A surprise pregnancy storyline tends to shake up a TV comedy’s status quo for better (Friends, The Office) or for worse (Modern Family, Scrubs). But with Ted Lasso, it’s hard to tell how the show will handle its latest “Huh? Is this really happening?” moment, considering the godawful pacing of season four so far. If the writers had an inkling of where Roy and Keeley were going to end up, why in the world did they drag out their reunion for so long? The two of them just got back together at the end of last week’s outing, only for Keeley to learn in “Mae Rides The Bus” that she’s going to become a mother. For added flair, she even faints during the game—a clear sign of what’s coming that ruins the buildup Ted Lasso was aiming for with the reveal later on.
Once again, the show resorts to its weird tendency to forego depicting major developments on screen, leaving us to fill the gaps and wish we had actually witnessed intricate moments of interaction instead of only hearing about them. When “Mae Rides The Bus” begins, roughly two-ish months have already passed since Roy and Keeley got back together. But the audience is robbed of seeing them after suffering through all the poorly executed miscommunication storylines. Instead, bam, we’re dumped straight into a curveball. Keeley, who has peed on multiple tests to confirm it, is pregnant for real. If Ted Lasso hadn’t messed up its pace as badly as it has, this would’ve been an exciting update for the pair. But as it stands now, this Big Moment lands with a thud.
It doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to Roy and Keeley entering this next phase, and the cheesy reactions everyone else will have to the news—if we ever get to see them find out, that is, considering we didn’t even properly hear Keeley tell Roy! After dilly-dallying for the entire episode—and sharing her pregnancy news first with Rebecca over lunch, in what’s admittedly a pretty lovely scene—Keeley whispers it to Roy at the very end. His reaction? He says it’s the best thing he’s ever heard, followed by a kiss. It’s sweet, but I can’t help but wonder how effective this arc could’ve been had Ted Lasso cared to give their relationship more dimension—they were apart for three years!—instead of losing its essence in an unnecessary will-they/won’t-they.
Meanwhile, Keeley briefly passing out wasn’t the episode’s only obvious giveaway. The title might as well have been “Mae Rides The Bus…To Heaven!” or something. Season four has made a big deal of Mae’s newfound involvement in Ted’s life. If she was merely a snarky but helpful pub owner in the beginning, she’s now Ted’s landlady/friend and a mentor to Henry, who’s still working part-time at The Crown And Anchor. Season four clarifies that Mae’s interest in football stems not just from being a fan of the sport, but because she wished to play it herself and was never given the opportunity. That’s why she was an early supporter of the Lady Greyhounds, and tirelessly champions them to her literal end. It makes the decision to kill her off now particularly manipulative.
When Ted learns that Mae is unable to drive for two hours to get to Bristol for the team’s latest game, one they desperately need to win after a losing streak post-Gemma’s injury, he offers Mae the chance to ride on the team’s bus. Along the way, she bonds with the players, who immediately welcome Mae into their little club and essentially fulfill her longstanding desires because she lives vicariously through them. All this spotlight on Mae—who plays a vital part in building the world of Ted Lasso, but mostly hung out in the background—is a sure sign that we’re going to have our hearts unnecessarily ripped out. And if I had a suspicion the show was about to kill her off, it was cemented when Ted asks Mae to give the team a motivational speech during halftime. She talks about how, while growing up, women weren’t allowed to indulge in their athletic dreams and it’s why she loves the team.
It’s a well-deserved moment in the sun for Annette Badland, who’s been with the show from the beginning. She’s a terrific actor in general, with an impressive list of credits to her name. So it’s annoying that “Mae Rides The Bus” gives her the chance to shine only to pull the rug out from under everyone. After watching the Lady Greyhounds ace it in this pivotal match, Mae drops dead right there in the stands. I guess she at least experienced the thrill of victory before dying. As sorry as I am to see Mae go, I’m baffled by the decision to cram all these events into a single episode. Did the writers realize too late they’ve only got so much time left, and is that why the result is an undercooked, chaotic episode?
There’s another haphazard reveal in “Mae Rides The Bus,” in which we learn that Zelda is buying up shares in AFC Richmond. I do have to point out the pacing issue here again because, in the past several weeks, Gemma is back post-injury and Keeley has gotten pregnant, but Rebecca and Higgins are still figuring out the shares problem? What have they been doing these past couple of months? They still think it’s Rupert, whose lawyers deny his involvement. How is Rebecca not suspicious of Zelda, who seems to drop into her office whenever she pleases, especially when Rebecca was wary of Zelda’s involvement at first. It just doesn’t track. For some reason (likely anger, as Mae suggested last week), Zelda is keen on stealing Richmond from under Rebecca’s nose. It’s anyone’s guess what her endgame is. Tracey Ullman’s far-too-broad performance is grating, though, so let’s hope it doesn’t mean she’s here for good.
At least Ted Lasso can boast about being an actual sports comedy again—the football match itself is quite exciting to watch. Thanks to the mini time-jump, a semi-healed Gemma helps out the team for a little bit. (It does take away from the drama of last week, when her injured knee felt like doomsday for the Greyhounds.) In her absence, Alice focuses on coaching Shannon, who is apparently too stuck in her head. Alice guides her to trust herself and her body’s instincts, and it pays off. In the game against Bristol, Shannon helps them score a goal, as does Lizzie. Similarly, Boots finally embraces the gloves. The goalie has been determined to want to feel the ball in her hands, but when the pain gets unbearable, Beard convinces Boots to do the right thing for the team’s sake so that they can get promoted. And hey, it works out! The Lady Greyhounds win, thanks to true team effort. Let’s see how they’ll do in their final match, coinciding with, well, next week’s finale.
Stray observations:
- •This episode is a tribute to the late Anthony Head, and the dedication pops up right after Rebecca tells Ted about Mae. Is that why the show waited so long to add an “in memory of” card for him?
- •We really don’t need to discuss Beard’s new hair and earrings, right? RIGHT? Absolutely no one close to him is checking in about it properly, which also doesn’t track.
- •Even the so-called romantic moments between Roy and Keeley appear forced now, like when he uses her makeup and tools to illustrate what’s going on in the match (she’s forbidden from watching them for health reasons).
- •Roy: Do you remember my mate Darren who lost his job a few years ago?
Keeley: You mean went to prison for embezzlement.
Roy: From an insurance company. So f**king what? That’s like robbing a pickpocket
- •I will be pissed if we don’t get to see Phoebe’s reaction to learning that Keeley and Uncle Roy are about to be parents.
- •Isn’t it a little disrespectful that Ted—of all people!—refuses to pronounce or spell Niamh and Siobhan’s names properly? In this episode, he calls them Neom and Cinnabon.
- •The Milk Sisters are here! We learned in season two that they own 2.9% of the shares, and don’t want to give them up, but Zelda’s BFF has found out where they live and is about to make them an offer; one that I hope they refuse.
- •Any predictions on whether former cast members will make a surprise appearance in the season four finale? Perhaps some of the men’s team players, or even Jamie Tartt and Nate, could drop in for Mae’s funeral.
Saloni Gajjar is The A.V. Club‘s TV critic.
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