How The Show “You” Sheds Light on Unhealthy Relationships

“You,” a book-turned-TV series, has quickly become a favorite Netflix thriller. Originally created by Caroline Kepnes, the TV show adaptation stars Penn Badgley, Elizabeth Lail, Shay Mitchell, John Stamos, and many other iconic actors. The many plotlines are expertly portrayed and surround real-life issues. Things like drug use, abuse, codependent relationships, sexual harassment, and grief and loss make up a good number of the plots created.

When it comes to abusive relationships, “You” covers many versions of abuse. The main character, Joe Goldberg, is connected to other characters dealing with physical, emotional, and mental abuse. One, in particular, is the relationship between his neighbors Ron and Claudia, and their young son, Paco.

This relationship perfectly encompasses what it’s like being stuck in an intensely abusive relationship where a person is too fearful to leave.

Having been in a situation like this, myself, I was able to relate (to an extent) to Claudia. She is in a relationship with an abusive, alcoholic man named Ron. He provides financial stability for the family which is why Claudia feels like she can never leave the relationship. Despite being abused, she’s afraid that if she leaves Ron, she’ll lose custody of her son. It is later shown that Claudia is an addict and uses after Ron is abusive.

Let’s get this straight: no matter the situation, getting out of a relationship like this is the hardest, yet healthiest move a person can make.

How often can we relate or know someone who can relate to this? Unfortunately, more than we’d like. Not only does Claudia suffer, but Paco suffers, as well. Not even in his teens yet, Paco is forced to live with the abuse that his mom lives with. We get to know Paco when we see him sitting outside his door while Ron and Claudia scream at each other. Joe finds him after he gets home from work and takes him under his wing by giving him food and books to help him through. In that sense, we can find ourselves falling in love with that side of Joe.

Not only does the show portray a person trapped in abuse, it shows how it affects others that are indirectly affected, as well.

Another unhealthy relationship shown is that of two other characters: Beck and Peach Salinger. Beck is the main character that Joe falls in love with, and Peach Salinger is a daughter of an old-money-rich founding family in the area. Peach has everything in life… Money, fame, social status. But she is also in love with Beck, which is a no-no in her family.

Thus begins the abusive relationship between the two women.

Peach needs to get attention from Beck by any means necessary which means spoiling her with things like trips to Paris, expensive clothes, and lavish parties. She even loans Beck money when she needs it. At first glance, these seem like great things.

However, the thought and emotion behind them reek of toxic codependency.

As the story progresses, Joe tries to shed light on the issues that he sees in Peach that Beck doesn’t… Like how Peach stores hundreds of pictures of Beck on her laptop, follows her around, watches her bathe, and many other privacy-violating things. When Peach doesn’t get the attention from Beck that she needs, she’d fake illnesses and phony suicide attempts.

Let’s get another thing straight: faking these types of things to get attention is point-blank unacceptable.

Another abusive relationship in “You” is the relationship between Joe and his ex-girlfriend, Candace. Candace was an ex that cheated on Joe and then mysteriously disappeared after he found out. There are people who assume that Candace is dead, specifically that Joe killed her. We see at the end of season one and through season two that she is very much alive and has come to make Joe’s life hell.

Talk about a toxic ex.

The fact that Candace is out for blood – quite literally – shows just how harmful revenge in a past relationship can be. If broken up in a healthy way, a person should not feel the need for revenge, let alone let it totally dictate their life.

Finally, we have one of the most toxic relationships of all: Joe and his father figure.

Although we don’t necessarily see this in the first season, the second season of the show talks about Joe’s childhood and the mess that it was. He had abusive and neglectful parents and ended up in the care of Mr. Mooney, the man who ran the bookstore before Joe. We see flashbacks in Joe’s mind of his childhood, starting with the physical and emotional abuse that Mr. Mooney showed Joe.

He locked him in a glass box as punishment which is where all of Joe’s craziness got its beginning.

Because of Mr. Mooney, Joe has the glass box that he then kills people in. He was conditioned, in a way, to think and act the way that he does because that’s all he knew. Imagine someone in a parental figure teaching you these things and even punishing you with them? Daddy and mommy dearest aren’t in the picture and never have been.

In the end, “You” expertly portrays the flaws that relationships can hold.

