Mariana is in hostile territory!
Some more surprising developments emerged on Good Trouble Season 5 Episode 2, while we remain in the dark about other matters that have seemed pressing.
Catching up with Callie is enough to set the fandom ablaze, and the hour certainly made proper use of Maia Mitchell’s guest-starring.
The series’ tone has significantly shifted, something that we still get a sense of with the more solemn opening credits, the opposite of the happy-go-lucky diddly we’ve been accustomed to over the years.
The stories have been dark and bordering on melancholic, but they’ve given some light and peeks at the other side of the tunnel, which may be enough to strike some balance.
It feels promising that Alice’s hour-long arc trying to figure out who dared to disparage her name as the housing manager at the Coterie had such a promising result.
The Coterie is always at its best when we see this batch of individuals being each other’s friends and family, navigating life and its obstacles together.
In many ways, over the years, Coterie gathers have been far and few between, the communal element losing some of its grip on the series in favor of more insular storytelling with a select couple of characters navigating personal issues alone or with only a few.
Davia: We had to move the bed to do the aerobics.
Malika: Mmm. That bed has been moving a lot lately.
The isolated storytelling can have its perks, but it also detracts from what the series has been at its core, and with a simple promise of becoming better, not forgetting the Coterie while chasing dreams and solving problems, it feels like we’ll get the best of what the Coterie has to offer in the near future.
Sometimes, it has been like many characters were strangers in the night, crossing paths on their way to the refrigerator or the door, off to lead the other parts of their life with their biggest support system none the wiser of what’s happening.
And they touch base with each other for bigger things, the occasional celebration or event, obligatory, in a way, but lacking that wholesomeness and fun that the series would deliver with random Coterie parties, family dinners, and nights out on the town.
If we’re getting more of that rather than less, there will be so much more to look forward to.
It also gives them a chance to revisit some of the dynamics and strong friendships or explore entirely new ones, especially with new characters like Joaquin and Luca, who have been relatively relegated to interacting with the same couple of people.
Alice hasn’t done anything wrong. She’s been laser-focused on her career, Sumi by her side offering support and other things. And that’s been OK, if not one of the prime examples of the isolated storytelling pitfall.
However, it will be a blast to see Alice in the fold more, interacting with the other characters and managing this community, upholding the message and very idea of what this living space should be about when everyone learns of it.
Their awareness of this was reflected when Alice didn’t even know that Denvia was a thing, even though the two were poorly banging each other all over the house.
Davia: We are not just screwing. We’re in love.
Alice: This is so exciting. This is amazing. Finally. To Denvia.
And this communal message even extends to Callie. For one, Mariana always had an easier time blending into the Coterie. Still, it speaks volumes that in such a time of need, Mariana only had her sister to turn to with all of this truly, and hopefully, the season will explore and rectify that a bit.
Callie’s joke about the value she’s offered as the in-house lawyer was on the nose and aware since that was the extent of her time in the Coterie and her few relationships fostered with the other characters.
She can come back to things now and not only joke about them but find new ease and comfort with this group that we didn’t even necessarily see toward the later seasons of her presence there.
In some ways, Callie fits in better now than she did when she lived there. And the hour did a good job of having her check in with some of the characters she did have a bond with, namely Malika and Gael, as well as forge something with the newer ones, like her offering her assistance to Luca.
Callie dropping in occasionally and kicking it with the others will be delightful, not just for Callie fans but the things explored and impact on the series as it progresses and shifts.
And DC is serving Callie well. She’s this no-nonsense, logical, mature, capable, and confident woman with her return. She loves Mariana with all her heart, which is evident.
The tension between them because Callie left is still palpable in a realistic way. It’s not something that they can cast away anytime soon, and that’s okay.
But Callie came when it mattered the most, squeezing it into a hectic schedule, and could assess some situations and give Mariana some biting reality checks. In some ways, she operated as the audience themself with her commentary, and as much as it stung to hear it out loud, she wasn’t wrong.
It was moments like this where the series displayed its self-awareness, which is promising.
Mariana didn’t hesitate to compare the situation to Callie’s getting in a car with a pimp moment. At the same time, Callie rightfully countered that she did that type of thing as a teenager, not as a grown woman with common sense.
