Heartstopper S3E2 "Home" Recap

Hello and welcome to Big Gay Energy. I'm Caitlin. And I'm Fiora. Come along with us while we dive into the fun and nuances of queer media. Representation matters, and we're. Here to talk about it. Cheers, queers. What's on the big agenda today, Theora? Today we are continuing our scene by scene breakdown of Heart Stopper Season 3, and today we'll be covering episode 2 called Home. Sounds like cozy and fun. Yes, it's it's we're gonna have a great day. We are.

And today, as usual, for all of our Heart Stopper content, we have Elena joining us. Now celebrate even more. Because we love Elena. We do I love. You guys. I learned so much, I can tell already. I can't wait, like this season just gets better and better from here on out. So all right, but before we jump into all the Heartsopper goodness, just a quick plug for our Patreon. Become a Chaos Crew member to get more Hardstopper content. We will react until the entirety of Heartstopper.

It's all on there. So for $5.00 a month you can get access to that. If you are not about the Patreon life, that's totally fine. Join our discord, the links in the description below where you can come meet other people who love queer media like Heartstopper and make some friends and have a gay all time. It is definitely a gay all time. It's a day at the time over there. For sure. All right, let's jump into three

O 2 home home. I'm sorry every time we say this, the only thing going through my head is either home alone or home home on the range. Wow, those. Are. Very. Neat. As a as a native Kansan, I feel very insulted by this. Caitlin, how dare you. I'm so sorry. Sorry. No, I'm kidding. It's what Barney taught me growing up. Anyway.

So we open with Olivia Coleman 2 Point O Yay AKA Auntie Diane and company arriving at Nick's house to pick him up to go on vacation and she immediately calls Nick her favorite nephew and then tells him not to tell David. And I'm like first of all, why are we willingly talking to David? And then but no not first of all my first thought was like isn't Nick her only nephew? Because this is before, she says don't tell David. Forgot about David.

Yeah, it just apparently I wanted to forget about him. I always forget about him until he shows up again like. Oh yeah, yeah. Anyway. But also, like, is that a surprise that makes her favorite? No, there is no competition like and also I don't even think David talks to her. Probably like Nick's probably the only one who actually has a conversation with her. So I don't think there was any competition cuz Dave is just about himself. Right. He's too.

Cool. OK so then Olivia Coleman 2.0 mentions that it's a shame that Olivia Coleman the OG had to pull out and I agree. We agree. We are all sad about it. Like we don't even get a FaceTime from her. But there's so much technology going on in this world. I feel like we could have done something where she doesn't actually have to come to set. She could, we could have done something like a Cameo. I don't even care. You know the the like the Cameo website, you just buy one from her.

And Oh my God, every so much. Producers of Heart stopper, can you give us like a quick? Video saying just turn it into a FaceTime with his mom and that makes it. Just make it work. Yeah, seriously. But I know Olivia Coleman is a busy woman. I do love that for her, so I understand. Yeah, apparently she was filming a movie, I think it's called The Roses, with Benedict Cumberbatch. And I saw him mean that, Yeah, while the show was filming.

And so I heard somebody joke they caught, like, pictures of her on set, and apparently she was, like, having to kiss Benedict Cumberbatch. And somebody's like, you know what? I don't blame her. I want to. Make our best life. I want to make out with him too. I'm like, yeah, OK. OK, fair. That's fair. But she is missed and will always be in our hearts even though there's a reason we have Olivia Coleman 2 point O because she is filling the shoes. She is.

She does a great job. Yeah, she had big shoes to fill and she she did it. But Nick says there's always next year, though, which means there's hope that Olivia Coleman could come back if Netflix gets their heads out of their ass and actually renews the show. Because it should have been renewed by now. And it's a little worrying. Who knows where we are at the time that this releases. Hopefully it's been renewed. We're just going to stay with air because there's no other option.

And I think it's a very tricky thing, especially because the last volume hasn't come out yet. Yeah. So hopefully we'll know more soon. On Netflix you love to do this to us. Anyway, Nick gets 3 texts from Charlie in a row. Like very very quick. That's the kind of texture I am as well. Sorry if you are.

It says hi, I love you a lot. It then cuts to Charlie lying in bed and his face looks slightly worried, concerned, and I'm assuming like he's just ruminating about whether or not he should have sent 3 texts in a row if it should have been 1 long, one, if maybe it was a mistake saying I love you again over text. Will he say it again? I don't know. Am I being annoying? Something like that. You know that's how anxiety goes. Anxiety I am very good at telling you what anxiety is anyway.

But next text comes in screaming, screaming I love you in all caps and that he likes saying it now really I feel like he should have said I love saying it because really like could be like oh do you really like it though? Anyway, that's anxiety. Charlie immediately becomes happy by this text because why wouldn't he? And then we start zooming in on him and the screen gets brighter and there's these like, white highlights.

I don't know if it's called like a color burst or what, but you see like it flicker across the screen. Yeah. So yeah, the scene is really great. It's very quick, but I do appreciate the lighting. I'm just keep shouting out the DP because they did a great job with all the lighting in the scene because it's not static lighting.

It's not like they just lit it and then Joe did his thing and that was the end of it. Like you kind of mentioned, there's like a dynamics to the lighting in the scene with Charlie and it's very like purposeful. So throughout the entire scene, it like brightens and then it darkens, which gives us a good hint at like Charlie's mental

state right now. Because at the start of Nick's trip, like it's still bright, but then it like he quickly goes into a dark place, but he's able to kind of come out of it still. So he's like got that war waging, but he's not like completely in the dark yet. So I like the way they do that with the lighting to kind of show us like.

Because if you think about like. Coming into this scene, Charlie's like laying in the bed, like it seems he seems like he doesn't want to get out of bed or do anything. So he doesn't seem well, but like he's still got enough energy to smile and like, you know, so he's on the like, cusp of transitioning into the darker place, but like, still not quite there. So this is another scene where once I saw like once you pointed this out, I I had to go back and

watch it on half speed. This is something I do at blank and we got like 3 pages out of a 5 second scene. So I so much that it was titled that anyway, So going through, I was just like noticing a bunch of different things with the colors and because Heart Stopper really likes their vinnies

vignette. What I think I don't know how we spell set whatever, but like the colors on the edges of the screen, like framing it. So basically the colors in the scene, the white in the beginning after the text message has been received by Charlie is like a relief that he said it back again and happiness in general with their relationship. But then on the left, there are black corners that are coming in and the white, they're still white on the left on the right

hand corners. So it kind of shows the conflicting emotions and also that his anxiety is still in play trying to take over. Like no matter what happiness is, there's always going to be that darkness. It's just they do so much with light in color. Yes, in this show and it's I like. It right and and the fact that it came from a graphic novel also like it like to me pays homage to like a graphic novel.

So like Alice was trying to show you that in the graphic novel like you would see things like that the way she would draw it so like I do love that they made that transition into like the

live adaptation. Yeah, it's it's just chefs gets to the DP and like whoever also was setting up the lighting because like it's so impactful and it's like if you wouldn't even notice it, but like that kind of like feeling of unease is there just with like the lightning and darkening of just just this little seat of him on the bed. It's it's so good. They don't throw out anything in this show, no. Everything's on purpose. It's just everything. It's so thoughtful.

That's why one of the reasons I love this the show so much like in like in the graphic novels too, like Alice puts so much thought into literally everything in the comics too. So I just, I love that. Like, that was intact in the show as well. Just the thoughtfulness. It's a. It's a. Bit 'cause I I was analyzing the lighting in this show and then going to the another show that we're covering, I was like trying to look for lighting again and like it's not really

there. Yeah. 'Cause this is every show has their own thing that they really focus on and it's just, it's done really well and I love. It so well. Anyway, Charlie in the next scene is then sitting on the couch trying. This is him trying hair growths to do homework. But. Oh, my God, yeah. Boy, boy keeps checking his texts, keeps checking them and refreshing them over and over again. I mean, I get it considering, like literally was it like last

night, like hours ago? He said I love you for the first time. That's like such a big milestone in such a young relationship. In any relationship. I feel like it can be such a milestone. So I get where the obsession is because like they just had this happen like hours ago. Like they literally went to sleep or if Charlie even slept when he got home. But yeah, it's like a whole, it's a whole new stage of their relationship. So of course it's going to be a little obsessive. It's a.

Whole new stage. But also just like reading the text conversation, when he does say I love you, I like saying it now or whatever. It's just, I always say like every time I see a text conversation in the show that's like basically almost word for word from the comics, I get a year of my life because it just, I love, I love seeing them. Can't remember if it's in season 2 that he says, Oh my God, I can't remember. But like I think there was a couple of those conversations in season 2.

Oh, it's in in episode 2 of season 2 when they're talking about David and Nick sends that text about Charlie. It's not your fault. Coming out was hard. Just almost word for word from the comics. Yeah, obviously they had to make some creative liberties, but like, I just. I love seeing the references to the comics. It just helps go back to acknowledging this is an adaptation. This is this was originally a comic for those of us who, like, started with the comics. It just warms my heart.

I would also like to acknowledge that Elena just was like, oh I can't remember when it was. Oh yeah, Season 2 episode 2 this scene. I had to think. About it for a second, OK. You nailed it this. Is why you're our expert. Yes, you're our expert and I just wanted to point that out because you deserve all the acknowledgement for being the expert. It's called the hyperfixation, but close enough. Yes, listen. That's why we're here. We get it. Blank the series, I get it.

That was the auras hyperfixation. I am. I get hyperfixated on other things but. Speaking of hyperfixations and literally everything you just said. So you're absolutely 100% correct. The I love you is just, it's a huge milestone, like you said. And like Charlie's still again, riding that high from that moment. But as we just saw when he got the original text from Nick, he's he's like still the anxiety is creeping in. Like Caitlin said, it's waging

the happiness war. But I love that, like mentally, you can see how just how much in the love bubble he still kind of is. But by the fact that like when he's trying to do his homework, he writes out I love you without realizing it. So I really love that because again, it's showing he's still got that happiness happening. But also I imagine for Charlie, because when we first start season 3, remember we had the scene with him practicing in the mirror and Tori being like, just say it.

What the hell? I imagine now that he said I love you and like it, he's got the confirmation that it's reciprocated from Nick. I feel like this is just liberating that he can just finally say this out loud. He can finally send it as a text like it to me.

I feel like for Charlie who has anxiety, it makes it like quote real now that it's like reciprocated confirmed Nick is saying it back and and he's not like imagining this I love you thing, at least from Nick's point of view and from his point of view, although he does aggressively imagine making out with Nick like .3 seconds after writing this, like so like he is still like imagining things that aren't real. But I mean like I feel like the weight has been lifted with the

I love you milestone. Like you said, he's. Just like oh I can. Just it's not. It's just about it. Terrifying in Doom anymore. Thinking about it, it's just, I want to be with him right now. Why can't I be clinging on to him? I'm surprised he didn't leave his side. Like I'm surprised he wasn't there. I think his mom's the only. Reason I Right, That's why he didn't see Nick off, Yeah. Like I I would expecting he was with him every single second until he couldn't be anymore.

But I love that he writes I love you in the homework. I just started laughing my butt off when I saw that. I'm like, of course, and I hope he with the I love you in there. Maybe he'll get bonus points as Mr. Farrok. He's like he has to grade. This You guys ever done that? Have you guys ever done that? Where you're writing something and you hear somebody say something and then you write what they said? Have you guys ever done that? Because I've done that, brain, Why?

Why did you do this? I've done that and then as if I'm reading something while speaking, I will fully just start speaking what I'm reading by accident and I'm like, that makes no sense. I think I've done that in the podcast before, probably. Rain is not right. It does sound like. What? Don't worry about it, Don't worry about it. Just my brain. Yeah. OK, so then we go get a quick look at Nick at the airport, and Charlie seems to be the only thing on his mind as well.

However, Nick isn't quite as in the happy stage as Charlie. And not because like, he's not actually in love with him, but because he's debating whether or not to send the text asking if Charlie ate today. Because while Charlie is just ecstatic about them saying I love you, Nick is just worried about Charlie and he can't enjoy that they just said I love you and they're finally, I don't know. It was a big step in their relationship.

And he can't fully be present in that because he doesn't know that he if he asked this over text right now, it could set Charlie back because this is still new. He doesn't know exactly how Charlie is going to react and he's not even going to be able to be there to make things go back like to be OK again. So he has no control over the situation. So if he were to send it, it could. Like he has no idea how he's

going to find Charlie again. Yeah, Like The thing is like, OK, so like if we go back to the beach scene where it's like, I have something big to tell you. I have something big to tell you. It's like Charlie's big thing got resolved, right? It's the I love you thing. But like, Nick's was never resolved because he brought up the eating disorder and probably, like, was like, no,

you're crazy, Nick, whatever. So like Nick is left with this like nagging, like he's not OK, now we're a part thing. So then he's it starts eating away at Nick's. So it's kind of like kind of sucks from Nick's perspective because it didn't for him. It didn't get resolved. And you're right, he could set Charlie off and like make it worse accidentally. So like it's a hard thing for him to grapple with like alone basically.

No kidding. He's probably, like, got this push and pull of like, am I just, like imagining this? Like I yeah, he's like having his own doubts. Like, am I right? Oh, God, did I just totally, like, make this worse by saying it? Like, he's probably got his whole back and forth going on with his own brain. Poor Nick. Right. And that's where Charlie was with the I Love You. So it's like they swapped positions after the first episode in a way of being that person who's like, is it just me?

You know what I mean? Like that's what Charlie is going through. Yeah, for Nick. These poor guys. I know, I know. Oh. I know the thing that I love, there's like a pattern that we have with the show is the the deleting of the texts when they try to send one. Like in season 1, there was a lot of that like with Nick and Charlie especially. Like you see it literally in like season or the end of the episode of the episode 1. I think in season 1, Charlie trying to delete the text over

and over again. Like how do I text him for the first time and then after that Nick trying to text him in episode 2 about like the whole encounter with Ben and everything. And I don't think, not that I remember at least, we didn't really see a lot of that in Season 2. Didn't. We get like there was at the end of Charlie texting out I love you and then. Right. So yeah, did he delete the text that I love you? I don't think we saw him delete it.

I think it was like he thought about it and then it went to black. It just ended just like I. Assume he deleted it because he didn't send it. Yeah, we do. We see it in the comics, but it was in a different scene that was actually way like way back, which is so interesting. But yeah, no, he I think there was only one moment in Season 2 when he did like a delete, but it was when he in episode 2. He's like saying, Hey, my parents said I can't hang out with you and tell him down with

school work. And he's about to say I'm sorry. He deletes the sorry and he says I'm so angry. That's right. Like so he like says he changes like what he's going to say and he just goes to honesty instead of like sorry. And I think that that was like a big step in their relationship is like he is being so much more open with Nick now about how he feels. And I was like, yes, yes, Charlie, we support this. You know what? I understand Charlie boy and like I get him. I love him.

The more that we talk about this and his mental health, I'm like, I understand you and exactly what your brains probably doing right now. I love Charlie, why do you think he's been my comfort character since like 2017? I am so glad that you could have this comfort character that long because all the volumes like. Bravo to Heart Stopper for the

success. Way back in the Web comic days, back when it was just a comic on, I say, just when it was a comic on tapas and webtoon and everything still is. But you know, still is. It still is. It's still pretty amazing. Slowly, yeah, there's. There's a whole thing like we we can just like keep talking about how amazing hearts Chopper is in general and the genius behind it, but then we'll never be done with this episode, so.

But wait, I do like, I do like the point that like the text, the like deleting of the text is like was showing progress and now it's like a regression for Charlie because he's back to like not being fully honest with Nick. So that is an important detail to like. Yeah, it is. Yeah, 'cause like, that was a full like level of honesty they had all the way up until the end of Season 2. Literally even like Charlie, like at the very end of Season 2, like opening up about the

bullying and everything. Yes. Yes, that never would have happened in season 1, obviously never would have happened at where they were in season 1 'cause they weren't at that point yet in their relationship. And it, it's so interesting now 'cause I think, like, if, if that conversation hadn't had happened now at this point in their relationship, would he say it now? Would he tell Nick now? I don't know. Yeah. It's so interesting.

Yeah. But also, would that have triggered the I love you if they hadn't had that conversation? I don't know. It's like a whole pattern. It's, uh, yeah. It feels like they're definitely taking a step back because there is that level of can I say this? Uh oh. But also that's life too, because like, you don't always go forward. And that's beautiful. And it's, it's just, it is very well done the more we talk about it. And that's why we talk about. Grounded, yeah.

While we're here. Her stopper is amazing about like being, I don't, I would say subtle, but like not having to say things. It's very show, don't tell, and I love that. Yes, agreed. Yeah. OK, so the last shot in the scene is of Nick looking really concerned. And then because I watch it with subtitles for to do notes, I had Don't laugh at me, the song playing in the background says,

yeah, it's always OK in the end. And then you get right, go to the title card and the song says it gets better as the title card. So it's like, yeah, you're, you're very concerned right now, but it will be OK. Just keep going. However, the title is home. And at first it's consumed by Charlie's anxiety bubble and then it explodes, revealing the title home.

