Good Trouble Season 3 Episode 3 Review: Whoosh, Pow, Bang
Jasmine Blu
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The Coterie members are always finding themselves, and it's such a realistic depiction of young adulthood and how little people have life figured out.
Alice, Gael, and Davia are trying to figure out what they want and pursue their dreams on Good Trouble Season 3 Episode 3.
Meanwhile, the Adams-Foster girls are questioning the people influencing their careers and choices.
Kicking things off with Alice, her diversity and inclusive comedian workshop is a unique event, and inquiring minds want to know if those are always like that?
The batch of comedians they have are quite the bunch, and I wonder if we'll spend enough time with them to determine whether or not our girl has a shot at surviving this workshop.
She's already off to a rocky start with Scott, the comedian running it and teaching them, resorting to jokes and humor that leans into -isms, -ists, and -phobias for the sake of laughs.
And it didn't seem lost on any of them that the less than politically-correct leader of a diversity and inclusion comedy workshop is who appears to be a nearing middle-aged, cishet, white guy.
It didn't factor into anything beyond the first scenes with them, but this is Good Trouble. We all know that it's going to at some point.
I can't say that there's a room that the perpetually awkward Alice doesn't step into where she doesn't feel out of place, and it's something that I want for her. One day, she'll find comfort somewhere, and it won't take so much work for her to feel it.
Alice; We have to compete to stay in.
Lindsay: Maybe, but not with each other. The only you're competing with is yourself.
Alice Why the heck are you being so nice to me?
Lindsay: Because I gave you your big break, and I don't want you to make me look bad.
Not having a literal seat at the workshop is quite the setback. The poor girl sat on the floor while looking up at her peers, and that visual alone tells a story.
It only went downhill from there when she didn't respond to things appropriately, or she rambled too much, or the others made her feel as if she didn't belong to be there and that the additional spot they added into the program, the exception, meant she hadn't earned her place.
Icing Alice out of their after-workshop drinks, singing Lindsay's praises, and acting as if they're the only reason Alice is there and she is some charity case, and assuming she was the most disposable was juvenile.
It's an entire workshop devoted to diverse voices, namely those who don't get a fair shake, and there they all were ostracizing Alice. But when Alice confronted Lindsay about it later at the Coterie (and ugh, Lindsay spends so much damn time there, do they have a home of their own?), Lindsay seemed surprisingly supportive of Alice.
May I? I love a good F in the morning
Kelly
The messed-up thing about Lindsay is even when they're nice -- you can only take it with a grain of salt. Their outlook did inspire Alice and subsequently, backfire on them in the end.
Alice excelled the next day in class by mimicking her mother for laughs, verbatim. It's something that doesn't sit right about Alice using her mother to get ahead here. The whole joke and what was supposed to be funny was her imitating her mother's voice and accent.
Her mother and said accent become the butt of the joke, but the lines between what is and isn't acceptable often blurs.
It seems like one of those things where Scott will want them to lean into all the jokes that come at the expense of their different identities. Lindsay is visibly put off by that, and Alice may become the person who gives into it for the laughs and acceptance.
On the flip side of things, Lindsay getting pissy about Alice outshining them never sits well either; it's annoying given it's because of Alice doing what Lindsay always does, channeling actual events into routines even if they aren't theirs.
Gael is feeling lost, and it's nice to revisit his work as an artist and how difficult it is to find gigs and keep pushing forward with it.
Some of Gael's most compelling storylines revolve around his quest to find his place in the world as an artist and his relationships with his family members. We don't spend nearly enough time on either when it comes to his storylines.
Gael's expression was so honest and relatable when he quickly typed congrats to his friend in the group text, but he was disappointed and not so much jealous of his friend's accomplishments as wondering when he would get his big break.
It's one of those chin-checks that you randomly get in life when you're judging your progress by what's going on with your peers.
It's a byproduct of schooling where we spent years getting graded as a collective based on how well the overall group did with something. Outside of that, it's conditioned in us to still look for those markers to determine progress.
Student: So, are you a successful artist?
Gael: No, not really.
Andre: You mean not yet.
Gael: No, not yet.
Gael and Davia have grown closer as the only two people who know about Dennis and his real whereabouts, and a reflection of that bond came to fruition again when Davia roped him into spending time with her kids.
