Good Trouble Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Allies
Jasmine Blu
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It's Mari-FREAKING-ana!
Seriously, on Good Trouble Season 1 Episode 3, there is a lot to discuss, but can we acknowledge yet again that Alex is the absolute worst?!
He's so cringeworthy and enraging all of the time.
After a raging Coterie party that potentially jeopardized both the women's careers, it was time for Mariana and Callie to face the music and not the fun type of music.
Callie's job issue was more pressing and imminent, and it remained so throughout the hour, so we'll get into that in a moment. Mariana's work faux pas was not as threatening, but it was still frustrating as heck. Why? Because Alex is the worst!
Related: Good Trouble Season 1 Episode 2 Review: The Coterie
Mariana should have known something was coming when he pretended as though he didn't receive her dozens of frantic, drunken, and apologetic emails and phone calls and acted as though nothing had happened.
Alex's method of getting back at Mariana was stealing her idea and relishing all the praise and fist bumps Josh bestowed upon him without giving Mariana any credit.
Mariana: Hey Alex.
Alex: Hey Mary Anna
Mariana: It's Mariana.
Alex: Oh sorry.
The funny thing is, that's not an unexpected thing to happen. Mariana is still new, and Alex is the team leader, so he probably takes credit for all of their stuff anyway because while it's a team effort, he's the one in charge.
The problem is that Alex has been icing Mariana out and being a jackass from the moment she joined their team, and he's openly sexist and casually racist.
It was the name thing that was a doozy. It's a common microaggression that seems innocent enough but serves as a dog whistle to those often on the receiving end who know deep down what it means.
If you were unaware of this one, there was a popular Twitter story about one of those incidents and one woman's sweet revenge. Check it out for a good laugh.
He knew her name and how to pronounce it, but he insisted on calling her Mary Anna, and it's something that he has used before, so it wasn't solely about him getting back at her this time.
He's just an ass like that. I wonder if he can ever be redeemed though?
Mariana is having such a difficult time adjusting to this work environment. Her battle is the most compelling because aside from the Instagram incident, she rarely contributes to the trouble she's falling into; she's just unlucky. She keeps trying to figure it out, though, and she fails spectacularly.
Thank God she finally called Raj out; it was long overdue. Raj seems to be a decent guy, and he likes Mariana, you can tell. He was the most kind to her well before she brought him a Mango smoothie in an attempt to befriend him. He knows that she's talented, is often impressed by her, and he may have a crush on her too.
Raj: Hey sorry about those guys.
Mariana: Those guys? What about you? You go along with his bullshit all the time. You know being a nice guy behind his back doesn't make you a hero.
None of that means a damn thing if he isn't vocal though. Sometimes the worst people are the ones who are complacent -- the ones who are silent in the face of wrongdoing. They know better and are capable of better, but don't do better, and that's far more infuriating than a run-of-the-mill jackass who is deadset on being a jackass.
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." Raj knows that Alex is wrong and Sam is a weak-minded follower, but he watches it happen without saying anything.
However, and it's something I didn't give much thought to, but maybe Raj had to endure some workplace discrimination of his own, and he doesn't want to rock the boat.
Ideally, that should make him more vocal and inclined to defend Mariana, but realistically, it could be that he's trying to get by himself. He's playing along to get along, which based on some of the other experiences of employees who aren't white guys seems to be the go-to tactic to survive as an employee at Speckulate.
Casey is similar. Unlike Raj, she appears at random and gives Mariana advice about how to navigate the job as a female engineer at a male-dominated company. Casey's advice is well-intentioned, but Mariana's frustration is reasonable.
Casey approaches everything as though there is only one way to make it through to the other side, and that is by putting up with the harassment and waiting to see if it pays off down the road. That level of complacency may work short-term, but it doesn't rectify the problem as a whole.
Nothing can ever change and improve if that's the only methodology used to address the problem at hand. Mariana is not the type to sit idly by and wait for something better to happen. She's proactive and likes to make changes.
