While Art says it a little too bluntly for my taste later in the episode, I really like how this scene shows how strong Debbie truly is
Both Nolan and Debbie are at the lowest points of their life, and contemplating suicide. The difference being Nolan was ACTUALLY going to do it, the only reason he didn’t was because an outside influence gave him a purpose again.
Debbie, on her own, decided to push on with life. Nolan may be powerful, but Debbie was the strong one in the relationship.
People are so quick to dismiss everything Eve’s dad says because he is so unlikable and a terrible father. Eve’s dad honestly doesn’t do much wrong at the core, he wants a safe life for the daughter he thought he already lost once, and doesn’t want her to be a superhero, which is a very FAIR sentiment considering what has happened to heroes as of late (Remember the Guardians of the Globe?). He genuinely cares for Eve, and his family, and is never shown to be evil in the slightest.
His issue is that he filters all this through a bitter misogynistic world view, making him a stubborn husband and a terrible father.
I mean, at the base level he is right. Eve thinks she can fix the entire world with her powers when there are rules and regulations in place for a reason. There is nothing wrong with having principles, wanting to do honest work to provide for your family, and not wanting your super powered daughter to try to handle every problem in the world with her powers.
Now if only he wasn’t a complete misogynistic asshole and terrible father. Good intentions only get you so far
Don’t get me wrong, just because it was too blunt for me doesn’t mean it wasn’t a great scene. When someone is as depressed as Debbie, you should 100% be as encouraging as Art was. Art NEEDED to be blunt in that scene, it’s why he actually got through to Debbie. He spelled out exactly why Debbie shouldn’t be so hard on herself, because Debbie needed to hear it.