MUST WATCH!!!: The Bold Type +Brief Recap of First Four Episodes

Warning: SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED.

Summer vacation is passing by quicker than ever. With SDCC 2017 and the Shadowhunters 2B premiere already behind us (what?!?!) comes the inevitable binge watch of new shows. One new summer show in particular has caught my eye, and it just so happens to air on the same network as another show I have previously raved about on here.


The Bold Type focuses on the lives of three best friends: Jane Sloan, Kat Edison, and Sutton Brady. They work for Scarlet Mag, the hottest, trendiest women's magazine in the country. It sounds like the premise of Sex and the City, but it's so much better. While Scarlet may seem superficial and generic at a glance, its crew of intelligent, kickass writers and editors work just as hard to report on important political issues along with sex and fashion advice. The only male writer is a black man, women of color not only exist, but thrive, and powerful women maintain their power without being written as bitchy. The white male supporting characters are still mediocre, but at least they're semi-woke. (God, I hate calling them that, but so far, they've been openly supportive of the women they're around.) Each of the three mains face unique challenges, but always have each other to lean on.

Though only 4 episodes will have aired by the time I publish this, the show has already tackled so many important and poignant storylines. Although the way the writers "resolve" the issues can be a little simple-minded, because not everything always goes the way we want it to, I'm confident the show will begin to really find its footing as it goes along.

Jane, a newly promoted writer and main protagonist of the show, seems to have it all - almost. As the newest writer, she must find her own voice and niche in the magazine. She's already tackled a range of topics, from learning to deal with heartbreak to analyzing how a Congresswomen's clothing choice relates to her political decisions. (Honestly, I admire her motivation to write so much. I sure wish I had it.) What's so particular about Jane, though, is that she's never had an orgasm. In one of the most iconic scenes of the show (and there have already been many), Jane gets a yoni egg stuck up her vagina, and Kat must pull it out. I really wanted the writers to make Jane asexual, but she ends up getting out of her head enough to orgasm twice in one night! While I'm happy for her, I seriously doubt that a guy as boring and plain as Ryan, a writer working at competitor Pinstripe, could make her come. Whatever, I'll accept white mediocrity as long as I get my representation.

Kat, Scarlet's black social media director, must come to terms with her sexuality; though she has always been certain about being, in her own words (lol), a "proud hetero", meeting Adena, a Muslim lesbian, has her questioning herself. Just so everyone knows, Kadena is the interracial wlw ship with no white people I have been waiting for. Honestly, it's such a relief to be able to relate to queer WoC on screen. I am so excited to see their journey from friends to lovers, and how their individual struggles as women of color influence their relationship. We've already seen a little bit of just that, such as when Adena explains to Kat that wearing the hijab liberates her. Adena also ends up getting arrested in the Middle East for smuggling in vibrators, a sharp and sad reminder that homophobia and misogyny still exist in many societies of color. Kat is usually unashamedly bold and outspoken, but around Adena, she becomes soft. That girl is so in love, y'all; it's a relatable gay feeling. I really appreciate how neither Jane nor Sutton judge their friend for questioning her identity and support her wholeheartedly.

Kat's natural inability to be embarrassed or scared is one of the reasons people love her, but can also be her downfall. When misogynistic internet trolls leak her personal information, Kat learns that sometimes, all you can do is ignore the haters. When a xenophobic white man harasses Adena for wearing the hijab, Kat's first instinct is to punch him in the face, and she ends up in jail for it.

Sutton proudly works as an assistant to Lauren, Scarlet's executive editor. She's good at her job, too. The only problem is that she's been in the same position for years and yearns to move on like Jane and Kat have. Though she has a degree in finance, her secret yearning is fashion. Sutton's also sleeping with Richard, who's on Scarlet's Board of Directors. It's moved past a fling; they seem to genuinely care for each other and while I don't mind it, I have a bad feeling Richard is going to inevitably fuck up soon. Their relationship is too good to be true, especially since their positions are so far away from each other in terms of status. I think Sutton's character development has potential and that she's a badass, but one thing I didn't like was her throwing away the prospects of a stable job to chase a faraway dream. Though she had like a -1% chance of getting the position as Oliver's fashion assistant, especially since she has no fashion experience, she obviously gets it because the show needs to demonstrate that no dream is unattainable. It's nice, but unrealistic. I get that Sutton wouldn't have enjoyed the job working in ad sales and that it isn't fair that she had to go for it when her heart was obviously somewhere else, but sometimes you need to prioritize financial stability before dreams. It's harsh, but hey, they live in one of the most expensive cities in the world!!!!

The other supporting characters besides the ones already mentioned are Jacqueline, Scarlet's editor-in-chief and everyone's dream boss, and Alex, the black male writer who's also a great wingman and friend. I really appreciate that each of the three mains has a unique bond with Jacqueline, and would love to see more of Alex's talent and backstory.

What I really love most about The Bold Type besides my queer representation of color is how driven and open-minded everyone is. I honestly felt so empowered after watching the series premiere, feeling like I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. The fact that I can see fellow LGBT women of color simultaneously struggle to figure themselves out and succeed in circumstances set up for failure is very comforting, and am so excited to see what comes next. Honestly, from a network as bland as Freeform, I'm shocked to see such excellent content for queer PoC in ships like Malec and Kadena, the kings and queens of the gays. The two actually parallel each other quite well, and it makes me happy.

The show MUST get future seasons, so for those of you who aren't watching yet: DO IT!!!!!! You won't regret it.