Speaking as someone that was born and raised in the south, I am not familiar with snow days. Now, hurricane days, that’s something I’m quite familiar with. So this week’s The Bold Type was a great reminder of why I live in the south, especially in the winter time.
A brutal snowstorm rocked New York City, and essentially halted everything. I’ve been to New York enough to know that when the Subway shuts down, that’s when shit gets serious. So when the Subway was shut-down and Jane, Sutton, Oliver and co. stuck at Scarlet, while Kat was stuck at the Belle, it really made for some inconvenience.
But the funny thing is, this snow day might’ve been in the best interest for all them. Jane dealt with the difficulty of being the boss, Sutton struggled to do it all, and Kat got a new perspective. Who knew a snow day could be productive?
Let’s discuss The Bold Type‘s latest episode “Snow Day,” where an inconvenience actually was helpful for everyone.
Jane struggles to be the boss
Change is never easy, even when it’s an exciting new opportunity. It’s also not easy being the boss, which is what Jane learned on the day she was launching her vertical. For so long, Jane has been comfortable in her routine — writing her articles and having a set structure. But now that’s leading a new team, it’s different. Something that she has to get used to, something she needs to find her place in.
But with this new vertical comes an incredible pressure for everything to go right. After all, Jane’s the boss now. Which means this entire venture falls on her and success is integral to keeping this vertical going.
Jane hits a snag in her vertical with Scott’s article. Basically, it sucks. It’s boring. It doesn’t take a point of view. It’s regurgitated facts and figures, which isn’t what this vertical or company is about.
So Jane must be the one to break it to Scott, something that she’s not yet comfortable with. But, as the boss, it’s her job. So she gives Scott some constructive feedback about his article. She’s bored by it, there’s no point of view, and it’s just facts.
It turns out to be great feedback, because Scott comes back with a revised article where he takes a strong stance. Only, it’s not the angle that Jane likes or agrees with. And with this vertical her responsibility and reflecting on her, that matters.
Jane ultimately decides to rewrite Scott’s article, and he doesn’t feel comfortable putting his name on the piece. While he’s sorry she didn’t like his piece, he doesn’t want his name on her work.
So Jane goes to Jacqueline, naturally, to seek some advice. And, just as she’s known to do, Jacqueline says the perfect things. She asks Jane why she hired Scott, which was ultimately to get a male perspective. Which is exactly what Scott gave her. So what’s the problem?
In the end, Jane talks to Scott and apologizes for rewriting his article because she didn’t agree with his point of view. She’s going to publish his rewrite instead of hers. While Jane is new at this boss thing, she also recognized that there was a reason why Scott’s first draft was so boring. Scott provides some backstory about his father’s passing during his senior year of college and how he left his mom and sister to pick up the pieces after the funeral. They never asked for help, even though they needed it. So, ultimately, his view that women need to ask for help or no one knows stems from that.
But Scott said that in reading Jane’s piece, he came to a new understanding. How they shouldn’t have had to ask for help. He should’ve been there to help them. And it’s the angle he wishes he could’ve taken. Luckily, being snowed in at Scarlet gives Scott a couple hours to revise it.
Sutton struggles to do it all
It’s never easy to ask for help, especially if you’re someone as headstrong as Sutton. Trust, it’s something Sutton and I have in common. Where you think you can juggle multiple things at a time. But just because you can doesn’t mean that you should. Because it’s something that can ultimately wear on you. And for someone like Sutton, who’s pregnant, that extra stress isn’t good.
Fresh off learning that she’s pregnant, Sutton was faced with the harsh reality of life before and after baby and how she’s going to juggle all of the responsibilities.
Sutton doesn’t know of any stylists that are pregnant, and knowing all of the responsibilities that come with her job and the responsibilities that come with being a mother and a wife, it’s a lot to handle. Especially when you’re stuck in your own head.
Sutton has a photoshoot coming up, and there’s a lot of work to be done. And then the snowstorm happens, which throws things for a loop. And with news of her pregnancy, Richard has been hovering — or caring — over Sutton, and she doesn’t have time for it.
