Dead To Me: 5 Times Judy Makes No Sense (& 5 She Makes The Most Sense Of Anyone)

It’s tempting to think of Dead To Me‘s Judy, brilliantly played by Linda Cardellini, as being “nuts”–several characters in the show even suggest so, particularly her ex-boyfriend, Steve. It isn’t until Jen Harding points out how misogynistic and unfair this is that Judy begins to realize she’s been the subject of casual sexism and that maybe she is due more credit than she’s given.

As Jen suggests, what with mental health awareness rising and the easy habit of people dismissing women’s feelings as “crazy” for as long as anyone can remember, perhaps it’s time the word “crazy” went out of style, in favor of looking deeper into the nuances of what makes a person who they are. Judy is no easy character, but that’s exactly what makes her so intriguing. It’s the very qualities that make people want to dismiss her as crazy that also double as the reason why she, in many cases, is actually the one people could learn from.

10 Makes No Sense: Seeking Out Jen

As soon as viewers find out that Judy not only was responsible for the death of Jen’s husband but then actually went out of her way to find Jen and become a part of her life, Judy’s reliability as a character becomes suspect. The idea that putting herself in Jen’s life, as if that could possibly end in anything but disaster, is one that only someone who is pretty out there could fathom as reasonable.

9 Makes The Most Sense: Listening To Luke’s Needs

Luke insists that the bird outside his window is his father, reincarnated. Jen has a hard time following this, as she is a purely practical person. Judy comes in as the more open-minded party, accepting that Luke’s assumption might not actually be true, but that they technically can’t rule it out–and what’s the harm if it helps him process his father’s death better?

8 Makes No Sense: Lying About Steve’s Death

In order to get into the grief group, Judy fakes her ex-boyfriend’s death. This makes sense to her because she needs to get close to Jen in order to be in her life. However, it was a slippery slope telling such a big lie and then expecting it to never come out after becoming close with Jen.

7 Makes The Most Sense: Her Physical Affection

Judy is very touchy-feely, especially in comparison to Jen. Sometimes this can seem a little weird or out of place, like when she first meets Jen and asks if she can hug her, a darkly comedic moment that sparks horror from Jen. At the same time, however, Judy and Jen meet under dire circumstances, both (supposedly) having just lost a partner. Judy’s affection makes plenty of sense in this respect–and in fact, eventually does rub off on Jen.

6 Makes No Sense: Being Angry At Jen

Judy spends so much time being the one who messes things up that it’s a bit of a shock when, after Jen kills Steve and requires Judy to help her bury him, Judy turns around and becomes the injured party.

She may not try to blame Jen for it, but the tables do turn, and Jen finds herself apologizing to Judy–a little odd, seeing as none of it would have happened if Judy hadn’t gotten involved with Jen in the first place.

5 Makes The Most Sense: Wanting To Believe Her Mother

For many viewers, it might seem ridiculous for Judy to go back to her mother and actually believe that her mother is trying to improve herself. From what viewers have learned, Judy’s mother was never a reliable person and frequently let Judy down. However, this is the very reason it makes sense the Judy would want so badly to believe her, just to give her any chance to prove she can put Judy first for once.

4 Makes No Sense: Connecting Jen And Ben

Judy has only just buried the man she deeply loves when his twin brother swoops back into her life–something that is shocking enough for viewers, and so one can only imagine how disturbing it would be for Judy to see the exact resemblance of the man she loved. On top of this, Judy then gives Jen the OK to be romantically involved with this man, something that, for your average person, would be extremely difficult to process, one would think–and that also puts them more at risk of getting caught.

3 Makes No Sense: Going Back To Steve

There’s a point in season one when Judy decides she is going to go back to Steve. This is after he has ignored all of her calls and eventually put a restraining order on her. But, no big deal–Judy is willing to forgive these cruelties, swiping them aside as a misunderstanding. It’s only thanks to Jen that Judy is able to come to her sense and see that she deserves better.

2 Makes The Most Sense: Trying To Help Jen

As backward as it may seem for Judy to involve herself in the life of the woman connected to a crime she committed, in some respects it’s understandable.

Judy knew this man might have a family that would miss him, and upon realizing he did, couldn’t stand the thought that she had harmed them. She may make things messy, but to her, she is an able-bodied person who can still try to make Jen’s life a little easier, even if she’s the one who tore it apart.

1 Makes No Sense: Her Many Impulsive Decisions

There are too many instances to simply cite one in Dead to Me. Judy, alas, is primarily known for the moments in which she goofs up–and there are many. There’s something about her that lands her in sticky situations. One could say that it’s her carelessness or obliviousness, but the alternative option is that Judy impossibly tries to make things work out for everybody–a nice gesture, in the end, even if it means inducing chaos.