#and i do say that with my whole chest knowing that they're broken up rn

[ginjointsintheworld]

The way this fandom makes 5 course meals from bare bones every week, is a work of art to say the least. Lmao and I absolutely love it.

The writers can do so much better, but it's credit to them and Janet+Shiva, that we know the dynamic of their relationship pretty well despite Shiva being a recurring cast. For instant the episode of Mama Bloom's diagnosis, that disagreement was very revealing of that dynamic and their communication and how that said dynamic works with their different personalities. It is easy to miss and we see how alot of people miss that.

My other unpopular opinion is that Max and Helen would have been better as BFFs rather than pulging them into a relationship that honestly isn't dreamy as it is played out to be. Imagine Georgia still his wife and the dynamic of having Helen not necessarily be friends with Georgia, but a cordial and mutually respectful relationship. But alas.

Finally, I think the r/ship kind of took away from the Character of Helen that most of us came to really like.

such is the life of a wlw shipper 😭 gotta learn to squeeze every last drop out of a scene to survive.

listen!! not to live up this ship's ass but even though they get 1 minute of screentime at a time, it always feels like a hefty 1 minute, ya know? like they make that moment COUNT. whether it's to hurt my feelings or get me in my feelings. god bless janet and shiva for always making a meal out of the scenes they're given. like you bring up with 4x05 and mama bloom, if you just take their plot that episode on it's face, it just seems like lauren and leyla butting heads. but it's because of the trust in their relationship and their respect for each other that they're able to be so blunt and straightforward and not shrink away from arguing professionally. in fact, that episode built on 4x03 and lauren's words to leyla that the stubborn, confident, side of her is exactly who lauren fell in love with. even when, especially when it collides with lauren's own stubborn, confident side (*cough* 'you know i find your refusal to admit you're wrong, attractive' *cough*). it says a lot that lauren, who we've seen can at times be led by her emotions, still makes these small efforts to try and hear what leyla is trying to reason.

oh i think this relationship is the worst thing that's happened to helen's character over the lifetime of this series so far. like you said, if took away who she is as an individual. her entire storyline and development has gotten dictated by whatever max is doing and she's ended up becoming more his supporting character when she herself is suppose to be a main character in this show. the whole point of the london arc was for helen to take the forefront and live this dream career of being medical director for a NHS clinic but we've barely, BARELY, seen her actually doing it. or being a doctor at all. instead we've gotten more screentime of her fumbling around waiting with bated breath to see if max would follow through with moving to london and now waiting for him to handle fuentes.

if georgia were still alive, i do believe that her and max would've eventually gotten a divorce. he and helen were inevitable but tbh man doesn't deserve either woman. but in that scenario at least he would have been forced to own up to his failures since she undoubtedly would have (rightfully) petitioned for primary custody of luna. i think with georgia's death, max was more able to romanticize his shortcomings in their relationship rather than it being a harsh reality that would've come from their separation.