Ashley and Austin have such a realistic Gen Z dysfunctional relationship. I can both simultaneously relate and hate them at the same time. I love the change in viewer dynamics between the characters. In the beginning Austin seems manipulative and jealous while Ashley seems supportive and patient. But the latter end of the show Austin was the level headed and genuine person while Ashley was insecure, and annoying. 

**Ashley**: super needy driven by her intense abandonment issues. She clearly cared a lot about Austin and I felt that she really tried her best to empathise with him in the beginning of the series when he was having some kind of depressive episode (or just being an unreasonable big baby). At the same time unbearably needy which can be suffocating. She was pushing the marriage and baby issue to lock Austin into the relationship. Ashley lacked self confidence and relied on Austin to fulfil that gap. She relied on Austin for self-confidence which allowed her to put up with a lot of unreasonable actions from Austin (eg the Goodwill shirt situation). This reliance on him made her put up with a lot of inexcusable behaviour from Austin such as the goodwill shirt situation. The over reliance on him for self esteem obviously made her super territorial over him and the whole idea of her having to check his phone and night to feel secure just made me roll my eyes (so pathetic). But at the same time that’s such a common practice for people in Gen Z to check their partners phone. Overall she was not *completely* terrible for Austin. She did help him land the spot as a physical therapist and she truly did care deeply about him.

**Austin**: in the beginning we see someone who is lost about what to do with his life and stuck on a short lived peak in college. It seems to me that Austin thinks that he settled for Ashley. I don’t think he cares deeply about Ashley (or at least to the same degree she cares about him) but still fulfil dutifully boyfriend roles like staying with her at the hospital. There are moments where I think he almost subtly wants to hurt Ashley but still appears as a good boyfriend. This are subtle acts such a the Goodwill Shirt, or giving away the Red Gatorade to a stranger. He’s appearance of a good boyfriend adds to his ego as a self righteous man. I think he genuinely thinks he’s a good guy. This can be seen when he criticises Ashley for blackmailing Josh as if he didn’t also benefit from the ordeal. I think he’s self view as a “good guy” makes it hard for him to leave Ashley. At the same time, Austin is not a mean spirited person and I think he does mean well. And I can imagine it must be exhausting to be someone’s emotional support dog (Ashley)   
   
**Some Gen Z moments I loved with Austin/Ashley**   
\- Austin telling Lindsay that him and Ashley are a Safe Space   
\- Ashley calling Josh a boomer   
\- cancelling the money saving subscription 

Ashley and Austin S2