So with the words of the song behind it, the title card is portraying that when things are bad, they're most likely going to get worse, but eventually it will get better. So just to hold on and like this is something that it's very hard to think about when you're in this mental space, but it's not going to be like that forever. However, we have not gotten to the exploding black bubble yet, but it is coming. Yay. Sadness.

I'm thinking better than 4. I'm like pretty sure that's the episode that gave me a pack is that it's it's going to be a journey. But before we continue on with this journey, unless you have something to say about this title card all right, let's interrupt this video to bring you a few brief shout outs. So as always, we are so grateful for all the love from everybody watching and also our lovely lovely chaos crew Patreon members. I'll try the aura tries to get him to do the hearts.

We just want you all to know we appreciate you and. We have to do our. Chaos crew shout out. So our chaos crew members on the big gay rider die tier and above we have Jay, Dana, Natalia, Miranda, Regina and Monet. And our selected big gay supporter members for this episode is Gorgeous Beauty on the MTA and Mermaid. Talia, I hope you're watching this. I try to pick from like the content that people watch, but today's was picked on, picked on.

Sorry, we're not picking on you. You were picked because you have been supporting us for one of the longest people. So thank you. Yes, thank you guys. We appreciate literally everybody, regardless of how you're consuming this just we know we appreciate you and all your thoughts and. We see all of your comments, all

of them, yeah. So any way that you can, if you, I mean, not everyone can do Patreon, we understand like it's even if you want to, you may not be able to and that is OK, but just commenting or leaving a review, it means the world to us and we can just engage with you. And just also, again, just another plug to come to our Discord and talk to us that heart stop or any other queer media or just, you know, life because we're here for you too. So it's a great time and we love

you. Thank you Say that enough. We don't say it enough. We could never say it enough. I love you, we. Love you. Thanks. Back to you, Rich. Oh wait, hold on before you have to cut that out anyway. Do I pause? Julie's home. Julie's home. Hi, Julie. She can't hear, but I should probably pause it. I. Don't know. Should I pause it? Should I just do whatever? The hell I want, I'm gonna pause. OK, so which part are we at? We're at the. Your part or 6. OK. Yeah. OK.

So this next. Part Charlie is still doing his school work in the living room, and now Charlie's mom, Jane, comes in and asks him to tidy up because the room's a mess. And I mean, she's not wrong, it is an absolute mess, but like he is kind of in the middle of doing school work. Which I. Feel like is kind of important because that's kind of what you were writing his ass about last season. So like yeah, also. Just if it doesn't get done in this second, it's OK.

Just be like reminder, like get it done today. I I don't understand like why parents are like, it has to be done right now. OK, so part of me does. We know Jane has some stuff going on because we've seen in the comics. I don't know if we've gotten into it too much in the show at this point. Not at this point, Not at. This point no. But she's. Probably had to grow up and doing things right now right now.

And if it's not if it, she's probably thinking about this mess so much at this point that she needs it out of her mind so she can relax about that. So I understand why she's trying to get it done now, but in the grand scheme of things, it really does not make sense to be like it needs to be done right now. Well, I wonder if like. She's mentioned this to Charlie before, like, it was this could

have been going on for days. Like, cuz sometimes, you know, I have a brother and my mother would be like, clean your room on Monday and then Tuesday, clean your room. And then on Wednesday clean your room. And by Friday, she wants to strangle him. So like, it could be a similar scenario. Keeps telling Charlie. And now she's like, oh, my God, Charlie, can you just do it? Like I've been telling you this for a week? Like, we don't know the context of this, but like, so who knows? Yeah.

That that is a fair thing to bring up. We're only seeing this one moment, right? So like. She just seems triggered as like my read on her in some capacity, whether this is happening now or it's been going on, she just, she seems triggered and then like she triggers Charlie and they end up in this cycle where they're triggering each other and like nothing productive happens with their conversations. It's like. What they're?

Trapped in. Yeah. Yeah, so after she, I. And I think she's also kind of in the middle of doing it looks like she has like, what, a laundry basket. Yeah, I think she's doing that. Too, so it looks like she's. Kind of like in the middle of doing a lot of housework. So that's probably just like what she's doing and she's like running around trying to get stuff done. She's probably sick of doing it too. Yeah. She's probably overwhelmed, so I get I totally get it.

And then after she leaves, Tori comes in and does her older sister. Magic appears out of nowhere. It goes well. That's just Tory magic. Tory magic. Like, did you? Did you? Say it and I love the way it's so cute, the way that. Charlie like the way? That Joe portrays this he says yeah, twice yes did you say it and did he say it back and you can just see just the. Way like. Just one word just goes, yeah, I said it. Yeah, he said it back. This. Is really cute, you could just

tell exactly what's. Going on that brain like he, oh. My God. That was adorable. But OK, so this is another like continuation in the scene. I'm just Charlie being having peak moments of happiness and then like battling his anxiety, like his back and forth that's happening. So the conversation with Tori kind of continues and and I guess Tori asks like, well, how was the day or at the beach or whatever. And this is another shout out to the DP again, because the

lighting is just so on point. So in the conversation with Tori, Charlie mentions the day was quote fun because she asked like how's work? Because like, remember, Charlie has anxiety from when he want to go tell Nick he loved him. And then Nick was like, I think you have an eating disorder. So like which like happy and sad being weighed out in just one moment for Charlie. So he thinks back to that when he delivers the line fun. And the way Joe does that, it's

very flat. Like it's not enthusiastic. It's not like upbeat like the word fun would be, because he's still ruminating on that eating disorder conversation with Nick. And in the when the. Flashback ends. Charlie looks at Tori. OK, and so where he's positioned on the couch, like there's he's there's a window behind him. So there's kind of sun coming in kind of through the window. So when he faces Tori like and he says fun like he's bathed in

light like his face. But then when he turns away from where he's in the shadows. So that's another way for them to show like his dark thoughts, like when Joe turns away from the light, it's like Charlie's and having the dark thoughts. So it's the same thing with the animation where like and I just love the way they play with the light to like again, keep

showing you. He's like he's really waging between these like the anxiety, the dark thoughts and then like the happy moments that were real, that did happen, like the I love you was real, that happened. That was a happy moment in reality.

But in his head it's like this darkness, this shadow that's like kind of taking over the happiness that's actually in his life, which like it's kind of how like, you know, when you get your head too much with like mental stuff like that totally can over shadow like reality like that's happening around you too. So I like the way they showed that was like, it's a. Great.

Catch. I love that you saw that, and correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like Nick's house is more lit up evenly whereas Charlie's has more like shadows and darkness and corners. I think you're right. Actually, now that you're mentioning that cause like there is darkness in the spring house, like, you know, yeah, like it's just. Going through her own stuff. Mom's going through her own stuff, like I don't dad, Dad's just trying. To he's just hanging there. The. Dad's like, bad.

Stuff I've got, I've got a family mental health issues. I came in with like a healthy family and you know, right. And then we removed. Oliver from The Equation, who had no bad things going on. He was another bright spot running around. So like, yeah, you're right that there's shadows in the Spring House. That's a really good way of putting that. Yeah. OK.

And then so this conversation kind of continues, and Charlie tries to tell Tori what happened at the beach, and he struggles to say it because he's still in that phase where he hasn't quite accepted his reality yet, which is his, like, mental health struggle that he's had. He's kind of, like, waging the war without acknowledging the war that's happening. And this is interrupted by Nick calling. OK, So Tori's in the middle of trying to get him to open up to her. That's basically what's

happening. Because I think she knows Charlie extremely well, probably better than Nick because you know, sister, they've been around each other their entire lives. And so she can tell something's off with him and she's trying to get him to open up. But then Nick calls. And then Charlie. Immediately ditches the conversation with a sister to talk to to Nick and you watch Tori watch this happen in real time and it hurts to watch this happen because like. Another thing that keeps happening.

Is Tori tries to be supportive of Charlie but she gets ignored and in the background. Like if you read solitaire you would know that like Tori at this point is also struggling with her own mental health stuff but she does her best to be supportive of Charlie despite going through her own thing. And Charlie often like sidelines Tori to choose Nick over her. And like I feel I feel bad for her because like the whole family kind of overlooks her a little bit.

Like nobody in the family notices she has her own mental health going on. She kind of gets ignored. And then when Charlie's stuff starts happening, like the family hyper focuses on Charlie and ignores Tori again. So I feel bad like watching Tori like, except that she's getting ignored again. Like in real time. Story. Deserves better and I really really need Tori to get a spin off show just so we can really dig into Tori and give her the moment that she deserves.

Even though like her. Family and it's not evolved revolved around her but she deserves to have her story told especially since there is a whole book about her. She started the whole. Thing it's because. Of her. Like it? Really. I started with. Tori. I think at least. Give her a movie because we need something. Yeah, because that. Girl. Deserves it and I'm not even talking about the the actress

doesn't a phenomenal job. I just mean like the character deserves it. Because she's been through. Some shit, she's going through shit and we don't fully see it resolved so. We need more. From that character, yeah, I agreed. Man, I want a. Solitaire part too I. Need to figure. OK. Spoiler for solitaire. Real quick, I just want to know what's going to happen with the schools. Like I'm really. Oh yeah, 'cause it was on fire. And shit, yeah. Like I need, I need to know

what's going to happen to him. I know Alice, please come talk. To us 'cause I need to know if my. Friend is not. Going to hit, that's what I remember from this book is the school thing. I remember, I remember. When we did the solitaire episode for book club, you were you were like, So what happened? I'm very. Concerned. About the school and I'm like the implications of it, like there's so much going on anyway, that's not why we're here today.

But like I need to know. But also quick plug. If you want to know more about solitaire, we did a whole book club on solitaire so you can learn more about it and Elena was. There. So it was. I was, Caitlin was. Talking about the school at the end, so. Yeah, so on the on the note of Tori and the fact that she also deserves better and gets overlooked, honestly, yeah, I'm very curious. Like where the scene would have gone had Nick not called. Like, would Charlie have

actually told her everything? And a part of me wants to think that he would have. It might just have been really slow, but honestly, given the sequence of things, his mom inevitably would have come in and and interrupted also, which I'm almost like. Would that have been even worse? Yeah, that's a really good. Point Cuz imagine if Charlie's in that vulnerable state and then mom comes in. Yeah. And says you're not.

Tidying. Yeah, I. Wonder if Tori would have taken him to a different room or if they would have tried to have this conversation here. Because really, they use Charlie's room as their safe space to. Yeah. He's. True lay on his bed and that's how they talk. So it's like it's always her trying to pull information out of him. So she's like he's most comfortable in his bed under the music sign because that's what makes him happy. That and in his room that music sign is the soft yellow.

So that is his light in his life when no one else is around. So I think that's where she tries to talk to him more. I think he would have talked to her because it seems like they do have that type of open relationship. Yeah, and. I think he processes a lot through her, which sucks for Tori but also good 'cause she gets to know her brother but it's still Tori really taking on the burden too. That's the big.

Sister. Role, I think, and then I think she owns that role and that's that's been their dynamic. And I think she's OK with that, to be honest. But like when he closes off and then chooses to open up to Nick, I feel like that hurts her because she was the confidant for a long time, you know, and, and she can tell he's not OK. So it's like she's being left in the dark a little bit, like by him turning away from her into like, talk to Nick basically. I know I want to hug. Everybody.

But I really, really, really want to give Tori a hug. Yeah, she would hate that, but. Yeah, she would hate. It she would. I just thought about that. No, never mind. I would give her. I would just sit there. Yeah, I'll give. Her. OK, I'll give her a whole gallon of diet lemonade. Yeah, I know. I would want. To hug, but she doesn't want to hug and I have to respect that I would.

I would want to wrap them both in blankets in in Charlie's room and just, like turn on whatever Charlie's favorite movie is or moonlight, I think moonlight and watch the movie with some, like, cozy tea or something. Be like you, you guys do you. OK. I'll leave you guys by like, dim the lights. Make it all my kids. See. Yeah. Basically. I want to put my kids to bed. Sweet dreams, sweet dreams. Basically we. Want them to. Have a sleepover at Olivia Coleman's house. That's what we're.

Saying that's the safest, not Sarah. Nelson, Olivia Coleman. Specific. Yeah, literally no. Just. Olivia Coleman And it should be like, what are you guys doing here? Whatever movies. To film but you. Could have my house I guess. Oh yeah, And if this. For some reason is your first, like, interaction with us, like in this season of Heart Stopper and you haven't seen her past content. We call Sarah Nelson. I don't actually remember ever remember her name. We call her Olivia Coleman.

Yeah, we just call her. She's playing Coleman. So that's why. And that's why the aunt is now Olivia Coleman 2.0. Yeah, our reaction. Yeah, we should explain our nicknames. Speaking of, us have. Nicknames. Speaking of which, just side. Tangent real real quick. The fact that Nick Nelson is a big Marvel fan and Nick's aunt is played by Agent Carter, yes, like how freaking cool is that? And also Nick eventually in the season is Captain America at the Halloween episode. How funny is that?

I know it's so. Funny. Just full circle man. And also on top of that, everything with Joe in and Joe White. So basically. He. Hates Marvel movie. The next Marvel movie. Someone or show has to be watching Heart Stopper in the background at least, right? And Joe has to be there. And go, huh? Billy. Billy has to be and that she'll be like, yeah, turn that off again. The spider man meme. This is too happy. Or not not happy, but this, this is no no. Sorry, that was.

Just funny. That's like the biggest criticism. I hear is this is too happy. Yeah, when Nick calls, it's so funny that he his emoji is a daco because again, he's a golden retriever. He is the golden retriever boyfriend. So and then it cuts to him, the call is like cutting out because he's like in a different different country, different whole thing signals not very good. And of course, this is when Charlie's mom decides to come back and say you're not tithing. It doesn't look like you're

tithing in here. I know for my brain that would be so overwhelming, like having the stress of like, oh, your call is cutting out in one ear and then your mom in the other hand or in the other ear approaching you because you're not doing something right away. It's like that's that's just an over stimulating situation. No wonder Charlie gets upset.

No, he's definitely very over. Stimulated at home because of like the constant nagging and again, it's the two of them are very similar and that they don't realize that either. So that's why they're triggering each other. Yeah, yeah. And then when? The call drops. Charlie's just like, great. Which I'm. Yeah, I feel that. And of course, that's when Jane decides this is the perfect time to confront Charlie about his relationship, because why not?

And of course, her first. Thing is, she says you're too young to be having sex, which the fact that that's what she jumps to is, yeah, serious crazy. And he says we're not. And her immediate response is I'm not stupid or Charlie, I'm not stupid. It's like he he never said you were OK so. It's it's very. Intense And so it's like you have to wonder like if she's like the stress is all coming from outside and she's just bringing it in, but it's like.

Take it easy. It's. OK, Yeah. She definitely. Comes off as triggered and like she's projecting something onto Charlie a little bit, you know what I mean? But because of. Like this conversation, I wish we did have Olivia Coleman because having that scene in the car. With her and Nick. Would have been such a great contrast with Charlie's mom assuming like oh you have to be having sex meanwhile. Olivia Coleman. Like literally ass Nick, like

what's going on? And it's just the contrast of those two families and those two mother son relationships. Is I I just I love? Seeing it, it's very cool to see on screen as well, and that's why, like, it's really sad we don't get Olivia Coleman. I understand. But it would have been amazing. But I'm glad you brought that up. Because CC notices that discrepancy between these relationships and does bring it up later in the episode with Nick where he's like your mom.

You're assuming you're operating under the fact that like my mom acts like your mom and she doesn't. We can't talk to each other. And like you can see they, they are not communicating. Actually, they're saying things at each other. But they're both, I think, triggered by their own shit and they can't see where the other person's coming from because they're like overwhelmed, over stimulated, I think both of them are.

And then they can't talk. So then like in order to get mom and son to talk, they need a third person. And that becomes Tori involuntarily. She becomes like the liaison between the two of them to get them to communicate because they're not communicating with each other. They're just like going off on each other in a little bit because they're, you know, being. Triggered both of them.

Do you think that? Charlie meets Olivia Coleman 2 point O later and is like damn it Nick you get 2 Olivia Coleman's and I like it as Jane. I don't write. This he gets 2II. Want. To know what the interactions on set were like for Joe getting to hang out with Haley, Haley Atwell who plays Nick's aunt. I know, getting to be like, 'cause this is after he filmed Agatha all along. I would have loved to have seen their interactions like when the cameras weren't on.

Like talking about Marvel especially 'cause she wasn't she just in Oh my God right, 'cause wasn't she just in, I haven't seen it yet, but wasn't she just in multi verse of madness or something? I don't actually. I don't remember. I feel like she's been in something. Recently, like Marvel as as as Peggy Carter. I don't, I don't remember. I'll have to go watch it, I guess. Yeah, I haven't seen. But yeah, I would love. To I would love to have heard like what those on set

conversations were like. Them nerding out about Marvel together would've been so cute and cute. She was in. Avengers. End game, yeah. Yeah, she was. That wasn't recent though. No, no that. Was Mission Impossible? I'm sorry I I had to check really quickly. Continue. Could you imagine if Joe? Shut up in Mission Impossible surprise guys. Oh my God. So basically in this scene, it's interesting, like we're talking about Tori being kind of the mediator.

