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bluedalahorseOkay, it’s time for Young Royals finale thoughts! These are initial impressions, and it’s going to be full of spoilers. I am mostly focusing on the stuff that’s positive for me, here. We can do nitpicks and deconstructions and deeper analysis later about things that can be fixed or tweaked, but for now, here are just the things that fill my heart with love about the finale.
THINGS THAT FILLED MY HEART UP ABOUT THE FINALE
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER
The looks on Edvin’s face where he has a lot of things to ponder. I would be worried, after where Wille was in episode 5, if he didn’t look like he wasn’t reflecting on his actions all that much. But I think Edvin pulled off that self-reflection period. Wille still has a long way to go and a lot to unlearn. He has a lot of therapy to do. But he made the move in this episode that finally allowed him to do the work in a better way. Speaking of…
WILLE LEAVING THE MONARCHY AND DOING IT FOR HIMSELF. His conversation with Kristina was his real coming out speech. The car was stopped, which—asheliza24 pointed out—usually the car is moving when they have those conversations. And it let Wilhelm leave. And I’m so grateful.
Simon’s song. Or I guess… Wille’s song? Take that shit to Eurovision. I firmly believe that it can fairly win Sweden’s seventh Eurovision victory in this universe, and that we don’t have a Rigged Loreen Situation.
Everyone’s reactions to the closing of Hillerska. Hillerska is a deeply problematic place. It’s still bittersweet for students to have to leave what’s become their home. August breaking down at the table and sobbing reminds me of what it was like for me when my car pulled away from my college after I graduated. It was like my heart was ripped out of my chest. I knew I couldn’t stay there forever, I know I’m a better person now because I didn’t try to stay there. So I guess I’m saying I felt that scene in my body.
The whole conversation Sara and Simon have about where to go next once the school is closed. That felt like a nice little offering to fandom. Here are a thousand things they could do and a thousand different ways they can do it. Have fun!
Sara and Felice making up. Friendship friendship friendship is the most important thing! (Imagine that in a singsong voice. I am so pleased.)
The sargust ending is the greatest possible ending I could have imagined for them. I think my close friends (rightfully) were worried I’d be inconsolable when Sara and August didn’t get to be endgame this season. And I was worried that if they did become endgame, it wouldn’t feel earned because they weren’t quite in the right place and it didn’t feel fully comfortable. But fun fact about my aromantic, slut for tragedy ass: the only thing I love more than my OTP getting together is my OTP remaining apart for the right reasons. Sara got to own the realness of her feelings; she was not sacrificed on the altar of girlbossery to reject August in a “cool” way. (She still rejected him in a pretty cool way, but it felt true to her character and how much she loved him.) And I think there’s a little bit of everything for everyone here. The haters can pretend Sara and August never see one another again. The salice fans have material to work with. And the weird little sargusts like me to see this as a place akin to where Wilmon were at the end of season 1, and we have room to imagine a future where August has Done The Work and he and Sara get a second chance to fall in love in a new way, under different circumstances. In part because…
Hopeful ending for my problem boy August, fucking finally. Ambiguous but hopeful. That felt right. Like Wilhelm he has mountains of work to do on himself and a lot more to learn. And he hasn’t broken free of the monarchy just yet. But if I can have hope that the Student Council will leave Ohtori Academy someday, then I can believe that August will one day break with the monarchy, or use his developing political rizz to tell convince the Riksdag to legislate it out of existence or something. He’s also got more language for what he’s struggling with now. And I think… for Wilhelm, monarchy was always an impediment to his connections with family. But I think part of what August wanted from being included in monarchy things was, weirdly, the sense of family he saw in it. Wilhelm and Erik as brothers, and them being with their two parents. I think August will be disillusioned a bit when he figures out how it all works, but I also wonder about the possibility of him and Kristina learning to get in touch with their own humanity alongside each other. They are both grieving his father, after all. And maybe Carl Johan wasn’t great either (he was decidedly not) but they can confront that the way Wille and August confronted Erik. And August also has a little froggy from Kristina, a little stuffed one on a lanyard. As I remarked to my friends today, “So he’s set up to be king now… but I also know how to use fanfic like a seam ripper.”
