Allison faked her death to save Patty. That's a big deal. In the beginning, she wasn't a great friend. But Patty had for years been a terrible friend to Allison, too, aligning herself with Kevin and his crew as they mocked Allison.
Both Patty and Allison grew once they opened up to each other and Patty told her the truth about Kevin, and Allison began to see Patty as someone who cared about her-- possibly the first time in her life she'd had that-- and eventually began to try to think of Patty as more than a rescuer for herself.
Yes, it was a mess. But they were both messes individually and they both improved. I see them as equal now. Allison became extremely brave. She found her independence when she moved away. She figured out who she was and what she wanted, and she learned that she could be treated with respect and that not everyone would just abuse and demean her. And she stood up to Kevin even when he threatened her, knowing what he was capable of. She was afraid and she did it anyway. And she did it honestly and to his face! She could easily have left him and served divorce papers from a safe distance. She didn't choose the easy way.
Patty also realized what it was like to have a friend who thought of her needs instead of only making demands on her. Tammy never really accepted Patty. She was always criticizing and pushing her to change and didn't ultimately respect her choices. It's fine that they were incompatible, but Tammy was so needy and condescending about it, and even though she knew Patty misses Allison, she never told her Allison was alive, or how to find her. She wasn't as bad as Kevin, but she wasn't really a respectful partner, either.
I thought the fear radiating off Allison when Kevin backed her into the wall and was threatening her was palpable It wasn't just the acting on Kevin's side. They were both fantastic in that scene.
For most of the episode, I thought Neil was going to kill Kevin. That would have been the usual tv twist, and I think what they actually did was better. Kevin was incapable of functioning without his enablers. He completely imploded and literally self-immolated when he had no one's adoration or fear to feed off of. He never stopped being an abusive horrible person, he had nothing else in him to draw on. He went to his death on a wave of hate.
Maybe if the show had continued, they would have shown him trying to destroy Allison, rather than just having him flame out right away. But I do know someone who committed suicide as soon as his wife left him. He had been abusing her for decades and when she left, he killed himself as revenge against her. He did it right away, before the divorce was final. Some people are incapable of mustering anything other than abuse and when no one will take it anymore, they implode.
Most of them go looking for another victim, though.
I worry about how many people don't seem to really see Kevin as being "that bad". I honestly don't know how to process that info. He seems like a monster, to me. I don't even think it's subtle or ambiguous at all. But then, domestic violence is so common, maybe people take it as normal. It's upsetting.
I hadn't thought about the queerbaiting angle. I hated Thelma and Louise, because it seemed to say that suicide was the ultimate liberation, and it posed the cop that was chasing them as a good guy trying to be a hero. I can't even think about that movie without becoming sick with disgust. But I didn't mind the Allison/Patty friendship. I'm a lesbian and I do get annoyed by queerbaiting. I hated Rissoli and Isles for that reason. R&I was queerbaiting because they weren't really developing it as a genuine attraction between the characters. It was entirely to tease the audience.
But with this show, first of all I thought the acting was fantastic. And guess what? Sometimes people get attracted to someone and it's not reciprocated but they aren't abusive assholes who feel entitled to the other person's reciprocation, so it's okay. TV seems to think that adults can't handle their feelings and have to go full angst because someone doesn't want to fuck them. Or they end a friendship because they can't handle the feelings. Or they in some other way just act like spoiled brat obnoxious assholes.
Adults can cope with these things, and it's okay.
When I think about "what if the show had continued" I hope Allison can get insurance money from the house, but maybe if they rule it a suicide and/or arson, that won't happen. I don't think she'll be a suspect if Neil testifies that Kevin left him that message saying he's doing it to get revenge. Plus, maybe they'll figure out Kevin was drunk.
I actually didn't assume Patty and Allison were going to live together. I thought they were going to be best friends, and who knows what the future will bring. They're both just barely shaking off the depression and trauma they've been carrying around all their lives. The show didn't go on long enough to show what happens once you change. It only showed the moment when you finally break the patterns.
We don't know how Neil will survive, either. I have zero theories about how he'd manage. Maybe he gets a job at the bowling alley? I don't know.
I think this show was brilliant. Not perfect. But I give them a lot of credit not only for the creative framing, but also the storytelling itself.
Edited October 11, 2022 by possibilitiesncG1vNJzZmien6fCrr%2BNqamipZWptq6x0WeaqKVfqbyxtcJoaGxsYGqCbr%2BPa5xpcF2Wua210qilrGWYpMK0sY4%3D