The Bold Type – Mixed Messages

By starrymag | May 27, 2019

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

Jane Sloan (Katie Stevens), Kat Edison (Aisha Dee), and Sutton Brady (Meghann Fahy) interview a series of candidates for Jane’s new roommate. Maddy (Anna Burkholder) asks if they all live there and Jane explains that Kat and Sutton’s opinions matter greatly. Maddy declares this isn’t going to work, leaves the interview and calls them insane as she leaves.

 

Ryan Decker (Dan Jeannotte) tells Jane that his book door will span eight weeks. Jane comments it’s a lot and they agree to make the most of the time before he leaves. Kat and Tia Clayton’s (Alexis Floyd) kissing is interrupted by computer alerts. Kat sees that it’s complaining about a pizza place’s new pepperoni and Tia jokingly asks her position on it. Kat gives a diplomatic answer and Tia compliments her. Tia comments that they need to rest up for tomorrow and Kat reluctantly agrees.

 

Richard Hunter (Sam Page) tells Sutton he’s going for a run, but she tries to convince him to stay with sex. However, Richard insists on getting his jog in the morning and Sutton tells him she’ll plan his birthday party instead. He is not enthused about the party, but Sutton assures him it will only be ten people. As they walk into Scarlet, Jane, Kat, and Sutton talk about their respective sex lives using baseball metaphors. Sutton tells them that Richard goes out jogging a lot, and Kat suggests he’s just trying to keep up with her.

 

Sutton and Jane confirm they’re going to Kat’s campaign canvassing and Jane tells them that she’s holding her roommate interviews by herself in Scarlet’s office. They see that Alex (Matt Ward) is wearing sweatpants and he explains that a pipe burst above his apartment. Sutton suggests that Alex be Jane’s roommate, but Jane and Alex are hesitant.

 

Jane tells Jacqueline Carlyle (Melora Hardin) that she looked for Scarlet employees who have worked with Pamela Dolan previously, handing her a list. Jacqueline sees that one of them, Cammy Hartman (K. Alexander) is scheduled to photograph a shoot for them next month. Jane suggests they get her in earlier, and Jacqueline explains that Cammy’s pronouns are they/them before promising to make the call.

 

Andrew (Adam Capriolo) tells Jane that Molly (Natalie Darbyson) is there for the roommate interview, and Jane is horrified to see she’s holding an iguana while Andrew tells her they’ll make great roommates. Tia gives the assembled crowd instructions for canvassing and tells Jane she’ll be going with her. Kat suggests that they go together, but Tia doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Jane and Sutton agree they should go together, and Kat is excited to go with Tia.

 

Kat wins over a series of voters and tells Tia she likes doing this with her. Meanwhile, Jane and Sutton knock on a door and get no answer. Sutton comments this is like her current relationship with Richard and rants that she doesn’t know what to get Richard. Jane suggests she get him running shoes and tells her about the interview with Molly and her iguana. Sutton laughs before telling her she should let Alex live with her temporarily.

 

Kat and Tia sit down on a stoop and Kat suggests they take a selfie as they wait for Jane and Sutton. A woman demands to know what they’re doing, accusing them of loitering. Kat explains they’re canvassing, but the woman accuses them of casing the neighborhood and taking a picture of her security system. Kat tells her she’s running for city council, but the woman doubts the story and asks them to show her the phone.

 

Tia records as Kat argues with the woman and Jane and Sutton arrive, asking what’s going on. The woman tells them that there have been a lot of robberies in the neighborhood and accuses Kat and Tia of harassing her. Kat argues that canvassing is legal, but the woman replies that loitering isn’t. Tia and Kat suggest her issue is that they’re two black women, and the women asks if they’re calling her a racist. Kat tells her she’s calling it how she sees it and the woman insists she’s calling the police as Kat, Tia, Sutton, and Jane protest. The woman makes the call and Kat tells her they’re leaving.

 

Kat, Jane, and Sutton are in disbelief over what happened, and Tia admits she should have prepared them for the possibility. Jane asks Kat what she wants to do, and Kat asks if she can record her. Tia tells Kat it’s a bad idea, explaining that it will take the campaign off-message. Kat argues that what happened fits into her platform and records a video sharing what happened. Tia warns Kat not to post the video, but Kat ignores her and posts it and Tia leaves.

 

Jane asks Alex if he found a place to live, and Alex tells her he’s temporarily staying on a friend’s couch. She asks what he thinks about moving in with her. Alex suggests it could end up being his worst nightmare and Jane gets offended. Jane suggests they take a roommate compatibility quiz and they agree to take each other’s quizzes. Jacqueline tells Jane that she moved up Cammy’s shoot to tomorrow and high-five over the potential break in the Dolan story. Kat sees the reaction to her video asking for proof and texts Tia asking for the video.

 

Ryan tells Jane that he’s going to be on a panel with Stephen King during his book tour and Jane tells him about her roommate interviews. He comments that it takes time to find the perfect person and Jane tells him she’s thinking about having Alex as her roommate. Ryan doesn’t think it’s a good idea, insisting it’s because they work together. Jane argues she worked with Sutton, but Ryan argues that Sutton’s her best friend. He questions her decision to make this decision with a Scarlet quiz and she replies she wrote the quiz.

 

Kat asks Tia about her text, and she insists she was too busy to reply. Tia tells her she recorded the video for their own protection and warns her that posting the video will take the attention off of her campaign. Kat tells her she doesn’t know that, but Tia replies this isn’t the first time it’s happened to her.

