re: Jersey Shore Family Vacation: Mike Goes to Jail

quote:

---

I always thought he was basically just having a substance-related breakdown in those years, which I guess he kind of was, but I would imagine the rest of the gang (except maybe Paulie) hating on him and thinking of him as a joke was driving him crazy.

---

Yeah his substance abuse obviously played a big role there too for sure.

But I think even that was ultimately driven by his depression from being ostracized and outcast by the group he wanted love and respect from. He was using it as a mask and shield from what was ultimately driving his depression.


I think he early on he allowed The Situation to overtake Mike (and he relished it btw, he’s not some totally innocent victim), which is what the group was ultimately hating on. And when he was ready to go back to being Mike, they kept treating him like he was Sitch and punishing him for his actions back then, even though it probably felt like he was doing it as a character for the show in his mind.

The lines between show and reality were pretty easily blurred for them all I’d imagine.


The peace he seems to have found today is that he is and is accepted as Mike again. Paulie has been Paulie since day 1, and the others are more in their characters now imo, although the characters have changed somewhat (J Wow and Snooki being the overprotective moms, Ronnie the black sheep with issues, Vinny the comedian).