Good Trouble Season 3 Episode 17 Review: Anticipation
Jasmine Blu
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It was an hour that was Good Trouble at its best.
With its various storylines that struck different tones, Good Trouble Season 3 Episode 17 was an emotionally gratifying hour that felt reminiscent of the earliest days of the series.
The return of the Martinez family, for starters, was particularly compelling.
But to start things off, it's such a relief that Kathleen and her associates were able to get that video thrown out. Well, technically, thanks to an anonymous tipster who sent Callie some valuable information, Kathleen was able to challenge the D.A.'s office enough for them to withdraw it.
The court case has been one of the most intriguing storylines of the season. It's especially great when it's Kathleen, Callie, and Jamie facing off with each other.
Tommy blindsided them by not telling them about the fight he got into with Zach, and without a strike of luck via the tipster, their case was as good as done.
Kathleen reaming Tommy out a bit over not sharing all the details is the same type of thing every defense attorney ends up having to do when their clients don't understand attorneys need to know every last detail to defend properly.
And Kathleen continues to be a great mentor for Callie, challenging her thinking and how she approaches things. Callie can't have it both ways, cherry-picking and playing judge of who is worthy of defense.
Whether Tommy is innocent or guilty doesn't matter. As Kathleen said, their job is to make sure that he and any of their clients get due process. Callie was out of sorts, as you can tell that she was probably wondering if Tommy was still as innocent as she assumed.
Our job is to make sure that no one goes to prison without due process. I admire that you want to believe in the people that you care about, but everybody is going to disappoint you at some point. Good people do bad things sometimes. It doesn't make them irredeemable.
Kathleen
But more than anything, Callie was busy trying to determine if Jamie was the one who sent her the tip about Christian and his deal with the D.A.
Only someone at the D.A's office would have that type of connection, and Callie convinced herself that her confrontation with Jamie was what prompted him to share information with her.
For a while, it seemed likely. Jamie would be the one to leave the envelope at the Coterie instead of Kathleen's office. And he was the one who invited the defense to prove their allegations that the D.A. expunged Christian's record in exchange for the video bombshell.
But when Callie confronted him after court, it seemed as though he didn't know what she was talking about, or he got better at hiding his "tells."
Tommy's defense team lives to see another day fighting in court for him, and Jamie is a conundrum -- the tipster, also a mystery.
Mariana was having some issues of her own at work.
As someone who doesn't think Mariana should've had to humble herself to work with Bulk Beauty again, all the signs point to the team needing Mariana more than she needs them.
The entire Bulk Beauty team has one social skillset, and Mariana is the only one in possession of it. The reason they haven't gotten anywhere is because of the passivity of the others. They don't speak up for themselves and go for what they want.
Zelda: By the way, I heard about another female start-up doing something similar to BB, and I hear they're looking for a project leader. if you're interested, I can put in a word.
Mariana: Oh, I just started at BB.
Zelda: I get that, but to be honest, I don't think the girls appreciate what kind of asset you are, and life's too short to sit around while your talents are being wasted.
Mariana was always the mouthpiece and gatekeeper between the Fight Club and the rest of the world. In their time apart, Mariana has learned some things and grown, but goodness, have they?
Casual chatter and socializing at the breakfast bar led to Mariana befriending Zelda, a brand ambassador, without even knowing it. Mariana is one of those lucky people who network with ease without even meaning to, and it serves her well.
And the team had to rely on that to get a pitch with Zelda. But for crying out loud, they were too tongue-tied to even explain their app to her. Mariana had to step in and do the talking, and it was a reminder of how most of the others struggled with presentations.
And as soon as Zelda said she'd hook them up with a brand company, they barely even acknowledged Mariana again. Worse yet, she was cast to the side during the official pitch with the company as well.
If Mariana takes this project manager job with this new female-led group, she can probably kiss her friendship with the rest of the Fight Club goodbye for good, and all of her efforts to make things right with them would be in vain.
