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One of the truly most horrifying parts of Mouthwashing is the relationship between Anya and J*mmy. It’s the civil conversation between them. It’s Anya having to ask Jimmy for help. It’s Jimmy feeling comfortable talking to her and making fun of her to her face. It’s Anya talking to Jimmy about the crash as if they’re simply just coworkers in a bad situation together. But it’s the fear on her face. The implied tremble in her voice. The horror of subtext. Anya is stuck with her rapist. She doesn’t know what he’ll do next. She is not only stuck with him but RELIES on him. He is the captain now. She has to ask this monster for help. And he berates her for it. They are in a situation entirely of Jimmy’s creation but he punishes Anya for it.
It speaks a lot on real rapist/victim relationships. We’re not all so lucky as to be able to shut them out entirely. We’re not all so lucky that we get to be cruel back, show our teeth and bite. Sometimes we have to play nice. This is the terrifying reality of Mouthwashing