The Bold Type - General Discussion

[gesundheit]

14 hours ago, Pallida said:

Changing the public stigma (and employment-sector stigma) against the formerly incarcerated is absolutely important, but you'd think that the organizations who have been advocating on this for decades might know a bit more about what's going on than someone who has listened to a couple people's experiences. 

Seriously. Does she even know NYC has a Ban the Box law, and multiple organizations that made that happen and even recently expanded it?? She's exhausting. And she really should've let Adena navigate that conversation with her mother. 

14 hours ago, Aulty said:

How handy that Jane's apartment sprouted a secret room that unlocked the minute Sutton moved in. Hope they checked it for horcruxes.

How does Jaqueline not know how much Andrew is paid?

At least I finally believe they can maybe afford that maisonette apartment now that the rent's being split 3 ways. (It's a one-bedroom, yes? Or just a studio?)

I'd buy that Jacqueline doesn't know how much he's paid, I'm sure he started at whatever company standard for assistants and gets annual raises; she's not the CFO. But even if she did know, I agree with those above who said she might just not understand that it's not a livable salary. Wealthy people usually have no idea how much regular working folks require to live ("It's a banana! What could it cost, $10?"), and it's especially bad in NYC where wealthy folks think back to what they were paying in rent in like 1990 when there were still affordable neighborhoods for the lower middle class.

 

I do always think it's funny on these TV shows when people have jobs where they're clearly on call and expected to be available 24/7 (we've seen Andrew at several late night and weekend work events) but somehow manage to have another job. Not likely unless it's a set-your-own-schedule type of thing like Uber or Taskrabbit or something. 

[mamadrama]

So Sutton's the expert on marriage and divorce despite still having her wedding presents in gift boxes. 

[KaveDweller]

I would have laughed if Jane had both her employees quit on her. But here's what I don't get. If Scott quit, why can't they date? I get why she didn't want to go to HR, but is there a reason she can't be a good boss at work and then go home to a guy?

I am glad Andrew is getting a raise, he is awesome. 

Wow, how amazing that there was a previously unmentioned closet that is big enough to be a bedroom so all three women can live together.  I thought it barely looked big enough for a bed, but I guess that is NYC real estate for you.

 

[Unraveled]

Did anyone notice the mug that Jacqueline was holding? It was a Dunder-Mifflin mug from the TV show "The Office." The actress was a memorable multi-season supporting star in there.

[Aulty]

This is such an over- and misused term these days, but Jane really is the definition a snowflake.

[zenithwit]

Ok show, I'll give you some credit for not completely trying to gaslight us into thinking that it's okay for Jane to date a direct report - even though she broke it off for the wrong reasons.  And of course, Scott got the last word by quitting. I really really hope Addison takes the Yes Girl offer (remember when they rejected Jane? good times).  But of course that won't happen with this show.  Sigh.

22 hours ago, Aulty said:

How does Jaqueline not know how much Andrew is paid?

Ditto on all of previous comments regarding this.  I'm guessing she  knows the dollar amount but probably doesn't realize that it's  not enough to keep up with the cost of living in NYC.  Jacqueline has been upper class for so long that she doesn't understand what it takes to get by day to day there.

 

15 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

I don't find her activism performative, just completely unthought-out. "Not everyone can support every issue all the time" is something Kat seems to be completely unfamiliar with. I'm at bit surprised that by this point Kat hasn't learned that to be effective, it's better to focus on a few issues rather than try to take them all on at the same time.

Also sometimes it feels like Kat's activism is self-centered as well.  While it makes complete sense for her to focus on issues where she has a personal connection, sometimes she reacts to issues where she has a personal gain.  For example, didn't she run for City Council just because her favorite bar was shut down?  In this case, it's great that she wanted to help her friend get a job, but that is only a needle in a haystack of a larger, very complex issue.

[dubbel zout]

10 hours ago, Unraveled said:

Did anyone notice the mug that Jacqueline was holding? It was a Dunder-Mifflin mug from the TV show "The Office." The actress was a memorable multi-season supporting star in there.

