If the second episode of Ted Lasso’s season four was about making the case for Ted’s appointment as head coach, the third episode is about re-establishing the stakes behind AFC Richmond’s gamble on the women’s team. Indeed, in E3, audiences are treated to a number of context-providing curveballs, all of which are meant to underscore just how difficult it is to engender interest in women’s sports when the powers that be make it really freakin’ hard to do so. Despite Keeley’s best efforts, the Lady Greyhounds’ uniforms do not arrive on time for the group’s debut match, a completely preventable hiccup that threatens to undermine the team’s professionalism; a shareholders’ meeting full of shareholders who don’t care much at all about the women’s squad goes awry, in turn spooking spineless team sponsors; and even broadcasters complicate things unnecessarily when they decline to air the game on cable and instead push it to an ersatz streaming platform.
All of these roadblocks are worthwhile pain points to highlight, and drive home just how much progress we have to make (the mere existence of a women’s team is not enough, people!). And though the show does this effectively, working in some good laughs as usual, I only hope it can meaningfully expand on those issues and find something new and worthwhile to say about them by the end.
'Ted Lasso' S4E3 Recap:
The Lady Greyhounds are now down two strikers after losing one to an ACL tear in episode 2, and another to a pregnancy reveal at the top of episode 3. In desperate need of depth, Beard, Alice and Ted put their heads together to weigh some options. They decide on open tryouts as a path forward, though Alice says she knows at least one person she can ask. It might be a long shot, though—this individual cut their soccer career short to go to law school.
Later, after a brief run-in (literally) with Rebecca and her visiting boyfriend Matthijs, the gang heads to an AFC Richmond shareholder’s meeting, where (1) Roy is asked about his future with the team, as his contract is ending this season, and (2) Keeley is ruthlessly heckled about the impracticality of the women’s team. It is during this meeting that she learns of the report Higgins commissioned back in episode 1, which has since found its way online and is now serving as material vindication for those who never believed in the women’s team anyway. Keeley is understandably crushed. Womp womp.
The next day, Alice tracks down Gemma, the talented striker she is interested in recruiting. It’s clear from the get-go that Gemma is good—viewers are treated to a few minutes of her prowess on the pitch—but it seems that bringing her aboard AFC Richmond will prove difficult, considering she blatantly ignores Alice when she sees her.
Meanwhile, Higgins struts into Rebecca’s office to inform his boss that Pinter & Sons is pulling its sponsorship of the women’s team following the chaos of the shareholders’ meeting. Rebecca is incensed by this development and leaves for a visit with the CEO to try and set things right. (She ultimately succeeds in this effort.)
Later that afternoon, Ted & Co. hold the open tryouts they talked about, with hopes that the striker(s) they need are somewhere among the 50 or so women who showed up. In the end, they offer positions on the Lady Greyhounds to a woman named Lizzie, who had to bring her child to the tryout due to a lack of childcare, as well as Shannon, Ted’s football-loving neighbor from the show’s earlier seasons. The only problem? Neither of these women is a striker, which means Ted is still interested in talking with Gemma.
The next day, Alice and Ted surprise a visibly shocked Gemma while she studies in the library. Things are immediately tense between Alice and her target—it’s obvious they have history and that they don’t like one another—but both coaches push forward anyway. And although she initially rebuffs their advances, Gemma ultimately gives in and decides to join the effort.
On Saturday—the day of the team’s debut match, which is a friendly against another women’s squad—a frantic Keeley attempts to salvage things when the Lady Greyhounds’ uniforms fail to arrive on time. Thankfully, Roy steps in to help by sending his niece, Phoebe, and her friends to help his ex-lover transform whatever kits the team does have into something match-presentable. (This bit is classic Ted Lasso—very heartwarming, indeed.)
Meanwhile, Gemma arrives at the stadium, where she informs Alice and Ted that she would like to play for the team; she plans to do both this and law school. Alice says O.K., but designates Gemma as the backup striker.
Much of the ensuing match proves itself a slogfest; the teams remain tied at 0-0 for the majority of the game, which bores those watching in the stands. But that changes when Alice senses Gemma’s eagerness to play and subs her in. The striker scores shortly after, and Richmond wins. Even with the odds stacked against them, the Lady Greyhounds are off to a hot start.
