Palmer Luckey, ‘Eyes Wide Shut,’ A Cristiano Ronaldo Reference, ‘Labyrinth’ And More

You know what they say: New year, new Easter eggs.

Spoilers for Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 6.

Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 6, “Don’t Jump Around Much Anymore,” saw the women’s team attend Zelda Southport’s (Tracey Ullman) New Year’s Eve bash while Ted (Jason Sudeikis) celebrated the big night at home with Michelle (Andrea Anders) and Henry (Grant Feeley). And Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), Keeley (Juno Temple), and Roy (Brett Goldstein) reunited with an old friend.

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 Jamie Tartt’s Cristiano Ronaldo moment and Zelda’s Eyes Wide Shut party to a Ted Lasso/Jason Sudeikis parallel, a Palmer Luckey sighting, “Jump Around,” and more, here are five things you may have missed in Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 6, “Don’t Jump Around Much Anymore.”

1. Jamie Tartt Gets The Cristiano Ronaldo Treatment

   By now, Ted Lasso fans far and wide have heard or seen that Phil Dunster made his triumphant return as Jamie Tartt in Episode 406. ICYMI, here’s our recap of his glorious guest spot. But we’re gathered here today to discuss the fact that everyone’s convinced the distorted face in Jamie’s vodka campaign graphics is a hilarious nod to that one Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad (but also Very Funny) bust of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, which he unveiled back in 2017 at Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport in Madeira. If so, absolutely iconic callback!

   While Jamie was catching up with his pals, he also told them that his new team, Barcelona, was great and he was getting lots of “tapas and napas.” Though his words may have sounded like nothing more than a silly rhyme, there’s lots of truth behind the line. The folks at FC Barcelona believe naps boost athletic performance, and they’ve got science to back those beliefs up! So good on Ted Lasso for staying true to the real-life sports world.

2. Pop Culture Palooza

   Every episode of Ted Lasso features loads of clever pop culture references, so we’re using this entry as a fun little catch-all to shout out a few favorites. Several fans noticed that Zelda was dressed like David Bowie in the 1986 film Labyrinth, and since Bowie’s character Jareth was the film’s antagonist/king of the goblins, theories that Zelda will turn out to be this season’s villain are gaining even more traction.

   Some more obvious references were Jamie’s shoutout to the animated super robot Voltron, and who could forget him screaming, “I’m Saving Private Roy,” a nod to Saving Private Ryan. There was Ted and Michelle’s Cast Away/Wilson conversation, and Roy’s “I love you Keeley” comment that gave major Ross and Rachel vibes. And of course, Zelda’s Eyes Wide Shut party that Boots called early on in the episode. Wealthy guests donned creepy masks as we saw in the film, and Zelda even hired a blindfolded pianist! (Never forget that Apple TV’s Loot also nailed the Eyes Wide Shut reference in their Season 2 finale.)

3. Palmer Luckey And Zelda’s Chaotic Guest List

   Speaking of Zelda’s party and potentially harmful involvement with the Lady Greyhounds, let’s turn to her controversial guest list for a moment. We spent the most time with Alex Blake as Huge Riddles. But on top of shouting out former Prime Minister and “war criminal” Tony Blair, Leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage, and (former) Prince Andrew, fans may have missed a man who looked an awful lot like Palmer Luckey, co-founder of Anduril Industries and founder of Oculus VR. When asked what “the guy who’s dresseed like Ace Ventura[‘s]” deal is, Boots explained, “He is the richest guy here. He basically invented virtual reality but now he makes weapons.”

   On the bright side, the episode welcomed several more exciting guests. English TV presenter/radio DJ Chris Evans is credited as Deejay, and though her character Claudine is tight with Zelda and brutally turned down Beard because he’s “old,” viewers loved seeing Sophie Simnett as Botox injector/facialist/wellness shop mixologist/microdoser.

4. The Lore Behind Ted’s First Head Coaching Job

   During Ted and Michelle’s long-overdue heart-to-heart, Ted brought up his first head coaching job down in Fort Scott, Kansas. For those who don’t know, before Jason Sudeikis’ comedy career, he attended Fort Scott Community College on a basketball scholarship and played point guard for the — wait for it — Fort Scott GREYHOUNDS! Full circle :’)

5. Camille’s Book Club

   Season 4, Episode 6 also introduces viewers to Camille, Alice’s partner who we first glimpsed in a framed photo that sits on Alice’s desk. While we didn’t actually hear her name, it was listed in the credits and she’s played by Rebekah Murrell, who you may recognize from roles in Roman Mysteries, Trying, In My Skin, The Pact, One Day (2024), Such Brave Girls, and more.

   Since we’ve been tracking all the books in Coach Beard’s Season 4 book club, we figured we’d add Camille’s to the list. When we first met her she was in the middle of reading A Spy In the House of Love by Anaïs Nin. Here’s the official synopsis: “A Spy in the House of Love, whose heroine Sabina is deeply divided between her drive for artistic and sexual expression and social restrictions and self-created inhibitions, echoes Nin’s personal struggle with sex, love, and emotional fragmentation. Written when Nin’s own life was taut with conflicting loyalties, her protagonist Sabina repeatedly asks herself, can one idulge one’s sensual restlessness, the fantasies, the relentless need for adventure without devastating consequences?” So is this simply a good read? Or a signal of conflict up ahead? We’ll have to wait and see!

Season 4, Episode 6’s Winning Needle Drop: “Jump Around” by House of Pain

Listen, 406 has some solid contenders, but looking back, how could I not choose the iconic 1992 hit, which not only blessed us with the Roy/Jamie dance scene, but inspired the episode’s title, and has huge ties to sports culture? Another winning Season 4 soundtrack selection, Ted Lasso.

Want more Easter eggs? Be sure to catch up on our Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, and Episode 5 Easter egg breakdowns while you wait for the next new episode.

Stay tuned for more Ted Lasso Season 4 coverage from Decider.