I did! That was cute.

[gesundheit]

10 hours ago, Unraveled said:

Did anyone notice the mug that Jacqueline was holding? It was a Dunder-Mifflin mug from the TV show "The Office." The actress was a memorable multi-season supporting star in there.

Yes, I appreciated that. If they could squeeze a couple more references into the final season now that's it's all over and won't take us out of it -- Kat finding Faking It on streaming and complaining to Jane about it, Sutton lamenting the cancellation of her favorite soap or heading out to a Next to Normal revival. (Actually Aisha Dee seems to have the longest episodic resume of any of them, I'm just not personally familiar with any of her shows.)

Nevermind, honestly only one of these people was on a show that was a longstanding, household-name, pop culture zeitgeist staple and they covered it.

Speaking of all this, I'm so curious to see what all the lead actresses do next. I feel like it's weird that none of them seem to have been getting as much other work as I would've expected and I haven't heard about any major new bookings. In terms of what they were actually able to showcase of their talents on this show, I'd expect Fahy to have people knocking down her door.

[GaT]

Why is Adena back? Why? why? WHHHHHHHYYYYYY?????????

[retrograde]

On 6/10/2021 at 2:44 PM, mamadrama said:

Okay, 5 seasons and a shitload of Googling later and I'm STILL not sure that I fully understand what a vertical is.

I work in the media and tbh had never heard the term before (maybe it comes from magazines?), but I've been thinking of it like how New York magazine has Vulture, The Cut, Strategist, Grub Street etc -- they're all part of NY mag (especially if you buy a print version), but have their own specific topics, identities, specific staff and *ahem* dot coms. 

That said, given Kat's vertical has few staff and seems to publish like one story a month, it seems in reality more like a blog to me. 

(Scarlet also seems to publish one story a week based on their meetings, where only a handful of staff attend and just throw out these half-formed ideas and then -- at least in Jane's case -- spend weeks working on a single article.)

Edited June 12, 2021 by retrograde

[JustHereForFood]

Why all the hate for Adena?

[Cranberry]

I didn't like her biphobia storyline, which I thought was a major misstep (nothing about her character suggested she'd be like that), but I have no problems with her otherwise. I actually like how she reins Kat in a bit. She's certainly 10 steps up from Eva.

[luckyroll3]

On 6/10/2021 at 9:52 PM, KaveDweller said:

But here's what I don't get. If Scott quit, why can't they date? I get why she didn't want to go to HR, but is there a reason she can't be a good boss at work and then go home to a guy?

Because then she wouldn't get to be the martyr. Poor Jane had to give up a man AND a good employee.

I'm still fuming over her not responding to Addison's emails nor giving her any feedback on any of her pitches the entire time she's been there. Like what has Addison been doing there all this time besides looking for another job? Jane needs to be written up for this shit. Addison better not stay!

[Guest]

deleted!

 

Edited June 17, 2021 by Guest

[ZeeEnnui]

Oh Addison, I had such high hopes for you. But, of course, everyone on this show has to drink Jane's sucky Kool-Aid. 

Christ! Who styled Jacqueline?!? That last outfit made her look like an escapee from a 1970's sitcom with hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in days after a flapper costume party. ALL of the yikes. 

I thought that this episode was actually pretty boring. The 'ole drug trip gone wrong is such a tired plot line. (I hope Jane replaced that ridiculously overpriced pastry that she frisbeed). We don't have many episodes left, and this one just felt like filler to me.

[KaveDweller]

I feel like I must be too old for this show because I kept thinking how irresponsible it was that they decided to try microdosing before an important day at work. I am not closed minded to the idea of microdosing, but don't do it before work unless you are sure how you'd react. They all deserved to be fired. And I was honestly glad Sutton had some consequences with how Oliver acted. Of course Kat and Jane had major success.

I also thought Kat's dress looked ugly. Is that really in fashion?

I have to say, if I had a boss tell me they couldn't manage me that day because they were tripping from taking mushrooms I would either take the other job offer or report them to HR. What is with Jane telling people how awful she is and them liking her for it? 

