The Bold Type Season 2 Episode 9 Review: Trippin'
Yana Grebenyuk
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Did someone ask for a The Bold Type movie?
Well, the show delivered just that with an episode that felt like its own separate story. Somehow time stood still, with so much happening and yet nothing coming off as too rushed.
The use of a road trip allowed for movement within a limited amount of time, with each of the three leads learning something that they then took back with them to New York before the night was finished. It was a shakeup that worked perfectly, and it had a natural progression with which this season has otherwise struggled.
During The Bold Type Season 2 Episode 9, Kat has to face the fact that Jacqueline may be wrong and she can't do anything to help the issue before it is too late. She also has to come face to face with where her relationship is going, and what it means for them currently.
Meanwhile, Sutton has to go back home and face her mother, with their past issues preventing them from a smooth reunion. And Jane tries to remove herself from her fertility issues while Ryan decides to make his feelings known.
All these stories stood out because of how they covered every corner of the spectrum. It was professional when it had to be and then personal when the time asked for it.
Kat, Sutton, and Jane all had to deal with things they couldn't hide from no matter how hard they tried. For some, it was easy. Sutton faced a lot and gained something from it.
Meanwhile, Kat and Jane are in weird positions in their private lives that they won't be able to figure out alone.
As for Jacqueline, she is blinded just like the rest of us with a sharp turn in her career. Specifically, it feels like she is walking on eggshells and everything she does is now going to decide what this means for her on a professional level.
Basically, the anxiety is at an all-time high all around.
Sutton
Sutton talking about her mother this season was a clear sign that she had to go back and revisit her past.
She had a lot still buried within her, and she needed to talk to her mother about it now that she was in a self-sufficient place farther from her home.
It was shocking to meet her mother, and it was even more surprising how much she had already changed for Sutton. It would have been so much better if she did it when Sutton needed her, but this is still important because her mother cares about her and is trying her best.
Sutton returning home was in a way the perfect situation where she could then go to Paris without the weight of her mother hanging over her. She got this far in her career because of who she is and how amazing she can be, but having your past revisited positively is never a bad thing.
It was almost like the ghost of her relationship with her mother was haunting her, and to move forward she had first to move back.
It would be wonderful to see more of Sutton's mom; the girls usually don't explore their relationships with their parents much, but still. Sutton's mother checking in on her and reminders of how Sutton can count more on her mother is not a bad addition to this narrative.
That was about as eventful as Y2K.
Alex
It helps Sutton worry about one less thing in her life, what with Richard moving forward in his relationship and the way that the change will alter her as well.
Kat
Kat was finally ready to be in a relationship with only Adena, but is something wrong now?
It felt like their reunion was going to be immediate, and it wouldn't be awkward or strange.
And yet, Kat picks up on exactly that when she tells Adena she only wants to be with her. That distance, both literal and figurative, is hanging over their relationship now even though Adena doesn't show signs of it.
In fact, Adena's side in all this has been empty and should have been explored more.
Much like Kat, we have no idea what Adena is thinking and that influences everything in their relationship. Even something as simple as Adena having to work more often might not seem like anything, but it could also mean that things aren't okay with them right now.
It is like with Kat opening up their relationship ended up with her farther away from Adena. She might not be able to read her as quickly, and that worries her.
Going forward into the season finale, it would make sense for them to have a real conversation. Specifically, having Adena voice her thoughts on all this is important.
Another vag pic? It’s 10am.
Jane
She disappeared when Kat started this adventure, and that was because this was about Kat. But Adena matters too, and so does how she handled all this.
Kat and Adena need to figure out how to get back to that place that they were in, where they had less distance between them.
Jacqueline
This was a strange swerve in the road for Jacqueline.
It felt like Jacqueline was invincible, and it didn't feel like it was all going to accumulate so quickly.
Now she is in this place where an article is out questioning her, and this website relaunch didn't go too well either.
When Kat questioned her, it was so easy to disagree with her because Jacqueline always knows what works. But Kat second-guessing her opened the door for the reveal that Jacqueline can't always guarantee everything.
That has to circle back to Cleo and the way that she entered the board portion of things. She isn't on Jacqueline's side, and that doesn't sound promising.
Richard may be there as her ally, but is that enough?
In the beginning, it felt like Jacqueline would end up transitioning to the position of a board member instead of working directly in Scarlet. Now the arc has switched directions, putting Jacqueline in a position where she could be leaving in general.
The executive suite is nice but you guys have almond milk.
Richard
It sounds silly even to assume that, but it has to be said just in case this is exactly what is in store for the finale. It would be heartbreaking and wrong, which is why it has to be unlikely.
But also the idea of Jane and Jacqueline paralleling The Bold Type Season 1 Episode 10, when Jane left and saw Jacqueline is forever imprinted in my mind now.
Jane
So Team Ben vs Team Ryan is happening.
Jane was finally moving on from that portion of her time with Ryan and had found a good middle ground where she didn't have to ignore him forever.
As friends, Ryan and Jane make more sense than they ever did together. Season 2 allowed them to explore the aspects of them that worked without the need for a relationship that clearly couldn't.
Through that Ryan had found Ben, a genuinely good guy that she connects with and that wants the same things as her. Why can't that be good enough?
It comes off as if Ryan needs a purpose to stay on the show, and by having him decide that he wants to be with Jane again, that increases that element.
Jane has enough to worry about with her fertility issues, something that she was able to do with Ben even if at first they had to find out how to handle it together.
Who taught you how to drive, Vin Diesel?
Jane
Kat said it completely right, Ryan enables Jane, and that doesn't mean he understands what she needs when Ben did.
Hopefully, this isn't the role that Jane will have to fill in the finale with the love triangle, but preparing for these situations is always important.
Stray Thoughts
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Once again, the reminder that Alex should have a bigger role on this show resurfaces. The second season is wrapping, and he has appeared less than he did the previous season. Again, the show is about the women and their relationships with one another, but the recurring characters appear as well.
So when one character is then explored for the sake of a love triangle and someone like Alex who could have substance within the role of a member of Scarlet, specifically a man in a more female-dominated environment, it gets confusing why that isn't considered more. -
Richard moving means this is it. Sutton and Richard will either have to take that huge step forward, or they have to stop circling each other. It feels like they always appear at these emotional points and from there starts the question of their future.
This season attempted to show Sutton branching out and moving on from Richard, but did they move on from one another? -
Music, music, music. It never disappoints, and on a show like this, it is not surprising at all. Still, we need to take a moment out each week to compliment the way that it always works so well.
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Richard's presence outside of his relationship with Sutton is wonderful though. His appearances prove how men can be utilized on The Bold Type, with Richard using his position of power to assist those around him. His privilege isn't ignored, but he shows how it can benefit without taking over all the screentime.
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Kat telling Sutton that she was coming to Paris this entire time though. Somehow this didn't come up in any of their conversations so that revelations only makes it that much funnier.
What did you think of the episode? Which story were you most intrigued by this time around? What were you hoping to see more often? What were you hoping to see less often?
Did you think Adena and Kat would reunite this way? Do they still have work to do in their relationship? How about Sutton and Richard? Is this the official end for them or is Paris setting up something huge?
Are you worried for Jacqueline and her future at the company? Were you surprised by all the complications that came her way?
Did you agree with Jane's decision? Was it an interesting way to formulate the story going forward? Are you still hoping for a foster parent mention like I am? And are you Team Ben or Team Ryan?
Let us know what you think below!
And don't forget that you can watch The Bold Type online, right here on TV Fanatic.
Yana Grebenyuk was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in April 2021.