Um hi I will never be okay again after the Wille-August reconciliation.heliza24 and I were talking about how it needed to happen thematically and then it did. And we all started shaking with emotion. I really do think that when August is saying Erik would have loved you to Wille it’s like, he can’t really say that from a place of certainty. But I think what he’s actually saying is I love you like a brother and will continue to love you like a brother if you let me and that’s actually what I want for them, someday, in some way.
Weirdly I care about Nils and Vincent now? I care about them so much I named waffles about them. I ate the waffles. This is love as a four-year-old loves.
Stedrika are canon and that’s great but I can’t wait for the adulthood sequel: Stedrika are lesbian exes who are now best friends. Also please let’s envision the hilarity of Maddie on a trip with them when they’re in their honeymoon phase or still trying to keep their relationship hidden from her and uhhh she knows.
WILLE RUNNING FOR THE CAR. It was a little silly at first, not gonna lie. A little too romantic comedy in a show that has been thoroughly classic tragedy. But then I realized—Wille has left the monarchy. And as we know, tragedy is the genre of kings. Once Wilhelm leaves the line of succession, he can stand outside the tragic genre and reach romance. I don’t think the tragedy ever entirely goes away, but a world of genres has opened up to him. And now it’s his friends and the open road…
Anyway there will be more processing in the coming days, and this is just the elated stuff. Episodes 4 and 5 didn’t leave me feeling this way; they hit me like a truck and left me spiraling. We’ll look back on them in a bit.
But I think I’m glad to see the characters all “graduate” to their next phase of life. And I’m grateful for the friendships I made while seeing them get there. And I am now filled with ideas for fanfics, some of which I hope come to fruition.
THINGS THAT FILLED MY HEART UP ABOUT THE FINALE
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER
The looks on Edvin’s face where he has a lot of things to ponder. I would be worried, after where Wille was in episode 5, if he didn’t look like he wasn’t reflecting on his actions all that much. But I think Edvin pulled off that self-reflection period. Wille still has a long way to go and a lot to unlearn. He has a lot of therapy to do. But he made the move in this episode that finally allowed him to do the work in a better way. Speaking of…
WILLE LEAVING THE MONARCHY AND DOING IT FOR HIMSELF. His conversation with Kristina was his real coming out speech. The car was stopped, which—as
heliza24 pointed out—usually the car is moving when they have those conversations. And it let Wilhelm leave. And I’m so grateful.Simon’s song. Or I guess… Wille’s song? Take that shit to Eurovision. I firmly believe that it can fairly win Sweden’s seventh Eurovision victory in this universe, and that we don’t have a Rigged Loreen Situation.
Everyone’s reactions to the closing of Hillerska. Hillerska is a deeply problematic place. It’s still bittersweet for students to have to leave what’s become their home. August breaking down at the table and sobbing reminds me of what it was like for me when my car pulled away from my college after I graduated. It was like my heart was ripped out of my chest. I knew I couldn’t stay there forever, I know I’m a better person now because I didn’t try to stay there. So I guess I’m saying I felt that scene in my body.
The whole conversation Sara and Simon have about where to go next once the school is closed. That felt like a nice little offering to fandom. Here are a thousand things they could do and a thousand different ways they can do it. Have fun!
Sara and Felice making up. Friendship friendship friendship is the most important thing! (Imagine that in a singsong voice. I am so pleased.)
