S01.E08: The End of the Beginning

[Lady Calypso]

Quote

 

As rumors of layoffs at Scarlet sweep through the office leaving everyone unsettled, Jane learns of a potential opportunity at a rival publication. Sutton is given a big opportunity when a coworker buckles under pressure. Kat is tasked with organizing a “Readers Night” for Scarlet, but is distracted by thoughts of Adena – leading to a big decision.  And Jane talks Sutton and Kat into joining her on a dating app. 

[dubbel zout]

Alex, you don't put down co-workers as references. They are your peers, not your manager.

The layoff stuff was handled pretty well, I thought. I wish it hadn't been an older, less attractive person crying in the elevator, though. 

[KaveDweller]

27 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Alex, you don't put down co-workers as references. They are your peers, not your manager.

The layoff stuff was handled pretty well, I thought. I wish it hadn't been an older, less attractive person crying in the elevator, though. 

I've heard of putting down co-workers when you don't want your manager to know you're looking for a new job. But it didn't really make sense for Alex since Jacqueline had told him to go on the interview. They could have had the Insight woman call her without that set up.

I liked seeing Sutton step up and take charge, even though I kind of saw it coming. It's kind of TV-fantasy for the boss to hear she was behind everything and give her credit though. In my experience that rarely happens. 

Kat talking about layoffs all over the place when she was supposed to keep it confidential was ridiculous. Yes it was an accident that she was overheard, but the way to avoid that is not discuss it in your friend's apartment or out in the open at work. But she seems to be teflon at her job.

[Bubbles]

All of the drama this episode seemed fairly pointless. There were no stakes. They were never going to up-end the basic premise of the show by splitting up the main characters. How could they hang out in the fashion closet all day long if one of them doesn't work there anymore? In the same vein, does anyone really believe there's any chance that Jane might take the other job in the next episode?

[retrograde]

56 minutes ago, Bubbles said:

All of the drama this episode seemed fairly pointless. There were no stakes. They were never going to up-end the basic premise of the show by splitting up the main characters. How could they hang out in the fashion closet all day long if one of them doesn't work there anymore? In the same vein, does anyone really believe there's any chance that Jane might take the other job in the next episode?

Agreed on both fronts. Also, at this point in her career, it's pretty clear that Jane isn't some stifled talent who needs to be freed so she can go out and do brilliant long-form journalism under her own direction -- she needs someone to teacher her basic reporting. Speaking of, have we seen anything to indicate Kat deserved that promotion? 

Dumb premise aside, I liked this episode -- the show is at its best when the three girls are just hanging out and talking. 

[GaT]

3 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Kat talking about layoffs all over the place when she was supposed to keep it confidential was ridiculous. Yes it was an accident that she was overheard, but the way to avoid that is not discuss it in your friend's apartment or out in the open at work. But she seems to be teflon at her job.

Was there any possibility that she wouldn't let them know?  Every episode it's "what is Kat going to screw up now?" & she always skates, & this time she also got promoted. It's ridiculous.

3 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

The layoff stuff was handled pretty well, I thought. I wish it hadn't been an older, less attractive person crying in the elevator, though. 

That's how it usually goes. The older (and no longer cute & unlined), higher paid people get let go. Any time a company has mass lay offs, there's a lot of people in their 50s out of work & crying (which doesn't help them look better).

[funkopop]

Really enjoyed this episode, hope the show gets renewed.  Its really light and fun!   I knew once we met Red Blouse Cassie that she would be the one to go.  I doubt Jane leaves Scarlet but writing about butt-facials and having that be your highest clicked article ever has to be disheartening.  Kat and Adena are cute, I wish Plot Device CoCo wasn't in the picture though.

[TVForever]

7 hours ago, retrograde said:

Speaking of, have we seen anything to indicate Kat deserved that promotion? 

Let alone the job she has. I like Kat, and her self-confidence, but other than posting on Scarlet's social media accounts, what does she actually DO as DIRECTOR of Social Media? I just wish we could see as much of her professional development as we have of Jane and Sutton so far.

[Jillybean]

13 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

Alex, you don't put down co-workers as references. They are your peers, not your manager.

