Can’t Miss Episode of the Week: ‘The Bold Type’ Series Finale Is an Emotional Triumph

Welcome to our weekly column Can’t Miss Episode of the Week! Every Saturday we’ll be spotlighting a different episode of television from that week that we thought was exceptional and a must-see. Check back to see if your favorite show got the nod — or to learn about a new one!

Emergency meeting in the fashion closet! Freeform’s beloved drama The Bold Type, about three female best friends trying to make it in the New York media scene, and specifically at the fictional Scarlet Magazine, has come to a close, and it gave us all of the feels. The series finale, which aired Wednesday night, wrapped up a rather off-putting, shortened final season by correcting a lot of wrongs, and being completely on point emotionally.

We’re not sure at which point you teared up, but you probably did right? The episode has many moving scenes, including when Richard (Samuel Page) and Sutton (Meghann Fahy) get back together. Driving this fan-favorite couple apart was not one of the show’s better decisions. Thankfully, the reunion could not be sweeter, with Sutton reading aloud to Richard the love letter she wrote for him, and him responding by asking her if she would “not divorce” him,” marriage proposal style.

They’re not the only couple getting a happy ending this episode, with Kat (Aisha Dee) and Adena (Nikhol Boosheri) deciding to commit to each other for good. It’s been a little tiring watching these two breakup so many times, so it’s a relief to hear Kat admit that Adena’s “her person,” and she’s going to stop sabotaging their relationship. But that’s not even the thing we’re most excited about with Kat (more on that in a moment).

If there’s any storyline that really wasn’t working this season, it’s been Jane (Katie Stevens) being offered the editor-in-chief job. It’s bad enough that Jane’s clearly so unqualified for this position, and adding a subplot about how Jane’s such a bad manager is an even bigger disconnect. In one of the episode’s more self-aware moments, Jane admits that she’s not really managing material. Jane’s a writer, and it’s good to see her reconnect with her roots.

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This brings us back to Kat. After giving Jane a lot of help with her pitch to the board, Jane and current editor-in-chief Jacqueline (Melora Hardin) realize that the perfect person for the job has been standing in front of them all this time. Kat’s still extraordinarily young for the job (what can I say, this is a TV fantasy land that’s not meant to be realistic), but she’s certainly more qualified than Jane. Even more so, Kat being a queer black woman in the top job is monumental. Again, this episode is surprisingly self-aware, and Jacqueline admits that she only chose Jane for the position because Jane reminds her of herself. Kat is the more progressive choice to take the publication in the direction that it needs to go, and after being stuck in that bartending job for far too long, we’re thrilled to see her get her flowers.

Sure, there are plenty of things that don’t make the most sense in this episode (Since when is Jane so interested in travel, and why is she abandoning her vertical? Why is Oliver getting back together with his atrocious ex? Are Sutton and Richard really just going to kick the can down the road in terms of whether they’re going to have kids?), but it very smartly invests in pulling on our heartstrings with these characters we’ve loved so much, right down to that one last meeting in the sacred fashion closet.

(Freeform/Jonathan Wenk)

Other observations that we thought made this episode stand out:

• Ryan (A.K.A. Pinstripe, played by Dan Jeannotte) returns, and he and Jane have a sweet moment without teasing any sort of romantic reunion (because that would’ve been disastrous).
• Jane and Kat haven’t been the most supportive of Sutton’s new sobriety, but this episode they bring alcohol-free champagne (can we please just call it what it is, which is sparkling grape juice) to toast with. We love to see it.
• The suit Kat is wearing when she gets offered the editor-in-chief position is possibly one of the best outfits we’ve seen come out of this fashion-forward series.