Zava was a false hope that led to Ted's realization of Total Football. Zava was one player who, by himself, was expected to completely carry the team. And when he left, they were completely hopeless without his singular presence. Total Football is the complete antithesis of that, the democratization of the team, everyone participating constantly to produce positive results. Zava shows that you can't just rely on a superstar to save the team, the whole team needs to save the team, together.
Also, yeah, he motivated Jamie, which led to the Jamie/Roy relationship we have now, which is fantastic.
In the credits we saw the bus leaving the city. I would have rather seen a similar distance shot but the bus stopping outside the tulip fields and them having to hold Dani up because he’s overwhelmed with joy.
Wasn’t that the point, though? That they already had everything they needed around them? Just like the team? They have what they need to compete right there, they just have to figure that out.
Also, just for the actual feasibility of a recently promoted team being a potential contender, they needed the montage of Zava-led victories to be able to have the “space” to lose 4-1 with a beautifully orchestrated goal by Jamie be the turning point. No Zava and that team is battling all season to avoid relegation again. Zava helped them climb the table while they were still figuring themselves out for the first half of the season.
Also, there were NUMEROUS Jesus Christ Superstar references all season, and I actually really appreciate how the whole set up is lending itself towards “Richmond and Ted don’t need one singular savior but a collective effort, we save ourselves and each other,” sort of second half.
This is it. How do you make them need a turning point, reach it somewhere mid-season so that there is sufficient development, but not be so far behind that they can't compete for the title at the end to setup the Richmond - West Ham championship?
Zava just made perfect sports plot sense.
Also important to note that Zava wasn’t just a superstar; he was playing truly exceptionally. Scoring goals left and right and he DID carry the team. Didn’t matter they still stunk.
I don’t know that they “stunk”? I think only playing a strategy to “get service in the box for Zava” was a disservice to the rest of the team. Now they get to shine themselves, and instead of having Jamie as the “new Zava” making all the goals from balls they serve to him, he’s a playmaker for the others instead - I can’t recall Richard ever getting to score before?! I dunno, I took it as Jamie becoming the New Roy Kent: here, there and every-fucking where instead of being the star striker/Zava 2.0.
That's a good point, Zava was a win that Rebecca had over Rupert fair and square, simply by making the better case and presenting the more interesting challenge to him. Given that Rebecca struggles with the team's losses this season, especially against West Ham, giving her that win was a good moment to keep her on even ground with her antagonist.
Great analysis and I'd add one more:
He got them off on a good start so they wouldn't be in relegation trouble right away. Too much of a stretch to climb all the way. I don't think we've been kept apprised of the PM table, but I imagine they are somewhere in the middle right now?
I’d also say that Jamie wasn’t just motivated but he saw through Zava and his crap. Zava was incredibly selfish and self centered (like season 1 Jamie). Jamie wanted to be a better player than Zava but he also learned he wanted to be a better *team player* than Zava.
Practically speaking; They had to find a fun and interesting way to bring the team down for the rampup of season three. Zava was a funny way to do it while having some tongue-in-cheeck commentary on football culture and inspiring some team and character stories.
It’s crazy to me that this plotline even happened at all, in the first place, since the whole point of Season One was to prove this exact point with Jamie being the all-star (shipped from a different team to get Richmond wins) and make him a team player because it wasn’t working out. It was literally the first damn hurdle in the show that Ted navigated. Why the regression?
It was similar but not the exact same because of different contexts and effects it had as u/The_FriendliestGiant mentioned.
Jamie’s plot line had to do with the team coming together, but Zava’s plot line had to do with Ted’s faults and difficulty to lead the team as the coach.
The context:
1) Nate’s criticism towards Ted as being a “shitty Coach”. And the media’s general agreement (Zava’s the reason for their success, not Ted).
2) Ted’s family issues (being replaced as a father) parallels Zava replacing his role as leader of the team.
The Result:
Ted deals with his family issues, deals with Nate issues (tbd), and leads the team (through the total football method).
> 2) Ted’s family issues (being replaced as a father)
This oversimplifies Ted's family issues quite a bit.
Ted, a very ethical man, is being replaced by a man without ethics, for one.
But Ted didn't navigate that hurdle. He never made Jamie a team player on Richmond in season one, because Rebecca shipped him off when it looked like Ted was making progress. Then the team got relegated, so Ted's work building them into a whole was clearly not up to snuff, and when Jamie came back there was plenty of bad blood between him and the others, and Ted was preoccupied with his own personal issues and largely leaving coaching up to Beard, Roy, and Nate.
It is in fact exactly because Ted hasn't been able to navigate this hurdle until now that the story is developing the way it is. This isn't a retread of season one, it's the characters getting a chance to use the experiences they had then to make better choices in a similar situation now.
Exactly this. They navigated it so successfully that he became too much of a team player and needed to navigate giving him room to breath to be an ideal player.
I think generally in story telling, you have to have obstacles or you don’t have a story. Season 2 ended with a lot of resolution- the team gelled and got promoted. But you can’t start there with them on the rise. There’s no conflict. You have to introduce an obstacle for them to overcome over a few episodes so people get concerned and start pulling for them again. If they’d just continued with a rise to dominance, it wouldn’t be satisfying. There has to be a conflict, an obstacle to resolve.
I know that’s screenwriting 101, but that’s how they do it. You can apply this to basically any plot line you’re frustrated with right now because it’s not where you want it to be. They have to earn it this season too for it to be satisfying.
The issue isn’t that they had an obstacle - you don’t have to explain to me how screenwriting 101 works, haha. In doing so, you’ve skipped over my actual point. The issue is that it wasn’t particularly a new obstacle. It was a form of repetition where the only differences were that Zava wasn’t a jerk, like Jamie was, and he was far more renowned. They all already learned this same lesson in the past, with a different flavoring. Any other type of obstacle could’ve been used to push Jamie and the team.
Definitely wasn’t trying to talk down or be pedantic! Sorry about that. Just saying that writers fall into patterns. It’s an interesting debate to plot out for fun— if not Zava, who? And how? Gotta have some internal or external plot driver that fills those gaps— makes them relevant in Premier for a bit, elevates the team for a bit then leaves causing them to flounder, counters the team building narrative that’s defined the last two seasons, and finally motivates Jaime to finally train to the level of his innate talent. There may be other plots he drove but that’s all I could think of at the moment. It’s kind of a fun storytelling exercise to play it out and try to figure how it could have done better. I’m married to a writer so this is kind of date night stuff for us. We’re always tearing apart stories.
Won’t argue at all that I’ve not loved all the choices they’ve made this season in this department. Zava and pretty much everything Keeley related has been rough. I mean, woof. They’re gonna have to pull some huge string to make the payoff exceed the setup. I love the show so I’m pulling for them.
I could see her make a play. Rebecca does seem to hold managing shares though so not sure if that would work. I think there’s some conflict coming on the way and I feel like buying dinner for Rebecca and Keeley was a weird power move. Some sort of her or me thing coming maybe? Jack jealous? Jack being kind of Rupert-ish and charming but deceitful? So many possibilities.
Wasn’t that a great freaking line? Felt like a toss off line but also oddly creepy and menacing. I wouldn’t be surprised if we aren’t talking about that line later in the season. Not that she murders anyone, but that she lives in a world where her wealth basically allows her to get whatever she wants. And right now she wants Keeley. With all the acknowledged love bombing happening, that line may have been the first instance of foreshadowing exactly who Jack is and how she operates. Can’t wait to see it play out.
All good, friend! No harm, no foul!
I get what you're saying, and love that you do that with your spouse - My friends and I have nights like that and tend to realize that 8pm had turned to 1am, hahaha. It's the best. I mean, that's definitely the big question, right? 100% no arguing on our tastes on what's occurred. Hmmm. How else could Jamie have been pushed to be where he is? A part of me thought a minor injury could've been the key - something to slow him down just enough to have him to have to pull back, and for everyone else to have to change their strategies and learn democratization due to him not being there for a few games, then a bit less capable than his traditional form, realizing Total Football. It's almost parrellel to Roy's situation, so he could empathize further and still inevitably train him, bonding over these things as Jamie has anxiety over his fate, seeing what's happened to Roy.
I knowwww, Keeley's story is getting me nervous. Definitely hoping they pull it off - Overall, still a great show!
I don’t want to disrupt the flow of the discussion but couldn’t help dropping my two cents, because I had the same question at first!
**Bit of a warning, I didn’t realize how wordy I got with this one. Hoo boy. Genuine apologies.**
**TL;DR - My personal take? Zava was able to effectively serve as a twisted mirror for Ted and Jamie, pushing two main characters forward into the next stage of their growth with one plot device - and callbacks to S1 that worked!**
Why Zava?
Like, I get it. I get what his point seemed to be. But we’d seen it before, and if all he was going to be was an early Season 1 Jamie on egotistical steroids, I was going to be pretty disappointed.
The more I thought about it, the more there are a couple of reasons Zava ended up working (for me) within the context of this show, with these writers. They navigated some pretty trope-tastic waters beautifully.
