‘Good Girls’ Recap: ‘Thelma and Louise’
Last week Good Girls left audiences wondering whether Ruby was going to give up Beth to Agent Turner. In many ways we cannot fathom her doing so, but simultaneously this is a situation that no one else is in currently on the show. If both Ruby and Stan go to jail a set of grandparents will raise their children. At least these other children would have a parent out of jail because they are not involved. That makes this episode far more heart wrenching than most of the others this season.
We learn about the beginning of Ruby and Beth’s friendship. A friendship that started off in an unorthodox manner. We open to the past in 1990 where Ruby is sitting on her front porch minding her own business. Beth interrupts Ruby’s train of thought with her reckless driving into some nearby trash cans. Upon discovering the reason for Beth’s grand theft auto, Ruby immediately finds herself helping the teenager girl who showed up before her home. Their ride or die friendship became ingrained in their relationship over the years as we view throughout in flashbacks between the two best friends.
This is what makes the episode even harder to swallow in spots. At the mere thought of betrayal Beth is ready to turn on Ruby, but Beth is not thinking about it from her point of view. Ruby has thought about her talks with Agent Turner through all points of views. She has even asked if Agent Turner would take it somewhat easy on Beth. Since Ruby knows he won’t, she is ultimately letting her entire world blow up. Stan must be in agreement considering that they have been on the same page this season even when Ruby has told Stan he needed to distance himself far from her friendship with Beth.
Later in the episode when forced to work with each other once more, because Annie had to stay with Nancy during her birth, Ruby puts it in a way that Beth can understand. If Beyoncé was coming to town and she only had two tickets who would Beth expect her to take. Stan or Beth. Beth’s immediate response is to ask if this is a Destiny Child’s reunion Tour and Ruby tells her that the tour is with Jay-Z. Ruby insists that while she would let the two of them go together and stay home, Beth disagrees and says she wouldn’t. This whole scene proves the person Ruby is though and allows Beth to realize that Ruby has to put Stan first considering he failed his lie detector test!
Unlike what Beth does earlier in the episode in regard to Dean. Bless Dean’s heart. I truly believe that since becoming a stay at home dad he is trying his best to really be present. He wants to make sure the kids are taken care of and he wants to mend the fence he broke in his marriage. The problem is as much as Beth claims she’s okay with him and she still loves him, she never proves this to him. She walks over him despite finding him tied to a chair in their kitchen with her underwear in his mouth to check on her money. Her money! Instead of making sure Dean was okay, Beth put her money over everything.
As drunk Dean confronts Beth about it her immediate response is that he should just get some sleep. Sleep is not going to solve this though. Since robbing the grocery store in season one, Rio has taken over our favorite ladies lives for the worse. As much as I love the show, I cannot help but think that Beth should have taken the out while they had the chance. If she had then none of them would have met Mary Pat and while Boomer might still be an issue for them, at least Agent Turner would not be coming down so hard on Ruby and Stan. Dean has every right to feel the way he does in that moment and yet again he is completely dismissed.
He also has plenty of reason to finally leave Beth at the end. Although I did not see that coming, and some would argue he put himself in that position, this still puts doubt in his mind. Beth still confirms that she cares more about the money than she does her own husband. Period. No matter what Dean has done in the past, Beth is making it very clear and continuing to put their children in danger by partnering with Rio. At one point she loved Dean, and has since high school when we learn about how he asked her to prom, but at this point the line is so blurred he does the only thing he knows to do. He leaves to take care of their children.
As a friend and I discussed about last night’s episode, between Dean leaving and Rio having to tell Beth that she is a drug dealer, one has to wonder if she will wake up any time soon and smell the roses. She cannot keep living the life she is living without getting hurt or having those around her get her because of her actions in the process. Granted, I’m not sure that Beth ever thought she would get this far into Rio’s organization, but not even calling Ruby and Annie over to stay with her for the evening and drink with her will truly help make anything better. She can process what is going on around her, but ultimately Beth is more loss now than ever.
The biggest twist of the evening does not even come when the woman steps out of the shower to stop Ruby and Beth from taking rightfully what is theirs. The biggest twist is Noah’s, Annie’s new manager at the Fine and Furgal, big reveal. He is an undercover FBI agent working alongside Agent Turner! To say it makes more sense why he stayed while Annie got into the pool with Nancy to give birth to her is the understatement of the season. I could not help but think he had called a Lyft or Uber and made his way back home. Since he is attempting to gain intel though, he stayed and made his reveal with Agent Turner one of most shocking twists of the season.
The most touching moment oddly enough involves Annie as well. I cannot end this recap without mentioning Sadie’s declaration to her mother. Sadie confirms the gender audiences knew all along. Sadie is a boy and Annie is the first one to learn this information. In that moment she explains to Sadie that she always wanted a little boy in this heartwarming moment of the episode that was much needed by the end of Sunday’s episode. I look forward to taking this journey with Annie, Gregg, and Nancy because having this official declaration is beyond important.
What did you think of last night’s episode of Good Girls? Do you think Dean made the right call by leaving Beth? Did you think that Stan would pass his lie detector test? Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to watch Good Girls this Sunday at 10pm EST on NBC.
Michelle Patterson prides herself on her random pop culture knowledge. She finds great joy in all things horror related and tries to enjoy movies on a weekly basis. If she’s not at the theater, she can be found at a convention or a concert. To connect with her more, check out her Instagram page, Twitter Page, Facebook Page, or her website.
