“Good Girls” is doing such a good job of building tension this season. Every episode is still fun and interesting and a good extension of the initial plot, but there’s an undercurrent of unease running through everything that ups the stakes. Season two has also been a lot less tight-knit than season one which opens up more character combinations which is always a good idea.
Episode synopsis:
With Beth (Christina Hendricks) determined to lead a new crime-free life, a desperate Ruby (Retta) and Annie (Mae Whitman) go behind her back to strike a new deal with Rio.
After last week when Beth decided she’d had enough of crime, I was certain she wouldn’t be done with it forever. But I also didn’t think she’d be bored with her normal life after less than one episode. It actually doesn’t seem like she gets super annoyed right away. She’s clearly not using her full brain power and she wants to be doing something more exciting but she likes baking and picking out themes for school functions. What gets her the most is when all her hard work is not appreciated and she’s given dozens upon dozens of baked goods back because they had nuts and were full of gluten.
Despite their touchy relationship, Rio was always appreciative of the work she did and it was never taken for granted and then shoved back in her face. You can see the emotions across Beth’s face as she realizes that this life she decided on to keep her family is going to end up killing her soul at some point. She must realize it even before the incident with the baked goods because when she’s with the other PTA moms she decides to steal a chapstick from Cloud 9 literally just to feel alive. We see her using it later in the episode and it’s the happiest she is the entire episode.
Ruby and Annie both get to a point in this episode where they decide they need to keep doing crime for one reason or the other. Annie needs money for puberty blockers for Sadie that her insurance won’t cover and Ruby needs to pay for a real lawyer for Stan so he doesn’t go to prison. Their scene meeting up with Rio at the park is hilarious because they’re acting like they’re cheating on Beth.
The girls decide to take Sara’s girl scout troop to a retirement home in Canada so they can pick up the pills and bring them back in the country without much suspicion. I mean, who would suspect a bus full of girl scouts muling drugs from Canada? Unfortunately, Ruby has cold feet at the literal last minute and throws the pills away at a gas station. There’s no fall out from this decision yet, but I’m sure it’s going to be a big part of the reason why Beth gets involved again next week.
Unfortunately, before she goes to Canada, Annie decides to tell Noah that she’s doing more “extracurriculars” which we all know is a really bad idea, but Annie just thinks she’s bonding with her new boyfriend. I’ll be honest, I don’t want Beth and Ruby to give her too hard of a time. Noah is really playing his part in a way that Annie would never know he’s an agent. But at the same time, you clearly shouldn’t tell people outside your circle that you’re muling drugs through a used car dealership.
Which is exactly what Annie has clearly done when Noah and Turner end up raiding Dean and Beth’s dealership. Luckily, Beth is already there and she gets the “book club” books and takes them to the bathroom. We see her flushing a bunch of pages and then she comes out of the bathroom without the book itself.
On the whole it feels like a win until Turner goes back in the bathroom and looks above the ceiling tiles. It’s not clear if he actually finds anything but since we’re ramping up to the finale, I’m sure he did.
Back at Beth’s house, the girls are doing a postmortem and they realize that Turner must have been tipped off which is when Annie finally realizes that Noah might be keeping something other than his own thieving past.
With only three episodes left and the noose tightening around Beth’s neck I do wonder if she’s going to turn to Rio for help or if one of the girls or Stan is in actual danger of going away to prison. On the one hand, I can’t imagine the show without one of the girls in the regular mix, but on the other hand, it would be a great way to switch up the dynamics for season three. All I know is this remains one of the most consistently entertaining shows on television and I can’t wait for more episodes!
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Featured photo credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC
Kristin was a military brat growing up but now she lives in Orlando with her husband Will and their dog Egon. She and her best friend Wil (not the husband!) have written a novel together and recently started the podcast “So…I’m Watching This Show” where they discuss movies, TV shows and pop culture in general. Most nights you can find her drinking wine and live tweeting way too many things.