It’s harder to be in the “in-crowd” than it is to just be in the crowd

This week on The Bold Type, Jane (Katie Stevens) is still on her quest for a job, but she’s also stepping back into the dating scene. She goes on a date with the doctor from the photo shoot and learns that the two have different beliefs in faith, which makes her question moving forward. While she’s grappling with that, Pinstripe shows back up and introduces her into the gossip world of journalism. After realizing this kind of journalism isn’t for her, she cuts all ties with him helping her get through her pitches. Once Jane voices her concerns about Ben’s belief in God, the two come to an understanding that they may be able to work towards a deeper relationship.

Sutton (Meghann Fahy) gets mixed up in some things not so easily fixable when she tried to fit in with the in-crowd. After seeing Brooke Langley, a new social media influencer, already have a successful career at such a young age, she decides to figure out how she can make her way to the top at a quickened pace. But, the high life isn’t what it may seem. Sutton ends up getting a charge of 500 to her work account because of the girl’s decision to order party favors on her card. Instead of making the decision to pay for the charge herself, Sutton ultimately leaves it and continues to hand out with this new crowd.

RELATED | The Bold Type Roundtable: New Challenge, Same Passion

Meanwhile, Kat (Aisha Dee) and Adena (Nikohl Boosheri) are still trying to navigate through their new relationship. After attending Adena’s friend’s party, Kat is feeling insecure about their relationship. She realizes that Adena has been in a lot more long-term relationships and she doesn’t know much about them. After finally confronting Adena on why never talking about her past relationships is hurting their relationship, Kat and Adena settle their issues and find a way to better communicate.

Our NYC girls are moving through their problems swiftly, but some may have longer lasting effects than planned. Here to discuss all the juicy details is our The Bold Type roundtable:

Emily (@waverlyleigh) – Broadway enthusiast, watches too many TV shows, and dances for a living.

Kailee (@ALESSIASHAIR) – New Yorker learning the true New York way through the girls from the fashion closet.

Alex (@AlexxHerreraaa) – Dog mom, I stan Kadena, and Director/Producer in the making.

Sarah (@livinqhere) – Bubbly vegan with a love for music and New York City.

Maria (@maggiessalexx) – Kadena supremacist first, The Bold Type enthusiast to follow

[wp_ad_camp_2]

1. Sutton wants to make her way to the top quickly! Do you agree that it’s all about who you know when you’re trying to move up in a business?

Emily (@waverlyleigh): It’s not about who you know. That can be helpful, but it’s really about your hard work and dedication to your job that will get you to move up in the business.

Kailee (@ALESSIASHAIR): Oh, 100%. It’s sad but it is true. If there is anything that I have learned, it is that making connections is one of the most important things you can do to jumpstart your career.

Alex (@AlexxHerreraaa): Well, in all honesty, I do believe that having personal connections with people who are in the same industry as you are very great assets.

Sarah (@livinqhere): I think it depends on what field you are in but with the social media and fashion world, it definitely plays a huge role.

Maria (@maggiessalexx): I don’t think that it’s all about who you know to move up in a business, but I do think that it plays a major part.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

2. Jane is having a difficult time understanding Ben’s belief in God. Do you think that she is overthinking the situation? Is her way of thinking relatable to modern day dating concerns?

Emily: I honestly do think it’s concerning how much she is overthinking it. Everyone has their own beliefs, religions, and lifestyles. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal. But I do understand why she is so concerned due to her past.

Kailee: I have always been a “you do you” type of gal so in my opinion, I think she is overthinking it a little. His faith makes him who he is and it’s not hurting her but It is understandable why she thinks the way she does. I think that overcoming this will be for the better for her.

Alex: In the modern world, two people who are dating and just randomly bring up the topic of “religion” should talk about it. I have been talking to girls (who I also date) who just randomly bring up religion as a topic to talk about and sometimes we might not agree on stuff, but it’s still better to know ahead of time, rather than later.

Sarah: Yes! She is using his religion as a way to put up a wall so she doesn’t get too close. I think she is scared of committing to someone who is bringing up a part of her past that she buried.

