Good Trouble Season 5 Episode 3 Review: About Damn Time
Jasmine Blu
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Mariana made a huge boss move, but she also made a phone call that will likely bring moms back for another visit.
It felt like it was one step forward and another backward for Mariana on Good Trouble Season 5 Episode 3 as she continued to be put to the test.
Meanwhile, Davia, Dennis, and Luca chase after their dreams but may come to realize that it's not an easy path.
Dennis and Davia have emerged from their sexy, hot love bubble a bit to expand into their individual storylines, which is great. Now, we get the best of both worlds with the two of them as a couple who can support one another in the way they had always done when they were friends.
It's the perks of having a relationship like theirs sparked out of friendship. We get all the best elements of Denvia at once.
Interestingly enough, Davia's senses are tingling regarding Dennis' new business venture, and no one can ever say that women's intuition isn't real.
She may not know why she was feeling a bit off about everything, trying to navigate being supportive of Dennis while also serving as the voice of reason.
But it bodes well that she'll likely be the one to express some concerns and ground Dennis a bit more as he gets deeper into this restaurant concept.
It was one hell of an opener as we saw a drug courier go from wherever they were cutting coke to sticking the envelope directly in Dennis' hands.
And it was followed by the return of the traditional, upbeat theme song, which suggested that the incoming storylines may not have been as dark as the previous ones.
Fortunately, in true Good Trouble fashion, it was a ruse, and Dennis wasn't the one accepting drugs; his old investor buddy was --, which does not bode well for Dennis.
I guess the question is, what are you most passionate about? Now that you're stronger? Is Broadway still your dream? You are so talented; if there is any part of you wondering "what if," then I'd say, don't put off your dream until tomorrow. Be brave and go for it.
Dennis
He's throwing himself headfirst into a dream of his, opening up a restaurant and bringing the Coterie community vibe to the LA scene with great food and entertainment.
It's a bold choice for Dennis but a respectable venture. One can see the potential and how he could succeed with this. But the restaurant business is notoriously one of the hardest to break into.
Most restaurants go under within the first year, so getting investors for them takes a lot of work. Ideally, Dennis will combine his aptitude for business and a year of experience in the corporate world along with his contacts with his culinary and hospitality gifts.
If anyone can make this work, Dennis can, but sometimes gumption isn't enough to get the job done. Because of his coked-out investor friend alone, he's off to a rocky start.
The location is great, beyond his means, and impressive. And he'll have to pour a lot of money into hiring people to handle marketing for him, since we know it isn't his strong suit, as well as staffing the location and getting all his licenses, including the liquor one.
What he has going for him is the support of the Coterie and their diverse skill sets. Isabella is gone, but she's knowledgeable about the restaurant industry and could be an asset, even if it was over the phone.
Malika has some experience, although she's arguably getting too busy. Gael could be an asset, hell, even Mariana, in little ways.
Dennis' new business venture is his, but it could be another way to maximize the support of the Coterie as a group. Davia, Alice, and Luca would slay the entertainment, Luca could work under the table, and so forth.
It's worrisome that Dennis' old friend could be behind thwarting his dreams, though.
Dennis has a new lease on life, and he seems happiest and healthiest. Unsurprisingly, he was encouraging Davia to pursue her passions with no regrets.
Davia is still finding herself and what she desires out of life. It's always been refreshing to see her pursue different career paths and try to figure out her way.
After meeting with Ethan and talking to Dennis, she was open to returning to the theater world as a stronger, more seasoned, better woman. Now, after the progress that she's made, the confidence she's gained, and so forth, we can trust that she'll be able to handle an industry that wore her down before.
It's also another way for the series to take advantage of Emma Hunton's talents and keep singing and performing into the episodes.
Her new co-stars seem nice, if not overly friendly. But Davia's record-scratch moment was learning that Ethan lied about writing this role for her.
He played and handled her like some random talent on the street, which was a betrayal and has set the ground for a potentially tumultuous working relationship. Ethan isn't trustworthy.
And if Davia can't trust him as a friend, then how can he as a playwright? He already lied about enlisting a famous theater starlet and failing. It's also troubling to learn that they still don't know how the play is supposed to end.
All of this has the potential to be messy and disastrous. Dennis and Davia have their hands full following their new dreams. Do you think it'll strain their relationship or make them stronger than ever as they lean on one another?
Initially, it was surprising to see Luca struggle with the choreography in class. But then it began to make sense when you consider that he's a self-taught dancer who hasn't experienced that level of intensity and structure.
He's supremely talented, but dancing in this context is different, and it didn't help that he was surrounded by others who were good at it and familiar with the process.
Luca's dance instructor seems genuinely nice, which is refreshing. She wasn't the one who was encouraging him to drop the class or switch to a different level, and she didn't hesitate to compliment him as much as she guided him.
She seems great, and I would love to see more of her.
Riley, on the other hand, while nice, rattled Luca's confidence. But they've set things up for her to be a potential love interest for him, and thanks to a pep talk from Davia, Luca unleashed his confident swagger, which appealed to Riley.
