It’s starting to feel like the beginning of the end.
With only four episodes (!!) left, the show has begun setting things in motion to give our characters the sendoff they deserve, and The Bold Type Season 5 Episode 2 made some, well, bold decisions.
Things are coming together — at least for most of the characters — but it wouldn’t be television without some ups and downs.
First up, there’s Jane, who found herself in hot water when her States & Nations exposé ended up having inaccuracies.
Speaking as a reporter, it’s beyond scary to find out something you published is incorrect or a blatant lie.
Hello, I am Jane Sloane, and I’m a failing feminist. A lot of you might be wondering why the Failing Feminist would publish the recent States & Nations exposé only to retract it. As the editor of the Failing Feminist, I found and pursued this story on my own, and I published it believing I had all of the facts. And though those stories were true, the people telling those stories took liberties I was unaware of, so I take the blame for that entirely. I know it seems crazy to be calling myself out, but I choose to see that vulnerable and brave because that is how I’m feeling right now. It is my job to lead to the Failing Feminist, holding myself accountable for my error is what a leader should do no matter what.
Jane
Foremost, there’s the crippling fear of being fired. If this happened in real life, Jane could have lost her job.
Thankfully, Jacqueline is such a loving and nurturing mentor and boss, and the worst Jane had to endure was the briefest of cold shoulders.
Jacqueline didn’t even give Jane a lecture about fact-checking or ensuring something like this happened again.
The editor-in-chief at Scarlet was way more forgiving than some bosses would be, even shouldering the blame for the mistake, which is more than Jane maybe deserves, especially since Jacqueline told her the article needed to be bullet-proof.
Why, you ask? Well, there’s this thing called lawsuits, and States & Nations could have sued Jane, Jacqueline, and Scarlet for defamation, costing the company millions.
Jane has already been sued once; she doesn’t need to go through legal proceedings a second time.
Lastly, there’s the issue of public trust.
By publishing an inaccurate story, Jane put Scarlet’s and her credibility in jeopardy.
Jane: Either your allergy is new or I misquoted you or you’re lying about Mark Afton.
Cynthia: No, it’s all true, but none of it happened to me. You know how scared Rana is to speak up. I thought if I took on her story, maybe, I could help stop Mark. I’m on my husband’s health insurance. I could risk losing my job, and I did. States & Nations claimed I was let go for poor performance, but we both know that’s not why.
Jane: Do you realize what you’ve done?
Cynthia: Yeah, I used my voice to tell another woman’s story, and your article will help bring Mark Afton down.
Jane: No, the truth of what he did won’t matter. The lie is gonna become the story.
Media distrust is at an all-time high, with many claiming everything as fake news, so Jane’s mistake could have cost the company their readers’ trust.
This may seem like a long and roundabout way to decry Jane for the mistakes she made in publishing the States & Nations exposé without doing her due diligence, but it’s not.
Jane, like all of us, made a mistake, something we can all relate to.
And even more importantly, she owed it, not just by informing Jacqueline of the situation — which most definitely would have gotten her fired if she didn’t tell Jacqueline — but also by taking responsibility at the ad sales conference.
One of the most important tenets of journalism is transparency and accountability, and that’s what Jane did, even though it could hurt her career.
Accepting responsibility for her actions in public was beyond brave, and it’s something we should all strive to do.
Then there’s Sutton and Richard, and things are not looking good for the marrieds, now that Richard wants a divorce.
The writing has been on the wall for a while, ever since Sutton decided she didn’t want children, but many of us still hoped they would find a way to reconcile.
Sutton: What are you doing here? Is Richard upstairs?
Ben: Richard meant to come. He really did, but when you two texted, he’s afraid that he’ll crumble if he sees you and not say what he needs to say.
Sutton: And what’s that?
Ben: He wants a divorce.
Sutton: And he sent you?
Ben: He couldn’t do it, Sutton. His heart is broken. He’s broken.
As evidenced by the season promo, they still could, which saw Sutton and Richard casually hooking up, but happily ever after seems more like a long shot.
Sutton magically hoped that Richard would change his mind about wanting children, but it’s unfair for one to ask the other to compromise on this key issue.
Richard has already given up a lot by allowing Sutton to stay in New York City and continue working at Scarlet. It would be selfish for Sutton to expect Richard to give up another thing that he desperately wants to be with her.
At the same time, it would be self-centered for Richard to push Sutton into having kids when it’s clear that’s not what she wants.
And unless one of them changes their mind, they’re at a stalemate, and unfortunately, divorce seems the only way forward if neither is willing to compromise.
It sucks, and some of us thought maybe Sutton would change her mind about wanting children after she revisited her hometown had she made peace with who her mother was as a parent.
A theory for why Sutton doesn’t want children, besides not wanting her life to change, is because she had an absentee mother and didn’t want to be that sort of mother to a child.