And Callie wasn’t wrong when she called Mariana out on how she makes these decisions about her life based on the men in her life. It was such a biting observation that has been mentioned about Mariana for years.
You could see the wheels turning when she saw how flustered, worried, and guilt-ridden poor Joaquin was about the whole thing and Kelly spilling the beans about Mariana’s dalliance with him.
I wonder how all this is going to affect the relationship. Oh, I don’t want to get in the middle. If Mariana hasn’t told you that she and Joaquin are riding the bologna pony, then I don’t want you to hear it from me. I had a little thing for Joaquin for a bit, but I dodged a bullet there. Oh my God, literally.
Kelly
But the gut punch was when Callie mentioned that Mariana was the reason Evan got shot. It was such a low blow, and the gloves were off with that one, Callie mostly speaking out of a place of fear that she nearly lost her sister to this nonsense.
But she didn’t say anything that those criticizing Mariana haven’t or Mariana wasn’t feeling and saying herself.
It was a true sister moment between the two, and I appreciate that their love is as strong as ever, but there’s a natural strain, too.
Once upon a time, Callie would’ve told Mariana about Jamie’s proposal when it happened. And with the timeline, it’s possible that this was as recent as the night of the shooting, and Callie simply didn’t get a chance or find the right opening.
Callie, you’re the love of my life. My joy. My favorite client. I’ve loved you since the day I met you in your moms’ backyard, and you gave me such a hard time. I want to share every sunrise and sunset with you. I want to support you in achieving your dreams. I want to have a family and grow old together. You’re my heart, my soul, my everything. Callie Adams Foster, will you make me the happiest man alive? Will you marry me?
Jamie
But it also makes you wonder if Callie is internally freaking out about this proposal, the next stage in her life, and what this means.
A bearded Beau Mirchoff appearance was a lovely surprise, and his proposal was utterly romantic.
As a fan of the pairing, I’m both thrilled about this news and conflicted, hoping that with their time away, the two of them have gotten on more solid ground and worked through much of the issues that plagued the relationship around the time they broke up.
It’ll be nice to see when they revisit that, and we get a feel for where Callie’s head is on the issue.
As for Mariana, it’s guilt that’s chewing away at her. Through that, they’re trying to distinguish between Mariana doing this FOR Evan versus her doing it to relieve her guilt.
It’s a healthy combination of the two, but at least bringing it to light provides some transparency to the issue and Mariana’s motivations.
Callie even cleaned up the fact that Mariana couldn’t be listed as a proxy without giving her permission. And Mariana did, eventually, because she felt she had to do this for herself and Evan.
Evan’s serving as her conscience, or “in limbo” Evan — he’s more entertaining than regular Evan. He’s so sassy that it amuses.
Essentially, Mariana’s guilt over almost getting the man she loves killed has now placed her in what is deceptively a false place of power.
We had no idea what had happened at Speckulate since Mariana’s departure. Evan has heeded some of her suggestions and tried to make this a better balanced, inclusive, stronger work environment.
But, from the sounds of it, it’s come at a cost. Evan is holding onto his C.E.O. position by the skin of his teeth, which has been brewing within the series for a while but has never been cracked open and exposed.
It sounds like the board has been angling to boot Evan for some time and looking for a reason. The tensions between him and the board have reached an all-time high, and his coma couldn’t come at a better time for the board.
Callie: Mariana, can you just make one decision that doesn’t involve your feelings for a boy?!
Mariana: You practically moved to DC to be with Jamie.
Callie: I had no idea that he was moving to DC, and I didn’t get Jamie shot…I’m sorry. That was a low blow. I didn’t mean it. Mariana: It’s true.
Mariana is in the impossible position of trying to save Speckulate for Evan, and she has roughly 30 days to prove herself or for Evan to wake up and return.
Mariana indeed thrives in hostile territory. She’s run headfirst into at every turn in her life. But there’s the other issue of wondering why she must always do that.
Everything is a fight. She has to fight for every scrap she’s given, and we don’t need to see her endure so much to showcase how freaking strong this woman is.
