Good Girls Review: The Banker (Season 4 Episode 5)

Good Girls Season 4 Episode 5, “The Banker” is trying to pull the strings back together and give us something cohesive.

Now that the assassin is out of the picture, the girls still have to deal with Rio and he’s onto them. Rio’s usual intimidation doesn’t feel like such a threat anymore. It’s not that Manny Montana’s performance isn’t strong, it’s more that Rio has barely appeared on our screen over the last season. 

It feels a lot like the show is trying to set him up to be the “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain,” kind of character, but that all fell apart when we learned that Rio also has a boss at the very end of the episode. 

That would explain a shift in Rio’s character if he is getting heat from his “supervisor,” but that doesn’t change that we miss the Rio always seemed to be in charge. 

He makes note that he’s in hiding when he talks to Beth, and assigning her in the role of The Banker feels somewhat genius. However, it also feels like a role that Beth is a little too into. After watching Ruby, Beth, and Annie attempt to forge their own path, watching her ger a rush throwing around a title that Rio bestows upon her feels hollow. It’s more Season 2 Beth than the one we’ve come to know recently. 

That doesn’t diminish the light-hearted tone of the scene. Watching everyone get wide-eyed when Beth introduces her feels like the kind of respect she has been striving for. The fact that another woman is the person to challenge her also feels appropriate. 

The entire sequence also raises questions about what Rio is actually doing. We’ve only seen a small portion of Rio’s operation. The confirmation that he has a boss also seems to give us some indication about what the rest of the season will be about.

“The Banker” is also setting up the next chapter of Ruby and Stan’s story. While we still don’t know the depths that Stan has gotten into with his boss we do have a few more details now. It doesn’t look good, and we can only imagine that this season will see the pressure on them as well. 

Stan and Ruby have been the most stable couple. They have been by each other regardless. When they hit a rough patch they always come through, but it’s heartbreaking to see Stan have to make this choice. He loves Ruby and wants to protect her, but it also essential to remember that Stan used to be a cop before all this started. 

Annie is also attempting to take some responsibility by helping out Nancy. Watching Annie attempt to get taking care of Dakota is a strong thread that supports her overall “redemption” this season. 

Her attempts at improving herself and the lives of those around her shouldn’t go unnoticed. Yes, she used the wrong diaper cream, but as Annie pointed out, there was no reason for that cream to have been in Dakota’s diaper bag to begin with. It’s hard to fault that logic, and if what Ben says is true, hopefully, Nancy realizes that. 

In the end, “The Banker” is a mediocre episode for the series. The danger never seems to be there. While the cast delivers strong performances overall, it really all comes down to the final scene. That’s fine, but we miss the tension. 

Stray Thoughts:

• While I like the idea of Beth collaborating with the Secret Service, the agents didn’t lend any tension to this episode. I think this was meant to be a finale, and maybe if that was the case it would have worked, but it fell a little flat. 
• Watching Mick help Annie is the cutest thread of the episode. 
• I may need a little bit of Annie’s cleaning mojo.
• Getting Dean out of prison feels like a moot point at the moment. While I am glad he’s out, life is definitely not going to go back to normal for the Boland’s anytime soon. 

What did you think of this episode of Good Girls? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Good Girls airs Sundays at 10/9c on NBC.

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