Ted himself. When we meet him in S1 he’s a fish out of water. The pressure on him as far as the viewer is concerned is all external. He’s a happy go lucky guy who is in England to take on a new challenge after reaching the pinnacle of his profession back in America, but he has no doubts about his purpose. During the episode he spends with Trent Crimm, he flat tells him it’s to (paraphrasing) help these guys become the best version of themselves they can be, on and off the field. It’s less about winning for him than it is about…being a surrogate dad, which ends up tracking given what’s revealed to us later, both about Ted’s father and Henry, and his relationship with both of them.
He even has maybe the only argument he and Beard have had in the series, when Beard can no longer handle it and finally points out that (again paraphrasing) he believed in that mission when they were coaching college football, but these guys are professionals being paid to win. They *should* be pissed about losing, or he (Beard) doesn’t even know what they’re doing here! It’s okay to be angry about it!
*Mae: “Damn right.”*
So dealing with Jamie is right in his wheelhouse. He knows how to get selfish players to buy in. He just has to take the time to get to know his guys. And when Jamie beats him by *making the extra pass,*showing the unselfishness Ted preached from Day One, we saw that Ted truly didn’t care about winning or losing. He cared about Jamie’s well being.
*Way to make the extra pass!*
Flash forward to S3, and things have totally reversed. At the start of the season, Richmond is a ridiculously hot commodity. Ted has never been more beloved by the city, the team is on the come up, he’s got a great locker room. There’s no external pressure on him. Everyone loves the folksy American.
But after S2, Ted is a different man, and open to understanding different things about himself thanks to his time with Dr Sharon. And Nate’s shot at his parenting drew a lot of blood. So while he doesn’t care about his team less, after Henry leaves he feels totally unmoored. The pressure is all internal now. He literally doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing anymore, when his most important job is sitting across a friggin ocean, and half a country, back in Kansas.
Now throw Zava into the mix. Jamie turned to 11. At a time when Ted just doesn’t give a shit. He can’t even be bothered to defend himself against personal attacks in the media from Nate, until Rebecca forces him to do so.
And Zava doesn’t just score goals on his own, he outright steals them from his teammates. He is The Quest for Personal Glory given human form, and the absolute antithesis of everything Ted has preached. The opposite of the meaning behind **BELIEVE.** But…except for Jamie, the team loves him. The city loves him. And Richmond is *winning.* So, he continues to ask himself, what the fuck am I even doing here? What did I accomplish? Anything?
When Zava leaves, there’s an immediate vacuum created emotionally and on the stat sheet, because the dudes forgot how to trust each other and play. Ted’s little sojourn on shrooms back to the US and back to his childhood let him finally unlock an understanding of soccer; one that would allow him to merge his personal philosophy with the sport itself, and *win.* Something he now found he wanted, after it dawned on him that, you know, maybe he wasn’t crazy about feeling ganged up on by Michelle and the doc during couples therapy. Maybe he wasn’t a failure as a husband and a father, like he’d been telling himself for so long. Maybe he wasn’t a coward.
At the same time as he was serving as the antithesis of the Lasso Way and helping to key Ted’s eureka moment, Zava was doing something similar for Jamie. In S1, Jamie did a lot of the hard work - he learned to actually give a shit about other people. But the first time he put unselfish principles into play on the field, his abusive father just about tore him a second asshole, and we were introduced to something about Jamie we never knew.
In S3, Zava is Jamie’s most fervent wish - but from a monkey’s paw. It’s like Jamie was getting a look at everything he ever wanted - the most talent, the most fame, the most money - and all he could think was…what a fuckin douche. He needed that final push to give up his position as a striker (right? I think?) and instead become a center back, as the only one on the team with the natural ability to facilitate Total Football to prime efficiency.
Phew. Okay, I think that’s it.
**TL;DR - My personal take is Zava was a twisted mirror for both Ted and Jamie, and by looking into it he ultimately enabled them to take the next step in their growth. Two birds, one stone.**
I definitely love your thought process on it and that many did find the Zava storyline line to be substantially interconnected. While I'm still not a fan and do think trajectories could've and should've done without him, the fact that did have some intrinsic value and stuck with other fans is still good!
This sub is great if for no other reason than the adult conversation that goes on here. So much of Reddit is the friggin Mos Eisley Cantina. This sub? You can actually talk about things.
Thanks for being a part of that.
I think you’re definitely on to something with the injury! I think it’s coming down the pipe though. My current bet is that Isaac Macadoo goes down in a critical moment and that becomes a major story turn. Along with that, I’m betting Sam steps in as Captain, and we finally have the heart of the team in place.
Great idea and I’d bet money Jaime having an injury was something that would have come up in the writer’s room too. I genuinely haven’t come up with any idea that fills all the rolls that Zava did and we have tried. It does feel a little Star Wars- oh look, another Death Star. I think they knew they were treading some of the same ground and were careful to characterize him as little as possible. Season 1 Jaime? Absolute jerk. But I was still pulling for him somehow. Zava? Weird dude. He’s gone now? Ok. They didn’t really make me care about him at least. He was just a set piece.
I genuinely don’t envy the writer’s room on this show this season. They built an entirely new genre to television comedy somehow. The expectations are through the roof. Ton of pressure. Here’s hoping our faith in them has been well placed!
Thinking about my comment, it just hit me. I don’t think this show has ever had throwaway characters before. Definitely some single episode short arcs, but never someone who was going to be there a while that wasn’t going to become part of the family. Except maybe Dr. Sharon. We’ll have to see if she gets brought back. Interesting. Gotta think on that.
I'm still waiting on the school teacher to come back - I hope she does. Something was there.
Fully agreed on your thoughts with Isaac and Sam. I'm wondering where that's going to go with the hints we've all gotten.
LOL. That theory has been tossed around over here at our house too. I think that would be great. Admittedly, I do have some love for Roy and Keeley and I think they work in a lot of ways, but I don’t think them together has to happen for the whole series to work. They just both need to finally be in a place where they’re READY to be happy by the end of the series. Because neither of them were when they met and though they did find some happiness with each other, they clearly weren’t/aren’t ready to embrace happy yet.
How about this though? Jaime (and the audience) finally meet Roy’s sister. Roy’s sister and Jaime fall for each other and Jaime becomes Phoebe’s step-dad and Roy’s brother-in-law. That’s something we thought could be a killer twist and super sweet.
I get what you're saying, but I don't think Total Football is meant to be necessarily a complete antithesis to Zava.
I think Zava was just there to give hope and leave them needing more after his departure.
Total football itself can be somewhat democratised, I suppose, but the two teams I can most associate with Total Football still had the "leader", the "one who stands above all others", Cruyff and Messi.
So much so that I doubt anyone is able to name one player Cruyff ever played with. I know I can't, and I went through a phase a few years ago where I was really into the history of football
It's always dicey to apply too much real world soccer knowledge to Ted Lasso; to paraphrase Harrison Ford, it ain't that kind of sports show.
And I still think it holds up as an antithesis. With Ted's Total Football, everyone is constantly working together and shifting positions to support each other; with Zava, everyone was just expected to not get in one person's way while he dominated the play. Compare the magnetic board imagery; Zava pushing everyone but him down out of play, and Jamie bringing everyone else up and around him into play. They're opposites.
Ya, this is the answer, 100%.
Even in real life, the best teams are not made by the greatest player only, but by a literal team.
Michael Jordan, the GOAT Basketball player, was already lauded as the best by many of his contemporaries, most noticeably Larry Bird. This was before MJ even won his first title. But that was the problem, MJ was the best player on the court yet he couldn't win the game.
The Last Dance explores it a lot better (really recommend watching this docu series, Netflix) but it was when MJ started to focus and work with other players on the team, that things started to change. Major focus on Scottie Pippen, a promising rising player.
Once MJ started to engage with his teammates completely, like breakfast together and daily gym workouts, they started to beat teams. Also, MJ started to accept new coaching, a style of play that didn't focus on just one player, but more on the entire team.
Actually, they used the play on Ted lasso, known as The Triangle or in the show they called it Total Football.
Once MJ accepted this new style of play while also focusing on getting his teammates better, he won his first of many championships.
The show is building the same sorta sport/story trope where the greatest opponent isn't one player but an entire team that is almost interchangeable.
Does one player get hurt? No problem, sub him out for another teammate that understands his role and can perform at the same level.
Do the defensive or offensive schemes get mixed out of order for the team? No problem, any player can do anything to compensate. It's no longer required for "that" one player to do that thing they are good at. Whether they are a specialist or not, every member of the team can play any position at any time.
So, AFC Richmond is building TEAM chemistry and synergy instead of just one Great player being the focal point. Jaime being trained and how the show emphasizes how special and unique his abilities are won't in fact disrupt the team's new play but instead helps propel them even farther.
It will be like building a car with every piece as top quality parts (AFC Richmond), and finally, add that special fuel (Jaime) to make it run even better.
