Good Trouble review: One small step for women

Good Trouble was back on its normal grind this week with tons of Speckulate drama, awkward Judge Wilson conversations, and some Jesus Adams-Foster.

Last episode took a break from some of the heavy story lines this season has to offer. We got to see what the love lives looked like for all the girls in the coterie, and as much as I enjoyed the episode, I’m glad we’re back to the norm. “Byte Club” was satisfying on so many different levels and I’m excited to see where the story goes next.

“I didn’t know she had it in her.”

We focused a lot on Callie this week and her life in Judge Wilson’s office. It’s beginning to get a bit more confusing between her and her co-workers, especially since Jesus starts sleeping with Rebecca… Oh, and then brings her back to the Coterie to meet his sisters.

I am starting to see Callie and Rebecca become more friendly with each other, especially after they talked about sexual assault and how they’re both victims of it. It’s unfortunate that in our society, that’s sometimes what bonds two women together. I loved that Rebecca saw Callie’s point of view and changed her recommendation in favor of the woman in court. But I’m nervous about what Callie is going to tell Judge Wilson about the other judge Rebecca clerked for.

Is Callie going to tell Judge Wilson after Rebecca said she didn’t want to come forward? I respect the heck out of Callie and everything she stands for but that’s absolutely not her place to get involved.

I’m also interested by how much dirt Callie has on Judge Wilson. She seems to appear at the worst times when it comes to him talking to his son. Will she be able to help their relationship? Or will this just be added to the laundry list of dirt Callie has against people?

This poor girl has to live with a lot of dirt these days.

“It doesn’t really sound like you, Mariana. You’ve never been one to settle for scraps.”

Mariana Adams-Foster made giant strides this week. One small step for women, one giant step for womankind. I was literally sitting at the edge of my seat, gripping my girlfriend as the HR director called out Alex and the team for excluding Mariana on the new project. And then to find out that’s what Raj was going into her office for! A true ally. A great scene.

This seems like a pivotal point for the women of Speckulate. The thing I’ve always loved about Mariana is that she truly does not back down to anybody. She puts her money where her mouth is and she fights for what’s right. I’m intrigued to see how the last half of the series treats her and what happens next in the company.

Will the company find out about Byte Club? Will they begin to make changes when it comes to treating women better? Will Evan Speck get involved?

We saw some sort of a friendship blooming between Mariana and Evan but haven’t seen anything since. Will this become an integral part of the series? I hope so.

Jesus

Not entirely sure why we focused a lot on Jesus during “Byte Club.” To me, it kind of echoed the theme of the episode — that male stories out-amplify females. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Noah Centineo and I’ll always be happy that his face is gracing my screen but I’m confused why we spent so many scenes with him, and especially with his future business endeavors.

It did serve a purpose for Dennis’ story. I guess his ex-wife is dating one of his old friends, and that must hurt. I hope we focus on Dennis in the last half of the show. We’ve seen way too little of him.

It was hard to watch things come so easily for Jesus after seeing Callie and Mariana struggle for eight episodes. However, he made a good point at the end that he’s had struggles himself — his TBI, not going to college, passing the contractor license exam. I hope Centineo is in further episodes because I’m now invested in this tiny house project.

Final Thoughts

• I desperately missed Alice and Malika this episode. It truly feels like something is missing in the story when they’re not around. The promo for next week looks Alice-heavy though! Is she going to come out to her parents?!
• In an interview that Culturess did with Nicki Micheaux (Sandra Thompson) a few weeks ago, Micheaux states that episode 9 is one of her favorites in terms of the Jamal Thompson case so we have that to look forward to next week.
• Davia still sucks. Her character is getting worse and worse, and I don’t know how much more I can take of her. Bless Callie for calling her out about sleeping with a married man. She deserved that.
• Gael and Bryan are exclusive!? No.
• But Callie and Jamie in the bathroom of the bar!? Yes.
• The love triangle continues!

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