The Bold Type – The Scarlet Letter

By starrymag | June 25, 2018

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

Kat Edison (Aisha Dee) and Sutton Brady (Meghann Fahy) bring Jane Sloan (Katie Stevens) breakfast and tequila to try and cheer her up. Jane thanks them, but insists that she’s fine before launching into a list of famous people who were once fired. She questions if Jacqueline Carlyle (Melora Hardin) saw the memes, and Kat guarantees everyone saw them. Jane insists Scarlet is in the rearview, and shows them her plan for the day.

 

As Sutton and Kat leave, Jane comments that Maya Angelou used to write with a glass of sherry and pours tequila for them. Sutton reminds Jane that she and Kat are going to work, but they agree to drink with her in solidarity. Jane spends the day making calls to find a new job, but everyone recognizes her from the Incite interview. Oliver Grayson (Stephen Conrad Moore) tells Sutton that he needs a product photographer, and she recommends a potential photographer she’s been following.

 

Kat calls Adena El Amin (Nikohl Boosheri) to fill her in on her day, and Adena replies that she loves hearing her get excited about work. Adena tells Kat that she’s been struggling to find a job, and Kat is worried about time running out on her visa. Adena assures her that she has time to work on a portfolio, and Kat wishes her luck. Sutton asks Alex (Matt Ward) if he can get her Yankees tickets to convince the photographer to work on the photo shoot.

 

Jacqueline finds Cleo Williams (Siobhan Murphy) looking at the layout board, who tells her that the board is requesting that a piece about being both fit and fat be removed from the body positivity issue.  Jacqueline tells her they’re normalizing that there isn’t one acceptable body type, but Cleo tells her that they still need to promote health. Despite Jacqueline’s insistence that body positivity is about self-love, Cleo warns her that she’s not going to win the argument with the board.

 

Jane continues making calls, but gets frustrated at the lack of success. Kat and Sutton return to the apartment to find every inch cleaned and Jane scrubbing furiously at the sink. Jane admits that she doesn’t know what to do with herself, and Sutton hands her a bag of Scarlet swag. Jane opens the “nervous breakdown kit” and admits that she’s not good at being unemployed. Sutton suggests that Jane return to Scarlet, but Jane insists that she’s not going to go crawling back.

 

As Jane gets a call, Sutton gets a text that Alex got the Yankees tickets. She explains that she’s trying to get a product photographer, and Kat asks about using Adena. Sutton admits that Adena is amazing, but questions if she would be good for an accessory shoot. Kat insists she would be, and Sutton asks for a portfolio and a resume. Jane excitedly tells them that she has a job interview, and excuses herself to prepare.

 

Thom (Phillip Le Maistre) compliments Jane’s resume and samples, but comments that Jane looks familiar. Despite Jane’s efforts to downplay it, Thom finally recognizes her from the Incite interview, commenting that she threw Incite under the bus and telling her that she’s not a fit for them. Jane asks about freelance work, and he tells her they’re looking for an article on the healthcare industry. She promises to get him a pitch, and leaves his office.

 

Alex brings Sutton the tickets, and she thanks him. Oliver tells Sutton that he has to deal with a designer dropping out, and puts her in charge of the shoot. He tells her the shoot will be fine as long as they stick to the plan, and warns her not to let him down. Sutton is excited to meet Tess Holliday (Tess Holliday), and Kat tells her that she has Adena’s resume and portfolio despite Sutton telling her she’s busy.

 

Kat has her look it over, and asks what she thinks. Sutton tells her that Adena is an option, but Kat continues to insist that she can trust her. Sutton asks if she considered what she wants, questioning if Adena can do product photography. Kat insists she’s capable, but Sutton tells her that Adena is off-brand for Scarlet. Kat reminds her that Adena was featured in the magazine, but Sutton tells her she can’t mess this shoot up. Kat tells her that Adena needs the job, but Sutton insists this isn’t the right shoot for her. Sutton tells her this is a big opportunity for her, and Kat tells her to let her know what she decides.

 

Jane calls Sutton and asks for Ben Chau’s (Luca James Lee) number for an interview, and tells her about the interview and potential freelance gig. She asks how the photographer search is going and Sutton tells her about her conversation with Kat. Sutton asks what she should do, and Jane is confident that she’ll make the right decision. Sutton tells Jane she misses her at Scarlet, and Jane gets a text from Ben. Jane thanks Ben for meeting with her, and tells him about her article. Ben tells her about his work, and gets a page telling him that a patient is in labor.

 

Jacqueline finds Sutton in the fashion closet, telling her that she needs an accessory for her outfit. Sutton asks her if she’s ever worked with friends, and explains her dilemma. She suggests an accessory for Jacqueline, and Jacqueline compliments her eye. Jacqueline tells her that the best work comes when taking the biggest risk, and tells her the story of how she got her first writing gig. Sutton asks her why she doesn’t write anymore, and Jacqueline admits that she doesn’t know. They thank each other for the other’s help, and Sutton tells Kat that she’s hiring Adena. Kat thanks her, and Sutton insists Adena deserves a shot.

