Overcompensating's Mary Beth Barone Details How Grace & Peter Met

The first episode of Overcompensating may be the beginning of Benny’s new story, but it’s kind of starting several chapters deep into his older sister Grace’s relationship with Peter. From the jump, it’s immediately clear their dynamic is dysfunctional, and as more about the characters is revealed, it becomes more and more confusing how the two even sparked a romance in the first place. Well, Mary Beth Barone has the answer to that.

The show never gives viewers any flashbacks or explanations for Grace and Peter’s early relationship. We just know that Peter is a fratbro senior who constantly overlooks former emo-girl junior Grace.

Although their origins aren’t explored (in the first season, at least), Barone tells Elite Daily that she and Adam DiMarco created a whole backstory for their characters. “We figured that they probably met in a class together,” Barone says, noting what that says about their academic levels. “He's a year older, and I think he probably wouldn't be taking classes that correspond with his year at school.”

She imagines Grace gave in completely once Peter showed interest in her during a class. “That validation felt really good, so she decided to lean into that more,” Barone says. “And then ultimately, they start dating and she kind of abandons her identity from when they first met.”

Grace’s personality crisis is at the core of her evolution throughout the first season of Overcompensating, as she comes to terms with how fundamentally she altered herself to be with Peter. Barone notes that this picture-perfect persona Grace crafts for herself also leads to a hilarious argument she and DiMarco imagined for the couple.

“We also said that their biggest fight was when they were in the car together and Grace farted, but she denies it,” Barone says. “It was just the two of them, so it had to be her. But to this day it's the biggest thing they ever fought about.”