The sargust ending is the greatest possible ending I could have imagined for them. I think my close friends (rightfully) were worried I’d be inconsolable when Sara and August didn’t get to be endgame this season. And I was worried that if they did become endgame, it wouldn’t feel earned because they weren’t quite in the right place and it didn’t feel fully comfortable. But fun fact about my aromantic, slut for tragedy ass: the only thing I love more than my OTP getting together is my OTP remaining apart for the right reasons. Sara got to own the realness of her feelings; she was not sacrificed on the altar of girlbossery to reject August in a “cool” way. (She still rejected him in a pretty cool way, but it felt true to her character and how much she loved him.) And I think there’s a little bit of everything for everyone here. The haters can pretend Sara and August never see one another again. The salice fans have material to work with. And the weird little sargusts like me to see this as a place akin to where Wilmon were at the end of season 1, and we have room to imagine a future where August has Done The Work and he and Sara get a second chance to fall in love in a new way, under different circumstances. In part because…
Hopeful ending for my problem boy August, fucking finally. Ambiguous but hopeful. That felt right. Like Wilhelm he has mountains of work to do on himself and a lot more to learn. And he hasn’t broken free of the monarchy just yet. But if I can have hope that the Student Council will leave Ohtori Academy someday, then I can believe that August will one day break with the monarchy, or use his developing political rizz to tell convince the Riksdag to legislate it out of existence or something. He’s also got more language for what he’s struggling with now. And I think… for Wilhelm, monarchy was always an impediment to his connections with family. But I think part of what August wanted from being included in monarchy things was, weirdly, the sense of family he saw in it. Wilhelm and Erik as brothers, and them being with their two parents. I think August will be disillusioned a bit when he figures out how it all works, but I also wonder about the possibility of him and Kristina learning to get in touch with their own humanity alongside each other. They are both grieving his father, after all. And maybe Carl Johan wasn’t great either (he was decidedly not) but they can confront that the way Wille and August confronted Erik. And August also has a little froggy from Kristina, a little stuffed one on a lanyard. As I remarked to my friends today, “So he’s set up to be king now… but I also know how to use fanfic like a seam ripper.”
Um hi I will never be okay again after the Wille-August reconciliation.
heliza24 and I were talking about how it needed to happen thematically and then it did. And we all started shaking with emotion. I really do think that when August is saying Erik would have loved you to Wille it’s like, he can’t really say that from a place of certainty. But I think what he’s actually saying is I love you like a brother and will continue to love you like a brother if you let me and that’s actually what I want for them, someday, in some way.Weirdly I care about Nils and Vincent now? I care about them so much I named waffles about them. I ate the waffles. This is love as a four-year-old loves.
Stedrika are canon and that’s great but I can’t wait for the adulthood sequel: Stedrika are lesbian exes who are now best friends. Also please let’s envision the hilarity of Maddie on a trip with them when they’re in their honeymoon phase or still trying to keep their relationship hidden from her and uhhh she knows.
WILLE RUNNING FOR THE CAR. It was a little silly at first, not gonna lie. A little too romantic comedy in a show that has been thoroughly classic tragedy. But then I realized—Wille has left the monarchy. And as we know, tragedy is the genre of kings. Once Wilhelm leaves the line of succession, he can stand outside the tragic genre and reach romance. I don’t think the tragedy ever entirely goes away, but a world of genres has opened up to him. And now it’s his friends and the open road…
Anyway there will be more processing in the coming days, and this is just the elated stuff. Episodes 4 and 5 didn’t leave me feeling this way; they hit me like a truck and left me spiraling. We’ll look back on them in a bit.
But I think I’m glad to see the characters all “graduate” to their next phase of life. And I’m grateful for the friendships I made while seeing them get there. And I am now filled with ideas for fanfics, some of which I hope come to fruition.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-19 02:11 pm (UTC)I love that our "have to be physically touching on the couch because it's so intense" moment this season was the Wilhelm/August reconciliation scene. Because it meant so much to me (and to Wilhelm and August!) that our characters made up
I will never recover from Lisa making us wait until the very last minute for Wilhelm to realize he doesn't want to be king. Dear god.
