#The Bold Type Season 4 Episode 15 Review: Love

No love story is the same. Love comes in all shapes and forms and feels different every time. 

On The Bold Type Season 4 Episode 15, all types of love were explored as our favorite characters navigated through their own love stories. 

Did any of their stories have a happy ending, or did heartbreak reign supreme? Read on as we discuss in our review! 

The format of this episode worked perfectly. Not only was it a great way to allow all of the show’s core romantic relationships to progress leaps and bounds in a single episode, but it also allowed for a fantastic build-up of tension for the final act. 

Kat and Eva are a controversial pairing. Eva has sparked a heated debate among fans. Many feel that her character has no place on the show, and by pairing her with Kat, it brings down Kat’s character. 

As I discussed in my review of The Bold Type Season 4 Episode 14, I do not hold the same opinion. 

We have only begun to scratch the surface of Eva’s character. The reveal that she is a lesbian suggests that everything else that Kat felt that she knew about Eva could be false. 

A lot of the arguments against Eva’s character stems from the fact that her father supports conversion therapy. Some fans do not feel that Eva can be supportive of her father unless she shares the same views. 

What if Eva was subjected to conversion therapy herself, though? Eva made it clear to Kat that she is not in the closet, so it seems entirely possible that her father is aware of her sexuality. 

This could explain a lot of Eva’s rough exterior. An experience like that would harden her. It could also make her more likely to conform to her father’s ideals to help protect herself. 

Kat and Eva are not likely to turn into a long term relationship, but they could both stand to learn a lot from each other. 

Eva could help Kat be more open to the views of others that she doesn’t agree with, while Kat could help Eva become her true self that we have caught tiny glimpses of throughout the back half of The Bold Type Season 4. 

Some relationships are meant to be a lesson, not meant to last a lifetime. 

Kat and Eva aren’t the only ones who don’t seem like they will make it in the long run.

Alex and Alicia are an incredible pairing, but they just aren’t compatible. 

Alex’s initial avoidance of a relationship with Alicia because he didn’t want to be with a strong, independent woman was the wrong choice.

Alex needed to understand that it is okay for a woman not to be reliant on a man. It gives him a chance to grow as a person. However, I was bothered by Alicia’s reaction when Alex didn’t defend her.

Alex is trying to be the man that Alicia wants and needs, so he fought his instincts to teach the drunk douche bag a lesson. That Alicia then turned around and said she kind of liked that Andrew defended her honor and wished Alex had done the same confused him.

Alex shouldn’t have to keep trying to change himself to be what Alicia wants, just like Alicia didn’t need to change herself to be what Alex wants. 

Alex needs to find someone who appreciates who he is, while also bringing out the best in him. Is it weird that I kind of want to see how a Jane and Alex pairing would work? 

I am the first person to say that we need more platonic male-female friendships on television, but I could make an exception in this particular situation.

Then again, my extreme, adverse reaction to the possibility of Scotty2Hotty and Jane getting together might cloud my judgment. 

When they revealed Scott and Jane’s segment of the show as the “First Love” storyline, and we meet Kim, his childhood friend, I assumed that she was going to be his first love. Instead, my worst nightmare came to life. 

It is incredibly ballsy of Scott to make a move on his boss, even if it was only verbal. It puts Jane in a horrible position. 

Jane can turn him down and make things incredibly awkward between the two of them, and possibly make him want to quit out of embarrassment, or she could start having a fling with him and put her job in jeopardy. It is a lose-lose situation. 

Even if Jane and Scott are a less than ideal romantic pairing, they make an incredible team, and it would be a shame for that to end. 

Their investigative piece on Kim and her coworkers’ unjust firing is going to be an amazing piece of journalism. Jane needs someone like him in her corner.

Also, the fact that Scott even remotely agreed with companies hiring fewer women to help prevent #MeToo situations shows, yet again, that he is way more failing than actual feminists. 

Hopefully, they will both come to their senses.  

