Love Is on the Line

Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

4.5

After four episodes of dropping breadcrumbs about its romantic subplots, Ted Lasso Season 4 Episode 5 is finally putting its relationships in the spotlight. 

So far, Ted Lasso Season 4 has left us wondering about the future of Rebecca and Matthijs, Keeley and Roy, Ted and Michelle, and (for those who care) Beard and Jane. 

These plotlines finally converge, giving viewers clarity into the state of our characters’ romantic hopes and fears. At the same time, they offer interesting commentary on overcoming shame and the boundaries between personal ambition and partnership. 

My heart is with my girl Keeley — challenging Roy to date other women was a surefire way to set herself up for heartbreak.

I understand her desire to know that Roy is still in love with her — not the idea of her — but her lack of trust in him suggests that she has lingering insecurities that their three years apart have not healed.

It is heavily implied that Roy is dating the doctor we met in Ted Lasso Season 4 Episode 4. I’m eager to see whether their relationship can further Roy’s growth, or if it will merely serve as another contrivance to fuel the Keeley x Roy drama. 

If a lack of communication dissolved their relationship the first time, only time will tell whether Roy and Keeley can have an open, honest conversation (one that lasts longer than a few stolen moments in the hallway) about their future.  

Sorry to all the Beard and Jane fans out there, but I am not one of them. 

I’ve never really understood their relationship — though you could argue that is the point. Sure, it gives Beard an arc outside his coaching duties, but their absurdism often adds unnecessary filler to the plot and muddies the comedic tone.

That said, I really enjoyed watching Ted react to the various outlandish moments in Jane’s theater production. Perhaps what Beard and Jane need is a confused, concerned spectator to add perspective to their scenes. 

Now is that a love interest for Ted I see waiting in the literal and metaphorical wings?

I’m excited that finally, this episode gives us explicit confirmation that Ted is ready to date again.

My biggest complaint about the Ted Lasso Season 3 finale was that it left Ted’s potential reconciliation with Michelle open-ended, and I was immediately relieved to learn that the Ted Lasso writers are not angling to get them back together.

After all Ted worked through, I’m happy to see him and Michelle find fulfillment in their successful co-parenting.

And because the first three seasons focused heavily on Ted’s healing, the writers have done the necessary work to make it easy to root for him finding love again.

This installment gives us a small tease of a scene between Ted and the stage manager of Jane’s theater. It wasn’t enough to gauge how much chemistry the two of them have, but the scene was out of place enough to know we’ll probably be seeing more of her soon.

Now the relationship that frustrated me most this episode? Matthijs and Rebecca.

Everything we’ve learned so far about their relationship indicates that after three years of long-distance dating, Rebecca has become comfortable with the clean division between romance and her success at work.

It was hard to watch her take responsibility for the break Matthijs instigated, and I found myself audibly yelling at my TV about how his actions were depicted.

Maybe it’s just me, but if you’re dating someone for three years, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for them to feel frustrated that you never discussed your plans to move with them.

Immediately after Rebecca confesses that she felt uncomfortable and shares that she asked his daughter about her feelings regarding the move, she’s interrupted, shut down, and rejected. 

Rebecca deserves better than a man who runs for the hills at the first sign of conflict.

This episode doesn’t explicitly address Matthijs’ culpability in the dissolution of their relationship; rather, it looks at Rebecca’s guilt and her assumed responsibility for his actions. 

I’m eager to see whether she recognizes that perhaps it wasn’t merely old wounds that made her resistant to taking their relationship to the next level, but also a gut feeling about their compatibility.

At the very least, Rebecca’s romantic strife delivered the uncontested season highlight: drunk Rebecca. 

She’s an icon. She’s a legend. Thank you, writers, for giving her to us.

Between her casual Louboutin flashes and her raucous rallying cry at the women’s team’s first match, she was in her finest form. 

Oh, the comedic power of Hannah Waddingham. She absolutely carried this episode. 

I’ve also written that Ted Lasso Season 4 seems to focus on the theme of perspective, exploring how the characters incorporate different viewpoints to reach a common goal, and how they interrogate their own perspectives by learning from those around them. 

As Keeley learns at the match, sometimes perspective comes from the person you least expect. 

Barbara, my favorite scene stealer, imparts some great wisdom: it’s okay to shoot for the moon, but have a little fun along the way. 

This installment was key to giving Keeley a necessary dose of pragmatism, which will hopefully help her accept upcoming setbacks and embrace the unexpected joy of finding unique ways around them. 

It will be interesting to see how the writers choose to explore the way Keeley redefines her definition of success — not just for the team, but for herself.

The most heartwarming moment of the episode was Ted’s honest discussion about the destructive power of shame. It recalled memories of Ted Lasso Season 1, and how it explored the theme of forgiveness, especially in how Ted quickly and easily forgave Rebecca’s deceit.

If forgiveness blocks someone from growing and moving forward, then Ted’s speech shows that embarrassment does, too. Nothing inhibits your ability to deepen relationships with others or find self-acceptance more than shame. 

I was struck by how Alice reacted to Ted’s speech; it was clear she felt both uncomfortable and confronted. After five episodes of teasing some of the deeper layers of her character, we are finally reaching a turning point.

Tanya Reynolds stuns again in a great acting performance, clearly depicting how her character’s crippling anxiety and self-doubt manifest as a desperate grasp for control.

Ted Lasso Season 4 Episode 4 foreshadowed Alice’s yearning for inclusion, which helps explain why she may internalize the player’s evident interest in Ted’s life as a signal that they don’t care about her. 

It’s interesting to see how she internalizes her envy for Ted; instead of taking it out on him, she takes out her frustration and fear of isolation on the players.

What could be the shame and embarrassment she’s grappling with that keeps her from trusting herself as a coach and establishing a healthy relationship with her team? I’m hoping the narrative provides a satisfying answer to this question. 

In many ways, Alice parallels Nate — and Ted makes this comparison directly when he suspends Alice for her conduct.

It’s clear both seek validation, and are susceptible to taking their hurt and insecurities out on others as a means of seeking authority.

Unlike Nate, it’s not Ted’s approval that Alice seeks; it’s that of the players. And in not knowing how to get it, she pushes them farther and farther away. 

What I’m most excited to see in future episodes is how Ted builds trust and intimacy with Alice, especially since the tactics he might need to employ may differ from those he’s used in the past.

What I’d love to see, however, is this relationship be one of bi-directional growth. The writers need to be wary of pushing a narrative that Ted, with his perfect attitude, is always ready to waltz in and save the day.

Ted’s savior complex needs real limits, or it risks diluting the season’s potential with a story about an infallible man fixing all the women’s team’s problems.

With five episodes left, we’ll see how the remainder of the season decides to explore how Alice could leave a lasting mark on him.

So Ted Lasso Fanatics, what did you think of the latest episode? Let us know all your thoughts in the comments!