The Bold Type Review: Stroke Of Genius (Season 3 Episode 3)

For the first and perhaps the last time in this show’s history, our review is going to focus on a guy. On The Bold Type Season 3 Episode 3, “Stoke Of Genius,” Alex must confront the issue of consent when he learns that he is the basis of a character in his friend Kristen’s story about pressured consent in New York Magazine. 

Kristen’s story is titled “Too Cold To Walk” because apparently, that’s the excuse Alex used to stay at Kristen’s apartment the night they hooked up. 

It’s the post-#MeToo era on TV (or are we still in the middle), and I’ve seen tons of different stories related to women’s experiences, ranging from rape to light flirting in the workplace. Of course, I can’t watch everything. But this is the best episode I’ve seen dealing specifically with the topic of consent, and the reason might surprise you.

This story is done so well because, first of all, it focuses on the male perspective — and second of all because the situation is entirely gray. 

I love that Alex has two conversations in particular. The first is with Sutton to ask her if she felt pressure when they hooked up. She explains she didn’t and admits that plenty of women give in to pressure they feel just to make life easier. Stopping because you want to can be difficult. The easier a guy makes it to stop, the better. 

Just because you don’t see a burden someone has or put it there yourself — that doesn’t mean it’s not there. If you really want to be intimate with someone, taking that burden off should be easy. 

The show could’ve taken this part of it a little bit further though. It’s important to note that some women don’t and never have given in. That is fine. Other women may not realize what happened to them until years later, pressured consent especially is subtle. That’s OK too. 

All of the shades of gray are OK here. (No pun intended.) 

That brings Alex to his next question — is he a bad guy? 

He has a conversation with Jane about this — and no he is not. But, he still needs to take responsibility for his own actions. Shouting “not all men” and leaving the room is so very unhelpful when Alex just needs to take responsibility for himself. 

Taking responsibility in all of his hookups is all that’s necessary here. But I love that the show steps up and has him out himself on Scarlet’s website. Social backlash is real and difficult to handle. We’ll never see if it’s “worth it” for him. 

But, the harder you make it for any of your buddies to leave the room when a similar conversation is going on in public, the better. So, thanks Alex. 

The Bold Type tackles so many layers of this issue on one episode it’s impressive. But we need to move on to Jane because somehow they also conquer body and sex positivity. 

Jane, you go with your rocky road flavored self. Although I must add, I have a friend who’s a really great baker and there are many different types of vanilla so don’t knock it. 

She’s hot and she deserves to wear bodysuits and watch empowering porn with her boyfriend and so do you, friend! That’s all that needs to be said about that. Hopefully, some of Jane’s newfound sexual empowerment traveled through the screen and onto a viewer. 

What did you think of this episode of The Bold Type? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Bold Type airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Freeform.

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