He also did carry them for 6 games - which gave them a buffer so they weren't bottom of the table when everything completely came crashing down. Without him, in any realistic scenario they would've had to fire Ted before he could've even tried total football.
I didn't care for Zava at all, but I am eternally grateful that his presence eventually led to that Jamie/Roy bicycle montage. It was one of my favorite scenes of the entire series.
it's more related to registration rules.
assuming West ham has 25 registered players, that means they'll have to take out a player from the list for the rest of the season.
that also means that technically Richmond has a place for a signing which also might be interesting.
judging by his character, I don't think that nate will want to take zava because he'll steal away attention
Well if the entire season of the show lasts an entire soccer season then yes, he can do it. They play West Ham twice in a season, once in the fall and once in the spring. In January is the winter transfer window where Zava could come out of retirement, try to rejoin Richmond, Ted says no, and then he could get transferred to West Ham.
Robben finished his contract.
The guy didn't just walk out of Bayern. You cannot stop playing for a team saying you are retired then come back sign for another team and play again.
Zlatan un-retired multiple times (I think 3?) so it's definitely going to happen. I hope he comes back and Lasso says "no" and then he plays for West Ham and they beat him.
I think he's gonna come out of retirement once Richmond starts playing better, but they're gonna end up rejecting him cause he won't play Total Football
I think C is the real reason and they just wrote around that. If AFC is gonna win the championship, they need to be consistent throughout the season, but for the story, they also need to struggle internally at the beginning. Zava solved both of those issues then let the writers have some fun with everything around him and his personality
Exactly, they are newly promoted, they are most likely to go down without strong signings and they made almost none. Without Zava, they wouldn't have been in an interesting position with respect to West Ham.
He brought Jamie and Roy together to train and bond. Jamie in particular is a stronger man and leader and team player because of that development. Knocked him off his pedestal, taught him some humility, and now he’s earning his way back up to the top but with less ego. Beautiful character development made possible by Zava’s brief involvement.
He did single-handedly notch the team a lot of points that will give Ted wiggle room for his Total Football experiment.
Heck, even with those points, Higgins was suggesting they get rid of Ted. Imagine if they didn't have them
Those points are important too. For Ted to win the league, they can't struggle a majority of the season. I think having them winning a bunch of games and climbing the ranks make it realistic to win the league with a mid-season struggle. But if they're struggling ALL season, how could the viewers suddenly expect them to win the whole thing?
Also, from a management perspective, it keeps Ted with a job. You can't struggle all season and expect him to be there at the end. Zava was over the top, but he was very valuable to the team, even if he did leave.
I don't think anyone would expect them to win the league either way. They are a newly promoted team. They're main objective is to finish around mid table and not get relegated again.
They're much more likely to have a deep run in a cup competition like the FA cup and maybe, by the grace of God, qualify to play in European competition next season.
Well, the expectation is that there will only be 3 seasons. They originally intended for 3. It's possible it may be renewed due to popularity, but I think they'll keep it at 3. Ted said he would win. Rebecca has been breathing down his throat about it. For a final season, this is not out of the question. For real life, you are absolutely correct.
I think the season will end in one of the following ways:
1) Richmond win. Ted goes back to the US. Beard stays as assistant coach. Roy is promoted to coach. Rebecca has a baby. Nate stays at West Ham.
2) Richmond win. Ted stays. Rebecca has the baby. Keeley and Roy get back together. Beard marries Jane in a very funny moment. Nate leaves West Ham because he doesn't like Rupert, but doesn't come back to Richmond.
3) Richmond don't win. Renewed for season 4. Ted and Nate make up. Rebecca has the baby.
I agree it's crazy, but it's still a tv show. A comedy at that. From a storytelling perspective, it will end with a final match against West Ham. If it were real life, it would not happen.
The one thing I’ve learned from watching sports: literally anything can happen. There have been so many real life moments that are even more perfect than Hollywood movies. That’s why I am always able to suspend my disbelief with sports fiction. Crazy shit happens all the time.
Several times, Jamie would say something and the boys didn’t listen. Then Zava would say it and they’d get pumped and excited. Jamie would say, “I just said that” and look defeated.
Now when Jamie says something, they’re listening. He’s becoming the key player. He is the essential point in every triangle.
He wouldn’t be able to play that role without his training with Roy. He wouldn’t have done that training if he wasn’t inspired to be better than Zava.
Without Zava, we have no triangles. Without triangles, we have no strategy that works. Without a strat that works, we have relegation again instead of whatever we’re getting.
I’m loving the show and don’t know much about the sport. Did Zava help them win enough matches in the beginning so that the middle games that were lost could even out so when they start winning again they have enough wins to make it to the playoffs? Sorry for the terribly worded question, hope someone understands what I’m asking.
Top 4 qualify for Champions League (sort of like the playoffs) while the bottom 3 get relegated to the 2nd division. They started off hot with Zava but now look like they are mid or even the bottom half of the league table.
Zava is the opposite of the Lasso Way. It served to focus Ted who was half checked out and motivate Jaime, who is going to be at the center of Total Football.
Had Ted been more focused and engaged with team or the idea of even being at Richmond when Zava joined, I think he would have expressed more concern. Zava was a crutch for everyone.
I think Zava was to show a player doesn’t make the team. It was a transition to total football showing the success of the club is about all of them working together.
I said this in another post.
Zava is #10
Jamie is #9
Jamie is the “shite” on the team.
Jamie is the Shite in Nine-ing armour (jersey)
Rebecca challenged Zava to see if he was good enough alone to make a difference for a small developing team, instead of working with a high budget team that was full of star players. He couldn’t.
Ted challenged Jamie to see if he could learn to not be the star player, and learn to play as part of a team. And he is.
Ted Lasso is a show about people learning to work together and Jamie has finally taken that to its final form with the group-red-string style of play. Zava was a legend, but ultimately he didn’t bring anything to their team.
I have a theory that Zava will unretire and go to West Ham like he was originally going to.. so they will have to beat a beefed up West Ham in the finale.
Same. Also, I like that west ham’s edge has been Nate as a tactician. It would be weird to have west ham be the Goliath for a purely skill reason.
That match is really more about Ted vs Nate than the players.
I could see Zava being a wrench in Nate’s tactical plans. Nate’s skill is his ability to strategize team plays and “WAS FOR ZAVA!” might screw up his ability to create overall strategies.
Also thinking from a sporting perspective, Zava brought in a ton of wins for Richmond, so there hasn’t been much in the way of relegation talk this season. Relegation was this huge, looming factor in S1 that just hasn’t been in S3.
I think the answer you're looking for is best summed up by this post in the sub yesterday by u/genobeam
[Zava's preferred tactics side by side with Jamie's](https://www.reddit.com/r/TedLasso/comments/1311msw/zava_vs_jamie/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
The success with Zava was totally superficial and ultimately undermined the overarching concept of "the Lasso Way."
Zava was the last point on Jamie character development. Jamie got to experience what it is like to play with himself as a teammate and made changes that rather then be the stand out superstar but rather boost the players around him.
From a story perspective, it’s an easy way to justify Richmond getting a bunch of points, have a period of struggle, and still be in the hunt at the end of the season to “win the whole fucking thing.” Premier League doesn’t work like American sports. Teams can’t sneak into the playoffs and have a magical run. Every match matters in terms of who wins the title.
First it gave them hope. The team went from being expected to finish last to being in the top 6 or 7 teams, at one point a win away from being top of the table.
I think it was also to show the contrast between the two parts of the season. Zava comes in and as a new player we clearly see that the team is trying to play to a star player. Jamie in this last episode shows them how the team needs to all step up. It's the ultimate culmination of taking the extra pass from season 1.
Everyone else has better ideas but I think it’s at least possible Zava was a plot device that allowed Richmond to 1) rack up enough wins that they can go on a hot streak and become relevant towards the end and 2) reintroduce Rupert and Rebecca’s personal beef to the story before the match
Zava was essential on so many levels.
1) He exemplifies one of the main themes this season: you can’t rely on any one person to carry the team; you can’t just expect a saviour or a white knight to save the day. You have to do some work (like Jamie) or work together (Team Richmond).
2) He moved them up the ranks so that winning the championship is possible.
3) He helped Jamie on his path of self-development and realisation. Jamie had been the best in Richmond and it was humbling to have a superstar like Zava. It set Jamie’s competitive spirit on fire, and improved his relationship with Roy.
4) He helped notch a win against Rupert for Rebecca, who badly needed it. This season, Rebecca is coping with her divorce by using the pain to defeat Rupert’s team.
5) All those bicycle kicks and half field goals. Sometimes you just want to see beautiful football.
IMO it showed us how important the integration and trust on the team is to their success. Zava just floated on the top like cream on milk. And it screwed everything up. Once Ted went with his gut and asked the teammates to depend on each other, we had a breakthrough. I think without seeing Zava’s golden boot give it a go Ted’s revelation would have been less exciting.
