“‘03 Bonnie and Clyde”: An Abusive Partner and Forgiving Victim
Trigger warning: This episode focuses on physical assault within a romantic relationship. Also, viewer’s discretion is advised as I refuse to recommend this show, as artistic and binge-worthy as it is, to anyone under the age of 18 due to its intense mature themes such as violence, drug use, and sexual situations.
A Lack of a Support System:
Maddy’s relationship with her mother isn’t a strong and positive one. While she isn’t as defined of a character as Suze Howard or Leslie Bennet, it’s said that she gives pedicures and Maddy grew up admiring the women who came in for the service and looking down on the women who worked. This, and her father being an active alcoholic, is why she didn’t have the support she needed for when the bruising against her neck was discovered. And it wasn’t because Maddy came forward, because her character is too loyal for that; rather, it’s because she fainted due to a number of factors, including lack of nutrition and a drop in serotonin after the MDMA she had at the carnival.
Maddy’s mother is fiercely protective of her, and is out for blood in the form of legal consequences.
“I would like to press charges,” she asserts even as her daughter screams in protest. Because of her dramatic meltdown where she flipped over a pot of chili and cussed at Mrs. Jacobs, fingers are pointing at Nate who multiple people see hauling Maddy off by the arm, and rightly so as the viewer and multiple witnesses have zero doubt that he is the perpetrator.
Maddy also calls Kat for help towards the end of the episode, but she’s blown off so her friend can engage in sex with a guy she barely knows. That’s Euphoria for you!
Maddy’s Personality:
Maddy had sex with a grown man when she was 14, despite Rue saying that “she was the one in control”. It’s important here to remember that Rue isn’t a reliable narrator and is a teenager herself. 14 years old is 14 years old, no matter who’s “in control”, but Maddy even then refused to see herself as a victim.
As Maddy looks in the mirror, Rue narrates, “It wasn’t the violence that scared her. It was the fact that she knew no matter what he did, she’d still love him.” Maddy is loyal to a fault — a fascinating character flaw because it takes a positive personality trait and makes it a person’s downfall.
Maddy also normalizes the violence when she tells her mother, “I’m just saying, love is a million things. Sometimes it feels good and sometimes it doesn’t.” This is belittling what she went through, downgrading the trauma that Nate subjected her to when he grabbed her by the throat.
The Emotional Police Scene:
I don’t think I can analyze this episode without getting into the scene that really stuck out to me, which was Maddy at the police station. Maddy is seen throwing drinks and food at the window, and because she won’t let people remove her neck’s concealer consensually, it’s taken off by force.
“Whoever did this doesn't love you,” the photographer bluntly tells her. I don’t think that Nate doesn’t love Maddy, despite Rue saying what boys like him want is something to own like an object. I actually agree with Maddy in the sense that love is complex, but that there’s a difference between healthy and toxic love. Love isn’t enough for two people to stay together when it’s unhealthy and doesn’t automatically make a relationship a positive one. What Maddy and Nate have might be strong feelings of affection for one another and happy memories, but deep down, Nate can’t deal with Maddy at her worse which is the defining point in what makes a good or bad relationship. He also has severe anger management issues with both impulsive, spontaneous harm and premeditated violence as was the case with Tyler. Instead of letting law enforcement deal with his sexual assault on Maddy, he used the instance to re-enact a revenge fantasy on Tyler.
How Nate weasels his way out of this situation is he moves the people he happens to have wrapped around his finger like pawns in the next episode, as he’s an incredibly cunning antagonist that makes for an excellent TV villain. I plan on delving deeper into his character in future articles; I am not a Nate apologist in any way, shape or form, but find him to be well-written even though his moral compass is...well, non-existent. I also intend to discuss the pressure on Jules that’s beginning to unfurl in the eyes of the audience within this episode. The very last frame is a close up of her worried face as Rue is asleep next to her, hinting at an upcoming point in the plot this season.
Leave comments below with your own thoughts if you’re a fellow Euphoria fan!
