More of my madhel rambles... 😁 Long one ahead!
I love how complex both Madeline and Helen are. However, I feel like I'm in the minority when I say I find Madeline a tinsy bit less complex.
Don’t get me wrong — she has depth, but once you understand that her whole persona is performance and deflection for her insecurity (sprinked with her obsession with Helen), her actions become remarkably predictable. She’s layered, but she’s consistent: she reacts the same way in year 1 as in year 10, and her drives (validation, beauty, control, love even) don’t really change, nor do the ways she goes about achieving them.
I also think this is why Madeline is stronger. This consistency where she’s built a system (the diva persona) allows her to survive (although not completely unscathed) in the cutthroat world of showbiz where Helen would shatter.
Helen is different. Her complexity isn't in maintaining a mask; it's in her lack of one. What sets her apart is that her transformations are real. She adapts to survive, forces herself to endure painful relationships, and changes her very core to navigate her life. She plays around with ideas like taking/not taking her medication, for example, to please others. It's also why I think Ernest was such a relief for her — his apathy meant she didn't need to change herself as much.
Anyways, Helen begins already mentally unwell, spirals to institutionalization, and later decides murder is the answer — not just anyone’s murder, but her best friend’s, the person she loves most. The breaking it takes to get someone to that point is staggering.
And then there’s her arc. Helen is torn down and rebuilt over and over: Pre-breakdown Helen, post-institution Helen, post-murder-plot Helen — each feels like a different person, yet each is authentic. It doesn't feel like a performance because it’s not; this is who she's really become. So it may seem like emotional transparency or "wearing her heart on her sleeve," but it isn't. It's a complete inability to regulate her emotions or construct a stable identity, especially one that is separate from Madeline. That cycle of destruction and reinvention makes her unpredictable and, in my opinion, more complex than Madeline’s steady mask. It's also why her character scares me a little 😆.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is:
Madeline's complexity is strategic and externalized. Her profound internal struggle with insecurity and self-worth is so overwhelming that she projects it outward, using control over her image and her world as a shield. The "diva" is a fortress she built to protect a deeply wounded core. The complexity is in the brilliant, calculated performance.
Helen's complexity is psychological and internalized. Her profound internal struggle consumes her from the inside out. She lacks a defensive shell, so the pain doesn't get projected—it implodes. The complexity is in the terrifying, unpredictable transformation that occurs with each breakdown.
You can even see this reflected in fanfic. Authors tend to latch onto a single version of Helen and stick with it for the whole story. Some portray her as poor, defenseless Helen, while others go all-in on bitchy, unhinged Helen. It’s rare to see both sides explored in one fic because capturing her entire range is so challenging (and is something I struggle with as well when writing her). That alone speaks volumes about her depth.