SPOILERS for Unend, Season 2, Episode 12: Alienation
I just realized something.
Steve made his point about Cleo seeing Dot as a trophy and Dot is upset about that. I get it. It is not a nice thing to hear.
But. The issue is not that Cleo disrespected Dot, is it? It is not about them feeling objectified, at least not entirely.
The real problem for Dot here is that they are not as powerful as Cleo thinks they are. Steve made them believe that what Cleo likes about them is their power, and they are acutely aware that this power is pretense. In Dot's mind, Cleo's affection is now tied to their success as a Mother, the very thing they belive to be failing at.
This leaves Dot stranded with no way out. With surgical precision, Steve cut them off from the one safe alternative they had and trapped them in their own toxic mindset of needing to become a Mother at all costs. Conveniently, the only ally Dot has left in that space is Steve himself.
F***ing Steve.
