Season 4, Episode 8

In a quick flash, we cover a number of matches for the Greyhounds as they rise up in the league and get all the way to 2nd place, but when one of their best players is injured, can they survive the rest of the season?

Gemma is out for a bit following a leg injury, and the team is shaken without her quiet confidence this week, and she’s not sure if she has the strength to continue, having seen how easily her future can be rattled. Bringing to mind the internship, Alice reaches out, hoping to provide some comfort, a challenge for the Assistant Coach who has been making headway at becoming a more integral part of the team. I’m happy we’re spending more time exploring the Alice/Gemma relationship as it’s been mostly hinted at all season, and while these confrontations provide more self-conflict for the two of them, it helps to show the journeys they’ve been on all season and where they stand with each other. We also get to see Alice in Gemma’s corner when giving a bit of pushback toward Rebecca’s well-purposed but missed opportunity GET WELL BASKET.

Alice is really the central character to so many of this season’s most impressive narrative choices, most notably in how Ted can recognize and feel for her anxiety welling up this week. He’s still not entirely over his (does anyone ever actually get over it?), but he can see the symptoms in her, especially in how much she carries the weight of the team instead of sharing it with the others. Ted cleverly speaks to Alice through his conversation with the team, informing them that, yes, there is crying in futbol. I’ve loved her evolution over the course of the season, after having been a little concerned with her character upon first appearance. This season seems to really find itself in the support systems we have and what can happen when we wall ourselves off from those around us.

Roy finds himself on his own adventure with Keeley as he is preparing to join Chelsea’s Wall of Legends, and the two end up on a perilous journey to make it there on time, truly testing the merit of any potential future between them. This is a funny little bit of side quest that doesn’t have a lot of weight to the overall season, but it’s interesting to see the developments that the two have and we get another chance to peel back layers on Roy’s past and the good nature behind his tough exterior. I’m interested to see if the development of Richmond’s new doctor has any bearing on this subplot in the final two episodes. It’s episodes like this that make me pine for the loss of the Diamond Dogs, and I still hope one day to see a return of the group, in whatever form they take.

By far, the most captivating subplot of the episode comes from, surprisingly enough, Leslie Higgins as he takes on the mystery of who is buying shares of Richmond in secret. We think we have an answer in this episode but I’m not so convinced that it’s the true one, but seeing the conspiracy thriller aspect of Higgins going into the basement of the the pub with Mae and learning how to FOLLOW THE ANGER was a lot of fun, very exciting, and unexpectedly thrilling. Who knows what the major ramifications will be, but the Higgins story was a surprise standout this week.

This episode has everything, though I still wish for more actual futbol sequences. I’m a little disappointed that so much of the season has happened offscreen, but there is a lot of character development that can happen in futbol politics. I haven’t compared the amount of futbol scenes over the course of the series, but it does feel a bit light this season. Still, Follow the Anger is another excellent Ted Lasso episode that’s highest highs make up for some of the smaller missteps.

4/5
-Kyle A. Goethe

For more Ted Lasso: Home, Curiouser and Curiouser!, Richmond’s Got Talent, Greyhounds’ Day Off, Riches of Embarrassment, Don’t Jump Around Much Anymore, Yes & Baby