Is it wrong that I still want her to, though?
I also want to see where things are going with Malika and Angelica. While I'm still bitter about losing Isaac, the chemistry between Malika and Angelica is intriguing.
Malika's journey with her sexuality continues to evolve, and now we're in some bi-pan territory. Ironically, it's Tanya that Malika confided in about this. She asked Tanya for her input on whether or not Angelica was queer.
Malika: So do you get a queer vibe from her?
Tanya: Do you get a queer vibe?
Malika: I don't know. I mean she asked me to go on a hike, but I was kinda wondering if it was a date.
Tanya: What if it was? Would you be open to that?
Malika: I mean I've never dated a woman, but I guess I wouldn't be closed to it if the chemistry was there.
It was an amusing scene, and it was realistic. It felt similar to conversations personal friends would have about the struggle to suss if someone was making passes or being friendly, romantically or sexually interested, or angling for something platonic.
It does seem like Angelica is possibly into Malika romantically, but it's still hard to tell. Either way, she was good for Malika.
She helped Malika get out of her head and relax a bit. She's encouraging, and she helped Malika relax. It's nice to see Malika let go and have fun with someone.
She's often steeped in heavier storylines and doesn't get as much time to unwind and be.
But right when the anticipation of nailing down Angelica's intentions and what could be between those two and came to a head, life came at Malika fast.
Yvonne is back in jail, and her kids went to the Coterie because of them not knowing where else to go. Malika's work never stops.
Although, Kelly continues to be a gift that keeps giving with her brand of humor. It was funny when she was playing with the kids and taking all of their play money.
The more emotional beats of the hour came from Gael and Davia's storylines.
It was great to see Jazmin's return, and she was the support Gael needed to tell his parents and grandfather that he was expecting a child.
For the most part, things went better than he could've imagined. They would've preferred Gael marry Isabella, and they were trying to wrap their heads around this new-age thing, but their request to meet Isabella was reasonable.
And they accepted the news for what it was and even seemed happy about it once it settled.
The Martinez family aren't bad people. They're a loving family, albeit traditional, and they're flawed. But they're real, and the series does a decent job of depicting that.
Gael: So, um, the reason I wanted to talk to you guys is that I'm going to be a father.
Mrs. Martinez: We didn't even know you had a girlfriend.
Mr. Martinez: The way I knew that this bisexual thing was a phase.
Gael: I'm still bisexual, and she's not my girlfriend.
Gael and Isabella are so mature with how they're handling all of this. Their open lines of communication and ability to adjust to one another are impressive.
The moment Gael talked to Isabella about boundaries with his parents, it was apparent that it would be a disservice to her. The longer she spent with them, the more obvious it was that she needed the type of support that they provided.
She never had loving, doting parents who cared about her, and stepping into the Martinez home felt like everything she wished could have.
Gael has issues of his own with his parents, and they're valid ones, but he's right about how Isabella deserves the chance to form her own connection with them since she's the mother of his child.
It was refreshing that the Martinezes seemed to have come around to loving and accepting Gael and Jazmin for who they are. They still don't fully get it, and Mr. Martinez's comment about how he knew Gael's bisexuality was a phase is evidence that they still have some ways to go.
While Gael dating women in no way invalidates his bisexuality AT ALL, I do wonder how things would've played out if Gael brought a guy home before all of this with Isabella and Callie.
I'm surprised that's not a storyline the series ever chose to explore before all of this.
It's laud worthy that Gael recognized that Isabella would need things from his parents that he personally doesn't want, and he gave her space to have them. He wanted his boundaries but didn't consider hers or her needs at first.
Of course, now this will make things more complicated with Callie.
Mrs. Martinez offered up her services to support and help Isabella, and she's right about Isabella needing a support system around her as a new mother, regardless of Gael's input.
But them loving Isabella, especially Mrs. Martinez, who couldn't wait to pop by at Gael's loft unannounced with baby stuff in tow, doesn't make things any easier for Callie.
