Good Girls Review: Mo Money Mo Problems (Season 1 Episode 2)
The problems of the trio at the center of Good Girls only increase on Good Girls Season 1 Episode 2, “Mo Money Mo Problems.”
During “Mo Money Mo Problems,” Beth and Annie deal with attacking Annie’s boss and end up trying to ransom him to his racist grandmother to pay their debt to money-laundering criminal Rio. There were two moments that stood out, Ruby’s interaction with her husband Stan and how Beth changes the circumstances of the trio’s situation with Rio.
In the midst of the chaos, Ruby goes to her daughter Sara with her husband Stan, which was a nice moment in a hectic episode.
There are criminals breathing down the trio’s neck while Annie and Beth have Annie’s boss hogtied in Beth’s backyard. Watching Ruby’s family spend time together is heartwarming.
Ruby is constantly worrying about Sara’s health, because she knows the money she’s using to buy her daughters medication is gone, and Stan reassures her and gets his wife to celebrate watching her daughter run around while playing soccer.
Also, it’s nice to watch Retta play a happy moment for a bit. Ruby has a to worry about, so there are not many moments of pure joy for her on Good Girls.
Realizing how their husband-wife dynamic could fold into the larger story’s future is the fascinating thing about the scene. They have a loving marriage and she is keeping this secret from him. Plus, there’s the fact Stan is trying to become a police officer.
Where Annie and Beth have children to shield, Ruby keeping her criminal activity a secret makes their dynamic one to watch. Odds are they will struggle as Ruby has to continuously lie to her husband about her life. It’ll be sad to see the potential negative impact her new life will have, but it will make for great television.
Beth’s marital issues make her relationship with Dean tense, which takes some of the weight off of the drama of Beth keeping the secret from her husband. While their relationship could improve, at the moment it’s Ruby and Stan that are the couple to watch.
The other standout moment is when Beth explains to Rio that killing the trio will put a huge spotlight on the money-laundering operation. Rio killing three suburban moms is a far cry from what he’s used to apparently because he quickly changes his tune.
Rio comes to Beth at the end of the episode with a job, which opens the story up in a new way. After the pilot, the longevity of the story could be a concern.
How does a story about three women owing criminals money last? The answer could be a situation where the women choose to stay in the crime business after paying Rio back.
There is a world where moving forward Beth, Ruby and Annie work with Rio to pay off their debt to the gang then keep working together. After all the series begins with a robbery to solve the real problems in their lives.
Annie gets the money to fight for custody, Beth finds a new way to provide for her family and Ruby can afford to buy Sara her medication. The criminal may not sound so terrible once their lives are no longer under threat. These three can definitely navigate the complex situation.
At least they will try to.
What did you think of this episode of Good Girls? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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Good Girls airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.
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Alamin Yohannes
Alamin is an aspiring writer, social media editor, and television enthusiast. While he has been a TV fan since the days of Martin, Living Single, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the introduction of Netflix and a rewatch of Grey's Anatomy kick things into high gear. One of his life goals is to find a Cul-de-Sac crew of his own and he'll never stop hoping for "Happy Endings" to return. Alamin may not love every television show, but he'll definitely catch any new show out. You can also usually find him talking about whatever he's currently watching on Twitter.