You gotta be patient. Work harder than the boys and eventually you'll get noticed for it. In the meantime, make a few allies; not every guy is a jerk.
Casey
She's already going nuts after Alex told her to stop working hard and doing her job because it puts higher expectations on them and raises the bar. LOL. What?!
Casey's defeatist attitude isn't going to work for Mariana, and while I understand some of Casey's points about paying her dues and all of that, at this rate, Mariana should shake things up. Nothing will change otherwise, and things need to change.
The crazy thing about it is that things could change if Josh, Angela, and others stopped getting between Evan and his employees. You do want someone to pay their dues, but if they took the initiative that no one else did, and it worked and led to great things then kudos.
Mariana already made an impression on Evan because she wasn't afraid to approach him. Everyone else just accepted the whisperings and suggestions that they avoid the CEO. Meanwhile, Evan is aloof to all of this.
I love Evan, and I hope we see more from him. First, I'm not a 'shipper, but I crush a lot. Second, Evan and Mariana bumping into each other in such a disastrous way is the perfect meet-cute for an adorable 'ship. Fight me.
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Evan is intrigued by Mariana, has picked up that she has fantastic ideas, gumption and confidence, and she isn't afraid to put in hours after work. Why won't Josh and the others let Evan and Mariana be great? It's infuriating!
Evan: Isn't that the girl I told you about in the elevator? I thought she had an app to pitch me?
Josh: Yeah, yeah, I reached out to her. She never got back to me.
I can't tell if there are plots against Evan, or they are ableist because he's neuroatypical or what, but it's maddening that they want him to be inaccessible to his employees because you can tell it's not what he wants.
Hopefully, he will attempt to speak to Mariana on his own and inquire as to why she didn't meet him to pitch the ideas he showed interest in; then he'd learn that his staff was deliberately keeping him away from his employees. If Evan knew that the work environment was so problematic, he would do something about it.
I cannot wait for more Evan and Mariana scenes.
Callie, on the other hand, is the one standing in her way at work. It wasn't necessarily her fault that she missed Wilson's calls and didn't make it in for the memo, but all of this other stuff? Callie still needs to work on herself.
For one, this tension between her and Rebecca is insane. I believe Rebecca when she said that Ben was keeping them at odds with one another and turned the last clerk against her.
How does Callie not see that by doing this catty woman thing, the girls are at each other's throats in passive-aggressive ways, and Ben wins? She's allowing both of them to get inside of her head too much.
Callie: Why didn't you tell Wilson you wrote the memo?
Rebecca: Because in spite of what you think, I'm not a backstabbing bitch.
Callie: I don't think that.
Rebecca: Isn't that what your best friend Ben told you? That I couldn't be trusted because I was born with a silver spoon up my ass?
Callie: That's not exactly how he put it.
Rebecca: Look Ben turned the last clerk against me, and it would be nice if we could have each other's backs, right?
Callie: Yeah. Thanks for having mine.
Rebecca isn't a terrible person, and while she is competitive, she has yet to come across malicious. Callie went to law school, right? Competition is as natural as breathing, and even the things that seem cutthroat aren't personal or malicious.
I don't think Rebecca is trying to mess with Callie's head. I think Rebecca is genuine in her belief that Callie is the counter-clerk. In her mind, Wilson choosing Callie and his affinity for her is due to her having a different viewpoint.
She's correct in a way about why Wilson is fond of Callie, but she's underestimating Wilson and overestimating Callie here. Callie is treating this entire situation as though Rebecca isn't also a mentee under Wilson who has a lot of things to learn as well.
Anyone can see that the issue with Rebecca is that she's likely a "yes" woman when it comes to Wilson. She's focused on what she thinks he wants to hear, and she's caught up in him being a conservative judge and making assumptions about what that means.
Wilson likes Callie not just because she's offering a liberal view, but because that means she isn't a "yes" woman. He expected Callie to be the one who didn't tell him what she thought he wanted to hear but rather what she thought. He didn't need nor want another person like Ben and Rebecca.
