Review: Ted Lasso, "Curiouser and Curiouser!" | Season 4, Episode 2
For better or worse, Ted Lasso is back to being Ted Lasso
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The opening shot of the trailer for Ted Lasso’s fourth season is the opening shot of “Curiouser and Curiouser!” Roused by his alarm, Ted rises from his bed disheveled but ready to take on his first day as the head coach of the Lady Greyhounds. As in the trailer, it quickly and clearly communicates that while Ted may not have changed, the world around him is going to be a little different. It’s still familiar in some ways: the crotchety man still thinks he’s a wanker, and Mae is still tending bar at the Crown & Anchor. But he’s also living above the pub with his old street under construction, and the man thinks he’s a wanker because he’s coaching a bunch of girls now. (Oh, and his shredded wheat is mini now too).
It’s also a shot that signals that Ted Lasso is now back to being Ted Lasso, complete with the same opening credits. While I have no doubt that the personal dynamics of Ted’s return to London will resonate in future episodes, “Curiouser and Curiouser!” is notable for ignoring them entirely. You don’t need to know anything about why Ted went to Kansas City or why he chose to leave; with Michelle and Henry still a week out from their arrival, Ted is just a startlingly friendly man giving his full attention to the coaching job in front of him. He didn’t come back to AFC Richmond to prove something: he came back to do what he loves and connect with those who love it too.
If you’ve been cynical about the idea of Ted Lasso returning, and you haven’t yet started the season, my recommendation here is clear: just skip to this week’s episode. “Curiouser and Curiouser” shows an impressive command of the Lasso Way, his gradual winning over of assistant coach Alice Chilton mirroring the show’s gradual winning over of this critic. I still don’t know how sustainable this energy is, but the episode written by Leann Bowen gets to tap into a version of Ted unburdened by the larger weight of the show around him, something that honestly hasn’t been true since its first season. It’s an episode that certainly indulges in the show’s penchant for magical realism with regards to the prospects of the AFC Richmond women’s team, but it does so in a way that makes you want to—ugh, I know—believe, and that’s where our connection to the show was born in the first place.
