As expected, on the heels of such an emotional penultimate episode, Ted Lasso‘s highly anticipated Season 4 finale packed a gut punch. What we didn’t expect, however, was that some of the deepest scenes would be between Ted (Jason Sudeikis) and his son Henry (Grant Feeley).
Spoilers for Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 10 ahead.
Episode 410, “Still Alive”/”The Departing Lass,” looked at life and death through various different lenses. Mae’s (Annette Badland) death helped Ted prioritize his work/life balance and inspired him to step down as Manager of AFC’s women’s team. The loss reminded Rebecca to start living her own life. And losing Mae got Henry thinking about how his grandfather, Ted’s dad, Jim Lasso, died.
“How did your dad die?” Henry asked Ted. “Nana told me he fell down some steps and hit his head. Is that true?”
“Um.. well, yeah,” Ted hesitantly replied. Before he could elaborate or think too hard about his response, Henry asked if he was around Ted’s age when he died, and Ted sensed his fear.
“Hey. Don’t worry. I’m good on the stairs. You ain’t gonna lose me any time soon. I promise,” Ted assured Henry. And the two moved on.
When chatting with Beard at work, however, Ted brought up his lie, saying, “Henry was asking for some straight talk the other day, and I went a little too serpentine on him for my liking.” Beard reassured that Ted he probably made the right call by shielding his son from the truth, but the lie was clearly still weighing on Ted. So later in the episode, when he walked in on Henry struggling with homework, Ted decided it was time for another father/son heart-to-heart.
“I’m sorry I missed so many games this season, but I just want to let you know that I’m gonna shift some stuff around on my side of things and make sure that won’t happen next year. I promise,” Ted told Henry. “And there’s actually something else I want to talk about with you. It’s about how your grandfather passed away…”
As the two talked, the camera zoomed out so we couldn’t hear the crucial conversation. The scene even led some viewers to ask, “How did Ted Lasso’s dad die?” So we’re here to refresh your memory.
How Did Ted Lasso’s Dad Die?
At the end of Season 2, Episode 8, “Man City,” after experiencing panic attacks and seeing Jamie’s (Phil Dunster) dad disrespect him in the locker room, Ted tearfully called Dr. Sharon Fieldstone (Sarah Niles) and told her that his dad died by suicide.
“My father killed himself when I was 16. That happened to me and, uh, to my mom,” he explained.
Ted went into greater detail about his relationship with his dad and his death in Season 2, Episode 10, “No Weddings and a Funeral,” which showed him and the team supporting Rebecca at her own father’s funeral.
Throughout the episode, Ted struggled with his own feelings about his late father. And before attending the funeral, he called Dr. Fieldstone for help. When she paid him a visit, Ted revealed that he never went to his dad’s funeral when he was a teen, “‘Cause he quit. You know, he quit on his family. He quit on himself. And I hated him for that. I think I still hate him for it.”
When Dr. Fieldstone asked Ted what happened with his dad, he said, “Me and a bunch of high school buddies were gonna do a marathon of all them Jason movies that night. So I, you know, came home from school as usual and I went up to my room and — bang! I opened up the door and, there he was. [And I just] screamed. Choked. Cried. Ran upstairs, called 911. Went to the fridge, grabbed one of his Coors Lights. Drank that. Then I called my mom at work and let her know that she needed to come home.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you, Ted. And I understand why you’re angry with him. He took a lot away from you and your mom,” Dr. Fieldstone replied, before asking Ted what his father was like.
“He was a good man, you know. Real chatterbox, believe it or not. Probably could have been a little bit better listening box at times,” Ted recalled. Then, he told Dr. Fieldstone the story about the book Johnny Tremain, which we saw in Ted’s childhood bedroom back in Season 4’s premiere.
“He was a good dad. And I don’t think he knew that,” Ted reflected. “I think if he would’ve known how good he was at stuff he didn’t really care about being good at, I don’t think he would’ve done what he did. And I wish I would have told him. I wish I would have told him more. I was just so angry at him cause he was always gone at work and out with friends or something, and then he was gone.”
Ted knows that his dad’s mental health struggles are a major reason why he cares so deeply about people and commits so hard to seeing and understanding them. Throughout Ted Lasso‘s four seasons, we’ve seen him reflect on his dad’s death, process his grief, and heal. So while we didn’t hear what Ted told Henry, we can imagine he was honest, empathetic, and patient in the conversation. Hopefully, if Ted Lasso returns for Season 5, we’ll see this storyline and these vulnerable conversations explored further between Ted and Henry.
If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988.
Ted Lasso Season 4 is now streaming on Apple TV.