It's great to see Luca in this element and the confidence in him coming out more. We're on the path toward showcasing him as a more rounded character, which is all one could want for him.
It seemed like Malika had made such progress by establishing her boundaries with Lucia, but she's on a backside and doesn't even realize it yet.
Things were tough. On the one hand, it's admirable that Malika set her boundaries, and it worked. We're conditioned not to do that in the workforce, make our demands, declare our worth, and not settle for less.
But maybe it's admittedly the conflict-avoidant, people-pleaser in me, but I struggled to understand where the line was and if Malika was naive.
How did she not consider that if Lucia was abiding by her boundaries, she was imposing on others to make up for it? Of course, if Malika isn't doing something, people like Tracy would pay the price.
By broaching the topic with Lucia again, it was awkward. At what point does it read that Malika is making too many demands or trying to control too many things? Lucia wasn't wrong when she told Malika that she wasn't responsible for Malika's feelings.
Dom: What's the deal between you and my coworker?
Malika: Angelica.
Dom: I didn't realize you were into ladies.
Malika: Neither did I.
It's like Malika ideally wants to change how Lucia runs her staff, which is unrealistic.
But now that there's an opening because Malika wanted to prove that setting boundaries didn't mean she couldn't hack it as a team player, she's slipped back into proving herself to Lucia and doing work after hours when she didn't want to, disrupting her work-life balance.
Malika took steps forward and fell back again, just as she talked to Dom and considered trying to rekindle things with Angelica.
Mariana's first full day on the job was difficult, and one doesn't envy her these days.
Mariana at Speckulate brings up all the frustrating little things she had to endure there. Dylan was the embodiment of some of those things.
It grated the nerve that he was another person who wouldn't pronounce her name correctly. At this point, you can always tell whose worth loathing when they insist on calling her "Mary Anna."
It's such a demeaning jab, one all too common for POC in the workplace.
And Dylan showed exactly who he was when he only seemed to pal around with the new batch of bro-holes while all the other hard workers suffered.
Guys, I promise to bring you back as soon as we get rid of Mariana. She won't last.
Dylan
You could tell that Dylan's goal was to run all over Mariana, setting her up for failure until the board took over. And he intended to undermine her at every turn.
He lied to everyone, assuring that there wouldn't be layoffs, gaslighting them into thinking they were stupid for buying into rumors, and then gave her the task of laying off 25 people.
And this is why one is grateful for the bonds cultivated at the Coterie. On the one hand, Mariana's conscience in the form of Evan gives her some sound advice and can steer her in the right direction occasionally when he isn't making her feel guilty.
But Mariana's check-in with Dennis in the bathroom was a great scene. It's not often those two share the screen for a one-on-one. And I love when Dennis' fraternal side comes out.
Mariana: When you were in the corporate world, did you ever have to fire anyone? Like 25 anyone.
Dennis: Layoffs.
Mariana: Yeah.
Dennis: Not personally, but I did see it happen. The problem with layoffs is that they always hurt low-level people the most when the upper levels make the big money whether they do their jobs or not. You know?
Mariana; Yeah, I do know.
He gave her insight on layoffs, reminding her that the lower-level employees typically pay the ultimate price with them while those who make more money and do little work keep sailing untouched.
And thanks to that conversation, Mariana realized that she could address the lack of performance from Dylan's coveted team of dude-bros, save the company money by cutting them since their salaries and bonuses combined were likely the equivalents of cutting 25 people, and she could boost morale and gain the respect and support of the employees.
Dylan was pissed off that his little friends got the boot, even implying that it would cost Mariana gravely with the board, which is doubtful.
But if the employees were wary of Mariana before, she earned their respect by making the right call. She also showed that she understands how this company works and should function because she was right where they are.
Evan would be proud of her.
But just when it felt like she had a win at work, making the CEO position a bit easier, she got whammed with a medical decision she was not equipped to handle.
Mariana already feels guilty that Evan is in a coma in the first place because of her choices. And now, a medical decision that she makes for him could leave him paralyzed or dead.
It's too much pressure for her, and it's no wonder she crumbled under it and called Lena. Mariana is hanging on as best as she can and doing everything she can, but she needs her mothers' love, support, and advice.
Evan: I'm so afraid to fail you again.
Evan Conscience: Then don't.
What on earth is Evan's relationship with his sister like that this woman won't hop on a plane from London to visit her brother or even meet the woman she's leaving to do all the hard work?
How could Evan's sister leave these decisions for Mariana to make instead of doing them herself? The worst part about it is that regardless of what happens, it sets Mariana up to take the blame, anger, grief, sadness, and whatever from Evan, his people, and his sister if something terrible happens to him.
Mariana didn't ask for any of this, and she's doing her best, but it's too much for one person. My heart breaks for her.
She has a difficult decision, which doesn't look good either way. If they do the surgery on Evan's spine now when his brain is still swollen, he could die. But he could be paralyzed if they don't get to it in time.
There's no clear-cut answer or winning here.
Over to you, Good Trouble Fanatics. What should Mariana do? Are you worried about Dennis' business venture? Sound off below.
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.