 

Kat rants about Tia refusing to send her the video, suggesting Tia doesn’t understand her. Jane suggests holding off on the video, and Jane and Sutton tell Kat all they have to talk about is white-people problems. Kat tells them she’s half-interested and Jane tells them Ryan has a problem with Alex being her roommate. Kat asks if it’s due to jealousy, and Jane admits it’s unclear. Sutton tells them Richard is still running and questions if he’ll feel better with a bigger party.

 

Sutton calls a friend of Richard to invite him to the party as Jane and Alex look at the results of the roommate quiz. Jane declares this is stupid and tells him to move in until his apartment is fixed. After determining it’s the best option, Alex agrees to move in. Jane calls Ryan and leaves a message asking him to call her back. Sutton confronts Richard about finding out he doesn’t run with his friends anymore. He tells her he still likes them, and she tells them she invited them to his party. Richard tells her he doesn’t want a party and tells her to uninvite everyone.

 

Kat tells Tia she missed seeing her last night and apologizes for not listening to her suggestion to split up during canvassing. Tia apologizes for what happened and Kat tells her she wants to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Tia tells she can advocate for change when she’s elected but Kat still wants to release the video. Kat tells her she can’t sit back but Tia tells her she’s not sitting back despite the different approach. Tia argues that politics create change and Kat replies that social media does as well. Frustrated, Tia sends Kat the video and tells her she can derail her campaign if she wants to before storming out.

 

As Cammy photographs makeup, Jacqueline and Jane introduce themselves. Jane asks Cammy about Dolan, and they are reluctant to talk as they want to stay in the business. Cammy comments that they’re sorry Dolan’s still doing it and Jane asks for clarification. Cammy asks to speak off the record and tells them that Dolan loves breaking down models and suggests she gets off on humiliating them. They mention that part of their job involved handing out non-disclosure agreements and Jane asks if they remember any of the models. Cammy responds that they’re not comfortable releasing the names but agrees to confirm any names Jacqueline and Jane find.

 

Sutton updates Jacqueline on the upcoming shoot and Jacqueline tells her she was looking forward to going to Richard’s party. Jacqueline asks if he’s okay, and Sutton tells her Richard doesn’t want a party. Sutton suggests that Richard is still dealing with the loss of his father but refuses to talk about it. Jacqueline tells Sutton that she found a way to communicate with her son by participating with him in an activity he enjoys.

 

Kat shows Patrick Duchand (Peter Vack) the video and he declares people have to see it and the woman needs to be held accountable. He asks who the woman is and promises they’ll find out. Kat points out the focus should be on raising awareness about racial profiling, but Patrick declares that people are going to be aware who the woman is.

 

Jane welcomes Alex to the apartment but finds that Ryan has prepared a candlelit dinner for her. Ryan is upset at the sight of Alex and Alex pulls the curtain to avoid the conversation. Jane tells him she left a message, but he tells her he was busy preparing everything to call her back. Ryan reminds her that they have two days before he leaves, and Jane doesn’t understand why he’s so upset. He tells her he’s going to pack and walks out.

 

Sutton jogs with Richard but is upset when he runs a different path. He tells her to keep running, and she realizes a duck pond he used to go to with his father is on the new path. Sutton realizes why he isn’t running with his friends and tells him he can’t run from his father forever. Richard tells her people process things in different ways, but she questions if he is processing it

 

Jane wakes up to find Alex making special coffee in his own coffee press. She asks who he chose to save his coffee press and gaming system instead of his clothes, and he replies he has priorities. Alex asks about Ryan and suggests that he might be upset because he was expecting her to ask him to move in. Jane insists it’s too early in their relationship, but Alex points out they practically live together already.

 

Kat tells Tia she decided not to post the video, telling her she was right. She explains that she’s always been quick to jump in to defend her friends, and Tia analyzes that social media is her place of power. Kat admits she’s a late-bloomer when it comes to embracing her race while Tia tells her embracing her sexuality is new to her. Tia tells her they need to be more careful and strategic, suggesting they use social media in a way that works for both of them.

 

Richard admits he didn’t expect to miss his father this much as he and Sutton look out at the duck pond. He reminisces about his birthday celebrations with his father and admits that his first birthday without him is hard. Richard asks Sutton about her father, and she explains that she only met him once and never saw him again.

 

Jane asks Ryan if he’s really jealous of Alex, and he tells her he’s jealous Alex gets to see her every morning. Jane asks if his comments about finding the perfect roommate eventually were about him, and he replies that he knows it’s early. Jane admits she chose Alex because he’s temporary and that she thought about him moving in subconsciously. Jane admits she’s been using sex to avoid thinking about how much she’s going to miss him and suggests they get a hotel room for their last night. A text interrupts their kiss and Jane sees that Jacqueline found two potential models for their story

 

Tia records Kat telling her voters that her name matters more than the woman’s, declaring that she wants to represent every one of her voters. Tia kisses Kat and Sutton admits to Richard that she forgot to cancel the cake as they return home. Richard suggests they invite everyone to eat the giant cake and tells her that he loves this birthday. She tells him they can’t invite his friends yet because she hasn’t seen him in his birthday suit. As Kat and Tia have sex, Kat’s phone buzzes with a text from Adena, telling her she’s in town.