u/Own_Boysenberry_5967

We all know that The Matrix is a legendary movie, but the sequels—Reloaded, Revolutions, and especially Resurrections—just didn't hit the same. I don’t know if it’s just me, but after the first film, the concept became way too dramatic and romantic. If I wanted to watch a story about two people just trying to be together, I would have watched Titanic.

I don’t understand why Neo and Trinity’s love story completely overshadowed the actual plot and philosophy of the films. Personally, I’d give the latest movie a 4.5/10, whereas the original easily deserves a 9.5 or even a 10. It feels like as the series went on, the imagination shrank, things became too grounded, and we were just left with romance tropes. I’m not sure why Lana Wachowski got so overly emotional when making these later films, but it’s just incredibly frustrating and disappointing for the audience.

What do you guys think about this?

Hi everyone,

I work as an assistant/coordinator for someone who runs a small business. It’s just the two of us mostly, plus a handful of other staff.

From early on, I noticed she’s a demanding person — very hard on herself and others, can’t tolerate being wrong, struggles with work-life balance to the point of having almost no life outside work. She contacts me after hours and on weekends fairly often. She’s also been generous in ways that go beyond a normal employer — taking me to nice dinners and shows, that kind of thing. I came from a difficult immigration background with some hard experiences, so I was genuinely grateful for stability and didn’t push back much at first.

Over time, my own reactions started catching up with me — her behavior would trigger frustration I hadn’t expected. And I noticed a pattern: after we’d have a tense moment or disagreement, she’d often raise my pay shortly after. That’s not something I’d ever seen before, and it threw me. I’m now earning a genuinely good rate, but I’m aware the raises came more from her anxiety about losing me than from a formal evaluation of my work.

I don’t plan on leaving — the financial security matters a lot to me right now, mentally and otherwise. She relies on me heavily, both for the business and in a more personal way. Early in the job she even wanted me to do something work-related while she worked from bed, which surprised me at the time given how new I was.

I sometimes feel like I have more leverage in this relationship than a typical employee would — more flexibility, more comfort, things that aren’t really “earned” through standard performance. It’s never discussed directly, but it’s there.

I do like the actual work and I’m growing skills I wouldn’t have otherwise. She’s supported me getting additional training and certifications, which I’m grateful for.

My question: is this ethical? Is it a “take what you can get” situation, or am I taking advantage of someone who has actual problems? Every time she does something generous, I find myself working extra hard afterward almost like I’m trying to earn it back, and I don’t fully understand why I feel guilty about a dynamic I didn’t create. Is this a cultural thing, a power-dynamic thing, or something else? Genuinely curious what people who’ve seen workplace dynamics like this think.