Jane begins her fertility treatments in preparation for freezing her eggs and is assigned an article to write about her experience, but with a very personal twist. Kat learns that a prominent lesbian bar is being closed down and replaced with condos and decides to throw a Queer Prom to fundraise its rescue. Sutton moves in with Richard but struggles to accept his help when Oliver's mysterious absences force her to put in more hours at work.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of Freeform's The Bold Type.
"Plus It Up" was written by Amanda Lasher & Matt McGuinness and directed by Ellen S. Pressman
Patrick has presented as a force of change to the various dynamics at Scarlet. He only really has a positive connection with Kat though. It's one built out of mutual respect. Sure, he is still telling her exactly what she needs to do in order to build the social media department. But she actually listened to that advice and saw how beneficial it could be to be real online. She has launched this wildly successful campaign that serves as a champion for so many voices. It means she is inspired to take action when her favorite lesbian bar is at risk of shutting down. The business owes $42,000 and can't pay it. Even Kat's last-minute prom fundraiser isn't enough to save the day. But she also creates a wonderful experience that brings everyone together. It also makes her much more aware of the ongoing struggles of the world. For the first two seasons, she was dealing with the coming out process of her life and accepting these new experiences. And now, she is seeing how the LGBTQ+ community still has many fights that are happening in the world. This bar is only one of two lesbian spots in the city. That's staggering. It makes it a passion project for Kat that may even include her venturing into politics. That's strange and unexpected. But it's also a great way to open up her world and inform that she is making a difference in the lives of others. She is no longer boasting about her successful campaigns amongst the Scarlet offices where there is no real barometer for how much any of it means to the outside world. Elsewhere, Oliver's world is opening up as well. The fashion department is the one area where Patrick's new influence hasn't been felt too strongly. Jacqueline is still mostly the one in charge pushing the deadlines for the print magazine. That's still effective as well. It just means Sutton keeps having to cover for Oliver's sudden absences without knowing what's going on in his life. Now, she may not be entitled to every detail about his personal life. And yet, the show has always stood by the idea that this business is made better the more personal the employees are with one another and their audience. As such, it's intriguing that Oliver is exploring becoming a legal guardian for a child he was a semi-parent to for a couple of years. He is willing to make that commitment because he knows he can be a positive influence in a young child's life. Once Sutton learns what's going on, she is so inspired and hopeful. She sees it as a tremendous service that Oliver is doing. She is just struggling with the new boundaries with Richard and how much she can tell him about her ongoing struggles at work. He knows that something is going on with Oliver. And yet, she doesn't want to say anything that could potentially jeopardize Oliver's own employment. Richard may never have done that. But he once again presents as an ally who will listen to Sutton no matter what. That is very admirable as well. Meanwhile, Ryan isn't letting Jane push him out of her fertility treatments. She wants to keep the honeymoon phase of their relationship going for as long as possible. However, that wouldn't be very entertaining because the audience has already seen that with the two of them previously. Now is the time for them to move onto something new. So, it's meaningful that their bond is growing stronger. It just once again presents as a story where Jane holds firm to her beliefs even though she is causing so much anguish for the people she cares about. Plus, she continues to be antagonistic to Patrick without really any validation or motivation behind that stance. Is it really that unbearable to work for the digital site instead of the magazine? Wasn't it perceived as a somewhat promotion?