For some reason, Callie continues to doubt that and feeds into what Rebecca is saying instead of trusting her instincts. If every conversation started with "we all agree" then there would be nothing to discuss. Callie is at risk of losing her identity trying to fit in at work, but she doesn't even notice that Wilson doesn't want that at all.
I love Wilson. He's one of my favorite characters at the moment because it was evident early on how he felt and that he was genuine in wanting to be a good mentor, but Callie is getting in her way and not seeing that.
I love that he gave her another reality check about her not giving him any new point of view that he hasn't already heard or debated about with others before. He doesn't need her to anticipate every single liberal argument, even if she may be there to remind him of one or a different way of looking at something.
I wanted to yell at the television when Callie took their conversation after her memo personal. How did she not see that the man likes to spar? He can only do that with Callie because the other two tell him what they think he wants to hear.
Callie: Your honor, if you're not going to consider my arguments, am I just here to help you shoot down the progressive argument?
Wilson: What do you mean?
Callie: Did you hire me to be your counter clerk?
Wilson: Hm. Do you think I need a kid straight out of a five-year undergrad UC law school to prepare me for the liberal argument? You're here because I like to spar and teach young legal dilettantes how to formulate well-reasoned arguments regardless of your misguided politics and belief that the constitution is a living document you can manipulate into making a law instead of interpreting it, so you can relax. You aren't arming me with some liberal legal kryptonite that I wouldn't already be aware of.
It's sad that times have gotten so contentious that even healthy debates and banter put others on guard and make them feel attacked.
Callie is familiar with this type of banter, too. It's the same type of banter she has with Jamie. They have different views about a lot of things, but they still respect each other and care about one another, and they still have lovely chemistry.
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He was the first person she called for advice about work, and he set her straight about the Rebecca and Wilson situation but also the ethical violation she may have on her hands with Malika.
Callie is focused on the wrong things because she's in a difficult spot with Malika and this Jamal Thompson case. Callie is killing me here. She made the best decision to approach Malika and suggest they stay away from another until the case is over, but it may be too late, and that's kind of impossible since they live in the same house.
Ben already took notice of how sketchy Callie was behaving during court and how she couldn't hide that she knew and recognized Malika. It's unfortunate timing that Malika has grown closer to Mrs. Thompson at the same time she convinced Callie that she didn't know Mrs. Thompson on a personal level.
Malika has gravitated to this case, and her connection seems to tie into her past experiences. She feels like she failed her brother or doomed him when she called CPS. It's almost as if getting justice for Jamal is her way of making amends. She didn't fight hard enough then (despite being a child), but she can fight for Jamal's memory now.
She also has this bond with Mrs.Thompson. They clicked instantly, and Mrs. Thompson represents that maternal figure that she missed out on in her life.
It's no surprise that she would rather spend time with this passionate woman who is in relentless in the pursuit of justice for her child than her mother whom Malika felt abandoned her and messed up her and Dom's lives.
The situation with Malika and Dom's mother is a difficult one, and it's not fair that Dom is expecting more from Malika than she's willing to give. Their relationship can remain intact, but she's not obligated to make amends with her mother if she's not comfortable with that.
It's commendable that the series is finding a different way to focus on the BLM movement and police brutality and excessive use of force. Typically, most shows, much like in life, focus on the issue at the moment when it's fresh on everyone's minds and heated.
The passion and outrage are there for a certain amount of time before they taper off or they are reallocated to the next incident.
Even if it's an issue you are passionate about, when is the last time you followed a case all the way through to conclusion years later? Eventually, there are so many names and faces that everyone gets lost or even forgotten by the masses.
Mrs. Thompson: When Jamal first got killed people took to the streets, but its been five years with a new shooting every month people forget by the time a case gets to court if it gets to court.
Malika: I won't forget.
