Good Girls Review: Broken Toys (Season 4 Episode 8)
Good Girls Season 4 Episode 8, “Broken Toys,” makes a strong effort to sort out the triangle between the girls, Rio, and the Secret Service. Sadly, it doesn’t quite reach its potential.
However, it does end on a strong note, giving viewers a new character to watch out for. Nick, Rio’s brother-cousin is an interesting addition, and the revelation that there is more going on on Rio’s side than anyone knows does pique interest. With this revelation comes the hard truth that there’s a necessary shift in the narrative that has to take place.
If we’re going to explore more of Rio’s family then the viewers need to be let into Rio’s family life so they can see more of it. So far, we’ve been with Beth, Ruby, and Annie as they find their way into a criminal enterprise. This means the girls either need to go in deeper, or it means some more time on the other side of this narrative.
“Broken Toys” employs flashbacks really well to introduce us to this relationship. The show has done this well in the past when it’s come to Beth’s life, but this is the first time we’re seeing a new set of characters. The episode paces the information we get from these flashbacks well that the revelation that Nick is the one pulling the strings still comes off as a surprise.
Nick’s introduction also explains how Rio has been able to operate so long unchecked and gives a plausible explanation for why Rio would be able to walk on different crimes. Rio and Beth’s relationship is what keeps the tension going on this series, and him to go prison would drastically alter that dynamic.
I often compare this series to Weeds, and the focus on relationships on Good Girls has always been what sets Good Girls apart. In addition to keeping something of a moral compass, Beth, Annie, and Ruby have always maintained strong ties to the community as well as each other. It would be a mistake for the series to continue if it loses that.
Rio’s family and past are center stage on “Broken Toys,” and that makes a lot of what’s happening around it feel like filler. That isn’t typically how an episode of Good Girls presents, and it feels disconnected from the series as a whole. When Phoebe approaches Beth to pick a side it feels anti-climactic.
While Rio’s arrest has a little gravity to it, it feels like it should have been bigger. Considering all the other times Rio has almost exited their lives this one falls flat. Maybe that should have served as a clue that more was on the way, but it certainly didn’t feel like there would be outstanding change.
When it comes to the series as a whole, “Broken Toys,” is a very middling episode. While there may be more exciting things to come, there is not enough to sink our teeth into just yet. The tone of “Broken Toys” feels disconnected from the rest of the series and while it ties up a few plot points it doesn’t feel earned.
The series can find its footing again and I think that we can
Stray Thoughts:
- Did we ever imagine that we’d hear Annie utter the words Occam’s Razor?
- So, what was this about that hot tub canceling out noise? All noise except what’s relevant to the plot?
- I am glad Stan and Ruby don’t have to worry about Stan’s boss anymore, but now I kind of wonder what’s going to happen with the club. New money laundering venture?
- Does anyone actually believe that Dean is gonna find success with The System? I feel like this is just setting him up to fail.
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 9/8c on NBC.
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Lauren Busser
Lauren Busser is an Associate Editor at Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer of fiction and nonfiction whose work has appeared in Bitch Media, Popshot Quarterly, Brain Mill Press Voices, and The Hartford Courant.