I know they want to end the show with the idea of Jane taking over someday, but is there really no one with more seniority than Jane who would be more suited to fill in? Wasn't there some kind of manager that Sutton used to work for?

[retrograde]

2 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I know they want to end the show with the idea of Jane taking over someday, but is there really no one with more seniority than Jane who would be more suited to fill in? Wasn't there some kind of manager that Sutton used to work for?

The lack of staff in general, but especially editing staff, at this magazine is insane. Jane has been a writer, what, a few years? There should be a whole slew of editors between Jacqueline and Jane, not to mention that Jacqueline would at least have a deputy. See how many editors Vogue has!

I actually paused on the list of "pitches" Jane apparently spent like four hours working on, and this is all she had written down:

• Modern androgyny - gen z fashion
• Female priests - excommunicated by vatican, sexism that dates back centuries
• Marjorie Taylor Greene
• Hype house - boys club?
• Stay-at-home mom-trepreneurs
• The quiet sexism of self help books

No wonder Addison didn't want MTG, that's not a pitch, it's just a name! (That said, Addison sucks for just declaring that she "gave up" and wrote a completely different story. That's not a thing you can do!)

Addison should have taken the offer, Jane should get like 20 years more experience, the end. 

 

 

[Aulty]

That continuity of the ink stain on Jane's face was hilariously off.

Jane can't be Jaqueline. The management style is very closely connected to personality - at least the way they play it on this show. Giving someone a story they don't want to write might have worked on Jane, but its not a magic recipe that will work on anyone.
But how great for Jane that her mushroom trip gave added the mighty story about how she overcame and solved her management issues with Addison to her fairy tale. Of course she sat Jaqueline down for sotry time right away.
She barely manages to get her only employee to not quit and Jaqueline thinks she is ready to sub for her?
Its not that I am against giving young people a chance or a challenge, but its all SO SO out of proportion with Jane.

Scarlett really needs to revise their security processes. She might think its ok, but Kat being able to waltz in without signing in and then spend a considerable amount of time alone in the fashion closet, put on company clothes and take them home is a big no.

How are Oliver and Sutton not aware of the downsides of fast fashion? Do they really need a teenager to tell them that?
And because Scarlet is a great unicorn company, they pull the ads from the dirty dirty label and instead they do an organic thrift spread.

Of course, in the end Jane gets another boost, Kat does what she wants and the only one whose career takes a bump is the person who is actually good at what she does.

Edited June 17, 2021 by Aulty

[mamadrama]

Could they shit on Sutton's character any more? She's the only one I like. 

[mamadrama]

I liked the microdosing storyline better when it played out on Younger. 

[dubbel zout]

Jane and Kat are terrible friends to Sutton if they can't tell her they think she drinks too much. If your best friends can't give you the hard truths like that, who can? Though at least Kat suggested therapy.

Jane's backward sweater at the beginning looked awful on her. In fact, most of what everyone wore was deeply unflatteringly. 

And of course Jane fails upward again. She really is a walking Peter Principle.

[luckyroll3]

In what word is Jane qualified to be an editor-in-chief, even on an interim basis?!?!?!?!? And I was waiting for Oliver to call Jacqueline out on this, but nope, the sun always shines out of Jane's ass. If failing upward had a spokesperson....

 

[tennisgurl]

I swear, the most believable twist this show could come up with is that Jane is actually a witch who has cast a spell on herself that makes everyone inexplicably love her. She is the absolute poster girl for failing up, no matter how incompetent she is she always manages to come out on top. In what world is Jane remotely qualified to run a major magazine? Jane's a writer, not an editor, a writer that has worked there for a couple of years, is there really no one with more seniority? Of course none of them are probably anywhere as awesome as Perfect Jane, who can show up to work after chasing off one employee and just barley holding onto a second high out of her mind and still be given the keys to the kingdom. Jane could show up to work, drunk off her ass wearing a "fuck feminism" tee shirt over her head while flipping everyone off and singing a song about how losers they all are except for her, and she would probably be promoted again for her "bravery" or some such thing. She hasn't learned a damn thing from her disastrous first time managing writers, she never acknowledged that trying to bone an employee was morally wrong and the only way she could think to course correct with the employee she totally ignored to focus on her crush was to weirdly throw her into the deep end and ignore her again so that she could get high on a work day. And yet Jane just keeps getting talked up over and over again no matter how badly she fails and she keeps moving up and up, she will probably end the show causing a thirty car pile up in the middle of Times Square and be awarded the key to the city. 