This isn’t to say that the show normalizes it, because it doesn’t. What it does is show these qualities in ways that we are unfortunately able to understand and even relate to. It even sheds light on how often this happens all around us.

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About The Author

Emmie Pombo is a latte and tattoo-loving Tennessean who specializes in mental health and beauty writing. She holds a degree in Journalism and a certification in Makeup Artistry and Airbrushing. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Nickelodeon Announces They’re Bringing Back ‘All That’ With Kenan Thompson As The Lead Producer

With many people in society trying to bring back the iconic ’90s, kids and teens who grew up during the time will be glad to hear that an epic TV show from their childhood is making a major comeback. According to Variety, the sketch comedy show All That is being brought back to Nickelodeon as part of a new venture. The company announced the big news on Twitter by sharing the link to the Variety article.

According to the network, Kenan Thompson—who was part of the original cast—will be the executive producer of the revamp. Additionally, it makes perfect sense as the show was a “kid’s version” of Saturday Night Live, where Thompson has been an active cast member for several years.

Not only did All That launch a career for Thompson, but it also helped jumpstart the career of many other cast members—such as Amanda Bynes and Nick Cannon, who both ended up with spin-off shows on the network. Additionally, Thompson himself landed a spin-off with co-star Kel Mitchell. In several interviews, Thompson said he “owed his entire career to All That.”

Brian Robbins, President of Nickelodeon, told Variety:

“We think there’s a great opportunity to find the next pool of stars. We want to bring the show back in a real fun way. This summer, we are going to bring back a lot of the original cast and the cast through the years, and let them introduce the new cast of ‘All That’ to the world.” He suggested the program would be “a sort of mash-up of some of the old sketches and a lot of new sketches.”

After the news hit social media, people online were celebrating the return of a classic.

https://twitter.com/SouthernFLASH/status/1096175961723289606

https://twitter.com/Official_RJ96/status/1096133941642305537

https://twitter.com/iBeLdHawkinsXxx/status/1096147409221181440

h/t: Variety.

17 Quotes from ‘The Bold Type’ That Are Straight Up Badass

Ever watch The Bold Type We all know being a Millennial can be pretty tough, or it can be badass, it’s just a matter of how we deal with life. So when in doubt, or when you need that boost, here are seventeen quotes from The Bold Type that are straight up badass for any millennial.

1. “Nevertheless, we will persist.”-Jaqueline. If anyone knows about being a badass and persisting, it’s Jaqueline. She is literally the mirror image of Joanna Coles, the editor of Cosmopolitan. If anyone can persist, it’s a badass.

2. “Yes. I’m very interested in a butt facial.”-Jane. Seriously who else would say this? Millennials know when to stand up to the occasion and when they need to get down to business for their boss. Maybe not really getting a butt facial, but still.

3. “So, I have a favor to ask you. Show me your nipple.” –Kat. Of course this is during her ‘free the nipple’ campaign, but being bold isn’t just about getting your work done like a boss, it’s asking the bold questions, even when it might sound terrible. #freeTheNip

4. “Don’t say I’m sorry when you have nothing to apologize for.”- Jaqueline. Is it just me or is she like the Gandhi of Scarlet? This woman knows how to be bold, don’t apologize for your actions when you have nothing to be sorry for, when you did your best, when you maybe made someone upset that doesn’t have the same views. Be you, and be bold.

5. “First of all, I can screw whoever I want.”- Sutton. Sure being bold means sticking up for yourself, but it also means sticking up for your relationships, even if it is with yourself, or your sex life.

6. “If you can’t do it with feeling, don’t.” –Sutton. Whether it’s a job presentation, college, your hobby, or relationships. If you can’t do it with your heart, then don’t do it at all. Perfect words.

7. “Keep bringing your passion, it’s how you’re going to make your mark.– Oliver. Okay so maybe he isn’t a millennial, but he has a pretty strong point. How will you make your mark? With passion, that’s how.

8. “Go in there with the confidence of an incredibly average white man.”- Kat. Okay so maybe this isn’t the best advice, but she has a point, when in doubt, act like you have nothing to worry about, life goes on and you will still be a badass.

9. “You need to start speaking up for yourself.”– Jaqueline. Seriously can she get any wiser? In this part of the show, she is telling Sutton to stand up for herself, take credit for her work, because she deserves to be recognized for her hard work, especially when someone else is trying to take all the credit.