But it’s an interesting place for her to be, returning to a place that has brought great things into her life but also traumatized her and taken bits and pieces of her.
Mariana is not the same person she was when she first crossed Speckulate’s doors. Life has done a number on her, and her confidence is more bravado these days, and she’s at her most visibly vulnerable that we’ve seen her.
It spoke volumes that she needed Callie in her ear to pull off her confident return to the company with all eyes on her. It’s through this storyline that it hits you just how many blows Mariana has taken to her confidence, drive, self-esteem, and grit over the years.
Callie’s departure feels like the straw that broke the camel’s back, and Mariana is still trying to find out who she is without Callie. These are the raw moments that are solid character exploration for Mariana.
And with only two installments in, one must note how fantastic Cierra Ramierez’s performance has been. She’s been at her absolute best, with the most range.
For that itself, I’m genuinely intrigued by Mariana’s storyline here, returning to Speckulate with this arduous task she’s not equipped for, unable to trust anyone around her, trying to honor the man she loves but also tap into a level of grit she hasn’t mustered to this degree before.
One can hope that with the promise of more community in the communal home, she will find more people to lean on in the Coterie after a day in hostile waters.
Gael will probably find that since he’s potentially fathering Lyric alone while Isabella gets help.
The ideal situation for everyone remains Lyric going to live with Gael’s sister and brother-in-law. He’s not in the best position to take care of her, but he’ll still have access to his child.
After the headache and scare of Isabella taking off as she did, I’m relieved that she didn’t submit to her mother’s will or keep the baby away from Gael.
And I’m happy that she’s getting the help she needs and deserves to get better. Selfishly, despite Priscilla Quintana’s wonderful performance, I’m most grateful for the reprieve from this storyline.
It felt like were missing pieces and bits with Luca’s arc with his aunt. He suddenly went to see her, and then we heard a bit about his mom, who also loved dance.
Naturally, his identification situation got more complicated as we learned that he’s Canadian, so now there’s a matter of him getting some legal status in the U.S.
The kid can’t catch a break. But it felt like most of that arc with him meeting a relative for the first time came across as an afterthought, and it deserved more focus and fleshing out.
They had so much to discuss, and unless these conversations come up later in the season (boo), we didn’t get them.
Malika and Davia are forever Luca’s people when he’s at the Coterie. He has the closest bond with Davia, and Malika can always approach him with some awareness of his situation as someone unhoused before.
They saw through his attempt to leave the Coterie and head back to the streets, not to burden them any longer. Every day will be an exercise in Luca accepting that he’s wanted there and people genuinely care about him.
I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. I know better. Hope is dangerous.
Luca
And his honesty with that owner has now led to him scoring some dance classes in exchange for under-the-table handiwork. We’ll have to see where things head with this.
Meanwhile, there’s still mystery surrounding Joaquin and Jenna. She really did disappear after they got back from the Farm. With all the chaos and the fact that she’s at the center of it, common courtesy would’ve been to stick around long enough for people to understand what happened.
Instead, similarly to Mariana, it’s Joaquin who’s left with all of this guilt. He blames himself for dragging Mariana and Evan into this quest to find his sister.
And we don’t even know if it was worth it or how things have been for him and Jeanna since the rescue.
You could visibly see Joaquin cautiously navigating the Coterie as if he doesn’t know where he belongs there anymore, unsure of his own shadow, fearful that he’s taking up too much space or unwanted.
It’s an awkward position for him to be in, and we saw that with the cinematographically stunning opener that intercut him and Mariana neurotically scrubbing Evan’s blood.
They both feel like Evan’s blood is on their hands for different reasons, but they’re also not bonding or communicating with each other over that because of the awkwardness.
I don’t envy Joaquin’s position right now, how he is seemingly isolating himself while feeling isolated because of what happened.
Mariana: Why did you make me your proxy?
Evan: I guess I trust you.
Mariana: You won’t. I can’t do this.
Evan: What?
Mariana: Run Speckulate.
And I’m also curious about where his arc is headed this season.
Over to you, Good Trouble Fanatics. Are you excited about the proposal? Can Mariana handle Speckulate plotting? Sound off below.
You can watch Good Trouble online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