So in the comics that originally was kind of Charlie's dad, Julia. He basically tries to talk his wife down. And it's a very different dynamic in that scene in the comics because the dad obviously like being the husband is kind of like a lot more understanding of what Jane has dealt with. And so he's just kind of like, sweetheart, maybe we need to take this down a notch. Whereas Tori obviously is seeing it from this is her mom being

harsh, which is true. But it also changes a lot of the implications because most of the actual text it like the speech, the the lines are exactly from the comics. The meaning has just changed a little bit. So when like the end of the scene when Charlie Storm's out, Jane goes, can you not undermine me in front of him? She originally said that to her husband. And it's a lot more, it's a lot less pressing on the person.

She's just in the comics, she's a lot more defeated and like genuinely very upset with herself. It sound like that's the kind of the felt, the feel that I got from the comics. And she felt very upset with herself and just like asking for. Guidance. From her husband, like what do I do here when she says I always say the wrong thing to him? And with Tori, her saying you were being too harsh and then her saying I always say the wrong thing to him, it really

changes the whole meaning. She sounds so much more like she's kind of just almost like she's resigned like she's just kind of giving up on that moment. Like I always say the wrong thing to him. I I definitely. Prefer the book version of this, but I think the show really does try to be more from the kids point of view, whereas we got to see slightly more in the comics of where everybody is, which is crazy because it's like. Comic drawings. And.

That we get more. Point of view there, but they definitely do try to stick from like this is what it's like growing up. So. In a way it. It. It it makes. Sense for the show because now it's like Tori having to see this with like Tori seeing her mom and it's always like no, she just doesn't care enough to like. Think about it but. We know because of the conversations in the comics what's actually going on. So basically you have to read the comics. To get a better.

Read of everything and it really does go hand in hand and like even if you read the comics, it's doesn't mean you shouldn't watch a show or like they're they're really not a substitute for each other. They go hand in hand and it's really well done. It's just more hard.

Stopper that way but yeah you're you're both right that's a really valid point that the fact that it's Tori as the intermediate does change Jane's point of view just by how we're viewing it, which is really interesting because yeah it's easy from the kids point of view to be like wow mom doesn't care but like you're saying Caitlin mom's being triggered right now it's not that she doesn't care she's got.

Her own. Stuff and like, and it makes it, I like the comic book re because it, it shows that like parents are people too people and like we're sitting here watching Charlie mentally spiral and like we empathize with Charlie because we love Charlie. You've been on the journey with Charlie since the very beginning and we like, we love Charlie, but then mom comes in periodically and be like, uh, mom, God, why do you ruin everything?

But like when Alice shows you like, no, mom is an imperfect person too, who's also dealing with mental health stuff just like Charlie is, like then you can once you realize, oh, it's just like Charlie, you can empathize with her a little bit more. But kids don't know their parents or people. And so like, that's a hard lesson to learn when you're like, oh, my parents imperfect. They're not like superheroes. They're just people doing their best. Like it takes kids a while to

realize that. And like, Charlie hasn't realized that about his mother yet. His mom's just a person, I think. With. All of us being adults watching and reading this and not in high school, we do appreciate it more. So like, I feel like the people in high school are more likely to gravitate towards the show story, whereas it is nice to see that Jane does not want to be

like that. She does not want to act this way towards Charlie. She knows that she has some of these issues, but it's also nice to see that she has her own support system through her husband and that he's there for her rather than. I mean the reality. For so many people is that like their parents are separated or not on good terms. And that's what we see a lot in life, in like life and shows as well. So it's just seeing that support system and having the parents

talk to each other. The dad knowing exactly when she gets triggered and how to help her through it. It was just so beautiful and healthy. That I really. Wish we did get that point of view in this season. I know part of me, kind of. Hopes like I, I wished for a little bit in this season, but I also hope for it in, in Season 4 is that there is a little, a little bit more of the husband and wife Jane and Julio.

Just because like what little we did get of them in the season, we saw them being supportive, like mostly Julio being supportive of Jane and it just really, it speaks to their marriage and just like them as people. And it's like, I loved that like as now an adult, like seeing that with your partner, like like obviously like we see like all the teenagers with their partners being supportive, but it kind of just shows like that continues into adulthood in

marriage. Like that's still so important to always be supportive of your partner. And I just that really just gives me hope for love as an adult type anything I. Know we've talked about this. Before but heart suffer gives you so many life lessons without even like telling you that they're giving it to you. It's like subconsciously feeding it to you and it's it's amazing. It's beautiful. It's like here's how to be have a healthier relationship with everybody.

We're not going to tell you that's what it is because then you might not likely listen to it as well. So here just see it. Yeah. That's. The power of good writing, really good storytelling, yeah. It's also like at the very end of the scene back on talk about Tori, cuz you know, Tori is the best. The funny thing about the end of the scene is it's interesting. Most scenes we see her where she's talking and it's like the scene ends on her.

She's taking, she tips a sip of her lemonade like we see it in season 1 when she tells Charlie, well done for breaking up with Ben. We see it after season 2 when she tells Nick, why did you lose Charlie? Can you not keep your promises? And immediately she feels bad. And then she takes a sip of her lemonade after Nick leaves. Even like the shot at prom when she's sitting there by herself, she takes a sip of her lemonade. But in this scene, it ends with

her sitting on the couch. That girl doesn't touch her drink. It is sitting on the table and she's just sitting there just. In her thoughts. After her mother leaves. That poor girl. It's a. Great. Catch we always have to see. What's going on with Tori and her dream? Because it says a lot. I'm thinking that maybe there's just too much going on and like the amount of thoughts going through her head is just so

distracting and consuming her. So we see the anxiety consuming Charlie, but now just like she's. Like a. Caretaker in. Her whole family where Nick, I mean even like the two of them, Nick's just worried about Charlie. Tori has her mom, her brother, their relationship together and then all these other and then her own stuff that's going on. It is a lot for her. Like she can't even drink her comfort beverage because there's just so much going on. She's just. In a way I just kind of feel.

Like she's mentally paralyzed. Wait, she's finger, right? Needs to decompress. Somehow, and like she can't even get to her comfort. Which is really sad. And why would you like? Go refill her diet lemonade. What the hell? She's sad 'cause she's. A. You can't. Hug her. Give her. More lemonade, just I realize that my. Specialty. On this podcast is bringing chaos and randomness and then also making things sadder. Yeah. Hey. Yeah, come on the journey. OK, that's right.

It won't be sad for long though, because we're about to go to some cute scenes. So let's leave the couch of sadness at the Spring household and let's go over to Trueom. I think they're in Trueom. Right. That's true. Right. I couldn't tell what gymnasium this was. It kind of looks like yeah. Isn't Farooq the girls or is Farooq also the boys school? No, I think they're true. Teachers but the girls show up also to get their GCSE so I actually don't. Maybe they just do it in one.

School, so it's not like 2. That's what I think because they're kind of sibling schools, right, right. So you probably just want them to show up well seen before that's. Always get off her right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah, sorry. I'm sorry. I was just jumping at the cute teachers. You're right. So let's jump. Let's jump in there.

I'm. Sorry. First, I'll go to Nick. OK, so Nick is at the they get to the villa finally, or wherever they're staying, and Nick asks Olivia Coleman, 2 point O for the Wi-Fi password because he's, you know, a teenage boy. He needs the Wi-Fi. Oh, so he's trying to get a hold of Charlie and then in the process of doing this, he comes out to her, which is really cute and.

It's it's sweet that. Like before he does it, he does like hesitate for a second because like again, it's like the coming out thing as it's safe to tell this person, but it only takes him about a second before he does it because like his family is really loving and accepting. And like, of course, like Olivia Coleman 2. But. No, immediately he's like, wow, OK, we have a lot to catch up on. You have to tell me literally everything. And like she's immediately supportive, which like.

Good for neck more. People. Nasal Love. Is. Genetic in his family minus his brother. His brother skipped that and dad, technically. And. Dad, I think. That dad was okay, I forget how more about himself so. Yeah, I say traditional. Yeah, like mine is the dad and David. His family is. Amazing. That's why he's having trouble because, like, his brother and his dad aren't, like, a big part of his life. And I think he's, like, kind of

accepted that in a way. So he really does have the positiveness around him, Yeah. So that's creating. A. Distance between the two of them, David, probably. Just got like a little bit of their dad and then whatever toxic masculinity bullshit he grew up with. So he red killed himself probably. Honestly I don't know. Do we ever know? Did David do David? Did he do rugby? I know he he the dad makes a comment in season 2. Like David had a lot of girlfriends when he was your age or something.

Oh, maybe I don't even. I know. He like watched it with his dad, but I don't remember. Yeah, confirmation that and he probably just did it. To get girls. I think he was doing that. I'd say he seems like he at. Least did sports of some kind, like typical manly shit or. Whatever. Yeah. I'm a just dad. Macho. Yeah, well, I can also. See David doing. That just so he'd have something to talk to his dad about. Yeah, to. Be. Like he's very much. Running his dad? Yeah, he's trying to.

Live up to his dad and get his dad to notice him. I think that's his main issue which. Is so obvious. Throughout even just like episode 5 of the season, like just constantly looking for his dad. No, guys. Are we humanizing David? Oh yes. Really, we are. But it's necessary because I don't think he feels the connection as much to Olivia Coleman because she's so loving. Like he's always like the man at the house. He has that toxic masculinity.

So it's like the patriarchy, like, oh, my dad is number 1. So he's trying to get his dad's approval in any way possible, but his dad's also not around. So now he's kind of been abandoned in a way and he's just doing everything in his power and unfortunately he, his dad's all about himself. So now Dave is just trying to cater to him and in the same way he's just being toxic to everyone else. But he has a one track mind. Yeah, yeah.

I don't remember if we ever learn either in the comics or the show, when Nick's parents separated because it's like, it seems like it's a lot more obvious that maybe it was a little bit later in David's life because David, it seems like Nick really grew up on the love of their mom. Yeah, that's very obvious. But like David, it's kind of like, was he there when, like, their relationship, like the marriage was falling apart. Yeah. Or I don't really know, Like, were they ever.

I don't think actually David was in. Like late middle school, maybe early high school, yeah, something like that. He was a teenager. That's. What I was thinking that would make sense to your point he was more. Impacted by that. Yeah, it seems. More like Nick really knows, Knows a lot more of the unconditional love of his mom, not so much the crap of his dad. And it's like very. Possible that like. Through that, young David associated Dad leaving with it's mom's fault. And that's why.

Him and Olivia Coleman, like that's why she's always like Oh my God, David, like she doesn't have a real relationship with her. He probably blames her for dad leaving. That's very fair as well. Especially if it's later in life, because then it's right when it happens when you're younger. OK, so my parents are separated. I don't remember it. They're just, they've always been the part. But for him, he's like seeing things. And because his dad's his hero, obviously it has to be mom.

It's Mom's fault, Dad. Is the type of person I feel like that would pull David aside and then talk to him about his mom. So like David was probably bad, right? And then he. Compensates to get dad. Back and he's never not enough to get dad to come back and so he blames his mom more for robbing him of his dad. I feel like that's where Davids at. Which is wrong for. The dad to have talked about his do it. Though because his dad not emotionally intelligent so like.

Dad has some. We don't know much about. Him but OK I love how this is This is why like discussions are important because even the characters that you don't like there is so much going on with them as well and there's a reason you don't like them right yeah but it's like. Why are they like this is always my root question. Why are they doing like this? Why are they like this? The answer is usually trauma. Like what's the trauma? Let's go back to the trauma. Just trauma.

Don't be trauma. My goal this year coming up is to really learn more about trauma and like the effects because it's the root of a lot of things. We think trauma has to be something huge, but trauma, it could be a small little instance. It's. The. Brain is. A. Crazy thing. That is a mystery and it's very cool to learn about. I don't know where we were. But that was a huge tangent. It's not even in this.

It's yeah, so. Yeah, so back with Auntie Diane, Olivia Coleman 2 point O the fact that Nick basically just says I'm texting my or no, he asked for the Wi-Fi password 1st and the fact that she says, are you messaging friends instead of oh, you talking to your girlfriend, which is a stark contrast to the how David was in season 2. David saw Charlie texting him and was like Charlie, your girlfriend and Diane just goes, oh, you're texting your

messaging friends. Like that's her assumption is he wants to talk to somebody, but the immediate conclusion is not girlfriend. And so but then also when he says I was. Trying to talk to my. Boyfriend. She goes your boyfriend OK, we have a lot to. Catch up on. Yeah, I mean, anybody offers me a glass of red wine, some breadsticks. Like honestly, don't even. You don't even offer me wine, just breadsticks. I will. Breadsticks. I'm I'm in. I will tell you all of my

deepest, darkest secrets. Any any type of. Food. I will just willingly tell you every I mean you need anything and I'll do that. But like if you give me food. Be great. I will be. Your biggest, that's your biggest fan ever. But that is such a really. Good point, she doesn't do the compet assuming language which is really sweet. He's a young teenage boy, he has friends but also the relationship. In general. Because again, we're we are seeing more of like the different types of

relationships. And yeah, not everyone wants to be in a relationship. And I think it helps that she is a psychologist, correct? Psychiatrist. So she's a psychiatrist. OK. Yeah. I couldn't fully remember. So psychiatrist, so she does know how how to communicate. It does affect people. So I think that helps a lot. Nick's very, very. Lucky. True. That's very true. Her kids are very lucky as. Well, I know you. Can tell she loves her kids too which is really great.

Oh my God, that whole. Family I'm like, can I go on vacation with you Right. Oh my God, that'd. Be amazing all. Right. Well, unfortunately we don't get to go on vacation with them. We're going back to school. So back to school means it's GCSE results time. Woo. So in the process, we catch up with our favorite teachers who are now low key dating but really bad at hiding it. And I love that it's Nick and Charlie. Season 1 they're. Literally Dick and.

Charlie's either one. It's very adorable, especially from Farooq's point of view because he was closeted when he was younger. So now he gets to do all the like, oh, like sneak a kiss during school, kind of like boyish things that he was deprived of. So like, I think this, this is a very cute little relationship. The fact that it's in school must be like healing of his inner closeted child, which I do love his growth. That we've seen from him, from being like, so quiet and

standoffish too. I love fruits, love glossoping with. It's Farrakhan. Who? Mr. Ajai him Sorry I. Always. Forget. His name? Bruce. The first name is Yousef, and then Mr. Jolly is Nathan. Nathan. Yeah, Nathan, Nathan. Cuz in my head I'm always saying Ben and I don't know why. I know it's not Ben. I know Ben. So I think that there's 2 Ben's for some reason. So Nathan. Nathan OK. But like their. Relationship really has made him open up and. Kind of just.

I think it made him accept himself as well cuz I don't know if he like fully accepted himself cuz it doesn't seem like it with the way we saw him before. So it's just seeing him just actually enjoy life right now. It's so cute. It's very cute and I. Do love when we first we catch up with them, they're entering the room and we get a cute little the door gets stuck and then they meet and they look and they're like oh, we get like a

high high from them. Because usually it's just Nick and Charlie. Cuz again, they are kind of like older version in life, Nick and Charlie kind of love story. So it's very cute that we get the little like high, high cuz it's just like them. They're literally just. Nick and Charlie in the alternate universe didn't meet till they were in their 20s fan fiction.

Also, what is the? Deal with the show and having broken doors like I don't know if it was intentional in this scene but I don't know if you guys ever noticed in season 2 the hotel room door was so broken sometimes when they close like when they come back from Tara's party, Nick like kit had to turn around and like make sure it was shut. You can see. It in the. Tank And it's so funny. I'm just like, Oh my gosh, Mia's a theater kid in college who had who had encountered broken doors

on our sets. Just like how incredibly funny that made just like trying to do a show like, Oh my God. Like, what? What is this deal with broken doors? Oh yeah. Doors are very much like hit or miss. I don't know, like unless they're in a house, like even sometimes in houses, but like if it's just a door that thing will not open sometimes. Luckily I didn't have to deal. I didn't work with doors that much, but I can't attest.

There there's this running gag at my job where we have multiple broken doors, some of which are caused by the animals that we work with, some of which are just broken because it's an old building. Doors are annoying. Doors. Are weird, especially doors that you like, doors that you have to build on a set like they can be, especially when you have to build them in such a short amount of time and college effective. Material. Yeah, it's like.

That it's always prone to susceptible to break and just not open. But the fact that it happened in this scene makes it even funnier. I love also the. Fact that Mister Jolly like continuously even since like the beginning of the show is like proudly wearing that rainbow pride pin it it like it heals my heart to see him in this show like doing. That and like. No one, no one has made a comment about it. No one has acknowledged it in the show. No one bats an eye on it.

I know, I I know people who like here in America at least, who like teachers who get fired for that just for wearing it, not for anything else. They just wear that pin. They get fired. And it's like, why? So the fact that he gets to wear it in this show, at least he gets to wear it proudly. No one does anything about it. No one cares. He just gets to be himself. I love it. I also think it. Helps him become the safe space for students.

