Review: Ted Lasso, "Riches of Embarrassment" | Season 4, Episode 5

“I think they just want to know more about you.”

We’re halfway through the return of Ted Lasso, and it’s a big turning point for the Lady Greyhounds: their FA Cup showdown with the much more experienced Chelsea. After an episode of team bonding, the team has to test their newfound chemistry in front of a sold out crowd.

So, naturally, we spend most of the episode focused on every character other than the players on the team.

“Riches of Embarrassment” bugged me because it doesn’t seem to realize the problem with this. It acts like what the season needs is a wrench in Rebecca’s relationship with Matthijs, another chapter in the saga of Beard and Jane, and a definitive statement of whether Ted is ready to date again. None of these developments are unwelcome, but they’re too central in an episode that wants a big climax for the team and its players. It wants their comeback against Chelsea to resonate, but while Gemma and the rest of the team get their moments, they’re tethered only to Ted’s inspirational choice to tell them more about his personal life.

Here’s one example of the absence of storytelling around the players. Near the beginning of the episode, Ted puts the lineup for the game on the board, and Alice has one clear suggestion: take Shannon off of it. From the time she tried out for the team, the show has made it clear that Ted is likely pushing her above her skill level, and this was the latest reminder of that. However, it’s also the latest reference to Shannon with no actual character development for her—if you thought this was going to become a story point during the game itself, you’d be wrong. We don’t check in on Shannon at all, even though it would have worked if she had been responsible for the mishap that eventually costs them the match in the final seconds.