Gael is a natural with kids, and it was beautiful to see him explain the concept of art concept and its importance to them and remind them of how it's OK to do it for fun. He also shared with them stories of other at-risk youth, similar to them, who became amazing artists by channeling their feelings into their passion.
He made an impression on those kids, and it wouldn't be a surprise if we see a few of them in the future reaching out or pursuing art as their passion.
But they left an impression on him as well. Andre was there to tell Gael what he needed to hear; he is an artist, and Davia, fortunately, doubled down on that by reminding him that everyone is on their timeline.
Art doesn't have to be hard or intimidating. It can be just fun.
Gael
She's someone who got a late start on getting her Masters, and all of her hard work earned her a promotion as a certified teacher there. It's never too late to pursue the necessary steps to make a dream happen.
It was also refreshing to see Davia being a good and supportive friend to someone outside of Dennis, as for some time, it felt as if he was the only one who brought the part of her that didn't hide behind a mean girl out of her.
Gael's new job as an intern with this new artist with a brash personality will mix things up a bit, you can already tell.
Davia is also holding on to Dennis, but Matt serves as a bit of a complication. She's not in an actual relationship with Dennis right now, and he's gone off gride to take care of himself.
I don't think Dennis expects Davia to wait for him, but she loves him and feels compelled to do so.
We're all on our own timeline. It doesn't matter how fast we get there just that we do. Who cares how long it takes?
Davia
Matt seems like a good guy, certainly better than the married guy she dated before, and they share some commonalities and have a connection. Davia didn't even notice how into her he was.
Right now, it's great that they have a similar goal of helping and protecting the kids most likely to fall victim to the prison-to-pipeline system that this diversion program enforces.
It's a brilliant idea they've come up with to send the troubled, unruly kids to one another during free periods rather than to the principal's office. Restorative justice has been successful in many ways, and the Equity Committee can make real change and help these kids by implementing it.
Davia is finding her footing in this fight, but she's in it, and it looks good on her.
Mariana's fight is an intricate one when you factor in her relationship with Evan. Surprisingly, the series didn't choose to give us a taste of Eviana and then nuke it. However, if the rest of the Byte Club finds out about them, Mariana is going to have some regrets.
The Byte Club risked it all by following Mariana into the bouts of hell, taking a stand, and making a start-up of their own. They're unemployed and don't have benefits right now. Some of them don't have enough money to make it beyond two weeks, let alone months.
They need a plan, and so far, they're struggling to come up with something sustainable.
Mariana was so distracted fielding all of Evan's apology gifts and concealing the fact that they came from him when her Byte Club members asked. She lied to them about it being her birthday which is something that will catch up to her.
Byte Club Member: Sorry, I was at the gyno trying to squeeze in all of my doctor's appointments before my healthcare runs out.
Mariana: Smart. Everyone get your Paps Smears.
If she was going to lie about that, she should've come up with another reason or at least spun it into the day she was adopted or something. If you're going to do wrong, do it right, you know?
But the worst part, she saw Evan. Mariana went to Evan's loft that looks so much like Speckulate and fell for his solution to rectify the app situation.
Evan's perspective is that of a businessman: I don't fault him for that in the least. However, it's ridiculous that Mariana jumped at any reason to stop being upset with him.
Evan's choice to let the app die-off doesn't change much. He's donating the money made from it, from this point forward to the ACLU, and that's a nice tax-writeoff for him. SpecKulate didn't put their necks on the line one way or another with this.
Davia: Why did you tell the students that you weren't a successful artist? You're a great artist.
Gael: Thanks, but I guess it feels like I'm falling behind from a lot of my friends in art school.
Callie's unimpressed reaction when Mariana told her of all the moves Evan made to fix things said it all. I love Evan, so it's whatever, but Mariana fell into his arms because of him doing the bare minimum.
She went from bouncing on his fun-looking trampoline to jumping on -- well, Eviana must've worked up a hell of a sweat and got in some serious cardio by having sex on a trampoline.
She spilled everything that she and the girls are working on, and after running it by him, she got discouraged by the things that he said and his advice.
It's Evan, so it's doubtful anything he said came from a vindictive place, and he was genuinely honest in his business advisement. Nevertheless, Mariana went out on her own for a reason.
She isn't trying to do and be like Evan. She's trying to change the tech industry in her way, so that shouldn't consist of doing things like him.
