Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 4, “Greyhounds’ Day Off” Spoilers Ahead
Ted Lasso is back with the sister episode to its debut season’s “Two Aces,” and it results in a gorgeously moving parallel that touches on the importance of teamwork. Following last week’s “Richmond’s Got Talent,” where the Lady Greyhounds were fully assembled, now, the inevitable happens with cliques and misunderstandings.
Elsewhere, Rebecca and Keeley go to a women’s summit featuring Tracey Ullman’s Zelda Southport while Roy goes on one too many dates. With an incredibly clever opening, the episode also brings back James Lance’s Trent Crimm and Sarah Niles’ Dr. Sharon Fieldstone to narrate the episode while she’s a guest on his podcast, “Through the Laces With Trent Crimm.”
Written by Sarah Walker, with directing from Ellie Heydon, “Greyhounds’ Day Off” continues to feel cozy and comforting. Four seasons in, and Ted Lasso still manages to creatively find parallels in a manner that not only works but results in some really fun beats of dialogue we can excavate.
Cliques, Trivia, and Teamwork
If there’s one thing I quote too often when I’m overwhelmed, it’s Colin Hughes’ “that’s too many ghosts,” from “Two Aces,” so it’s especially pleasing to me that we’re right back at the Crown and Anchor for some much-needed team building. What’s also fascinating is that the image of cliques is something we also saw with the Richmond boys, so this isn’t some wildly misogynistic attempt at differentiating the girls from the boys. We might’ve spent time on the subject in a different way back then, like through Roy’s attempts to stop Jamie from picking on others, curse-breaking ceremonies, and other small manners, but the message is all the same: cliques aren’t cool. And that’s why the trivia team building works exceptionally well here.
It specifically works to point out where each of their strengths lies and how, when push comes to shove, they will fight for each other. And that’s exactly why they are a team because no matter how ugly things can get, it’s clear that they all care for each other in an unexpected way. It’s all a little unconventional, yes, but that’s where so much of the wild beauty lies. And really, it reminds me a bit of the Golden Girls because while they could be mean to each other, they’d never let someone else talk down to them in the same way. They’d have each other’s backs through everything.
It’s also easy to appreciate the fact that Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 4, “Greyhounds’ Day Off,” continues to touch on motherhood in various ways by highlighting Lizzie’s strength in this particular matter. Gemma might be the star striker right now, but it’s so easy to appreciate all the little ways Lizzie looks out for the women. How Boots doesn’t think twice about attacking the guy at the bar when he spills his drink on Gemma. How the twins will fire back when need be. It’s these moments that are the most rewarding, and they were also the same moments that got me with the Greyhounds.
If there’s one thing Ted knows how to do, it’s how to nudge people toward the same page, and that’s simultaneously the show’s biggest strength. It has, and will always be, the show’s heart.
Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 4 Is a Reminder of Why Keeley and Rebecca Started This
I’m slightly nervous about how Zelda will hold it over Rebecca’s head that she bailed the entire team out of jail, but if that happens, I’m confident in how Rebecca and Keeley can pull through together. Because at its core, Ted Lasso is a show about how one person’s persistence can save another person from their own rage, and it’s so beautiful to be reminded of that detail with Keeley and Rebecca. She might’ve fallen in love with the game because of her relationship with Roy, but she stayed because of her friendship with Rebecca. She stayed because they were always going to be two women who had each other’s backs through everything.
It’s not about the money or the pat on the back—it’s about sitting next to each other on the bleachers. It’s about dreaming big and reaching those dreams together. That’s a key takeaway that continues to make this season stand out so far because it’s another lovely reminder that no one wants to achieve anything alone. Not really. Because the isolating components of any job are the very things that can have a colossal impact on people, and neither Keeley nor Rebecca wants that. It’s why it’s almost sad to see Zelda stand on her own because it’s so obvious she doesn’t have a community behind her. With that in mind, it’s incredible that the show’s continuing to strengthen Rebecca and Keeley’s relationship because it’s always been one of the most fundamental parts of the show. It feels especially relevant today.
Are Roy and Keely Back Together Yet?
They are not, and the show’s determined to hurt me by making me watch Roy make out with women who aren’t Keeley. In the most hilariously awkward challenge that also features Higgins against his will, Keeley proposes that Roy isn’t ready to get back together because he hasn’t properly dated someone in the three years since they’ve broken up. She wants him to be sure of the fact that he wants her, but at the same time, she wants him to take her off the pedestal he’s got her on.
To be fair, from a woman’s standpoint, I fully get where Keeley’s coming from. As a fan, I’m losing my mind a little because if these two aren’t back together soon, I might actually cry. It feels like drama and angst set up to draw out the torture for a little while longer, and as someone who’s greedy—and who’s been waiting since Season 3—it hurts a little. A lot. Because what’s happening here? Is Roy about to get Erin’s number to cross off another date off the list, or is he legitimately interested in her? The former feels unlikely because it doesn’t feel like something he’d do to his sister’s colleague, but the latter somehow feels even more strange because did Keeley really push him into the arms of another person?
Still, I have no doubt in my mind that they’re endgame, and this is especially the case considering writers are actively trying to keep them apart, but it’s agonizing all the same. It’s also taking me back to the debut season’s seventh episode, “Make Rebecca Great Again,” where they kissed for the first time, and it’s making me wonder if that’s when we’ll see them get together again.
In “Goodbye, Earl,” Roy tells Rebecca that she deserves someone who makes her feel like she’s been struck by lightning, and dare I say, I think he also just delivered the line of Season 4 in “Greyhounds’ Day Off?” Because if there’s more coming from this, I’m not sure my tear ducts would be able to handle it. (I love crying, though, so I’ll take it.)
Still, the words, “I f–king love when you’re excited,” deserve a scene breakdown of their own. Because there are few things more important than basking in someone’s joy and appreciating it instead of shaming them. So many people often feel like they need to dim their light because someone’s made them feel silly for being excited, but here’s Roy Kent, beaming as he watches Keeley excitedly tell him something. It’s a testament to Brett Goldstein as an actor because his delivery is so achingly sincere that it leaves me a little speechless.
Things are starting to feel a lot more real with the team, and it’s wild to think that next week, we’ll be halfway into Season 4 already.
Ted Talks and Further Thoughts
- TRENT CRIMM! SHARON! I screamed. What a glorious opening!
- Sharon’s also written a book!?! A+ news.
- “I haven’t read your book.” “Okay I’ll send you home with a signed copy” is sending me.
- I love the concept of Henry being into Percy Jackson
- I also love that Rebecca can’t say no to Keeley because I’m pretty sure I’d be same way.
- The way Roy looks at Keeley will always get me. THE LONGING! He’s still down so bad that it makes my heart soar.
- Higgins being here is so funny
- Sharon just broke a thousand cinephiles with the comment about watching movies on her phone.
- Higgins being part of the group chat is so hilarious in the best way.
- “If you turn around I’ll f—king kill you.” I also love the way Alice looks after the team.
- I love this cute setup at the pitch. I want to be there.
- Are we seeing Jane next week?!!!
- They’re playing Chelsea at Home?!!! LET’S GO!!
Now streaming on Apple TV: What are your thoughts on Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 4, “Greyhounds’ Day Off?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Apple TV