Whiskey Cavalier‘s “Mrs. and Mr. Trowbridge” saw the fake newlyweds trope straight out of our hearts fanfiction actually coming to life. Oh and we loved it. *swoon alert* We loved how Frankie was trying to keep her emotions on check, because emotions = bad in her book, but gave in a little because this her new family. We loved how Will is working past his ex bae and the pain that came with that end, little by little, at Frankie’s side. And we loved how Whiskey Cavalier showed us that any of us can be plagued by doubt sometimes, including the ever resilient Susan.
Frankie, You Are Not a Robot
I think Frankie needs to convince herself that she’s a robot. Feelings are detrimental to everything and anything that she has worked on to get to the place she is in life right now. And she’s not ready to give that up. Not to Will. Not to Susan. Not to Edgar. And not to Jai, even though she’s known him for years and he understands her need to be a robot when it comes to feelings.
Integral to this, acting like a robot when it comes to emotions, is the fact that change is scary. Change means pushing past the limitations and the line you’ve drawn in the sand about who you are and what you’re willing to take on. It’s stepping out of your comfort zone and Frankie’s zone consists of getting her job done, forming no attachments, and moving onto the next mission. She might think that’s sustainable in the long run but it’s not.
Change has arrived for Frankie and it’s not going away.
A huge part of that change is Will. Frankie likes him. I know it, you know it, he/she/we knows it. But Frankie doesn’t want to admit it unless they’re in a dire situation like being 2 seconds from drowning in a locked vault. Because Will, he is a shining beacon of EVERYTHING she’s tried to stay away from. Will is kindness, love, hope, and change wrapped up in a handsome package. And as someone who understands this fear of change, people like Will are horrifying and probably the thing that we not so secretly want in our lives.
Right now Frankie is pushing at Will. She’s testing his resolve and his ideals as a means of bringing him down to her level to prove that she’s right about emotionless undercover work being the best kind of work. And as we saw at the end of this episode, it backfired on Frankie. Instead of proving that her way was the best way, Frankie ended up feeling guilt and confusion because SHE was the one who had dimmed that light in Will, just a fraction.
What Frankie does from here on out matters. She has to understand that she’s not alone, that she has family with her, and that it’s not Frankie’s way or the highway. They are a collection of people, a family, who cares and works with each other. No matter how much Frankie fears change, or how much I fear change, this is the best kind. This love is everlasting, challenging, and the kind that lifts you up and makes you stronger.
Here’s hoping Frankie realizes that soon.
The Ups and Down of Will
“Mrs. and Mr. Trowbridge” saw Will struggling on a couple fronts. First off, his undercover mission made it so he would be pretending to be married to Frankie. Will has just come off a terrible breakup and it doesn’t matter if it’s been days, weeks, or months since everything went down with his ex bae. The wounds are still fresh and pretending to be in love, intimate, and connected to someone on a newlywed level is challenging AF.
Will knows he’s playing pretend with Frankie. He’s an agent and knows where to draw the line and when to recognize those in others. But part of him is taken in by this romantic place and life he’s “supposed” to be having while undercover. It’s something that life robbed him of with his ex bae and being here with Frankie kind of feels like he can move on. But, that isn’t helped by Frankie needling at him and at every little bright emotion of kindness or caring that Will expresses.
This is not to say that Frankie owes Will anything. She doesn’t have to accept this kindness or caring just because. The #MeToo movement era has no time for that and she’s more than welcome to draw her lines and go from there. But Will is her partner, the one you should lift up and bond with to make your missions more efficient, and right now I think she’s bringing him down to her level and away from being bright and bubbly Will because she’s scared. And that’s kind of fucked up.
At the end, when Frankie was giving Will a beer aka an olive branch, I think Will was ready to shut down. Like everyone on this show he isn’t a robot and the things that happen to him change his day to day interactions with others and himself. And after this mission, he’s tired. Will’s hurt by his ex bae, Ray being a shit friend, and feels like maybe Frankie is right. Maybe it should be all about the mission and not building emotional connections AT ALL.
But Will is wrong. Frankie is wrong. Things aren’t black and white and there are plenty of shades of grey to go around. Once Will and Frankie recognize that, they’ll be better partners and friends. Cuz no does this all alone. We learn and grow together, at each other’s side, hoping to live a content life full of joy, laughter, love, and adventure.
Susan and the Attack of the Enemy Known as Doubt
From day one, episode one, Susan has been like a pillar of strength. She has been there for Will, setting him straight left and right when his past anxieties reared their ugly heads. She has been there for Frankie when trying to understand how others tick. And she’s been there for Jai and Edgar as their opposite of the spectrum personalities clashed. Susan has been the MVP of Whiskey Cavalier. But that doesn’t mean she’s infallible.
Doubt creeps into all of us. And in “Mrs. and Mr. Trowbridge” we saw that doubt grab a hold of Susan. Now, this doesn’t make her weak or off her game. She is still the pillar of strength we all know and love. But she felt left out by the group that she’s been slowly but surely thinking of as family. And that just makes her A) oh so human and B) a character that I am slowly but surely falling in love with because of her glorious complexities.
Being Latina and having anxiety issues up the wazoo, I feel seen when I look at Susan and her creeping doubt. And in turn, I feel less alone. (Which is an amazing feeling in itself.) We need more women like Susan, doubts included. They act as examples in our lives on how to push past anxieties and the things that make us doubt how loved, appreciated, and brilliant we are.
Like Susan, we all can rise up and keep living, loving, laughing, and kicking life’s ass at the same time!
Favorite Scene from Whiskey Cavalier’s “Mrs. and Mr. Trowbridge”:
We need more fake engagement tropey episodes, ASAP. From the ACTUAL kiss to the way that everyone reacted to it, this moment was golden and worthy of being replayed OVER AND OVER! And then how Frankie looked at Will. That was surprise there. Surprise that it wasn’t like every other kiss she has given while undercover.
Whiskey Cavalier airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on ABC.
