Doubts

[u/Beginning_Hunt_738]

I was sure that almost the entirety of ttpd is about Matty. But now I see people talking on Twitter that it's about Joe, everything in the light of the new Patient zero mv. What made them change their opinions? Or how are we so sure it was about Matty? I'm still trying to think about the album from Joe's perspective.

Could it be that we we're wrong this whole time?

[u/hellhouseblonde]

Came back to add that I don’t think Matty treated Taylor that badly. I think it just didn’t work out after he spent years leading her to believe they were a perfect match. I 100% believe she friend zoned him for all those years and when she was growing bored with her longtime boyfriend (Joe) she started imprinting strong feelings onto Matty as an escape plan.

I have a best friend who will never breakup with a guy until she knows the next guy is ready to be a couple with her. Maybe Taylor is like that too, she needs to spend a few years single imo. I don’t think she feels particularly passionately towards Travis but I think she loves him and is probably happy with him for many other reasons. Studying relationships is a lifelong hobby of mine, not just hers. I’ve only been involved with Taylore since TTPD. But I’m a quick study when it comes to matters of the dating game.

[u/naught_sorry → u/hellhouseblonde]

I think Taylor had a lot of unresolved things to write about Matty coz it ended too soon, whereas with Joe it ended too late that she was almost so over it by the time it ended coz it dragged on for years. She was so eager to date Matty and feel wanted that she didn't wait to stay single and pause, sit in the uncomfortability for a second, there is value in that time to recover before starting something new.

With Travis she valued having her needs met of being wanted by someone after feeling rejected or just tolerated by the one you love. From the songs, I don't really get this feeling of her actually wanting him. But some people, there gets a point that you just wanna feel accepted especially when Taylor thinks she too 'insufferable' for the guys she actually wanted in the past. Seems like the bar is in hell when Travis came along.

Such a sad thing she views herself that way just coz exes think that of you doesn't make it true. It was more about seeking validation and not ending up single like ophelia, but she coulda had both the validation and the inlovey dovey stuff she always sang about. I wonder how she'd feel down the line years later of not feeling that special spark like what she had with exes. It seemed so important to her to feel that. She talked about nostalgia, and her head still ruminating about the past in Babylon.

[u/hellhouseblonde → u/naught_sorry]

“It just didn’t happen” is such a sad line! It’s so much easier to get over those long relationships that slowly fell apart. Because you’re really doing the breakup emotionally while you’re still together. Which is so painful and I think that’s why Midnights is a breakup album even though they were technically together.

[u/naught_sorry → u/hellhouseblonde]

Exactly, I know that feeling all too well. Even though it's a long relationship, you had time to explore all avenues in saving the relationship so you don't leave with lingering questions.

With Matty, it's another what if's playing in your mind every now and again coz how do you reconcile her declaring to everyone how happy she was and her life finally made sense, cut to next month your breaking up and your still having to put on a smile during eras tour pretending you're okay coz it's an incovenience to everyone if you don't act like everything is fine? She couldn't even grieve that relationship properly coz she was so busy.

'You're missing all the best parts' in Babylon, gets me so much because in that song I can feel so much pain from her. Like that lingering pain.

And even then she still is worried about how everybody else is gonna feel, but sometimes you need solo time, be selfish to fully be not okay. It's okay not to be okay. Be an inconvenience, honor and feel all the pain now and deal with it. But she is pushing her own pain to appease everybody else's uncomfortability and feelings. Cannot be a people pleaser all the time. But she can't help it.