There are three things that I keep reading around after S2ep6 of Rivals that are bothering me. So here I am talking to myself about them as a form of therapy!
First, Tony and Monica's relationship:
(this is important for point number 3 even if we're not there yet XD)
There definitely was affection there. Yes it's a marriage of convenience (Monica bringing status, Tony bringing money), but it's obvious feelings grew into it. Maybe not passion but a sort of quiet affection we can see in the show.
Tony listens to her, gets ideas from her happily, and definitely wants more intimacy with her (he's always the one initiating the little touches, and I'm not talking about sex)
Claire actually said that "Tony is a very loyal, affectionate, dotting husband and father when he is at home" - the last part being key here. Monica is not dumb, she knows he is awful outside of their home. But for a while she doesn't care as long as he doesn't bring it home, it's actually convenient for her too that he finds sexual release elsewhere.
There are scenes in the show whose goal is exactly to show that: Tony massaging her feet in season one (Corinium cares...), Tony listening to her about Maud this season, Tony (with very distracting soft hair in the wind but that's beside the point) calling her "my rose" and excitedly thanking her for her advice on Maud in that dreamy scene outside where Monica tends to her flowers in S2ep4, Tony repeatedly telling her he would be lost without her etc. And Monica giving said advices, quietly being the anchor behind the scene, tethering him in every scene etc.
In season 2 Tony gets careless and does bring the nastiness home, and Monica warns him about it (when she sees Cameron humiliate him at the polo match), he doesn't listen this time. This is when it starts to go really wrong for their marriage...
But yes, back to my point: there was affection between the two of them, people saying there wasn't are not watching the same show.
A character can be morally bad and a right asshole and still love his wife and kids - even if, as put by Monica, AWFULLY so. He loves her, that doesn't mean he treats her right...
Tony's bankrupt morality makes him compartmentalise HARD between life inside and outside his home. He's stupid in believing that what he does outside won't ever affect Monica. He takes her for granted more and more and gets hit in the face for it. Deserved (although Monica definitely didn't deserve it *still crying*).
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