I have both given and received references from co-workers.

4 hours ago, TVForever said:

Let alone the job she has. I like Kat, and her self-confidence, but other than posting on Scarlet's social media accounts, what does she actually DO as DIRECTOR of Social Media? I just wish we could see as much of her professional development as we have of Jane and Sutton so far.

It sounded like Jacqueline was putting her in charge of the entire digital realm, which would be absurd.  At least they had her mention analytics in this episode.

[dubbel zout]

12 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I've heard of putting down co-workers when you don't want your manager to know you're looking for a new job.

Then you tell the people not to contact your current manager because s/he doesn't know you're looking, and if the hiring folks aren't assholes, they won't. There are ways around that. But yeah, considering Alex told Jacqueline he was looking, he looks like he doesn't understand what a proper reference is.

And at his and Jane's level, it's expected they'd bounce around a bit anyway. Even if Scarlet weren't downsizing, those two would be smart to be always passively looking. You never know when an opportunity you can't pass up will come along.

13 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

It's kind of TV-fantasy for the boss to hear she was behind everything and give her credit though. In my experience that rarely happens.

Seriously. It's more common Sutton would take credit and then get yelled at by what'sherface and Oliver for stepping out of line. The hierarchy in a fashion department is not to be messed with.

9 hours ago, GaT said:

13 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

The layoff stuff was handled pretty well, I thought. I wish it hadn't been an older, less attractive person crying in the elevator, though. 

That's how it usually goes. The older (and no longer cute & unlined), higher paid people get let go. Any time a company has mass lay offs, there's a lot of people in their 50s out of work & crying (which doesn't help them look better).

Perhaps I'm bringing too much of my own history to that particular scene. (Though I didn't cry in the elevator.) If the company were truly serious about cutting costs, there wouldn't be that lavish array of free snacks and beverages in the break room, for one thing. That would be one of the first things to go. Expense accounts would also be severely limited. I know that stuff isn't as visual and sexy as seeing some olds sobbing as she leaves the building, but it would give the girls a few things to discuss.

4 hours ago, TVForever said:

other than posting on Scarlet's social media accounts, what does she actually DO as DIRECTOR of Social Media? I just wish we could see as much of her professional development as we have of Jane and Sutton so far.

I think because she's tweeting and Instagramming and that sort of thing a lot, it's hard to show what she does. She also mentioned analytics, and you can't really show that too effectively. In some ways Kat's job is the hardest to explain visually. I have trouble reading a lot of the tweets or texts (the fault of my TV, but irritating nonetheless).

3 minutes ago, Jillybean said:

I have both given and received references from co-workers.

It's a different sort of reference than from a manager. If I had a candidate with no manager references, I'd wonder what was going on.

[rainsmom]

18 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Perhaps I'm bringing too much of my own history to that particular scene. (Though I didn't cry in the elevator.) If the company were truly serious about cutting costs, there wouldn't be that lavish array of free snacks and beverages in the break room, for one thing. That would be one of the first things to go. Expense accounts would also be severely limited. I know that stuff isn't as visual and sexy as seeing some olds sobbing as she leaves the building, but it would give the girls a few things to discuss.

...

It's a different sort of reference than from a manager. If I had a candidate with no manager references, I'd wonder what was going on.

Truth. Cutbacks rarely start with layoffs. They'd have been feeling the belt tightening before this.

My list of references includes managers, peers, SMEs, and internal customers, with all relationships clearly described so they know what questions to ask. Someone in their first job may not have had multiple managers, and multiple references are generally requested. To bring it back to the episode, though, I completely agree that this was unnecessary drama, since Jac TOLD her to look for another job.

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, rainsmom said:

My list of references includes managers, peers, SMEs, and internal customers, with all relationships clearly described so they know what questions to ask.

Which is exactly the right way to do it.

[retrograde]

20 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

It's kind of TV-fantasy for the boss to hear she was behind everything and give her credit though. In my experience that rarely happens. 

Especially from the editorial side of the office. The average article has many people working on it but only one byline. Newsrooms tend to appreciate people who step up and do what's needed without expecting acknowledgment at the end. I can't see a scenario where Sutton actively saying, "She did nothing and I did everything!" wouldn't have come off as weird. 