Ultimately, Sutton wants to be the best at what she does. Whether that’s being a stylist or being a mom or being a wife. Sutton wants to be a great mom and a great stylist, but she’s worried about trying to balance those jobs. She wonders how she’s going to do this job pregnant yet alone after she has her baby. The looming responsibility of both is something that has her worrying,
Sutton spent the day trying to prove to herself that she could do it all. But she couldn’t. In fact, she failed at everything and she feels more lost than ever. She’s worried about everything, including how she doesn’t know how she’s going to take care of herself, her baby, Richard, and her career.
But Richard is there to remind her that life isn’t easy, but everything is going to be fine. They have each other. They’re going to tackle these challenges together. Whatever she needs, Richard has her. And it was just the reminder that Sutton needed. That she has people in her life — be it Richard or Jane or Kat or Oliver — that are there to help her. She’s not in this alone. But, as Richard said, Sutton needs to learn to ask for help.
Kat struggles with an old foe
There’s nothing like getting snowed in with one of your enemies at your place of work to ruin a day. Kat started a new job as a server at the Belle, and she’s actually perfect for it. She’s a people person and a hard worker.
But she’s also someone that tells it as it is. She’s going to voice her opinion and speak her mind, which is what I love about her. The only thing is, doing that working as a server at an elite club isn’t going to fly.
Typically, it’s not something has to worry about. Until Ava, the daughter of Robert Safford, comes to the Belle for an event. And considering Kat got her father fired from his old company, saying she has a grudge is an understatement.
Kat knows that the best way to keep out of trouble is to stay clear of Ava. Only, when the event is cancelled and everyone is snowed in, that becomes impossible. Kat says she’s going to keep her mouth shut, but even Jane and Sutton know that’s impossible. There’s no silencing Kat.
Ava intentionally tries to provoke Kat, and it works. With Ava being a conservative and Kat a liberal, it’s a recipe for disaster. As Ava drones on and on, Kat tells Ava that she doesn’t care that the world is burning because she’s the one getting rich off of it. Whereas Kat is actually trying to help. Ultimately, Kat couldn’t keep her mouth shut. And her accusations get her fired.
As Kat is heading home — with her two-day paycheck — she really wishes she could take everything back and kept her mouth shut. Because she was really enjoying this job.
Then the unexpected happens — Ava stands up for Kat. She tells Kat’s boss not to fire her because of Ava. Like everyone, Kat’s hella confused. After all, Ava tried to provoke Kat intentionally, which ultimately got her fired, now she’s trying to help her get her job back. What the hell is happening?
Ava is pissed that Kat got her dad fired, yes. But if Kat wants to work at Belle, who is she to have a say over that?
But, wait, it gets better. When Kat asks Ava, a conservative, why she belongs to Belle, a mostly liberal club, Ava tells her that she wants to hear opinions different from her own. And that her belief is that, if we’re going to heal as a nation, there needs to be understanding. And she’s trying to get that.
Oliver struggles with the past
It’s not easy to let go of the past. Especially when you’ve been severely hurt by it. It makes it difficult to trust someone, especially when you have the well-being of someone else in mind.
Oliver had to confront his past with the arrival of Carly’s birth father, and Oliver’s ex, Jasper, who is a recovering addict. Oliver has every reason to be hesitant about Jasper, who has a track record of letting Carly down only for Oliver to have to deal with the repercussions.
So when Oliver gets stuck with Jasper — which Carly loves that her dad is back — it’s difficult for Oliver to deal with the fact that Jasper wants to be more involved in Carly’s life.
There’s a whole lot of history with Oliver and Jasper that we’ve only heard about, but it’s significant enough that it continues to affect Oliver. Oliver is pissed about Jasper lying to him. While Jasper has been putting the work in, how does Oliver know he’s not going to disappoint Carly again? Oliver doesn’t trust Jasper, plain and simple.
Although, it’s not just Carly’s feelings that Oliver is worried about. Because Jasper hurt Oliver, too.
Oliver wants to forgive Jasper, but he can’t find it in him. Jasper is trying to change. But if all Oliver ever sees is the past, how can he do that?
Ultimately, Oliver decides to not hold the past against Jasper and agrees to let Jasper and Carly hang with each other when they like. But Oliver isn’t there yet with Jasper. It’s one day at a time. So, the hope is, eventually.
The Bold Type airs Thursdays at 10/9c on Freeform.