Ted Lasso season 4 has spent the first few episodes dragging its feet, and now it has finally dropped two major reveals in a single hour. Roy and Keeley are expecting a baby. And Mae, the pub owner who has been with the show since the beginning, dies.
The episode, titled “Mae Rides The Bus,” tries to do both things at once. It fails on both counts.
Keeley Finds Out She Is Pregnant
The season has spent weeks circling the idea that Roy and Keeley were getting back together. They finally did in last week’s episode, but the show did not let the moment breathe. Now, in “Mae Rides The Bus,” Keeley discovers she is pregnant.
“For added flair, she even faints during the game—a clear sign of what’s coming that ruins the buildup Ted Lasso was aiming for with the reveal later on.”
The fainting happens during the game. It is a clear signal that the audience is meant to connect with the reveal that follows. But the pacing is so bad that the reveal loses its impact anyway. By the time Keeley tells Roy at the end of the episode, the moment feels rushed rather than earned.
The Pregnancy News Arrives Late
The episode opens with roughly two months having passed since Roy and Keeley got back together. But the show does not show them navigating that time. It skips ahead to the news, which means the audience misses the middle of the story.
Keeley has taken multiple pregnancy tests to confirm the result. She tells Rebecca about it over lunch in a lovely scene, and then she whispers it to Roy at the very end. His reaction: it is the best thing he has ever heard, followed by a kiss.
It is sweet. It is also frustrating. Roy and Keeley were apart for three years. Their reunion deserves more than a whisper and a quick montage of flashbacks.
Mae’s Long Goodbye
The other major plot thread involves Mae, the pub owner who has become Ted’s landlady and a mentor to Henry. The episode makes clear why she cares about football: she wanted to play the sport herself but was never given the chance.
That backstory explains her support for the Lady Greyhounds. It also makes the decision to kill her off feel manipulative.
Ted offers Mae a ride on the team’s bus to Bristol for the Greyhounds’ latest game. The team is desperate to win after a losing streak following Gemma’s injury. Mae bonds with the players along the way, and the episode spends time showing how much she has invested in their success.
Then, after the team wins, Mae drops dead in the stands.
The Zelda Share Storyline
While all this is happening, the show is also trying to resolve the Zelda share storyline. Zelda is buying up shares in AFC Richmond, and Rebecca and Higgins are still figuring out what to do about it.
The pacing issue is glaring here. Gemma has returned post-injury, Keeley is pregnant, and the Greyhounds are playing a crucial match — yet Rebecca and Higgins are still chasing Zelda’s involvement.
They still think it is Rupert, whose lawyers deny his involvement. Rebecca should be suspicious of Zelda, who seems to drop into her office whenever she pleases. The whole thing just does not track.
Tracey Ullman’s performance as Zelda is described as far too broad. It is grating, and it is not clear whether she is here for good.
The Sports Match Finally Delivers
At least the football itself is exciting to watch. The episode uses a mini time-jump to show a semi-healed Gemma helping out the team for a little bit. Her injured knee felt like doomsday for the Greyhounds last week, but this week’s match is thrilling.
Alice focuses on coaching Shannon during the game.
A Chaotic Episode
The problem is that the episode tries to do too much in one hour. It has the pregnancy reveal, the death of a beloved character, and a complicated business storyline — all while the pacing remains godawful.
If the writers had any sense of where Roy and Keeley were headed, they would have found a way to make their reunion feel earned. Instead, the show dragged out the miscommunication storylines for weeks, only to rush the payoff.
The same thing happens with Mae. The episode builds her up for a long time, then kills her off in the final minutes. It is a well-deserved moment in the sun for Annette Badland, who has been with the show from the beginning and is a terrific actor. But the execution is undercooked.
Why This Episode Fell Flat
The chaos is likely a symptom of the show running out of time. The writers may have realized too late that they only have so many episodes left, and the result is an undercooked, chaotic episode.
It is frustrating because the show has the ingredients for a great finale. Roy and Keeley’s baby, the Zelda share battle — these are all compelling threads. But the execution is sloppy.
The episode’s title, “Mae Rides The Bus,” is a hint. Mae rides the bus, and then she dies. It is a grim joke, and it does not land.
What Happens Next
The baby news will change Roy and Keeley’s lives. Zelda is buying up shares.
But after “Mae Rides The Bus,” the show has lost some of its momentum. It is a reminder that even a good premise needs good writing to carry it.
The show has been inconsistent throughout season 4. Some episodes land, others miss. This one missed.
Key Facts Box
- Episode: “Mae Rides The Bus”
- Major reveals: Keeley is pregnant, Mae dies
- Pacing: Described as “godawful”
- Showrunners: Not specified in the review
The review’s headline sums it up: Ted Lasso season 4 is just one odd choice stacked on top of another. That is accurate. The show has talent, it has heart, and it has a loyal audience. But it keeps making the same mistakes.
It is a shame, because the show has the potential to be great. The writers just need to learn to pace themselves.
See the video the story is built around at The A.V. Club.
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