Like that's how probably how Charlie gravitated towards him. And I I. It's just, it's, again, it's amazing how something so small like that can make you feel safe. And like that's, that's really what the pride flag does. It's not us trying to like put it in people's faces. It's to tell other people that you're safe here. Yeah, and but again, some. People don't understand that. America. Hashtag America. Please help us. Yeah, those are really, really good.

Points. All right, but let's continue. With the game. With the GCSE results. So the whole gang eventually arrives to school and everybody gets their own little montage. It starts with Tao and L, who are of course still codependent with each other. And Tao is like, you're going to do great L and if you don't I'll fight any teacher that gave you a bad grade. Which? Wow. Could you imagine Tao trying? To fight anybody that was. Hilarious. He would just start.

Talking and like, not shut up and just be like, OK, I'm going to go now. Are you gonna imagine Tao? Doing like the Victorian thing where he takes off a long glove and like slaps them with the glove or something like something weird and dramatic like thanks Tao's energy, he's like. The. Pistols have gone and they're like out of here. I think he would just. Be dramatic like that. Like get. Foam swords and like give it to the teacher like I'm God, right? I was just gonna.

Say nod back to season 1. Just send a strongly worded DM. He also would do. That, yeah. That could. That would be a towel. Thing for sure. Towels. Hilarious. OK, so then they go. Inside. And then Darcy and Tara show up in Gran's vehicle. We get to meet Gran for the very first time and Oh my God, love her. And she gives them very sage advice before they go into the school where she says bad grades aren't the worst thing in the

world. So like, this is her first introduction to her and she genuinely seems very kind and like a safe family member for Darcy, which is like perfect. Like actually perfect, not actually perfect. I'm surprised we haven't seen Grand before. Probably because it's not like revolved around Darcy, but I wonder if maybe Darcy's mom like created a situation where they didn't get that close of a relationship.

Because with the way that the grin is, I'm really surprised Darcy wasn't always talking to her. And. I think. And just around her instead of home, I. Don't. Know if this is? Confirmed. But through some of the language. I think that this is Darcy's dad's mother. Not that's what I was telling the mother's mother. Because she's later. She's like your dad. Didn't mention that.

So I think that maybe it's the other side of the family and like, I don't know what the family situation was if Darcy's parents were together or divorced. I actually don't know the answer to that because we only see her mom. So I think they're. Together. Yeah, it sounded at the end of season 2 when Darcy says I hide who I am at home, I'm not even out to my own parents. OK it. Sounds like. That we just haven't seen the dad. OK, that's the assumption. Yeah, I think it's just the. Mom.

Trying to keep it's very possible. Because maybe gran's like, just. Too open and accepting and like the mom doesn't like her. Gran's probably. Just the crazy mother-in-law to Darcy's mom or something, right? Honestly, maybe even the black. Sheep of the family, I mean. Yeah, she. Says some stuff where she's like, I didn't graduate from middle school. So like, yeah, it's very possible. Yeah. What'd she say? I dropped out of school at 14 or something and look at me now.

I'm thriving. She's like living her best. Life. Hell yeah. Queen. I also love them coming. Out of this like small car, it's it's. Cute. They literally have to flip the back seat to get. Out like one of those old and every. Every single time I see this scene, I'm like, yes, they drive on the other side of the road. That is why she's not. That's not the driver's seat coming forward right now. All right, so after the girls.

Get dropped off. There is a comic book montage of the Paris squad collecting their exam results all over this kind of gymnasium. And I want to mention that like, OK, so Imogene, Isaac and Sahar go to grab Sahar's. Test results and both. Imogene and Sahar grab. So like Imogene is like not listening to what's happening and she's just like the mom who's like getting everybody's test scores and like is getting it for Sahar.

So I love that about Imogene and she like takes over and like is the one finding everybody's results. So that's funny. And then through the montage. We get everybody kind of like celebrating and opening their results, except the lesbians. The lesbians are the ones that get like a completely different take on their exam results. Also the fact that. Imogen got like so close to top Marks and drama. And the fact that Sahar says she's not surprised at all, I just find that very funny.

I mean. No one. Surprised. It's really good, I love it. She didn't take the test. They're just like, yeah. Kind of want to see her. Like like a very quick scene shot of her in drama class. Just like going over the top. Someone and like the hard. Walking. By in the hallway and be like oh God yeah. Someone. Probably. Just recorded her speech to Ben in season 2 at the restaurant and just like posted that and the teacher was just like no, no, it's top marks your past. How's that?

I wasn't acting. Exactly. She brings the fun. And the drama? OK, so back to the. Lesbian. So Darcy gets her their exam results 1st and didn't score well. Darcy is not like the academic type. Darcy's kind of more of a free spirit does their own thing. So like, knowing you Darcy is not super surprising, but Darcy's reaction to the test results is like disappointment. And then Darcy just crumples up the results. So just like fuck school. And like, again, what was Graham's advice?

Bad grades aren't everything. So I think that's a foreshadowing to Darcy that like, like her grandmother, like their grandmother, like school's not everything. Look, you can be successful and do and pave your own way outside of school. Like that is possible. It's not the end of the world, right? So I think that like Darcy is more likely to fall follow the same a similar path to the gram, right? Eventually, but like here, getting the results, the

feelings are real. The disappointment is real for Darcy. Then let's get over to Tara. Because Tara. And despite doing. Extremely well because Tara is like the academic marvel of the group. Like she's incredibly smart, works really hard when when perfect scores. Perfect scores. But look at her reaction. Her reaction. She almost looks defeated too, like almost like doing well causes her more stress because like, what's what happens immediately?

Like Nathan comes over like, hey, you should be like this thing or whatever. He's like, immediately tries to pile more work on her. And she's like, like she's already like carrying all that baggage. And like this, these top scores mean just like her academic career is going to intensify even more. And she's in the midst of figuring out, do I want that? So like, I think this is stressing her out for a different reason than Darcy stressed out by the exam

results. And it's interesting because it's like opposite results, but they're having the same reaction, which is really interesting.

Yeah, there's literally a. Shot when you see like you see Tara's results and they're all nines, which is like the highest score apparently in GCSE you can get and I just noticed like her nail Polish she's got like this really cute little blue nail Polish on but it looks like it's worn out like a little bit like it's either she's had it for a while or she's been messing with it and so I'm just like could that be a symbol of her anxiety? Oh my gosh. No, definitely or.

Like, Tara's so stressed out she kind of can't fully take care of herself, which is definitely her journey this season because like, she's dealing with Darcy, and Darcy's, like, unsafe home life situation, and then she's trying to figure out what she wants. So yeah, like, I think that's a really good point. Yeah. Also with Darcy. I think was it back when we did the book club for Heart Stopper volume five, I was saying like, will we find out why Darcy decided to take a gap year?

I think this kind of answered my question a little bit. Why? Part of why she will or they will. It's like, OK, so yeah, no. Yeah, I think that's exactly what they're. Alice is filling in that gap of like Darcy. And that's why I like bringing in the grand because like I think that's going to be the mentor for Darcy kind of going forward to lead through this. Like she's going to take the different path from the rest of her friends basically.

Which or sorry, they're. I'm having trouble with the pronouns because Darcy hasn't actually like. Gone through the gender. Transformation, so I apologize. If I keep doing that, it's just because the character hasn't done the switch yet, so I apologize. But. Yeah, I think. That that's going to be a nice setup because like everybody else is going to go down the academic route, but. Darcy. And like, that's not a bad thing. It's just. It's just. Different and.

It's fine. And like you know anyway, so I like that setting that up here like you said and filling in the gap for the gap year, OK. So we got. Like. Happy emotions, sad emotions. Then we cut to the spring children and and we get Tori's results and Charlie's like Tori, you did great. And she's like school's bullshit, like Tori energy, which I love. It's the complete opposite of everybody else. We're just like whatever and. I love that so much about her exams.

Mean nothing, is what she says. I just love Tori. She's. She's right. I mean they mean. Something but. Like if they're not helping. The world like the. Grandmother, you know, was saying. If they're a means. To an end basically all right so then Charlie is also there to get Nick's results, which I also find it really interesting that they let you grab other people's exam results, which is really weird like cuz it's not like he's. Yeah, I mean, they're just like, are they? All laid out.

Like so why were this e-mail? It doesn't matter. That's you. It's kind of been an e-mail. Here are we in. It's weird that Charlie could get Nick's. Nick's results I feel like there'd be more security here, but anyway he and like checking off. Anyway. Anyway, he opens. Nick's results smiles very proudly. Nick did well and then like sends the picture of the results to Nick.

Yeah, I feel like part. Of like, maybe Charlie gets away with it because it's Farouk and Ajayi that are giving out the results. So maybe he's able to get away with it because it's like, Oh yeah, we, we know you and Nick are dating. It's fine. But right. And of course, naturally Nick gets top marks in both French and physical education. Naturally, rugby captain, who also is half French, makes sense. I was taking French in the. 1st place like again, why was he taking French credits?

The fact that he. That's true, I think. Season 1. He was, like, giving Charlie so much shit for, like, the amount of subjects he was taking. And I'm just like. Says the guy who's taking French. OK. Oh, yeah. So trying to learn a new language, Charlie at least is trying to learn Spanish because that's like his native tongue, like his family's native tongue. But like, he doesn't know Spanish because he didn't grow up on Spanish. Like Nick grow up on French.

It's just funny in a way. It's the same way. My dog's dying in the. Back it's. The same way that we. Have to learn English like there is probably some more in French that he could learn and like work on. It's a lot. Easier. For him, I mean, if it's French one, that's the difference. Yeah, I don't know what level. He would learn in. Not sixth form. Year Year 12. What the heck? Year 11? What the hell are yours again? Year 11? Jesus. Like what? What year are we in here?

OK, yeah, Nixon like year 11 means? Nothing. Yeah, he's in his. GCSE, I don't know what what level like French, GCS, ES are at, I don't know. Yeah, I don't know either. Because French one. In high school was interesting. Yeah. I think it's very funny that that's just the fact that he got top marks in both of those. And then also on top of that, when he had said in season 2, he was so convinced he was going to fail his math GCSE and then he actually passed, he passed all of his exams.

Like the the relief thinking that you're going to fail a class just because of how hard it's been and to actually pass it. Oh, that relief is so real. He just. Passed it, but yes he did pass but that that BI does not math well. The gays don't math the. Bias don't math. Yep. Well, maybe with bias it's. Like maybe they they will. They will. It's a 5050. Shot right. Or they just. Kind of go halfway.

Yeah. Yeah. So in this next scene, they're at the villa back back in Minorca and Nick is swimming in the pool with his little cousins and he's. He just got the text from Charlie, but he passed his exams and it's really cute because his aunt and uncle are sitting by the poolside and they're celebrating for him. Uncle says no surprise, which is really cute, really sweet, and his uncle goes quickly. Because we just made that. Joke.

And I don't want people to think that we think that being bi is a 5050. That is not what we were saying. No, no. No, not at all. I was taking a math joke already. Taking a math joke? It's not. We're not saying. Like bi, like you like 50%, no, 50%, like no, that's not what we were saying. It was just math. I was mathematically it. Means fifty. Yeah, that's what we're getting at. I just. Wanted to clarify that really quickly, sorry. That in my head. All right, sorry.

We're. Not we promise. No, not at all. Not at all. You guys wouldn't have a. Bisexual on the show if you weren't biphobic. So there you go. Yeah. The fact that his uncle literally is like, it's really cute because he's like, we we need to meet this Charlie. You need to have him for Christmas so we can meet him. And he says when he needs to get the family approval, it's the same thing that kind of David said in Season 2 of she. Well, of course he thought it

was Charlie was his girlfriend. She really needs my approval. It's such a different context because in this in this setting, it's like, obviously so playful. It's so like, obviously he's like, Nah, we know you're happy with your boyfriend. It's great. But we just really want to meet him. Like, they genuinely just want to meet him. David was just being so invasive

of Nick's privacy also. Yeah. Which I think this is also after whenever Diane sat down with Nick and toll and he told her about Charlie. Like cuz I'm assuming this is like the next day or two days after or something like that. Like after that night when they sat down and had their their glass of red and bread sticks and he told them about Charlie. So it's like assuming they know a lot. About. Like how Nick and Charlie got together, they know the story.

That almost just makes it even more sweet because David just didn't even bother to try to ask. He's just like, if you do have a girlfriend, I need to meet her. She needs my approval. Gross. Just no. It's so controlling. Again, David trying to be his dad, that's what he's doing like. But yeah, I love it. It's very much like open arms versus like authoritarianism, the two sides of it, like this parallel, like you're saying, OK, and then, OK, so then Nick's like starts imagining what that

would be like, OK, which I love. And then we. See, Charlie's mental health journey is really affecting Nick's mental health because Nick imagines Charlie walking in in the villa and it's all like golden light and it's all happy and he's like, Oh my God, Charlie can be part of my

family. My family is so accepting this and that and then like Charlie walks onto the buffet of food and then immediately the dark clouds start coming in of Nick's anxiety over Charlie being at a family gathering where there's an audience and then food. And then he's like, Oh my God, Charlie would be like really uncomfortable to be here. It's going to trigger him like Oh my God. So like he's like panic. He's like happy thinking about

probably being here. Then he like he starts having a panic attack and getting really anxious. So like to me, Nick's journey, but here is a lot about like the supportive partner who's now developing their own mental health struggle because he's trying to support Charlie through his and Nick is in the dark with the struggle that Charlie's having and he doesn't know how to help him. And like you just see like how? Now, now, Nick. 'S suddenly having all this anxiety that's surrounding

Charlie and like their. Relationship. Outside of their little love bubble together. And it's kind of sad from Nick's point of view to like now how all this anxiety. You OK, Caitlin, are you? Dying. I'm good. Also. I just. I think I. Just saw this, I'm looking at like the screen caps that we have on the notes and it's like I feel like didn't in episode 1 when Charlie was having like his anxiety when they were sitting like trying to eat their fish

and chips didn't. Am I remembering this wrong where it seemed like the darkness kind of fully engulfs him to the point where you don't even see the food anymore, Whereas in this scene Nick has like, the shadow is like around? Yeah. There was. Definitely. Two different shadows. In the last episode it was like a shadow around the food and then around the edges. I think later in this episode we see it more engulfed on the screen with the food.

Oh, it gets worse. Like the food starts getting its own animation to see how much like that's really starting to trigger Charlie. But like the animation was from Charlie's point of view. So like we know from Charlie's point of view, it's the food, it's the environment. But for Nick, like the anxiety isn't as like dark, It's not as like overbearing of the frame because like this is Nick developing anxiety versus Charlie who's like years deep in his anxiety. Like the level of anxiety is

different, it is true. That's true, yeah. Yeah. My God. I was. I had another thought. When I lost it. No. So in episode, I think, I think it happens in episode 1. I know it definitely happens later on in this episode when the which is kind of also like back in in season 2 when Nick is doing his math exam and like the words start to just turn into like the scribbles. And that's kind of what happens

with Charlie with the food. It's such a great way of like depicting that anxiety and what it's being caused by and just like. To me it kind. Of paints this image of like you look at the thing and it just makes your brain go fuzzy. It makes you start to feel numb and it like just proves like a certain type of anxiety. It's like so well done that just it tells you so much. So attention to details man Incredible. Yeah. But then after that.

Also Nick deciding to send Charlie that shirtless pic after he was giving Charlie shit in the last episode for peeking so. Funny, it's like, what's happy moments? How do we make? This as happy as possible. Be shirtless. Let's do that, yeah. Yeah, Charlie will like that. I mean, probably will like that. It's OK, it's allowed. We're in love, Yeah.

And then after that. I I would feel like while this is all happening, Charlie gets that text and it's like smiling at it and the gang all is like leaving school like after getting the results and they start to pair off when. Isaac. Points out that hey, weren't we all going to go to Nando's to celebrate? And immediately everybody else is like, oh, everybody says like they forgot. And then Sahar I think is the one that says when did we talk about Nando's?

Which I'm like, oh, Oh no, poor Isaac. He's not even a third wheel. He's like a 9th wheel right now. Poor guy. The thing is. It's sadder because. It's. Literally the only reason he was there. So like if they didn't talk about it why would he even be there? Right. I mean he. Wants to support his friends but like yeah I think your point is so valid. Yeah, also I think. Nando's is the only restaurant reference I've heard of. Literally.

It's really funny because I always heard like there's so many like running gags as like a British person with Nando's like being the hate spot. I don't know because I used to this is growing up watching Dan and Phil though. It's like the running gag of you want to get some cheeky Nando's. Like I don't know if it's. Actually in thing but it just was really funny. I've been to Nando's. Nando's is actually really good. Their chicken's pretty good.

