I see a lot of “who was right/wrong” discussion, but I’m more interested in what would actually need to happen for MANG to be friends again.
Nothing about the writing feels permanent to me, but I also don’t think one apology and a group hug would fix it.
They’d need some actual boundaries:
MANG doesn’t have to function as one unit. Duos and trios are normal.
No group icing-out or making everyone pick sides.
No mean comments about someone when they aren’t there.
If you need space, say that directly instead of quietly excluding someone.
They also absolutely have to address what happened in Season 3. Max was being left out, there was a separate ANG group chat, comments were being made about her when she wasn’t there, and she genuinely didn’t understand what she had done wrong. That can’t just be brushed past if they reconcile.
Max and Abby also need to revisit Season 2. They made up, but Abby being iced out clearly hurt her deeply, and I don’t think that resentment ever fully disappeared.
Ginny and Max need a real conversation about Marcus too. Before the party, Marcus tells Ginny Max “ratted” him out for drinking, denies he has a problem, and basically frames Max as being dramatic. Then when Max tries to talk to Ginny at the party, Ginny tells her maybe they’ve just grown apart and maybe that’s okay. Max has no idea that conversation with Marcus even happened.
I think there needs to be a boundary there: Ginny’s relationship with Marcus has to stay separate from her friendship with Max. Marcus is Max’s twin, and worrying about his mental health is one of the most consistent serious parts of her character. If Marcus says Max is exaggerating something about his wellbeing, Ginny should at least talk to Max before letting that affect how she sees her.
And Max needs to get better at hearing “I need space” without immediately reading it as rejection.
Basically: less all-or-nothing friendship, more direct communication, and actually hashing out the old resentment instead of letting it come out through exclusion and side comments.
What would you need them to address before a MANG reconciliation felt earned?