Well, that was terrible. What are your thoughts?
It's objectively bad writing, consistent with how Jay has been portrayed this entire season. When I say objectively bad writing, I mean that it violates a very basic, elementary tenant of fiction in which a character is assigned a motivation that drives an action. In this instance, we're witnessing a character behave in a way that does not compute with his values and relationships established over 9 full seasons, and not one valid catalyst has been provided. Actions not consistent with previously established characterizations have to be contextualized to be believable. If there's no logical rationalization, well, that's a clear indicator that the arc necessitates major recalibration.
I've said this before, but it rang true for me last night: if Gwen had wanted to give Jay a proper exit, she would've and could've. As is, I don't actually think she could have done anything to make this storyline worse. She knew Jesse was exiting before the writers' room commenced for the season. Under her leadership, they sat down and developed a storyline in which Jay aligns himself with Voight's policing, avoids Hailey, kills someone, prompts another coverup, leaves abruptly, avoids her for months, and extends his contract without a word - all without a sliver of rationale. They, bizarrely, have gone above and beyond to paint Jay as a selfish, cold man without any regard for his wife, a woman who has suffered immense trauma and abandonment throughout her life and canonically has no family or friends to rely on as a support system. It's pathological behavior.
I quite frankly feel secondhand embarrassment for Gwen with this output. Her failure as a showrunner and a storyteller cannot be overstated.
