The new story arc of TED LASSO is in full swing as the season reaches its midpoint. RICHES OF EMBARASSMENT has a clever title, but feels like it’s pulling in too many minor story directions to come together as a cohesive episode. Perhaps “Riches of Side Plots” would have been a more appropriate title.

First things first. Any new installment of Ted Lasso makes me happy. Last week’s GREYHOUNDS’ DAY OFF was my favorite of the year so far. On top of returning some great TED LASSO costars from seasons past, I really appreciated the “off the pitch, we’re still a team” vibe to it.. And while some plot lines from then have continued, none of them are interesting enough to earn the chapter’s focus. One of the biggest storylines that has carried over from last season (and the 3 years between) is the relationship between Rebecca and Matthijs. Unfortunately, so far this season, we only see Matthijs when he’s coming in second to Rebecca’s career, or he’s part of a really weak and passive piece of miscommunication. This man is a hot Dutch pilot, played to perfection by Matteo van der Grijn. When we first met him back in 2023, he was so interesting, so kind, and yet a bit mysterious. But now, here in the show’s main setting of Richmond, he just doesn’t get to do much at all.

Now, here’s why I can’t discount this episode entirely. We finally get to see more of what happened with Beard since the end of S3. Alas, even that was pretty anti-climactic. The true core of the episode was Richmond’s first home match, and the dynamics between not only the players, but the coaching staff, the front office, and the fans. Obviously each of these groups plays an important role in the series as a whole. Between Rebecca’s forced relationship drama, Beard’s frustrating off-pitch life, and various subplots with seemingly every additional cast member, the Lady Greyhounds’ first home match felt as unimportant as some football fans treat women’s sports.

I’m ready for Ted, Beard, Keeley, and Roy to take big gigantic leaps forward in their lives. Ted is the only one here giving us hints that he’s going to. When the characters stall, so does the story. Richmond having their first season of a women’s team is HUGE, at least it should be. Let’s get more acquainted with the players as we did with Jamie and Roy in S1. I’m dying to know more about Lizzie (Faye Marsay), Gemma (Abbie Hern), or Shannon (Shannon Hays). But much like Richmond’s season, all is not lost. We’ve still got 5 more episodes to go. Great needle drops this week. The music of TED LASSO never disappoints.

TED LASSO S4 streams on AppleTV+ every Wednesday (but usually it’s on there Tuesday night, at least for us Westcoasters)