Good Girls Review: Family First (Season 4 Episode 12)
Good Girls Season 4 Episode 12, “Family First,” tries, and fails, to up the stakes.
After watching Good Girls Season 4 Episodes 10 and 11, “Strong Sales Strong Hearts/Put It All on Two,” it’s clear that the series needs to do something to shake up the story. However, most of the expendable characters are gone and the operation won’t work if any of the central characters are benched.
“Family First” feels like an attempt to recreate some of the uncertainty of past seasons. It leans into the idea that the girls aren’t safe. That may have been true when they were washing money via big box stores, but they’ve leveled up and found a valuable skillset. Putting any one of them in danger doesn’t work aside from being a scare tactic.
Since we know it’s probably a scare tactic, the episode doesn’t hold any substantial weight as a whole. Essentially, it leaves the story right where it started.
The strongest scenes on “Family First,” are the ones that lean into the emotional gravity of the situation. These involve no action or goal, letting the characters feel their feelings.
One standout performance is Isaiah Stannard as Ben because his reactions have the most weight.
It makes sense for Ben to be worried about his mom because that’s been his role for the past two seasons. He’s the one who calls her out and keeps her in check. Without Ben’s presence on “Family First,” the episode wouldn’t have any dimension and it would have been a flat, plot-driven story.
The striking thing about “Family First” is how different the two threads read. Good Girls has always walked a line between comedy and drama, but it’s a problem the episode can’t find a cohesive tone.
Specifically, the problem is with Beth and Ruby’s scenes, and it’s because the episode tries to complicate the process of getting Annie back. It doesn’t feel like they’re really concerned about Annie they’re just wondering how they’ll get the task done.
It’s a valid point, but the two preceding episodes just told the exact same story.
Frankly, “Family First,” could have been helped with more reflective scenes like the one in the car where Beth comments about how Annie’s absence makes things quiet. That would have given the entire situation more gravity instead of cramming in some plot.
One of the most intriguing parts of this episode ends up being when Dean recruits Stan to turn on Beth.
Stan has been unhappy with how Beth’s been handling their criminal enterprise and that is why this turn makes perfect sense. It could also spell the end of the Hills, which is a heartbreaking realization.
I’ve always said that Ruby and Stan are the most solid couple. They’ve had their moments, but they always seem to keep each other as a touchstone. Given how closely aligned Ruby is with Beth it feels like this will be a deep fissure if it comes to fruition.
Honestly, I hope it doesn’t. This is why seeing Beth go to Nick and ask for “career advice” is refreshing.
While we know that Rio would never hurt Beth, she is taking a risk with her name on the club’s lease. If Beth is going to truly launch herself out from under Rio’s thumb, Nick is the perfect shepherd to help her.
Overall, “Family First,” is another slow, inconsequential chapter in the show’s run. It falls flat as it tries to up the stakes, and covers a lot of old ground when it could have been better served leaning into emotional bonds.
What did you think of this episode of Good Girls? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Good Girls airs Thursdays 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.