The Bold Type Series Finale: Hits & Misses

The Bold Type, a glossy show about three Millenial women working at a women’s magazine in a Manhattan highrise, has come to an end after five seasons. While the fourth season was a bit of a mess, the show managed to build a solid viewership and carry on, sometimes powered solely by the incredible chemistry between its three leads. Kat, Jane, and Sutton became a new iteration of young and restless #girlboss women navigating work, life, and love against a perfectly saturated and always aesthetically pleasing backdrop of New York City. They would raise and resolve such fundamental issues as gun control or white privilege in a matter of one episode, all while drinking tequila and snapping selfies. Now that the show is over, it’s time to reflect on what worked and what did not work as well in the finale. (Spoilers ahead).

Hit: Kat’s ending

Kat got both the dream job and the girl! Although sure, I do not think we have ever seen her write anything, her last job was bartending at a social club, and now she is editor-in-chief of Scarlet Magazine. This is precisely the type of unrealistic plot twists we are here for. Also, a young bisexual Black editor-in-chief? This is exactly what the all-white board of Scarlet needs in these turbulent PC times. Kat also got back together with her first girlfriend, Adena. She is ready to open up her heart and commit to a mature relationship. Growth!

Miss: Don’t Turn Away ending up at Scarlet

Does Kat’s digital platform that advocates for social justice becoming a part of a big corporation make sense plot-wise? Yes. Does it accurately represent the reality of how progressive social justice initiatives end up getting a platform and a necessary budget? Also yes.

Hit: Sutton’s ending

Sutton, arguably the most charismatic one of the main trio, has been going through it this season. A few months after they got married, she and her older handsome, rich husband Richard found out that they have very different views on having children. The breakup and healing journey ensued. Honestly, watching a woman feeling relieved about not being pregnant and deciding she does not want to have children was quite refreshing. This is why I was terrified that the show’s writers would make Sutton change her mind for Richard (who started a whole adoption process like a month after moving out). Thankfully, it is Richard who changes his mind and chooses Sutton over having children in the end. I would not bet my money on this being a completely healthy thing that will not backfire ten years down the road. The chemistry between Sutton and Richard makes it a worthy ending anyway.

Miss: Jane’s ending

Jane is a genius writer. This was the show’s line from the get-go. Jane was also always obsessed with Jacqueline. Becoming the new editor-in-chief of Scarlet was her ultimate dream. Until it wasn’t, Jane backing away from an incredible career opportunity because she does not like the business side of running a magazine may be an acceptable plot twist. Her deciding, once again, that she is too comfortable at Scarlet and she needs to go get new adventures makes less sense.

Nonetheless, this is what Tiny Jane does after she finds an old picture of her mother in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The whole searching for more narrative feels a bit too repetitive and counterintuitive for Jane, who has just started building a reputation for herself and her vertical. Did Jane not do a similar thing in the early seasons and then ended up coming back to Scarlet, saying that this is where she belongs? But who has ever in the history of cinema found a picture of their parent in Paris and not immediately dropped everything to follow their footsteps?

Miss: Pinstripe’s leather jacket

Ryan from Pinstripe came back to remind us how badly the showrunners tended to choose love interests for Jane throughout the series. He is still wearing that leather jacket. Remember that handsome doctor Ben whom Jane dumped for Pinstripe? Eh.

Hit: Everyone else’s ending

Oliver is happily in love as he starts dating his ex Jasper, with whom they share custody of Jasper’s daughter. Sage has her own vertical, and I would like to imagine she continues to have a wild non-monogamous sex life. Good for her. Alex is single-handedly tackling toxic masculinity at Pinstripe. Andrew now has a better salary, although it is unclear how he will deal with Jacqueline’s retirement.

Miss: Jacqueline’s send-off

The legendary editor-in-chief of Scarlet did not get many or barely any accolades at her last Scarlet party. Andrew did not even cry. However, we did get a slide show that showed that apparently Jacqueline only takes pictures with Sutton, Kat, and Jane. Well, it is nice to know that she will now have more time to spend with her husband, kids, and dog at their ginormous apartment overlooking Manhattan. 

Hit: Fashion closet goodbye

Scarlet’s colorful fashion closet filled with rows of clothes and sparkly jewelry became an iconic setting for the series. After it served as a meeting place for the main trio throughout the seasons, it is only fitting that the last scene also took place there.