While the last three episodes of “3 Women” were sexy and fun, Maggie’s centerpiece in “3 Women” Season 1 Episode 4 was something more serious.
It even has a warning at the beginning of the episode, which made me feel like I was watching an episode of Law & Order: SVU.
Grooming became more common among powerful people and their subordinates. We already see this in schools and politics.
We see a similar situation in Hulu’s Teachers , where Clare Wilson reaches out to Eric because he’s having problems at home and needs a trustworthy adult.
Maggie dealt with similar issues, as she trusted Mr. Knodel when her world fell apart. It seemed easy to confide in him because he already knew so much from the ideas in her article.
They revealed too much information about Maggie’s case. They shouldn’t have revealed the verdict again in 3 Women Season 1 Episode 1 or at the beginning of the opening warning,
It would have been better if her story unfolded naturally in chronological order.
Maggie is done waiting and pressing charges.
After Mr. Knodel was named Teacher of the Year in the first episode of Season 1 of “3 Women,” Maggie began seeing a therapist due to difficulty coping.
Maggie wants to study social work, but she doesn’t think she’s worthy enough to help people.
Maggie: How do I tell people to defend themselves when I can’t?
She longs to move on and improve her life because it’s unfair for him to move on and she’s stuck. This prompted her to confess and press charges.
The police station scenes feel like something out of Law & Order: SVU. Agent Ness puts Maggie at ease while she takes her statement.
He even called her to warn her before arresting Mr. Knodel.
Maggie’s parents appear more frequently in the TV series
Maggie’s parents supported Lisa Taddeo’s book, but showrunner and writer Laura Eason expanded their roles.
The dinner table scene is crucial because Maggie finally tells them what happened and they listen without judgment.
I’m grateful that her mother knew what a “physical” relationship meant and didn’t interrupt her.
Her mom did the best thing possible – hugged Maggie and assured her they were proud of her.
Maggie has a more complicated relationship with her father, who blames himself for not realizing his daughter was hurt.
When Mark Wilkin wondered how much Mr. Knodel knew about their family, he alternated between feeling guilty, like most parents, and blaming him for everything.
Poor Maggie. It’s understandable why she needs to escape and need a break from the mess of caring for her father, but she’s in too deep.
Hopefully her dad realizes this and keeps his promise to return to meetings and stop drinking.
Even though Maggie told her parents not to join her at the station, it was important for them to be there for her to finally break down into their arms.
She needs someone to believe in her. Each of her parents did this in different ways. I loved how her dad thought she was unstoppable when she took to the ice for the first time in years.
Spending too much time on Maggie’s backstory
Character backstory is important, but I think if the series planned to cover most of Maggie’s arc in one installment, we’d be spending too much time on Maggie’s summer trip to Hawaii.
Some scenes are important because they show that Maggie is older than 17, which is why older men are accosting her.
It’s also worth noting that Maggie (Gabriel Creevey) doesn’t look 17 in flashbacks, nor does the actor playing Matteo look 30.
Mateo isn’t a bad guy, the age of consent is 16 in Hawaii, but it still seemed weird watching a grown man have sex with Maggie.
But there’s more to it than that. It felt like he took advantage of her because she quickly fell in love with him, like teenagers often do, and Matteo couldn’t reciprocate those feelings.
That was a big lesson learned over the summer, without seeing her on the back of a motorcycle or attending a toga party. It was the summer she grew up.
It takes three women to show Mr. Knodel and Maggie’s physical relationship
At the same time, the show needs to highlight Mr. Knodel and Maggie’s physical relationship more.
Mr Knodel’s support is evident when the bully teases Maggie in the corridor and encourages her to confide in him.
At first, he seemed like a good teacher, but when he started calling and texting her to admit that he liked her, things went over the edge.
This was the beginning of their private date, where they would meet at a Barnes & Noble bookstore because buying books together didn’t seem suspicious.
It was inappropriate for him to drive her home because he wanted to know where she lived. He wants to know everything about her, but she has boundaries on what she can tell him. This doesn’t seem fair.
Maggie was tired of following his rules, especially when she could only come over when his wife was out of town. I hope they’ve proven that. This is a pivotal scene for her relationship.
She really wants him to love her, but Mr. Knodel often becomes distant and blames it on her.
If they had shown more physical and sexual scenes, the audience might have seen how he hurt her emotionally.
What did you think of Maggie’s arc in Three Women ? Do you admire her strength? What do you want to happen?
We’d love to hear your thoughts, so let us know in the comments.
