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'Curiouser and Curiouser'
The second episode of Ted Lasso's fourth season finally brings viewers back to England, where familiar faces return — including Mae, the neighborhood's beloved elderly pub owner; Roy Kent, AFC Richmond's no-nonsense men's coach; and the enigmatic yet endearing assistant Coach Beard, who remains Ted's closest counterpart in more ways than one. The episode's most gripping subplot, however — and arguably the most essential given the premise of this new installment — centers on men's and women's team owner Rebecca Welton, who is forced to confront her own values when pointedly asked whether she ever considered appointing a female coach to lead the Lady Greyhounds.
What follows, alongside the episode's other storylines and new character introductions, is a brief but pointed exploration of feminism both in a broad sense and within the world of sport, along with a deeper conversation about what it truly means to genuinely support female athletes and clubs when the opportunity arises — a discussion, it should be noted, that continues to resonate here in the United States as well.
Rebecca is visibly stung by the suggestion that, in choosing Ted — a male coach — she may have unknowingly worked against women. She soon spirals into a feminist literature rabbit hole (at one point, we see her on the phone asking a bookstore to set aside virtually anything written by Bell Hooks), anxious that those around her view her advocacy for women negatively, and, perhaps more troublingly, that they don't consider her a feminist at all. She finds some clarity during a particularly funny lunch with her mother ("Why don't you just fire this jealous hag?" her mom suggests, referring to the person who challenged Rebecca's hiring decision), and again in a brief exchange with her assistant Higgins, who reassures her that "strong women stand up for themselves, and stronger women stand up for others."
It doesn't require much reading between the lines to see that this episode-long self-examination is more about winning the audience over to Ted's appointment than it is about the show boldly tackling sport's deep-rooted gender inequalities — though the episode does touch on those themes through other storylines. Even so, leaving it out entirely would have felt far stranger.
The writers themselves acknowledge the frustrating irony of once again watching a desirable role handed to an underqualified man over an overqualified woman — whose own meticulous, dedicated groundwork will ultimately set that very man up for success. Ted Lasso, for all his warmth and evident allyship, is not exempt from this critique. Yet we are, of course, tuning in for him, so he must inevitably be the one who lands the job. Even in the show's idealized universe, that's simply how it goes.
Whether this justification holds up as the season progresses remains to be seen. For now, however, confronting the mustache-shaped elephant in the room felt like a necessary piece of the reboot's puzzle, and was, in my view, the most thought-provoking element of an otherwise lighthearted second episode — regardless of how you ultimately felt about it.
'Ted Lasso' S4E2 Recap:
Ladies and gentlemen, we are back in the U.K.
Episode 2 of season four picks up right after Ted's pivotal decision at the close of episode 1, dropping us back into the charming London borough of Richmond, where Ted wakes up ready for his first day as head coach of the Lady Greyhounds. We're given no details about how his move came together or where his ex-wife Michelle and son Henry are — only that he made it across the Atlantic and is now renting a room above the pub run by the warm and witty elderly bartender, Mae Green.
As Ted makes his way to the stadium that morning, Lady Greyhounds owner Rebecca is greeted in her office by assistant Leslie Higgins, who announces his plan to review an extensive report he commissioned on the long-term viability of Richmond's women's team. Mid-conversation, in walks the frosty assistant AFC Richmond women's coach Alice Chilton, who bluntly informs Rebecca that she intends to resign by the end of the week — partly because she was overlooked for the head coaching role. Before leaving, Chilton asks Rebecca whether any woman was even considered for the position, to which Rebecca answers, "No," setting off a full-blown feminist crisis of conscience.
After a brief morning catch-up with his boss, along with Keeley Jones and Higgins, Ted heads down to the team locker rooms, where he reunites with the ever-gruff Roy Kent. The two exchange pleasantries before Roy reveals that Coach Beard — Ted's former assistant, still working with the men's team — has been struggling emotionally since learning of Ted's return. Roy asks whether Ted would want Beard back on his staff; Ted says that's a matter for Roy and Beard to sort out between themselves.
Next, Coach Lasso settles into his noticeably smaller new office, where he introduces himself to Coach Chilton before stepping into the comically cramped women's locker room — essentially the youth academy changing room, with a strip of tape covering the original nameplate — to meet the squad. It's here that the glaring disparity between the men's and women's facilities becomes impossible for Ted to ignore.
At least a day passes, and Keeley gets to work transforming the visitors' locker room into a proper space for the women's team. Roy shows up on his own initiative to lend a hand. The tension between the two former partners is palpable, and it's clear there's unfinished business between them. When Roy asks Keeley what he should do about Beard — who so obviously wants to be back working under Ted — Keeley replies: "I think keeping two people apart who belong together is bad not just for them, but for everybody." Message received!
Meanwhile, Ted and Alice are watching over practice when a player goes down with a knee injury. Ted is struck by the composed, steady way Alice responds, and by how effortlessly she calms the distressed player. He tells her as much afterward, and the exchange leaves Chilton reconsidering her resignation.
By the end of the week, Keeley has completed the locker room makeover (impressively fast, all things considered), and Ted unveils the renovated space to the Lady Greyhounds, who are delighted by the transformation. Once alone in the office, Ted asks a visibly moved Alice to stay — and, to his surprise, she agrees. Moments later, an elated Coach Beard bursts in — Roy, citing some dubious AFC Richmond bylaw violation, has released him, clearing the way for him and Ted to work together once again.
As the episode draws to a close, Alice and Rebecca share a moment of reconciliation. Believing Chilton to be on her way out, Rebecca thanks Alice for rightly challenging her decision on the head coaching appointment, while gently suggesting she deliver future feedback with a bit more tact and empathy (strong women stand up for themselves, after all). Alice then reveals she's decided to stay — and, because she simply can't resist, the Lady Greyhounds' owner responds to the news with a girl-power joke that lands with a resounding thud.