Meanwhile, Sutton screws up at work and gets reamed out by Oliver and sent home, because consequences are for Sutton, not for Perfect Jane. Of course, because Sutton has a mentor that actually calls her out on her crap she is usually an actual professional who is good at her job, while Jane is constantly coddled and is a massive fuck up who will inevitably be chewed up and spit back out the second she gets a job that doesn't bend over backwards for her, so maybe Jaqueline hasn't been doing her a lot of favors. 

[dubbel zout]

34 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

gets reamed out by Oliver

Hardly. I get your larger point (and agree with it), but Oliver expresses concern for Sutton and sends her home. She's lucky he didn't fire her on the spot for the drinking during work hours, especially after she got so hammered at the retreat. He also could have insisted that she go to rehab or face consequences, and he didn't do that, either.

[luckyroll3]

22 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I swear, the most believable twist this show could come up with is that Jane is actually a witch who has cast a spell on herself that makes everyone inexplicably love her.

If this happened, I would give the writers of this show one of these

 for the biggest plot twist I didn't see coming. Cause really, this is the only fucking way any of this show and the ridiculous Jane adoration could make sense. 

 

[dubbel zout]

I like the idea of Jane putting the whammy on everyone at Scarlet, heh.

[Aulty]

12 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

She's lucky he didn't fire her on the spot for the drinking during work hours, especially after she got so hammered at the retreat.

TBF daytime drinking seems to be a regular thing at Scarlet. What I find even more concerning is breaking out the hard liquor to toast something at home with your house mates - they wouldn't have stopped after 1 shot.
Sutton clearly has a problem, but all 3 girls should watch their alcohol consumption. It was the same with Kelsey on Younger.

Question because I missed it: which of those morons was the one that added more mushrooms to the tea?

Edited June 17, 2021 by Aulty

[JustHereForFood]

15 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I have to say, if I had a boss tell me they couldn't manage me that day because they were tripping from taking mushrooms I would either take the other job offer or report them to HR. What is with Jane telling people how awful she is and them liking her for it? 

It's the boldness and being real, I guess. 

2 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

Hardly. I get your larger point (and agree with it), but Oliver expresses concern for Sutton and sends her home. She's lucky he didn't fire her on the spot for the drinking during work hours, especially after she got so hammered at the retreat. He also could have insisted that she go to rehab or face consequences, and he didn't do that, either.

Oliver is the boss everyone should be striving to emulate, not Jacqueline, IMO.

2 hours ago, Aulty said:

Question because I missed it: which of those morons was the one that added more mushrooms to the tea?

Sutton, because Kat said she thinks it might be too weak.

 

I thought this episode was a complete waste of time, until Oliver talked to Sutton the day after. I hope she at least goes to that therapy.

I want to work at a place where one big gesture or speech makes all the difference in company policy, like with Scarlet and that fashion brand, or Belle and their policy on hiring convicts. And I guess Belle must be paying very good if Kat managed to save up for her next project on a bartender salary.

[Guest]

So they have 3 episodes left and they spend one on a silly shrooms montage? So much for progressing storylines.

I cannot believe they are moving forward with Jane taking over Jacqueline's job in two episodes. She only oversees two employees - one quit due to an inappropriate relationship with her and the other threatened to quit because of her incompetence. But yeah, she's totally ready to run Scarlet. She couldn't have...been promoted between seasons or progressed to assistant editor first? It's basically giving a freelance writer the keys to Cosmo.

