#The Bold Type Season 4 Episode 11 Review: Leveling Up

Change is inevitable. It’s how you respond to change that defines who you are. 

As we returned to Scarlet on The Bold Type Season 4 Episode 11, everything looked vastly different, but yet it was still the Scarlet we have come to know and love over these four seasons. 

How were our favorite Bold Babes handling all the change that is coming at them? Read on as we discuss! 

THAT is how you do a midseason premiere. “Leveling Up” was everything fans could have asked for and more. It was funny, heartwarming as hell, and if you are like me, you may have shed a tear or two by the end. 

Jane Sloan’s entire life was turned upside down during The Bold Type Season 4 Episode 10. She not only had to make the difficult decision to let go of the man that she loved, but she also was faced with undergoing a double mastectomy. 

Either of those alone would have been scary as hell for someone to go up against, but Jane showed just what a strong woman she is. 

The opening sequence was absolutely beautiful.

Watching Jane progress from her initial days of coming home from the hospital to starting her exercises to rehab herself to finally being able to raise her arm to shoulder level all with zero dialogue was touching and understated.

The Bold Type has shown time and time again how poignant and powerful the quietest moments can be. This was just yet another incredible example of this. 

The writers faced a tough decision having to decide whether to allow Jane’s recovery to play out in real-time or skip past it all together, and this was the perfect middle ground. 

Jane had very little time to process her emotions over losing a part of herself and replacing it with something that didn’t feel like her before she is back in the world of Scarlet. 

Of course, work is the perfect distraction, but when you already aren’t feeling quite like yourself, and you are trying to embrace a new role, it all can be a little much.

Jane getting her own vertical is a dream, but I’m sure she wouldn’t have minded another month to prepare to launch it. It all felt like it moved extremely quickly. It was no wonder she was feeling the enormous weight of it all bearing down on her.

Who gives someone only a week to get back into the swing of things, hire a writing staff, and launch a vertical with said new writers? I get it says a lot about the amount of faith that Jacqueline has in Jane. She would never give her employees more than she thinks they can handle, even if they don’t realize it. 

Jane isn’t going to be magically over her discomfort with her two new friends overnight, but the pep talk from the woman interviewing her to join The Bell was a start. Once Jane has time to breathe, she can start to cope with her feelings.

Here’s to hoping that Pinstripe doesn’t derail her healing. 

I guess it was too much to expect that Pinstripe would just magically disappear overnight. As much as I loved Ryan last season, him lying about the extent of his cheating taints his character. 

It has never been a question of whether or not he loves Jane, but Jane has to be able to trust him, and he shattered that trust. She needs to move on with her life, and can’t do that while he is texting her. If he truly loves her, he will let her go.

We haven’t seen the last of Pinstripe, but hopefully, he stays away long enough to give Jane time to heal. 

Kat is dealing with her fair share of change. 

Since we have met Kat, she has been extremely driven and goal-oriented. You have to be to become the head of a department at a large publishing firm by the ripe age of 25. 

Just below the surface, though, there is a free spirit lurking, and we finally got to see her embrace that side of herself. 

I can’t say that I would have guessed that when Kat was embracing her inner Walter White that it was for a protest, but watching her being taken away by the security, it was impossible not to feel like Kat was completely in her element. 

It’s too bad her parents aren’t as appreciative of Kat exploring her activist side. While it is understandable that her parents don’t want to give her a free ride, she got fired from a job for a serious offense.

It wouldn’t be surprising for her to have difficulty finding a job after that. They could have given her a little bit more time to get her life together and figure things out.

Only in the world of television would Kat be able to decide to look for a job and get an interview pretty much the next day after being terminated. Thank god she didn’t take it, though.

Aside from the fact that she would have to suppress a huge part of herself by having to silence her political side, can anyone imagine Kat working for a glorified furniture company?

Spin it all you want, but you are selling couches, not “self-care.” Kat could never be satisfied at a place like that.

Kat moving in with Jane is the perfect solution. She gets out from under her parent’s thumb and allows her the freedom to take a job that is more satisfying for her soul, even if it is less satisfying for her wallet. 

Would anyone else love to see Kat start her own nonprofit agency? With her knack for social media, the clout she gained while working for Scarlet, and her powerful voice, she would be an unstoppable force.

Jane and Kat may have been struggling, but Sutton was straight up flourishing in her new role. 

Sutton is killing it as a Stylist, but is that a surprise? Sutton was born to do this. What is even better is the fact that Sutton isn’t losing herself in the process. 

When Sutton quickly believed what Olivia told her about Mara and took it at face value, it was hard not to be disappointed in her. She quickly turned it around when she let her own experiences to help her make up her mind about her. 

Sutton not only managed to pull off an insanely gorgeous impromptu reshoot, but she helped to pave the way for Mara to repair her reputation. If that isn’t an extremely Sutton move, I don’t know what is. 

I guess that it is a good thing that Sutton has her professional life under control because her personal life is throwing her a curveball. 

It was obvious that Sutton would realize she is possibly pregnant, but that didn’t stop me from squealing when she finally said it out loud.

It isn’t a guarantee that she is pregnant, but that could be an exciting way to shake things up for all of the Bold Babes.

Other thoughts: 

•  Alex was the true MVP of this episode. How amazing of him to stay in the apartment two months longer than he needed to so that he could be there for Jane during his recovery. Here is to Alex FINALLY being done justice as a character.

• Jacqueline and Ian being in therapy, may or may not have caused my eyes to roll out of my head. I just can’t manage to get back on board with these two. 

Over to you, Fanatics! 

Did you love the midseason premiere as much as I did?

Which Bold Babe’s storyline makes you the most excited?

Hit up the comments below and watch The Bold Type online at TV Fanatic to get caught up! 

Meaghan Frey is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.