With the amazing Apple TV series Ted Lasso back on air for its lovely fourth season, I thought it was time to revisit one of my favorite characters and all of his best moments — the impeccably grumpy Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein).
As a character who has been around since the very beginning of the series and who has his own chant that I can’t type here because of expletives, he is someone I have come to love more and more over the years. Let’s go over the moments that made me a fan.
- His acceptance of his future
- His absolutely amazing pep talk to Rebecca
- When he hugged Jamie
- When he assures Keeley she doesn't need him by her side to look powerful
- The speech about how to deal with bullies
- Roy and Jamie dancing to “Jump Around”
- His confession to Keeley, but not to Keeley
His acceptance of his future
Season 1 of the show was when Roy was at his grumpiest, mainly because he held a massive grudge against himself over his injury and still believed he could play like he used to. It really took a full season for him to come around and finally admit that he wasn’t the player he used to be, but that’s okay.
The moment he touches Ted’s (Jason Sudeikis) ‘Believe’ sign in the season 1 finale, “The Hope That Kills You,” right before the end credits, signals a shift in him. He finally recognizes he’s never going to be that star player anymore, but he chooses to believe there are better things out there for him and that he will make it. It’s a great moment of growth.
His absolutely amazing pep talk to Rebecca
In the first episode of season 2, “Goodbye Earl,” after a double-date between Roy and Keeley (Juno Temple) and Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) and someone else, she admits he was fine and good on paper, but Roy has none of that.
He straight up tells her she deserves more than just fine, that she deserves someone who makes her feel as if she’s been “struck by f***ing lightning,” and that she should never settle for less than that. It really showed the depth of Roy's care for people and that he never wants them to think they deserve anything less than what they truly need.
When he hugged Jamie
Jamie (Phil Dunster) Tartt and Roy were at each other’s throats for a long time, but during episode 8, “Man City,” something shifted between them. Jamie’s father attended a game where Richmond lost to Manchester 5-0, and because Jamie used to be on that team, his father berates him in the locker room along with the rest of the team.
After Jamie punches his father in the face and his father is kicked out, Roy surprises everyone by hugging Jamie. It's a moment that shows he sees what Jamie has gone through and understands more about why Jamie acts the way he does. That kind of growth is what made me love him.
When he assures Keeley she doesn't need him by her side to look powerful
While Keeley and Roy have an interesting relationship timeline in season 4, especially in some of the latest episodes, something about how he hypes her up made me fall for him even more.
In season 2 episode 12, “Inverting the Pyramid of Success,” Keeley is featured in an article about how she went from model to entrepreneur. However, the article doesn't include any pictures she took with Roy. She’s worried about how it will make her look in front of Roy, but he tells her straight up he doesn’t need her to look badass and that her success is her own. We love a validating king.
It’s a shame that they became this weird relationship at the end of season 3 — something I would have totally forgotten about because these two are so cute in earlier seasons; you don't want to forget these moments.
The speech about how to deal with bullies
Roy Kent’s method of dealing with bullies is certainly effective, but hilarious nonetheless. In the season 3 episode “Signs,” Roy is in the coaching room with Ted and Beard (Brenden Hunt) to discuss Ted’s son being bullied and how to handle it. Roy says this verbatim:
“The best approach to dealing with bullies is to ignore them. Alternatively, sneak into their house at 4:00 AM, the hour people are least prepared to defend themselves. Once standing over them as they sleep, beat them with a thick, heavy rope soaked in red paint until they wake, confusing the paint for their own blood. When they beg you to stop, laugh loudly and then beat them again.”
I just can’t. I love it. He’s so serious, and the way he delivers it feels almost like a joke, but there’s this look in his eye unlike anything else. I can’t even begin to express how much I love this scene.
Roy and Jamie dancing to “Jump Around”
Season 4 episode 6, “Don’t Jump Around Much Anymore,” is phenomenal in the Roy Kent-lover room because it gave us another great scene — him and Jamie dancing around to “Jump Around” by House of Pain.
It’s so goofy and out there, and it also shows insane growth from Roy because there is literally no way he would have done that a few seasons ago. And now he’s just happily doing it during this song. Granted, he did mess up his knee doing so, but it’s still a great moment.
His confession to Keeley, but not to Keeley
What also happens in season 4 episode 6 is that Roy essentially confesses his love for Keeley while high on drugs in the hospital. It was such a sweet confession that we never would have heard before.
But Keeley wasn’t there, and he instead confessed to his current romantic partner, who is most certainly not Keeley. This kind of miscommunication is the stuff rom-coms are made of — and now, I can’t wait to see the fallout and what happens to Roy Kent next.
Stream the first three seasons and the current fourth season of Ted Lasso on Apple TV.
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