9 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

Jane and Kat are terrible friends to Sutton if they can't tell her they think she drinks too much. If your best friends can't give you the hard truths like that, who can?

Then they'd all have to admit it. Helping someone admit they have a problem is a lot harder when you're part of the problem. They don't want their own behavior critiqued.

I thought Sutton choosing white wine to help her sober up from shrooms (let alone at work) was bizarre. What's wrong with water? Tea? Coffee? The last thing that's going to clear your mind is mixing substances.

I really hate the implication that the disillusionment of associating with one dirty brand is making Sutton contemplate throwing her fashion career away to have kids with Richard after all. One shroom trip and she's suddenly unhappy at Scarlet? I'll be pissed if she ends the series as a kept SAHM because that's the opposite of her entire characterization and negates everything from last season.

[Pallida]

I think the microdosing on a whim story is totally in character for Kat - she has an idea, doesn't take time to think about nuance or variety of experiences, and goes for it. I'm intrigued by the idea of microdosing/psychedelics, but I also know I can easily get super far into my head that I want a controlled environment to see how I'd react especially at different doses. I don't really want to compare myself to Jane, but I think she's similarly far into her head. Finding the right dose seems to be a process, not something to do on a workday! 

[Artsda]

That was really a waste of an episode.

[mamadrama]

It would be interesting if they wound up Rory Gilmoring Tiny Jane. Through the entire GG series Rory could barely do no wrong. She was the smartest, prettiest, bestest writer evah! Bound for glory. The only person who didn't think so was that mean old grinch Mitchum, but what did HE know? She could thumb her nose at him as her town practically saw her off in a parade. FF 10 years (or something) later and she's living the good life as a much sought after foreign news correspondent whose last 2 books soared to the top of the NYT. 

Actually, she was jobless, homeless, and had no real life path to follow. 

Had we, the viewers, been bamboozled? All that time we thought she was being Mary Sued, when *maybe* the writers had been trying to make a different kind of point all along...?

Nah.

Within the next 2 episodes Jane's gonna lose Addison for making her take naked pictures of Jane for her new Only Fan's account (after giving her a big speech about how Jane, herself, once had to do something uncomfortable), accidentally set her floor on fire, make drunken advances to a high profile political candidate she's meant to be interviewing and within the final 5 minutes she'll be running the whole media conglomerate.

Sutton, on the other hand, will develop a heroin addiction and lose her job because of a tweet she made 8 years ago-a tweet Kat uncovers and papers Time Square with without first addressing it with her friend, of course. 

[zenithwit]

Oh Addison, Addison, Addison.  You have been the biggest disappointment on this entire show.  I don't think I have it in me to rant about this anymore (maybe I'll feel different later).

How long is Jacqueline's vacation again?  Unless she is taking a serious 3+ month sabbatical, I don't see why they would need a formal interim Editor in Chief.  Also, wouldn't a high position like Editor in Chief require approval from the Board (even on an interim basis)?  I can't imagine that such a conservative, risk adverse board like Stafford's would be cool with someone as green as Jane taking the helm of their largest magazine.

[Aulty]

1 hour ago, zenithwit said:

Oh Addison, Addison, Addison.  You have been the biggest disappointment on this entire show.

The thing that bugs me most about Addison, and please correct me if I am wrong, is the implied notion of a Gen Z person looking up to and for guidance in a millenial.
Aren't they supposed to roll their eyes at each other?

[JustHereForFood]

2 hours ago, Aulty said:

The thing that bugs me most about Addison, and please correct me if I am wrong, is the implied notion of a Gen Z person looking up to and for guidance in a millenial.
Aren't they supposed to roll their eyes at each other?

I am not into the whole "judge a person by the generation they belong to" thing in general, but I wouldn't make any comparison between these two anyway, because they have what, 2-3 years age difference? That's not a generational difference. Sutton said she is 27 this episode, so there must be some sliding timeline in effect, because they were at least 25 at the beginning.

Next episode promo:

I am not a fan of Jane' story here and I am starting to fear for what they might do with Sutton. 