Their variety of sauces is good. So I'm like, I get it. But yeah, poor Isaac. Like, I, I feel that frustration of like, they like they make this plan and as soon as everybody's there and they're like, well, wait, aren't we going to go? Everybody says, oh, Nah, we're going to go do something else. Yeah. Like to cancel plans, like right in the moment when like, you're already ready to go. That's so frustrating, especially in this moment when it's not even like like if you

cancel plans and it's like they. Say like, hey. Something's come up like totally understandable, but it's like in this situation everybody just like forgot, forgot or. Decided they wanted. To go to something else and that's that's so hard. Like that's got to be so hurtful to Isaac. I have. I experienced this with more in high school and I'm like, first of all, what the Hell's? Hell else are you doing? Like unless you y'all got jobs maybe but.

I know like for me. Like my brain does not handle that well. So like the rest of the day is just like anxiety and being like, oh, do they just not like me and all this stuff? It's. Just it's. It's. Ridiculous. They could have. They could have included Isaac and something. Yeah. Somebody could have. Even like invited him but that was just sad or like.

The fact that like. I and this is a whole another point, like when Charlie even says he's not going to go to Nando's, we, we as the audience understand why. We know why he would say no to going to get food, but it's even more heartbreaking the fact that he's not going to go do anything with Isaac. It makes me so sad.

It kind of also just attest to like Charlie is starting to distance himself a little bit more and it makes you wonder like is the reason why he went to the GCSE results partially to go get pick up Nick results, Nick's results, but also because Tori was there. There have been those two factors are what made him go. If either of those factors were out of it, would he even gone? So it's like the start of. His pushing himself away from everybody, which is sad, yes.

And I think that's encapsulated best for the absolute laugh shot of this scene. So let's talk about this for a second. So every basically everybody else like kind of like pair it off and left. And so Isaac's like, hey, Charlie, it's just us 2 now we doing something. And Charlie's like, Nah, for all the reasons you just said. And so they go to the part ways and literally. Exit the. School and then literally head off in opposite directions so.

Of note that. Like both characters in this scene, Isaac and Charlie are feeling isolated from the larger group that they were with. Like yes, Charlie has Nick, but Nick's not present with him right now and we see him battling his anxiety alone right now. So he's feeling all of that plus his mom like all that. So he's feeling very like closed off and isolated right now. Isaac as like the arrow ace character that's like setting him apart from his friends who are now coupling up like in a

romantic way. And so it's like he's isolated because like, and the thing with Isaac, it's like just because he's not romantically attached to anybody doesn't mean he doesn't love anyone. OK. But it's starting to set him apart from his friends. We're like coming into romantic love as like teenagers do that are inclined to that. So it's.

Really sad that like. Isaac felt a bit of camaraderie with Charlie when everybody else was leaving, but Charlie turns him down in favor of the solitude because of all his struggles, right? So in the scene, what's happening is that Charlie's choosing to isolate himself, but Isaac's isolation is involuntary because like everyone else is leaving him to couple up and Charlie's leaving him to go do his own thing. But what's interesting about

the? Scene is that when they part ways, Isaac turns around and sees Charlie walking by himself and like. Isaac is the only. Person in the group that. Notices. Charlie is exhibiting a typical behavior, and it's because Isaac

loves his friends. It's born out of a place of love because everybody else is in their love bubble with their significant other and like Sahar and emoji and are like whatever they're doing, like no one else sees anybody outside of that romantic or whatever relationship. But because Isaac doesn't have that lens, he loves all his friends kind of equally. He's the one that sees Charlie's behavior, which is really interesting. I. Don't know if you wanted to say

that. I also just thought that those. I I this is like kind of just adding on to the theme from last episode. Isaac's hat has a little sunflower on it, which is that was just a cute little detail. I need a thing. Obviously I'll need to go back and watch the rest of the season for later episodes. But like, I wonder, is this going to be a thing in the season? Are we going to see more sunflowers? We'll just have to find out, you know, do a. Sunflower tally by the end.

Sunflower Tally, yes, so, OK, so at. The end of the scene. So when when Charlie goes to walk his own way and Isaac goes to walk his own way, Isaac is the only one of all the friends who turns around and checks on Charlie. And I love how. It's visibly depicted with the shot, so it could be a foreshadowing of Also, Charlie is presently on the on his way of walking down this road to recovery, right?

It's a very long journey and it's something he has to do alone, which we come to like alone Meeting like his friends can't solely save him from this. He's going to need extra help. But like Charlie has to be the one to start the walk by accepting it and then like continue to walk the path even when it gets hard, right? He has to choose this OK, the way he's choosing isolation in this scene. And like, I love that it's Isaac that notices this as like.

The you know. Showing the power of platonic love and like how it can be life changing and things like that. And it's as important, if not more important sometimes, than just like the pairing romantic love that you know, happens. At the end of this, like something I found interesting is we don't fully see, like, which direction that Darcy and Targo, whether they go left or right, they just go straight, which is ironic, but it looks like Isaac is the only one to go in the

direction that he goes. So it's really showing how he's even more isolated from everyone. Yeah. Mitch Poor Isaac. Isaac. And Tori deserve better in the season. All right, so let's get. Caught up with Nick so. I'm sorry, Charlie. So Charlie goes home and then he's doing scrolling on Instagram because it's the only social media app, Yes. That in. This world. No. Tori is a Tumblr. We'll get there later, but. Up till this point.

It's the only one. So Tori comes to collect him for dinner and Charlie declines because he's avoiding his mom. And Tori replies. You're abandoning me again? So like I brought up this point. Earlier, like knowing what we know about Tori in solitaire, this line is really heartbreaking for me because she feels very isolated right now and like Charlie's her best friend, like we saw from the

postcard in that episode. But to me, this, a lot of this is from Charlie's point of view, more so than Tori, right? It's hard to stop or not solitaire. So this is what's going on in Charlie's mind. His anxiety is really winning this battle that he's he's that's waging mentally in his head and it's shrinking the focus of his world. And it's like he can't see reality. So he's having a hard time connecting with the people around him and seeing their

struggles too. Like he's he doesn't really see Isaac's isolation. He doesn't see or his isolation and he can't recognize in this moment that like Tori needs him as her support. Like she's been offering her support for him. But being the bigger sister, she's the one who's like kind of used to like, I don't know, letting things like this go and just carrying on alone and being the stronger person because that's like that's the elder siblings role a lot of the times so.

Oh, you're muted. You're muted. Sorry it's so interesting. The choice of the camera angle in this they there's like a huge use of the rule of thirds when it cuts to Charlie and like shows his face. Charlie's like on the left side of the screen, but then like his music sign is in full view in the background, which I think is so interesting, like the choice that was made there. Also the fact that he's he's not in his bedroom scrolling. He is sitting at his desk. Which is another.

Interesting choice of like. I feel like. Charlie in his most vulnerable states when he like, especially like when he's texting somebody, he's in his bed or when he is like most comfortable, most safe, he's in his bed. That's like his safe space. Or like even when he's in a time of stress, like in season 1, we saw it a couple times where he was very stressed out and he wouldn't respond to a text. He'd put his phone down and he'd curl up in his blankets.

And or even after the end of episode 3, when he and Nick, he and Nick kiss for the first time and Nick goes away and he's like crying in his bed that night. That's like his safe place to just be vulnerable, be comfortable, be safe. And the fact that he's not in his bed for this scene when this moment of insecurity is happening, just, I don't know, I feel like that that must have been intentional. But also the fact that the music sign is in full view in the

background, like. Just kind of, I don't know. If that just helps accent that, but it's so well done. Just that that camera shot is just so, so well done. And for those who are? Listening, who may not know what the rule of threads are, it's. I've been like trying.

To figure out how the best way to explain this, I could have looked up a better definition, but basically you have a grid on the screen and it creates like a grid of like 9 different squares and there's like 4 intersecting points between the vertical lines and the horizontal lines. And you want to put the most interesting parts of the image on those things, because that's where your eye goes to most. So it's basically a way to like

divide. Space in a like rectangular frame like you said, to draw the eye around. Yeah, this best. Example I've ever seen is like for somebody who's learning what that is, is like people looking at a sunset. Like you get the silhouette of a person on one side of the screen of the shot and then there's the sunset on the whole other side and they're like looking out towards it. That's like such a really cool example of like why real thirds can be so pretty. So yeah, it's. Great topography.

Man, so cool. So, OK, so. Charlie's upset at this point, decline dinner, so he gravitates back to his happy place, which is the Shirtless Nick selfie because duh. And then he's like, OK, let me return the favor. So he takes a few of him just like sitting in the chair, like if his current state, right? And then he's like debating sending one to Nick and he's doing the thing where he's got it queued up to like he's hovering over the send button, but then he hesitates.

So to your point earlier, Elena, so he's in the he's in the state of like, I want to be honest with Nick, but then like is the is can I do this right now? Because the other thing that Charlie's battling with and we've seen a little hints of is he does have a degree of body dysmorphia, like on top of his eating disorder. And like that now that his anxiety is escalating, like his, it's pronouncing the other issues or mental struggles that he's grappling with.

So now the body dysmorphia is becoming more of an issue. And what's also escalating that in Charlie is the fact that his relationship with Nick is becoming more intimate. So we've gotten past the I love you stage. And so like, the next progression is like the sex stage, which involves being, you know, naked, et cetera. Like, and we saw him at the beach being like, I don't want to take my shirt off. So like, it's starting to escalate as things are getting more intimate and his anxiety is

peaking. So he's like, I don't know if I should even send this. It's him fully clothed sitting at his desk. But he's like. Is this Nick? What Nick? Wants to see. He sent me a shirtless selfie, you know? Well, it also is like. I have to wonder if it's partially also a comparison thing. Like in that moment he's like comparing himself to Nick. Nick is like this athlete who is like fit who he's so fit, as they would say.

I mean, he is. Yeah. Whereas. Charlie is, in his mind at least, he's just kind of. He's just just him. Which is. Heartbreaking, obviously, because yeah, yeah. But yeah, to that point, it's like getting more intimate in their relationship that's. Hard. And it's like from. Charlie's point of view, he's like, well, Nick, like what he sees when I take my clothes off kind of thing. Because like that was the I love you thing. Once I say this, well, Nick like what likes what he sees kind of

thing. It's like just the next iteration of that, basically for Charlie, yeah. There's and there's also that shot while he's taking a selfies where it cuts to like it shows like his whole room. It's like just this whole like so I don't know if I'd call that a landscape shot, but it's like a big bigger angle of like showing him sitting at his desk, but it's also most of his room. Good God, the amount of books that are stacked on his floor. Somebody get that boy another bookshelf please.

Music also Isaac and him should go. Shopping at IKEA, we brought up in like, I think the last season of like an IKEA fan fiction of everybody going to IKEA. I still want that. It's still on my mind. Can you tell the random things that like get stuck in my mind is hilarious. But anyway, that would be a great bonding moment for Isaac and Charlie to go be the best. The best. Friend. Date ever? Yes.

Also, do I spot? Do I spot a bisexual flag sitting in the in the drawer in Charlie's dresser? I don't know if that was on purpose, but I I feel like they never put like, hints of pride flags in their own accident. I feel like that's always intentionally done. Like the bisexual lighting in Season 1. It's like we all know that was on purpose. Yeah, I feel. Like it's like, well, my. My boyfriend's bisexual. I'm gonna have this here. Yeah. A. Little. Bit provider. Too. Which is cute.

He's he's proud of. His his queer boyfriend, just like, yeah, we all are. And he also wants to show that like he isn't biphobic because unfortunately that is so a lot of people's issues which I still don't understand like. Just let people be who they. Are, I know, like, again, even like, people in the community I don't understand, like people who do not understand other people. I'm like, you're in this community. You know what it's like to not be understood?

Give other people the same respect that you want. Also, that's just in life in general. It's like the first rule you're taught. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Yeah. Apparently that wasn't. Made who failed, I guess in America, yeah, a lot of people. Failed that lesson, yeah. Anyway, OK. So Charlie's debating about sending the selfie and ultimately decides that's too vulnerable for him and he's not in the space for that right now, so he just sends Nick a text

instead. And that's kind of where we end that and then we time. Jump. Two weeks later so two weeks later Nick is still on vacation and he's in the more it's the morning time and he's catching up with like his friends. So instead of doom scrolling, he's like reading the Morning News on Insta to see what everyone's doing. And then he revisits his text with Charlie and he's looking at the text and he notices that like Charlie's texts are becoming more sparse.

And then the texts themselves are becoming more vague. So like while Nick is probably sharing like all the things he's doing in the villa or whatever, like every time he's like, how are you doing, Charlie? It's always like something vague, like I'm fine, I'm good. Wish I could see you. But it's like nothing indicating to Nick really like how Charlie's actually doing, how he's feeling. And so it's like escalating Nick's anxiety, basically. And he sees. That he's closing off, yes.

And so it's making. Him worried. Yeah, also like the. Just the different scrolling through the Insta stories I thought were really cute, the attention to details like with modern Instagram. I, I had I had mentioned something in our notes like Tao story. It has him an L with a goat, which I'm like, I thought there were goats at the zoo later on. Wait, is there a chronology error here? But Caitlin, you pointed out that there are differences here,

so I might be talking on that. So like in my. Head I'm I'm pretty sure that they would have just found a random goat to take a photo with like they like towels called goat and like they jumped a fence or something to take a photo with it Like that would totally be a situation that they'd get in and they had different clothes on at the zoo. I I went to the next episode to check. I was like, Jason, I have like vote now.

Yeah. I wonder if I just like found it, like I found a cute little farm or a petting zoo. Or maybe they I say it's depending on it's summertime, so I don't know if they have pumpkin patches open this time of year. They wouldn't, they wouldn't have pumpkin fields, obviously. But I'm like, I wonder if they'd have like, a farm they could go to, like, yeah. To just have like. They would do something like that. That would be such a cute. Date. I want to go on that date.

Hell yeah, I like the version. Of him jumping a fence and like convincing Ell to do it too. That sounds incredibly. On brand, that sounds like something they would totally do. All right, so. Back to Nick, So Nick's anxiety is spiking because of, you know, the realization that Charlie's not really communicating with him. And so like Nick's in this dilemma where he's like.

Like in the tropes? Of things he's the savior OK, so he sees himself as the knight in shining armor who's like protecting Charlie who saves CC's damsel in distress basically in this scenario and. I think that. Nick is worried that without his physical presence in Charlie's life, that, like, no one's there, to, quote, save Charlie because no one else seems to notice the red flag.

So if you go back to, like, the picnic with the Paris squad, like, nobody else noticed that Charlie wasn't eating, The only person who noticed that was Nick. And so he's, like, OK. And then he saw that like, if he went over there and like, hugs Charlie or takes him aside or like, gets him alone in his room, then Charlie will eat and like things, quote, go back to normal in a way. So there's. Evidence for Nick to know that like, OK, Charlie's deterioration can can reverse if

I'm there. So now that he's not there, Nick's anxiety is like quadrupling because he's like, Charlie's not talking to me and I can't check up on him or like, help him if he needs it. And what I love about Nick's storyline, particularly in the season, is that Alice really took the time to explore the side effects of mental illness on family members and loved ones. And it shows that it's like it's not really an isolated experience for like that one person is dealing with like

everybody's affected by this. And therefore, like the solution is everybody like we see Charlie just struggling on his own also. And like it kind of take, it takes a village in a way to like help that person. And like community. Is like the answer, right? And so like, I like that we see the partner's perspective of like going through this with somebody they love and they want to help, but there's like limitations to what 1. Person can.

Really do in this scenario, it does take like more people and like experts and like just time. And it's more complicated than like I'm I can come in with my sword and slay the dragon. It's much more complicated than that when you're dealing with this. And so I do like that Alice took this route with Nick to kind of show us that. OK, all right, so cut to. Later that evening, Charlie finally responds at night time and basically just says all good, how are you? And it's like flowers and.

Here's. The to Elena's point, we get the cat emoji next to Charlie's name, which is Yeah. He's a little cat and then Nick. 'S the puppy dog, which I do love, but this is just. Confirming. Like Nick's anxiety surrounding Charlie that like something really isn't wrong. Despite like these words that Charlie is sending him, they sound very hollow and like like Charlie's hiding how he feels. OK, so then. Nick's outside and he's like getting like upset.

And so Olivia Coleman comes to join him and diagnosis him with a serious case of smitten, which is an adorable thing to say, period, but also more adorable because she admits here that she's a licensed psychiatrist. I just. Love that. And Nick, in this moment? Alone with her asks if she's ever treated anybody with an eating disorder, and she says, like, it's not my specialty, but yes, I have. And she adds, eating disorders tend to go hand in hand with other things.

Meaning like other mental illnesses tend to like go, our conditions tend to go along with this. It's not usually isolated to just one thing. Which again is. Back to the point I made earlier, this is a psychiatrist indicating to Nick that like Charlie's situation is much more complex than he thinks it is. And a hint to Nick right now that he's not, he alone is not capable of quote saving Charlie and solving these problems. Like it's more, it's more complex than you think it is

and. What's interesting? During this conversation, Nick's arms are very crossed so he has this very closed off defensive body language. Indicating that like. He's not ready to be 100% vulnerable about this topic. When it comes to Charlie, he's like, still trying to process it and figure out what to do and like, be the one that saves him, but he doesn't know how. So when Olivia Coleman 2.0 asks Nick why he's bringing this up, it's unsurprising that he's like, no reason.