I really didn't know how she was gonna pull off a hopeful ending after 5 but she did! She really did. What a rollercoaster.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-19 11:26 pm (UTC)Yeah I think one of the interesting things about watching this show is the way we sort of divided the characters amongst ourselves, and therefore we felt all of their conflicts so much more viscerally than we would have otherwise. Because it’s not just characters who are in conflict, it’s MY LITTLE GUY and YOUR LITTLE GUY and they should be OUR LITTLE GUYS TOGETHER.
I’m really impressed with how Lisa pulled everything off. And she handed it all to the fans so gracefully.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-25 05:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-03-20 01:37 am (UTC)I don't believe you and I have ever discussed Eurovision 2023 but it's nice to see we seem to share some similar feelings. (No shade to the very talented Loreen, but Tattoo was no Euphoria.)
Sargust/August thoughts
I think these storylines were really skillfully closed as the end of chapters, as opposed to a full story. It was satisfying as part of the broader arc of this school year and he Wilmon but there's still room for them to grow and change and reconnect at a different stage of their life. August has a lot of work to do on himself, and I think we''re getting some hints of him not wanting to be king either. Sara has to learn more about trusting herself and finding those who really support her. But there's plenty of room for that to come later, gradually, when they're not only 18!
Weirdly I care about Nils and Vincent now?
I think in a lot of ways they're victims of the same terrible traditions and ways of thinking as everyone else, and it's forgivable because they're teenagers who are still learning how to be people. Yes there's stuff they should be held accountable bor, but I think they can make a lot of amends along the way too.
Stedrika are canon
Is it wrong to be a little miffed we got a hint of Stella/Rosh and that got taken away? Like what was that for.
I still need to rewatch and write out all my thoughts so I may be back. But most of all, while I am happy with how this show ended, I am even more happy that you are happy with it. I know how much this show means to you.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-20 08:55 pm (UTC)The end of chapters as opposed to a full story is a really good way of putting it! And I agree re: the advantages of not having your OTP get together when their ages start with the number 1. There’s a lot more for Sara and August to learn in the future individually and then… who knows?
At times this season, it was easy to fall into the trap of treating Vincent like the villain who’s out to get August and set him back, the same way Wilhelm sees August as the villain who is always out to undermine him. But I think by the end of the season I understood a lot more about August and Vincent’s relationship, and it’s clear that Vincent’s ADHD is something that gives him insecurities and makes him act out to compensate. I thought back to some of my high school and college friendships, where you’re caught up in the close quarters of a schooling environment (even moreso that they’re at boarding school) and I’m just like. Oh. Yeah. That’s what it can be like, at that age.
Preferring Roshella (Stosh? I like stosh better) is not at ALL wrong. It’s actually much more in my wheelhouse in terms of the pairings I gravitate toward. I’m not super into femme BFF lesbians who were in love with one another all along, and I have a fondness for butch soccer girls. And also Rosh is the character a teenage me would most have a crush on (and thank god Rosh exists because if she didn’t, it would be August.) ANYWAY I think meeting Rosh was supposed to make Stella courageous enough to eventually come out to Fredrika at least. But it’s also weird we never really got Fredrika’s side of it and she was just onboard for it.
Maybe I’ll write some stosh set in the future! At the same time I’ve been inventing an OC wife for future!Rosh, named Agnes, who is a manager at a gaming store, and she ends up running weekly DND sessions for Simon, Wilhelm, and August so they can all work on their relationship as a family. Rosh does feel like she’d fit nicely into an intense jock butch girl/nerd quirky femme girl power couple.
Thank you for being on this journey with me. It really means a lot, because in many ways I think this is the show our high school selves were waiting to watch. (And what we would have dreamed up in between reading Star Trek crackfic on your graphing calculator.)
no subject
Date: 2024-03-20 11:41 pm (UTC)I think this and Heartstopper are both what we needed. So different but so necessary. And both would pair nicely with some K-1BOB.