What About Us Themes
by Kristen Proby
What About Us is really wrestling with how family can hurt you and heal you at the same time. Xander chooses Montana and the Hendrix home over Denver while recovering, and Ivy keeps covering for Brenda at Lucky's. Under the romance, it asks how caregiving, injury, memory loss, and old abandonment fears shape whether someone can trust love.
On this page you'll find each theme with concrete moments: family and home as healing, Brenda's addiction and Ivy's burden, Xander's knee injury and concussion fears, attraction across the therapist boundary, found family through Britney, Cooper, and the WAGs, plus trust and abandonment. You'll also trace symbols like Ivy's paintings, Cally, Xander's hoodie and jersey, and the rink.
Major Themes in What About Us
Family, home, and belonging as healing
Xander chooses to recover in Montana with his family rather than stay in Denver, and the Hendrix home becomes a place of rest, celebration, and acceptance. Ivy, who has been isolated by her mother's abuse, is gradually folded into that family and into a shared life with Xander. The theme extends to Indie, who is welcomed as a half-sister despite the pain of their mother's abandonment.
- Xander insists on returning to Montana to recover and says being with his family in his childhood home is 'exactly the medicine I needed.'
- After Brenda ruins Ivy's house, Xander tells her 'you live with me now' and says 'we're a we.'
- The Hendrix family welcomes Indie at the barbecue and later at Christmas, and Ivy reflects that she went from having no one to being surrounded by love.
Caregiving burden, addiction, and breaking free from abuse
Ivy spends years covering for her alcoholic, abusive mother Brenda at Lucky's bar, paying bills, and absorbing public humiliation. Brenda's addiction and cruelty escalate until Ivy finally sets boundaries and refuses to keep rescuing her. Xander's protection and the jail-or-rehab ultimatum help Ivy separate from her mother and choose her own life.
- Ivy finds her mother passed out drunk, is screamed at, and covers the night shift at Lucky's.
- Brenda slaps Ivy over putting cheddar cheese on a sandwich and kicks Cally twice.
- Xander gives Brenda a choice of jail or a paid rehab facility, and later Ivy refuses to rescue Brenda when the private investigator reports she is homeless and using in Arizona.
Injury, rehabilitation, and fear of memory loss
Xander's torn ACL, PCL, and meniscus threaten his hockey career and bring Ivy into his life as his physical therapist. His hidden concussion history causes memory gaps, which terrifies Ivy because she fears being forgotten. The theme follows his rehab back to the ice and culminates in his playoff win and proposal, while Ivy's anxiety about future head injuries remains a source of tension.
- The doctor diagnoses a torn ACL, PCL, and meniscus, meaning Xander will be out through next season.
- Xander admits he has had three concussions and still has memory, sleep, and light-sensitivity issues.
- Ivy tells Xander, 'What if you hurt your head again and you forget me?'
- At Xander's first no-contact practice, a fight breaks out and Ivy panics about head injury and Xander forgetting her.
Attraction and professional boundaries leading to love
Ivy is Xander's physical therapist and has had a crush on him since she was fifteen, so their growing attraction repeatedly collides with her need to stay professional. Xander pursues her, becomes possessive, and refuses to hide their relationship, while Ivy worries about being seen as a puck bunny or not serious about her job. Eventually they become public, say 'I love you,' and get engaged.
- Xander pulls Ivy into his lap during wall sits, and later becomes angry when she wears a vintage Mullins T-shirt and asks her to change into his.
- Ivy suggests keeping their relationship secret so the team will not think she is a puck bunny, but Xander refuses and says she is not a secret.
- Xander introduces Ivy as his girlfriend at the Denver charity gala and later proposes to her on the ice.
Found family, friendship, and community
Ivy begins the story with basically no friends and only her cat for companionship, but Britney, Cooper, the WAGs, and Xander's siblings gradually become her community. The Hendrix family also expands to include Indie, and the women gather for wedding planning and celebrations. This theme shows chosen connection replacing the family pain Ivy and Xander carry.
- Britney follows Ivy into the restroom after her mother humiliates her, comforts her, and invites her out with the group.
- Ivy reflects that in the past couple of months she went from having basically no friends to having a whole community.
- The women gather at Ivy and Xander's house for wedding planning, and the family welcomes Indie at the barbecue and Christmas.
Communication, trust, and fear of abandonment
Xander's mother left when he was four, teaching him that women leave, while Ivy learned to suppress her feelings because of her mother's abuse. Their fears cause silences, a brief separation, and miscommunication, especially around Ivy's anxiety over Xander's memory. They learn to talk, return to each other, and commit despite those wounds.
- Xander thinks 'Women leave,' and Greg explains Xander was inconsolable when Heather left when he was four.
- Britney tells Xander to sit down and have a meaningful talk and says she hates the miscommunication trope.
- Ivy leaves for Montana without fully explaining, then returns to Denver with Cally, quits her job, and tells Xander she is coming back.
Symbols and Motifs
Ivy's paintings and art studio
Ivy's art represents her private self, vulnerability, and emotional rebuilding. Brenda destroys her paintings as a way of wounding her, while Xander's gift of an art studio shows that he values the part of Ivy she keeps hidden.
- Ivy describes driving to a spot she likes for peace and quiet and painting that view in about three hours.
- Brenda uses Ivy's paintings as ashtrays and ruins them along with the house.
- Britney asks to buy Ivy's sunflower painting for her guest room.
- Xander has Ava set up an art studio for Ivy and later hangs Ivy's painting above the fireplace; Ivy gives Xander a painting of them at the pond for Christmas.
Cally the Calico
Cally represents comfort, unconditional companionship, and the home Ivy creates for herself. Ivy brings Cally with her when she chooses Xander, and Cally is welcomed and spoiled by him, showing that Ivy's new life includes the creature she loves.
- Cally follows Ivy into the bedroom, meows, purrs, and nuzzles into Ivy's neck; Ivy calls her the only friend she might have.
- Cally curls on Xander's chest while they watch Aladdin and purrs.
- Xander buys Cally a cat tower, tunnels, beds, toys, and an extra litter pan.
- Ivy brings Cally to Denver in a carrier, and Cally gets Christmas presents and a bow tied around her neck.
Xander's hoodie and jersey
Xander's clothing symbolizes care, belonging, and being claimed by him. Giving Ivy his hoodie warms and comforts her, while his reaction to her wearing another man's shirt shows jealousy and his desire for her to be visibly his.
- At Lucky's, Xander gives Ivy his Denver Flurry hoodie because she is cold.
- On the sidewalk, Xander gives Ivy his hoodie again and invites her to breakfast.
- Xander becomes angry that Ivy is wearing a vintage Mullins T-shirt and insists she change into his Hendrix T-shirt.
- Ivy wears Xander's jersey to the season opener, and later, when she is upset, he notices she is not wearing it.
The rink and ice
The rink represents Xander's career, the injury that threatens it, and the intimacy and trust he builds with Ivy. Ivy learns to skate while holding onto him, protects his knee by renting the rink, and later watches him win and propose to her on the ice.
- Xander brings Ivy brand-new skates and helps her onto the ice, teaching her to skate while she holds onto him.
- Ivy rents out the entire rink for the afternoon so no wobbly skater can run into Xander and reinjure his knee.
- Xander plays his playoff game against Dallas, wins, hugs his family, lifts Ivy and skates her around the rink, then kneels and proposes to her before accepting the Cup.