Lydia Plath is always soft-spoken on Welcome to Plathville, but viewers noticed a strain in her relationship with her sister in law, Olivia Plath. The pair seemed close in earlier seasons of the show, but there seemed to be some tension when they met to celebrate Lydia's graduation. Here are all of the reasons Lydia may be resentful towards Olivia.
Fans have gotten to know a lot about Lydia over three seasons of Welcome to Plathville. As the middle child in the large Plath family, Lydia Plath often plays the mediator. She is known as the peacemaker and the obedient child, as she seems to be heavily influenced by matriarch Kim. Many fans feel that she is being manipulated by her strict parents. Kim and Barry told her she had to stop texting a boy she liked for no reason and have never allowed her to get a phone of her own.
Despite the many rules Lydia's parents have, she often takes her parents' side on situations which may lead her to hold Olivia responsible for her family's problems. Lydia supported her mom going to see Moriah's first concert, even though she knew it was something that would make Olivia uncomfortable. Ethan's marriage to Olivia caused a strain in his relationship with his parents, as they stopped approving of Olivia as a spouse. Lydia always talks about wanting the family to be whole again, and may be upset that Olivia and Ethan had not tried sooner to patch up their relationship with the Plath parents.
When Ethan asked to hang out with his younger siblings without supervision, Barry and Kim said they were against it. Ethan had to choose between his marriage and his family, ultimately choosing his wife, Olivia. As a result, Ethan and Lydia went from being close and talking every day to not being able to contact each other for several months. Lydia might be resentful towards her sister in law because Ethan made Olivia more of a priority than her.
Ethan also missed out on one of Lydia's milestones, her graduation. Though he and Olivia saw her on the day of her party to give her a hug, they chose not to celebrate with the rest of the family. Lydia tearfully mentions how she wishes she could have danced with Ethan on her special day, and Lydia may be blaming her sister-in-law for taking Ethan away from her. Many fans are hoping that Lydia will leave the farm on the next season of Welcome to Plathville and get out from under her mom's influence.