In Ted Lasso season 3, Rebecca shares with Keeley how she met Rupert when she sees Rupert using the same manipulation tactics he used on her for football star Zava.
At AFC Richmond’s match against Chelsea, Zava appears in the crowd to warm his fans up. Moments later, he is approached by Rupert, who is quite interested in signing the high-profile player, owing to the skillset he brings to the game.
Rebecca and Keeley notice this conversation from a distance. When Keeley attempts to assure Rebecca that Rupert will not be able to recruit Zava, Rebecca reveals how good Rupert is at luring people in.
The first time Rebecca met Rupert
Years ago, Rebecca was bartending at a club. Rupert and his then-wife came into that bar. Rupert immediately garnered everyone’s attention. Rebecca says he was the life and soul of that party; he bought rounds for everyone, told stories, and was just charming.
Before leaving, he left a massive tip for Rebecca. A week later, he came alone and asked Rebecca out. Rebecca said no, and he left. From that day on, he visited that bar regularly. He just came to sit, drink, and chat with Rebecca until the bar closed.
Rupert used to say that it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t go out with him; being with her and getting to know her is enough and just worth it. After six weeks of that, he asked Rebecca out again.
Rebecca was so into him by then that she just said yes without any hesitation. He made her feel lucky and convinced her that he just wanted her. Rebecca felt special and chosen.
Does Rupert recruit Zava?
Rupert uses the same charm that he used on Rebecca to bring Zava onto his team. Zava does think about talking to Rupert again. Even Rebecca doesn’t back down. She tries to sweet-talk Zava too but fails to strike up a conversation like Rupert.
When Rebecca crosses paths with Rupert again, she asks him why he bought West Ham. She thought AFC Richmond was his one true love. Rupert then claims that he got bored of the same old things, which infuriates Rebecca, who deduces that he is also referring to his past relationships.
This remark made her hunt Zava down. Instead of sweet-talking Zava, she confronts him and lets him know that he is overrated and how he will look if he signs with a big club like West Ham. Despite being great, it won’t matter if he is in West Ham or not; they can still win without him.
Rebecca’s rant works on Zava. He backs off from signing for Chelsea at the last moment and chooses to play for AFC Richmond, making Rupert mad in turn, who thought he was going to choose West Ham instead.
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