And he doesn't want to, like, elaborate on this because, like, Nick's not ready quite yet. And I want to. Give a shout out to Nick's Nick to kids acting here because it's marvelous, because the way he like. Summons those hovering. Tears to show us just how much like, Charlie's situation is like, scaring and hurting him is just a brilliant choice. Like Charlie's struggle becomes Nick's struggle because like, he's, you know, like right along

with him in the situation. And while he's trying to like, brush it off and be like, no, I was just kind of curious like his. He puts on a smile for his aunt despite the hovering tears. But like, the licensed psychiatrist in the room is not fooled by this. Who's really good at reading people body language and, like, word choices. Like, she's like, something's

deeper here. But as the psychiatrist knows when somebody's not ready to talk about something, pushing them does nothing except pushes them away. So like she kind of just takes us in as like, OK, I'm getting to Reno, my nephew now who's an older, like teenager and like, OK, he's going through stuff, but he's going to keep come to me when he's ready kind of thing, which I love. There is so much power. And hovering tears, they say. So much so the. Next scene is we head to Darcy's

Gran's house. And first of all, I love that. I love that we're here now and Tara, Darcy and Elle are hanging out, so Darcy is unpacking and is already throwing their stuff across the room. I mean, they try to put it on the bed and it just kind of falls off and Darcy just goes whatever. So like there's no. Really care there. Like Darcy treats their own space like this. It wasn't just because it was someone else's room. Like this is just agent of Chaos

agent. Of chaos. And Gran. Tells Darcy that they should have a poster of a boy on their wall, which. Darcy. Immediately responds that they are a lesbian, so they. Go I'm a lesbian. Gran. And it's like such. A matter of fact tone that I I just love the line delivery here. And so Gran's. Response is oh, your dad never told me that. And Darcy doesn't get defensive. Darcy just shrugs.

And I feel like. A part of them has to be worried a little that Gran won't like it, but Darcy doesn't show it because that is weakness. Darcy is not. Darcy doesn't want to let people see how things affect. Them. But we don't have to worry because Gran is the best. Like literally, Oh my gosh, Gran is the best and says you need a pretty girl up there. Then I I love you Gran. Yes, world. 'S best Gran. So Tara has. The perfect solution for this and puts a photo of her cell

phone Darcy as well. I know, I love how subtle that. Is too, especially because instead of the grand like making a big response when Tara puts it up, like she immediately catches on like, oh, she must be your girlfriend doesn't have to say anything else. She just says perfect. So that was a really cute little touch. It was again. There is so much being said and a conversation in this scene without it being said.

And it's. Beautiful, and exactly what Darcy needs in this moment, Yes. But then Gran. Continues and tells Darcy their mom called, at which Darcy immediately groans. Like I don't blame them because their mom's a lot, probably a lot more going on there. We don't really get that mom story.

We don't need it. So that's with this and focusing on parents that would be an interesting thing to explore in like a mini so series type thing if they do want to spin off from just saying giving you a bunch of ideas, not that they haven't thought about it, but. Gran. Is once again proving that she is the most amazing grandmother and says Oh no need to do anything about it just thought you ought to know. Like seriously give her an award. Like again.

The bar is so low though, for grandmothers. And things we've been watching, yeah, yeah, especially. Grandmothers. That that. Is a reference to our Thai media, Thai media coverage because the grandmothers over there was villain. What a villain. Is Grandma. So we need this grand. Can this grand go to Thailand? And seriously? She needs to teach a. Grandmother Master class. Anyway. Yeah. So another thing that I was thinking of in this moment, I was like next season, because

there's going to be one. OK, Netflix, I'm just telling you now, like if there's not like there is, you just you have no choice. OK. So next season they need to have her and Olivia Coleman, the actual Olivia Coleman. You know what, We have put two Point O in there as well. We have put all of that. I want them to all. Have tea together and have a super queer discussion. Because I think that would. Be the best scene of the whole show. That'd be amazing. I mean, I know there's like the.

Show's so good but like that scene I just want because that would be allyship at its Max. Power and beautiful. That's true. Someone write it? I don't someone. Write it. Please I need I need to see how that would play out. I need to see it, but I need to. Read it anyway. OK, so Gran and leaves and Darcy explains to the girls that their mom is having a tantrum because she realized Darcy might not

come back. Which Tara? Responds to and tells Darcy that they don't need to talk to her if they don't want to. And I'm really glad that Tara says this because so many people would be like, she's your mom, you have to talk to her, you can't, she's your family, blah, blah blah. And like that, that's things. That I've heard for random things like, and it doesn't matter, like if it's a parent or someone else in your family,

it's like their blood. You have to make things work with them, which is not the case. There are people who are toxic and it's OK to let them go. And Darcy responds and says good, I don't want to, but. The way their voice. Sounds here doesn't really convince me that this is true. And again, this, this is their mother. Like you want a relationship with them. It's not that you want the relationship, it's that you want them to be who you need them to be. And I think.

Darcy does want to speak to her, but she wants they want her to actually understand and listen to them rather than just yell and like. Put them in a box. Basically. And the music. Right after this line says, I thought maybe I could fix you too. And yeah, you can't really hear it, but it's like when you have the subtitles on, it tells you what the music saying and it's not all the time.

So I'm like, oh, if they're pointing this line out in the music right now, I feel like it's kind of important. So with this, I I find it interesting because in a way, Darcy's mom is trying to call because she thinks that she can fix Darcy. Well, Darcy is also avoiding their mom to basically teach her a lesson and try to fix quote the way she thinks. Like so. Darcy thinks that they could fix her too.

So it's just. The music choices in this show are amazing and I didn't pay attention to it enough. So like closed captioning really helps and also Elena pointing out music in general so. It gives you some. New things to focus on. You can keep watching the show in different ways and sometimes you might need to put it on .5 speeds just so you can get like the visual aspects of everything is you can't watch the show enough. Yeah. OK.

So then. Elle is caught texting Tao and not paying attention to anything that is going on because that's been her summer. And Tara says. That they didn't fool her away from him just so she could be texting him like this isn't just so you can practicing practice your texting skills like this is so we can hang out. And Darcy adds that Elle has been very Tao obsessed and

they've hardly seen her. So we're getting confirmation that Tao and Elle really have been on their own this summer and have been distressing themselves because of their relationship. And El says that. Tao has been taking. Her out on a date every day and that's why they are kind of distanced from the friends. And at first that. Tara is like very supportive and says that's good, but. Then she.

Realizes that El isn't very excited as or enthusiastic as it seems like she is, and El explains that she can see that basically she's explains this that he is trying to overcompensate and is scared that she's going to abandon him. And this makes. Complete sense because the boy has abandonment issues that we've already gone over. That and season 2 I probably, but I love that Elle recognizes this. Like and let.

Recognize that that this is a big worry for him and tao's abandonment issues don't necessarily stem from people choosing to leave him like it's not the fact that people choose, it's just the. Circumstances. That happen so even if he thinks that L would never leave him. There is still. That what if things change overnight or something goes wrong and we do see that later, like he says, what if you move on? So it's like just naturally. It's just. Like how his dad naturally. Was it natural?

We don't know. We we don't know. I was, I didn't know if it was like something else or it just seemed like it. Was kind of like it could have been sudden, yeah. OK, so Elle then. Asked for advice on how to help him feel more confident and relaxed in their relationship, which is a. Very fair question. To ask friends like this is something that she's worried about because she's been going

along with this whole summer. Like yes she wants to be with Tao, but she's also trying to make Tao comfortable and OK with her going to her choice of school. Because really this is in her head and she is the reason why he's feeling like this right now. Because she's choosing to be selfish in a way. And again, selfish, not as a bad thing, just selfish as in choosing her. Which is valid.

And like, I'm so glad that she is going to the school because if she would have stayed there, there would have been some sort of resentment because this school, you could tell that this is going to be her home. But. Elle. Doesn't get advice because Tara starts complaining and asks if they are really going to spend the one night they are. The the one. Night that they are together talking about her boyfriend. And like to Elle's. Credit she. Understands. And she does move on.

She apologizes. But in my. Opinion like this was such a valid question that they could have discussed quickly because this was like really wrapping things up and like to put Ella's mind at ease because she's going to be thinking about this the whole night. Like it's still going to be clouding it. She needs help with this situation and she's asking her friends to give her advice and then they could have continued on. So I just really hate that this

is what Tara was like. Let's stop talking about him like it was going to. You could tell that it was wrapping up. Yeah, I agree. Oh, you're muted? Sorry, neighbors. Are playing music so oh, you're fine. It makes me want a scene with Elle's parents because. Like Elle's? Parents have always seems so supportive of her like like obviously we've never heard them talk about her transitioning, but like, I mean they, they obviously love her unconditionally.

So it's like I imagine they were completely supportive through the process. So, and like that her dating Tao, starting this new relationship with Tao, they've always been very supportive, always been teasing Tao, but always like obviously they love him.

So like I, I would love to see her lean on them for this kind of relationship support because from what we see, obviously we don't know everything about her parents marriage, but like it seems like they're doing OK. I don't know, just given what little we see of them, obviously we can't tell everything. But like I can see her parents being a solid source of like advice and like relationship advice. Help. I'm just a teenager.

Help. Yeah. And I know that this story isn't revolving around the parents, but it would be nice to see someone other than Nick go to their parents so that way kids, teenagers know that you can talk to your parents. Like you may have a situation like Charlie where he can't necessarily talk, but there are some people who may not think that they can talk to their parents about these things 'cause they don't understand, but they could. So I. Would like to see. That more?

We briefly. Saw very very briefly saw Tao with his mom in season 2. His mom say like if you are scared of losing Elle, you need to fight for her. Oh yeah. True. That was, that was. Really. Special hearing seeing. That scene. So I would love to see something like that a little bit more with with Elle's parents. I don't know, we'll see, maybe, maybe in the future. Yeah, there's a lot to. Explore there. Basically, there's so much to explore. In this world. Like it's insane. Like 'cause.

Yeah, people say it's happy but it really isn't. It's just life 'cause there are happy moments, not everything's going to be dramatic and then there's times where life gets really bad and this is what's happening this season, like everything is coming to the surface. So it really there's, there is so much to explore and it's not just like a lovey dovey show. There is a lot more going under it. We just had to it's surface level in the beginning and then you'll get more into it.

And it's, that's exactly how it is to meet people as well. Like when you first meet someone, every everything's happy. Like your friendship is surface level and then you actually start talking and you learn more about the person, you understand their past and the history. And the the show is depicting this like we became friends with these characters from the first episode and we have fully to get to know them. And it's just. Yeah, again, the show's great. So we.

End this scene with Darcy giving Elle their skirt because they haven't worn it outside of school for a while. Again, I hate that. They have to wear a skirt at school, it gets annoying anyway, but Elle happily accepts it but has to promise to take good care of it because it will miss Darcy and Darcy's line of this once again, incredible delivery, I love it. OK, so then back to. Charlie and he is playing sad drums in his room.

He's the expert. At sad drums and something that I noticed about his and Tory's rooms are that because there's only one window in there, it creates a bright spot like a bright kind of like spotlight. We don't see a spotlight because this is hard stopper and then darkness around the surrounding parts of the room and it's. Not like full. Darkness. It's just like shadow basically.

And like this is something. That could have been mitigated by having other lighting and Tori's room does have like the fairy lights and even Charlie's room. Like there's some other light sources but it doesn't create enough brightness. Like, just like how in their lives they're the good things in their lives are not enough to make everything else better. But we. Only really get ample light from this window so. The way it looks on. Screen is that they.

Are surrounded. By this soft darkness and it's reading really indicating that although they both have the good things in their life. There are still these. Things that will put them in the a dark place and it surrounds them while they hold on to this light they have that isn't even able to fill the entire space of their world. So again, the. Lighting is very interesting especially and then once you compare it to other people's houses as well. So anything to add or?

Should I continue? No, I continue the. Lighting is really purposeful and I'm glad you pointed that out. So then Charlie gets a text from Tao asking about a movie night that like that night, but Charlie ignores it and Tori immediately knocks and enters the room. So Charlie has to kind of put on this mask from what he is actually feeling from this text. So like, again, he's distancing himself from his friends right now. There's a lot going on in his brain. Tori enters.

All right, let's just try to forget about it. But the mask isn't enough because Tori knows her brother, which she's proven this, and she wraps him in a hug. And it's really. Sweet. Yeah, it's like Tori. To me, Tori's in the same position Nick as in where she sees red flags from Charlie, she sees the atypical behavior and and Isaac too to some degree and she's worried, but she also doesn't know what to do to actually help Charlie so. Like basically.

She just does what she can when she hugs him and then she tells him, I love you so. And sometimes that's all you can do. Which is the lesson we learned later from the psychiatrist like. I know and even though. He's like kind of confused and like caught off guard. He still says love you too without like hesitating. It's so sweet. It is sweet. All right, guys, do you mind if I pause? Just for a minute. I need to run to the bathroom real quick. Oh yeah, of. Course, Oh.

Yeah, do it like. OK, so in this. Next scene, we've got Tao and Elle. It's movie night and they're in his room just hanging out waiting. Or I say hanging out. You know they're being couply. Before the before. Isaac gets there and what presumably maybe Charlie will be there. They're not sure. And it's so cute. They're like start being goofy. They're like tickling each other.

And I wonder if that first part was improvised because I know there's like this whole thing with this show where they have a lot of these scenes are improvised, especially like the interludes between like dialogue scenes where they're all just improv and they're just being cute with each other. If not, the writing and the execution were very, very well done and very cute. I really like that.

And then as I think, I think they're like actually like in the process of like kissing when Elle like accidentally sits on the camera and so notice that the camera is in it's hiding in Tau's bed sheets. So I'm like it could either be like either Tau like just forgot about it or he was playing with it and messing with it before L came and like I I can see this where he like frantically tried to hide it before.

L got. There, especially given how he reacts when she finds it. He's like, oh, it's just that was my dad's like he's got a bashful. I think that's cute. Yeah, I'm with you. I like the second the second option more. It seems more Tao because Tao is a sentimental person and we know that. So I feel like he would keep that close to him. Like in it's in bed, not on a shelf. You know, too like.

And I do love the way he. Does open up about his dad once Al finds this and the fact that he's comfortable enough to share something so personal with Al is? Is. Beautiful because like basically that the way he talks about the camera recorder, it's basically a piece of his dad, like a piece that he has left now that his dad's upon. And then I love when he launches. Into the story about how, like, yeah, my dad used to take photos of me all the time. He always needed me to sit still.

And like, at the time, I was a kid and I was like, I don't want to do this. But in hindsight, he's like, now I wish I would have sat still for my dad because he didn't know how much time he was going to have with his dad. And like, the photos are another tangible piece of evidence that he has left that, like, his dad was live and of those memories. And so I wonder too, because this memory he's talking about and the piece of his dad that he has left is basically connected

to photography. If like, Tao's love for art stems from this regret that he has about like me and my dad did art together, like that's what we were doing, even though he was so young, he didn't realize it. And I wonder if like, by continuing to love art and by like doing art projects, if that's a way that Tao feels close to his dad now that he's he's no longer around. That's a big. Possibility.

Yeah, because like Tao, it's the one consistent is like Tao is very passionate about art, really visual media. And I do wonder if that does come from his dad and like his wanting to be. Closer to him too, right? By still doing. It basically you know. Yeah. All right. And then? Side note so so Elle does fine in Tao's room there is a photo of of Tao and his dad and like baby Tao and it's so freaking cute like. Little. Baby Tao is so cute, so cute,

you know? Also I we know like Tao and Elle were friends like before Elle started transitioning. So like cuz like he's talked about in season 2 he said like I was her friend when she came out as trans but I don't we don't know when Tao and Elle became friends. So it's a question of was she around when Tao's dad died?

We know Charlie was because Charlie and Chao became friends in year 6, I think when they were 11, elementary school, yeah, they were 11 and they became best friends basically. And Tao also was out when he was 12. So we knew, we know that Charlie and Tao were already friends. So Charlie kind of was there, but and Charlie and Elle became friends. And then by default, like by through, Charlie Tao and Elle became friends.

But we don't know the. Exact timeline of Charlie and L's friendship that turned into Tal and L's friendship. So it's kind of interesting. So we don't know the whole timeline of all that. So it's like it it would really change I think a lot about their dynamic if if L was there. If not, L definitely saw like the aftermath at least. And obviously, like Tal didn't like, keep this from L even if they weren't weren't friends when it happened. Like she's known about it for a long time.

Yeah, but from the. Dialogue, I get the sense that Tao doesn't talk about it a lot, like from what L's comment of like, oh you don't really talk about your dad. So like even if she was there, like Tao must have closed off like talking about his dad with people. So the fact that they're at it regardless of how it started, you're right, it would change the read either way. But like regardless of how it started, now he's at a place where he can open up to L about it.

So it does, I guess from L's perspective, it would trade or signal like a growth in their intimacy from like the start of their friendship till now, because they're still friends at the end of the day. You know, it's just a different form of friendship, basically. But he's, he is comfortable sharing this part with her that he doesn't normally share with anybody else, which is huge, which is a very big milestone. Yeah. Because we never.

