The Bold Type review: It’s all about reading between the lines

Relationships are all about speaking each other’s language. This week, it took a little longer for Kat, Jane and Sutton to figure out.

New relationships are exciting. But they’re also hard. In the early stages, you’re still figuring each other out. You’re discovering what you like, what you dislike, and how to communicate it all.

For Tia, failure to listen is a hard dislike. She told Kat that they should split up to canvas for the campaign, Kat didn’t listen. She told Kat not to lash out after they were racially profiled – a moment that was all too familiar, it was so gut-wrenchingly well written – and Kat didn’t listen.

In fact, Kat harped on Tia to send over the video of “Canvassing Cathy,” so much so that Tia caved simply out of spite.

Now, in fairness, Kat truly didn’t understand the issue with posting it. Since we met her way back in the pilot, her coping technique has been social media. It’s what makes her great at her job.

Fortunately, thanks to Patrick Duchand, Tia’s point is thrown into sharp reality. It’s a huge moment of growth for Kat, and this writer appreciates that it was neither rushed, nor a team effort. As wonderful as it is to see Kat, Jane and Sutton all work together to solve something, this was one Kat unfortunately had to process on her own.

Now she and Tia can move forward, a bigger power couple than ever – assuming Adena doesn’t get in the middle of things next week.

Kat isn’t the only one navigating a new relationship this week though. Jane is too. Well, of a sort.

Since Sutton moved in with Richard, Jane is hurting a bit on rent money. It’s New York, what do you expect? So, the hunt is on for a new roommate. Jane has her pick of the town, from a Snuggie collector, to an aspiring opera singer. But, much like Kat, Jane is oblivious to what her partner wants.

Ryan is about as subtle as a jackhammer when dropping hints that he wants to live with Jane. He’s been doing it since he first heard about Sutton leaving.

As a result, Jane chooses Alex. A pipe burst at his complex, and the ceiling came down. She can’t leave him out in the cold, and as a bonus, he brews a mean cup of coffee. He’s also pretty intuitive. “Ask Alex” may not exist anymore, but that doesn’t mean he’s not helpful.

Once Jane finally gets it, it’s time to talk to Ryan. As it turns out, Jane was also hopeful that Ryan and her could live together, just a bit further down the line. That’s why she picked Alex; he’s temporary.

I, for one, can’t wait to see a Jane/Alex mini-arc. There’s bound to be gold in there. But I am worried it might become a bit more than just the term of Ryan’s book tour.

By the end of the episode, he’s fielding calls from his agent, and Jane is diving back into the Pamela Dolan investigation. These two are getting very busy, very quickly, with the potential for a big payoff for both of them. Their final moments felt an awful lot like foreshadowing.

Then of course, there’s Sutton and Richard. They’ve had some stumbles this season, including tonight, but they are far and away the strongest couple when it comes to communication.

Richard explicitly tells Sutton he doesn’t want a birthday party, and doesn’t try to hide the fact that he’s stopped running with his friends.

He just doesn’t know how to cope with his feelings since losing his father. It provides a nice opening to slide in some backstory on Sutton and her father, and another chance for them to open up emotionally.

By the end of the night, each couple is happily in love. Let’s see what happens when Adena returns and Ryan leaves though, shall we?

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