Ted Lasso S3E9 Confirms That Roy Kent Is The Biggest Disciple Of The Lasso Way
Contains spoilers for "Ted Lasso" Season 3 Episode 9, "La Locker Room Aux Folles"
By the simple method of elimination, Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) has always been the heir apparent to Ted Lasso's (Jason Sudeikis) throne. From his beginning as AFC Richmond's seasoned captain to his new career as a member of the team's coaching staff, he's been working under Lasso in various leadership positions from the very beginning of the first season. He's also quite possibly been subjected to Ted's teachings more than any other character in the show. However, Roy's heavily-telegraphed career path has often been pretty easy to forget due to the sheer differences between his gruff, blunt personality and Ted's affable wordiness.
Much like his former rival Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), Roy has gone through quite a character arc over the show's three seasons. As "Ted Lasso" is nearing its end, it's starting to become increasingly clear that the former midfielder has fully bought into what Trent Crimm (James Lance) has dubbed the Lasso Way. In "Ted Lasso" Season 3 Episode 7, Trent defines Ted's coaching method as a long string of interactions and minor adjustments that create the kind of intensely positive environment AFC Richmond has become — both on the field and behind the scenes. Ted has worked with his players long enough for them to almost casually adapt a winning, entertaining brand of Total Football mid-season, which is nothing short of miraculous. Still, it seems that Coach Lasso has pulled off an even bigger achievement with Roy. As Season 3, Episode 9 proves, he has slowly become the staunchest Lasso Way advocate of them all ... whether he personally likes it or not.
Roy has taken Ted's methods and made them his own
Season 3 has hinted many times that Roy Kent has been far more influenced by the Lasso Way than he'd like to admit. We've seen him taking on small Ted-like traits, embracing unconventional training methods, and even peppering his speech with Ted-style puns — though he's at least pretended to be disgusted whenever he catches himself doing it.
As "Ted Lasso" fans know by now, though, much of Roy's perpetually grumpy nature is a facade he deliberately puts on. From Keeley Jones (Juno Temple) to young Phoebe (Elodie Blomfield) and even Jamie, multiple characters have been able to put cracks in his shell to show the real man behind it. In Episode 9, it's Rebecca Welton's (Hannah Waddingham) turn to take the sledgehammer to Roy's armor, as she delivers a truly crushing speech about his constant need to punish himself and unwillingness to go after the things he really wants in life.
It's a tactic worthy of Led Tasso, and it works, too. As if awakened from a long slumber, Roy shows his appreciation for Rebecca's sweary pep talk by falling in full Lasso mode for the remainder of the episode. We see him deal with Isaac McAdoo's (Kola Bokinni) red card with a quiet one-on-one meeting and a few words of advice, much like Ted might do. Later, he defends his player at a press conference and even uses a long-winded personal anecdote to explain his stance on the subject, imparting words of surprisingly deep wisdom while he's at it. That's a classic Lasso move.
However, the big thing here is that he's not just copying Ted. No, Roy has clearly been applying his boss' philosophy to his own skillset and style in a way that makes him better, which just so happens to be what the Lasso Way is all about. The change has been gradual enough to work, and Roy's had plenty of empathy and talent behind his hard-man image from the very beginning, so don't be surprised if he continues on this path for the remaining episodes. "Ted Lasso" might be coming to an end after Season 3, but who knows? Maybe Roy will be ready to pick up where Ted left off.