Two shows are fighting for their lives within Ted Lasso‘s fourth season. One wants to continue fleshing out stories and characters we know and kind of love, whether it’s Ted’s ability to coach a group of underdogs or the somehow-still-ongoing complications with Roy and Keeley. Seriously, how have these two grown-ups not yet spoken about their feelings in all these years that Ted was away? Do they just plan on making googly eyes at each other the whole time like angsty teens? It’s not even a will-they/won’t-they anymore, considering they’ve fully dated in the past. Surely the whole “We’re too busy building our careers” isn’t an impediment anymore?
But I digress: The other side of the show wants to be about the necessity of championing women’s football, and the difficulties of launching the Lady Greyhounds when almost nobody believes in their success. The media and the passionate (male) AFC Richmond fans have already written the new team off, and it hasn’t even officially launched yet! Higgins’ intense research doesn’t bode well either, so I’m extra glad that both he and Rebecca agree not to rely on it and go with their gut in the end. If anyone can defy the odds, it’s them. Still, Ted Lasso struggles to intertwine both aspects into a cogent TV show. At present, it’s stuck between regurgitating old, chewed-over material (see also: all things Beard!) and a genuine, worthwhile desire to unpack a timely topic.
However, the writers have cleverly figured out one fun way to tie these threads together: Talented, no-nonsense assistant coach Alice Chilton (Tanya Reynolds). Can Ted’s optimism help him charm his way into Alice’s good books, like it did with Rebecca? Can the two overcome their differing personalities—he’s a ray of sunshine, she’s a real one—to lead the Lady Greyhounds to eventual victory? At least these questions have me intrigued enough to see what answers the show will give us. I appreciate their work dynamic in “Curiouser And Curiouser” already. Alice has her walls up, but she doesn’t instantly shut Ted down, despite the resignation she’s already tendered. And Ted doesn’t try extra hard to keep her on, either. Each one does what they do best; Ted connects with the players and Alice nurtures them, like she did with the injured striker.
They’re starting from a place of mutual respect, which explains why, after spending little time with Ted, Alice accepts the position of assistant coach and rescinds her resignation. There’s some impressive nuance to Reynolds’ performance here: She portrays Alice as all businesslike, with just enough warmth to show us that, deep down, she is a sweetheart who wisely maintains professional boundaries. She’s already an excellent addition to the ensemble, and we’ve only had her for one episode.
Alice realizes that Ted isn’t an “I’ll walk all over you” type of guy at all, but actually manages—with Keeley’s help—to give the players a personalized, spacious locker room and basic necessities like, you know, more bathrooms and free tampons. It’s strange because Rebecca, of all people, hasn’t exactly considered what the Lady Greyhounds need on a day-to-day basis as they train. In fact, the most crucial arc Ted Lasso kicks off here is Rebecca coming to terms, or trying to, with her internalized misogyny. She’s visibly shaken when Alice rightfully states that Rebecca didn’t even consider hiring a woman for the job that she flew halfway across the world to offer to Ted. And she hastily accepted Alice’s decision to quit, without so much as a polite, “No, don’t go, we need you.”
When we met Rebecca in season one, she herself was quite closed off to Ted and didn’t care for his optimism—at least not until the darts game against Rupert. But her original goal was to bring AFC Richmond down so that she can prove to her deceitful ex-husband that she’s just as (if not more) powerful than him. Rebecca has fought a hard fight and has certainly grown since then, but it tracks that she would initially be unaware of her unconscious gender bias. And when it’s pointed out as blatantly as Alice does, it pinches her. She goes off on a quest to read books about feminism that she then shoehorns into conversations with her mother, but I like that Alice has pushed Rebecca to self-reflect because she is a woman in an important leadership role, has battled various norms to get there, and is now able to push other women ahead if she chooses to.
Alice and Rebecca’s final conversation in “Curiouser And Curiouser” adds more fuel to the fire. Rebecca expresses her side of the story, and points out that Alice could stand to be more empathetic—even though, in my humble opinion, Alice isn’t wrong at all. I hope and assume that Ted Lasso will find a way to get these two on friendly terms, but for now, this uncertain dynamic is an exciting branch for the writers to explore. As for the rest of the Lady Greyhounds, we get a brief glimpse at some of the players, including a pair of sisters (Aisling Sharkey’s Niamh and Rex Hayes’ Siobhan) and a badass goalie, Boots (Jude Mack), who, it should be noted, hates gloves. It’s only the second episode, so I’m giving Ted Lasso a pass for not giving more time to the players, but the remaining episodes of season four had better focus on their internal dynamic so we can get to know them just as well as we did the AFC Richmond dudes.
As for the episode’s other loose ends, we circle back to—deep, frustrated sigh—Beard. After some childish back-and-forth, he gleefully reunites with Ted as an assistant coach. Roy graciously lets him go from the men’s team after witnessing Beard yearning for his old pal. But does anyone care for his outlandish schtick anymore? This wasn’t the character we met in season one, and I’m unsure of why the show insists on portraying him as this zany. And let’s not even talk about the Jane of it all because, yes, it’s alluded to that their mess is still on. Am I nervous about whether he’ll affect the bond brewing between Ted and Alice? Yes. Perhaps it won’t be as bad if Ted Lasso continues sharpening itself after that dull premiere, and lets Reynolds’ Alice be a major part of its so-called reinvention.
Stray observations:
- •I appreciate the attention to detail with the set decoration of Alice’s desk. The Post-it quotes from Billie Jean King, Virginia Woolf, Andy Murray, and Shakespeare give enough insight into her state of mind, her likes, and where she draws her inspiration from. Who’s the woman in that framed photo with her, though?
- •Ted’s renting the apartment above his beloved pub, courtesy of Mae, who is genuinely excited about the Lady Greyhounds. A relief!
- •I hope Ted Lasso utilizes Lauren Hendricks well. She plays the team’s physio, Caroline C-word Seaward.
- •It’s interesting that Ted says “Who says you can’t go home again” while standing on the AFC Richmond field, when just last week, he was clearly lying to Rebecca about how Kansas is his home.
- •At least the chemistry between Juno Temple and Brett Goldstein hasn’t evaporated at all, if their scene revamping the women’s locker room is any indication. Now take Keeley’s advice (“I think keeping two people apart who belong together is bad not just for them, but for everybody.”) and let them kiss already!
- •”Strong women stand up for themselves, stronger women stand up for others.”
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