‘Ginny & Georgia’ Star, 26, on Why Abby Keeps Pushing Max Away [Exclusive]

It’s long been clear on Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia that MANG is a toxic friend group. Although the clique of high school girls becomes a crucial part of Ginny’s (Antonia Gentry) support system, their dynamic has been less than friendly at times, jumping readily to judgment and distrust that keeps the four from honestly opening up about their troubles or offering forgiveness when mistakes are made. Sara Waisglass‘s Maxine Baker has often been at the center of that hostility as the group’s controlling leader, but she’s been slowly making positive changes. However, her attempts to be a better friend in Season 3 were largely met with a cold shoulder, especially from Katie Douglas‘s Abby. During an episode of Collider Ladies Night with Perri Nemiroff, Douglas shared her thoughts on why Abby was so adamantly pushing her old friend away and what it could mean for the future.

Though Ginny & Georgia Season 3 heavily focused on its titular mother-daughter duo during Georgia’s (Brianne Howey) fight for innocence in her murder trial, it still makes plenty of time for MANG’s members. Abby, in particular, gets a lot of screen time as she processes her parents’ divorce and the sudden entrance of her dad’s new girlfriend into her life, all while entering a romantic relationship herself with Tris (Noah Lamanna). Throughout it all, she confides mostly in Ginny, and the group ends up bonding without Max, even addressing Abby’s bulimia. For Max, however, the season plays out very differently. The group dismissed her as dramatic, Ginny claimed they grew apart, and Max’s girlfriend, Silver (Katelyn Wells), similarly blew off her concerns, leaving her in a lonely place that will need to be addressed going forward.

Douglas attributes part of the separation between Abby and Max to the new relationships Abby is forming. Tris is her new focus on the romantic side, while Ginny and Norah (Chelsea Clark) form a tighter bond with her without their “leader” around. However, her building resentment towards Max for her past behavior is also at play. It’s another example of MANG’s toxicity that, despite Max’s genuine attempts at change, Abby refuses to have an open conversation with her about how she feels:

“I think as she’s discovering new relationships, she’s kind of separating herself from old ones. That was so sad because not having the Max character in the scenes meant we didn’t have Sara Waisglass on set, which the set’s just not light without a Sara Waisglass. But I think it’s just now that she has something to distract yourself with, and she’s got a new relationship, she’s just kind of fading away from that one. And, like I talked about before, she’s got that resentment thing. She hasn’t had the confrontation with Max yet about the time when she abandoned and hurt her, so it’s been building up and building up, and it’s coming out in these weird little microaggressions. It’s a really good lesson in how to have a conversation before things get ugly like that. But yeah, she’s definitely distracted with her romantic story.”

Douglas Describes Her ‘Ginny & Georgia’ Romance and Max and Abby’s Future

What makes the split between Abby and Max especially devastating throughout Season 3’s run is that Abby’s new relationship with Tris would be the perfect thing to share with her old bestie. When asked about that, Douglas agreed with the sentiment, though admitted that there’s a bit more nuance to the queer romance. It’s a moment of self-discovery for Abby and something that she wants to take slowly and keep to herself for a while before opening up to someone as “involved” as Max:

“I know! Because you’d think that would be the perfect person to share it with. What I have to tell myself is that it’s because it’s so much more than just a queer relationship right now. It’s a very personal, real, slow burn of a thing, and she doesn’t know how to talk about it yet with somebody like Max. I think she’s just very afraid to attach herself to any type of label, or she doesn’t want it to be exploited for drama or for anything other than hers. It’s still very much hers, and Max can be so involved, and she gives so much love and attention to her friends that I think she still is very protective over it.”

Exactly what direction Season 4 and beyond will take for MANG remains to be seen, but it’s hard to imagine Max and Abby staying apart forever. There are still signs throughout Season 3 that Abby still cares about Max and wants to protect her to some degree. For some fans, her attempts at keeping Max at arm’s length might be a sign of deeper feelings, too. Although Tris is in the picture right now, Douglas was asked about the idea that the two friends could be endgame, and she didn’t rule it out. “Oh, there’s a lot of that! Hey. You know what? People have been Abby/Max since day one,” she added. “Anything can happen.” For now, though, the focus is on building the romance with Tris, and Douglas hopes that “they continue to bring out good things in Abby.”

Ginny & Georgia Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix. Season 4 will begin filming later this year. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the hit dramedy. You can watch Douglas’ full episode of Collider Ladies Night below.