Critic’s Rating: 4.4 / 5.0
4.4
Things certainly got wild this week for the AFC Richmond women’s team, and I ate up every second of it.
When you take a pub quiz and turn it into an all-out brawl against a group of misogynistic men, landing the entire team (including Ted!) briefly in jail, you’d better believe my bowl of popcorn was at the ready.
Safe to say, Ted Lasso Season 4 Episode 4 had me thoroughly entertained.
Each episode of Ted Lasso Season 4 seems to improve upon the last, and the season is really starting to hit its stride.
The pacing of this latest installment was snappy, the humor was quick and sharp, and it sure brought a heavy dose of drama — with a little foreshadowing too.
The episode started strong with a surprise appearance by both Trent Crimm and Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, two favorite Ted Lasso characters who I didn’t expect to see this season.
I enjoyed how the episode utilized the narrative framing of their podcast to introduce this week’s core conflict: how the coaching team should address a team’s cliques and reintegrate its players into one cohesive unit.
It provided a tongue-in-cheek way to add context to the real issue of team factions and exclusion, without resorting to playing off problematic, “look how cliquey women can be!” gendered stereotypes.
And of course, it was a fun way to bring back beloved characters that I certainly missed.
Now, I’m going to secretly hope — even though I know it’s a long shot — that we get more screen time between Sharon and Ted, and see more of their chemistry in action.
An early highlight of the episode for me? Stern Ted, breaking up the team’s locker room brawl.
It’s a side of Ted we rarely get to see, and let me tell you, I’d happily take more of it. He certainly made me want to shut up and fall in line.
Seeing Ted shift from his usual happy-go-lucky demeanor to a forceful, commanding presence was exciting rather than jarring.
It’s a reminder that beneath his unflappable exterior lies a fallible, complex character, and we still have much more to discover about him.
Brownie points also go to the writers for Ted’s “I don’t know how to download apps in this dang country” joke — as an American who just spent a year in the UK rueing my constant inability to access the apps I needed, nothing made me feel quite so seen.
The episode hits its first high point with its dramatic pub quiz.
Nothing finally brings the women’s team together like working to win some trivia — or, better yet, rallying together to fight against the common enemy that is a group of overtly sexist men who think they’re better than them at football.
Their insults may appear heavy-handed, but I’ve seen the repulsive comments levied at our US women’s national soccer team — the most decorated women’s soccer team in history — online.
The installment’s second high point comes with the intimate — yet unexpectedly hilarious — stadium scene between Keeley and Rebecca.
I’ve written that I believed Ted Lasso Season 4 would likely focus on the challenges of incorporating different perspectives to build something meaningful, and the scenes of Keeley and Rebecca’s friendship add interesting, rich layers to this theme.
Their friendship is intertwined with the power dynamics of their working relationship, and while it is often realistically imperfect, the two women always strive to approach it with sensitivity and grace.
Their scenes together, like this episode’s sweet one in the stands, highlight the beauty of a friendship built on lifting each other up, even when you don’t see eye to eye.
Keeley and Rebecca’s synergy is challenged throughout the hour by Zelda Southport, a strong-willed, incendiary investor in women’s sports teams who bails the women’s team out of jail.
I’m keen to see more of the dynamic she stirs between Keeley and Rebecca, and there is certainly foreshadowed tension on the horizon with how they each interpret Zelda’s actions.
Keeley is clearly drawn to her and believes she’s the undisputed asset they need to lead the team to success, but Rebecca appears to have a gut feeling that Zelda may cause trouble down the road.
I’m curious as to why, and while I’m loath to see any trouble befall my two favorite friends, I am intrigued to see what this character reveals about the complicated dynamic between friendship and colleagues that Rebecca and Keeley balance.
The plotline giving me pause this week? Roy and Keeley.
Where is my girl Phoebe, our resident voice of reason, when you need her? She would never let her Uncle Roy’s dating antics stand.
As much as I love a slow burn, I fear Keeley’s challenge to Roy to date other women will only serve as an unnecessary detour that drags out keeping them apart.
Even worse, I’m worried they’ll give us another love interest we might actually want to root for. This new doctor who puts Roy squarely in his place? She’s… very likable.
We all know Keeley and Roy are endgame, so anyone else is bound to get caught in the crossfire of any self-imposed delays to their relationship. I don’t see this ending well for anyone involved.
I’ve been rating the season positively so far, enjoying how it draws on its cozy, familiar constructs while effectively standing on its own as a new, uniquely compelling story.
I think Ted Lasso Season 4 Episode 4 is a great step in establishing the team as a set of unique characters you want to root for, who can inspire the same dedication as the team we got to know and love over Ted Lasso’s first three seasons.
Alice is the new character I’ve grown most attached to, and I’m eager to dive further into her complexities.
She has so much potential; not only does Tanya Reynolds fit perfectly into the cast’s energy, but she plays the role so nuancedly that the viewer questions the emotions behind her reactions.
The cuts to Alice during the team’s rowdy jail-time celebration hinted at more than just her discomfort at their rambunctious energy.
She loves order and control, but in her sidelong glances, I caught a hint of yearning — a secret desire to be included in the dynamic, rather than relegated to the sidelines.
I’m hopeful the coming episodes will focus more on her internal journey, keep the previous-season cameos coming, and avoid letting Roy and Keeley go on any unnecessary detours.
Most of all, I’m excited to see what befalls the AFC Richmond women’s team in the wake of this unexpected (yet unexpectedly successful) team-building exercise.
So Ted Lasso Fanatics, what did you think of the latest episode? Let us know all your thoughts in the comments!
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