Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 1, “Home” Spoilers Ahead
It feels strange to be back in the world of Ted Lasso, and rightfully so, because right off the bat, we aren’t home. Not yet anyway. And neither is the titular character, despite the fact that Kansas City has very much been his home longer than Richmond. Still, it’s a little jarring, but even that’s intentional to make us understand that this journey is meant to feel different. Time has passed, and things have changed—so have we. I’m writing a review for Ted Lasso, yet somehow, it still hasn’t hit me that we’re back.
Tonally, everything feels a little unfamiliar as we catch up with our characters, and it also feels off when we know we’re missing characters in this episode like Brett Goldstein’s Roy Kent and Brendan Hunt’s Coach Beard. (I imagine we’ll see them next week when we’re all back in London!) Still, “Home” doesn’t exactly feel like home, and it doesn’t have to—that’s the point of it all, until the very last second. Ted should’ve stayed, and he should’ve brought Henry and Michelle with him. But better late than never.
Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 1 Hilariously Swaps Biscuits with Barbecue
A lot’s changed, but some things are the same, like Ted still hates tea and I hate barbecue sauce. (It’s the molasses, don’t come for me!) But Rebecca Welton is all for this swap as she embraces barbecue, making it really gratifying to see that even with a woman with as much grace and poise as her could get a stain on her shirt. It’s a small detail, but it’s incredible in how much lightness and ease it displays. This isn’t the Rebecca we meet in the show’s pilot episode, and thank God for that. The ease in her is palpable throughout, and Hannah Waddingham doesn’t miss a single beat in showing us just how much lighter the character is.
Interestingly, though, the episode relies on filling the blanks for us, and that’s understandably the part that feels off because there’s a lot we’ve been missing. Three years didn’t just pass for us, but that’s the same amount of time that’s passed in canon. So when we see that Rebecca and the boat guy, Matthijs, introduced to us in “Sunflowers” are still going strong, it’s slightly shocking. More than anything, because it seems like they’re still doing long distance, in which case I hope that the remainder of Season 4 actually shows us more of their journey in order to make rooting for him easier.
Rebecca is my favorite character, and if she’s dating someone, then I’m nosey and want to know all that there is about him. Despite that, there are few things as exciting as seeing her happy, and it’s seeing her in a graphic tee! It’s seeing her back with Juno Temple’s Keeley, knowing that the two women are going strong in their friendship and that Jeremy Swift’s Higgins is right there alongside them. It’s refreshing to know that we really are getting a women’s football team and that isn’t just some pipe dream we all hoped for. (Meeting them all is going to be so exciting!)
Ultimately, though, swapping biscuits for barbecue is an interesting metaphor in this proposal, because what we also see is that Ted’s clearly unhappy working at a supermarket. It’s the last place I would’ve imagined for him, so it’s strange to see him there, even though he’s clearly very much Ted and doing the Ted-thing of trying to steer a kid in the right direction. What’s also fascinating is that his mom is the one telling him he needs to move forward from here when it was her idea to convince him he needs to go back to Kansas City.
Where Do We Go From Here?
One of the things that I strongly feel impacted my initial viewing of Season 3 was this idea that it was the end. I kept thinking the show would be over, so every plot hole or moment that didn’t get as much development made me assume it’d remain unresolved. But as we know now, that’s not the case, and even if something is confirmed to be the end, we can still get some sort of return. Because of this, it’ll be a lot more enjoyable to take every episode as its own thing. There’s a new team now, and naturally, things won’t be easy. I can’t even begin to imagine how many challenges we’ll get and where it’ll lead these characters outside of work.
In that sense, Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 1, “Home” delivers a riveting—rightfully unsettling—beginning to nudge us toward a new chapter. We aren’t supposed to watch this episode and feel like Ted’s satisfied with the initial choice he made because he clearly isn’t. The mundane life isn’t meant for someone with as much spirit in him, and there’s something to be said about the friends you know reaching out to pull you out of that carefully crafted bubble.
One of my favorite quotes in Ted Lasso will forever be Rebecca’s “hire your best friend” advice in “Inverting the Pyramid of Success.” The show’s truest colors are palpable in its deep admiration for friendships and how a community makes the working experience all the more enriching. And, of course, there’s also the reminder that no one is sad and alone, which in some ways, Ted was before Rebecca, Keeley, and Higgins came to get him. But now, with this new chapter, we get to feel hope again, and that will always matter.
Ted Talks and Further Thoughts
- A full review done, and it still hasn’t hit me that I wrote about Ted Lasso again. Wild, isn’t it?
- I’m obsessed with the scene of everyone slowly getting out of the car, and you know who’s who just based on their shoes.
- Rebecca Welton could make a trash bag look beautiful. Imagine having that much power?
- I cannot wait to meet the women’s team!
- It’s also so interesting that Michelle will be in London with Ted and Henry. Will she have a bigger role this season, or will we just hear about her? Genuinely can’t wait to find out.
- I’m also so curious to see if we’ll get any cameos from the AFC Richmond boys.
Now streaming on Apple TV: What are your thoughts on Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 1, “Home?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Apple TV