A Recap of the Second Half of Season Two of ‘State of the Union’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episodes 206-210 of ‘State of the Union’. To revisit the first half of season two, click here.
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One particular belief that many people share in, is that love conquers all things, and it makes sense as to why people hold to this. Because time and time again, we’ve seen love move mountains and accomplish wonders and we’ve also seen it heal people and heal itself. Since communication and appreciation for what we have in a relationship, tends to allow for broken couples to rekindle their love and forge a path ahead as the partnership they craved all those years ago. In fact, we believe so much in love and what it can do for people… that we rarely see unhappy endings regarding it in the world of storytelling. Since most stories about a broken love ends with healing and joy and tears from the reader or the audience.

In fact, even stories that show the toughest aspects of maintaining love and a healthy relationship, will sometimes resort to that happy ending because of how hard it is to show and face the reality that few of us ever want to face regarding love. In that, sometimes love doesn’t win, nor does it conquer all. It simply ends and we are forced to figure out how to move on without our partner, and after spending its first season leaving us wondering whether or not Louise and Tom would reconcile before allowing for them to do so… the second season of State of the Union decided that the time had come to look at the tough reality that few of us want to face, in the most brilliant and realistic manner possible. For when we catch up with Scott and Ellen in the back half of season two, some genuine surprises lead us to the end of their union.

In that, couple’s therapy and the reality that he might lose Ellen, motivated Scott to do the seemingly impossible and take part in personal therapy and that is… huge. Because that genuinely speaks to how much he loves Ellen and how badly he wants this love to continue and how far he was willing go to make her happy and heal the relationship, which in this instance involved addressing his personal problems and barriers to show her that he was ready to communicate and change and that… brought forth the eternal hope we feel in these stories. But an admission from Ellen regarding how low she was in the relationship and how she had more or less made up her mind regarding what was to come to for them… dealt quite the blow to both Scott and the audience.

Because she was indeed done with the marriage and she was ready to move on and well, that led to a powerful exploration. One that allowed for the viewer and for Scott, to ponder upon what comes next when a long-term relationship ends. Which as it turns out, entails finding genuine resolve over the reality that sometimes… people grow apart and when the gap is too far, there is nothing that can be done to bring folks back together. Instead, all we can do is cherish what we had and move on… and do our best to be the best person we can be. Because life will go on, the sun will rise tomorrow, and we will meet someone else. Plus, this part of the story made it clear, that we cannot ever force or fight how someone feels about us. Which are, some powerful messages to find here, but welcome ones none the less.

For that’s exactly what people in this situation tuning in need to hear since they (and we) often think of the end of a relationship as the end of the world and this story deserves a round of applause for offering such sound advice and for going this route. Because the realistic ending is something sorely needed in stories such as these, to remind us that life has its ups and down and disappointments and celebrations, and that each of them teach us something critical and pertinent and we can genuinely grow if we embrace those lessons for certain and well, now that we’ve reached the end of this journey… one does wonder if more are on the horizon. For this brilliant and unique show does indeed dig deep into matters that few stories ever will, and it would not be a bad thing if this show continued along and gave us more insightful examinations into the complex world of relationships.

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