of their own” in Episode 8 of Ted Lasso.
Why would one say that? Because at the beginning of this episode, our Greyhounds are climbing up the standings. Game after game — they’re crushing. And that “Believe” poster in the locker room? It’s filled with player-written Post-it notes, emphasizing that Ted’s inspirational message has resonated with each member of the team.
Truly feeling the message, Gemma pleads not to be substituted in a blowout game because she is going for the elusive hat trick. Alice grants her wish, but that quickly backfires. Gemma blows out her knee, and suddenly, she’s staring up at the sky.
Alice clearly feels some sort of way about this, since a knee injury is what halted her athletic career. At the front office, Rebecca and Higgins are scrambling to find Gemma’s replacement.
But that’s none of Keeley’s concern because she is accompanying Roy to his Wall of Legends ceremony with Chelsea. Two exes spending a decent amount of time with each other. What could go wrong?
Well, a lot. Roy gets their car stuck in an alley because he thinks he can squeeze through, so he has to take public transportation with his date instead. With that, Roy has to face his own ego and the tight, claustrophobic space with Keeley. But one could say they work it out, since on their way home from the ceremony, Keeley wraps her arms around Roy’s waist as he drives them on his motorcycle.
Back with the club, Alice is struggling. She meets with Gemma and sees that the Richmond front office is pushing Gemma away from returning by how they are treating her. By so swiftly finding a replacement, Gemma feels like she is replaceable, which is the exact feeling Alice had when she was injured. So that’s when the tears and football start to mix.
Rebecca hears Alice’s complaints and truly listens to her (for the first time ever, probably). She also listens to Higgins’ complaints.
Throughout the episode, Higgins goes on a Michael Lewis-style forensic accounting mission to find out why so many shareholders are selling their shares. Apparently, Rebecca’s ex-husband has been buying shares to prepare for a hostile takeover. So, as we gear up for the final episodes, there’s going to be a final showdown between Rebecca and Rupert.
This episode clearly is setting up for a big finale. The Lady Greyhounds are rocking and rolling, on their way to the end of their season. Gemma is probably gearing up for her big comeback. And Ted makes one more revelation to his team to grow them all closer together.
It’s okay for your emotions to be involved in the game of soccer — even if that means there are tears.
Rating: 8/10