She let him talk her out of an ambitious plan that she maybe could've pulled off and settled on creating the next Candy Crush like app for a quick money grab. The Byte Club was baffled but willing to follow her lead.
If Mariana wants to continue juggling both the Byte Club and her relationship with Evan, she needs to be honest and draw some boundaries.
She sure as hell can't let Evan influence her so much. She's still trying to seek his approval in some way and letting him fill her with doubts.
And Callie is already having some doubts about Kathleen.
Kathleen and Callie work well together, and you can tell Callie loves getting to work behind this strong, powerful woman who knows how to own every room she walks into.
It's something Callie is still working on, as evidenced by the way she handled the situation with Yvonne's case and the D.A, who was too busy to talk to her. First of all, screw that guy and how he was unfazed by wasting Yvonne's time. It's actions like that which led to the single mother getting thrown in jail in the first damn place.
Kathleen thankfully advised her that Yvonne in no way should've taken that stupid deal that jackass offered, and he could politely shove it up where the sun doesn't shine.
She's good, isn't she? She just passed the Bar. I know how to pick them.
Katheleen
It was part of Kathleen's lessons on "deals," and Callie should've paid attention and anticipated how it would backfire. Kathleen runs on instinct, and the rules change for her depending on what she feels in the moment.
Initially, after her schmoozing with Mike that perfectly showed the ass-kissing and elbow-rubbing that's involved in this field, it seemed Jerod would have to take a deal of a year in jail.
It was less than ideal for him, and both women noted that the longer he spent in jail, the worse off he would be. But Jerod shared some valuable information about the shady guard who didn't just refuse to give Jerdo his meds but pocked them for himself.
It was a game-changer, and it left me wondering why they didn't look into this guard in the first place and draw this conclusion when Jerod told them about it the first time.
The guard got fired from his last job over his involvement in doing the same thing, and it's clear that he's lacing other illicit drugs with those he pilfers from inmates and selling them for profit.
Jerod: He's the one who took my medicine.
Callie: You mean who didn't give you your medicine.
Jerod: No, he took it for himself.
Callie: Why would he take your medicine?
Jerod: I don't know. I just need to know when I can go home. Please. What does the big lawyer say? Can she get me out of here?
Callie: We're still working on it Jerod. You just have to be patient.
It remains infuriating that they don't follow a person's history when they move from one state to another, so the worst of the worst can simply hop the state line elsewhere and get a new job doing the same shady shit they did on the last one.
And instead of facing criminal charges or putting the person on record, they get a slap on the risk and license to do the same elsewhere. It's a perfect reflection of one of the many things wrong with this system.
Even now, the deputy isn't going to face any real consequence. Instead, information is currency, and they were using that and the threat of exposure or promise of secrecy to get Jerod a deal.
Callie was proud of herself for going the extra mile to ensure that Jerod got the fairest shake. If she hadn't, he wouldn't have gotten the offer that he did.
Unfortunately, Kathleen went from going along with the first deal to sniffing blood in the water and threatening to take this case to court without even presenting the newest deal to Jerod.
Callie feels uncomfortable that Kathleen, a notorious shark who is itching to get back into the arena, plans to use Jerod to do it. I can't say I blame her here.
Jerod won't do well in prison, and Kathleen's solution is that the worst-case scenario is he'll get the help that he needs when it's through, but how far gone will he be then? What if he doesn't make it until then?
The man is hanging on by a thread and isn't one who could withstand a trial. Kathleen knows people, the times we live in, and juries, so it's hard to say if it's a worthwhile risk of them losing this case, knowing that mental illness is stigmatized the way that it is.
Jerod: He's the one who took my medicine.
Callie: You mean who didn't give you your medicine.
Jerod: No, he took it for himself.
Callie: Why would he take your medicine?
Jerod: I don't know. I just need to know when I can go home. Please. What does the big lawyer say? Can she get me out of here?
Callie: We're still working on it Jerod. You just have to be patient.
One of these days, we need to find out what happened to Kathleen and the real reason she left her firm. It's a story there. Every person she encounters is shocked by this, and she still has the drive and fight of someone who didn't leave that world behind for good.
Over to you, Good Trouble Fanatics. What are your thoughts on this one? Should Mariana tell the Byte Club about Evan? What do you think about Gael's new artist boss? Hit the comments.
You can watch Good Trouble online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