Maria: It’s Jane, she always overthinks, lol. She has to make it all perfect, right?  As someone who isn’t that religious, I can understand her reluctance to date someone who is. It may not be an issue early in the relationship but could become a major issue years later and I believe everyone is free to believe in what they want. I totally understand that it gives some people comfort. But also, it’s important to establish that “I respect your belief as long as you have the same respect for mine as well”.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

3. Kat met some of Adena’s “friends”. Do you think it was fair of Adena not to talk with Kat about her relationships with some of the girls beforehand?

Emily: I feel like Adena should have talked with Kat about her past relationships. Adena knows everything about Kat, so it’s only fair if Adena shares her past too. Kat was feeling so uncomfortable at first, so if Adena told her, she would’ve felt a little better.

Kailee: It’s understandable to want to start fresh during a new relationship but all Kat wants is honesty. She’s not looking to judge her, she just wants to know so she can make their relationship grow.

Alex: In my opinion, cause I only dated one girl (and that wasn’t official to the family) all I could say is never talk about past relationships with your partner because maybe they’ll end up getting jealous and that’s not a battle that you want to fight in. Maybe, it’ll come up that you’ll be curious like Kat and go incognito with your partner. But all that matters is what you have now, not before.

Sarah: I think a warning would have been nice because communication is a big part of relationships.

Maria: What’s fair in love and war? I mean, the beauty about Kadena is that the writers easily make us relatable to both Kat and Adena. There is no wrong or right. All reasons are valid. Do I think it’s fair of Adena not to talk with Kat about her past relationships? Yes. Do I think it was fair of Adena not to talk with Kat about her past relationships/people she slept with WHEN Kat asked her? NO. Like Kat said, all she wanted was honesty and being able to talk to her without feeling like a crazy person. She is not a jealous and insecure type of person. But the little “green-eyed monster” that Adena unintentionally “provoked”, made Kat act like that way.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

4. Sutton feels like she’s lagging in the success department. Do you think the way she feels is normal for millennials?

Emily: It is normal for her to feel like that. Millennials always feel like they are lacking somewhere or that what they are doing is not good enough. It’s understandable for her to feel like that.

Kailee: I think that it is often easy to compare yourself to other people, I know I do it to myself on the daily. I think it’s always important to realize that other people have had to hit obstacles to get to where they are, they just don’t talk about those as much as the good things. You are always your own worst critic because it is so easy to want to always do more to better yourself.

Alex: Well as to what my mother says to me all the time, “You have to start from the bottom of the food chain then you work your way up.” Hard work pays off. It might be the feeling that there’s favoritism or even a sense of bias when it comes to particular situations like this. But always remember that as long as you love your job, you’ll succeed in it.

Sarah: Yes, most millennials are always striving for bigger and better because they were taught that they have to be the best of the best.

Maria: You know, I think that almost every person feels that they are failing at some point in their life. What I get from Sutton is that she is really becoming frustrated, that even if she is so important to Oliver, she is still trying to find her way and climbing her way to the top. Which is why she ended up paying for 500 dollars’ worth of cocaine with a company card. She was so worried that if she refused to do that, her career would be over.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

5. Kat was concerned about Adena’s past relationships. Do you think that it’s worse for a person to have had many long-term relationships or for them to have just dated many different people?

Emily: I believe it’s worse for someone to have just dated many different people. Someone who has dated different people shows that it’s hard for them to keep a long-term relationship. It causes fear that it can happen with Kat and Adena.

Kailee: I think it’s harder to accept the fact that someone has had more long-term relationships because they are more serious. When you are dating someone, it is easy to compare yourself to other people that they have dated and try to be better than them to try and keep the relationship going. I think that it’s important to realize that those relationships are over and to live in the moment.

Alex: I’ll say both are hard. You never know how high your partner’s expectancy is. Your partner may have many different experiences and different people whom he/she dated. But as long as you’re enjoying the now other than the future, you’ll be all set! You’ll never know after all that trial, that you’ll be seeing or you’ll be walking down the aisle and say that everything was worth it.

Sarah: For them to have just dated many different people. That means that they kind of jumped around a lot and haven’t truly stuck with on person for a long period of time.

