The Trainee 1×07 Review: “Technical Issues”

OK, wow. I had to take a step back after “Technical Issues” just so that I could breathe and get my thoughts in order. Not only was there a lot of emotional turmoil going on, but also I had to completely reassess the theories and opinions I had after last week’s episode. Turns out I was very wrong about some things!

The core theme of “Technical Issues” seemed to be about communication, and how important it is in relationships – regardless of type. A lack of communication at work can cost money, time, and potentially cause injury. A lack of communication in dating can break hearts. More people should be talking to each other!

We’ll start with the big miscommunication that led to the big shock of this episode: whatever we have going on with Ba-Mhee, Tae, and Judy. I mentioned last week that it seems like Ba-Mhee and Tae are growing apart just because it happens when we age. But honestly, I feel like a lot of their relationship issues could be solved if they just talked to each other. 

A big problem that Ba-Mhee is dealing with is that she feels neglected. Their anniversary is approaching, and she’s concerned that Tae has forgotten. She doesn’t feel like she should have to remind him about such an important date, and she directly compares him to Judy by saying that Judy remembers everything. Throughout the episode, you see Ba-Mhee trying to connect with Tae and being consistently rebuffed, meanwhile, Judy notices that something is wrong and spends time with her.

I don’t condone cheating, and I have always hated infidelity as a plot device. (I’ve legitimately stopped watching entire shows because of it; if anyone has been following me long enough, you may be familiar with that.) That said, I can see what Ba-Mhee was thinking during this episode. She feels unappreciated, that all of her efforts to support Tae have been ignored. And then here is Judy, who happens to be filling the exact spots in her life that are lacking with Tae. It’s no wonder that she reacted to that and kissed Judy.

But what Ba-Mhee doesn’t know is that Tae hasn’t forgotten their anniversary. In fact, he already made dinner reservations for them to celebrate. And the reason he’s been blowing her off all week is because he’s working overtime to finish a deadline so that he doesn’t have to work the weekend. (We’ll ignore the fact that it’s clearly optional that he help.) The problem is that he never told Ba-Mhee about dinner, or why he was working, and he very easily could have. Just a quick, “I’ve got something special planned for our anniversary, dress nice!” You can keep your plans a secret so that they’ll be a surprise, but having plans in general should never be a surprise, particularly for an important event like an anniversary.

So when Tae is finally free of his work obligations, having speed-run through a project so fast that the rest of the department is impressed, he immediately tries to see Ba-Mhee. Of course, he is there to witness her kiss with Judy. He is stunned, because of course, he is. He had no idea anything was wrong. Because just like he could have told Ba-Mhee that he made plans, she could have told him that she was feeling neglected. But nobody said anything, and now we have this mess.

On Judy’s side, her behavior is completely inappropriate. However, when I said last week that she didn’t seem to be on the same wavelength as Ba-Mhee, it appears that I was gravely mistaken. Not only does she not do anything when Ba-Mhee kisses her, she initiates a second kiss. We learn in “Technical Issues” that Judy (and therefore Jane) are not yet 30. So let’s assume 28-29. Judy was the sober, more experienced person at that moment, and she should absolutely have put the brakes on.

The second miscommunication is between Ryan and Jane (and to a lesser extent, Pah), with regards to the product for the test shoot. The information about which product should be used comes during another meeting with the overly flirtatious client from last week, so Ryan is not paying attention because he’s focused on her flirting with Jane. As such, when Pah comes for the product, Ryan gives him the wrong one.

In Ryan’s defense, he does attempt to call Jane and ask. But when Jane doesn’t answer the phone, Ryan panics and makes a decision. He’s wrong, though, and Jane scolds him for it in a way that he hasn’t since episode 2.

This is one of those moments where I understand the narrative decision, but I don’t agree with it. Jane scolds Ryan for not paying attention during the client meeting, but seriously, why was this left up to two interns in the first place? Jane rightly points out to Ryan that he wasn’t the only person with the information, so Ryan could have asked someone else. But then why wasn’t the product delivered to the proper department from the start? Surely Jane knew that they would be filming the test shoot that day and could have left more explicit instructions. I continually side-eye this company and its questionable labor practices.

However, what this mistake led to was Ryan confessing to Jane, which I honestly was not expecting this early. It’s a direct response to Jane’s scolding, as Jane suggests to Ryan that he should just stay home if he doesn’t want to do the job. Ryan, who always has such a problem with speaking in general and standing up for himself, bursts out that he doesn’t want to quit – he likes the job and he likes Jane.

One thing I liked about this scene was that, even though Jane is angry about the mistake, you can see how in tune he is with Ryan and his emotions now. I’ve seen some people criticize Jane for his reaction, but I do get it. At this point, Ryan has been here for about a month and should honestly know better. And once Jane realizes that Ryan is legitimately upset, he softens his tone and admits that a big part of his reaction was concern. The product exploded, and someone could have been hurt, but also, Jane knows that Ryan has been acting weird for the past few days.

A fantastic detail here is the focus on their hands. Ryan is twisting his hands in his shirt, likely nervous about speaking up and confessing his feelings. Jane is clutching the edge of the desk, likely trying to force himself not to react in some way – either by going to Ryan to comfort him, or bracing himself to let Ryan down.

“Technical Issues” is another episode that does a great job contrasting the two big mentor/intern relationships – how a mentor reacts when their intern expresses romantic interest. Judy absolutely makes the wrong move by actively returning Ba-Mhee’s kiss, and I appreciate that there are immediate consequences for this when they are spotted by two coworkers, one of whom is Ba-Mhee’s boyfriend. But I also think that Judy didn’t recognize what was going on with Ba-Mhee until she kissed her. I really hope that Judy takes responsibility for this, and at the very least should remove herself as Ba-Mhee’s mentor.

Jane, on the other hand, seems to be fully aware of what’s going on with Ryan’s feelings. I do think he might return them, at least a bit, because there’s no way last week’s “phi” scene could be read any other way. (Yes, I am still at that charged look in the rain.) But Jane seems to be channeling that into being a good mentor, the same way Ryan was channeling his feelings into being a good assistant. This job is important to him, and he knows he’s currently in no position to openly return Ryan’s feelings. But then Ryan’s confession pushes everything to the open and forces him to act earlier than he probably expected to, which I think will lead to him overcompensating in an effort to maintain their professional distance.

I love that in an episode this emotionally heavy there were still moments of levity. Ryan waking up with butterflies was adorable. His being confronted by the same girl whose cookies he “stole” last week was hilarious. Baimon being suspicious about Jane because he was smiling at the copier was very real, because no one smiles at the copier.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, The Trainee really does get better every week. Next week is going to be messy, and I am one hundred percent here for it.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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