Exclusive - Mae Martin on the ending on Feel Good season 2: "I'm sure lots of people will relate to that specific scenario and the Mae and Scott dynamic"

If you haven’t binged the whole of Feel Good season 1 and 2 yet, stop wasting your time here and get on Netflix and watch all 12 episodes now.

We previously spoke to the show’s two leads, Mae Martin and Charlotte Ritchie, about their favourite memories from filming season 2 and those incredible roleplay scenes – we’ll never be able to watch Sigourney Weaver’s Alien the same way again.

Feel Good - Mae Martin and Charlotte Ritchie interview

Afterwards, we also spoke to the pair about the emotional ending to the series, which featured Mae confronting their ex Scott (John Ross Bowie), the source of PTSD they suffer from throughout the series.

At the end of the final episode, Scott tells Mae that he felt entitled to their relationship because he was financially supporting them and Mae tells him that they love him and never wants to see him again. 

“There was a bit of pressure for it to be Mae kicking him in the balls, but I don’t think life is really like that,” Martin told BT TV. “Relationships are more complicated than that.

“I’m sure lots of people will relate to that specific scenario and the Mae and Scott dynamic. Where someone in a relationship is abusive towards you. Even in a parental relationship where someone is treating you badly, you can’t just cut those people off. It’s really painful.

“What I was more interested in than a revenge fantasy between Mae and Scott was the ripple and effect this has on Mae’s life.

“Hopefully it will help to show people that it’s not as easy as outing someone on Twitter, their comedy special gets cancelled and that’s it.”

Charlotte Ritchie applauded Martin and co-writer Joe Hampson for their choice of ending.

“As someone watching that play out, there’s a real human understanding of the fact that you can’t separate the intimacy you have with a person and also the harm that person can do,” said Ritchie.

“There’s a little bit of that between Mae and George, it’s a complicated and grey area. It doesn’t just switch off. Human relationships are so complex and you can really care for someone who really harms you. I think that is beautifully explained.”

Martin said that it was a deliberate choice to avoid a cathartic moment and have Scott pay a price for what he’d done.

“I think there’s a lot of pressure on people to publicly name their abusers and publicly talk about things, but that’s not always the safest environment,” said Martin.

“And it doesn’t take into account how messy and painful that can be. I think it’s much more valuable of Mae in that moment to have a conversation with a friend and get some clarity.”

And as for Mae and George’s happy ending, the writer said that it’s “not exactly clear” whether the pair would still be together if we revisited them in a years’ time.

“They are in a positive place, but they still have a lot of work to do. I think it would have felt really bleak to not end like that,” they said.

Ritchie added: “I get really angry when you invest for a long period of time in a romantic storyline and it doesn’t work, I get so angry. I know that’s what happens in the real world, but as a viewer, you partly watch TV so you don’t have to be living your real life.”

Martin said that they wanted to avoid bleak ending for the couple, despite the reality of their relationship making them unlikely to last.

“If you have a relationship that starts that toxic, it’s rare to work your way through your problems. The timing would never be right,” they said.

In the closing scene with Mae and George, we hear the pair discussing possible road trips across Spain. Martin has previously insisted that there won’t be any new episodes after season two, but there must have been a slight temptation to pitch a third season or special to Netflix.

Is there any chance of a Spanish road trip special with Mae and George?

"It’s a nice fantasy. But in reality I wouldn’t want to mess with what we’ve done I think.

"But [Season 2] does motivate me to write another TV show and cast Charlotte Ritchie in it."

Feel Good season 1 and 2 are streaming now on Netflix.

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