10. “You need to catch your breath, take an hour, fall apart, come back, and we are gonna figure this out.”– Jaqueline. She is just breathing, living, BOLDNESS. When things start to get rough, take a breath, fall apart. Just remember when you are done, it’s not time to give up, it’s time to become a badass and conquer.

11. “If I’m going down, I’m going down swinging.”– Sutton. When your dreams are right in front of you and you have to fight for them, start swinging and fight for them. Take it from this bold type.

12. “No, I don’t think you know what I’m gonna say.”– Jane. When a guy turns out to be a total dick, even when he is hot, you still have to stick up for yourself, say what YOU want, be bold, be tough.

13. “I’m Nora Ephron, bitch.”-Sutton. When things work out, celebrate, keep that goal in mind to get you where you want to be. If all else fails be Nora Ephron, just have a safety net, like these gals.

14. “She shouldn’t have underestimated me.”- Jane. Sure maybe our bosses are underestimating our strengths, or not letting us live to our full potential, and being bold is taking the chance and still trying to show your worth even when they don’t know you are capable of it.

15. “We should be taking in every experience. We should be living our lives, taking risks, and, you know, putting ourselves out there.” – Jane. Being young and sometimes just being a millennial is just the time to take in every experience, live your life, be bold, take that risk. Take the job, make the move.

16. “I don’t think I realized how much of the weight I was still carrying.” –Jaqueline. Sometimes, being bold is knowing where you lack, where you carry that weight. Sometimes it means letting go of what has hurt you and being better than it.

17. “To having adventures. And making mistakes. To sleeping with the wrong people and the right people. And to unleashing holy hell.” –Jane, Kat, & Sutton. Because being bold is truly sticking with the ones who mean the most and pushing through everything together. Making that mistake, drunk dialing that ex, or showing up outside their house, and unleashing holy hell because you are BOLD, and you are YOU.

11 Ted Mosby Quotes for the Hopeless Romantic in You This Valentine’s Day

If you’re a fan of How I Met Your Mother, then you’ve probably watched the series more than once, twice, or three times and because of that, you’ve probably inevitably started to adopt Ted Mosby’s hopeless romantic take on love.

He thinks every next girl could be his soulmate. He professes his love far too often and far too soon. He always hopes for the best out of the relationship even if the universe is sending every sign that it’s not meant to be. And when he dives into love, he loves every girl with everything he’s got and more.

If you identify with Ted Mosby, you’ll love these quotes with all of your being just like Ted does with every new woman in his life…

“If you’re looking for the word that means caring about someone beyond all rationality and wanting them to have everything they want no matter how much it destroys you, it’s love. And when you love someone you don’t stop, ever. Even when people roll their eyes, and call you crazy. Even then. Especially then.”

“Shouldn’t we hold out for the person who doesn’t just tolerate our little quirks but actually kinda likes them?”

“Love doesn’t make sense! You can’t logic your way into or out of it. Love is totally nonsensical. But we have to keep doing it or else we’re lost and love is dead, and humanity should just pack it in. Because love is the best thing we do.”

“You will be shocked, kids, when you discover how easy it is in life to part ways with people forever. That’s why, when you find someone you want to keep around, you do something about it.”

“You see, kids, right from the moment I met your mom I knew, I have to love this woman as much as I can, and as long as I can, and I can never stop loving her, not even for a second. I carried that lesson through every stupid fight we ever had, every 5 a.m. Christmas morning, every sleepy Sunday afternoon, every speed bump, every pang of jealousy or boredom or uncertainty that came our way. I carried that lesson with me.”

“Some couples always support each other, and some couples always challenge each other. But is one really better than the other? Yes. Support is better. Way better.”

“There are two big days in any love story: the day you meet the girl of your dreams and the day you marry her.”

“She walks down the aisle. You say your vows, you go to the reception, you have your first dance. Before you know it, just like magic, you realize, it’s a perfect fit.”

“None of us can vow to be perfect. In the end all we can do is promise to love each other with everything we’ve got.”

“You can ask the universe for signs all you want. But ultimately we only see what we want to see, when we are ready to see it.”

“If I could give up…if i could just wake the whole world’s advice and just move on and find someone else, that wouldn’t be love. That would be some other disposable thing that is not worth fighting for.”

Be a Ted Mosby this Valentine’s Day. Love with all you’ve got and put yourself out there without fear of rejection.

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