Good Trouble: Season 1/ Episode 3 “Allies” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)
Both Mariana and Callie continue to struggle with office politics as Malika’s activism puts her at odds with her family.
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Both Mariana and Callie continue to struggle with office politics as Malika’s activism puts her at odds with her family.
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| Network | ||
| Freeform | ||
| Director(s) | Laura Nisbet Peters | |
| Writer(s) | Kris Q. Rehl | |
| Air Date | 1/22/2019 | |
| Introduced This Episode | ||
| Jamie | Beau Mirchoff | |
| Sandra | Nicki Micheaux | |
| Evan | T.J. Linnard | |
| Raj | Dhruv Uday Singh | |
| Sam | Max Cutler | |
| Jazmin | Hailie Sahar | |
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You Make Time For The Things, And People, You Think Are Important: Malika, Sandra, Dom
With Dom saying Malika and his mom is sick, it appears he thought that might be enough so that he wouldn’t be forced to choose between them. However, while Malika wants a relationship with Dom, her mother isn’t important to her anymore. Case in point, Malika’s activism for Jamal Thompson, being there for his mother Sandra, that came before seeing her mom. She even decides to, after being invited, since Sandra’s case against the city of LA doesn’t get dismissed, spending time with strangers than her own family. Which may send a strong message to Dom and their mom.
Commentary
The sad thing is about this whole scenario is that you know Dom and his mom are a package at this point. If Malika wants a relationship with Dom, he is going to continually try to make it a stipulation that Malika reconciles with their mother. But I think there is more to meets the eye, or what we’ve been told, when it comes to why Malika doesn’t want to see her mother. Not to say something sinister may have went down but this is Good Trouble. The potential for the show going there is high.
As for the Jamal Thompson case, this is what I love about the people behind this show. The case of Jamal Thompson is a collection of multiple people who’ve died due to police brutality, and we’re being given key reminders and call outs. We’re reminded of how, after the initial hype and hashtags die down, when there is someone new, people don’t show up. There is a reminder about the people left behind fighting for justice, and despite how well known their cases are, the call for justice, this doesn’t mean it will sway the judge or their clerks. So people can’t think just because they hashtagged, retweeted, and created awareness, the job is done. Showing up, after causing a online stink, is how you show those numbers aren’t all bark but also bite.
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Slowing Down The Train Won’t Mean It Won’t Get To Its Destination: Mariana, Alex, Raj, Sam, Evan, Casey
Mariana is going places. She has caught Evan’s eye and Alex, being the douche he is, steals her idea which wins him a lot of praise. Something Casey tries to make light of, despite how upset Mariana is, but we’ll give Casey a pass for now. After all, Mariana needs allies, maybe the ability to form her own team, and Casey is the only woman we’ve seen out of the representative for HR. On top of that, Casey is a team lead which makes her mentorship useful.
However, one person who is of no use is Raj and Mariana calls him out on that. While he isn’t a suck up like Sam is, he will stand idly by, enjoying his male privilege, as Mariana gets her ideas stolen, her name is intentionally said wrong, and she gets berated for trying to make Alex look good instead of the lazy bastard he is. But, what can Mariana do? As is slowly becoming clear, she could cause a fuss, make a stink, but that could affect her career. So she has to figure out a way to work the system for trying to dismantle it may only destroy her.
Commentary
As seen with the Jamal Thompson case, the show doesn’t aim to be devastating. It won’t give its leads everything they could hope for and more, but does allow them some semblance of a victory. So, with that in mind, you have to wonder what Mariana’s would be. It could be her starting her own company and stealing a few of Evan’s employees. Perhaps, considering Evan has taken note of Mariana, he could give her, her own team to manage. Yeah, she is new to the company but isn’t one of the things which makes the tech sector exciting is how it doesn’t live by the old rules?
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Well, yeah the issue of boys clubs still dominate, but that’s changing, right? Or is that just wishful thinking?
Step Your Game Up: Jamie, Callie, Rebecca, Ben, Judge Wilson, Gael, Bryan, Davia
Mariana isn’t the only one dealing with office politics. Callie, thanks to Ben and Rebecca’s tiff, she has walked into the middle of whatever is going on with them and even with Rebecca extending an olive branch, by covering Callie’s behind, she still doesn’t trust her. All the while, Ben gets to continue to stir the pot and get away with poisoning both Rebecca and Callie’s potential relationship. Which, by the way, Rebecca warns Callie about, but it seems Callie wants to be ignorant.
