gemma short writings

From a tense shareholders meeting about the viability of a women’s team at Richmond to the complete standstill of a friendly, there were many opportunities to cringe throughout this new episode. A part of me thought, “surely this can’t be the reality of getting a team up and running”; but if these were completely unrealistic scenarios then why did I get so emotional?

A quick, massive disclaimer: I still loved this episode. There were many elements that perfectly aligned with the show’s usual ethos, tugged at the heartstrings while still being entertaining, and did well to encapsulate a lot of pressing issues within women’s football. I will return to this once I’ve settled my issues with the episode, those being the blundering of the match, and the mishandling of characterising one Miss Keeley Jones.

Firstly, the Lady Greyhounds made their debut in a friendly that was chalked up to be boring, which frankly felt insulting. I understand that it was for the sake of Richmond still not having a striker. However, it just felt in poor taste. I don’t believe for one second that the match would have been boring, nor that even Ted would be insulting the pace of the game, especially when we’ve spent two episodes seeing how passionate and energetic the team are.

“Are we going to be made to endure the sacrificing of characterisation through a series of farces just for the hopes of satisfying pay-offs at the end of each episode?”

While on the topic of disbelief, are we seriously supposed to believe that Keeley Jones would be incompetent?! Keeley Jones, who is deeply passionate about the team, who has been at the club for five years, and who has ran her own PR firm? The same Keeley Jones who from the very beginning of the show has been clued in on all things social media? Are we seriously supposed to believe that our girl wouldn’t have seen any reference to ‘The Report’ about the viability of women’s football, or that she wouldn’t have had the shirts delivered weeks before the match? Don’t be so rude.

Incredulity aside, this episode has left me concerned about the trajectory of the season. Are we going to be made to endure the sacrificing of characterisation through a series of farces just for the hopes of satisfying pay-offs at the end of each episode? It doesn’t make sense for the Richmond we know and love to be so disorganised or careless. I wish the show would trust the emotional moments to hold up on their own without being balanced by sitcom level mishaps.

With that being said, I can understand the fiasco with the missing shirts. Much of it was out of Keeley’s control, and the whole point of the payoff was about the dynamic between her and Roy rather than about her competence. Admittedly, I welled up at Phoebe and her friends being sent by Roy to bedazzle the shirts; it was also important to see him finally recognising how to be there for Keeley.

I found it upsetting but all too real seeing the amount of times she has been left to sort everything out for herself, and to be met with words of encouragement rather than actual help whenever she looks to the people around her for support. As the season progresses, I need everyone else to pull their weight, to be honest with her, and to actually help her when she needs it!

Now, with that frustration aside, I can appreciate the episode’s strengths. The main storyline is that the team is missing strikers, and I enjoyed the story of how we got to acquiring two new characters: Lizzie (Faye Marsay) and Gemma (Abbie Hern). I loved seeing the debrief between Alice, Ted and Beard regarding the action plan for replacing their striker; the three already gel so well together, and it was a nice touch that all three desks were pushed together. Ted follows through with holding try-outs in response to a joke made by Alice; despite Alice’s frustration with the futility of the event, it’s in classic Ted fashion for him to have done such a thing, even if it were mostly a failure.

It’s through these tryouts that we’re met with some interesting characters, not least the revelation that fan-favourite Dani Rojas has an equally energetic sister who turns out to be somewhat athletic but terrible at football. Shannon also makes a return, but much to Ted’s and Beard’s dismay she isn’t yet strong enough to justify joining the team (although this unfortunately doesn’t stop Ted). Most importantly, it’s Lizzie who makes a strong impression on not just the coaches but on the squad too. She notably brings her child to the tryout (unable to get daycare for him), who turns out to be unbelievably adorable.

However, Lizzie isn’t a striker, which leaves the coaching team still scrambling. In a desperate attempt, Ted and Alice try to persuade Gemma, who used to be coached by Alice but quit because of her. I liked that Alice’s first attempt to speak to her was a disaster, with Gemma completely ignoring her, and that Ted wouldn’t let her give up with trying. Tension heightened between the two women when they approach her at the university she now studies at. Alice clearly resents Gemma as much as the other way around her, but still seems to understand her really well; she gives in and lets her be subbed on towards the end of the match because she can see just how restless Gemma is to be let on the pitch despite her initial reluctance to return to the sport.

These new characters are strong additions to the cast, and I’m excited to see what becomes of the now fully fledged team. There’s still signs of a long and tricky road for the Lady Greyhounds, but with the first match under their belt there’s much promise. For the most part, I think my moments of cringe came from a denial about reality. I wanted to believe that the issues were farfetched, but the reality is we still have to fight to get men to listen, to take women’s football seriously and not just see it as secondary.