The second episode of Ted Lasso’s fourth season at long last brings viewers back to England, where they are reunited with beloved characters like Mae, the elderly neighborhood bartender; Roy Kent, AFC Richmond’s rough-around-the-edges men’s coach; and the inscrutable-but-lovable assistant Coach Beard, who remains Ted’s other half in more ways than one. But the most compelling subplot of the episode—and perhaps the most necessary, given the conceit of this latest installment—is that of men’s and women’s team boss Rebecca Welton, who questions everything she believes about herself when asked (and rightfully so) if she even considered hiring a female coach to lead the Lady Greyhounds.
What follows, in addition to the episode’s other arcs and introductions, is a cursory examination of feminism both generally speaking and in the context of sport, as well as a conversation about what it means to actually support female players and franchises when given the chance (not for nothing, this is also a conversation we find ourselves having yet again here in the States).
