Character Analysis
On some level, Madolyn is an optimistic public servant who believes she can use her background in psychology to help people. But on another level, she's a tired person who wishes people could just deal with their problems and stop bothering her. As she tells Colin on a date:
MADOLYN: Sometimes I want people to forget their personal bulls*** and do their jobs.
Madolyn seems to like Colin quite a bit, but we wonder more than once if she's doing the right thing by marrying him—even if she doesn't know he's secretly working for the mob.
In her interactions with Billy, Madolyn shows us even more of her personality than she shows to Colin. When she finally gives Billy a prescription for pills, for example, she shows her attitude by saying:
MADOLYN: Have I done my job up to your goddamn standards? Because according to my standards, you fit the model of drug-seeking behavior. You know, and too damn bad if you don't like my initial clinical reaction.
So we know that Madolyn is a strong person who's not going to take the flack that the world gives her.
We might get our best look into Madolyn's personality when Billy asks her about her opinions on lying. Madolyn's initial answer is:
MADOLYN: Honesty is not synonymous with truth.
When Billy asks her what she'd do if her fiancé Colin caught them together, she answers:
MADOLYN: I would lie. Yeah, I would lie. You know, to keep things on an even keel, right?
So, in Madolyn's mind, lying is just a part of life. She thinks people will always have something they need to lie about, and the only way to hold their lives together will be to lie. It's certainly true of Madolyn and her life, she totally ends up cheating on Colin with Billy. But with that approach to honesty and communication, isn't Madolyn setting herself up for the very disappointment she gets?
(Her cheating, by the way, might also tell us that deep down, she knows that she and Colin aren't necessarily the best fit.)
In the end, Madolyn finds out about Colin is working for Costello, and she even knows that in some way, Colin is responsible for Billy's death. That's when she decides to leave him once and for all, even though she's pregnant. In the end, we can only hope that she'll find a way to live a fulfilling life after dealing with Colin.