Good Trouble Season 1 | Episode 13 “Vitamin C” Review

I love a good season finale that wraps everything up in a nice bow. The season one finale of Good Trouble does just that… well, for the most part. Nearly every conflict and/or plot of the season or last few episodes gets resolved. We learn Dennis’ fate. Alice finally moves on. Davia makes a big decision. Malika and her brother put their difference of opinions aside. Mariana takes a stand and risks her career. The only one that still seems to be conflicted in her decisions is Callie, which isn’t new for her as fans of The Fosters probably noticed. I’m just glad there’s a season two to look forward to this summer. Until then, let’s dive into the season one finale.

Dennis’ Fate

So not to leave all you Dennis fans hanging in worried anticipation like the episode does, let’s start with his fate. Episode 12 left off with Dennis seemingly about to put an end to his sadness and grief permanently after leaving a heartbreaking voicemail for his ex-wife. After trying to get a hold of him the entire episode, he finally calls Davia back and she goes to him. Instead of driving himself off a cliff, which is what he’d originally planned to do, he’s checked himself into a 48-hour psychiatric hold. He ultimately felt like ending his life would be dishonoring his late son, who fought so hard to live. Ugh! His conversation with Davia rips my heart out. He’s able to be honest and open with her, and she’s able to advise him not to keep his grief bottled up inside and comfort him by saying there are so many people who care about him, including her. She admits that if anything were to happen to him, there would be this huge void in her life. Man, oh man! I know this is supposed to be like a really heartfelt moment and whatnot, but did anyone else get the feeling that there could be something more between these two in the future? Davia later covers for him at the Coterie by saying he went on road trip, so Dennis might be leaning on her heavily in season 2. We’ve all seen where the comfort of a friend can lead to on tv. So, what do y’all think? Are we shipping Dennis and Davia?

Accepting Yourself

On what is supposed to be Sumi and Meera’s wedding day, Sumi abruptly calls off the wedding… via text! Dang, Sumi, that’s harsh! I mean, not marrying someone you don’t love because you’re in love with someone else is understandable, but still. Ouch. She and Alice have a chat, and, unfortunately for Sumi, Alice finally realizes that she really isn’t in love with her anymore, but she will continue to be her best friend. Alice is moving forward from more than just her feelings for Sumi, she’s moving forward in learning to accept who she is as well. Joey decides to end things after Alice’s parents make a surprise visit and she introduces Joey as Joanna, a Coterie roommate. She didn’t just base the decision on that factor alone, though. She’s realized that Alice hasn’t accepted herself as being gay yet, and that’s not fair to either of them. In my opinion, this break up is probably the best thing that could have happened to Alice. Why? Because she gets up the courage to finally call her parents and come out to them. To her surprise, though, they assume she’s crying because she loved Sumi and Sumi got married. They’ve known this whole time and have just been waiting on Alice to tell them. They assure Alice that they love and accept her no matter what, and it’s a really beautiful scene.

Letting Go

Malika and Dom’s mom has had a brain aneurism, causing Malika to miss the protest she’s worked so hard on. She has to be there for her brother, who is struggling to let go and take their mom off life support. After overhearing a conversation between Davia and her homeless student’s father, Malika realizes what she has to do. She tells Dom that she understands why their mom did what she did when they were younger and assures him that he was a good son, which encourages him that it’s okay to let their mom go. Amidst being the strong one for Dom, Malika doesn’t break down in tears until Sandra (Jamal Thompson’s mom) shows up in her room and says that it’s okay to lean on people. Even after this heartbreak, Malika may get some happiness in season 2. Isaac shows back up and Dom accepts her invitation graduation.

“I did it.”

Mariana’s about to make her mark at Speckulate with her new app, but is she willing to risk it all to fight for equal pay? You bet she is – after some consideration, of course. Angela gives Mariana the salaries with no strings attached because she wants change at Speckulate, but she wants Mariana to keep her name out of it because she has two kids and can’t risk her job. Once the spreadsheet is leaked, Josh and Angela hold a staff meeting. Josh does most of the talking, demanding that whomever leaked the information come forward because it is a PR nightmare. One girl suggests just fixing the PR problem by fixing the pay gap, but instead Josh puts all the blame on Angela and starts fires her because she’s the head of HR and shouldn’t have allowed this gap to happen. Before he can finish his sentence, though, Mariana stands up and takes the blame, “I did it. I hacked into HR and posted the salaries online.” Followed by Casey (who had changed her mind about posting the spreadsheet), the rest of BYTE Club and Raj. To make things better, right when Evan walks into the meeting and asks what’s going on, multiple women expose Josh for trying to kiss them. Thank God because this guy is just as annoying as Alex.

Regarding Mariana’s app, Evan is still completely on board. Before everything went down, he mentioned building a team for her and even an assistant. However, while having to take the stairs to work, she overhears Alex and another co-worker talking about her app and how it’ll be another “Amanda” situation, and Mariana starts to think that these rumors are true. In both of her conversations with Evan, it does seem a little flirty on his part, but I also wonder if he’s just being nice and is actually interested in her ideas. Am I just being naïve? She admits to him that she was the one who released the spreadsheet and says that maybe it’s time for her to move on from Speckulate. She could start a Crowd Fund Me page for her app. Evan really doesn’t want her to leave, but ultimately leaves the decision up to her. However, her app will have to stay because any of her ideas while under contract with Speckulate, belong to him. Dang. Now Mariana’s stuck in this sticky situation. Should she leave her brilliant idea behind or stay at a place where she may not feel comfortable anymore to watch it succeed?

Decisions

Callie has two major decisions to make. The first one being a question that’s lasted all season: Jamie or Gael? She’s currently dating Jamie, who’s fantastic for her and probably the easier choice (also my choice for her). He’s really there for her, especially when it comes all her work drama. He’s the only one who can really understand the technical side of it all. Then there’s Gael, who recently broke up with Bryan for her. He confesses that he should have fought harder for her and that he’s never felt this way about anyone before. So, who does she choose? No one. At least not yet. She has this weird, intense tango dream sequence with the two guys – plus side, they all clean up really well -, but ultimately doesn’t decide. For a minute, I thought maybe she’d choose herself, but nope.

Also in this tango dream sequence? Malika and Judge Wilson. Weird, right? But this part has to deal with her deciding to stay loyal to her career or to her beliefs concerning the Jamal Thompson case. After learning the inside scoop on an officer involved being told it’s cheaper for the department to let police shooting victims die, Callie has the opportunity to steal the officer’s case file that Wilson is holding hostage. Ultimately, she chooses not to, which shows how much Callie has grown since The Fosters. However, the file gets sent to her at the Coterie anonymously. All episode, she debates (literally with herself) if she should release it or not. By the end of the episode, though, it’s made to believe that she did release it because Jamal’s side has it as evidence. Of course, this throws a pickle into the trial and puts it on recess for the time being. The question is, did Callie release the file or did someone else? If so, who?

Notable Mentions

• Davia decides that she’s not moving to Wisconsin to be with Jeff. Instead, she’s signing on for another year at Teach for America and is going for her Masters in teaching. BUT! Jeff shows up saying that he left his wife!
• Mariana kisses Raj!

Season 2 of Good Trouble premieres June 18^th on Freeform!

Featured Image: SpoilerTV