As tensions rise in the locker room, Ted makes strides with the women’s team through a team-building exercise in Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 4, “Greyhounds’ Day Off.” This episode, written by Sarah Walker and directed by Ellie Heydon, shakes up the dynamics so the team can find a new sense of unity. Everything with the women’s team builds at such a natural pace that it emphasizes how this season keeps running into similar problems. They frequently stem from losing three years with the returning characters.
Namely, Ted Lasso establishes that Keeley and Roy have been stuck in amber for three years–never being alone together. This episode tries to break them out of that – to some surprising results. One of the best surprises of “Greyhounds’ Day Off” is its use of the podcast Through the Laces with Trent Crimm as a framing device. It’s such an easy way to pull in people from the past three seasons, like James Lance himself or Sarah Niles as Dr. Sharon Fieldstone. They both remain absolutely perfect – as does one of the biggest and brightest surprise returns: Mark Kempner as Kenneth the Bus Driver. Seeing all of these supporting characters enriches the continuity and depth of Ted Lasso’s world.
MORE: Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 3 Review: Take a Chance on the Lady Greyhounds
Ted, Beard, and Alice Make a Good Team
The characters are connected through the women’s program. Strangely, they rarely interact, which becomes obvious in an episode about cliques. For instance, Ted and Rebecca barely share scenes — not even “biscuits with the boss.” Ted Lasso Season 4 (so far) trades their frequent scenes for much shorter interactions, like the one at the end of “Greyhounds’ Day Off.” That wouldn’t be strange if Ted Lasso didn’t set the extremely high stakes for the women’s team. If Rebecca is going to be more honest with Keeley, shouldn’t she also be communicating more regularly with Ted? Ideally, that will prove to be true.
It tracks that most of Ted’s scenes are with the team and, of course, Coach Beard and Alice. They work so well together – Alice sees what they don’t. It primarily serves the team, but Trivia Night is also a useful icebreaker for Ted, Beard, and Alice. It works far better than the Harry Potter/Ferris Bueller’s Day Off connections to help Ted understand players. The bit feels rather silly since Ted spent multiple seasons coaching a football team just three years ago. He knows how players in certain positions act and interact. Perhaps this is Ted Lasso’s method of exposition for the audience, which is understandable, but it runs counter to Ted’s knowledge as a manager this far into the show’s run.
“Greyhounds’ Day Off” could have had Ted explain it to prove as much — believe it or not, he is good at his job. History proves that Ted knows time away from the pitch is a successful tool to remind the team of their common goal. This episode follows suit, even if it leads to the team’s arrest. Heydon’s camera finding Alice when she stands apart at Richmond Station is ingenious. As the coaches, players, and ownership peel off, Alice is on the outside of all three “cliques,” if you will. That clever distinction and Tanya Reynolds’ performance subtly reveal what’s probably running through her head.
MORE: Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 2 Review: Some Things Shouldn’t Stay the Same
Roy Kent Goes Speed Dating
On the other hand, the men’s team has become both confusing and intriguing. Understandably and rightfully, they are no longer the focus of this show. However, the more time that Ted Lasso Season 4 spends with Roy, the more odd it is to (at least) not hear about the men’s team in a larger capacity. It’s not even because Ted Lasso needs to show what’s specifically happening with the men’s team. It’s more about what it means for Roy, who seems to be managing it all on his own. Beard is back with Ted, and there has not even been a passing mention of Nate’s whereabouts. This sport and his work in it matter to Roy.
Therefore, it matters to the characters who love him – and the audience. However, “Greyhounds’ Day Off” suggests that this season will mainly focus on Roy’s romantic storyline with Keeley. That choice is somewhat refreshing since women frequently hold that supporting role in male-centric stories. That said, Ted Lasso has known and loved Roy Kent for six years – there’s a vested interest in seeing his life. But maybe the reality is that this show will never spend the same amount of time with this character again. His speed dating run in “Greyhounds’ Day Off” is the most time this season spends with him so far.
Expectedly, Brett Goldstein is great. He balances Roy’s disinterest in the process and gradual sensitivity to how that will affect the women with an empathetic self-awareness. From the beginning, it’s evident that Ted Lasso wants his dismissal of finding a spark with anyone else to give way to Roy discovering an unexpected connection. Roy and Britt, the bartender, have chemistry, but when Goldstein and Laura Haddock go toe-to-toe, it’s undeniable. There’s certainly a spark between Roy and Haddock’s Erin. But if Ted Lasso intends to reunite Roy and Keeley at some point, it will be interesting to see how the show makes Roy and Erin worthwhile for both of them – beyond a possible knee replacement.
