Ted Lasso Rekindles Its Old Magic

After a bit of a janky opening episode, the fourth season of Ted Lasso seems to be hitting its stride, improving on each episode. Honestly, aside from the third season premiere (which was excellent, notwithstanding the rest of the third season), this week’s episode may have been the best episode since season two. I loved it so much that I’ve literally watched it three times now.

The whole Ferries Bueller’s Day Off analogy — and the extended riff on the film throughout the episode was absolutely brilliant — Ted is Ferris, Beard is Cameron, and most brilliantly of all, Alice as Sloane Peterson: “Cause they are logical and seek balance and despite their quiet leadership can feel underserved by the narrative at times.” Indeed, that’s exactly how Alice’s arc played out in the episode: She showed quiet, logical leadership, and her character was completely underserved, but at least there was a hilariously meta point to it.

I don’t have much to say beyond that about the episode, but I did want to recount all my favorite lines for posterity:

— Trent Crimm’s podcast ad: “Grady Lox, haircare for the silver fox.”

— Ted indicting himself after realizing the following phrases sound wildly problematic out of context:
a. “I don’t like not walking into a ladies dressing room whenever I feel like it.”
b. “I felt that the second I heard the word ‘ladies’ coming spitting out of my mouth.”
c. “I used to be able to walk into any part of this building. And I don’t love being made to feel like I’m violating the lady parts.”

— Ted: “I’m a little hard of hearing ever since I went to the ERAs tour and sat next to a bunch of overzealous girl dads.”

— Zelda Southport to the old, rich men supporting women’s football teams: “What would happen if you put your f***ing hearts where your fake allyship currently is?”

— Zelda Southport, according to Keeley, having to “arm wrestle David Mamet” for the rights to produce an all-female Glengarry Glenn Ross on the West End.

— Ted: “The lack of adult supervision in Lost Boys is the real antagonist.”

— Ted’s Wisdom: “The two quickest ways to bring a group of people together: A common goal and a common enemy.” True.

— The waitress giving Roy credit for a date because the woman who flipped him off had “some sort of gesticular intercourse” with him.

— Ted on Coach Beard’s pub trivia prowess: “Sometimes you got to ride the horse in the direction its facing. In this instance, the horse is a genius at a very specific thing and we are riding its coattails. Speaking of which, did y’all get the Beach Boys over here?”

— Beard going full Cameron Frye after seeing a photo of his ex-girlfriend, and finally coming out of his stupor in jail: “Ted Lasso, you’re my hero.”

— Alice rewatching Ferris Bueller and really hating it because she felt sorry for Ferris’s sister, which is a totally fair characterization and never mentioned by audiences at the time.

— One of the Brians: “And I learned to read again after a serious head pineapple.”
Another Brian: “He means head injury.”

— The sparkly socks Roy wore on his date.

— The pure bedlam of the women’s team celebrating their trivia win in jail after beating up the Brians.

— Ted and Beard leaving jail ala Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder in Stir Crazy: “We bad. That’s right. Mhm hm.”

— The “F*** yeah” explosion after the women’s team find out their playing Chelsea.

— Ted casually dropping Bob Seger lyrics: “I know it’s late. I know you’re weary. I know your plans don’t include me.”

Honestly, the only thing missing was watching one of the Brian’s walk home in a torn suit while the credits rolled, like Ed Rooney at the end of Ferris Bueller.

I love Ted Lasso again, and I have zero shame about it.