Jacqueline and Ian’s continued struggle to rebuild the foundation of their relationship is refreshing. If they had tied up everything up nice and neat with a pretty bow, it would have felt inauthentic to Jacqueline and The Bold Type as a show. 

Watching them have a passive-aggressive fight while playing tennis felt so symbolic. Since rekindling their relationship, they have been in a constant match of wills, desires, and insecurities. 

Ian opening up to Jacqueline about not feeling heard by her, and her need always to be right was a huge step for him. 

A big reason that their marriage collapsed in the first place is that he was dishonest and didn’t share with her how he felt until it was too late. By being honest, he is giving them another chance to work on their issues.

The two may be the “Rekindled Love” segment, but it is clear that they also belong under the “Unconditional Love” segment. 

Yes, they have their problems, but they are willing to overcome them, no matter what they may be, which isn’t something that can be said for the “Unconditional Love” pairing anymore. 

When the bartender spoke about Suttard’s love seeming unconditional, I wholeheartedly agreed with her. Everything we have seen them overcome up until this point has made it seem that way.

After watching Richard lay into Sutton about all of the sacrifices he has made for her, it became far too evident that it was not actually the case.

You can’t build a successful relationship when you’re holding a host of grudges. There is no stability in that. A relationship like that is fragile and set to implode at any given moment. We just didn’t realize that described their relationship.

Richard had put on the best front. He had fooled all of us. The man who supported Sutton so she could follow her dreams and was there for her through every one of her struggles was silently keeping receipts of every single thing he ever gave up for her.

It was like looking at a stranger as Richard painted a horrible picture of their relationship. The sweet Richard we had come to know and love was gone, but was he ever really there to begin with?

It was unfortunate that to build up Sutton, they had to destroy Richard’s character.

Since The Bold Type Season 4 Episode 14, fans have expressed sympathy for Richard, and many have been on Richard’s side.

Richard’s reaction makes it difficult to continue along that path.

Of course, he is allowed to be hurt, and he should not have to give up his dream of being a father for anyone, but blaming Sutton for every choice he has made for her is not the way to go.

We all make our own choices. You don’t get to throw those choices in the other person’s face later on.

Richard was not required to make any sacrifices for Sutton. He chose to make every single one that he did. That is what you do in a relationship, though. You make compromises to make the relationship work and make it stronger.

While watching the two of them fighting, you could almost see the stark contrast between the two.

While the furniture, the lighting, and Richard himself were shrouded in darkness, Sutton was light and bright. The two have never felt so out of place together.

Their relationship felt over the second that argument ended. Richard couldn’t put those truths back in the box. That was solidified as soon as they reunited in the apartment.

So much can be said without a word ever needing to be spoken. A touch or a look can convey everything.

At that moment between Richard and Sutton, there was desperation; the desperation to hang onto what they had for one more moment before it all slipped away from them and reality set in.

Suttard is over. Even writing that sentence feels unreal.

In so many ways, their relationship has felt like an anchor. While all the relationships around them fell to pieces, they have stood tall among the wreckage.

Even in their separation, when Sutton chose her career over them, you always knew they would find their way back to each other. This is different.

There was a finality that you could feel the second they embraced each other. Their love story is over.

To say that this was the most devastating moment so far on The Bold Type would be an understatement. The second I saw Richard’s face as he hugged Sutton, I was a blubbering mess and didn’t stop crying until after the credits rolled. 

The silence during the credits in place of the usual upbeat music added to the somber mood that left a sense of numbness in its wake. 

Sutton will get past this. She will become stronger and thrive in her career, but nothing will ever be the same for her moving forward. She just lost the man that she and the audience thought was the love of her life.

By ending such a significant relationship four seasons in, it will be nearly impossible to replace it. Hopefully, instead of trying to replace Richard with a new love interest, they allow Sutton to focus on her career. 

Over to you, Fanatics! 

How are you feeling after this heavy episode?

Do you think there is any hope for Suttard to reconcile, or do you think this is the end? 

Which was your favorite of the love stories?

Hit the comments section with your thoughts, and watch The Bold Type online at TV Fanatic! 

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