[KaveDweller]

5 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

I am not into the whole "judge a person by the generation they belong to" thing in general, but I wouldn't make any comparison between these two anyway, because they have what, 2-3 years age difference? That's not a generational difference. Sutton said she is 27 this episode, so there must be some sliding timeline in effect, because they were at least 25 at the beginning.

Yeah, they were 25 or 26 at the beginning. I remember some interview last year where the actresses revealed the entire show had taken place in less than a year and talked about how that made no sense.

If Jane is 27, she is barely a millennial. Most millennials are in their 30s by now. The whole "Addison has such a different perspective because she is Gen Z" makes no sense to me because she is just a few years younger than Jane. Generational labels are so stupid.  If Addison wants a mentor comparable to Jacqueline, I would think she'd want someone with significantly more experience than Jane.

[marny]

If it’s only supposed to have been a year since the show began, the notion of making Jane EIC is even more laughable. I think this show really wanted us to think Jacqueline is this amazing boss/mentor who we should all admire and wish was our boss. Instead she just seems like a moron with bad judgment that she’s so delusional about Jane’s abilities. 

[dubbel zout]

It's TV, so of course the main characters will succeed, but I'd at least like to see Jane have some sort of competition. She's had little to none of that—everything gets handed to her on a platter. I think it's a big mistake that Jane hasn't had to do anything to earn her advancement.

[gesundheit]

 

On 6/17/2021 at 1:53 AM, retrograde said:

 

• The quiet sexism of self help books

 

Okay but I'd actually read that one! (Seriously, considering how ubiquitous the theme of self-help books for women are "stop pleasing, start living!" it absolutely makes women feel like they're supposed to be obsessively pleasing and some of us are always wondering what's wrong with us for not having that problem!)

On 6/17/2021 at 4:42 AM, Aulty said:

That continuity of the ink stain on Jane's face was hilariously off.

Jane can't be Jaqueline. The management style is very closely connected to personality - at least the way they play it on this show. Giving someone a story they don't want to write might have worked on Jane, but its not a magic recipe that will work on anyone.
But how great for Jane that her mushroom trip gave added the mighty story about how she overcame and solved her management issues with Addison to her fairy tale. Of course she sat Jaqueline down for sotry time right away.
She barely manages to get her only employee to not quit and Jaqueline thinks she is ready to sub for her?
Its not that I am against giving young people a chance or a challenge, but its all SO SO out of proportion with Jane.

I can't handle it. She's only worked there for, what, 2 years max (and as some upthread were saying, maybe even less) but even if we're being generous and saying it was 3 years (soooo long!) IT WASN'T EVEN CONSECUTIVE!! She left! I've never been a fanfic person but mark my words, I'm signing up if someone writes a sequel about how Jane tanks Scarlet the second they put her in charge.

On 6/17/2021 at 12:29 PM, dubbel zout said:

Hardly. I get your larger point (and agree with it), but Oliver expresses concern for Sutton and sends her home. She's lucky he didn't fire her on the spot for the drinking during work hours, especially after she got so hammered at the retreat. He also could have insisted that she go to rehab or face consequences, and he didn't do that, either.

He was certainly kind, but that workplace does have a drinking culture, there's pretty much no way HR would allow a firing in this case, that would be lawsuit city. (Of course on this show they'd settle out of court by giving her a corner office and the lease to the building after she gave an impassioned speech on Tik Tok)

On 6/17/2021 at 12:41 PM, Aulty said:

Question because I missed it: which of those morons was the one that added more mushrooms to the tea?

Sutton.

Hilariously I just finished watching and was coming here to write a whole screed and my main mental note was "must complain about all the failing up!!!" and you guys covered it and then some. Honestly the episode felt kind of innocuous (albeit a time-waster with so few episodes left) until the infuriating outcomes for Jane and Kat. 

I don't trust that it's actually in the script and directing, but the actress playing Addison does seem to still be playing an undercurrent of "this is who I'm stuck with as a mentor?" that I appreciate. So I thank her for that. I might just be wishfully imposing that on her, of course, but I was thinking it wasn't the worst idea to keep the job when she realized how incompetent her direct supervisor is -- because that can be an opening. Or at least is proof positive that she never needs to feel like she's not good enough!

