“Ted Lasso” turns its attention this week to a reality that the AFC Richmond men’s team has never had to confront: For the women, playing professional football doesn’t necessarily provide financial security.
When Lizzie’s ex flakes, she’s forced to bring her son to work. Siobhan and Niamh are about to be priced out of their flat. Boots can’t afford to fix her car. Shannon is still delivering for Uber Eats. And Gemma, who hasn’t given up on law school, lands an interview for an internship at a prestigious firm — but making it means showing up late to practice.
Those realities come to a head when Alice, determined to “Yes, and…” her way toward a more positive attitude, hangs Ted’s “Believe” sign in the women’s locker room. Rather than rally the team, it sparks a conversation about just how hollow that mantra sounds from their side of the pitch. The optimism, resilience, and mutual trust associated with Ted’s motivational sign are all well and good, but these women have to work that much harder than their male counterparts simply to make playing professional football viable — never mind winning.
Therefore, it’s probably no accident that the show has Roy and Dani Rojas’ mutual agent come a-knockin’ on Rebecca’s door this week, insisting that Rojas — who’s never once indicated that he’s unhappy playing for Richmond — will need convincing to remain a Greyhound at the end of his contract. As if he’s not already making a bigger salary than any of the lady Greyhounds will ever see.
Unfortunately, a Cristo Fernández sighting does not follow — but the storyline does give the writers a lane to bring Tracey Ullman’s Zelda into the inner workings at Nelson Road. And when she manages to help Rebecca defuse the situation with the dickish agent, she earns herself an official title as special advisor at AFC Richmond — a decision we presume will blow up in Rebecca’s face, given Zelda’s role as a chaos agent.
Dr. Erin Sees Right Through Roy
Interestingly, this is the second time this season — the first being back in Episode 3 — that the issue of Roy’s contract being up at the end of the year has been raised without resolution. Almost as if the show is planting the seeds for his exit…? But we digress, because this week, Roy and his mobility scooter have to contend with his unresolved feelings for Keeley, which he made abundantly clear to Dr. Erin on New Year’s Eve while in a painkiller-induced state of euphoria. And because he doesn’t remember professing his love for Keeley, it’s up to Dr. Erin to put an end to their brief romance, telling Roy that his affection for his ex-girlfriend is obvious.
Roy explains that dating Erin began as part of his attempt to prove to Keeley that he could fully see someone and allow himself to be seen in return. But Erin was never just an experiment: Roy tells her that she upended his plan to date a bunch of women without developing feelings, then proves just how clearly he sees her by likening her to a football captain — someone who puts the well-being of others before herself and “holds the center.” Erin, in turn, assures Roy that she sees him, too, and leaves him with one final thought: He’s worthy of being with the person he loves. It would’ve been nice had this relationship actually developed on screen — this emotional reckoning rings a bit hollow given how little of this relationship we’ve actually seen — but the sentiment, at least, rings true.
Ted Takes a Romantic Leap (But Beard Spirals)
Keeley also gets encouragement from Ted that she deserves to be with someone who makes her feel completely seen — this after the CMO helps Coach Lasso set up his Bantr profile. But Ted ultimately decides that the apps aren’t for him, and instead returns to the black box theater where he and Beard suffered through Jane’s one-woman show to ask the stage manager — whose name neither Ted nor the audience knows, even after their brief reunion this week — out on a proper date.
Alas, he’s too late. She met someone on the apps! But she does tell him that, had she not started seeing someone, her no would have been a yes. And Ted has taken a big leap forward by building up the courage to ask her out in the first place, suggesting he’s open to wearing his heart on his sleeve moving forward.
Beard, on the other hand, may need a moment. The one-two punch of Jane’s show and rejection by a younger woman has, as we predicted during our recent conversation with Brendan Hunt, sent Beard spiraling into something of a midlife crisis, showing up to work with a spray tan and colored contacts that turn his brown eyes baby blue. Meanwhile, his inability to get through “Charlotte’s Web” without weeping would suggest that he has quite a bit of work to do on himself — namely, addressing his deep-seated mommy issues — before he re-enters the dating pool alongside his best friend.
What did you think of “Ted Lasso” Season 4, Episode 7: “Yes & Baby”? Leave a comment with your full review.