The original post: /r/television by /u/phantom_avenger on 2024-09-01 00:16:35.
One of the many things about this show that got people hooked and invested, was the love story between Otis & Maeve! But of course, it relies heavily on the “will they, won’t they” trope in order to build tension between them that by the time they are together. The wait would feel worth it! But unfortunately, the show wastes too much time with holding off on it that the spark people were feeling just goes away.
This is where Otis’s relationship with Ruby comes in! It’s used as yet another tool of pairing the male lead character with another partner, who isn’t the love interest that’s supposed to be “his true love” as a way to keep building up that tension with “the one”. But during the duration of exploring this relationship, the writers give these two something that Otis & Maeve were heavily lacking: compatibility!!!
When it came to Otis & Maeve, sure they bonded in the first season and were starting to build a connection to developing romantic feelings! But the thing that really gets on my nerves, is how they refused to properly communicate and always let misunderstandings or their pride stand in the way of getting on the same page! It was such a mess, that I just couldn’t buy into the concept that they truly “loved” each other! But instead, were more in love with the idea of one another! That any time that idea was jeopardized, they’d walk away from whatever conflict they were having and wouldn’t properly settle it together!
Maeve saw Otis as someone who would always be willing to do anything for her when she needs something, but never really showed much of a willingness to do the same for him in return and could never properly give him a commitment. Of course, not all of this is her fault, cause part of her storyline is about her trying to build a brighter future for herself. But she never gives Otis that relief that she can’t invest her time in a relationship, that will fulfill Otis’s needs. Otis saw Maeve as his “dream girl”, but he was too wrapped up in his own world of desperately wanting a relationship with her that he was never going to have, and couldn’t stop dwelling on the “what ifs” that he loses sight of appreciating the people he currently has in his life. Their whole relationship was just incredibly toxic, and in a way one-sided cause while Otis was willing to make his whole world be defined by Maeve, she wasn’t that invested because she had other priorities!
Now, when it came to Otis & Ruby, they also had problems without me being too biased! At first, she was embarrassed to be seen with him, and tried to change his looks! But anytime Otis had an issue with it, he settled these problems with Ruby, and they moved forward from it and still chose to be together! They were helping each other grow, stepping out of their comfort zones, and were fulfilling each other’s needs! They were on the verge of becoming a healthy couple, until Otis f**ks it up cause he couldn’t stop dwelling on the “what ifs” with Maeve and was more focused on continuing that chase!
According to the creators, Otis & Maeve are supposed to be “soulmates”, yet the more I think about this show! It felt like Otis & Ruby fitted more in that category, that the show could’ve had Otis realize sooner that perhaps Ruby is his “real true love” if the writers recognized better on what they created with those two!