You never know where life may take you or what challenges you’ll encounter along the way.
That was one of the key takeaways from The Bold Type Season 5 Episode 3, as our favorite young New Yorkers grappled with where they were in life and where they were going.
There are not a lot of moments you can look back on and realize they changed your life, but Jane, Kat, and Sutton might be able to look back at what transpired during this hour as those seminal moments in their lives.
First up, there’s Jane, who learned the difference between being a good writer and a good leader.
Jane didn’t do it purposefully, but ever since she hired Addison, our favorite reporter hasn’t been the best boss in the world.
Jane: Look, I’m sorry. I know that the pitch meeting was weird. I was just trying that you felt heard.
Addison: By silencing your favorite writer?
Jane: Scott? He’s not my favorite writer.
Addison: Well, he’s worked on some big stories with you, and sometimes I don’t hear back from you on my pitches, which doesn’t feel great. I’m not even sure you like my writing.
Jane: Of course I like your writing. I’m so sorry I made you feel that way. You were a big get for me. I want you on my team, Addison.
Addison: I put the feelers out for a new job and got an offer from YesGirl.
Jane: Look, Addison, I really value for voice and your perspective, and I know that I’ve made some mistakes, but I really want to keep you, so how can I do that?
Addison: I just want what you had Jane, a mentor, a Jacqueline Carlyle. That’s why I took the job.
Jane: OK, give me another chance to be that for you.
Addison: I have to let YesGirl know in a week.
Jane: Great, then give me a week.
Addison: I don’t know.
Jane: I’ll do whatever it takes.
When Addison accepted the job at Scarlet, she was looking for Jane to be her Jacqueline Carlyle, but instead, she got a subpar boss who overlooked her as a writer and openly favored Scott.
Jane’s neglect of Addison wasn’t fair to the young writer, but at the same time, this is Jane’s first time as a manager.
She’s relatively new to being the boss and still trying to figure things out as she goes.
What’s most important is that Jane’s heart is in the right place, and upon learning there was a problem, she tried her best to fix it.
Yes, in typical Jane fashion, she overcorrected as she tried to make things copacetic, which confused Addison more, but after speaking with her, Jane realized her mistakes and owned them.
Jane decided that, moving forward, she would be the type of boss Addison deserved, which, unfortunately, meant she and Scott couldn’t make things HR official.
It was somewhat surprising that Scott quit, but on some level, it does make sense.
Things between him and Jane are weird right now, and it would be too hard and confusing for them to go back to how they were before.
Jane: Look, I know we’re supposed to be going to HR, but…
Scott: It’s not a good time, is it?
Jane: I want this, but being a good leader is also really important to me. And Addison’s not wrong. I favored you. I didn’t mean to but I did, and if we were to start dating now…
Scott: I get it. I can’t work here, Jane. It’s too complicated.
Jane: So you’re just gonna quit?
Scott: I’m sorry, Jane. You’re a great boss, and Addison is gonna see that, but not with me here.
Jane: You don’t have to quit. We can still work together and be professional.
Scott: I don’t think I can be. I promise you, this is a good thing. And as for us, when you are in the right space, call me.
However, what I didn’t understand was why Scott walked away from Jane, too.
I was never sold on Jane and Scott’s supposed undeniable chemistry and attraction, so I wasn’t too heartbroken over them not getting together, but the 180 still confused me.
While they both worked at Scarlet, it wasn’t a good time for Jane and Scott to start dating because it would impede Jane’s attempts to be a better boss.
Addison already felt like Jane favored Scott, and that was before they started dating, which is understandable.
But if Scott no longer works at Scarlet, what’s the conflict from Jane dating him?
Jane would no longer be his boss and dating a non-employee wouldn’t interfere with her mentoring Addison.
So unless we’re missing something, there doesn’t seem to be a sound explanation for why Jane and Scott aren’t together.
Of course, the couple will probably be revisited to give us closure one way or another, but the supposed resolution feels off right now.
Then, there’s Kat, whose reunion with Adena was everything we could have asked for.
From the instance the former lovers locked eyes from across the room, there was no denying their connection.
Sutton: Kat is gonna see Adena for the first time in a long time.
Kat: Why’d you say it like that?
Sutton: Because it’s you and Adena, you know. You and Adena.
Kat: Work really well together? That’s why I’m going to see her today to see if she can help me with the Zuri thing.
Sutton: Of course.
Kat: I’m serious. We’re just friends. We happen to make a great team. That’s all.
Sutton: Like Batman and Robin.
Even without saying anything, it was electric.
Kadena has always held a special place in my heart, but after enduring Kat’s brief dalliance with Eva, it just reinforces what we’ve always known: Kadena is endgame, pure and simple.
They may not be back together at this minute, but it’s obvious that’s where this is heading.
Kat can claim that she and Adena are “just friends,” but they’ve never been just friends. Even when they haven’t been together, there’s always been something more between them.
All you have to do is rewatch Kat’s reaction to the possibility that Adena was dating someone, and you can see clear as day, she’s still hung up on Adena.
