In his marriage to Olivia, he may actually have worked through some issues with Kim by going through ups and downs with his wife. Since the dynamic was similar, every time Ethan got angry enough to stand up for himself, he reached a new plateau.
He needed to find the strength to assert himself even though it was so painful. Yes, he'd tried to stand up to Kim and Barry over the years, with sometimes explosive results, but in general, they walked all over him. So, while his split with Olivia's sad, and Ethan has changed, he's now a person who can say, "This just isn't making me happy."
Olivia isn't the devil. She's a fun person who's beautiful, smart, and accomplished. It's just that she's so strong-willed and restless. People like that need to be with others who have the same temperament. With Ethan, there was always this disconnect. He was looking for peace, a white picket fence, 2.5 kids... she wanted to roam.
Olivia's electric...she's a leader who's fearless. She's a true extrovert. However, Ethan might prefer a partner who likes sitting on the front porch and watching the sun set. Someone more old-fashioned would suit him... a person who's very sensitive would be ideal as he's easily hurt.
Neither are villains - they're just wrong for each other, and Ethan's winning the divorce because he evokes more sympathy. He didn't spend years telling his wife what was wrong with her and how she had to change. It was only in the recent past that he became that kind of person.
It's like he began to take on the coloration of the people around him, absorbing their bad energy. Now, he can clear his head and remember who he really is. If he isn't sure who that is, he can find himself.
Olivia's posted a lot since her split - she does add cryptic content, but sometimes, as in the confessional post above, she really lays it on the line. However, the fan comments on her posts aren't as supportive as the ones on Ethan's posts.
Part of that is the fact that Olivia's so strong. Everyone pretty much knows she'll be okay. However, Olivia does get judged because she was so pushy in her relationship. Quite often, it seemed like it was her way or the highway. One judgmental fan remarked:
Olivia, who's currently LA-based, is a bit of a nomad. Ethan's more of a small town person. Olivia, who has tangled with her own family, as well as Ethan's, is rebellious. She's ultra-modern, not traditional.
Olivia wants the good life and her definition of that is travel, group activities, a good income and fame. While she's not overtly materialistic, she definitely cares about her career. Olivia promotes her wedding photography business often and she's a very good photographer.
Ethan and Olivia are the same in one important way - neither got the nurturing they needed while they were growing up. However, this shared experience led to disaster, rather than harmony. For a while, it was them against the world. Then, things got twisted. Of course, Kim and Barry did all they could to destroy the couple. They should be ashamed of how they treated their daughter-in-law. What they did to their own son was also a disgrace.
Olivia and Ethan are done, and it really doesn't seem like they'll reconcile. Sure, they're probably both hurting right now, but their relationship became incredibly toxic. It became a slog rather than a fun journey.
Plus, their problems went beyond them as their families got involved in the drama too. It's the same with The Family Chantel's Pedro Jimeno and Chantel Everett. There were family feuds that put pressure on their relationship. Then, when they split up, the bad blood really overflowed.
In such situations, the odds of making up are almost zero. Since their marriage is really over, Ethan and Olivia need to establish their identities in brand-new ways. Both need to show the world who they are beyond their relationship, which was televised and streamed for years.
Olivia's sense of self is extremely strong, but maybe Ethan's not so different. While he's gotten flack for loving cars, that doesn't stop him from posting about them. He's facing his new normal with a lot of courage. For him, putting it all out there may be more difficult than it is for Olivia, but he's trying to show fans who he is now.
The Welcome to Plathville pair really loved each other once and no one should forget that. Their love wasn't fabricated. It came into being long before they were on TV. It was real. That's what they should try to remember.
All of these awful feuds, the disses and hurt feelings... it's so messy and nasty. What wasn't ugly was the two of them trying to make things work for years when so much was against them, including Kim and Barry. That's how Ethan and Olivia showed their love for each other. They didn't give up.
Eventually, they threw in the towel, but that doesn't change the fact that they stuck together for years. Hopefully, they'll never forget that loyalty that they used to share. Aspects of their Welcome to Plathville relationship were beautiful. They were a part of each other's journey. They shouldn't be enemies.
