Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 5, “Riches of Embarrassment,” was also rich in Easter eggs.
Spoilers for Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 5
The eventful installment saw AFC Richmond’s women’s team face off against Chelsea, while Ted (Jason Sudeikis), Beard (Brendan Hunt), Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), and Keeley (Juno Temple) each navigated romantic hurdles. Then, before the end credits rolled, Ted had some major Nate (Nick Mohammed) flashbacks while watching Alice (Tanya Reynolds) interact with the team, so he suspended her for a match to give her time to reflect and readjust.
Since Ted Lasso is such a thoughtfully crafted love letter to fans, each week until Season 4’s October 7 finale, Decider is taking a closer look at each episode and highlighting five moments that deserve to be put under the microscope. Whether they’re blink-and-miss-it details, brilliant Easter eggs, or major scenes that need to be talked through in greater depth, we’re here to obsess over, hypothesize, and dissect the series alongside you. We’re also shouting out a standout needle drop each episode, since the show’s soundtrack absolutely slaps.
From new love interests and an iconic Delia Smith reference to Chelsea Easter eggs, a touching tribute card, sneaky pop culture references, and more, here are five things you may have missed in Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 5, “Riches of Embarrassment.”
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The Scottish Play And The Stage Manager
Photo: Apple TV As noted in a previous article, Charlotte Riley joined Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 5 as a stage manager and potential love interest for Ted. You can read all about her interaction with Ted and why Riley — who’s appeared on Trying, Peaky Blinders, and more — looks so familiar here. But we also want to unpack those theater jokes from her first scene.
Ted whistles what sounds like “Sentimental Journey” in Episode 405, and when Riley’s character first finds him, he’s whistling in the theater — a big no! Whistling in a theater is considered bad luck, as is saying the name “Macbeth.” That’s why Riley’s character avoids naming the Shakespeare play when explaining how she first became interested in the career. Instead, she says she saw a “Scottish play” at age 10. And when Ted says “Macbeth” later on, Beard immediately trips. As the great Michael Scott once said, I’m “a little sticious” after watching this episode.
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Delia Smith Paved The Way For Rebecca Welton’s Speech
Rebecca’s drunken “WHERE ARE YOU?” half-time speech wasn’t just iconic; it was directly inspired by a real-life 2005 speech Delia Smith gave at a game before Norwich City fans — right down to the “WHERE ARE YOU?” and “LET’S BE HAVING YOU.” What’s not to support, football fans?! These women are legends!
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Let’s Hear It For The Chelseas
Photo: Apple TV AFC Richmond’s women’s team plays Chelsea in Episode 405, and if you look and listen closely to the game, you’ll recognize a delightful trend: The Chelsea players are named after famous real-world Chelseas — from Perretti and Clinton to Handler and more. I even heard a “Grammer” at one point, which seems to be a nod to Kelsey Grammer?! Time to rewatch those football scenes to find out who else we missed!
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More Deep Cut Details
Photo: Apple TV Yeah, I know I said five things, but I’m bending the rules to make #4 a catchall for some deep cut Episode 5 details. First up, since I’ve seen a bit of debate about the mystery woman Roy is dating, let me share my logic. Some think that after Roy’s ER trip, he rekindled his romance with the bartender he made out with in Episode 4, but the bartender specifically referred to herself as “Date 5,” and Roy told Keeley he took the same woman on dates 6-10. My bet? He’s dating Dr. Erin Beaumont (Laura Haddock). Erin clearly made quite the impression on Roy, so we have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of her — especially since Roy admittedly wanted her number! It also makes sense that Goldstein’s former Superbob co-star/love interest would have a meatier role as a love interest again.
Elsewhere in the episode, Sudeikis’ clever references to home continue! In this case, Beard’s mention of The Bottleneck references a real live music venue in Laurence, Kansas. And when Ted puts a Viking hat on backstage after Jane’s one-woman show, some saw it as a nod to his Overland Park high school, Shawnee Mission West, which had a Viking as a mascot.
This episode, the whiteboard in the coach’s office reads, “Flieg Weiter Hoch!!!” which translates to “Fly Higher!!!” In the pop culture department, Tracey Ullman fans greatly appreciated a reference to The Simpsons. The team discussed Bart telling people to eat his shorts, which felt like a pointed nod to The Simpsons Shorts, a series of animated short films that aired on The Tracey Ullman Show before The Simpsons was born. On top of Ted’s Cheech & Chong reference to Rebecca, he also quoted Jeremey Renner’s famous line in The Town — “Whose car are we gonna take? — before accompanying Beard to Jane’s show. What other deep cut details did you pick up on?
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Photo: Apple TV As noted in a previous article, before Episode 5’s end credits rolled, the words “In memory of Joel Stevens” flashed on-screen. Decider reached out to Ted Lasso reps at Apple TV in hopes of getting more info, but until we hear back, it appears the Joel Stevens Ted Lasso paid tribute to a beloved family member, friend, and football coach/fan who died on August 15, 2025, after a battle with cancer.
Back in 2025, Burgess Hill Town Junior FC posted a touching tribute to the English football team’s coach, Stevens, and late team manager, Graham George, on its Facebook and Instagram pages, calling Joel “a larger-than-life character who wore his heart on his sleeve. His cheeky grin, quick wit, and banter with the boys made him truly special. He was a mentor, a mate, and a coach who instilled a style of fast, fearless football that will always remain part of the team’s DNA.”
Season 4, Episode 5’s Winning Needle Drop: “Hold On” by Wilson Phillips
Episode 405 ends with Rebecca and Keeley watching Bridesmaids in bed, which is why it’s such a treat that “Hold On” by Wilson Phillips — aka the Bridesmaids end credits jam — plays us out. On top of being a certified banger, the song’s lyrics, which tell a story of shared pain, holding on until better days arrive, and the need to take hold of one’s life and change it for the better, perfectly apply to Keeley and Rebecca’s situation. They’ve both self-sabotaged their romantic relationships in a sense and are left devastated, but as Wilson Phillips says, “You’ve got no one to blame for your unhappiness. You got yourself into your own mess.” Hopefully next week they can get themselves out!
Want more Easter eggs? Be sure to catch up on our Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, and Episode 4 Easter egg breakdowns while you wait for the next new episode.
Stay tuned for more Ted Lasso Season 4 coverage from Decider.
