Good Trouble review: The moms are back (and they’re stoned)!

The moms visited the coterie in Good Trouble’s fifth episode “Parental Guidance Suggested” and gave a little mama love to everyone. Here’s our review.

That episode went from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds. I found myself laughing one minute, and crying the next. It was fun and loving but also sad and emotional. It was everything I’ve ever loved about an episode from both The Fosters and Good Trouble.

The writers have a way to tell such an intricate and overlapped story that consistently keeps you on your feet and entertained, but never strays from hard-hitting and pertinent issues. I’ve always respected how they can take a “family drama” and turn it into something so political, and once again, they did exactly that during “Parental Guidance Suggested.”

The episode began with the moms accidentally eating cannabis cookies and getting stoned out of their minds but ended with the moms giving a little mama advice to everyone. Not only did Callie and Mariana need a visit from them, but the entirety of the Coterie did.

“I had a kid.”

This episode was different from others in the fact that we spent so much time diving into the stories of smaller characters. We heard more about Dennis. We saw this protective side to Davia. We know how Bryan feels about Gael. And we know the struggles that Malika is facing between living with Callie and trying to be loyal to Jamal’s mother. Although there was still a huge focus on Mariana and Callie, the writers utilized their own stories to put their Coterie mates in the spotlight this week.

My heart broke watching Stef and Dennis in the bathroom. We were able to see such a raw side of them both and it helps us to see Dennis’ side a little bit more. Even I, as a viewer, judged him for living at the coterie, wanting to be a rock star, and sleeping with all these younger women. I never even thought he would have a back story like that, and the fact that the writers worked it in is an ode to this show being such a good reality check.

Not only does it tackle racism and misogyny and really important political and societal issues, it’s also nudging you to remember that phrase we all learned in elementary school– never judge a book by its cover.

It’s important to remember all the little life lessons we’ve learned along the way, and this episode was a gentle reminder of that. I think it was only fitting that the moms were back for it. “Parental Guidance Suggested” was ultimately a metaphor for your past playing a significant role in your present.

They’re never wasting a character on this show. They’re constantly taking a minor character and teaching a small lesson that the viewers isn’t even realizing, and that’s what makes this show stand out from the rest.

“I’m not introducing him as anything, it’s not like we’re in a relationship.”

Yeah, right, Callie!!! Before I even begin to talk about Gael and Callie’s definite relationship, I need to praise Good Trouble‘s music team for making every single episode have the best soundtrack. Music can set the tone of any scene, and can truly change your emotions in a situation or setting. And the scene between Gael and Callie at the beginning of this episode was set to clearly make me feel something.

After five and a half seasons with these characters, I’ve never seen Callie be so passionate with someone. You could tell that they share something special but I can see that they’re both scared to fully commit.

Good Trouble has been rated as cable’s No. 1 scripted series for females 12-34, as proven by the recent news that it just got renewed for a season two. Looking at that demographic, I love how they included this story between Callie and Gael as one of the prominent themes.

Not only did they touch on the idea of bisexuality, but they’re showcasing a young woman in her mid-20s trying to juggle possibly being in love while also trying to establish her career. It’s that scary moment of wanting someone so badly but not knowing if they want the same, or not knowing if you can even handle the weight of being with them right now.

This is something anyone, male or female, can relate to, and I’m excited to see their story pursue.

“I hate my job.” “I hate mine too!”

Callie and Mariana needed a breakdown. They’ve been building up so much stress and dealing with so much; they needed a moment of vulnerability and anger and sadness to just break and say what they’ve been thinking the entire time.

They hate their jobs — no surprise there. But they’ve been burying so much of what they’ve been feeling since they moved in that it had to come out eventually.

This raw moment where they’re screaming at each other was bound to happen and it was nice that it happened while Stef and Lena were there. Moms have the ability to make everything better, and make it all seem okay, and they did that for their girls in that moment.

“We don’t stop being your mothers just because you grow up.”

This scene where Callie and Mariana were sitting with their moms after everything kind of blew up really stood out to me. Not just because they finally cracked and exposed everything that’s wrong right now, but because they felt they couldn’t go to their moms with any of it. They claim that they’re adults and they should be able to handle it.

I, myself, felt the exact same way after going out into “adulthood” when I graduated college. I never wanted to disappoint my parents or ask for help because I felt like it was my responsibility to fix everything.

But I wonder if Callie and Mariana feel like that even more so because they came from foster care. Do they think that now that they’re out of the house, they can’t rely on Stef and Lena like they once did while they lived there?

That’s why I loved this quote so much that they don’t stop being their mothers. Maybe they just needed to hear that.

“We don’t need more politicians who are trying to play it safe in the middle. We need people who are willing to fight for what’s right.”

I loved the moment between Lena and Malika sitting at the pool. While Lena isn’t necessarily a main character in this show, it was heartbreaking hearing about what happened while she was campaigning, and that she’s thinking of dropping out of the race because of it.

Malika has been a great addition to this group of characters because she pushes the boundaries and tests the limits. She was quick to tell Lena that if Elizabeth Eckford, a fifteen-year-old, can stand and endure the constant hate speech then she can too.

It was a good reminder for all of them, and all of us, to never stop fighting for what’s right.

Good Trouble airs Tuesdays on Freeform at 8/7 p.m. CT.