Hello fellow The Bold Type viewers, this week we’ve got a #MeToo episode and a lot of relationship drama! Fun times!
Let’s start with Jane, who is nominated for a Mandy Award for journalism for last season’s sexual assault piece called “Carry the Weight.” (That’s the one where she profiled an artist who stood in the park with a literal weight as a symbol, and also where Jacqueline came forward about a former co-worker who assaulted her). At first, Jane’s not psyched that the nomination is for this article specifically, because she’s afraid of all the time she’ll spend with Jacqueline for photo shoots and at the awards after she rejected Jane’s request for her job back. But Perfect Ben helps her see it differently, i.e. an award nomination will probably seriously boost her job prospects. And it does! We get a whole montage of Jane fist-pumping after numerous phone calls, presumably to publishers/editors.
One of the interviews she takes (and apparently the only one, since she agrees to it immediately) is with this Dude from a major publication who gives her one option, which is to write another #MeToo piece. Jane doesn’t want to be boxed into this one journalistic pursuit but she agrees to write about the domino effect that her piece about Jacqueline set off for other people coming forward with their stories. This really sounds like she is giving herself and Jacqueline credit for starting the entire #MeToo movement but whatever.
One of the women who approaches Jane is Elena, who it turns out was assaulted by the same man Jacqueline was, but 5 years later. Elena expresses her complicated feelings about learning that Jacqueline was also targeted by this man and she didn’t report him. She says she’s not angry at her, and commends her for speaking up at all, and for ultimately inspiring her to do the same, but part of her wishes Jacqueline had said something sooner. Sounds pretty reasonable, but Jane gets all twisted up about how upset this will make Jacqueline to the point where she considers not using Elena’s story at all. I’m not sure why it never occurred to anyone that Jacqueline’s attacker might have assaulted others, but here we are.
At the awards, Jane decides to tell Jacqueline about Elena, and Jacqueline is clearly upset to hear about it but she’s a badass logical woman who everyone except Jane knows would not want her to withhold anything from a piece to spare her feelings. In the end, Jane includes all of it and sends it to Jacqueline with the words, “This is your story too.” And then Mama Jacqueline is so impressed that she hires Jane back immediately! We all knew this was coming and here it is! Oh also Jane won the Mandy Award.
Let’s talk about Sutton! Poor Sutton is still in Brooke’s toxic orbit, except more so now that she knows Richard’s dating someone else. And that person is someone he dated in law school who is ready to settle down with him. And Sutton knows this because guess who’s personal job it is to style her for the Many Awards? I have no idea why Oliver is wasting time getting his assistant to style a board member’s random date to an award ceremony he actually has no business going to but anyway.
The point is, Sutton is drowning her sorrows in Brooke’s incessant partying to the point where even Oliver notices she’s not herself, showing up late and hungover for work. Luckily, Sutton’s friends are there for her as always, giving her a little prodding and a lot of space to process/wallow, and waiting for her when she finally realizes Brooke is a terrible friend (she thinks calling her “Slutton” is hilarious) and she’s been drinking far too many shots.
Meanwhile, Kat is being a true Baby Gay and following her curiosity to the lesbian bar (pe Leila’s invitation) while Adena’s still at her retreat. There, she gets some serious Lesbian Stares TM and gets bought a lot of drinks. Leila explains that’s because the lesbian community is so small and incestuous that a new person is a real novelty, and apparently everyone there is thirsty as hell. I mean, The Chart thing is a stereotype but it’s a little real so I get it. Anyway Kat ends up dancing with a random woman whose advances she rejects at first but then they get grindy and end up kissing.
Because everything is a huge deal to Kat, she freaks out and goes to Jane and Sutton’s at 3am, where Jane is asleep in bed with Perfect Ben and Sutton is loudly microwaving Hot Pockets. Jane, Sutton and Ben sit a distraught Kat on the couch as she explains what happens. Shirtless Perfect Ben starts to mansplain something about psychiatry and fidelity, but luckily Jane is like no you should go away and he’s like, okay see you in bed. Lol.
Long story short, Kat decides to tell Adena about the kiss and her Leila sex dream. Adena walks out to clear her head, while the Three Musketeers get together to share ice cream and celebrate Jane’s award win and basically love on each other. Moments like this are the real heart of the show, and despite all of its flaws I love the depiction of unconditional female friendship.
When Adena’s ready to talk, she tells Kat that she can’t blame her for her curiosity; she remembers the first time she kissed a woman as magical, and realizes that for Kat, there’s only been her. Neither of them really know what to do about it but it seems like maybe they’ll break up or maybe they won’t? I like that this is ambiguous. It’s not easy to figure stuff like that out so I’m looking forward to some navigation of lesbian angst in coming episodes. I’m not worried about how they’re treated; the show is respectful of them as characters and what’s TV without a little drama? More importantly, what’s The Bold Type without a *lot* of drama?
Thanks for tuning in, friends! Come back next week for some stuff about guns, apparently!
All images courtesy of FreeForm
