The Bold Type Review: Take the bull by the horns

Councilwoman Edison, Designer Brady and Detective Sloan – the ladies of The Bold Type have some exciting new adventures ahead of them.

It’s been far too long since we’ve gotten a rousing Jacqueline Carlyle speech.

In all honesty, we could probably use one every week, but we can’t be too demanding. So, until the  next one comes around, this week’s words will have to sustain us. They were pretty perfect – but isn’t Jacqueline’s advice always perfect?

In short: run toward what terrifies you. Take a leap of faith.

For Jacqueline, that means sticking with Scarlet. Admittedly, it’s hard to fathom that she would consider leaving, even for a moment. She’s been successfully running the place for a decade, and has never backed down. Sure, she paused for a moment with Jane’s story in Paris, but Jacqueline still ran it.

So why now, would she all of a sudden be threatened by someone like Patrick Duchand? In fact, it’s a beautiful reminder that even the strongest woman hits her limit.

As brief a lapse as it was, Jacqueline truly felt defeated. Everyone hits that moment – often more than once – and it was a moment well-used by the writers to remind us that not even Jacqueline Carlyle should be on a pedestal.

For Kat, Jane and Sutton, Jacqueline’s words hit home in a number of different ways.

With Kat, they were the final push into the decision to run for councilwoman of her district (just the tip). And with that, came a stroke of inspiration: using her potential weak points as her platform.

Admittedly, one of those points was a shocker; Kat Edison had an abortion. Neither Jane nor Sutton knew, despite being the queens of dropping things into conversation. It’s a delicate topic, and in true Bold fashion, one the writers handled with grace and respect.

A topic this big can’t be relegated to one episode though. It seems a safe bet that Kat’s abortion will resurface in the coming episodes, opening a much bigger dialogue.

Abortion wasn’t the only big issue discussed on The Bold Type this week. In the next few episodes, we’ll also be following a potential storyline of physical, emotional and mental abuse. Interestingly enough, it’s not coming in the form of an old romance.

It’s common for shows to tackle abuse in relationships. But The Bold Type isn’t common. They’ve managed to bring the issue to the forefront in a manner fitting to the show: fashion models.

After a rage date with some models, Jane hears rumors surrounding photographer Pamela Dolan. They’re discussed off the record but Jane is Jane. With something this serious, she wouldn’t let it go unchecked.

This could spell trouble for her though. If Oliver’s warning is to be believed, Pamela Dolan could take down not only Jane, but Jacqueline as well since she’s signed on to write with Jane. As ominous as it is, it will certainly be exciting to see this mentor/mentee pair-up.

Speaking of mentor/mentee pairings, what are we calling Sutton and Oliver? Soliver? Olivutton? We’ll flesh it out. Either way, they’re on fire.

Sutton is so close to really getting started on this designer path, she just needs Oliver’s recommendation. Unfortunately, she’s not great at handling creative, constructive criticism yet. But she’ll get there; and now that Dad Oliver is a thing, their interactions might be sweeter than ever.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be tough love every now and then though.

By the end of the episode, everyone’s ready to leap into the unknown, and it’s shaping up to be The Bold Type‘s best season yet.

The Bold Type airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Freeform