As far as first impressions go, Callie hasn't made a good one now that Mrs. Martinez walked in on her and Gael making out.
All Mrs. Martinez knows is that she likes Isabella, and that's the mother of Gael's child. Callie faced a hell of a setback before she even got her foot in the door with the Martinez family.
And you already know that a plethora of things added into the mix will contribute to Mrs. Martinez's potential standoffish nature. I'm talking about everything from Callie defending a possible murderer to her being a former troubled kid raised by two moms.
And Mr. Martinez is going to have some words about Jazmin's engagement, right?
It was fantastic news, even though it was risky of Jazmin to drop that on the family on the same day as the Martinez family meeting Isabella.
Her fiance seems like a great guy, and you can tell he truly loves Jazmin. Mr. Martinez was impressed by his business and how successful he was.
But his mood soured when he heard about the engagement, and even though he gave his blessing, it seemed reluctant.
I appreciate the series revisiting the storyline with Davia's eating disorder and everything about how it played out.
Davia's journey with her body and self-acceptance is an ongoing one. It's a daily battle, and it doesn't come without challenges along the way.
Davia: The real reason I bailed on lunch is because I have an eating disorder, and I thought I was past all of this, but I recently lost some weight and um, I've been getting some positive comments on my body again, the kind that I used to get when I was underweight and it triggered some old behaviors like idsolating myself and lying about eating. I even scrolled through some photos from when I was sick and for a minute I really missed that body. And I started to think that it wasn't as bad as everyone thogutt, and I could be sick and still be happy. Then I remembered how lonely and painful it felt. I don't want that life again.
Matt: I -
Davia: You don't have to do or say anything, I wanted to tell you to hold myself accountable. Because I trust you.
She'll never be "fixed" from it; it's something she has to actively work at every day for the rest of her life.
And sometimes, there will be triggers that could lead to a potential relapse. Some company sending Davia things to try on to advertise on her Instagram had a domino effect.
She couldn't fit into any of them, only wore the things that she could, and suddenly, she started losing weight to fit into these articles of clothing. And all the positive reinforcement and validation she got from people, including her mother, encouraged her to skip meals and keep it up.
Dennis saw all the signs, and he did subtle things to get a feel for her headspace. I loved how he made a couple of comments, made her favorite food, offered to have lunch with her, and the like.
Dennis went to Instagram and liked all of the old pictures from their photoshoot when none of the other stuff got him anywhere. It got Davia's attention, but she went off on him.
Sadly, everything that's happened between the two, and even how well he knows her, meant Davia wasn't in the headspace to listen to Dennis.
But that's where one's adoration for Dennis intensifies. Dennis loves her enough to reach out to someone who Davia needs, even if that person isn't him.
It takes a good man to reach out to the other guy Davia is interested in, but his love for Davia is bigger than their love triangle. And he knew that Matt cares about Davia too and would do right by her.
Emma Hunton was phenomenal in her scene where she confided in Matt. She told him about her eating disorder and how she was slipping into those bad habits again.
She told him that she was sharing something so vulnerable to keep herself accountable. The scene was gorgeous, so much emotion that both of them, teary-eyed and holding hands, Davia with her voice trembling as she admitted these things -- it was enough to bring a person to tears.
And the emotion didn't stop when we saw that Dennis reached out to Matt. He knew that this could bring Davia and Matt closer together and what that could mean for him and Davia, but he didn't care.
Because he loves Davia, and he wants her to be safe and happy. And he trusts Matt and recognizes that he wants the same for her.
What do you do anymore when you love everyone in this love triangle and want nothing but wonderful things for all of them? Goodness!
Over to you, Good Trouble Fanatics.
Do you think Jamie sent the file? How do you think the Martinez family will react to Callie?
How are you feeling about Davia's body positivity storyline and also the men in her life? Are you shipping Malika and Angelica? 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.