Even at least in the show, we've never heard Tao talk about Charlie or talk to Charlie about his dad, right? Like ever. It's just his mom. He's only mentioned stuff to his mom briefly but. And they went through that together, which makes sense. But yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah, She, she also was obviously impacted. That was her husband, obviously. So, yeah. So that's interesting. I almost, part of me kind of wants to hear a conversation between Tao and Charlie, but

also like, maybe, maybe. It's better that there. Is not because then. I don't know. Yeah, that. Would be interesting. Yeah. So then we move on to Isaac joining the Isaac joins the chat, Isaac joins, that's already in the chat, Isaac joins the movie night and Tao and L are noticeably all over each other. Obviously us having seen the previous scene, it it kind of is understandable to a degree. Because like Tau.

Did just open up and was just very vulnerable with Elle and it's definitely kind of it's a it's a little pivotal in their relationship like that. They suddenly feel like this extra level of trust with each other that Isaac obviously is not aware because Isaac wasn't there. It is, it is much, it is a bit much considering there's another person in the room but I I can understand where it comes from

for sure. But it does make them highly aware of Isaac's energy level, like where his energy is Isaac also. Very openly like. Expresses that he's uncomfortable. And they're just they. Don't really seem aware. They seem like they, they hear him in the moment when he says are you guys going to watch this movie or not? But then they kind of just immediately go back to yeah. Their. Little love bubble. They're so in the love bubble, they can't see outside of the bubble. Yeah, yeah.

This is like Isaac is the ultimate third wheel in this. I feel very bad for Isaac because he's like, OK, we're here to watch the movie. And then you guys can't even like watch the movie with me. You're just, you're just coupled. And then Isaac brings up Charlie because like try because the point about the chat, OK, the group chat, I feel like Isaac's the only person in the group chat right now. Everybody else is kind of like

there but not paying attention. Hence like Sahar being like, oh, we made these plans. I don't even remember. So because. Everybody's kind of in. Their own little dealing with their own stuff, like nobody's communicating in the group and like Isaac's trying to be the one to like bring the group together. And so he brings up Charlie's atypical behavior, particularly in the chat, the lack of communication with Charlie because like there he's like, it's Charlie coming.

And I was like, I don't know. I mean, he's probably with Nick or something. And there's like, Nick's on vacation. It's Week 2. Of Nick. Being on vacation. So like it also goes to show like how disconnected Tao and L are from like literally anybody else. Like they didn't even remember that Nick is physically not here and the fact that Nick's not here, what it why isn't Charlie here? Like they don't even like they think about it for like a second and they're like, what?

He's probably doing whatever, it's fine, whatever, whatever, like. It not that they're like can't be bothered about Charlie. It's just like they, they have no space mentally for like anybody else right now. And it's like. Kind of an issue. Because like Isaac's like something's wrong. I'm trying to like white red flag, red flag. You guys can't. They have rose colored glasses on so they can't see the red flag because they just see each

other and it's like. Yeah, I think Isaac is aware of like the stress that Charlie had with wanting to say I love you to Nick, but I don't like Charlie never confided in Tau at all about it. Also, it's interesting that they changed that in the comics because obviously Isaac wasn't in the comics because that's Aled a different character. But he talks to Elle in the comics about saying I love you so. But in this Elle.

Is like so engulfed in her relationship that she she doesn't even, like, spend time one-on-one with Charlie. Yeah, she really. Doesn't. The Season, but also. The in this scene specifically like. I. I just shout. Out to Toby Donovan for his his execution in this scene just. It's so good. Like how? He he's reacting to his environment without aggression. There is no like hostility in his voice, but he's very clearly setting a boundary.

Like he is very uncomfortable. He's expressed his irritation, like, are you guys going to watch this movie or not? So he's made it clear like, hey, guys, you're being annoying. And when they don't really respect that, he finally says he's leaving. He says it's OK, we'll do this another time, have a good one. And then he leaves.

Doesn't really even give them a chance to try to apologize, say, like to try to get him to come back because, you know, he just doesn't want to deal with it. And I get it. But there's he's not hostile in his words. He just kind of is like, you know what? We're I'm just going to. Leave. We're going to do this some other time. Obviously, you guys are kind of in this bubble right now. I don't want to be part of it, so I'm going to go.

And he's honestly, like, very chill about it, considering. Yeah. So like, yeah. And then he gives him a little smile and he leaves. It's like he sets a very solid boundary. And I'm just like, good on you, Isaac. But also, hold on, Toby. Yeah, I agree. It was a great way of showing like how to set a boundary and just like. Politely get out of. That situation while setting a boundary.

And one. Thing I want to know about Isaac in this scene and then in the next scene we're about to we're going to going to follow Isaac to Charlie's house Isaac doesn't bring a book to either this scenario which is. A red flag. Also, no one else noticed that I also it's not OK because I think Isaac feels like, you know, he's being involuntarily isolated by all of his friends because his friends are off doing their own thing and they don't see him.

And I think he's. Like desperate to reconnect with them and you know. Spend time with them. And, you know, have the love that he wants, which is with his friends. And so like, he put his books aside to like, focus on his friends and like, they can't even give him the time of day to watch a movie. So that also must really hurt from Isaac's perspective. Then we come over to Charlie. 'S house and we don't see Isaac

immediately. Tori announces to Charlie his friends here and my favorite dialogue, one of your. Friends is here. Charlie's like who? Tori says. The one who's always reading. Oh, that Tori can't be bothered to learn their names. She's because it's such a sibling. Thing I'm like I don't know the. One that does this, I don't know, it's such a sibling. I just love that.

So it's funny. That that's how she announced Isaac. But then Isaac doesn't bring a book, which is also funny or kind of interesting because he's the person he's worried most about is Charlie. But like so in the scene with Tao and Elle was more like Isaac wants to reconnect with his friends. But like Charlie, he's also like clearly still worried about that something is weird is going on with him because Charlie's not behaving like Charlie normally does.

So he physically comes to see Charlie. Yeah, also the fact that. Like he hadn't brought the book to movie night and so it was very obvious, like he was wanting to actually be present, which I can honestly kind of makes his annoyance at them being in their bubble like even much more understandable. And then the fact that he goes, we assume he probably goes straight from Tao Tao's place to Charlie's place. So the way that he says bye isn't even just like a level of irritation.

It's also like I'm going to go check on our friend because I'm. Actually. Worried. Bye, right? Exactly. Worried A worried guy who loves his best friend. So yeah. He knows. Them all so well too. Back to like. Notice. When something's off. I agree and then they. Have basically like the just the crux of the conversation is like Isaac kind of confronts Charlie and he's like, what's going on Charlie?

You're acting weird basically. And then key thing I want to highlight in this conversation is that Charlie like Isaac is a safe person. They love each other, obviously, but like Charlie is not 100% ready to like open up to Isaac even. And he says I'm sorry a bunch of times and Isaac doesn't do what Nick does, where Nick is like, I recognize that as a defense mechanism that you do. Don't say that. Tell me how you feel. That's why Nick's always like no S word.

Like just tell me how you're feeling. Don't say I'm sorry like Isaac is basically it's like, it's fine Charlie, but like. You know I want to be here. For you, I want, you know, can we still be friends and and Charlie kind of makes an excuse and then they end up watching. I can't I think it's ATVI. Can't remember it's ATV show or a movie, but it's like an Emma adaptation. So it's like a classic novel adaptation, which is something if you read their texts that they talk about.

So Isaac, yeah, let's do something we like together. And they kind of just like, sit. Down and watch the. Lay down and watch the movie and like Charlie like rests his head on Isaac's shoulder and it's like.

You know a a good. Depiction of like platonic love which is very important and how like even though like Charlie is not being 100% honest about how he feels Isaac was went in this conversation he's like I'm feeling left out blah blah blah please at least respond to my texts because everybody else is being a Dick basically I. That's one of my favorite parts because like, you can at least like apply to my.

The way he says. It is like joking around more in Like light because it could have felt very targeted and made Charlie feel worse. So just he knows how to handle it too. And I love it, Yeah. So like, I love that they're. Depicting this because again, Isaac's being honest about how he feels, Charlie's still being guarded, but. Just like with Tori, like. Sometimes you can only there's only so much you can do as the

supportive friend. So Isaac's still going there and like watching something with Charlie. Like Charlie smiles in the scene like he is. Feeling loved. And kind of supported, which is what Charlie needs because he's just, you see him in his bed, like to your point, Lena in his safe space spiraling, isolating himself like, and like just for this brief moment.

Like without knowing it, Isaac pulls him out of that into reality just by like being the literal shoulder to lean on, which is something Charlie needs like even though Charlie can't communicate that right now. All right, so then we get. To week 3, last week of Nick's vacation and on week 3. Tori is answering. Anon asks on Tumblr. She is the first person to use a different social media app. Thank you Tori. How the hell is Tori? Getting add-ons like who gets add-ons anymore?

I don't know, Tori. Tori. Lives for that though. And she responds. She's with that person that responds to the request. If you read the the one that's there's a couple on the screen, one of them is like straight up from solitaire and then the second one is like, who's your best friend basically. And Tori says my brother sad. So I love. That the solitaire nod thank you.

But also the fact that Tori admits that she sees Charlie as her best friend so like all the stuff that's going on with them must hurt her more because like, that's her best friend also at the end of the day. So. At home, all the pressure of Charlie's mental illness is now falling on Tori because I brought this up earlier, like mom is making her the go between communicator between the parents

and the young sibling. So because Tori has more quote success according to mom with talking to Charlie, because like I mentioned, mom and Charlie don't actually communicate with each other. They just kind of say things at each other and trigger each other. But Tori. Is better at. Understanding both of them and like actually creating an open dialogue basically. Satori goes to try to. Convince Charlie to come to dinner and she does successfully

do that. And then he noticed before he left, Charlie was again sitting at the desk. Which is weird, right? Elena's out, so Tori's like. I wonder. If he was like on his computer and I'm worried about him. So she checks the computer, for some reason he doesn't lock it and it opens into his last Google search, which is Charlie looking into eating disorders and particularly anorexia specifically is the one he was looking at. And like, here's Corey who's.

Like, Oh my God, my brother's been acting weird. He's been. Kind of. Avoiding dinner. And then she reads this and panics. OK, because now this is confirmation that something is wrong with Charlie. Even Charlie sees it. And I think it's.

Significant that her first reaction is to contact Nick because Nick is the only other person that she knows Charlie will listen to. Because we saw in the previous scene on the couch when he was talking to Tori about to open up, he shut that down to open up to Nick instead. So she chooses the person that Charlie regularly chooses over her. And she types out this. Message like, hey, when are you coming back? I'm really worried about Nick because it's last week.

I'm really worried about my brother. Like when are you coming back? And she doesn't send it right away. She kind of just like sits there and like sits with the reality of what her life is right now. And her mask of stoicism kind of cracks because like something is wrong with her brother. She just had it confirmed.

And it's scary and big and it's really heartbreaking and telling in general that like the first reaction for this scared girl is to contact her brother's boyfriend and not her parents. Like neither of them, not mom, not dad, nobody. The first reaction is Nick so. It. Shows like the lighting we've been talking about with the Spring household, there's love here, but there's a noticeable lack of trust happening amongst everybody in this house. Like not and like, it's a human thing.

It's not saying they're bad family or anything bad or morality associated with it. It's a human thing. Like when sometimes when you're going through stuff. You don't always feel comfortable. Telling other people and like when you're in trouble, there is sometimes a friend is more likely to help you than a parent

depending on the situation. So like, it's just there's a lack of trust happening in this household and it's causing a lack of communication and a lack of people opening up when they have problems, particularly Tori, who's not being asked to anybody about what's going on with her. And we don't even really fully get into that in the show because, again, it's just Charlie's story. So side note the. Aura to what you were saying before, I think Tori part of why she picked up on reading or

looking at Charlie's laptop. There's a little shot. It's like 2 seconds when she comes in. Charlie like closes his laptop as she's coming in and then he like, glances down at it for like half a second. That's like an indicator of like I was looking at something that I don't want you to see, like. That right?

There like first of all, beautiful subtlety by by Joe and Jenny, but just yeah, I just thought I was like that that's just tells her everything she needs to know of like you need you need to see what's going on there but also. Teenage boys laptop that could have been very. Bad. Yeah, my God. What the? Hell, you know. Econ. Said it's gonna come from her. Snooping this laptop. Honestly, that probably. Would have been a relief for her.

I mean, yes. Yeah. Charlie But yes, A. Relief if it was like porn or something ridiculous. Like, cool. I don't have to do anything about this right now. Great. Whatever, that's Nicks problem. What? Say what? If what if she saw that and then she texted? Nick, that same text. I'm worried about Charlie when I worry. About. Charlie. It's. Really funny on you if this were a. Comedy that that would be the if this show were. Actually funny. No, just kidding.

This show is very funny. It's very funny. It's very. Balanced in tones honestly, which why people are like it's too happy honestly. Just balanced, truly. Per say, if it was so happy, would it make me cry? Well, all. Right, so Speaking of. Happiness. Then after this, it's spring household. We'd shoot on over to Tau and Elle, because it's Elle's last night before Lambert starts and they have the talk that they've needed to have for a very, very long time.

So like, Tau admits that he's worried that when Elle physically leaves him, she's going to move on. Like she's going to meet new people. And just forget about him. And Elle, as we've seen in the prior scene with Tara and Darcy, she understands his abandonment issues. And Elle tells Tao that, like, listen, this was the best summer of all time.

And, you know, acknowledging that Tao made that happen because, like it literally, he was like every night we have to make a special suburb romance, all that stuff. She's like, it worked. It was great. And she reassures him that, like, the distance between them is not going to make her like him any less, which is, like,

his big, big fear. And I think even though she says this out loud, like, Tao seems mildly reassured, he's like, yeah, OK. Like, because it's one thing to hear that word and it's another thing to like, see that actually play out, you know? So then. In the moment gathers the courage to tell Tao she loves him, and obviously Tao says yes because duh. But I think this was. Important.

This was an important thing for them to say to each other now because they both mentioned like, oh, I thought it was too soon to tell you this because like, you know, But I think it was important that they said this in person prior to Elle leaving because it adds a layer of security to the relationship that I think Tao really needed in order to actually curb his anxiety to be like, oh, she loves she loves me.

OK, that's big. So like, OK, I feel less like freaked out because like if they. Hadn't gotten to the I love you. Stage like it's harder to do that over longer distance. I feel like that would have made him more anxious to like, get to that next level, like with the distance and with Elle, like, you know, getting engrossed in school because it's like, you know, the next level of school, it's more time consuming. She's going to meet new people and things like that. Like they will have less.

They won't see each other. Constantly. So like, I think this was important for them to do now. And like, he smiles very broadly at the end of this because not only did his dream girl tell him he loves her, but like, it adds that level of like, if things are going to be OK basically for Tao, the weights lifted. Yeah, and also if. He didn't like fully know how she feels like the I love you. I was going to be saying, oh, I love my new school.

I love this, I love that. So it's going to be like she loves all these things. So she might be gravitating towards that more. And I don't think it would be like consciously that I'd be like he she doesn't love me. I think it's just that he doesn't know that. Like he hasn't heard that about him. It's so like these. Are all these? Good things going on, yeah. Agreed. Sorry, OK. So. Now we. Have the dinner table of sadness or you know, dinner table, the table of anxiety.

So. Charlie's family. Is eating dinner together and his dad mentions that they haven't done this in a while so the family hasn't really been whole because like dinner table they come together and talk about your day. The family is. Together complete. So they haven't done that in a while and the parents are happy about this and said they should

do it more often. But Charlie's less than thrilled because now he is having to eat in front of his family and these issues have been getting worse recently and I guess luckily he hasn't had to face it in front of his family.

Yeah, and to. This is the shot we get that you brought up earlier, Elena, when when Charlie's looking at his food and he's doing the thing where he just plays with it, doesn't actually eat it, we see like the cloud of anxiety engulfing Charlie, but also the food has like scribble all over it. So like that which again, before when we were at the Paris squad, it was just the anxiety was hovering on the food. Now it's like more pronounced.

So again, I appreciate the animation showing how his anxiety and eating disorder is all escalating by like the way the animations are like escalating in intensity as well. Yeah, it's almost as. If by showing the lines around each piece of food, because it starts with like you have the details of each food going on throughout these lines, it's showing how Charlie's really looking at every single thing on his plate, every detail, like every single detail on these.

This food is making him more anxious. Yeah, so. Anxious. Yeah. Like, yeah, it's. Overwhelming and like I also love the thing back to the sound that happens where when he's in having this like. I don't even know if it's. A panic attack or whatever is happening mentally with him or he's so engulfed by the anxiety, like the sound all starts distorting.