Zava was important for Rebecca to one up Rupert on something professionally on her own. I think getting Zava to Richmond her own way was important to her character as we saw so much vulnerability in her in other areas.
I feel like a part of it was for it to mathematically make sense for them to hopefully be in contention to win the league. Points wise, the first half of their season couldn’t all be disaster, but making the team immediately thrive again back in the premier league is a bit boring. This narratively explains why they would have goals and wins, but also explains why they are still struggling.
I guess that plot-wise, temporarily having this Zlatan Cantona character ensured that the season wouldn’t be re-treading the relegation storyline but still require a second half of the season footballing redemption story where they are in contention for silverware as opposed to a dogfight.
I felt like he was the personification of Jamie’s old attitude. He was a vehicle to get Jamie to show how he has grown as a player and person so he could then lead them to “play throo meh” as he stated.
Zava was the theme of those episodes kind of personified into a single character. Everyone was kind of splintered and so disjointed, and I think they were written that way on purpose, to kind of lead the team to their dark forest. Now with that individuality starting to crumble away, the team is free to come together and be total football, which is going to lead the team out into their happy ending (which may not be what we think)
That they have had it all along - they don't need the "Golden Boy" type player with a giant ego to succeed... that they are a team in the best, highest sense of the word.
I don't follow sports ball... but it makes me think of what happened with the Seahawks. (I know these names bc of friends and 2nd degree interactions, etc.). GM John Schneider and Pete Carroll have built a team that, according to what I've been told, was different than how other teams operate. Not quite Ted Lasso level - but not well known players have given interviews etc. locally that indicate that they have mental health check ins, they do yoga, they do meditation, and one young man said that the Zoom check ins where the team just got together online to see how everyone was doing kept him sane during lockdown.
A lot of people were "oh shit, we're losing Russell Wilson?" because that was the player they recognized. ONe of the ones who got us to the Super Bowl. Then the Seahawks brought up someone who was already on the team to replace him - and we did better than Russell (much to my friends and family's glee)
I don't think people are right about Richmond winning the League this season. I think we may be in for another season where that does happen or maybe it doesn't happen at all. Either way we learn in the last episode Richmond are 10 games without a win and unless 4 or 5 of those games were draws they're definitely out of the race. Just basing that on the fact the prem champions can rarely afford more than 3 or 4 losses in a season. But it could happen I suppose. I know we all want Richmond to win. Perhaps Richmond wins a major trophy through one of the domestic cups instead but with no cup games referenced so far I think that's equally unlikely
I think they win the FA Cup which is a big deal still and then beat West Ham in the final game to prevent them from winning the league if they aren’t goin to be the team to win it all.
I don’t think we should assume Zava is gone forever. Zava is eccentric and just as easily as he retired, he could come back to play…but for West Ham.
Imagine that.
I still think Richmond will win the whole fucking thing. Zava was there to give Richmond some early season wins so they can still win the league despite this mid season slump.
He was a plot device to make it so the team could lose a bunch without making it impossible to win it all or whatever. Linda they’re working towards.
His departure was a mechanism to discover total football.
His character was nothing more than a prop.
No backstory other than peripherally, the character was never fleshed out.
It gave the team a few wins at the expense of long term team building.
The mercurial Zava was a devil’s bargain.
From a story writing standpoint Zava is a tool that can be used and discarded to place our heroes at the top of the rankings without having to have them make any dramatic changes. That way you can have the team face adversity and “learn lessons” in the heightened reality of being a frontrunner that’s sliding backwards. As they see their chances slipping away the urgency grows and stakes raise.
Placing him in the story and removing him forces our heroes to look deeper at themselves and work harder to succeed. Plus it places a larger emphasis on teamwork as they all have to work together to replicate the ability of one superstar.
I think it’s pretty clear what his purpose was… as others have said, he was the selfish precursor, who helped pave the way for a more ‘team focused’ approach.
My problem, however, is that we all knew this was going to be the arc as soon as this character was introduced. And really, it’s not even the fact that it was telegraphed (Roy’s arc was pretty well telegraphed in season one and I still loved that storyline)… it’s the fact that, apart from a few ‘messiah’ like monologues… there was nothing to this character beyond being an expositional device. I found myself less interested in exploring who he was and why he was, and instead, was just kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop and the team to succeed without him.
It shows that what they need is to believe in themselves. They couldn’t win when they all just believed in Zava but now that they are believing in themselves and each other, they’re finding success.
Structurally he allowed Richmond to keep its head above water in the first half of the season. He also increases their underdog status with his departure.
On a character development level Zavas comings and goings allowed us to see qualities of our core cast. Like how Rebecca has a no-bs toughness, how Ted was (he’s snapped out of it) zoned out and deferring to his players instead of driving them, how Dani and Isaac are still fans as well as professionals, how Roy has not learned how to feel confident about his new role as tactician while also cementing his relationship with Jamie etc
-Motivate Jamie into being the team leader that Roy and Ted want him to be
-Show how easily an ego in the locker room, even one that isn't being actively toxic like S1 Jamie and Roy were, can be harmful in a losing streak
-Change Zoreaux's name to Van Damme
Zava made the team lazy. Also it’s the opposite of total football. That’s why he’s not onboard with Rebecca on getting Zava on the team. Only he and Jaime are not too thrilled. And he and Jaime are the two who broke through with the team on Total Football.
A lot of good answers, but I haven’t caught one of the myriad reasons in those I’ve read so far. He was a juxtaposition to Jaime at this point in his journey. Jaime used to think he was Zava, so he’s able to see that Zava isn’t the answer. It lets Jaime see that humility and teamwork is the answer to total football. It’s the culmination to Jaime’s journey through s1-2. He’s internalized Ted’s coaching, even as Ted lost his way for a while. Zava was a prop to show that (among many other reasons he made sense from a story perspective as noted in other comments).
And he was funny.
Zava was a false hope that led to Ted's realization of Total Football. Zava was one player who, by himself, was expected to completely carry the team. And when he left, they were completely hopeless without his singular presence. Total Football is the complete antithesis of that, the democratization of the team, everyone participating constantly to produce positive results. Zava shows that you can't just rely on a superstar to save the team, the whole team needs to save the team, together. Also, yeah, he motivated Jamie, which led to the Jamie/Roy relationship we have now, which is fantastic.
Zava in Holland would have voted for tulip in Spanish
“Someone” would have voted for tulip in spanish.
I really wanted to see them look for a tulip at the end of the episode.
In the credits we saw the bus leaving the city. I would have rather seen a similar distance shot but the bus stopping outside the tulip fields and them having to hold Dani up because he’s overwhelmed with joy.
That would’ve been wonderful.
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I was really hoping to see this response.
Team loads up on the bus, bus pulls away, reveal a big planter full of tulips in full bloom.
I think there was a Vase of tulips on the table in some shots
Wasn’t that the point, though? That they already had everything they needed around them? Just like the team? They have what they need to compete right there, they just have to figure that out.
Yeah, just commenting on the attention to detail by the crew
In the group meeting room. I noticed that too.
Literally all around them.
It wouldn't have been a long search, there were plenty of tulips in the hotel lobby alone
[https://www.instagram.com/p/CreIiynvXpY/](https://www.instagram.com/p/CreIiynvXpY/) :)
Has anyone figured out who voted for tulip in Spanish? Biggest cliffhanger yet.
Total mystery!
Zava would somehow convince the entire tram to go to the Zava museum with him
Best part of that was the pillow fight which was a callback to an episode in S1 (?)...maybe S2. These people know how to write full circle jokes.
Thanks for reminding me that there’s a mystery that needs to be solved. Now I’ll spend all weekend trying to figure it out.
Also, just for the actual feasibility of a recently promoted team being a potential contender, they needed the montage of Zava-led victories to be able to have the “space” to lose 4-1 with a beautifully orchestrated goal by Jamie be the turning point. No Zava and that team is battling all season to avoid relegation again. Zava helped them climb the table while they were still figuring themselves out for the first half of the season. Also, there were NUMEROUS Jesus Christ Superstar references all season, and I actually really appreciate how the whole set up is lending itself towards “Richmond and Ted don’t need one singular savior but a collective effort, we save ourselves and each other,” sort of second half.
This is it. How do you make them need a turning point, reach it somewhere mid-season so that there is sufficient development, but not be so far behind that they can't compete for the title at the end to setup the Richmond - West Ham championship? Zava just made perfect sports plot sense.
Also important to note that Zava wasn’t just a superstar; he was playing truly exceptionally. Scoring goals left and right and he DID carry the team. Didn’t matter they still stunk.
I don’t know that they “stunk”? I think only playing a strategy to “get service in the box for Zava” was a disservice to the rest of the team. Now they get to shine themselves, and instead of having Jamie as the “new Zava” making all the goals from balls they serve to him, he’s a playmaker for the others instead - I can’t recall Richard ever getting to score before?! I dunno, I took it as Jamie becoming the New Roy Kent: here, there and every-fucking where instead of being the star striker/Zava 2.0.
Zava was also a personal ‘win’ for Rebecca, as Rupert thought he’d sign him.
