‘Good Trouble’ boss talks Maia Mitchell’s return, Evan’s fate and more from season 5 premiere

Spoiler alert! This post contains details of the season 5 premiere. free formof good trouble.

Maia Mitchell I returned to the Coterie, but it was not a happy situation.The season 5 premiere of good trouble ends in Mariana (Sierra Ramirez) and Callie reunited in an old shared bedroom in the communal living space after Mariana spent the night in the hospital with her former lover (and boss) Evan Speck.

The episode picks up where season 4 left off, with Mariana trying to escape the cult while saving Joaquin’s sister Jenna. Joaquin (Brian Craig) is informed by Evan (TJ Lynnard), who is concerned that Mariana is missing, and Evan tags along to rescue the women. In the first few minutes of the episode, someone fires a gun in an attempt to stop the group from escaping, and the bullet hits Evan in the chest.

They take him to the hospital, where Mariana spends the night with him. In the morning, she learns from Evan’s attorney that he has named her as his agent.

“She felt responsible and guilty and he came looking for her,” the showrunner said. Joanna Johnsonadded that it would be a “better emotional story” for Evan to be shot than another character.

actually good trouble Fashion, this isn’t the only situation happening at The Coterie. Isabella (Priscilla Quintana) gave birth to her and Gael’s (Tommy Martinez) daughter and disappeared with her baby at the end of the episode. Davia (Emma Hunton) and Denise (Josh Pence) are finally a couple. Malika (Zuriader) receives a big promotion offer, but is beginning to find that her dedication to her cause is creating a rift with her family and friends. And Luca (BooBoo Stewart) is still trying to find her a job, but can’t until she sorts out her birth certificate.

Johnson explained all of this and more about the Season 5 premiere on Deadline.

Deadline: When Maia left last season, did you know he would be back so soon? If not, how did that come about?

Joanna Johnson: Well, there was always an open door when I left. She said she would come back and do an episode I think Maia just wanted to go back to Australia temporarily. I think she just missed her family and just wanted to be open to pursuing other things. And we always say, “Of course you’re always welcome.” So schedule wise and all, it worked. I didn’t have this in mind when she left. She’s always going to be a part of this show. she loves it She feels like she’s back at her home.

Deadline: Considering Mariana, it makes sense for Callie to be back in LA.

Johnson: we thought for a while. At first it was like Mariana got shot and her whole family came back.But a better emotional story is clearly Evan [getting shot]she feels responsible and guilty, so he came looking for her. , it’s much better to see her struggling with guilt.

Deadline: Well, and now she’s Evan’s deputy. She’s set to take over as Speckulate’s acting CEO. how is she going to handle it?

Johnson: She takes it on with her usual intensity. She feels this is the way to make amends with Evan and she has to protect him, which is what she has to do. She has to do something about the guilt she feels, so she has to do something to help him. [this role] Go back to Speculate. And those in power aren’t thrilled to have her there, so her return to her Speckulate seemed like another great story. So we were excited about it.

Deadline: How do you think Mariana has grown over the last few seasons before being able to handle situations like this?

Johnson: She has just matured quite a bit. She’s always a little impulsive. That’s Mariana and what she’s been working on this season, it was an impulsive decision to go to the farm and tell no one and Jenna wasn’t there so she stayed the night. Interestingly, Mariana has become more impulsive than Callie. But she’s grown and matured. She was looking for a flashback to her first season the other day, and when she saw it, she was like, ‘Oh my God, she looks so much younger. She’s just grown into this beautiful woman, and her character has certainly gotten a little smarter and smarter, but there’s still something impulsive about it.

Deadline: There’s a lot going on in this episode. Isabella gives birth and at the end of the episode she takes off with her baby, especially since she was advocating for Isabella to some friends who expressed her concerns about her health condition, which is to Gael. What impact will it have?

Johnson: I think Gael is a very nice guy and I think he really loves and cares for Isabella. I think you are trying to protect it. She had a bad childhood and she’s the one who hasn’t learned to overcome the broken place within her, but when she walks out with her baby, he thinks he’s blindsided. increase. From her point of view, she’s terrified that he’s trying to take her baby away.We all know Isabella. She can go along and she’s totally fine, but something can snap her up, like when she wrecked her parents’ car, and that’s what makes her tiptoe you as a character. I am letting you.

Deadline: Then there’s Luca. He’s trying to get a job, but he can’t get one because he doesn’t have a birth certificate to get his ID. How did he decide to add Booboo Stewart to Coterie and how did you develop this story for him?

Johnson: The housinglessness crisis in LA is huge and we didn’t want to ignore it. Sometimes I find myself not at home. Many people have jobs but no housing yet. So we really wanted to do something about it.Interestingly, I also read Boo Boo about Joaquin’s role and loved him but didn’t think he was right for the role. [Craig] It was perfect for the role. But we all liked him and wanted to find something for him. I think people forget that homeless people have dreams too. They have things they want to do. And it’s fun to see it through him. We’re on our fifth season, so it’s nice to meet some new people.

Deadline: Marika is also caught up in the housing crisis, but it has a political dimension. It will be interesting to see her recognize at the premiere the toll her work and her activities have taken on her personal life, when it was something she had previously faced and refused to see. I thought. She and Isaac used to argue about this.

Johnson: Marika is passionate about helping people and wants to change the world. [She’s been doing that with] And now she’s trying to see if change can be made from within politics. We also wanted to explore this idea of ​​life-work balance, which we think is very much in the minds of millennials and Generation Z. They tend to think that the sense of work-life balance the generation before them, you just work and it’s ethics. I think balance is important. So we wanted to explore that story through someone like Marika, who is unbalanced and trying to save the world 24/7.

Deadline: Of course I have to ask about Davia and Dennis. All is well and they are still enjoying the joy of their new relationship. How do you balance it with the other serious storylines you are creating?

Johnson: One of the things that’s really important to me about the show is that I’ve always liked this idea of ​​mashing up tones and mashing up different kinds of stories. increase terms of affection, and it is this comedy that suddenly becomes very emotional. But even with the pain of Emma’s illness, it’s still funny. I love mixing and matching tones. So let’s have some fun with Davia and Dennis. Because it explores not only this new enjoyment of finally being together, but also the inside and outside of a relationship like two people living under the same roof. Career stuff is going to be introduced. And how do you maintain a new relationship when things suddenly get busy? is very funny. We want to keep the show funny too. I think our show is very interesting when you watch it. I think our show will be very dramatic. I think you can do many things. It’s really fun to write, and I think it’s fun to share with an audience.