 

Miriam (Letitia Brookes) introduces Ben to the patient, Mrs. Nunes (Adriana Carmona), who questions Ben’s ability based on his youthfulness. Ben tells her about his experience in delivering babies and Jane observes as Ben has Miriam turn on music. Mrs. Nunes threatens to sue, but Ben convinces her to dance with him, arguing that dancing helps speed up labor. Jacqueline takes down the fit and fat article and tells Andrew (Adam Capriolo) to hold her calls for the next hour as she sits down to write.

 

Adena tells Sutton she has issues with the concept for the shoot, using candy as backdrop for the accessories. She asks if she can make a suggestion, but Sutton reminds her that the concept was pre-approved. Adena tells her she wants to try something, and Sutton reports to Oliver that the shoot is going great as Adena removes the candy from the shot.

 

Jane thanks Ben for letting her observe, and comments that he cares a lot about his patients. She asks him why he isn’t choosing to work at a hospital where he makes more money on fewer hours, but he tells her he loves his job. He comments that she seems to love her job as well, and she hesitates before telling him she appreciates it.

 

Sutton watches in horror as Adena smashes the candy with a hammer, and tells her that Oliver wants them to stick to the pre-approved concept. Adena tells her to trust her, but Sutton tells Kat that this shoot is a disaster. Sutton rants that Adena is getting too artistic, and suggests that Adena doesn’t respect her. Kat tries to defend Adena, but Sutton insists that Adena thinks she is inferior. Adena overhears and tells the staff to go back to the original plan, and Jane works on her article about Ben.

 

Sutton asks to take a look at the shoot, but Adena admits that she’s struggling with the color balance. Adena apologizes for being disrespectful, and Sutton realizes she overheard her conversation with Kat. Adena tells her that despite their differences, they are both passionate about their work and care about Kat. Sutton agrees, and realizes that photo shoot concept isn’t working. Sutton decides that they should use real women to model the accessories and Adena agrees to the concept. She tells Adena to finish the candy shoot to please Oliver, but to leave time at the end for the new concept. Kat tries to apologize, but Sutton tells her that she knew she was trying to help Adena and that something cool came out of it. Kat gets a text that Jane is coming in, and Sutton tells her they’re getting naked.

 

Sutton tells Jane and Kat about the plan as they prepare to disrobe for the shoot. Adena comes back naked herself, insisting that she wants to make them feel comfortable about being nude. The three disrobe and model the accessories on their bodies for the shoot. The three hang out in the fashion closet afterwards and Jane admits she loved being back at Scarlet like old times. Jane admits that writing alone is lonely and declares that she wants to come back. Sutton and Kat tell her that she belongs at Scarlet and Jane tells them she plans to set up a meeting with Jacqueline.

 

The next morning, Adena comments that she didn’t hear Kat come in last night. Kat tells her that she was in the fashion closet late, and tells Adena that the shoot was fun. Adena tells Kat she enjoyed being a part of her Scarlet world, and thanks her for getting her the job. Adena tells her she overheard her conversation with Sutton, and that she realized that Kat is happier when her friends are happier. She asks Kat to never let her come between her and her friends again, and Kat climbs into bed with her.

 

Jacqueline puts up her editor letter on the board layout and tells Cleo that she intends to make it a monthly feature. Cleo asks what the inaugural letter is about, and Jacqueline tells her it’s about how being fit and fat aren’t mutually exclusive. She tells her that the board pulling to original article helped her realize that she had a lot to say about her experiences.

 

Oliver looks at the photo shoot, commenting that it wasn’t his pre-approved concept. Sutton defends the shoot, and Oliver tells her that he thinks the concept fits well with the body positivity theme of the issue. Sutton tells him that Adena was the photographer, and suggests that they use her again for another shoot. Oliver tells her that switching concepts was risky, but compliments her work.

 

Jane agrees to dinner with Ben as she approaches the Scarlet front desk. Jacqueline invites her into her office, and Kat and Sutton give her encouraging looks as she walks to the office. Jacqueline sits her down, and comments that Victoria doesn’t know who she’s lost. Jane admits that going to Incite was a mistake, but Jacqueline tells her Victoria is to blame for not supporting her.

 

Jane admits that she took Jacqueline for granted, and that Scarlet was more than just a job for her. She asks to come back, but Jacqueline tells her that her salary was allocated to relaunching the website. Jane argues that they can revisit the issue, but Jacqueline believes that it’s not the best move for Jane at this point. She explains that she has growing up to do, and that she needs to feel the failure for a while. Jacqueline tells Jane she still believes in her, and Jane thanks her for the time as she walks out of Scarlet.