Ted Lasso recap: Episode 7, ‘Make Rebecca Great Again’

Rebecca celebrates her first anniversary as a divorcee in Ted Lasso episode 7. Meanwhile, the team plays a match in Liverpool.

AFC Richmond heads to Liverpool for an away game against the Everton team in Ted Lasso episode 7. The weekend out of town happens to coincide with Rebecca’s first anniversary as a divorcee. To help cope, she kicks Higgins off of her jet (actually, she asks him to stay home) and invites Keeley along for the ride instead. She hopes to enjoy a fun girls’ weekend to get her mind off things.

As a big fan of the Keeley/Rebecca relationship, I loved seeing them together in this episode, especially as Keeley made it obvious she has a legitimate crush on Rebecca. Watching her joke with Rebecca about wanting to have “wicked sex” with her as she dips her toe “back in the lady pool” was hilarious. It might not be genuine confirmation, but I’m taking it as Keeley being bisexual.

Rebecca’s long-time friend, Flo ‘Sassy’ Collins (Ellie Taylor), joins them for the weekend, much to Rebecca’s surprise. Unfortunately, the weekend isn’t fantastic for everyone. Ted receives his divorce papers and struggles to accept the end of his marriage. We see a vulnerable side of him that hasn’t been explored much before Ted Lasso episode 7.

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Ted struggles to sign his divorce papers Ted Lasso episode 7.

Not one member of the Richmond team anticipates winning the Liverpool game, especially as it hasn’t happened in over 60 years.

They don’t even have Jamie on the team anymore, although if you thought he’d suddenly come back this week, you might have been surprised. Jamie is only mentioned briefly by a few reporters who question how Ted feels in his absence.

Ted tries to find a new way to motivate the team and lift their spirits. He turns to Nate, asking him to write down what he thinks of the team and what he would say to them. As per usual, Nate is hesitant to do so. He fears that he’ll say or do something to upset Ted and then get fired. It sounds crazy, but then Nate musters up the courage to give Ted his notes, and in an uncharacteristic moment, the coach bites his head off.

Nate tries to slide his pages under Ted’s hotel room door, unknowingly interrupting Ted as he pours over his divorce papers. Even worse, he’s received a text message from Michelle’s lawyer. He can simply take a picture of his signature and send the message. That’s it. I imagine Ted feels like a text isn’t the right way to end a marriage. To Ted, it must feel as if Michelle is in a rush to alter their family forever.

How can all of those years be over so fast and with a simple text? Wrenching the door open, he barks at Nate to go back to his room and stop acting foolish after curfew, although he does accept the pages.

As expected, Ted apologizes to Nate the following day, and all is forgiven. He tells Nate that he read his notes and agrees with each one of them before saying that won’t mean as much coming from him — he instructs Nate to give the pre-game pep talk.

If you were anticipating a sentimental, moving speech about how the team inspires Nate, well, that is not what we got. What we got was surprising, hilarious, and better, in my opinion.  Nate goes all-in on a thorough roasting of the team, hitting each member where it hurts, but in a funny way.

The guys, who often playfully rib each other, are delighted by Nate’s cutting jabs. Sam is indecisive, Danny loses his man more than Carrie Bradshaw, Colin must be getting his pubes waxed because he plays like a Brazilian, etc. But when he gets to Roy Kent, Roy gets right in Nate’s face and urges him to say what he thinks to him directly, not by reading it off the page. Part of Roy’s strength stems from his anger; it’s what drives him on the field, Nate says.

But he hasn’t been using any of that anger this season, and Nate worries what will happen if he keeps it bottled inside. As if to show that he’s in control. Roy then rips a bolted-down wooden bench off the locker room floor before exciting the team and leading them onto the field.

Nate’s unorthodox pep talk works! Richmond wins 1-0, with Roy scoring a rare goal. Ted is delighted for his team and joins them in their celebration at a karaoke bar. Except, while there, listening to Rebecca sing an incredible rendition of “Let It Go” from Frozen, he has a panic attack.

Outside of the club, he slips to the floor, cradling his head in his hands. Rebecca is the one who shows up to calm him down. She helps him through some breathing exercises and offers him a ride home, or to walk with him if that’s what he wants. Ultimately, Ted thanks her and walks back to the hotel. Reaching that stage of stress seems to have cleared his head, at least a little. Ted takes a shower, cleans himself up, and finally signs the papers.

In Ted Lasso episode 7, Rebecca enjoys a girls’ weekend.

As mentioned, Rebecca’s old friend Sassy visits her in Liverpool for the weekend to take her mind off things regarding Rupert. She, Keeley, and Rebecca have a great time hanging out, laughing, and going to dinner where Rebecca flirts with a handsome waiter. Sassy tries to inspire Rebecca to sleep with him, and it seems like she did when she disappears for a while.

Sassy’s view of Rebecca is much different than how anyone else sees her. She thinks Rebecca used to be incredibly fun and a devoted godmother to her daughter Nora. Sassy also nicknamed Rebecca “Stinky” when they were young because she showed up beautiful and rich, and a young Sassy wanted a way to knock her down a peg. It’s stuck ever since. It’s also Sassy who reveals what a fantastic singer Rebecca is, persuading Keeley to come up with the idea for karaoke.

Rebecca ultimately apologizes to Sassy for disappearing over the last six years while married. Sassy tells her that Nora missed her terribly and thought she’d done something wrong, which is very upsetting to Rebecca.

The way Sassy sees it, Rupert built her an ivory tower to hold her captive, but Rebecca marched herself up every step until she reached the top. Rupert was terrible, but Rebecca has to take responsibility for the part she played in it, too. I like Sassy, and I’d love to see her stick around.

At the end of the episode, Rebecca returns to the restaurant where she, Keeley, and Sassy had eaten dinner to meet up with the hot waiter. While sitting at the bar, she receives a text message from Ted, thanking her for being so kind to him during his wild journey to the U.K. Rebecca looks guilty as she reads it. I keep hoping she has a change of heart about sabotaging the team. I feel like this show’s going to make me sob by the end of the season if Ted finds out the truth!

Aside from Rebecca, both Keeley and Sassy have romantic entanglements of their own to attend to in episode 7. After several episodes of build-up and tension, Keeley and Roy finally kiss. It’s fierce, passionate, and steamy, but as suddenly as it starts, it stops. Roy wishes her good night and walks off, leaving Keeley stupefied and wondering if she did something wrong.

As for Sassy, she takes a shine to Ted before even knowing who he is when they run into each other in the hotel lobby. In the final seconds, she shows up at his hotel room and walks inside it without a word. We’re left to wonder if the two spend the night together or not!

Will Rebecca continue sabotaging Ted in the remainder of Ted Lasso Season 1? What’s the deal with Roy’s feelings toward Keeley? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. 

New episodes of Ted Lasso Season 1 air Fridays on Apple TV Plus.