The Bold Type Season Finale Review: Breaking Through The Noise (Season 3 Episode 10)
Potentially unpopular opinion alert! The Bold Type Season 3 Episode 10, “Breaking Through The Noise” is my least favorite episode of Season 3 and perhaps the whole series.
Jane, Sutton, and Kat’s decisions at the end of the episode all feel very right, very human. I think they’re almost too human for TV. It’s baffling to be typing those words as I’m usually arguing for the opposite. But at least where all of their personal lives are concerned I’m bored. A year wait will be no problem.
This is coming from someone who loves the show. Just check my ratings of earlier episodes for proof.
There are great artistic elements to the episode, like the first few seconds of the episode where all of the noise overwhelms Kat.
But the endpoints of each character don’t really make sense within the overall arcs of the season. If this were life, that would be fine. But this is Scarlet and a TV show.
Let’s start with Sutton because I’m actually so excited she has decided not to become a fashion designer.
The show doesn’t make a very convincing argument that Joanna Coales would want one of Sutton’s dresses. It’s just 60s vibes prints on all bodies. No cut is new or unique. Nothing catches my eye.
Let me be clear I am by no means claiming to be a fashionista. But I have watched many seasons of Project Runway. I know the difference between boring and exciting clothes.
Sutton’s are boring. Looking back, I wish the show would’ve moved away from Scarlet a bit more this season to show us her process with more realistic depth. At least then we would have more than just the “idea” of Sutton becoming a fashion designer to let go of.
Instead, when Sutton’s career arc ends I’m like, “I love that I just got to watch a woman figure out what’s not for her, but what did I just watch?”
Her decision about Richard is similarly baffling even though I definitely don’t agree with the choice there.
Richard should be happy, too. Of course. But, he makes a conscious choice to stay in New York with Sutton. There are plenty of ways he could stay in New York and find a new passion. The point the show is trying to make by having Sutton tell Richard to go. That, when a man is sacrificing for you, you shouldn’t let him?
At the very least, this storyline needs more time. We need to watch Richard become (if not depressed) a little bit sadder and desperate. We just see a man who is happy in his relationship and not so much in his work make a sacrifice — one that women make all of the time for men, it must be said, — and his partner refusing to let him do it.
It’s more problematic the more I type, but at least he hasn’t made a choice yet. So let’s move on to Kat.
There is value in choosing oneself. If Elle Woods were a 2019 creation she might’ve done it, Kelly Taylor in Beverly Hills, 90210 should’ve done it for longer…there is SO much value in it.
Kat Edison chooses to serve others all the time, even in her social media campaigns for lipstain. I don’t believe that choosing herself is what Kat wants, here.
I suppose the show is playing the long game with Kadena. And Adena doesn’t deserve an easy road back after Paris. But I want to be clear you can choose a partner and sex on the regular because you want it.
Kat choosing Adena or even saying “Maybe, but I’m mad at you,” is still a great story.
Especially because Adena will be working at Scarlet. That for the record is a decision I love for the show. It’s going to be hard to convince me that her work fits there on a regular basis though.
It’s very…abstract for Scarlet, right? At least some of the time they are commercial, she’s not going to fit with that all the projects they have.
Jane’s story is surprisingly the most satisfying. Pinstripe is on thin ice with everyone. But TV needs more stories about not only people who make mistakes but the partners who suffer for it and stay in the relationship and work through it all anyway.
We are allowed to be human and fall in love with imperfect people. We’re also allowed to know the exact type of pizza they need when they’re stressed down to the toppings.
As for the Pamela Dolan side of her story, the journalist in me wants more from the entire arc all season. To be fair we do see a good amount of the process, but there is more.
The fallout from it cannot just be “yay, great, do a panel.”
Adding the story to the fall issue wouldn’t make for the best TV, but that story would’ve worked in the fall issue even if it came out on the dot com first. It’s just such a letdown not to see the story in print.
In general, I’m usually the least worried about Jacqueline and she usually has the most subtle yet powerful storylines on any given episode.
Well, the latter is still very much true. But perhaps I should’ve been more worried about Jacqueline’s job.
Since she has had her mojo back, I have too.
But, there is no more jarring The Bold Type cliffhanger than the phrase “where is Jacqueline?” and darkness at Scarlet.
I’d love to leave you with that but I just want to be clear — a bad episode of this show is still great. I’m just not sure all of the storylines come to a satisfying end. It comes down to changing some decisions on one episode, though. It’s only a shame I feel this most strongly about the season finale.
Until next time, stay bold, friends. We have a long wait until Season 4 and I’ll just say it….our fearless trio made some pretty unbold choices on this episode in my humble opinion.
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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Esme Mazzeo
Esme Mazzeo is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist from Long Island. When she's not writing for work, she's writing for fun, or searching for something to satisfy her sweet tooth. She thinks rainy days are the best kind of days. Certified night owl.