Wilson's ruling was as fair as could be expected. He didn't have any precedent that he felt supported the discrepancy with the evidence, but he also still believes that there is a case and that it deserves to go to trial.
A trial means more scrutiny than ever, and now that Malika is the BLM activist face for this case, new friends with Mrs. Thompson, and Callie's roommate, Callie is in a hell of a pickle.
As usual, she's stuck in her personal life as well. She and Gael have some smoking hot chemistry, and I love them together, but I'm also OK with them figuring things out and take their time with one another.
Gael is likable and attractive, and a cool guy, but he's messy for no reason. He's upfront about keeping things casual and not being in a full-blown relationship with anyone, but it also seems like he plays games without realizing that he's playing games.
He did mislead Bryan about Callie, and for no real reason. He does make things awkward when he cancels or forgets about, or whatever plans he has with Callie and then parades Bryan around knowing that Callie is there.
Supposedly, Bryan and Gael are casual, but doesn't their relationship feel serious? At the very least, Bryan is playing it cool, but their relationship means more to him.
He's the King of passive-aggressive and snarky comments any time he interacts with Callie. He comes across territorial, and when he mentioned that fancy, expensive restaurant that he was attending, it was a total power move. Bryan is so extra for kicks.
He did not know how to react when Callie walked into the restaurant giving us crazy leg action and met with Jamie. Gael didn't know how to react to that too, other than being stunned by her beauty and then appearing curious about who she was meeting.
For that moment alone, it was worth it that she agreed to meet Jamie for dinner. These relationships are messy as hell but in an entertaining way.
Another complicated relationship is the one Gael and Jazmin have with one another and with their parents. Did the Martinez's shun both of their children? Pose star Hailie Sahar is playing Jazmin if you're wondering why she looks so familiar!
Jazmin: I got the message. They don't want me there, especially my manager, and he's a gay guy. Apparently, the T is optional when you're LGB.
Gael: I'm sorry, Jazmin.
Jazmin is adamant about not getting help from their parents, and you can tell it's probably due to them having issues with her being transgender, but it also came across as though they had a bigger problem with her being transgender than Gael being bisexual.
Did any of you get that impression too? A Latinx family with not one but two LGBT children in it? I hope the show delves into this storyline more!
Jazmin is having a hard time dealing with discrimination at her job, and I love that she pointed out that the one giving her the hardest time was her gay boss. Trans discrimination is prevalent in general, but it's refreshing that the show addressed how it's also something transgender individuals face within their own community.
The lack of visibility and discrimination within the LGBTQ community is something she and Gael could bond over with her being trans, especially a trans woman of color, and Gael being bisexual, especially a bisexual male.
Honestly, all they're missing is an asexual character, and they would have tackled who are arguably the most misunderstood identities within the community.
My heart broke for both siblings. Jazmin is having a difficult time and strapped for cash, so she needed Gael to help her out. I feel for her, but I'm also wary of her.
She and Gael haven't seen one another for a hot minute, and the first time she contacts him again, it's because she needs almost two grand. He gave it to her too, which meant he couldn't bronze his beautiful sculpture.
Bryan: Talk about home court advantage.
Gael: It's not a competition.
Bryan: But if it was, I would totally win, right?
The meaning behind that sculpture was beautiful, especially as he elaborated on the duality of it with masculine and feminine features. I hated that he destroyed it. To make matter worse, it was also interesting that Bryan only saw it as something phallic and masculine and dismissed the femininity.
It caused Gael to agree and be dismissive of it too. Gael's proud, and he knows who he is, but with anyone, he's not exempt from struggles. Ugh, adulting is hard and finding yourself and owning who you are is a lifetime battle that never stops.
Over to you, Good Trouble Fanatics! Are you Team Callie or Team Bryan? Are you Team Gael or Team Jamie? Do you think Rebecca is malicious?
What do you think of Judge Wilson? Will Callie's connection to Malika catch up to her? Why do you think everyone wants Evan and Mariana kept apart? Hit the comments below!
You can watch Good Trouble online 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.