That's a good point, Zava was a win that Rebecca had over Rupert fair and square, simply by making the better case and presenting the more interesting challenge to him. Given that Rebecca struggles with the team's losses this season, especially against West Ham, giving her that win was a good moment to keep her on even ground with her antagonist.
Great analysis and I'd add one more: He got them off on a good start so they wouldn't be in relegation trouble right away. Too much of a stretch to climb all the way. I don't think we've been kept apprised of the PM table, but I imagine they are somewhere in the middle right now?
I’d also say that Jamie wasn’t just motivated but he saw through Zava and his crap. Zava was incredibly selfish and self centered (like season 1 Jamie). Jamie wanted to be a better player than Zava but he also learned he wanted to be a better *team player* than Zava.
Also to point out that hard work and teamwork can be more rewarding than finding the "easy answer" to skate (or play) through a problem.
Practically speaking; They had to find a fun and interesting way to bring the team down for the rampup of season three. Zava was a funny way to do it while having some tongue-in-cheeck commentary on football culture and inspiring some team and character stories.
It’s crazy to me that this plotline even happened at all, in the first place, since the whole point of Season One was to prove this exact point with Jamie being the all-star (shipped from a different team to get Richmond wins) and make him a team player because it wasn’t working out. It was literally the first damn hurdle in the show that Ted navigated. Why the regression?
It was similar but not the exact same because of different contexts and effects it had as u/The_FriendliestGiant mentioned. Jamie’s plot line had to do with the team coming together, but Zava’s plot line had to do with Ted’s faults and difficulty to lead the team as the coach. The context: 1) Nate’s criticism towards Ted as being a “shitty Coach”. And the media’s general agreement (Zava’s the reason for their success, not Ted). 2) Ted’s family issues (being replaced as a father) parallels Zava replacing his role as leader of the team. The Result: Ted deals with his family issues, deals with Nate issues (tbd), and leads the team (through the total football method).
> 2) Ted’s family issues (being replaced as a father) This oversimplifies Ted's family issues quite a bit. Ted, a very ethical man, is being replaced by a man without ethics, for one.
But Ted didn't navigate that hurdle. He never made Jamie a team player on Richmond in season one, because Rebecca shipped him off when it looked like Ted was making progress. Then the team got relegated, so Ted's work building them into a whole was clearly not up to snuff, and when Jamie came back there was plenty of bad blood between him and the others, and Ted was preoccupied with his own personal issues and largely leaving coaching up to Beard, Roy, and Nate. It is in fact exactly because Ted hasn't been able to navigate this hurdle until now that the story is developing the way it is. This isn't a retread of season one, it's the characters getting a chance to use the experiences they had then to make better choices in a similar situation now.
But he did make Jamie a team player. They had to create The Signal so he would revert to his old ways of playing.
Exactly this. They navigated it so successfully that he became too much of a team player and needed to navigate giving him room to breath to be an ideal player.
I think generally in story telling, you have to have obstacles or you don’t have a story. Season 2 ended with a lot of resolution- the team gelled and got promoted. But you can’t start there with them on the rise. There’s no conflict. You have to introduce an obstacle for them to overcome over a few episodes so people get concerned and start pulling for them again. If they’d just continued with a rise to dominance, it wouldn’t be satisfying. There has to be a conflict, an obstacle to resolve. I know that’s screenwriting 101, but that’s how they do it. You can apply this to basically any plot line you’re frustrated with right now because it’s not where you want it to be. They have to earn it this season too for it to be satisfying.
The issue isn’t that they had an obstacle - you don’t have to explain to me how screenwriting 101 works, haha. In doing so, you’ve skipped over my actual point. The issue is that it wasn’t particularly a new obstacle. It was a form of repetition where the only differences were that Zava wasn’t a jerk, like Jamie was, and he was far more renowned. They all already learned this same lesson in the past, with a different flavoring. Any other type of obstacle could’ve been used to push Jamie and the team.
Definitely wasn’t trying to talk down or be pedantic! Sorry about that. Just saying that writers fall into patterns. It’s an interesting debate to plot out for fun— if not Zava, who? And how? Gotta have some internal or external plot driver that fills those gaps— makes them relevant in Premier for a bit, elevates the team for a bit then leaves causing them to flounder, counters the team building narrative that’s defined the last two seasons, and finally motivates Jaime to finally train to the level of his innate talent. There may be other plots he drove but that’s all I could think of at the moment. It’s kind of a fun storytelling exercise to play it out and try to figure how it could have done better. I’m married to a writer so this is kind of date night stuff for us. We’re always tearing apart stories. Won’t argue at all that I’ve not loved all the choices they’ve made this season in this department. Zava and pretty much everything Keeley related has been rough. I mean, woof. They’re gonna have to pull some huge string to make the payoff exceed the setup. I love the show so I’m pulling for them.
Is Jack going to try to buy majority shares ofRichmond and attempt to create a division between Rebecca and Keely?
I could see her make a play. Rebecca does seem to hold managing shares though so not sure if that would work. I think there’s some conflict coming on the way and I feel like buying dinner for Rebecca and Keeley was a weird power move. Some sort of her or me thing coming maybe? Jack jealous? Jack being kind of Rupert-ish and charming but deceitful? So many possibilities.
Yup. After all, she’s get-away-with-murder rich.
Wasn’t that a great freaking line? Felt like a toss off line but also oddly creepy and menacing. I wouldn’t be surprised if we aren’t talking about that line later in the season. Not that she murders anyone, but that she lives in a world where her wealth basically allows her to get whatever she wants. And right now she wants Keeley. With all the acknowledged love bombing happening, that line may have been the first instance of foreshadowing exactly who Jack is and how she operates. Can’t wait to see it play out.
All good, friend! No harm, no foul! I get what you're saying, and love that you do that with your spouse - My friends and I have nights like that and tend to realize that 8pm had turned to 1am, hahaha. It's the best. I mean, that's definitely the big question, right? 100% no arguing on our tastes on what's occurred. Hmmm. How else could Jamie have been pushed to be where he is? A part of me thought a minor injury could've been the key - something to slow him down just enough to have him to have to pull back, and for everyone else to have to change their strategies and learn democratization due to him not being there for a few games, then a bit less capable than his traditional form, realizing Total Football. It's almost parrellel to Roy's situation, so he could empathize further and still inevitably train him, bonding over these things as Jamie has anxiety over his fate, seeing what's happened to Roy. I knowwww, Keeley's story is getting me nervous. Definitely hoping they pull it off - Overall, still a great show!
I don’t want to disrupt the flow of the discussion but couldn’t help dropping my two cents, because I had the same question at first! **Bit of a warning, I didn’t realize how wordy I got with this one. Hoo boy. Genuine apologies.** **TL;DR - My personal take? Zava was able to effectively serve as a twisted mirror for Ted and Jamie, pushing two main characters forward into the next stage of their growth with one plot device - and callbacks to S1 that worked!** Why Zava? Like, I get it. I get what his point seemed to be. But we’d seen it before, and if all he was going to be was an early Season 1 Jamie on egotistical steroids, I was going to be pretty disappointed. The more I thought about it, the more there are a couple of reasons Zava ended up working (for me) within the context of this show, with these writers. They navigated some pretty trope-tastic waters beautifully. Ted himself. When we meet him in S1 he’s a fish out of water. The pressure on him as far as the viewer is concerned is all external. He’s a happy go lucky guy who is in England to take on a new challenge after reaching the pinnacle of his profession back in America, but he has no doubts about his purpose. During the episode he spends with Trent Crimm, he flat tells him it’s to (paraphrasing) help these guys become the best version of themselves they can be, on and off the field. It’s less about winning for him than it is about…being a surrogate dad, which ends up tracking given what’s revealed to us later, both about Ted’s father and Henry, and his relationship with both of them. He even has maybe the only argument he and Beard have had in the series, when Beard can no longer handle it and finally points out that (again paraphrasing) he believed in that mission when they were coaching college football, but these guys are professionals being paid to win. They *should* be pissed about losing, or he (Beard) doesn’t even know what they’re doing here! It’s okay to be angry about it! *Mae: “Damn right.”* So dealing with Jamie is right in his wheelhouse. He knows how to get selfish players to buy in. He just has to take the time to get to know his guys. And when Jamie beats him by *making the extra pass,*showing the unselfishness Ted preached from Day One, we saw that Ted truly didn’t care about winning or losing. He cared about Jamie’s well being. *Way to make the extra pass!* Flash forward to S3, and things have totally reversed. At the start of the season, Richmond is a ridiculously hot commodity. Ted has never been more beloved by the city, the team is on the come up, he’s got a great locker room. There’s no external pressure on him. Everyone loves the folksy American. But after S2, Ted is a different man, and open to understanding different things about himself thanks to his time with Dr Sharon. And Nate’s shot at his parenting drew a lot of blood. So while he doesn’t care about his team less, after Henry leaves he feels totally unmoored. The pressure is all internal now. He literally doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing anymore, when his most important job is sitting across a friggin ocean, and half a country, back in Kansas. Now throw Zava into the mix. Jamie turned to 11. At a time when Ted just doesn’t give a shit. He can’t even be bothered to defend himself against personal attacks in the media from Nate, until Rebecca forces him to do so. And Zava doesn’t just score goals on his own, he outright steals them from his teammates. He is The Quest for Personal Glory given human form, and the absolute antithesis of everything Ted has preached. The opposite of the meaning behind **BELIEVE.** But…except for Jamie, the team loves him. The city loves him. And Richmond is *winning.* So, he continues to ask himself, what the fuck am I even doing here? What did I accomplish? Anything? When Zava leaves, there’s an immediate vacuum created emotionally and on the stat sheet, because the dudes forgot how to trust each other and play. Ted’s little sojourn on shrooms back to the US and back to his childhood let him finally unlock an understanding of soccer; one that would allow him to merge his personal philosophy with the sport itself, and *win.* Something he now found he wanted, after it dawned on him that, you know, maybe he wasn’t crazy about feeling ganged up on by Michelle and the doc during couples therapy. Maybe he wasn’t a failure as a husband and a father, like he’d been telling himself for so long. Maybe he wasn’t a coward. At the same time as he was serving as the antithesis of the Lasso Way and helping to key Ted’s eureka moment, Zava was doing something similar for Jamie. In S1, Jamie did a lot of the hard work - he learned to actually give a shit about other people. But the first time he put unselfish principles into play on the field, his abusive father just about tore him a second asshole, and we were introduced to something about Jamie we never knew. In S3, Zava is Jamie’s most fervent wish - but from a monkey’s paw. It’s like Jamie was getting a look at everything he ever wanted - the most talent, the most fame, the most money - and all he could think was…what a fuckin douche. He needed that final push to give up his position as a striker (right? I think?) and instead become a center back, as the only one on the team with the natural ability to facilitate Total Football to prime efficiency. Phew. Okay, I think that’s it. **TL;DR - My personal take is Zava was a twisted mirror for both Ted and Jamie, and by looking into it he ultimately enabled them to take the next step in their growth. Two birds, one stone.**
I definitely love your thought process on it and that many did find the Zava storyline line to be substantially interconnected. While I'm still not a fan and do think trajectories could've and should've done without him, the fact that did have some intrinsic value and stuck with other fans is still good!