Luckily for her, Judge Wilson isn’t too keen on office politics and simply wants to mentor her into a good lawyer. One who, even if she must take a liberal approach, at the very least respects his position, can have some understanding of his arguments, and is truly ready to speak for and against cases in court. Now, will Callie like him throughout his lessons? Probably not, but there is a long term goal here. Said goal being that, what happens in the courtroom, despite differing opinions, shouldn’t influence your relationship with a person once the case is over. For while it isn’t clear how long Callie may work with Judge Wilson, she has to get used to people like him and not be wrapped up in a liberal bubble.
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But while Ben is working Callie’s nerves at work, she has Bryan, maybe Davia too, at home trying to have her catch a case. How? Well, Davia is friends with Bryan and might be filling him in on what’s going on at The Coterie. Which makes the situationship Gael has with both Callie and Bryan a bit more difficult. If only because he is a ho.
However, an old friend, Jamie, reminds us that Callie has options. In fact, one could argue she made it a point to have Gael know she has options. Not to say Jamie is being played in Callie’s silly game, but Callie is a smart and cute girl who can bag an artist like Gael or a lawyer like Jamie, and she wants that known.
Commentary
I really don’t want Callie in some relationship drama, but you know she is going to get in some relationship drama. Bryan pretty much is waiting and willing to press Callie’s buttons for stepping to her man. But, perhaps this is supposed to follow up on Callie’s issues with bi guys and show the issue from a gay perspective, assuming Bryan is gay. For while Gael seems able to hang out with Bryan, there has to be a reason they aren’t official right? Is it because Gael is a heteroromantic bi-sexual? Maybe he is a ho, or could it be he goes for whoever is accessible?
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Leading to another question, is this all we should expect out of Gael? As noted below, there are other things going on with his character, specifically his sister, but what about work? Are we going to see him do something at Speckulate which is noteworthy? Pursue his art in a way that isn’t meant to boost his appearance as a tortured artist? Also, with Jamie coming into the picture, how will he fit into all this? Will he just be Callie’s confidant, maybe an alternative when Gael isn’t acting right? I ask since, as the cast balloons, you have to wonder who is going to be a supporting character in someone else’s story and who will have their own individual spotlight?
Relationship drama aside, I think I’m going to like seeing Callie learn to see eye to eye with Judge Wilson. For if there is one thing you could learn about law and politics is that what most people see in public doesn’t match what happens in private. Lawyers may go fiercely at one another, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t bosom buddies, or at least cordial, outside the courtroom. And, as noted, I think Judge Wilson sees in Callie what Ben and Rebecca clearly don’t have.
When it comes to Ben, he has the mind of a politician more than a lawyer because he is a sniveling snake who will manipulate who he has to. Then with Rebecca, her good intentions, some semblance of a desire to be liked, it could very well be her downfall. Callie, on the other hand, even if she is being played by Ben like a fiddle, she has the kind of passion the other two don’t have. The kind you want to see, even if you don’t agree with it, in a courtroom. Hence why he wants to spar with her for even if he has more experience than Callie, having someone not afraid of him because of his position, someone who can stimulate his mind a bit, that could be a rare thing for him. Especially from young people like her. So who wouldn’t want to take someone like Callie under their wing? Mold them as much as you can, and jokingly claim she got everything she knew from him?
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Miscellaneous Commentary
LGB, Sans The T: Jazmin, Gael
While Jazmin has but a moment, her statement about how trans people are treated has her character kick in the door. For while she enters in with a bit of a sob story like Malika’s brother Dom, being that Gael needs a non-relationship storyline, what better than his relationship with his sister? Someone who seemingly is dependent on him, beyond the discrimination she faces, and speaks for a community on a diverse show that features damn near everything and everyone.
Highlights
- The relationship you know Callie and Judge Wilson are going to have as this season, and future seasons, come and go.
- It being clear Mariana is meant for big things, and all these fools are doing, can do, is slow her down.
- Mariana calling out Raj for being complacent as Alex and Sam pull the nonsense they do and he tries to seem like the nice one.
Low Point
- We’re only three episodes in and the relationship drama is already taking on a substantial role in the show – love triangles and all.
On The Fence
- Gael being swallowed whole by Bryan, Callie, and his sister’s storyline.
- The office politics in Callie’s office that Ben is playing yet Callie seems to ignore.
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