Did Mae just die in Ted Lasso? Star confirms fate and reveals change to season 4 finale

*Warning: Spoilers ahead for Ted Lasso season 4 episode 9*

Mae Green’s fate is left hanging in the balance at the end of Ted Lasso season 4 episode 9. But you won’t have to wait until the finale to find out if she died, as Annette Badland has opened up about what really happened to her character. 

The penultimate season 4 episode of the Apple TV series, aptly titled ‘Mae Rides the Bus’, sees AFC Richmond’s women’s team at risk of losing their promotion after a series of disappointing results. 

Ultimately, their upcoming away game against Bristol Rovers will be the decider, and with everything riding on the match, Ted (Jason Sudeikis) invites Mae to travel with the team. It’s a rare moment away from her usual spot behind the bar at the Crown & Anchor.

Mae decides to watch with the supporters rather than alongside Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) in the VIP seats, where she sees Richmond pull off a dramatic comeback and secure their promotion. But the celebration takes a devastating turn: after Mae jumps up to celebrate, she collapses in the stands. 

Rebecca is later told there has been an “incident” involving Mae and tearfully passes the news to Ted. But we don’t hear what she tells him, leaving Mae’s fate technically still up in the air. 

So, is Mae actually dead?

Sadly, yes she is. Even though we don’t hear it in Ted Lasso’s latest episode, actress Annette Badland confirmed the news to Deadline, explaining that Mae died doing what she loved best: supporting the Lady Greyhounds and celebrating their victory.

“That’s what happens. You’re involved with folks, and they disappear. They go, and she loved her life,” she said. “She made the very best of her life and really relished it. So she went, I suppose, for her, in the very best way.”

Annette went on to say that she actually didn’t find out about Mae’s death until around November, by which point they were only an episode or so away from filming it. 

“I was shocked, but I’m very proud being in the show, and I admire Jason [Sudeikis]. I think the series is so successful because people smell it’s very genuine. The audience know it’s not made cynically. It’s not a product. It’s something Jason wants to say about the world and how we are, so you have to trust that,” she continued. 

“I don’t know when I’ll die. You just don’t know. So, being told that it was going to happen quite close to it being filmed, you just have to go. ‘Well, that’s [that].’”

The actress also spoke about the locker room speech Mae gave before the game, with Deadline asking what she wanted to leave the team with. 

“I think not giving in. She’s very outspoken. She’s a lioness who will defend you till the nth degree once you’ve got her heart and respect,” Annette replied. 

“Being an older woman, where you do become invisible, Mae’s never going to be invisible. She will not allow that to happen. I get ignored. You’ll stand at a counter, and people won’t bother, or they’ll walk into you. ‘You’ve had your time, move aside.’ And Mae would not allow that, and was still in there pitching and relishing.”

In a separate interview with TV Insider, she addressed the fact that Mae’s death happens off screen. “Yeah, I think it’s more realistic, other things are happening. That’s what happens: People are dying or being born, and the rest of life is going on,” Annette said. 

“And you’re incidental, and it’s not a medical drama [where] they suddenly turned up in an ambulance and started pumping my chest, or whatever. I think it’s much more elegant to leave her in that very happy place, in that very fulfilled moment.”

RIP Mae, gone but never forgotten. 

Annette Badland reveals changes made to Ted Lasso season 4 finale

Mae might be gone in a physical sense, but it sounds like her story isn’t quite over yet. Annette revealed that Jason actually made changes to the upcoming season 4 finale after the pair discussed Mae’s death.

When asked by Deadline what she thinks Mae would want as a celebration of her life, she replied, “Oh, she’d have asked for a tremendous party at The Crown and Anchor. Everyone invited. 

“Jason did modify some of season 4 episode 10. We talked after he told me about her passing, and he did, because that’s how he is. He’s responsive and collaborative. So he did change some of the stuff in 10, or incorporated what we talked about. She doesn’t just [go away]. She has, not an appearance, but she is still within the context.”

Annette was similarly cryptic when TV Insider asked how Mae’s death would affect the finale, teasing, “She is there as a presence, if not a full-bodied human being. So yeah, there’s still things to be revealed.”

Beyond the characters’ grief, the actress also teased how Mae might continue to impact Richmond after her death: through her shares in the club. 

“Well, she had a very large pile of shares… She uses them to good effect,” Annette told Deadline. “Her instructions are for them to be used in a particular way that is quite good.”

We’ll have to wait to see how all of this plays out when the Ted Lasso season 4 finale lands on Apple TV at 6pm PT on Tuesday, October 6 – or Wednesday, October 7 if you’re not in the US.

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Featured image credit: Apple TV