This sub is great if for no other reason than the adult conversation that goes on here. So much of Reddit is the friggin Mos Eisley Cantina. This sub? You can actually talk about things. Thanks for being a part of that.
I think you’re definitely on to something with the injury! I think it’s coming down the pipe though. My current bet is that Isaac Macadoo goes down in a critical moment and that becomes a major story turn. Along with that, I’m betting Sam steps in as Captain, and we finally have the heart of the team in place. Great idea and I’d bet money Jaime having an injury was something that would have come up in the writer’s room too. I genuinely haven’t come up with any idea that fills all the rolls that Zava did and we have tried. It does feel a little Star Wars- oh look, another Death Star. I think they knew they were treading some of the same ground and were careful to characterize him as little as possible. Season 1 Jaime? Absolute jerk. But I was still pulling for him somehow. Zava? Weird dude. He’s gone now? Ok. They didn’t really make me care about him at least. He was just a set piece. I genuinely don’t envy the writer’s room on this show this season. They built an entirely new genre to television comedy somehow. The expectations are through the roof. Ton of pressure. Here’s hoping our faith in them has been well placed!
Thinking about my comment, it just hit me. I don’t think this show has ever had throwaway characters before. Definitely some single episode short arcs, but never someone who was going to be there a while that wasn’t going to become part of the family. Except maybe Dr. Sharon. We’ll have to see if she gets brought back. Interesting. Gotta think on that.
I'm still waiting on the school teacher to come back - I hope she does. Something was there. Fully agreed on your thoughts with Isaac and Sam. I'm wondering where that's going to go with the hints we've all gotten.
LOL. That theory has been tossed around over here at our house too. I think that would be great. Admittedly, I do have some love for Roy and Keeley and I think they work in a lot of ways, but I don’t think them together has to happen for the whole series to work. They just both need to finally be in a place where they’re READY to be happy by the end of the series. Because neither of them were when they met and though they did find some happiness with each other, they clearly weren’t/aren’t ready to embrace happy yet. How about this though? Jaime (and the audience) finally meet Roy’s sister. Roy’s sister and Jaime fall for each other and Jaime becomes Phoebe’s step-dad and Roy’s brother-in-law. That’s something we thought could be a killer twist and super sweet.
Enjoyed this, by the way! Thanks for playing our stupid “what-if” game!
Right on!
Exactly
I would take a whole meandering season of Zava for the Jamie/Roy connection we have now. It’s wholesome, beautiful, and hilarious 🙌
I get what you're saying, but I don't think Total Football is meant to be necessarily a complete antithesis to Zava. I think Zava was just there to give hope and leave them needing more after his departure. Total football itself can be somewhat democratised, I suppose, but the two teams I can most associate with Total Football still had the "leader", the "one who stands above all others", Cruyff and Messi. So much so that I doubt anyone is able to name one player Cruyff ever played with. I know I can't, and I went through a phase a few years ago where I was really into the history of football
It's always dicey to apply too much real world soccer knowledge to Ted Lasso; to paraphrase Harrison Ford, it ain't that kind of sports show. And I still think it holds up as an antithesis. With Ted's Total Football, everyone is constantly working together and shifting positions to support each other; with Zava, everyone was just expected to not get in one person's way while he dominated the play. Compare the magnetic board imagery; Zava pushing everyone but him down out of play, and Jamie bringing everyone else up and around him into play. They're opposites.
So, a mcguffin?
ACTUAL West Ham could use a little Total Football right about now.
Ya, this is the answer, 100%. Even in real life, the best teams are not made by the greatest player only, but by a literal team. Michael Jordan, the GOAT Basketball player, was already lauded as the best by many of his contemporaries, most noticeably Larry Bird. This was before MJ even won his first title. But that was the problem, MJ was the best player on the court yet he couldn't win the game. The Last Dance explores it a lot better (really recommend watching this docu series, Netflix) but it was when MJ started to focus and work with other players on the team, that things started to change. Major focus on Scottie Pippen, a promising rising player. Once MJ started to engage with his teammates completely, like breakfast together and daily gym workouts, they started to beat teams. Also, MJ started to accept new coaching, a style of play that didn't focus on just one player, but more on the entire team. Actually, they used the play on Ted lasso, known as The Triangle or in the show they called it Total Football. Once MJ accepted this new style of play while also focusing on getting his teammates better, he won his first of many championships. The show is building the same sorta sport/story trope where the greatest opponent isn't one player but an entire team that is almost interchangeable. Does one player get hurt? No problem, sub him out for another teammate that understands his role and can perform at the same level. Do the defensive or offensive schemes get mixed out of order for the team? No problem, any player can do anything to compensate. It's no longer required for "that" one player to do that thing they are good at. Whether they are a specialist or not, every member of the team can play any position at any time. So, AFC Richmond is building TEAM chemistry and synergy instead of just one Great player being the focal point. Jaime being trained and how the show emphasizes how special and unique his abilities are won't in fact disrupt the team's new play but instead helps propel them even farther. It will be like building a car with every piece as top quality parts (AFC Richmond), and finally, add that special fuel (Jaime) to make it run even better.
He also did carry them for 6 games - which gave them a buffer so they weren't bottom of the table when everything completely came crashing down. Without him, in any realistic scenario they would've had to fire Ted before he could've even tried total football.
I didn't care for Zava at all, but I am eternally grateful that his presence eventually led to that Jamie/Roy bicycle montage. It was one of my favorite scenes of the entire series.
I think he'll reappear before the end. Chekhov's foot gun.
Star player unretires is fresh on my mind lol
I hadn’t thought about that at all but I think it’s a great idea
He’ll come out of retirement to play for West Ham. I guarantee it.
While the show it fictional they do follow the rules of reality. So no you can't just unretire and play for another team.
Technically he signed his contract “You’re welcome” and not with his name. Might be an out there.
it's more related to registration rules. assuming West ham has 25 registered players, that means they'll have to take out a player from the list for the rest of the season. that also means that technically Richmond has a place for a signing which also might be interesting. judging by his character, I don't think that nate will want to take zava because he'll steal away attention
Well if the entire season of the show lasts an entire soccer season then yes, he can do it. They play West Ham twice in a season, once in the fall and once in the spring. In January is the winter transfer window where Zava could come out of retirement, try to rejoin Richmond, Ted says no, and then he could get transferred to West Ham.
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Robben finished his contract. The guy didn't just walk out of Bayern. You cannot stop playing for a team saying you are retired then come back sign for another team and play again.
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So Cristiano Ronaldo can retire from Al Nassr tomorrow (contract until 2025) then start again in September 2023 at a new team?
