Diksha Sundriyal
The previous episode of Apple TV+’s ‘Ted Lasso’ focused on Richmond women’s team getting new players, particularly a new striker. Now that the team is complete, they are starting to play, if not win, the matches. However, there is a difference between playing together and being an actual team, and without the latter, it would be impossible for the Greyhounds to ensure their success. Thus, the new challenge for the coaches is to break the cliques inside the team and get them all to work together. The fourth episode, titled ‘Greyhounds’ Day Off,’ focuses on this, and interestingly, the entire narrative of the making and breaking of the cliques follows through the conversation between Trent Crimm and Sharon Fieldstone on his podcast. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Coaches Face the Problem of the Cliques
Since their first win at the friendly game, Richmond’s women’s football team has played several more matches. They won some and tied others, which is good enough to stoke the enthusiasm. Ted, however, is unable to share that enthusiasm and continue motivating his team the way he did with the men’s team. He complains to Beard about not being able to walk into the ladies’ locker room whenever he wishes, but just as the words come out of his mouth, he realizes how inappropriate he sounds. Still, Coach Chilton helps clear the path for him, and when he addresses the team, he realizes they have a much bigger problem on their hands. It turns out the team has divided into three cliques: defenders, attackers, and midfielders.
At first, Ted hopes this stays in the locker, but the division is immediately visible as soon as the players take a break and huddle with their respective groups. Thus, he, Chilton, and Beard begin developing ideas to address this issue before it becomes a much bigger problem. This continues with a discussion between Trent and Sharon about cliques, how harmful they can be for a team, and what it takes to resolve them. Meanwhile, Keeley and Rebecca attend a summit, which the latter is not excited about because it means sitting with people she wouldn’t normally wish to spend time with. Keeley, however, is excited, and she becomes even more so after the keynote speaker, Zelda Southport, takes to the stage.
Zelda is witty and irreverent, calling out attendees for not doing enough to actually help women’s sports. Her speech ends pretty quickly as she doesn’t beat around the bush, and this leaves quite an impression on Keeley. She pulls Rebecca aside to chat with Zelda, leaving her even more in awe of this woman who has already paved quite a path for herself. Later, she raves about Zelda’s achievements to Roy, who is happy to see her excited. But the conversation soon veers towards the status of their relationship. He thinks it’s time for them to get back together, but she thinks he’s still not ready. Though it has been a couple of years, he hasn’t really dated anyone, so how can he be sure he actually wants to be with Keeley?
Roy Meets a New Potential Love Interest
As Roy and Keeley discuss the next step, Higgins interrupts them. He realizes what he has walked into, but it is too late for him to walk away now because the duo has given him a responsibility. It is decided that ten dates are a decent number for Roy to go on before he can be sure he doesn’t want to be with anyone but Keeley. Higgins is looped into the chat where Roy updates them about his dates. While Keeley wants him to actually date the women, Roy takes it as a task he must complete as soon as possible. So, he arranges 3-4 dates at the same time. His act is noticed by the bartender, leading him to hook up with her. The makeout session goes awry when Roy’s knee snaps, and his sister has to take him to the doctor.
At the hospital, Roy is his usual grumpy self, but he gets a clapback from Dr. Erin Beaumont, who has no patience for patients like him. She chides him for not getting himself checked earlier for a problem that has been plaguing him for years. It turns out he had been taking painkillers, so he didn’t have to go to a doctor. He comes out of the encounter with a treated knee, a frustrated mind, and a confused heart, wondering if he can get the doctor’s number. Meanwhile, quiz nights are back at the pub, which has Beard excited because he is unbeatable at it. Later, a fight breaks out inside the locker room, and with no Chilton around, Ted and Beard are forced to go inside on their own, though they keep their eyes covered until the ladies confirm they are all dressed.
Turns out the three cliques are getting more and more aggressive and have ended up having a physical altercation. Ted decides to cancel the next training session and takes them to the bar for the quiz night instead. He breaks the cliques by putting different players in different teams, and sure enough, the game does its job. The desire to get the right answers and win gels them rather well, but that still doesn’t give them a chance to win since Beard is playing exceptionally. Things take a turn following a break when Beard goes to the loo and sees something that leaves him so dumbfounded that he doesn’t speak for the rest of the quiz. In the end, only two teams are left: one of the women and one of the condescending, misogynistic men who frequent the pub.
The Team is Brought Together by a Common Enemy
The desire to beat the men brings the women together, and after they win, a fight erupts between the two factions. At least one bar window is broken, and everyone involved in the brawl is taken to the station. By this time, the cliques have dissolved, and the women are enjoying themselves in the holding cell. In the men’s cell, Ted is smiling because the team is truly together now, while the men who fought against his team sit rather dejected. Beard reveals that the reason he was stumped in the second half of the quiz is that he saw a flyer for Jane’s show. The last time, he’d run away when Ted mentioned her, but this time, the heartbreak was too much. Elsewhere, Keeley and Rebecca, who had been discussing the possibility of bringing Zelda onto the team, receive the news of the arrest.
By the time they reach the station, the team has already been bailed out by Zelda. It seems she knows the cop who once bought ketamine from her when she used to tour with a band, and it is insinuated that he still might. In any case, he owed Zelda, and she got the favor from him by not only getting the team out but also by keeping this incident off their record. Still, she subtly hints to Keeley that this can be used to get more publicity for the team. So, they get a photo of themselves at the station, and the next day, there is an article about them. While everyone is glad that things turned out well, the challenge of actually winning a game against a powerful enemy now stands before them. It turns out that their next game is against Chelsea, one of the best, if not the best, teams around.
While some are stressed by it, the team is too hyped up and happy to accept the challenge, even though their chances of winning are slim to none at this point. At the same time, Rebecca still remains hesitant to bring Zelda on board, despite Keeley’s enthusiasm, because there is still a lot they don’t know about her. She doesn’t want to jump too quickly into any agreement with her, though now it seems Zelda might express interest on her own. Elsewhere, Trent and Sharon get the news about the team’s arrest and how Coach Ted works in mysterious ways. When the session ends, they decide to get a coffee together, suggesting that something is brewing between them as well.
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