Ted Lasso Just Hit a New Low

Ted Lasso Season 4 delivers its most controversial twist yet

Ted Lasso Season 4 has swung between memorable highs and frustrating lows, but episode 9, “Mae Rides the Bus,” reaches what may be the season’s most troubling point. The episode appears to kill off Mae, played by Annette Badland, the beloved owner of Richmond’s Crown & Anchor pub and one of the show’s most recognizable supporters.

Much of the episode is structured as a celebration. Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), and Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) celebrate Keeley’s surprise pregnancy. Mae travels in style on the Richmond team bus, while the Lady Greyhounds win a pivotal match that puts them on course for promotion. Even the revelation that Zelda (Tracey Ullman) is the person buying up the team’s shares cannot completely derail Richmond’s celebrations.

That mood changes immediately after the victory. Mae collapses among the celebrating Richmond supporters, who see her fall and call for help. The episode does not show Mae dying; the last image of her is one of enthusiastic support for the Lady Greyhounds. Nevertheless, the scene clearly presents her collapse as a potentially fatal event, turning a triumphant episode into a sudden tragedy.

Mae’s death changes the meaning of her Season 4 story

Ted Lasso has previously dealt directly with death, particularly through the suicide of Ted Lasso’s father and the show’s broader focus on mental health. Mae, however, is the first human member of Ted Lasso’s central ensemble to die onscreen. The only earlier comparable loss is Earl the Greyhound, whose death remains a grim piece of the show’s history.

The timing is especially jarring because Season 4 has expanded Mae’s importance. She has developed a closer relationship with Ted’s son, Henry (Gus Turner), and in episode 8 she helps Higgins (Jeremy Swift) investigate the mystery surrounding the sold shares. Mae also embodies an older generation of women’s sports fans who finally see themselves represented through a high-level women’s team.

As a longtime supporter of the Lady Greyhounds, Mae has waited for Richmond to establish a women’s side. She is also consistently willing to confront people who dismiss or belittle women’s football. Her chance to witness the team’s success should have been a deeply satisfying culmination of her story. Instead, the episode makes that success appear to be the final major moment of her life.

Why the episode’s foreshadowing feels heavy-handed

Mae’s repeated references to her age, or her “seasoning,” throughout “Mae Rides The Bus” signal that something is wrong. That foreshadowing makes the collapse easier to anticipate, but it does not make the decision feel more emotionally earned. Mae’s special day with the team begins to resemble a deliberately perfect farewell, yet the episode provides little space for the characters or the audience to process what has happened.

The result is a twist that can feel less like a natural development of Mae’s story and more like a pre-finale shock designed to produce an immediate emotional reaction. Because Mae has become so closely associated with the Lady Greyhounds and their supporters, using her apparent death as a cliffhanger risks weakening the meaning of the representation and community she has come to symbolize.

Anthony Head tribute creates another abrupt emotional shift

The episode compounds Mae’s collapse by following it almost immediately with an “in memory of” tribute to Anthony Head. Head played Rupert Manion, Richmond FC’s former owner and Rebecca’s ex-husband, during the first three seasons of the series. He died on June 1 of this year from complications related to pneumonia.

An in memoriam card for Head would be entirely appropriate in its own right. Television productions routinely honor cast and crew members who have died. The problem is the placement: instead of appearing in a season premiere, finale, or another standalone tribute, Head’s memorial appears just moments after the apparent death of a major series character.

That decision makes the tribute difficult to receive on its own terms. Rather than allowing viewers to remember Head’s work or reflect on Mae’s devotion to the Lady Greyhounds, the sequence links the two losses so tightly that the show’s emotional construction becomes impossible to ignore. The response is less likely to be fond remembrance than a baffled “huh?” about why the tribute had to follow Mae’s collapse.

Why This Matters

Mae’s storyline has been one of the clearest ways for Ted Lasso to connect Richmond’s fictional football world with the experience of longtime women’s sports supporters. Her apparent death comes just as the Lady Greyhounds achieve a defining success, making the episode’s ending consequential beyond the shock itself.

The season finale now has to clarify Mae’s condition and demonstrate whether the show can give both Mae and Anthony Head a more measured emotional treatment. Ted Lasso Season 4 is streaming on Apple TV, and the season finale airs Oct. 7.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to Mae in Ted Lasso Season 4, episode 9?

After the Lady Greyhounds win a crucial match, Mae collapses while celebrating with Richmond supporters. The episode does not show her death directly, but presents the moment as a possible fatal event.

Who played Mae in Ted Lasso?

Mae is played by Annette Badland. In the series, Mae owns the Crown & Anchor pub and is a passionate supporter of Richmond and the Lady Greyhounds.

Who was Anthony Head’s Ted Lasso character?

Anthony Head played Rupert Manion, Richmond FC’s former owner and Rebecca Welton’s ex-husband. The episode includes an “in memory of” tribute to Head, who died on June 1 of this year from complications due to pneumonia.