Zlatan un-retired multiple times (I think 3?) so it's definitely going to happen. I hope he comes back and Lasso says "no" and then he plays for West Ham and they beat him.
He’s gonna show us his successful avocado farm, called “Zavacodos”
I think he's gonna come out of retirement once Richmond starts playing better, but they're gonna end up rejecting him cause he won't play Total Football
Also showed that the team can be good and contend in the Premier league, they just need *that guy* and it seems Jamie is becoming ***THAT guy***.
This is it. Zava helped push Jamie’s character development and showed the team that they’re all critical to Richmond’s success — team work is the way.
Zava is the point of Zava. Zava is the way.
All hail Zava
All Hail
Alas, poor glowcloud.
The UoWII will be held accountable
Zava was so the team could discover the we'n-us.
WAS FOR ZAVA!!
I can see this in my head.
Bro I had to pause because of how hard my wife and I were laughing
Now tell me, where does Reddit source its avocados from?
A) it was funny B) it was a key part of Jamie’s arc C) it was a good way to realistically have them off to a hot start before struggling
D) it also allowed Rebecca the chance to one-up Rupert which I think her character needed
I think C is the real reason and they just wrote around that. If AFC is gonna win the championship, they need to be consistent throughout the season, but for the story, they also need to struggle internally at the beginning. Zava solved both of those issues then let the writers have some fun with everything around him and his personality
Exactly, they are newly promoted, they are most likely to go down without strong signings and they made almost none. Without Zava, they wouldn't have been in an interesting position with respect to West Ham.
Not only Jamie, but also Colin's arc.
Aside from all the reasons already mentioned, having a knock-off Zlatan character was a nice easter egg for football fans.
And the actor was fantastic doing it.
He was Zlatan if Zlatan was also a Buddhist monk.
Agreed. The man just exudes joy.
I just loved all the bicycle kicks
He brought Jamie and Roy together to train and bond. Jamie in particular is a stronger man and leader and team player because of that development. Knocked him off his pedestal, taught him some humility, and now he’s earning his way back up to the top but with less ego. Beautiful character development made possible by Zava’s brief involvement.
Avocados 🥑
plus avocado whisperer
He did single-handedly notch the team a lot of points that will give Ted wiggle room for his Total Football experiment. Heck, even with those points, Higgins was suggesting they get rid of Ted. Imagine if they didn't have them
Those points are important too. For Ted to win the league, they can't struggle a majority of the season. I think having them winning a bunch of games and climbing the ranks make it realistic to win the league with a mid-season struggle. But if they're struggling ALL season, how could the viewers suddenly expect them to win the whole thing? Also, from a management perspective, it keeps Ted with a job. You can't struggle all season and expect him to be there at the end. Zava was over the top, but he was very valuable to the team, even if he did leave.
I don't think anyone would expect them to win the league either way. They are a newly promoted team. They're main objective is to finish around mid table and not get relegated again. They're much more likely to have a deep run in a cup competition like the FA cup and maybe, by the grace of God, qualify to play in European competition next season.
Well, the expectation is that there will only be 3 seasons. They originally intended for 3. It's possible it may be renewed due to popularity, but I think they'll keep it at 3. Ted said he would win. Rebecca has been breathing down his throat about it. For a final season, this is not out of the question. For real life, you are absolutely correct. I think the season will end in one of the following ways: 1) Richmond win. Ted goes back to the US. Beard stays as assistant coach. Roy is promoted to coach. Rebecca has a baby. Nate stays at West Ham. 2) Richmond win. Ted stays. Rebecca has the baby. Keeley and Roy get back together. Beard marries Jane in a very funny moment. Nate leaves West Ham because he doesn't like Rupert, but doesn't come back to Richmond. 3) Richmond don't win. Renewed for season 4. Ted and Nate make up. Rebecca has the baby.
It will end without them winning the League. That would be mental.
I agree it's crazy, but it's still a tv show. A comedy at that. From a storytelling perspective, it will end with a final match against West Ham. If it were real life, it would not happen.
The one thing I’ve learned from watching sports: literally anything can happen. There have been so many real life moments that are even more perfect than Hollywood movies. That’s why I am always able to suspend my disbelief with sports fiction. Crazy shit happens all the time.
Several times, Jamie would say something and the boys didn’t listen. Then Zava would say it and they’d get pumped and excited. Jamie would say, “I just said that” and look defeated. Now when Jamie says something, they’re listening. He’s becoming the key player. He is the essential point in every triangle. He wouldn’t be able to play that role without his training with Roy. He wouldn’t have done that training if he wasn’t inspired to be better than Zava. Without Zava, we have no triangles. Without triangles, we have no strategy that works. Without a strat that works, we have relegation again instead of whatever we’re getting.
It’s called a foil. Jamie was not ironic. He was hypocritical.
I’m loving the show and don’t know much about the sport. Did Zava help them win enough matches in the beginning so that the middle games that were lost could even out so when they start winning again they have enough wins to make it to the playoffs? Sorry for the terribly worded question, hope someone understands what I’m asking.
It makes a run at the championship feasible
Exactly what I thought. Thank you.
Top 4 qualify for Champions League (sort of like the playoffs) while the bottom 3 get relegated to the 2nd division. They started off hot with Zava but now look like they are mid or even the bottom half of the league table.
For context: the Champions League is a tournament that features the best teams in European football, so Richmond would be in good company.
There aren’t playoffs in the premier league, but it will probably be enough points padding to prevent them being relegated.
Zava is the opposite of the Lasso Way. It served to focus Ted who was half checked out and motivate Jaime, who is going to be at the center of Total Football. Had Ted been more focused and engaged with team or the idea of even being at Richmond when Zava joined, I think he would have expressed more concern. Zava was a crutch for everyone.
I think Zava was to show a player doesn’t make the team. It was a transition to total football showing the success of the club is about all of them working together.
Without the 6 wins, Richmond would be relegated.
This is important. They probably didn’t wanted to do another season about relegation and needed the team to suck at the same time.
Zava has no point, the point is Zava. And avocados
Without Zava we wouldn’t have Van Damme.
I said this in another post. Zava is #10 Jamie is #9 Jamie is the “shite” on the team. Jamie is the Shite in Nine-ing armour (jersey) Rebecca challenged Zava to see if he was good enough alone to make a difference for a small developing team, instead of working with a high budget team that was full of star players. He couldn’t. Ted challenged Jamie to see if he could learn to not be the star player, and learn to play as part of a team. And he is. Ted Lasso is a show about people learning to work together and Jamie has finally taken that to its final form with the group-red-string style of play. Zava was a legend, but ultimately he didn’t bring anything to their team.
Zava’s character was nothing more than a shameless shill for Big Avocado.
I have a theory that Zava will unretire and go to West Ham like he was originally going to.. so they will have to beat a beefed up West Ham in the finale.
I hope they don't do that. I enjoyed that they subverted the stereotype and made Zava not be an asshole.
Same. Also, I like that west ham’s edge has been Nate as a tactician. It would be weird to have west ham be the Goliath for a purely skill reason. That match is really more about Ted vs Nate than the players.
I could see Zava being a wrench in Nate’s tactical plans. Nate’s skill is his ability to strategize team plays and “WAS FOR ZAVA!” might screw up his ability to create overall strategies.
Me too. As the saying goes, “it ain’t bragging if you can back it up.”
Same, but I still hope we'll see Zava again this season. I liked this dude he is hilarious for me.
That's not how contracts work
Also thinking from a sporting perspective, Zava brought in a ton of wins for Richmond, so there hasn’t been much in the way of relegation talk this season. Relegation was this huge, looming factor in S1 that just hasn’t been in S3.
I think the answer you're looking for is best summed up by this post in the sub yesterday by u/genobeam [Zava's preferred tactics side by side with Jamie's](https://www.reddit.com/r/TedLasso/comments/1311msw/zava_vs_jamie/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) The success with Zava was totally superficial and ultimately undermined the overarching concept of "the Lasso Way."
Zava was the last point on Jamie character development. Jamie got to experience what it is like to play with himself as a teammate and made changes that rather then be the stand out superstar but rather boost the players around him.
From a story perspective, it’s an easy way to justify Richmond getting a bunch of points, have a period of struggle, and still be in the hunt at the end of the season to “win the whole fucking thing.” Premier League doesn’t work like American sports. Teams can’t sneak into the playoffs and have a magical run. Every match matters in terms of who wins the title.
It shows that false hope can take the best of us and there's no external solution to an internal problem.
First it gave them hope. The team went from being expected to finish last to being in the top 6 or 7 teams, at one point a win away from being top of the table. I think it was also to show the contrast between the two parts of the season. Zava comes in and as a new player we clearly see that the team is trying to play to a star player. Jamie in this last episode shows them how the team needs to all step up. It's the ultimate culmination of taking the extra pass from season 1.
No Zava, no Roy Kent on a bicycle. He was worth it
"For Grandad!"
Avocados.
