Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 5, “Riches of Embarrassment” Spoilers Ahead
Almost every concern I had after last week’s “Greyhounds’ Day Off” has sadly come true, and I’m not quite sure how to deconstruct it all. Not yet, anyway. Ted Lasso is the show that often reminds us to be curious and not judgmental, so exercising that logic with the critical part of my brain is as big a task as the Greyhounds match with Chelsea. Patience, I kept telling myself while watching this episode. Maybe you’re meant to feel uncomfortable, I kept repeating. And while that’s not an emotion I want to feel with this show, I can understand the importance of how it often delivers a wide variety of sentiments to make a bigger statement later down the line.
That said, almost everything and everyone falls apart this week in some way, shape, or form. Alice is on edge. Keeley’s cried way too many times for my liking. Rebecca’s drinking with Zelda, Roy’s dating for real, Jane is somehow worse than ever, and the Greyhounds lost to Chelsea.
Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 5 Explores Fear-Based Concerns and Brings Back Jane
In more ways than one, “Riches of Embarrassment” raises a lot of questions. For starters, are we meant to think that Rebecca and Matthijs are endgame? If so, why did his overreaction to her concerns make me feel uneasy? Why did he overreact like that, and, in this case, who’s right? He or his daughter? Why didn’t he talk to Rebecca about moving to London before making the decision, then telling her that he is? I suppose we’ll see what happens to them when they touch base after their break, but again, if they are endgame, we need to actually get to know him better. What makes him tick? What makes him happy? What makes him sad? Rebecca matters to us as a character, and who she’s with should be someone we know fully. At the same time, I get Rebecca’s concerns fully after everything she’s been through, but three years is also a very long time to do long-distance. This feels like the kind of step that should’ve risen after year one if it’s love, shouldn’t it?
On that note, while I understand that Keeley is making some ambitious choices, I’m not quite sure how I feel about Zelda getting in Rebecca’s head about how this step back will now ensure Keeley listens to Rebecca. As a show, Ted Lasso has taught us to have faith in things, so why does it feel like no one believes in Keeley or the team right now? Maybe that’s the wrong message to take away, but it’s what’s making me so uneasy with how many times we saw Keeley sad this week. It’s a testament to Juno Temple because she makes it so easy to care about the character that you want to wrap her in a blanket forever and make sure no one ever touches her.
Simultaneously, while we know that Chelsea is a good team, is their strength the only thing that’s making Alice so uneasy? Why is she having such a hard time with every little mistake the team makes? Why is she so visibly uncomfortable with everything that’s currently happening? While it also made me uncomfortable to see the team question Ted eating alone, it’s not that big of a deal, so it makes me think that there’s something even bigger that she’s hiding.
Lastly, how are we supposed to react to Jane? I like to think that there’s a lot about this show that I understand on a molecular level, but I cannot for the life of me understand what message we’re supposed to take away from her arc in Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 5, “Riches of Embarrassment.” We know she’s incredibly toxic for Beard, and we also know that relationships like theirs are common in the world, but at this point, seeing anything involving her feels like we’re wasting potential screen time to get to know the new players more. This is especially the case when her show actively made me uneasy as a woman, and I’m not sure these are feelings I like sitting with.
Are Roy and Keeley Back Together Yet?
They are not, and Roy’s officially dating…the same woman, who’s tragically not Keeley. Is it the bartender? Is it Erin, the doctor? We don’t exactly know, but I’m curious how this happened, and how much time has passed since Keeley first proposed the ten days. I’m also really, really sad.
Part of my issue with this episode that’s going to make it so hard to revisit is that I hate seeing Keeley Jones sad. Watching her light dim is like getting drenched in a downpour you weren’t prepared for. It’s a terrible, terrible feeling for someone like me who’s so easily impacted by how infectious her joy is. And while it’s not hard to understand that these things do happen and Ted Lasso can’t be rainbows and butterflies all the time, it didn’t need to pour this hard. But that’s the saying, I suppose. When it rains, it pours. And it’s definitely pouring down on our girl right now, as everything she tries to take on just… doesn’t work out.
Ted Talks and Further Thoughts
- Listening to historical fiction on 1.5x IS READING.
- I, for one, love Keeley’s ad!
- Mady and Margy being back together is a big yay, but taking a pic of Ted while he’s eating is a big nay. Like, please, it really stresses me out how no one can do anything in private anymore without someone taking a photo. Let the man eat his hot dog!
- Biscuits with the boss finally!!!!
- WHAT IS THIS PLAY!? Like genuinely, who’s funding this? How is the theater packed???!!
- Also, since Ted’s ready to date, are they gonna set her up with the stage manager?
- This match actually getting televised is so important to me.
Now streaming on Apple TV: What are your thoughts on Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 5, “Riches of Embarrassment?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Apple TV