[KaveDweller]

19 hours ago, retrograde said:

Agreed on both fronts. Also, at this point in her career, it's pretty clear that Jane isn't some stifled talent who needs to be freed so she can go out and do brilliant long-form journalism under her own direction -- she needs someone to teacher her basic reporting. Speaking of, have we seen anything to indicate Kat deserved that promotion? 

I think Kat has benefited from being in the right place at the right time. Scarlet wants to expand "digital" and Kat knows social media and is confident and outspoken she she was made director, and now she's the director with the most digital knowledge. So she's getting promoted.

18 hours ago, GaT said:

Was there any possibility that she wouldn't let them know?  Every episode it's "what is Kat going to screw up now?" & she always skates, & this time she also got promoted. It's ridiculous.

That's how it usually goes. The older (and no longer cute & unlined), higher paid people get let go. Any time a company has mass lay offs, there's a lot of people in their 50s out of work & crying (which doesn't help them look better).

They get rid of the older people because often they have been working there longest and so have gotten the most raises. Then they can bring in someone who just graduated college and is so desperate they'll work for any salary. Companies are class that way.

8 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

I think because she's tweeting and Instagramming and that sort of thing a lot, it's hard to show what she does. She also mentioned analytics, and you can't really show that too effectively. In some ways Kat's job is the hardest to explain visually. I have trouble reading a lot of the tweets or texts (the fault of my TV, but irritating nonetheless).

 

I also think her job is the one the writers know the least about. They just kind of picked the title and are deciding things to do with it.  Fashion assistants and writers have been done to death on TV and movies, so it is easy to show think of things to do with them. They are also both jobs that don't involve sitting in front of a computer all day, which is basically what Kat's job would look like.

It's a different sort of reference than from a manager. If I had a candidate with no manager references, I'd wonder what was going on.

If you specifically ask for a manager reference, yes, definitely. But if someone just asks for a general professional reference who can verify you're not lying about your entire resume, peers will work. As long as you don't lie about

Is a butt facial a real thing? I'm scared to google it.

[Mabinogia]

Kat's dad basically getting her the job explains a lot. Because if she was hired straight out of college as she said, and is a director in what was it 3-4 years? Yeah, there's some nepotism going on there. She is just NOT that good at her job to warrant that fast a rise to mgmt. I did feel for her though in this episode. She was put in a very awkward position, knowing about the layoffs and being told not to tell her besties only to have besties find out she knows. That can't have been fun. And I do believe her when she said it was hard for her knowing she was safe but they were not. Lot of guilt there I'm sure. 

Sutton did try to speak up for herself a bit. When Jac asked about the moto jacket inspiration she tried to say what it was that made her do it but Dipshit shouted over her then Jac, instead of asking what Sutton was about to say, finished the meeting and left. I do think Sutton is a bit too nice for such a cutthroat industry though. 

Jane was, once again, just kind of there. Seriously, what even is her storyline? What is her struggle? Kat is woefully unqualified for her job and is exploring her sexual identity with Adena. Sutton is learning she does deserve her dream job and she needs to be more aggressive. Jane...writes. Is she sad because she doesn't get to write political st...wait, she does get to. So, is she challenged with being taken seriously by her boss...wait, her boss seems to be completely mentoring her. Um, is she dealing with relationship issues? Maybe? She does have that boring non-relationship with the Pinstripe guy I guess. I just find her character kind of like background noise to the other two. 

It's a cute show. It's not terribly funny, it's not groundbreaking or thought provoking, but the characters are likable enough and pretty to look at. It's like cotton candy, sweet and fluffy but not much substance. 

Edited August 24, 2017 by Mabinogia

[marny]

I didn't understand at all in the beginning of the episode why Jane and Sutton made Kat undress on the front stoop before coming inside the apartment. Was there a reason for that? This show is just trying so hard. 

[Misslindsey]

I believe there was something mentioned in that scene about Kat staying with them because her place had bedbugs.

I thought when Sutton got her job in the fashion department in one of the previous episodes and she was upset over the decrease in her salary that one of the ways she was going to save money was by moving in with Kat. I am probably misremembering though.

