Spoilers ahead for Ted Lasso, "Midnight Train to Royston."
Jamie telling Keeley he loved her seemed bad enough when it came to threats to Keeley and Roy's relationship, but Ted Lasso was just getting warmed up. Because after Keeley's Vanity Fair photoshoot, it very much seems like Keeley and Roy will break up in the Ted Lasso Season 2 finale. I sure hope I'm wrong, but there have been some signs that this break (I refuse to say it will be a permanent split!) was coming.
Roy and Keeley are a couple that can communicate with no words, as they demonstrated confessing some unpleasant things to one another in "Midnight Train to Royston." They also know how to respectfully make up after arguments, like in "Headspace." And this mismatched couple epitomizes how opposites not only attract but can be really good for one another. So no one wants Roy and Keeley to break up. But here are all the signs that it could happen and that it could (maybe, kind of, please don't hate me) be a good thing for them both.
1. How Quickly They Got Together
Jamie's declaration of love at Rebecca's father's funeral may be a symptom of moving on too quickly-itis. Things move fast on TV, but Keeley broke up with Jamie in the fourth episode of Season 1. In the seventh episode, Roy kissed her. In the eighth episode, Keeley had sex with Jamie because she was angry Roy didn't seem interested. (And because Jamie was being kind of sweet.) In that same episode, she apologized to Roy, he forgave her (with some help from the Diamond Dogs), and they went on their first date. They've been together ever since.
Based on how Jamie came to Keeley first about getting back on AFC Richmond, he still depends on her. And though she's made some boundaries, she's not completely willing to give up supporting Jamie — which does put Roy in a rather awkward position. She wants to help Jamie be a better person, but could it also be possible that she moved too quickly from Jamie to Roy? Not saying Roy is a rebound, but she may have benefitted from some one-on-one Keeley time following her breakup from Jamie to sort out how she feels.
2. Keeley Felt Suffocated
Speaking of one-on-one Keeley time, Keeley was upset with Roy in "Headspace." With them working together and hanging out together, Keeley felt that she couldn't get any alone time. Roy didn't pick up on her feelings, but once she snapped at him (and he took some time to process it), he handled the situation pretty perfectly — by giving her time and a place to be alone with her own thoughts.
While you could say "all's well that end's well" with the "Headspace" fight, it did highlight some of the flaws in Keeley and Roy's relationship. For instance, Keeley should've communicated her feelings sooner to Roy rather than tell everyone at AFC Richmond about it first. Surely, she would've known that Roy's worst nightmare would be her gossiping to everyone about it. And though Roy responded well after the fact, Keeley probably would've preferred him noticing that something was off without her having to tell him.
This spat between them was no deal-breaker, especially since they made up so well. But it could be indicative that Keeley needs more room to spread her wings... and needs someone who intuitively knows that. It could also mean that Roy may want someone who wants him to be around most of the time. And what if Roy proposed that they move in together? Would that be too much for Keeley to have Roy as her boyfriend, roommate, and coworker?
3. Keeley Pushes Roy, But Does Roy Push Her?
Keeley pushes the emotionally repressed Roy to talk about real stuff, like when Keeley made Roy face the truth that he missed football. She encouraged him to become a football pundit, which led him to the realization he should be coaching at AFC Richmond. If not for Keeley, Roy might still be pretending he wanted nothing to do with the sport on a professional level.
Roy and Keeley are great for one another and he's obviously supportive. And maybe Keeley doesn't need the same pushes that Roy does. But if she did, would Roy be emotionally attuned enough to tap into that and encourage her to go after her dreams? While she's still successful, it does feel a little like the old hustler Keeley is gone. Has she possibly put aside some of her ambitions to accommodate Roy without either of them even noticing? What else could she achieve if she wasn't preoccupied with making sure Roy was thriving?
4. Keeley Didn't Tell Roy About Jamie's Declaration Right Away
I don't think Keeley wants to get back with Jamie or anything. But she did hesitate to tell Roy that Jamie said he loved her. While I wouldn't expect Keeley to have told Roy right then and there at the funeral, it took Nate kissing her (someone Roy doesn't view as a threat) for her to confess what Jamie did (someone Roy probably doesn't view as a threat).
Who's to say when the exact right time it would be for Keeley to tell Roy something like that. But she knew it would hurt and she intentionally put it off. This also goes back to her messy role in Jamie's life. There might be a part of Keeley that still wants to be special to Jamie and she should sort that out maybe apart from Roy.
5. Roy Didn't Tell Ms. Bowen About Keeley
Roy spent three hours with Phoebe's teacher, which is a strangely long amount of time to hang in a children's classroom when you're not a parent or teacher. Not to be all Karen about it, but that in and of itself is a bit eyebrow-raising (psychotic eyebrows or not). And, as he tells Keeley, Roy doesn't even know why he didn't tell Ms. Bowen that he had a serious girlfriend. He was questioning it even in the moment, so he could have corrected himself. But part of him clearly didn't want to tell Ms. Bowen about his relationship.
Similar to the Jamie thing, is there a part of Roy that wants to be special to Ms. Bowen? It's OK to flirt every now and then in relationships, but if he's actively leading Ms. Bowen on, that's a different story.
6. They Want Different Things
In typical Roy fashion, he's disgruntled that he has to be a part of Keeley's Vanity Fair photoshoot. (Odd that they want to feature her boyfriend in a "Powerful Woman on the Rise" feature, but whatever.) He, of course, shows up. But he does spend — and I emphasize again — three hours in a children's classroom avoiding the event ahead of time.
Keeley being all glamorous at a photoshoot while Roy hangs out in a public school seems quite the metaphor for what these two people want in their lives. Roy had his wild days as a young footballer, but he seems to want to be settled now. Keeley had her wild days too, but now, she's focused on creating a meaningful career that doesn't show any signs of slowing down. You can have both a thriving career and personal life. But if their visions for the future are too incompatible, they might not be the best-suited partners for each other at this exact moment in time.
7. The Episode Title
The penultimate episode of Season 2 is called "The Midnight Train to Royston." I figured it was a spoof on "The Midnight Train to Georgia" about Roy but discovered that there actually is a Royston, Ga. (and there is a Royston in England). But is this about Roy getting back to himself? Like he's headed to "Royston," Roy's ton, as if he's in Bridgerton or something.
Well, I looked up the lyrics of "The Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight & The Pips and regarding the future of Keeley and Roy, it could go either way. They're all about a man leaving Los Angeles for his home after giving up on his dreams of stardom. The singer decides to go with him because, "I'd rather live in his world than live without him in mine."
Does this mean that wherever Roy goes, Keeley will follow? Or that Roy will step aside and let Keeley go after her superstardom on her own?
Looking at the evidence, Roy and Keeley taking a break in the Season 2 finale might not be the worst thing. Or maybe this is all me just justifying what seems inevitable. But whatever happens between these two in the Season 2 finale, they better take that midnight train back to one another someday.
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Images: Apple TV+