With these record-breaking heat waves, Ted Lasso Season 4 Episode 6 offered us a momentary reprieve: we’re ringing in the new year in September!
After the fan-favorite Ted Lasso Season 2 holiday episode, it was fun to see Ted and the AFC Richmond team get back into the holiday spirit… even if it is a little silly to see sequins and champagne at the end of summer.
Marking the midway point of the season, this episode brought drama, heartbreak, and a surprising reappearance of our favorite swaggering Mancunian striker: Jamie Tartt.
It also gave the costume designers the chance to show off their skills. Everyone’s unique sense of style was on full display, giving a necessary glimpse into who the players and coaches are off the pitch.
A special shout-out goes to Keeley’s adorable Elsa-inspired mini dress, Alice’s oversized suit and purple eyeshadow combo, and Zelda’s insane cape and slippers.
She absolutely terrifies me (and the rest of the team, it seems), and I love it.
Is That Jamie Tartt… Or Adam?
I’m thrilled that we got to spend a little time with Jamie this season, even if it was only for an episode. And I’m definitely not complaining about how his reappearance was delivered.
We are reintroduced to Jamie in an unexpectedly hilarious way: at the launch of his green apple, Adam-and-Eve-themed line of vodka (which features a tragically botched logo).
The event itself had so many small, cleverly executed details, all of which offered a great refresher on the endearing absurdity of Jamie’s distinct brand of self-obsession.
We’re also reminded that as much as we may all love Roy and Keeley, no one is Roy’s soulmate quite like Jamie.
Watching Roy and Jamie jump gleefully across the dance floor is now neck and neck with drunk Rebecca as the season’s ultimate highlight.
Jamie’s reappearance invigorated the dynamic between the characters, reminding me that while I’ve loved getting to know the other players this season, no one has yet inspired quite the same loyalty, love, or investment in their arc.
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While the new players are captivating and certainly funny, I’m still waiting to see if any of them can fill the very big shoes Jamie left behind.
I have, however, loved the clever, unique ways the writers have brought back fan-favorite characters in this new season.
Not only is it fun for the show’s fans, but it also drives home that Ted Lasso Season 4 is its own story worth telling; it’s not one spun together because the original actors couldn’t return.
It gives viewers the sense that the world is still full of these characters, who have naturally moved on, their arcs diverging as they believably would.
But that doesn’t mean that they are gone from the world of AFC Richmond forever.
It’s a fun, well-executed way to balance the old with the new.
Am I Right to Ship Alice with Gemma?
Getting the opportunity to see Alice in her natural habitat went a long way toward furthering her character development; the short scene in her home showed, rather than told, who she is when she’s relaxed and comfortable.
Who is she outside of coaching? What is she like when she’s not stressed and worried about her players and the team’s success? What is her support system like? These are a few of the questions the episode explored.
I’ve been waiting for confirmation that the woman in the photo on Alice’s desk was her partner. And while I instantly loved her attitude, this development certainly complicates some of my theories!
If this episode confirmed one thing for me, it’s that whether the writers intend to explore it or not, there is real chemistry between Alice and Gemma.
That tension? I’m dying to know why it’s that thick.
This episode cemented that their complicated, messy dynamic will remain central to Alice’s arc for the rest of the season. A resolution between them was teased, but we won’t get a reprieve from their bickering yet; they always find a way to stay angry with each other.
Am I low-key kind of shipping them? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Sorry to this very sweet, very cool partner of Alice’s!
Alas, I am a sucker for unresolved tension and the trope of adversaries that reluctantly respect one another.
New Beginnings for Michelle and Ted
This episode’s tearjerking moment — of which there is always at least one — came with a beautifully written, well-timed scene between Michelle and Ted.
A lot about their relationship has been left unsaid, but by using a New Year’s theme to represent new beginnings, the writers crafted a heartfelt moment where these two firmly ushered each other into a new chapter.
It’s important that we finally understand Michelle’s perspective on their split and her subsequent relationship with their couple’s therapist.
As our protagonist, we’ve seen the events following their divorce through Ted’s eyes. But in any story about separation and healing, there are always two sides.
It did both characters a service to fill in this missing perspective.
After four seasons, I loved that we finally saw them have such an open, honest, and supportive conversation. It felt natural and drove home that healing isn’t always linear.
It can take a lot of time, but the other side — in this case, a healthy friendship and co-parenting relationship — can be really beautiful.
Not Everyone Scores a New Year’s Kiss
If Michelle and Ted had me feeling relief and joy, then Roy’s drugged-up, messy confession of love to the hot doctor — which was actually intended for Keeley — sure twisted the knife in their already painful dynamic.
Sure, the drama between them may be slightly contrived, but the grief on Keeley’s face when she overheard Roy had me wanting to reach through my screen and give this fictional character a fat hug.
But as someone who loves delayed gratification, I’m excited to see more of the inevitable reconstruction of their relationship unfold over a little more time.
I’m sorry hot doctor! You seem cool, confident, and incredibly self-assured, and I want to know more about you. Unfortunately, I hate that you’re an obstacle between two people who will absolutely end up together.
Now, as for Rebecca and Matthijs? Good thing the writers got me in the holiday spirit, because there’s no way I could forgive them for implying Rebecca should take full responsibility for their split.
We know very little about his character, so watching him shut down her feelings and flee at the first sign of conflict convinced me that Rebecca deserved a man who would listen to and respect her emotions more than Matthijs clearly did.
I’ll admit, however, that my annoyance was momentarily soothed by their undeniably cute and romantic New Year’s kiss.
A man racing to make it in time to sweep his love off her feet? It’s a trope I love — and love even more when Jamie Tartt is there to bear witness.
I do admit, however, that I feel a bit robbed of what could have been one of the most chaotic moments in Ted Lasso history: Jamie and Rebecca sharing a smooch.
Alas, that undeniably crazy moment will have to live on in my imagination!
So Ted Lasso fanatics, what did you think of the latest episode?
Let us know all your thoughts in the comments!
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