[dubbel zout]

14 hours ago, gesundheit said:

that workplace does have a drinking culture,

Have we seen open drinking during work hours? Aside from birthday toasts and the like, I mean. I've worked at magazines with a definite drinking culture, but that doesn't mean people are downing booze during the day. A beer or something with dinner during a close, yes, but otherwise it's a bad look.

[JustHereForFood]

I don't think that Sutton sneaked that bottle in her bag, so I would expect that it is some company wine that was there for taking? I remember they already mentioned free tampons, fruit and sandwiches at various points, so maybe they also have free alcohol? Though I wonder why are they buying coffee in the lobby then, I never got any freee food in any job, but coffee was always available. Or maybe the company coffee sucks.

[zenithwit]

6 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

Or maybe the company coffee sucks.

Probably since it would be Stafford footing the bill. Or another possibility is that it's only drip coffee and hot water for tea available. So if you want any fancier you need to go to an actual coffee shop.

[dubbel zout]

Andrew was shocked and appalled to see Jacqueline drinking company coffee out of that Dunder Mifflin mug, so Safford coffee isn't for the discerning, hee.

[gesundheit]

On 6/19/2021 at 11:39 AM, dubbel zout said:

Have we seen open drinking during work hours? Aside from birthday toasts and the like, I mean. I've worked at magazines with a definite drinking culture, but that doesn't mean people are downing booze during the day. A beer or something with dinner during a close, yes, but otherwise it's a bad look.

I can't really remember, especially since some of these characters seem to work a choose-your-own-hours schedule -- I definitely remember some times where they all went drinking during the day and came back to work. And Sutton said she liked the wine so she was going to put it in the work fridge, she certainly wasn't sneaking it, so I just got the impression it's not unheard of to have a glass here and there on the job. But who knows. But most HR departments would probably make her at least have a convo with the EAP rep if she'd been reported. But of course this is this show, where anything goes.

[Karen885]

Jane is ridiculous.  She has poorly managed all of two employees and is now going to be acting editor in chief while Jacqueline goes on vacation.  I could tell Oliver was trying hard not to go "wtf Jacqueline".  Speaking of Oliver, why can't he be acting editor.  He seems to know more about the running of the magazine than precious Jane.  

[KaveDweller]

Wow, and I thought it was unrealistic for Jane to be filling in for Jacqueline for a couple weeks. Now she is totally taking over? That is just ridiculous she spent one day pretending to be Editor-in-Chief, that doesn't prove her worthiness. And wouldn't the board have to make the decision about who replaces Jacqueline? I mean, Jane literally came to work high last week and almost banged her employee the week before that. There must be someone more deserving of being the boss.

I'm also surprised Jane really wants it, because I thought they were heading towards her realizing she liked writing better than managing.

I thought they were setting Kat up to make a competing magazine, but I guess they just wanted the main three back at Scarlett. I thought she had valid hesitations. There's no way Jacqueline can promise total creative control. I also would have thought Kat would be concerned about what happens if she gets herself fired again. She won't own anything she created.

But I do think Kat seems really competent and would make a better Editor-in-Chief than Jane. She had the idea that satisfied the advertiser and she seemed to put together the pitch for Jacqueline in about a day. Plus she has actual experience being a department head.

I liked Sutton's storyline, even if it sucks about her and Richard splitting up. I am assuming their hook up was just one final goodbye. But I liked her scenes with the therapist and was glad she told Richard why she was upset. Also, good for Richard for trying to adopt.

[mamadrama]

Someone over at Cosmo or Jezebel sat down and figured out that's it only been a year or so since the series started. I forgot the exact timeline, but it's fewer than 2. 

I know we have to suspend belief for TV but this seems crazy. Jane was literally an intern 2 years ago. 

