Recently, a Netflix show created by Neil Patrick Harris faced backlash for their stereotypical depiction of a Latina maid. The only thing that makes her addiction darker is how easily she normalizes it even when it sickens her in sporadic bursts.Latinas in television have been represented in numerous ways, some stereotypical, some barely visible, and some completely whitewashed. Just like the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports, victims often 'want the abuse to end, but not the relationship,' and Maddy is the prototype for that. Celeste gets kicked, shoved, punched, and flung across the room but is still reluctant to leave her husband, and continues blaming herself for his accidental death. Maddy's love and devotion for Nate is quite similar to HBO's other successful drama, 'Big Little Lies' where Nicole Kidman's Celeste absolutely adores her husband despite being abused by him, frequently, for at least half a decade. For Maddy, more than the riches and the fancy show, it is her idea of Nate being the king and her being his queen that she is addicted to, which is clear by the two of them walking in hand-in-hand to the Halloween party later and making out on the kitchen counter in front of the entire crowd, establishing that they are back to reign. Granted, Maddy has no idea about the constant blackmailing and threatening Nate is putting Jules through, but her devotion is explained by how easily she agrees to frame a college student for assault when Nate suggests the plan to her. Maddy lies to her school and the police about who choked her, planning with Nate to frame another guy for the assault. In fact, it is Maddy who tells Nate that he needs a plan to get out of the mess they have landed in. Nate gets suspended and shunned by the townspeople for a while, but she runs to him whenever he asks her to meet him secretly at motels. When she should have just allowed her mother to press the charges, she fights with her to prove Nate's innocence, citing that love isn't always a walk in the park.

Even when her bruises are spotted by school authorities, leading to an interrogation of Nate, she insists he wasn't the one who hurt her. But just like Rue's dependence on drugs, her drug is Nate. She is, in fact, very self-aware of the toxicity of their relationship.

This only further establishes that Maddy is not just a ditzy person. But as Rue's (Zendaya) voiceover informs us the next episode, Maddy's breakdown wasn't a result of being assaulted it was purely because she knew no matter what Nate did, she would always love him. She goes home and has an intense breakdown in front of the mirror when she spots the bruises Nate's grasp left on her neck. This causes Nate to do an absolute 180-degree turn and he apologizes, telling her it's complicated but he still loves her. Maddy's parents had stopped sharing a bed years ago, and that has been Maddy's driving force in life.

Her esthetician mother had been the bread earner, while her drunk father wasted his time on the couch. This is explained a lot by the story focusing on Maddy's past, where we find out about her relatively lower-income background and the complicated upbringing that came along with it. And coming from teens in their final years of high school, not only is this harrowing, but it also highlights that the teen drug, sex, and violence-laden show's darkest addiction is Maddy's love for Nate.Īs Nate and Maddy's relationship becomes increasingly tumultuous with each episode, we witness instances of Nate getting violent with her while her commitment to him remains intact - something that indicates a constant cycle of abuse where neither of them is ready to let go. While Nate is the textbook definition of male ego and the constant quest to establish his dominance and authority, Maddy's obsession for him transcends beyond his abusive nature. Nate and Maddy are polar extremes of toxic traits their characters represent: aggressive masculinity and blind love. It is this inherent pattern where, just when you think the relationship couldn't get any worse, they prove you wrong. The most problematic thing about Maddy (Alexa Demie) and Nate's (Jacob Eordi) relationship on 'Euphoria' is not the volatility or the erraticness of it. This article contains spoilers for episode six

Maddy euphoria