Client Relations
After kissing Jeff Murphy last time, episode 6 of Partner Track starts with Ingrid going through the motions and feeling like her life is spiraling out of control. While out at dinner, Tyler is convinced that Marty isn’t going to do anything about Dan’s behaviour given he’s the golden boy at the firm. Ingrid is convinced that Marty is taking it seriously now…but we’ll have to wait and see on that front. Speaking of which, Ingrid’s woes with Nick continue as Tyler believes she should come clean about the kiss while Rachel encourages her to keep her mouth shut about it. Back home, things take an even wilder turn for Ingrid when she finds a wedding ring tucked away in Nick’s drawer. Okay hold up, how long have these two been dating? A few months? At Parson Valentine’s, Marty steps up and tells everyone that they will not tolerate racism. HR is investigating everyone and promises to come down hard on those who don’t abide by it. However, he’s interrupted by a big client called Victoria St Clair showing up. Ingrid notices Jeff kissing her in his room and speaks to Tyler and Rachel about this. “Who kisses someone back when they’re with someone?” She asks, but of course the irony of this is not lost on either of Ingrid’s friends! They’re also convinced that Jeff Murphy is bad news and try to encourage her to back off…but of course she’s not going to. Rachel is offered a big opportunity on her birthday to be a writer which she seriously considers going for. For now, she lets HR know that she and Justin screwed around on the work retreat. Meanwhile, Ingrid is placed on a new case – helping Victoria St Clair settle her divorce settlement with her husband, Alistair. At least while they wait for the Sun Corp situation to simmer down anyway. Victoria is absolutely adamant that she wants everything and to leave her husband with nothing. Ingrid comes up with the idea of spinning Wellspire off in the divorce, leaving Alistair to take on all the liabilities and leaving Victoria in the clear. The investigation into Dan’s routine goes ahead, with mixed reactions from a variety of different people. As for Dan himself, he actually hands over a full transcript of his routine so they can look over his “educational and funny” routine. Although he’s not going to be fired, as a consequence it would appear that Dan is no longer going to be eligible to be made partner… at last that’s what it looks like on the surface. In reality, Dan is getting a formal reprimand and a round of executive coaching. As far as Marty is concerned, that’s enough. The trouble is, they can’t just fire Dan. He’s got a lot of money coming into the firm through his contacts and as Marty himself says to Ingrid “Dan is good for the bottom line.” Marty points out that there are hard lines to walk as partner, with Marty challenging Ingrid by having her deliver the bad news to Tyler. Tyler is not happy and when he decides to quit, Ingrid encourages him to sign an NDA agreement in exchange for $500k in severance. Ingrid’s friend is disgusted and eventually leaves. When Rachel finds out she’s not happy. In fact, she tells Ingrid to make it up to Tyler and leaves her friend conflicted over her future. Angry and hurt, Tyler ends up doing a livestream, calling out all the racist law firms that protect their own and throwing shade at Parson Valentine’s. Marty and Ingrid end up seeing the video together. As a result, Marty puts Ingrid in charge of the upcoming diversity gala the company are running. Marty indirectly tells her it’s a good idea as it’ll fast-track her way to being partner, but she’s obviously conflicted. Meanwhile, Rachel decides to accept the writer’s role, Tyler has clearly had enough of working for Parson Valentine’s while Ingrid finds herself thrown into a whirlwind situation. That night, Nick takes Ingrid outside and proposes to her. Oh dear!
The Episode Review
So has this show just basically forgotten about the law drama at this point? Normally I wouldn’t bring this up but given the focus on law during the opening chapters of this series, it feels like Partner Track has completely sidelined all of that for drama and romance instead. The racist subplot comes to a head this chapter too, with Ingrid thrown in the middle of this entire conflicting situation. It’s clear that the company are using her as a scapegoat but we’ll have to wait and see how this one develops moving forward. Meanwhile, Rachel looks to be on the verge of leaving the firm while Tyler has now seemingly gone too. It’ll be interesting to see where the show goes with this angle next and whether the trio open their own law firm in the future. Partner Track does bring up the ever-present idea that these big companies protect their own and it’s something that many people have probably experienced in their working life. As we move into the business end of this season, the drama looks to set to reach fever pitch.