I’m glad Adena didn’t get a new love interest at the 11th hour, as it would have felt contrived for her to start dating someone new only to break up and reunite with Kat.
Instead, we got Adena’s mother Chamseh, which is a much more inspired choice.
Adena and Kat have always bonded over their love of activism and challenging the system, but there have been times where Kat’s idealism has clashed with Adena’s rationality.
Kat: How can Darby claims she cares, and then just say no without even trying.
Adena: I think she was genuine. I think she has people to answer to, and they clearly have different priorities.
Kat: I guess we just have to change their minds.
Adena: And how do we do that?
Kat: We could print off your portraits, turn them into posters, plaster them to the side of the Belle.
Adena: That’s vandalism.
Kat: That’s activism.
Adena: And it’s illegal. My gallery friends might still come through.
Kat: This is so much bigger than just a gallery now. This about calling out hypocrisy and holding people accountable.
Adena: I thought this was about helping Zuri and those women.
Kat: Of course it is, but aren’t you mad? The Belle, they pride themselves on helping women, right? It’s part of the reason I wanted to work there, but if they’re only helping a certain type of women, then what’s the point.
Adena: I think the point is they do a lot of good, and you know we can’t just go around blowing everything up.
Kat: You just seem so…
Adena: Rational?
Kat: I was gonna say resigned.
Adena: Well, maybe I would just rather not get arrested and lose my visa.
Kat grew up in America, the biracial daughter of two affluent therapists, whereas Adena grew up abroad, at times being targeted for her religion and sexuality.
They have lived very different lives, and those experiences have shaped who they are today, so it was great to get some more insight into Adena’s upbringing.
Chamseh, much like Kat, was a political activist, but Chamseh saw firsthand that the sacrifices made for the sake of a revolution aren’t always worth it.
Those beliefs influenced who Adena is today, and it helps explain why she’s more cautious and levelheaded than Kat, who’s never had to worry about deportation or death threats.
Not every cause is worth risking everything for, as Kat and Adena have learned, but sometimes, for the right cause, it’s worth it to risk something.
That’s part of what makes them a great team. They bring out the best and challenge each other as no one else can.
Kat pushes Adena to take risks and dream big, while Adena forces Kat to be thoughtful and reasonable. They make quite a pair, and something tells me we haven’t seen the last of what their teamwork can accomplish.
Lastly, Sutton handled her impending divorce with such grace, deciding not to let her emotional heartache get her down.
She did such a good job that I questioned whether she was simply putting on a facade and burying the pain and worried that she was mere minutes away from drowning her sorrows in alcohol, similar to her actions on The Bold Type Season 5 Episode 1.
I just wanted to say thank you for coming. I know my upcoming divorce affects all of you because you also know and love Richard. Yes, we can say his name. More importantly, I know some of you have been treating me with a little extra care lately, and I know that is out of love. You guys want to be there for me, and if I’m honest, I do need you to be there for me. this is absolutely the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. I need you to help me create new memories with my favorite food and my favorite music and my favorite people. So let’s have fun, you guys.
Sutton
However, it seems we should have had more faith in Sutton because while she’s not glad she’s going through a divorce, she’s dealing with her new reality remarkably well.
And instead of continuing down a path of self-destruction, she seems to have been freed by Richard’s decision, even though it’s hard to accept.
She’s no longer trapped in this limbo of uncertainty with her soon-to-be ex-husband; she now has clarity on where they both stand, and it’s allowed her to move forward with her life.
What life post-Richard will look like is anyone’s guess, but she’s taking it one day at a time.
She moved in with Jane again, and Kat and is advocating for what she needs from those around her, a refreshing change of pace.
For as much as Sutton appreciated everyone’s concerns, being treated with kid gloves by her found family wasn’t what she needed.
She doesn’t need her friends and coworkers walking around on eggshells, afraid to mention Richard or the divorce. She doesn’t need the reminder of how much things have changed.
Sutton’s not in denial; she knows she and Richard are done — at least for the time being.
Jane: You feeling better?
Sutton: Today, yeah. Tomorrow I hope so. I wish that I could just flip a switch and move on with my life, but getting over Richard is going to be a process.
She needs love and support from her friends and coworkers. She needs them to treat her normally again, with the understanding that, sometimes, Sutton might need a little extra care because of the difficulties ahead.
But with Jane and Kat by her side, Sutton will get through this. It might not always be pretty, but she’ll survive.
Some stray thoughts:
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Did anyone else catch The Office reference when Jacqueline grabbed a Dunder Mifflin coffee mug? For those who forgot, Melora Hardin recurred as Jan Levinson, Michael’s ex-girlfriend, on the NBC sitcom. -
Are we supposed to believe there was a giant secret closet in Jane, Kat, and Sutton’s apartment that sat relatively empty this whole time, and they had no clue? Yeah, right. Also, how big is that closet if Sutton and Kat are fighting over it?
So what did you think, Bold Type Fanatics?
Why did Scott back off from Jane?
Are you excited about Kadena as endgame?
How is Sutton handling her divorce?
Don’t forget to 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.
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Jessica Lerner is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
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