So, if Sutton had been able to confront her mother, things could have changed.
However, then there’s the part of me that hates it when television does a complete 180 and has women who initially didn’t want children change their minds.
Sutton: He’s flying to New York tonight, and he hasn’t said anything to me since he left.
Jane: Yeah.
Sutton: Although he did respond that one time saying that he needed space.
Jane: And you have this…
Sutton: What if he’s coming back to tell me he changed his mind?
Kat: Sutton?
Sutton: Then wouldn’t he just call or text?
Kat: Ok, Sutton.
Sutton: If he comes to New York and doesn’t call me…
Kat: Hey, do not spiral. You’ve been doing so good since the retreat.
Jane: And you have this huge opportunity to interview and style everyone for the sizzle reel.
Kat: You don’t want to screw this up, Sutton.
Sutton: You’re both right. Richard will get in touch if he wants when he wants. I just have to forget I saw the notification and focus on work.
The sort of storyline undermines that validity of not wanting children by making it seem like all women will eventually change their minds, and if they don’t, then there’s something wrong with them.
So at the moment, there are conflicting feelings about why Sutton and Richard should or should not be together and whether or not one of them needs to change their mind.
The most important thing is that they’re happy, so whichever way the writers decide to end it, let’s hope the fans don’t revolt.
Next up, there’s Alex, who we said goodbye to this episode, maybe.
And while it’s unclear if this was Alex’s official sendoff or we’ll still see him around the Safford office building, Alex was the first of our series regulars to get his “happy ending.”
After helping Joey get his job back, Alex, in turn, was offered a promotion of sorts at Pinstripe, where he would get to develop content and manage a team of his own.
It was a step up from his position at Scarlet, and though scary, Alex would have been a fool to turn down such a great opportunity.
He’s a great guy in general and has grown a lot over the past few seasons, as evidenced by his desire to help Joey.
Cancel culture is real, and more than one journalist as of late has been fired in real life from their job over problematic tweets from years ago.
What Joey posted was never OK, but he shouldn’t be crucified for one stupid tweet from his past.
Alex: I’m only taking this job because of something that you taught me.
Jacqueline: Really? What’s that?
Alex: Sometimes you can’t play it safe. You have to take a risk. Give up the layup and go for the three-pointer.
Jacqueline: I like that.
Alex: I know I’m not exactly Pinstripe material, but that’s what I need to do this. Jacqueline, I’ve become a much better man since I showed up at Scarlet, and I think I can take what I learned from you and really make a difference at Pinstripe.
Jacqueline: Well, you will definitely make a difference because you’re great, Alex.
Alex recognized this and took it upon himself to right the wrong that he set inadvertently set in motion.
It’s not something Alex would have done at the start of the series, but he probably wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to try to get Joey rehired.
It’s the Scarlet effect, making everyone who works at the magazine a better and more caring person.
Lastly, there’s Kat, who spent most of the episode trying to help an old friend bless her heart.
The plotline surrounding Kat reconnecting with Zuri, a friend from elementary school who was also an ex-felon, was somewhat interesting.
The storyline about reintegrating people with felony convictions into society has potential and aligns with the show’s trademark storylines about timely and topical issues.
However, the main reason it was so compelling was that it provides a basis for Kat and Adena to do some reconnecting of their own.
With Eva thankfully out of the picture, the road to a Kadena reconciliation is clear skies ahead.
It’s been ages since we’ve seen Adena, and even if she and Kat aren’t endgame, it’ll still be great to see her again.
Alicia: Those photos are incredible.
Kat: Yeah, there were actually taken by my friend Adena.
Alicia: Yeah, I remember her from Sutton’s wedding, right?
Kat: She works at Scarlet, but she travels a lot.
Alicia: She makes you look and feel like every one of those women have a story, and I want to hear them all.
However, my ‘shipper heart hopes that isn’t the case because, with Jane and Pinstripe dead in the water and Sutton and Richard circling the drain, there needs to be at least one OG ‘ship that ends up together.
Because if not, then fans will definitely revolt.
Some stray thoughts:
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Did anyone else momentarily think Kat would be fired when Zuri was interviewing at the Belle because of what went down between her and Eva? Just me?
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I’ve never worked at a magazine, but if there’s any truth to the free swag that’s consistently up for grabs, how sweet is that. The clothes and accessories at Scarlet are insane, and I’d kill for the chance to wear any of those outfits.
So what did you think, Bold Type Fanatics?
Should Jane have done more to prevent the mistake?
Are Sutton and Richard done?
Are you looking forward to seeing Adena again?
Hit the comments below to let me know your thoughts. If you missed the latest episode, remember you can watch The Bold Type online at TV Fanatic.
Jessica Lerner is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.