Diksha Sundriyal
As the fourth season of Apple TV+’s ‘Ted Lasso’ inches towards its end, things reach a critical point for the Lady Greyhounds. The episode begins with them being on a winning streak, with more encouraging sticky notes from the team appearing beside Ted’s “Believe” poster. But just when it seems they have become invincible, something drastic happens. After Gemma has already made two goals, the coaches consider getting another player in to give Gemma a break. But she insists on playing, and Alice supports it, encouraging her player to go for a hat trick. However, things go wrong when Gemma suffers a knee injury, casting a shadow over her future and the team’s. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Team Hits a Snag With Gemma’s Injury
Gemma is sent home to rest while Rebecca and Co discuss the severity of the situation. For now, all they can do is get her to the doctor, who will perform scans to assess the situation more accurately. The problem is that the doctor on Richmond’s payroll is not ready to see her just yet. He will see her in a couple of days, which is unacceptable, considering how he would have been more prompt had it been a male player. Later, Rebecca tries to expedite the process by calling the doctor, and when he doesn’t budge, she threatens to fire him. To her utter shock, he gladly accepts it, stating that taking care of both the men’s and women’s teams has been a bit too much for him.
Meanwhile, Alice visits Gemma at her parents’ house in the posh part of town. She is welcomed by Gemma’s mom, who cannot seem to figure out what kind of tea person Alice is. The coach, however, is more focused on Gemma’s recovery, offering her complete and unconditional support during this tough time. However, she is caught by surprise when Gemma says she is probably not cut out for football. It turns out she got the internship she interviewed for last time, and given her injury, it feels better to focus on a job that will let her earn a good year’s income rather than spend the year trying to run again. This leaves Alice angry about how Gemma’s answer to the first trouble is just to quit again.
While Alice might be more hopeful about Gemma’s return, Zelda and Rebecca have a realistic discussion about what they must prepare for in case Gemma’s injury turns out to be something worse. The coaches also discuss how to shuffle the team to fill the gap left by Gemma. It turns out they have no credible replacement. With their goalie, the team practice is a dud, and Ted notices that Alice is a bit fidgety. Then he finds her crying in the locker room, but instead of asking her what’s wrong, he just sits with her and helps her calm down by taking some deep breaths. Later, in his address to the team, he talks about how they must all feel free to express their emotions and cry, citing examples of great male football players who are not afraid to show theirs.
Alice Gets Through to Gemma
Ted ends his speech by adding a “and let it out” sticker to the poster, hyping up the team to keep training and prepare to be the best when Gemma eventually returns. His words comfort Alice, who later visits Rebecca in her office. She talks about how difficult and isolating a time it can be for an injured player, having gone through it herself. She asks Rebecca to promise her Richmond will take care of Gemma and let her know she is supported. Before leaving, she also tells Rebecca that Gemma has a nut allergy, referring to the gift basket Rebecca had sent for her. In return, she is told to let Gemma know that she, too, cares about her and has her back. So, Alice drives back to Gemma’s parents’ house.
This time, she doesn’t bother with the niceties and comes straight to the point. She recalls her own love for the game and how it was the one thing that really made her feel free. She sees the same thing in Gemma, which is why she must continue playing. She confesses that she wishes she had Gemma’s talent, her athleticism, and even her bad knee, emphasizing that Gemma should not let herself live with the regret of not playing football unless law is really what she loves more than the sport. Her words have a huge impact on Gemma, and soon she is at the hospital, where Alice visits her and reassures her that everything will be all right.
She confesses that she loves playing football and doesn’t want to stop. So she had asked her employers for some time. In the meantime, she will focus on her recovery and try to get back in the game as soon as possible. Her doctor turns out to be Erin Beaumont, who responded to Keeley’s request and will be taking over Gemma’s care. Before she is taken in for a scan, she finds her entire team in the waiting room, rooting for her. Rebecca, too, shows up, this time with a gift basket full of the things she actually likes. All it took was to go through her socials to find out what she was into.
Roy and Keeley Confess Their Love
While everyone is focused on Gemma, Leslie notices a weird problem with the numbers. An accidental look at Richmond’s accounts shows that many of its supporters have been selling their shares, sometimes at prices higher than their value. He looks into it by calling every person who has sold their shares. He notices a weird pattern: someone has been pushing these people to sell the shares, adding more money and perks to sweeten the pot. Later, he knocks on the door of a woman who didn’t sell her shares and is irritated by the people who have approached her at the bar and in the neighborhood to do so.
This leads Leslie to the Crown and Anchor, where he has an enlightening conversation with Mae. While she doesn’t give him a name, she does point him to someone with a personal grudge against the team. As he follows the anger, he concludes that the person buying all these shares is Rebecca’s ex, Rupert. Elsewhere, Keeley and Roy spend the day together trying to get to Chelsea’s honoring of Roy by adding them to their Wall of Legends. At first, she is hesitant because she thinks he is still with Erin. They even fight before they go, while Roy talks with Ted about how he loves Keeley and wonders when the right time is to tell her.
They embark on their journey in Roy’s newly bought car, which feels more like a tank than a truck and is not as technologically functional as he was led to believe. Then, Roy tries to get it through a small space, which leads it to get stuck in the middle of the road, forcing him to make a way for them by breaking the sunroof. Their best option now is to take the subway, since Roy refuses to take a cab because the drivers tend to talk too much for his taste. It turns out he doesn’t really take the subway either because he is claustrophobic. When Keeley pushes her to call Erin to look at Gemma, he refuses, admitting that they broke up a while ago.
To delay them even further, the train’s lights go out, and they are stuck. Eventually, they come to the surface, and Roy buys a kid’s scooter by giving him an exorbitant amount of cash, which was just lying around in his pocket. By the time they reach the venue, everyone has already left. There are two cleaners, whom Roy immediately recognizes. They encourage him to give his speech, and as he starts speaking, he realizes there has never been a better time to express his feelings for Keeley. She is moved by his gesture, and they kiss, finally getting back together.
Read More: Who is Zelda Southport? Who Plays Her in Ted Lasso?
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