Warning: Reviews of Ted Lasso season 4 episode 9 will contain spoilers.

Given the developments within Ted Lasso season 4, episode 9, I should feel a whole host of emotions. And, to be clear, there is a lot that happens within this week’s installment. Births, deaths (more on that in a moment), promotions, victories, character developments, and more. Instead, what I’m mostly left feeling is apathy, indifferent towards what should be the dramatic apex of the season.

We’ve leapfrogged the cliffhanger from last week to now, and Gemma’s (Abbie Hern) knee injury is written off as “less severe than expected”, as she itches to return to the pitch off the bench. What could have been an opportunity for reflection on Gemma’s part – the struggles of rehab, balancing football and law school, the expectations from her seemingly wealthy family, etc. – gets tossed off-screen as she becomes manic in her quest to get back on the field and help Richmond earn promotion. Instead, we see Chilton (Tanya Reynolds) try to prop up the other members of the team, like Shannon (Shannon Hayes), who’s barely had any screen presence since her initial introduction earlier in season 4.

At this point, I can’t tell which plot developments that Ted Lasso is storing up to return to in a future season, or if they’ll be resolved next week in the season 4 finale. Case in point, Keeley’s (Juno Temple) discovery this week that she’s pregnant after fainting during a match because of high blood pressure. We get the classic sitcom bits of Keeley trying to keep the secret from Roy (Brett Goldstein) but thankfully episode 9 doesn’t end without him learning – and reacting exactly how we’d expect. I don’t know what kind of a wrench this will throw into the future of Ted Lasso, but I can’t imagine it’ll change the lives of either party, especially given Roy’s proven track record taking care of his niece.

What does feel like it’s barreling towards a conclusion at the end of season 4 is the mystery set up last week, surrounding who’s been buying the shares of Richmond stock. Here’s where I admit to the egg on my face, as episode 8 insinuated that Rebecca’s (Hannah Waddingham) ex Rupert was the culprit. Of course, if I had kept up with the news and known that actor Anthony Head, who played Rupert in previous seasons, had died in June 2026 and receives a dedication at the end of episode 9, then I’d know that this was a simple misdirect. Instead, we learn that Zelda (Tracey Ullman) is responsible, for reasons we’ve yet to discern. Revealing a thinly-sketched, glorified guest star as the secret villain of season 4 makes sense on paper, I suppose, but I walked away from the revelation feeling less unsure about the future of Richmond and more confident that Rebecca and the gang will quickly thwart the effort next week, and all will be right with the world.

Now, the biggest plot development which could have lasting implications beyond Ted Lasso season 4 is the death of Mae (Annette Badland), who dies off-screen during/after the Lady Greyhounds match. Badland has had such a solid presence throughout the life of the show, even in smaller doses, acting as a confidant and friend to Ted (Jason Sudeikis). Whenever a show kills off a tertiary character such as Mae, it’s easy to question why the creative team decided it was necessary. My initial reaction to the development at the end of episode 9 was to do the same, but I think it could provide some fruitful developments going forward. The women’s team has lost their most vocal supporter, Ted has lost a friend outside of his workplace, and surely the Richmond community at large will feel the loss as well. Of course, there will still need to be someone to run the bar now that Mae’s gone. Could we see someone like Ted step down, giving the reins to Chilton to coach the team, and take her place? With such a scattershot season 4 overall, anything is possible. The only question is, would any of it register on an emotional level?