'Modern Love' Episode 6 goes beyond the quintessential 'daddy issues' as Maddy looks up to Peter as a father figure
Spoilers ahead for Episode 6 titled 'So He Looked Like Dad. It Was Just Dinner, Right?' of Amazon Prime Videos 'Modern Love'
At the beginning of 'Modern Love' episode six 'So He Looked Like Dad. It Was Just Dinner, Right?', it is unclear what exactly Julia Garner's Maddy is.
The 21-year-old, while at a celebratory dinner for her roommate's 21st birthday, looks longingly at her roommate's father who is showering her with compliments and blessings. It is then revealed that Maddy has some serial daddy issues.
Having lost her father at the young age of 11, Maddy had lost out on all the love and support that comes from a father.
Today, at 21-years-old, on the brink of womanhood, this longing is amplified. At this point in her life, she meets with Shea Whigham's Peter, a senior at her workplace, and is immediately drawn to his "daddy" persona.
In a busy conference room, she marvels at his salt and pepper hair, his face, his energy and also notes that she wishes he had a bigger paunch.
"He was very handsome. He wore gray turtleneck sweaters and smelled like mint aftershave and old books. He was 55 and recently divorced for the second time. He was my father. He wasn't really my father."
She finds herself lingering outside his cabin to catch a glimpse of him and looking to spend more time around him. Maddy is then invited for a dinner at his place. Whether this is a date or just dinner is a lingering question. It is painful to decipher if Maddy's intentions are sexual or not.
They form a bond over Maddy's revelations of her daddy issues — of how she only wishes there was a figure to tell her he is proud of her, love her, offer support and wellbeing with generosity.
Their relationship takes a turn for the worse when Peter buys her an expensive coat and tries to kiss her. When she pushes him away, he tells her that she must admit that she is somewhere responsible for his move.
However, she tells him that all she was looking for was support and generous love, like she would from a dad, but Peter is not her dad.
After this, tensions between them are rife, even at the office. But when they eventually talk, Peter tells her that he is taking a sabbatical from work because of their friendship.
Somewhere, Peter has realized that Maddy only looked to him for fatherly love, and he is ashamed that he took it the wrong way, his eyes even reflecting his guilt.
He tells her one last thing before leaving — that she is a wonderful woman, lovely, smart and intelligent and that he is very proud of her.
Something Maddy always wanted to hear. "I could feel myself changing. I felt split open, released as if his words had been transformational. Suddenly, I was finally grown up."
Based on the article by Abby Sher, 'So He Looked Like Dad. It Was Just Dinner, Right?' is a quirky story of a young girl with "daddy issues". But don't let that be a deciding factor for Maddy's story goes well beyond that.
All eight episodes of 'Modern Love' are currently streaming on Amazon Prime.