So I’ve been thinking about Matt and Gina (I don’t want to be working today) and I think I’m landing on that there was a long term history of abuse in their relationship. I just don’t believe this latest incident that he was charged for is the first time he’s gotten physical with her. I think they had a relationship that was pretty consistently emotionally abusive and would occasionally become physically abusive.
One: Gina has dropped hints. She has talked about being scared to tell him that she’s dating because he gets so upset. And in the episode with her daughters birthday party she said something about how everyone always covered for Matt so he never had consequences. It sounded like there was a history of reckless behavior that everyone in the family explained away.
Two: the entire story of their move to CA sounds completely emotionally abusive. She moves across the country and then he sets her up with the kids in OC and he moves to LA and she just does it? It sounds like she was used to smoothing the path for Matt and making sure he didn’t get upset. I also remember in her 1st season her talking about how much better their relationship was now that they were living separately. Looking back I wonder if that was because she didn’t have to live everyday worried about his temper.
Three: Gina’s asshole behavior last season just screams out abusive relationship. The way she expected everyone to be as consumed with the minutia of her personal drama, they way she attacked Emily but cozied up to friends with equally shitty boundaries in their relationship, and also the way that now she’s finally really getting out she’s a much better person. Looking back at last season Gina acted so much like a friend of mine when she was leaving a really abusive relationship. She’s one of the best people I know but for about a year she was selfish, dramatic, mean, chose messy terrible new friends over lifelong friends with stable lives. Just in general an asshole. I didn’t get it until I started reading about abuse dynamics and realized she was acting out, isolating herself in social groups where everyones relationship was just as shitty, and projecting anger at the people most likely to be around in a year. Now she’s back to her normal amazing self, but she acted so much like Gina I’m surprised I didn’t see it with Gina last season.
Thoughts?
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