Dead to Me on Netflix: The subtle signs of emotional abuse you may have missed
By Sandy C.
Dead to Me is one of the best shows on Netflix right now. If you’ve yet to watch the series, you’re missing out! And if you’ve seen it, did you catch the signs of emotional abuse?
The tragicomedy Dead to Me has many twists and turns, some of which we could see coming and others not so much. But one of the most complicated relationships on the show drops hints of deep emotional abuse issues you may have missed due to all of the craziness happening around them. We’re talking about Judy Hale (Linda Cardellini) and Steve Wood (James Marsden).
Spoiler Alert! Haven’t finished watching Dead to Me on Netflix? Watch first before reading ahead as spoilers follow!
It doesn’t take long for us to see that Judy is not only kind, but a bit of a pushover. She puts anyone and everyone before herself. Initially, I assumed this was due to Judy feeling so guilty about running over and killing Ted, Jen’s husband. After all, the point of Judy befriending Jen (Christina Applegate) is to make up for the tragedy.
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Soon enough, once Steve is back in the picture, viewers realize Judy is just genuinely sweet. More sweet than most people deserve, particularly Steve.
After five miscarriages, Steve dumps Judy when she’s the most vulnerable and going through a horrible experience. Judy should never want to see him again after that, whether or not they are “partners in crime,” yet she does.
The biggest sign of emotional abuse I noticed was the many times Steve would yell at Judy. She would tell him “don’t yell at me” and Steve would give Judy a quick “sorry,” and Judy always replied with an “it’s okay.” But is it okay? Of course not. Judy was obviously uncomfortable and hurt being the yelled at, but then she reassured Steve about it by telling him it was okay to do so, and he would.
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It was a very toxic relationship and we’re so glad Judy took Jen’s advice and left Steve. Now, though, Steve is dead, and we can’t wait to see what Dead to Me Season 2 has in store for us!
Dead to Me Season 1 is streaming on Netflix.