'Ted Lasso' Season 4 Ruined The Show's Biggest Ships (And It's Getting Worse)
Apple TV’s Ted Lasso (2020) is not a romance series, but it is romantic and has been from the very beginning. That stems directly from its romantic comedy-loving titular character, who, at the start of the series, is going through a divorce. Ted’s (Jason Sudeikis) decision to move to London and coach a sport he knows nothing about comes from wanting to give his ex-wife, Michelle (Andrea Anders), space. Once there, he forms all these relationships, some romantic, most platonic, with people in and around Richmond. One of which is with Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), AFC Richmond’s owner.
Though they are never explicitly romantic, there’s no better label for Ted and Rebecca than soulmates. They’re so tethered that, in Ted Lasso Season 3, their pasts align in an “invisible string” kind of way they still aren’t aware of as of Season 4. Another of the show’s most important relationships is that between former footballer and current men’s team coach Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) and Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), former model and current CFO of AFC Richmond Women’s. Unlike Ted and Rebecca, Roy and Keeley’s relationship is actually romantic for most of the show. However, Ted Lasso Season 4 continues to make baffling choices for both pairings to keep them apart, even though the show is better with those relationships.
Ted and Rebecca Are (Platonic) Soulmates Who Rarely Speak
There are plenty of moments in the three previous seasons and the current fourth season when Ted Lasso could make Ted and Rebecca a romantic pairing. The great fake-out of Season 2, where the edit makes it seem like they could be messaging each other, still stands out. For the most part, Ted and Rebecca already function better as a couple, romantic or not, than Rebecca and her current boyfriend. (This season hasn’t done them many favors so far.) As of now, though, Ted Lasso continues to choose platonic soulmates. It seems like holding out hope for the alternative is futile, but, sadly, so is accepting that and seeing their relationship on-screen as is.
This season doesn’t showcase Ted and Rebecca’s dynamic with any consistency, especially none that could rival the first three seasons. Instead, halfway through Ted Lasso Season 4, Rebecca and Ted’s one-on-one scenes have been glaringly rare. There’s only one in the season opener and then another in the midseason outing. In those, Rebecca reminds Ted that home is a state of mind, and Ted encourages Rebecca not to get stuck in the past. Those comments are influential and substantial because of their preexisting relationship and the trust it’s built over six years.
It’s just unfortunate that Ted Lasso Season 4 doesn’t have even more to show for it by now. The first three seasons really spoil viewers with so many scenes of these characters getting to know each other and coming to care about one another. So, the less frequent presence of those qualities in their relationship is sad. Yes, there doesn’t need to be a million scenes to prove their bond at this point, and, yes, there’s still half a season left. Still, it’s odd that this relationship that exists at the heart of the show’s first three seasons doesn’t hold a similar presence anymore. It’s a loss for Ted Lasso, regardless of Rebecca and Ted’s respective romantic status.
Keeley and Roy Are Better Together But Kept Apart
It’s also more apparent in the absence of Roy and Keeley’s relationship. This couple has been the most consistent over the last six years—until the end of Season 3. Instead of working toward a place where Roy and Keeley are on solid ground as a couple or decide to split, Ted Lasso chooses a secret third option. Right as the show ends, it revives the love triangle between Roy, Keeley, and Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster). It’s a strange choice that denies Roy and Keeley a happy ending as a couple in what is previously believed to be the show’s final season.
So, the fourth season is tasked with asking: What now? Well, Ted Lasso Season 4 has put Roy and Keeley’s dynamic on ice. According to them, they haven’t been alone until the second episode of this season. Putting aside how bizarrely unrealistic that is given they work together every day, it’s a convenient way to hold their development until the show starts again. The issue is that Ted Lasso Season 4 is now struggling with that development. It’s creating problems that keep them apart instead of just having them work through problems together. Mainly, Keeley asks Roy to date other people to prove that he’s sure about his feelings for her.
As of Season 4’s midseason outing, he’s been on four dates with the same person, who is decidedly not Keeley. Naturally, Keeley is hurt by Roy seeing someone else. It’s odd to watch this character feel the effects of an unnecessarily manufactured problem. After all, there’s no reason for Roy to date anyone else, like there was no reason for the love triangle’s revival three years ago. Ted Lasso could just choose this relationship. They’ve never been a will they/won’t they, and it’s weird to watch the show try to fit Roy and Keeley into that box now. However, since it struggles with a platonic dynamic that was once solid, it’s not all that surprising that Ted Lasso has lost its footing with its strongest romance too. So, the question stands: What now?