Maria: As a sucker for romance and believing that true love really does exist, I am inclined to long-term relationships, more than dating many different people, having one-night stands etc. Don’t get me wrong, I am okay with people who choose that type “dating scene”, but for me? It all comes back to love and choosing that someone special in your heart and being with that person forever– if it’s the right one.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

6. Jane opened up to Ben about her reasons for being so resistant towards his belief in God. Do you think this relationship will be good for Jane?

Emily:  I don’t think their relationship is good for Jane. They clearly have different lifestyles and beliefs that will end up clashing with each other. It won’t work out the way Jane wants it to.

Kailee: I don’t know if Ben is the person for Jane, but he is definitely helping Jane understand herself more which is the most important thing. By being able to talk about deep things like this, it is a way to let out how she is feeling and get advice from someone else, not to mention how insanely smart Ben is. I think this is good for her.

Alex: I think this will be good for Jane, she is opening up like a sunflower to a person that she wants to be with. And I’m not saying that Pinstripe and Jane should have another moment together, but all in all, I think it’s good that they talk about it.

Sarah: I think it will be good for her because it will take her out of her comfort zone, which might lead to growth and healing from her mother’s death.

Maria: I think it’s too soon to tell. For now, it looks like Jane really likes Ben. They might disagree on this whole religious thing, but at least they talked about it, so it’s not gonna be that huge problem while moving forward into their relationship. I am interested to see how the writers will explore more of that in the future. Also, Pinstripe is back? What does that mean for Jane?

[wp_ad_camp_2]

7. Sutton’s feeling the pressure of wanting to fit in to get in. Do you think the path she’s about to head down is going to be beneficial or detrimental to her work?

Emily: The path she is going down will be detrimental for her work. It shouldn’t be about fitting in, it should be about doing the right thing. What she is doing right now could lead to some serious consequences.

Kailee: I think that making the connections is good, but she shouldn’t have to change who she is to do it. It is always fun to “play dress up” and “be someone else for the night” but when she has to do it constantly, it will get tiring. I think that the people in the industry will like Sutton for herself and not judge her for being different than they are.

Alex: I could say a bit of both. The Fashion industry is just as hard as the Media Industry (which I will be going for in college). If you don’t follow the trend you won’t be known. And if it’s too much to handle you’ll have a hard time fitting in and maybe even collaborating with different people in the industry.

Sarah: It definitely has potential to be very beneficial but if she doesn’t approach it carefully, it could lead to a dead end and be more of a headache.

Maria: I think, for sure, it’s gonna have some repercussions. Some things can be beneficial, and while she probably thinks that, what she is doing is justified by her desire to fit in and climb her way to the top, this is a TV show, those things always come back to bite you in the ass eventually. Brooke will play a major part in Sutton’s storyline this season, so let’s see how that unfolds.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

Leaving the past in the past may not have been the best idea

We’re a little concerned on the path Sutton’s been taking this season. She’s definitely on her A-game and killing it in the business, but she may be making a few mistakes that could set her back and provide her with bigger consequences. We hope she doesn’t get too deep into the mess that she can’t find her way out, but we have faith that Sutton will make it to the top one day.

Jane’s new relationship with Ben allowed her to open up about her mother. That’s a good sign, right? We’re not sure whether this relationship is needed at this time, but he is helping her see a different side of herself and that’s helping her writing. We didn’t see Jane getting comfortable with another guy so quickly, but we shall see how far this goes.

RELATED | The Bold Type Roundtable: The Complexities of Feminism and Racial

We’re still enamored by the realness of Kadena. Seeing both of these women be in this relationship and have different views of how it should go based off of experience is beautiful. Adena is always so eager to keep her relationship with Kat her own. She’s resistant to making it so public– that could hold an issue within itself. We love this mystery about her character though. It could mean that she’s hiding from something deeper, or she’s just used to these relationships, that she forgets that this is a completely new experience for Kat. They’re a wonderfully complicated couple, but they love each other wholly.

Next week, we step into some rocky waters as The Bold Type gives its take on privilege and diversity in the workplace. It’s sure to be a fantastic, uncomfortable, and enlightening episode!

The Bold Type returns Tuesday, July 5th on Freeform.