Like he can't hear anything. And like, we as the audience also hear the sound distortion, like, thank you, Foley team or sound department, whoever is doing that editing wise. Because like, that's what Charlie's feeling. He's so like it's just taking over all of all of his senses is just it. Yeah. I love the way they do that too with the sound. It's pretty consistent. If you watch his anxiety

moments, the sound distorts. Me personally, I. Would consider this like the starting an anxiety attack right now and of anxiety it does. Progress. But. And of course, Tori. Does notice like she's the first one who knows that something's wrong? I mean, she just got the thing. I do. I have anorexia and she's like, oh, Jenny's not eating. Like, yeah, so it's true. Super. Aware of it now. But she. Doesn't say anything. Ding. Yes. Because especially the parents aren't there, that's not the

time to have the conversation. But his mom does. Notice. Also she doesn't know what. To do, that's the other thing. Like her inaction stems from the fact that she doesn't know what to do, which is understandable. Like if this is not a scenario you're ever prepared for, it's like, I suppose she's a child. She's a child, yeah. So anyway. But the mom notices then and starts asking questions while his dad jokes around asking if it's the seasoning making him not want to eat it and.

Dad. I love you. You're trying to bring the lightness here because he's like, I can see it. It's going down. We got to bring it back. And Charlie just. Doesn't respond like he gets overwhelmed and says he needs to use the bathroom. Which isn't it called? The loo over there. Are you muted? Well, you're muted. I think they say both. Yeah, OK. Never mind that, I think they also. Say I think they say bathroom,

toilet, loo. I think it just depends on the context or maybe maybe the place in England they don't like different regions say things differently too. That makes sense. Fair, OK. OK, so Charlie? Flees. To his room and as soon as his door is closed he slides down the door and just sits there and it's like he only has enough energy to get to his room which is his only safe spot in this house basically. And like, he can't even. Make it to his bed or anywhere else.

He's like, I just made it and now I can just finally relax slightly and let it hit me because I couldn't break down out there because again, mom's around. She would just ask more. She would make things worse. Meanwhile. Nick's family is having a good time in Minorca, while Nick is still worried about Charlie and Tori is too, so she sent that text asking when he's coming home. And like this is what? Prompts Nick because he gets the text.

He gets the notification. It says 20 minutes ago, so I'm assuming that she he just got. Yeah, service. And it just sent to him. So he excuses himself and immediately calls Charlie because. Tori if tori's. Texting him something's wrong, right? Exactly. And this is when I finally got a screenshot of Nick with his like puppy dog emoji which is super cute and although the blue also such a Nick. Caller. I love it. It is next color.

That's The funny thing, yeah. I didn't know you could do that with. Emojis. That's cute. Yeah, I know you could change it. This is also. IPhones. I don't have an iPhone. So Charlie's very. Happy to hear from Nick. I mean, are we surprised? And. Something that Theora pointed out in our reaction videos. In the split screen, Charlie is in the dark while Nick is in the

light. And I don't know if you brought it up here like later because it happens multiple times and like this is showing their headspace, but I kept staring at this thing for way too long. The light is shining towards Charlie in his room and it looks like it's coming from Nick. The way that the split screen is positioned. It's good that Nick is his light. On the other. Side it looks like Charlie is casting a bit of shade onto Nick because the front he's backlit, basically. But less it's.

More subtle than like the ocean. And this is. Indicating that the effect Charlie struggles are having on him. Yeah. So like Charlie? Needs Nick, but it's causing Nick to become worse, which we've been saying. So now that Nick. Has Charlie on the phone and he can hear his voice. He asked Charlie if he is OK and if he has been eating. He's like OK well at least like a text can be misconstrued. I can hear his voice and hear

how he's actually doing. And he's already in a like Tory's already saying like something's wrong. So I just need to get something from him. So Charlie tries to answer, but he is so overwhelmed right now and has to pull the phone away from his ear. And this is heartbreaking because it's just too much that he can't even get words to say to Nick. He doesn't even know what to say to Nick.

And this is when he's probably on the verge of a panic attack because all of the triggers between the food, the audience of the family watching him eat, even though he didn't actually eat. And now Nick's questioning, like the Nick's questioning I think was just too much because now he can't just escape into this phone call. He has to be brought. Back to the issue at hand. And it's just too much. For him I. Know the fact that he. Like when Nick's like, are you

still there? All Charlie can muster is just saying. Because it's. Like if he says anything else, he his voice is just going to break. Yeah. Yeah, it was rough. Watching the scene was rough. I know this whole. Scene like this is this is I call this Part 2 of me crying seriously because let's just let's just say Joe acted his ass off in this scene. And if he doesn't get an award any, any awards for specifically this scene, I, I will riot because the he just Oh my God.

Like his? Yeah, you just, you could feel everything in this scene, just just from his silence. I mean, this is just, this is one of Joe's specialties. It's just as an actor like silence, his silence can say so much. That's something he is amazing at, is just being able to show, not tell. Yeah. So and he can make. Me cry just with a single sound God. Damn it Joe, I will be personally. Sending sending my therapy bills to Joe Lock as you tried. When Charlie. Finally gets up the courage to

say something. He tells Nick that he thinks that he was right and he does have an eating disorder. And Charlie, we are so proud of you for admitting it. Like good job. And then he also proceeds to apologize for it. And the conversation goes. Back and forth and it boils down to both of them not knowing what to do, because who knows what to do? No one. And. Of course, they are then interrupted by Charlie's mom knocking on the door, and Charlie immediately hides his

phone behind his back. Again and he. Wasn't technically doing anything wrong, but with his mom that was going to be terrible. And also, he's supposed to be in the bathroom and he isn't only trying to hide the fact that he was talking to Nick, but also that he was talking about this eating disorder as well. And it shows that his mom isn't allowed in like. She doesn't get to know. And it's fair where they are in their relationship. So once again, Charlie. 'S mom gets defensive and is

like are you texting Nick? We are having family dinner and I'm just like girl. Step. Back for one second look at your son. He has tears coming down his face. Something is not OK. Why are you not noticing this when it's clearly in front of you? It's not even like a. A look. Of his face that. Has like nothing on it. No, he was visibly crying. And she still didn't. Catch it and she's still being defensive.

Yep, and they. Continue their back and forth and it's clear that she doesn't know how to handle emotions. Like it's more like no emotions let's ignore it and move on. And I feel like that's probably how she grew up. Like she wasn't allowed to show emotions. I agree, but she's emotionally. Yeah, she's. She's a. Big nun, she doesn't know what to do with emotions like from our big nun.

From blank, blank serious. Yeah, like an adult that is not emotionally intelligent basically is like the mom and probably goes back to trauma like you said, because of trauma. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. You can tell that too, because. Her first reaction is always anger because that's usually an indicator that somebody is not capable of processing their emotions or internalizing to do like to process it. Instead, they project it onto somebody else and it. Usually comes out as. Anger.

So like, that's a clear indicator that yeah, mom is not emotionally intelligent. So, yeah, And to your point, Caitlin, an emotionally unintelligent person can even have like. A They're crying. Person in front of their face and like not see the emotion on the other person, which is like kind of part of that which is really sad when that person is the parent of the child, that kind of thing. Yeah, and the mom, right?

Now is just more focused on putting band aids, or in this case I guess paracetamol, on top of problems so we don't have to deal with them. Let's just pretend like they're not there, right? Which, truly, as a pharmacist, I can tell you paracetamol doesn't treat a goddamn thing. To be honest with you, it really all it does is reduce fever. That's the one good thing that it really can do. But it's pretty terrible at everything else. I'm not gonna lie to you, it's a pretty sure.

What is paracetamol? It's. Thailand. Basically the. It's basically the equivalent of what acetaminophen. Is that what it is? Yeah, that's just the. English name for it, Yeah. Yeah, it's the exact same drug. It's pointless. It's can reduce fever. That is the one thing it is actually proven to do, but it's actually pretty pointless and sometimes a headache. Depending on if it's a mild headache but that's like it. Does the drugs. Huh. What does it help with Headaches.

It helps with my headaches. But it it varies from person to person, yeah. It it can offer. Mild pain relief, but really it's a pretty shitty drug anyway. So yeah, an actual Band-Aid, something that doesn't actually treat stuff like, but it can make you temporarily feel better. Maybe that's this. That's this conversation with Charlie's mom. And then right. After this, we move on to the big the. Scene. I I mean.

I knew since, like pretty much since the show got the adaptation greenlit and reading and reading the scene in the comics, I knew emotionally I would not be ready for the scene. Yeah, you can't be. It's the scene. Yeah, this. Is Nick at the beach? It is. We don't really know how much time has passed since the phone call ended, but it's presumably been a little bit because it is now dark after after after sunset and Nick is tossing stones into the ocean at the beach.

And obviously just like processing everything from their conversation, like, and now that Charlie says, I think you're right, it kind of is a whole new like 1 weight is lifted. The weight that he doubts if he actually knows what's happening is lifted. But there's this new weight of Oh my God, this is actually happening. And also, what do we? Do we don't know what to do? Which he feels. So helpless he feels so.

And like, as somebody who kind of does like I, I personally, like I've had that before where I've seen like people I care for be in pain. And I, I know we've probably all had that where we want to help them. We want to take that pain off of their shoulders and we can't. And it's the worst, it's the worst feeling, feeling so helpless. And Aunt Diane comes in and she's like, hey, I got to put the kids to bed.

We got to go. And then she's like, you have had something on your mind this whole holiday. What's going on? And he doesn't even say he thinks. He simply says Charlie has an eating disorder because he knows this is something he can't dance around anymore. Which? Is Take 3 of me sobbing at this goddamn season? Yeah. But yeah, so this scene is I, I think it is like, taken pretty much word for word from the comics. Obviously the only difference is that in the comics, it's Nick's mom.

Obviously practicalities, it's different, it's Nick's aunt. But honestly, I know like we're all obviously so devastated that Olivia can't be in the scene. But what Alice did with what she was what they were given, bringing Hayley Atwell into this and being bringing Aunt Diane, who is a trained psychiatrist. She's like the perfect person for Nick to confide in because he knows one she's not going to be judge mental. She's not going to question like any of like the back story or

anything. She's not going to be invasive. But also he just I mean, anyway, well, it's just amazing anyway. So it's just such a beautifully executed scene. Like in the comics, it already was such a beautiful scene, but these two just nailed it. They dropped it out of the park. So and then there's like the most one of the most iconic lines from the comics, Love can't cure a mental illness. And I feel like that's something that.

Probably honestly. Everybody needs to hear at some point, you can love somebody, but it can't fix them and it's nothing that you're doing wrong. It is simply just that. That's not how mental illnesses work. And it's heartbreaking. And then on top of that, when as the scene is starting to kind of wrap up. I will say. Will GAO, how dare you and Olivia, your sister wager project, attack me with this bridge of my vine, their song, my vine?

I did not. Ask to be attack with this music today no. Why don't you assault me with poetry? God damn you. So it's like. I got like so teary with kits, acting with like saying I really love him and I'm scared. But what made me start sobbing was the music because it's just so beautifully timed. It's so beautifully done and it really encapsulates the feeling, yes. Again, like. This is why we don't hydrate. Oh, we've run to hydrate for the hydro for the episode.

It's at the end this. Is why we forego the. Hydration for lesbian Jesus gal because this show is utterly perfect. And like you said, even with the changes because of filming schedules and things like that, this was this was such a huge, this is my favorite moment, all hard stopper, I would say, because again, Alice really took the time with this whole story to really harp. To just. To really like pull the.

Curtains back from the Disney propaganda that you just need love and your all your problems are solved and I was like no, that's not real life like it doesn't it it it can enhance your life but doesn't solve literally all your problems. So to have this line of love can't solve a mental illness is perfect because like sometimes. Problems. Are bigger than just I love you. Like sometimes you need extra

help. And I love how the scene fully encapsulates how at the end of the day, Nick is just a kid who's in over his head. So it was Charlie, but. Like this is next next time to shine. He's terrified of watching his boyfriend just wither away or worse like he cuz he's not there to check up on him. And so it's just like that hopelessness, helplessness, that feeling you mentioned Elena, like that's literally the scene. It coming from a young 16 year old boy who's just like, scared.

And I love when he's having a. Conversation with his aunt and basically says I can't force Charlie to eat. If I do nothing. He'll just and then he like trails off and that's when that's when Kit starts crying as as Nick because it's that feeling of helplessness from like the supportive partner who feels like their support just isn't enough to save this person from like this horrible fate

that they see happening. And I love that his aunt responds with Sometimes people need more help than one person can give. It's. So true. Like. Especially in medicine, like you can Google stuff all you want, but like, it doesn't make you a doctor. It, you know, you might need somebody who specializes beyond what Google can do, who could train like.

And she says that in the scene, he probably needs a specialist who's trained in this who knows how to help him because, you know, Charlie's gonna be fighting his brain and and that's really difficult to do. And we see him struggle with that just on its own and like to try to fix it when you are not trained in like how your brain's working or like tools that you can do, like you sometimes you need help and like to have your 16 year old partner who also doesn't know what to do like

that's very scary. And so I like this message of like it takes a village. Sometimes it does take a village to help one person and like, it's more than just love. Sometimes you need expertise, time, but love can be a really important thing because we saw with the scene with Isaac just being there. Charlie smiled for probably the first time in like a week since next bank on. Like it does help. It does help people get through stuff, but like you need more than that to, like, help people.

Sometimes it's not. It's one tool in the toolbox. It's not the magic wand that fix everything, unfortunately. Like that's not the world we lived in. This was a fantasy novel or a fantasy story. Maybe that would be like the magic wand solution. I love you. It's all gone, but sometimes it

takes a lot more than that. So I think that's a good A. Really important message because like if you're surface level, watching some pieces of media, especially stuff for children that's designed to be happy and simple, you can take away this message of like, oh, life is really simple. I just need this thing and then my problems will be solved. It's like life's more complicated. People are more complicated than that. And like that's OK. It's not bad.

It's just that, you know, sometimes it takes more, it takes more tools, you know, the toolbox to fix something. And then the. Very end of the the end of the scene or the show is there's like a couple of montages in there and I want to give honorable mention to the the montage of Darcy who's with Tara and holding her hand and she's looking at her. Therefore, I'm sorry. I keep scanning the character hasn't gone through the not fire or anything yet. I apologize.

Darcy's looking at their phone and there's a million missed calls. It's just full missed calls from mom mom mom mom all missed and Darcy's like. Gearing up to block? The number and like Tara just holds Darcy's hand as like Darcy blocks the number and just audible mention for that because said it again, setting a boundary with a toxic family member and moving on. Like I think that was huge for Darcy to like fully move on and that's OK. It's just. Yeah, Yeah, it's OK. It's OK.

It's OK now if. Nick's family. Could adopt everyone that would. Could you imagine? Olivia Coleman, just. Builds a whole like safe house in the backyard for all Darcy and like. All like. Stray children that. Need love. Like, yeah, yeah. Anyway, so that's heart. Stoppers season 3 episode 2 what a beautiful again a beautiful episode one of my favorite scenes ever is just that beach scene with nick and. Just they're in a word sometimes.

Of just the how well done this this the entire story is and just, I love it so, so much. So now that we've come to the end. It's big gay energy. Award time Do you guys have a big gay energy award winner? A character a moment, yes. What do you got? Gran Gran. Yeah, I was going to say the grandmother, so. He gets it for me too to put. A hot girl up on that wall. I just every, every scene she was in had big energy. Just period. When she's like, I love her. Just you know what? Like. OK.

I'm not. She might be queer herself, we don't know. We don't know her life. I want to know. Her life. Yeah, I do too. The Gran gets it for me too. Full of that. I'd say my. Big, Big Ace Energy Award is for Isaac. Just this whole episode, Yeah. Every appearance he made in this episode. I love him so much. He's probably my favorite character. I'm not gonna lie. I do love Isaac a lot. I do. Love Isaac a lot, Toby just does

such a great job with him. I know I. Know and it's funny too cuz like not funny, but like he had to like really make that character cuz it's you know the series original character too and he does such a phenomenal job yeah him him. And Rhea, who plays Imogen, both definitely. Like had a lot. Of like, space to explore. That's a lot like, there's a pressure with like, trying to portray a character that's already been made and well loved.

Yeah. But also, Toby basically is playing a character that is kind of like filling in a gap where Aled is not like Aled's a character from the comics. And I think it's kind of filling that space. That's that's some pressure right there. And he does it so beautifully, so bad. So shout out to Toby. Yes, shout out to. Everybody too. Everybody, Everybody cast and girl. Everybody. Only Netflix if they renew the show.

When they renew the show. But if you made it this far in this episode, our we have decided not decided. We have accepted the fact that this heart stopper coverage is going to be a lot longer this season because there is so much to talk about. So if you made it this far in the episode. Here. Is your phrase to use in a comment, or if you're listening in a review, or if you don't have any of those capabilities and. You just want to like. Message us on social media. Figure out how.

To throw it in. So today is. Today's word. Is technically a phrase, and because we talked about it quite a bit, it's emotional intelligence. That's a good one. Yeah, let us know. All right, so that concludes 3O2. We'll be back next time to talk about three O 3 and until then, hydrate for lesbian Jesus and get. Up all over the place. Bye. Bye. And with that we've. Been big gay energy. Thank you for listening. We'd really appreciate it if you downloaded this episode and left us a review.

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