The Gossip Girl Throuple's Been Fun, But It's Time For Max To End It
It's just not working, y'all.
HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot has been pretty groundbreaking in its exploration of polyamory in Season 2. However, in true teen drama fashion, it hasn’t exactly been the picture of a healthy relationship. These types of relationships can thrive with trust, respect, and open communication among everyone involved, but that’s definitely not the case for these three. So, as Season 2 (and the entire show) nears its finale, it’s never been more clear Max needs to break up with Audrey and Aki if he wants to have a happily ever after.
Spoiler alert: This post discusses plot details through Gossip Girl Season 2, Episode 9. After hooking up all over New York in Season 1, Max turned over a whole new leaf in Season 2. Gone were the days of the wild Wolfe; instead, he became a faithful companion to his friends turned lovers, Audrey and Aki. Unfortunately, his partners haven’t fully allowed him in on the serious relationship they already had with each other.
Max, Audrey, and Aki’s clumsy attempt at being a throuple has been uneven from the start. Like any new romance, Max, Aki, and Audrey have had to work out a few kinks in their arrangement, but it always seemed like Max was the odd one out. It makes sense, given that Aki and Audrey had already been dating for years before bringing Max into the fold, but at a certain point, it’s just not really a throuple if all three people aren’t on the same page.
Toward the end of Season 2, Max finally realized this. And looking back, he really, really needs to get out of the unhealthy relationship for his own good. In fact, there’s a whole list of reasons.
1. Aki and Audrey’s resistance to going public
The first red flag was also one of the biggest. After agreeing to form a throuple, Max was pumped to introduce his partners to the world, but Audrey and Aki wanted to keep the relationship a secret. The two eventually came around, but the fact that their first instinct was to hide their true feelings for Max and sabotage his efforts rather than talk things out was definitely not a great foot to start things out on.
2. Aki and Audrey forcing Max to be with other people despite his discomfort
It was never more apparent that Aki and Audrey saw Max as a bonus member of their couple (rather than an equal partner) than when they coerced him into sleeping around so Gossip Girl wouldn’t learn about their true relationship. Max made it clear he didn’t want to be with anyone else, and even became panicky when he almost had to sleep with other people, but Audrey and Aki ignored his feelings.
3. All the jealousy and trust issues
When Aki started taking PrEP and buying sex toys, Audrey and Max immediately assumed he was cheating on them. Rather than just asking him about the purchases, the two stalked and manipulated him to try to catch him red-handed. It’s clear this trio has a lot of work to do when it comes to trust.
4. The lack of open, clear communication
One of the throuple’s most damning issues is that they suck at actually talking to each other. That was on full display when Max and Aki went away to the Hamptons, and although Audrey initially gave them the go-ahead to hook up without her, the guys felt weird about it. Audrey also changed her tune when she suspected her boyfriends might prefer having sex as a twosome, and barged into their vacation home, admitting that she would have felt betrayed.
5. Audrey and Aki ignoring Max’s problems
Audrey and Aki are often there for one another, but when it comes to Max, he seems to be their second priority. When Audrey’s father came to town, for example: Max was flailing to impress him, and Audrey and Aki did nothing to help him out.
6. Audrey and Aki keeping secrets from Max
The throuple totally imploded in Season 2’s penultimate episode when Aki’s relatively innocent kiss with his old friend Ingrid turned into a potentially relationship-ending bomb. It wasn’t the cheating that hurt most; it was the fact that Audrey found out about the kiss and encouraged Aki to keep it a secret from Max. When he finally learned the truth from Gossip Girl, Max realized his two partners have a stronger loyalty to each other than they ever did to him.
7. Audrey and Aki’s inability to say “I love you”
The saddest and most obvious reason Max should end things: Audrey and Aki aren’t able to say “I love you” to him. After Max dropped the L-bomb, his two partners were awkwardly silent, and they yet again changed the subject when he reiterated that he really meant it later on. Audrey and Aki say “I love you” to each other all the time, but they can’t say it to Max. It’s time for Max to realize he’s just not getting the love out of this throuple that he’s putting into it and end things before he gets even more hurt.
Find out what happens to Max, Aki, and Audrey when Gossip Girl’s Season 2 finale (and series finale) airs on HBO Max on Thursday, Jan. 26.