[Mabinogia]

Not misremembering at all. I very much recall Kat telling Sutton they were her safety next and that Sutton was going to live with Kat rent free until she could find a cheaper place while Jane would sublet Sutton's room. Now they are all at Jane's place. It was very confusing. And yeah, Kat had bedbugs, and they were afraid they were in her clothes. It was a really stupid excuse to remind us how sexually free and uninhibited Kat is. I don't blame him, girl's got a banging body. But it was a stupid storyline that served no other purpose than that opening scene. 

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, Mabinogia said:

Now they are all at Jane's place.

I think it's just because they all spend so much time together anyway. That's how I took it. But I wonder if they found someone for Sutton's room at Jane's, and if not, how is she making rent?

I know, details.

[marny]

Ah, I missed the bedbugs mention-- I just figured it was some nonsense hazing since there seems to have to be at least one scene with the women publicly undressed per episode.

[dreamcatcher]

Hi! I just binge watched the show and I have to say I love it. It's not groundbreaking, but it's a great summer show.

I'm just not really getting their job situation tbh. Jane recently got promoted and we keep hearing how awesome she is, even though we don't see it (which happens all the time on tv). Sutton is way under appreciated even though we keep seeing her kicking ass which again, is realistic. But Kat? We only see her making mistakes, challenging all her superiors and yet she somehow became a director with two years of experience under her belt? Yes social media is relatively new, but I'm sure there are older women who could get this position. Of course she doesn't even have direct reports so i'm not sure how she is managing a department with no people in it. That just bugs me SO much. And I think bringing in a superior who would actually challenge Kat for once would be much better. 

6 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

Not misremembering at all. I very much recall Kat telling Sutton they were her safety next and that Sutton was going to live with Kat rent free until she could find a cheaper place while Jane would sublet Sutton's room. Now they are all at Jane's place. It was very confusing. And yeah, Kat had bedbugs, and they were afraid they were in her clothes. It was a really stupid excuse to remind us how sexually free and uninhibited Kat is. I don't blame him, girl's got a banging body. But it was a stupid storyline that served no other purpose than that opening scene. 

Actually they said that in case she would have to walk away. They were trying to make her ask for a raise and/or benefits or quit, and said that if she indeed had to quit, they would be her safety net.

[Mabinogia]

4 minutes ago, dreamcatcher said:

Actually they said that in case she would have to walk away. They were trying to make her ask for a raise and/or benefits or quit, and said that if she indeed had to quit, they would be her safety net.

Wait, so getting free lunch a couple times a week was enough to cover her rent? Damn, Jane must have some serious rent control on that place! haha

[dreamcatcher]

16 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

Wait, so getting free lunch a couple times a week was enough to cover her rent? Damn, Jane must have some serious rent control on that place! haha

Apparently! Btw I thought it was a two bedroom in the beginning but it seems like Sutton is sleeping in the common room/whatever this is supposed to be so she's probably paying less than half. But yeah it's not like they're trying to be realistic :p

[Mabinogia]

21 minutes ago, dreamcatcher said:

Apparently! Btw I thought it was a two bedroom in the beginning but it seems like Sutton is sleeping in the common room/whatever this is supposed to be so she's probably paying less than half. But yeah it's not like they're trying to be realistic :p

I thought that too, that Sutton was sleeping in the living room but Jane said she'd rent Suttons room. Is she really going rent someone a couch? How is that better than living in one of the other boroughs? I mean, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, these really aren't so terrible.

[dreamcatcher]

10 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I thought that too, that Sutton was sleeping in the living room but Jane said she'd rent Suttons room. Is she really going rent someone a couch? How is that better than living in one of the other boroughs? I mean, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, these really aren't so terrible.

When she said that, we haven't had a chance to see Sutton's room yet. And then in the last episode Sutton was on her bed which seemed to be behind the couch, with a curtain as a divider. It makes sense for her character, but it is stupid to act like moving to another borough is the worst thing. I know quite a lot of people who spent some time in NY, including one who was a high level executive at his company, but even he preferred to live outside of Manhattan to you know, save some hard earned money. It would make more sense to say that they don't want to live apart.