The Bold Type Review: Carry the Weight (Season 1 Episode 10)

The Bold Type Season 1 Episode 10 juggles trying to neatly tie up 3 complicated stories in one season finale. With a wonderful nod to the first time the ladies raise their glasses in The Bold Type premiere, the last moments of the finale show that Kat, Jane and Sutton are indeed the future glass-ceiling breakers of our generation with every bold bone in their bodies.

Kat meets her goal for social media followers and shortly after decides to visit (or indefinitely live?) with Adena in Peru. Sutton finally makes real headway in the fashion industry by taking notes for a high-end fashion show and then later dumps Alex after realizing she’s still madly in love with Richard. And all of this goes on as Jane receives Jacqueline’s blessing and well-wishes before leaving Scarlet for Incite.

What an eventful episode, am I right?

The Bold Type Season 1 Episode 10 executes Jane’s story amazingly. Many would argue that her character receives the most attention throughout the series, so it makes sense that her story found an understandable resolution.

She keeps her reconciliation with Ryan up in the air as she makes her professional power move. She leaves Scarlet with a nostalgic bang and starts her exciting career with the start-up company that plans to invest a lot of their resources into making Jane the face of their investigative journalism sector.

This is a huge step for Jane’s career and she deserves this chance. She has always been frustrated with the constraints Scarlet puts on their journalists.

And although Jacqueline consistently makes her own serious moves in trying to change this perspective of Scarlet, she can only do so much with a board of older, white men who resist change like it’s the plague.

Jane’s story also gives us a better peek into our favorite boss lady’s past. Throughout season 1, Jacqueline acts as the mother-figure that guides Kat and Jane through their personal and professional trials with the patience and grace of Mother Theresa.

However, The Bold Type Season 1 Episode 10 gives us a chance to see Jacqueline have her own personal growth. The overarching theme of this episode, rape survival, is such an important discussion.

Every year, 321,500 Americans get raped or sexually assaulted, and this number only represents reported cases. According to the Department of Justice, over 60% of these cases go unreported.

Suffice it to say, this conversation has to be had. And who better to have it than The Bold Type, the trailblazing series that seeks to overturn all previous shows deemed “for women.”? They handle this grave topic with the right amount of dexterity and consideration.

The symbolism behind rape victims carrying the weight of their scars with them after they see no justice is so powerful. The women must find a way to balance the scales themselves because, ironically, lady justice caters more to the systemic patriarchy that actually emboldens these rapists.

So, I applaud this episode for that execution, at least. However, Kat and Sutton’s stories leaves much to be desired.

Don’t get me wrong, Sutton’s professional storyline is perfection. She goes over and beyond the call of duty during fashion week and finally gets the recognition she deserves from Oliver. Many jobs look for that in workers and, many times, a person that can see a gap and fill it without being asked becomes indispensable.

Her story also adds a great lesson for the viewers. However, her love life comes across as a complicated mess.

She knows she still loves Richard. She knows she is still in the process of getting over him, but this does not stop her from flirting with Alex and basically throwing him in the car with her in The Bold Type Season 1 Episode 9. Additionally, this doesn’t stop her from accepting his date offer instead of letting him know just how much she still loves Richard.

I don’t expect her to be perfect. No one is perfect. But I did expect the narrative to address this treatment.

I know Sutton is sad about treating Alex this way, and of course, it isn’t her conscious intent to lead him on. She has every right not to return Alex’s feelings. She also has every right to take as much time as she requires to move on and explore her own needs.

But the result remains that Sutton does try to use Alex as a tool to get over Richard and that’s a problem.

A problem that we can’t really explore because it only receives about 10 minutes of the episode. Alex remains the flat character that simply accepts everything that happens to him with understanding and a wry smile. He only acts as a narrative tool and that’s frustrating when the character has so many possibilities to be more.

The Bold Type gets so caught up trying to only focus on the girls’ perspectives, they lose the other perspectives that help shape the story and make it multifaceted and unique.

This rushed treatment is the same for Adena and Kat’s story. Adena gets a bit of background, but she mostly acts as a plot tool. Adena is easily one of the most interesting characters on this show because of her widely intersectional background. Yet, we don’t have time to truly explore her as a person or her and Kat’s relationship.

All we have time for are spontaneous acts of love with a one episode lead in.

I know Jacqueline is the understanding mother-figure, but Kat just up and leaving when an entire branch is in the process of being formed around her doesn’t make much sense to me. The Bold Type Season 1 Episode 10 left us with so many questions.

Are the new workers being hired now or are they already at Scarlet, we just don’t know? Isn’t Kat the one who must vet and interview these people, since she is now head of her own department? This seems like a lot of upheaval for a company to undergo without the director of the department there.

We don’t even know what she asks Jacqueline. Knowing Kat, we can’t rule out she just decided to live with Adena until she can move back to America.

I want to be 100% behind anything that makes Adena and Kat get to experience what their love could truly be like. However, I need the story to make it easier for me to understand it all and each action’s implications.

I understand the sweeping romantic gesture. I also understand the message behind living every day like it’s your last.

These things are so important for the younger generations because it’s hard to have this much professional and personal fluidity in your 30s or 40s. Additionally, traveling abroad creates a certain respect for other cultures and expands the traveler’s interpersonal skills. Jobs love applicants who travel for a reason.

However, the timing just doesn’t make sense. If Kat were going to leave, I don’t think it should have been right after a huge promotion like the one she just received. I just wish we got more story behind her actions, beyond “I wish I could travel more” and “I love Adena.”

The Bold Type has so much potential as a TV series, which is why I can be so nitpicky. They have amazing story ideas and a perfect cast with a wide range, but they need better execution.

Some of these episodes are perfect. However, I still maintain that they need to slow their stories down. We need a more thorough exploration of these huge events with even bigger implications.

You can’t explore bold and complicated stories like these and make sure everything turns out hunky dory at the end of every episode without sacrificing something. In this case, The Bold Type sacrificed better story-telling opportunities.

Overall, I think this episode is a good way to end a good season. I just wish the stories were better realized.

What did you think of this episode of The Bold Type? Am I way off? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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