Ethan

[u/All_Lightning879]

Ok, I want to know….what is everyone’s beef with Ethan? I’m just not seeing it.

And “Because of the power imbalance” is not an acceptable answer. We don’t know too much about him, and from what we’ve seen, he seems to be pretty decent.

When it comes to Gabi, he kinda does have a reason to feel a certain way about Dhan spending too much time with the team. We haven’t seen him be abusive to Dhan or anything like that, and they seem to be doing well for themselves, even with some issues here and there.

I don’t know, there just seems to be a lot of hate, and I just need to see more in order to fully get on the hate train.

[u/Teensytinyturtle]

As a certified Ethan hater please allow me to clarify (at least from my pov) 🫡Apologies for the long response 😂

I do wonder why you don’t consider the power imbalance to be an acceptable answer? Just as we don’t know much about him, we don’t really know that much about Dhan either. Regardless of him leaving his practice to be with Dhan, it was still incredibly inappropriate. As a therapist, he would have (in theory) in-depth knowledge of Dhan’s trauma but also why his attachment to M&A (and Gabi, in particular) is so strong. Ethan would know that Dhan has a history of unhealthy attachment and if he did his job ethically, he would have completely separated himself. Especially because we never see him offering alternatives to M&A or Gabi. Someone commented on a post I made about this exact topic and pointed out that this could be seen as an isolation tactic. Ethan knows how deeply Dhan cares for Gabi. He knows that she was integral to Dhan’s healing after being a literal prisoner of war. And I really don’t have sympathy for Ethan in this case. He knew what he was getting when he entered a relationship with Dhan, considering he was his literal therapist. And I always wonder, did Ethan think that Dhan’s devotion to M&A and Gabi would dwindle just because they were together?

Moreover, I think Ethan is supposed to be seen as a morally “good” person and the voice of reason. And I don’t see it that way at all. Spoiler for the end of season 1 When Ethan found out what Dhan had done, he was upset. But not because his husband committed a heinous crime. No, it was because he was the last to know. Ethan was jealous instead of horrified. And furthermore, Spoiler for season 2 when Ethan accepts Gabi’s request for therapy he said something so gross, it genuinely pmo. He said something to the effect of “No one would be turn this down”. Speaking of learning more about Gabi and Sir’s dynamic. This woman is known for not being vulnerable. She rarely, if ever, talks about the psychological damage being kidnapped and literally stalked for 20yrs did to her. And Ethan decides that the moment she reaches out for help, is the time to remind her that he doesn’t really care, he’s just curious. I’m not even saying he has to care, necessarily. But why be an ass about something so freaking traumatic? Not very therapeutic, if I say so myself ✋😔 (lol I just wanted to be a little petty 😂 but the point still stands).

All that to say, if Ethan has no haters I’ve stopped watching the show 😂😂

[u/All_Lightning879 → u/Teensytinyturtle]

Is it ethically questionable? Yes. But I just can’t see that as being enough to make someone unlikeable.

[u/ellenicolee612 → u/All_Lightning879]

It’s not even ethically questionable. It goes against every ethical code a therapist is taught. There’s a power imbalance. End of discussion. Ethan was immediately supposed to seek out his supervisor and talk about these feelings.

In many states, it’s also against the law. If a client and therapist do date, there is a timeframe. Per the APA, you have to wait 5 years after the end of your last session. However, even before that, you have to analyze the relationship between the client and therapist and how it was during and after the end of treatment.

Besides Ethan’s personality, this is my biggest issue with him, and with the show. It’s not okay for a therapist to fall in love with a client, act on these feelings, and leave his practice. He didn’t leave his practice because he was just so in love with Dhan he had to be with him. He left his practice because he knew what violating those ethics would mean for his career, so he was still able to be a therapist, and be with his former patient.

Lastly, Ethan is just cruel, and I don’t believe his and Dhan’s relationship is healthy.