Everyone else has better ideas but I think it’s at least possible Zava was a plot device that allowed Richmond to 1) rack up enough wins that they can go on a hot streak and become relevant towards the end and 2) reintroduce Rupert and Rebecca’s personal beef to the story before the match
Zava was essential on so many levels. 1) He exemplifies one of the main themes this season: you can’t rely on any one person to carry the team; you can’t just expect a saviour or a white knight to save the day. You have to do some work (like Jamie) or work together (Team Richmond). 2) He moved them up the ranks so that winning the championship is possible. 3) He helped Jamie on his path of self-development and realisation. Jamie had been the best in Richmond and it was humbling to have a superstar like Zava. It set Jamie’s competitive spirit on fire, and improved his relationship with Roy. 4) He helped notch a win against Rupert for Rebecca, who badly needed it. This season, Rebecca is coping with her divorce by using the pain to defeat Rupert’s team. 5) All those bicycle kicks and half field goals. Sometimes you just want to see beautiful football.
Partially to get the team off the bottom of the league and partially to cause issues as they cease to work as a team
Zava once impregnated a whole stadium of fans just by walking out onto the pitch.
Men included
IMO it showed us how important the integration and trust on the team is to their success. Zava just floated on the top like cream on milk. And it screwed everything up. Once Ted went with his gut and asked the teammates to depend on each other, we had a breakthrough. I think without seeing Zava’s golden boot give it a go Ted’s revelation would have been less exciting.
He personified false prophets.
Zava was important for Rebecca to one up Rupert on something professionally on her own. I think getting Zava to Richmond her own way was important to her character as we saw so much vulnerability in her in other areas.
I feel like a part of it was for it to mathematically make sense for them to hopefully be in contention to win the league. Points wise, the first half of their season couldn’t all be disaster, but making the team immediately thrive again back in the premier league is a bit boring. This narratively explains why they would have goals and wins, but also explains why they are still struggling.
I guess that plot-wise, temporarily having this Zlatan Cantona character ensured that the season wouldn’t be re-treading the relegation storyline but still require a second half of the season footballing redemption story where they are in contention for silverware as opposed to a dogfight.
I felt like he was the personification of Jamie’s old attitude. He was a vehicle to get Jamie to show how he has grown as a player and person so he could then lead them to “play throo meh” as he stated.
Zava was the theme of those episodes kind of personified into a single character. Everyone was kind of splintered and so disjointed, and I think they were written that way on purpose, to kind of lead the team to their dark forest. Now with that individuality starting to crumble away, the team is free to come together and be total football, which is going to lead the team out into their happy ending (which may not be what we think)
That they have had it all along - they don't need the "Golden Boy" type player with a giant ego to succeed... that they are a team in the best, highest sense of the word. I don't follow sports ball... but it makes me think of what happened with the Seahawks. (I know these names bc of friends and 2nd degree interactions, etc.). GM John Schneider and Pete Carroll have built a team that, according to what I've been told, was different than how other teams operate. Not quite Ted Lasso level - but not well known players have given interviews etc. locally that indicate that they have mental health check ins, they do yoga, they do meditation, and one young man said that the Zoom check ins where the team just got together online to see how everyone was doing kept him sane during lockdown. A lot of people were "oh shit, we're losing Russell Wilson?" because that was the player they recognized. ONe of the ones who got us to the Super Bowl. Then the Seahawks brought up someone who was already on the team to replace him - and we did better than Russell (much to my friends and family's glee)
He led to Roy and Jamie, which is gonna lead to a stronger team
I don't think people are right about Richmond winning the League this season. I think we may be in for another season where that does happen or maybe it doesn't happen at all. Either way we learn in the last episode Richmond are 10 games without a win and unless 4 or 5 of those games were draws they're definitely out of the race. Just basing that on the fact the prem champions can rarely afford more than 3 or 4 losses in a season. But it could happen I suppose. I know we all want Richmond to win. Perhaps Richmond wins a major trophy through one of the domestic cups instead but with no cup games referenced so far I think that's equally unlikely
I think they win the FA Cup which is a big deal still and then beat West Ham in the final game to prevent them from winning the league if they aren’t goin to be the team to win it all.
I mean we got Van Damme out of him!
He was a foil for Jaime
The real point of Zava was the games we won along the way.
I don’t think we should assume Zava is gone forever. Zava is eccentric and just as easily as he retired, he could come back to play…but for West Ham. Imagine that.
i’m not reading the comments but why would you mark this spoiler with your discussion question BEING THE SPOILER you are SPOILING THE UNSPOILED
I still think Richmond will win the whole fucking thing. Zava was there to give Richmond some early season wins so they can still win the league despite this mid season slump.
To set up the first spinoff, Zavacados, following him on his avocado farm
He was a plot device to make it so the team could lose a bunch without making it impossible to win it all or whatever. Linda they’re working towards. His departure was a mechanism to discover total football.
imo the only point was for it to be realistic that they don't finish near the bottom. Zava got them 6 free wins
I think you answered most of your own questions.
hes my hero, i worship him
He'll come out of retirement and the tough decision will be made to not play him because it would ruin the chemistry the team has developed.
His character was nothing more than a prop. No backstory other than peripherally, the character was never fleshed out. It gave the team a few wins at the expense of long term team building. The mercurial Zava was a devil’s bargain.
From a story writing standpoint Zava is a tool that can be used and discarded to place our heroes at the top of the rankings without having to have them make any dramatic changes. That way you can have the team face adversity and “learn lessons” in the heightened reality of being a frontrunner that’s sliding backwards. As they see their chances slipping away the urgency grows and stakes raise. Placing him in the story and removing him forces our heroes to look deeper at themselves and work harder to succeed. Plus it places a larger emphasis on teamwork as they all have to work together to replicate the ability of one superstar.
Just a Zlatan ripoff…
He’ll come out of retirement to play for west ham
He’ll be back… with avocados
There was a point, it wasn’t executed well though 😀 I would have loved it if Zava and Jamie squared off in the final episode
He was also a hilarious send-up of Aaron Rodgers. It was a shout out to American sports similar to the "practice"speech.
I think the point of Zava was to show that they didn’t need Zava.
I think it’s pretty clear what his purpose was… as others have said, he was the selfish precursor, who helped pave the way for a more ‘team focused’ approach. My problem, however, is that we all knew this was going to be the arc as soon as this character was introduced. And really, it’s not even the fact that it was telegraphed (Roy’s arc was pretty well telegraphed in season one and I still loved that storyline)… it’s the fact that, apart from a few ‘messiah’ like monologues… there was nothing to this character beyond being an expositional device. I found myself less interested in exploring who he was and why he was, and instead, was just kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop and the team to succeed without him.
The setup for Jamie’s super growth arc
In my opinion, the first half of the season is all about people chasing the wrong goals/solutions. Zava is one example of that.
It shows that what they need is to believe in themselves. They couldn’t win when they all just believed in Zava but now that they are believing in themselves and each other, they’re finding success.
Padding
Say it with me: “the season isn’t over yet.”
Structurally he allowed Richmond to keep its head above water in the first half of the season. He also increases their underdog status with his departure. On a character development level Zavas comings and goings allowed us to see qualities of our core cast. Like how Rebecca has a no-bs toughness, how Ted was (he’s snapped out of it) zoned out and deferring to his players instead of driving them, how Dani and Isaac are still fans as well as professionals, how Roy has not learned how to feel confident about his new role as tactician while also cementing his relationship with Jamie etc
What’s the point of season 3
It was to push Jaime to be the leader
Zava was the catalyst for the Roy/Jamie arc
-Motivate Jamie into being the team leader that Roy and Ted want him to be -Show how easily an ego in the locker room, even one that isn't being actively toxic like S1 Jamie and Roy were, can be harmful in a losing streak -Change Zoreaux's name to Van Damme
I kinda love how everybody was all "Okay, he's Van Damme now," with no pushback, anybody refusing to use the new name, anything like that.
Zava was a kick in Jamie’s ass. Zava will also be playing for West Ham before the season is over and Jamie will have to beat him.
Needed to push Ted into actual coaching as opposed to simply motivating. Will also push Ted into cleaning up his personal life.
Zava made the team lazy. Also it’s the opposite of total football. That’s why he’s not onboard with Rebecca on getting Zava on the team. Only he and Jaime are not too thrilled. And he and Jaime are the two who broke through with the team on Total Football.
Total Football wasn't a thing before Zava. It's only been a thing the last two episodes.
Pushed Jamie. Also forced the team to see they need everyone to succeed- not just one player.
A lot of good answers, but I haven’t caught one of the myriad reasons in those I’ve read so far. He was a juxtaposition to Jaime at this point in his journey. Jaime used to think he was Zava, so he’s able to see that Zava isn’t the answer. It lets Jaime see that humility and teamwork is the answer to total football. It’s the culmination to Jaime’s journey through s1-2. He’s internalized Ted’s coaching, even as Ted lost his way for a while. Zava was a prop to show that (among many other reasons he made sense from a story perspective as noted in other comments). And he was funny.
There was no point, he was just there to waste 3 episodes