MORE: Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 1 Review: Home Is Where the Heart Is
Keeley and Rebecca Are on the Same Page
This storyline exists because Roy and Keeley know where this is going. The issue is Roy has never been anything other than sure of his feelings for Keeley. It’s his belief in himself and his overall self-worth that wavers – Keeley knows this. Alternatively, the argument about Roy putting Keeley on a pedestal has more potential if it happened before the previous episode. Roy clearly realizes that only viewing Keeley as Keeley Jones, Woman on Top, is idealized and unrealistic.
Relatedly, it’s fascinating to watch how Ted Lasso Season 4 engages with Keeley’s sense of self. “And it is high up here, man, and my heart is scared of heights” is a gorgeous line. It provides personal insight alongside the context of Keeley’s rising career over the last six years. Now, Ted Lasso finds her taking a huge risk with the women’s team. She’s believably eager for them – and herself – to be taken seriously. Zelda Southport’s arrival couldn’t have better timing. Keeley is totally mesmerized by her. Admittedly, it is thrilling to watch Zelda tell a room of mostly men to put their hearts where their fake allyship is. More of that, please!
This new character also stirs up tension between Keeley and Rebecca about whether Zelda is trustworthy. Keeley says, “But both you and I have things from our past that a lot of people could judge us for without the full context,” and she’s right. Ted Lasso can either validate Keeley’s resistance to judgment, or it can do so with Rebecca’s history with “rich angry women.” Either way, “Greyhounds’ Day Off” only bends Keeley and Rebecca, rather than break them right after the previous episode. Their date and its accompanying healthy dialogue signal how much care Ted Lasso, Juno Temple, and Hannah Waddingham put into Keeley and Rebecca’s relationship.
MORE: Grant Feely Talks Joining ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4 and Whom He Wants Henry to Share Scenes with the Most
The Greyhounds Team Up at the Pub
Things with the women’s team are both developing very gradually and very quickly. Ted Lasso Season 4 has already lost some time with them, with “Greyhounds’ Day Off” picking up after multiple games. The episode feels that missed time – the show jumps into cliques with the players before getting to know them individually or as a team. They rarely interact before they want nothing to do with another. That leap creates a disconnect.
Alternatively, “Greyhounds’ Day Off” nudges along pre-existing dynamics, like Alice and Gemma’s. From the story about the train to her ability to casually spit on and smash a bottle over a man’s head, Boots remains a standout. The other characters, like Lizzie and the twins, have the potential to break out, but Ted Lasso hasn’t gotten to know them on a more substantial level yet. Meanwhile, the team’s common enemy is explicitly defined and ever-present – misogyny. It’s immensely satisfying to know that AFC Richmond Women are smarter, stronger, and better at football than those men will ever be. It’s also really impactful to have the team’s common ground be at Mae’s Crown & Anchor.
Yes, it’s a staple location for the show, but it’s more than that, too. The previous episode proves why making Mae a consistent part of this journey is so smart. The women’s team matters to her. It matters to Richmond. I didn’t anticipate how moving it would be to hear the women’s team chant “Richmond ‘Til I Die,” but I should have. Sure, something is brewing with that photo making it to Ernie Lounds. With that and Jane’s poster, Ted Lasso is planting the seeds of these (at least) season-long storylines. For now, though, “Greyhounds’ Day Off” ends with a renewed momentum of pride and unity for the women’s team.
MORE: Everything We Know About Ted Lasso Season 4
Other Winning Moments:
- “Not Grady Locks: Hair care for the silver fox.”
- Sharon is a professor of sports psychology
- Beard is reading Soccerwomen: The Icons, Rebels, Stars, and Trailblazers Who Transformed the Beautiful Game by Gemma Clarke
- Boots having to wash blood off her hands
- “Sorry, I’m a little hard of hearing ever since I went to the Eras Tour and sat next to a group of overzealous girl dads.”
- That’s not even the only Taylor Swift mention in this episode
- Zelda’s claw-clip origin story
- Roy loving it when Keeley is excited
- Keeley mentioning that Gemma is quickly becoming a fan-favorite
- Keeley having to call Derek to put in the shirt orders
- Ted putting a trash can over his head and Beard putting Post-Its over his glasses to go into the locker room
- Ted asking Alice, “Are we in trouble?”
- Keeley telling Rebecca that she was instrumental in making Keeley care about football
- Beard being a trivia night phenom
- If I Were Richmond, We Can’t Think of a Name, Flying Coach
- Roy wearing the socks Phoebe made him on his date(s)
—
