This season of The Bold Type has made us think about a lot of relatable issues, ranging from disagreements with friends about gun ownership and white privilege to potential health issues like Jane’s BRCA status. It’s also shown us that relationships can be, well, messy. On last week’s episode, “Trippin’,” Sutton, Jane and Kat took a road trip to Sutton’s hometown in Pennsylvania to try and get Sutton’s birth certificate, which she needs before she can leave for Paris. We meet Sutton’s mom and learn more about Sutton’s upbringing, while also seeing Kat struggle with her open relationship and seeing Jane fall deeper into a love triangle.
Here are some of the messiest relationship moments we saw on “Trippin’.
1. When Jane gets drunk with Pinstripe
Jane is still struggling to process what her BRCA mutation diagnosis means for her future. When Ben sends her medical information about fertility, she doesn’t really appreciate it. It stresses her out, so instead of going over the information, she decides to get drinks with Pinstripe when she runs into him. Of course, we all know that Jane and Pinstripe’s (Ryan) relationship is not exactly platonic. Ryan just keeps showing up and being there for Jane every time she’s freaking out about something, so obviously things are about to get complicated. Later, when Jane is drunk during the road trip, she tells Kat and Sutton that sometimes she feels like Ryan gets her more than Ben does. Yikes.
2. When Sutton runs into Billy
When Sutton goes to a bar in her hometown to find her mom, she sees not much has changed (people from small towns can definitely relate to this). This is further proven by the fact that the guy she used to have a thing with is still there, and still flirting with her and her friends. The look on Sutton’s face is exactly how we feel when we run into former hookups or ex-SOs that we would much rather avoid.
3. When Kat flirts with the bartender
The bartender starts hanging out, then making out, with Kat. Kat, being in an open relationship with Adena that allows her to explore her sexuality, is into it at first, and when the bartender asks her if she wants to get out of the bar, she says yes. Kat’s mood shifts when she looks at her phone and sees a bunch of negative comments about Scarlet’s relaunch on social media. Feeling stressed, she calls Adena. She realizes that an open relationship and sex with an attractive stranger are not what she wants anymore. She misses Adena and doesn’t like how this open relationship is taking away from their time together.
4. When Ben initiates bathroom sex
After returning to the city, Jane meets up with Ben, apologizes for how she acted in response to his medical information and tells him that she’s decided to freeze her eggs. Ben says he has to go to work, and it seems like this interaction will end there, but then Ben says he’s always wanted to try something and gestures toward the bathroom. The two of them aren’t even very discrete. They just go into the bathroom at the same time, which, you know, is totally cool and fine, but maybe a little expected from Ben, who kind of gives off puppy-like vibes sometimes. Bold move, Ben.
5. When things get real between Jane and Pinstripe
Jane runs into Pinstripe yet again, so we know things are about to get real messy (There has to be a reason Pinstripe keeps appearing. He’s seriously everywhere). On this episode, Pinstripe calls Jane by her first name on more than one occasion, when he normally calls her by her last name. Jane points it out more than once, but in this scene she says, “When you call me Jane, it makes it sound like you’re serious about me.” (Really, Jane? These are your standards for serious? We can relate though, honestly.) Pinstripe replies with, “Maybe I am,” then walks away. *Mic drop* In previous episodes, Jane denied that she was part of a love triangle but now, it’s escalating quickly. She can no longer reasonably deny that Ryan is into her and we have to wait until tonight to see just how messy this situation gets.