Bittersweet Candy Bowl

Mike: You’re never normal around me.

Sandy: Yeah, that’s true. I’m always abnormal around you.

damn can she stop trauma dumping /j

She really is holding on to her childhood. The last parts of her life that weren't under the scrutiny of her work and Mother.

Ooof same Mike same <\3

Sounds all about her.

I genuinely hope readers can give Sandy some credit; it’s kind of uncomfortable to see her cast as such a villain sometimes in their eyes! Idk I just have a lot of sympathy for her.

Me too! did everyone forget how she used to be before she made it big as a model? We readers all need to remember that we've just barely been privy to her perspective. We really don't know what's been going on with her mother and Francis and even her career. She says it's been great, but has it?

"Imagine! A life without you!" Does Sandy not understand he has nothing to imagine, he IS his life? The only point here is "imagine me lonely."

When they only miss the idea of having you to be obsessed with them but didn't notice or have a passing thought about you in the months they were getting their Daily Dose of Attention™, elsewhere.

"I miss US even though there hasn't been an 'US' in months anyways!"

It's so sad but kind of funny. These are all the same reasons Lucy 'needed' Mike that he hated then, aren't they?

There's an awful dark pattern forming. Mike's been treated like shit for so long he thinks he deserves it. And whenever he does have a chance to stand up for himself he crumbles almost instantly. It's rather like an abuse victim thinking this time will be different, and repeating the same cycle.

They should listen to Fleetwood Mac together.

It's crazy how people have turned from hating Mike for everything to now hating Sandy for everything or Lucy for everything instead of realizing the answer is much more complex than that.

As someone who was in an abusive relationship before where it was 100% one sided but they said constantly how they “needed” me. Yeah, I understand where Mike is, and it took ALOT of strength to be able to get out of that relationship that first time. I will give Sandy the benefit that she didn’t threaten suicide if he left, but she doesn’t actually care about him, as far as we can tell anyway, she is “using” him as a link to a normal life. I’m not saying she’s actively spiteful, I think she does actually believe she loves him, but I don’t believe that it actually is real

Something else I haven't seen pointed out yet... note how she's expressing how nice it is to be able to just be herself around Mike. And yet... last time she showed up, she kept nagging Mike and being critical of all his personal interests and hobbies, generally not letting MIKE be himself around HER. And because Mike was practically worshiping Sandy at the time, that meant that he actively cut ALL of those things out of his life to appease her even when she wasn't around. No gaming, no goofing off with friends, not having fun in general.

I mean, I really don't think Sandy intended for ANY of that, but... kinda seems self-gratifying to say you enjoy someone because they let you be yourself when you don't also let them be themselves around you in return.