[Aulty]

I've had it with magical solutions popping up over night including the pots of gold that are suddenly available to re-hire Kat. I am happy to watch a younger generation be successful and thriving and adress important social issues. But it has to be on merit - it can't just fall into their laps as a reward for managing to have a week without fucking up or having a meltdown. This show just feeds into the entitled millenial stereotype.

Well done Jane for finding a way to keep the jewellery company happy - what is she going to do when the same thing happens with a brand she can't just shove sideways into the verticals bucket? Have they ever shown any of the 3 navigating a tight spot without a super hipp solution?

Someone in the styling department must have lost a dare - there is no other reasonable explanation for Jane wearing that tweed/trenchcoat atrocity.

Oliver can't handle a difficult client by himself but expects a trainee editor to have more clout?

And why not have a good old flash forward before giving Jane a promotion? A '5 years later' showing her as a sucessful editor of her vertical, occasionally filling in for Jaqueline before being promoted to the iron throne workout-workstation would make a lot more sense.

Edited June 24, 2021 by Aulty

[dubbel zout]

9 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I'm also surprised Jane really wants it, because I thought they were heading towards her realizing she liked writing better than managing.

Same, but it's Jane. She can do it all!

9 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Also, good for Richard for trying to adopt.

I loved that. I'm also glad they gave him a happy ending.

5 hours ago, Aulty said:

Well done Jane for finding a way to keep the jewellery company happy

Whoever that guy was, if he needed push presents explained to him, he has no business working for a jewelry company. 

5 hours ago, Aulty said:

And why not have a good old flash forward before giving Jane a promotion?

I agree. The current-day stuff can show the women working toward their goals, and we get a flash forward showing their successes. They'd be a lot closer to 30 and have more experience under their belts, so the achievements—especially Jane's—wouldn't look so ridiculous. 

[tennisgurl]

Of course if anyone can go from intern to editor in chief of a major publication in two years, it would be Perfect Jane, a woman who is such a brilliant manager that, when she got two writers to manage, spent the whole time drooling over the one she wanted to bang before he had to leave because of the aforementioned drooling, and almost drove the other one away because she ignored her in favor of the employee she had the hots for. What a perfect person for Jacqueline to leave the keys to the kingdom to! When Jacqueline was telling everyone in the office how Jane was in charge while she was gone, all I could think about were all of the senior editors and writers in the background who have been at Scarlett for twenty years and are all certainly rolling their eyes and refreshing their resumes to go work at a magazine that might not pass them over for much earned promotions in favor of a woman who's worked there for two years and who's path to success has been failing, trying to spin her failing into some kind of success, and being rewarded for it. Is the show not aware of the fact that being an editor in chief is extremely different then being a writer? It requires a totally different skillset, a skillset that Jane has never shown any aptitude for or interest in, not to mention it requires a ton of experience within the industry and in management, neither of which Jane has. What experience does she have running a magazine? 

I get that the show wants to give the girls all happy endings and showing them succeeding, and I am totally good with that, but it all just seems so rushed, these storybook endings haven't been earned. Jane just gets to be the boss without ever really having to learn any lessons or work for her success, it was just handed to her by Fairy Godmother Jacqueline. Kat never has to learn a lesson about her actions having consequences and that she has to stop burning every bridge she finds, maybe find a cause or two she really believes in instead of just grabbing any cause that catches her attention then abandoning it for something else, she just gets to go back home to Fairy Godmother Jacqueline who gives her every demand she had to make her dream project come true. At least Kat is actually good at her job and has interesting ideas for using social media to promote social justice, while everything we have heard from Jane's writing sounds awful and self indulgent. 

The only person who isn't getting everything handed to her on a silver platter is, of course, Sutton, who apparently gets all of the bad luck that bounces off of Kat and Jane stuck to her. While Jane and Kat spent all episode watching their dreams come true, Sutton gets a divorce, isn't anywhere near the other girls in terms of career, and realizes that she has to stop drinking as she is spiraling into alcoholism. Hopefully she still gets something close to a happy ending by the end of the show. 

Edited June 24, 2021 by tennisgurl