like Blue my first instinct is to quote lines and go "THIS THING RIGHT HERE", and that's what I did lol.
Season 3 starts with the private arbitration/settlement negotiation, and immediately establishes how inadequate legal and financial reparations are at mending the divide between Wilhelm, Simon, and August. this is such a brilliant point that I hadn't quite clocked - at first I thought it was odd that the settlement process didn't take up more of the season, but as you say, it didn't (and was never going to) solve any of the intra and interpersonal problems in the show.
As the season goes on, we see Wilhelm become more and more complicit in the abuse Simon suffers. OOF this is such a good way to put this. It was so painful to see Wilhelm take away Simon's happiness so many times (it felt like so many) e.g. calling to admonish him after he posted the video of himself singing. It felt like Wille was just being a jerk, but he really was just acting more and more part of this bigger system that was harming both of them.
Wilhelm says almost the exact same thing to Simon that Erik said to him in season 1 (“everything you do now represents me and the royal house”/“everything you do reflects on us as a family”). aahhh brilliant parallel!!
... if I idolized Erik, and I detested August, and my image of both of these people was incomplete, then what does that say about me? YES - this whole time he's been comparing himself to both of them - "let me try to be MORE like Erik, and wow I am NOT like August", and to find both of those called into question is so powerful.
And he lets go of the violent anger that has plagued him through much of the series in that moment. THIS, this is so powerful.
And I think it will serve as an ongoing reminder for me that even when I mess up and do not live up to my ideals, I am still worthy of radical forgiveness.</em?
<3333 I want to put this on my wall. What a great reminder.
Thank you for this thoughtful brilliant post, it has reminded me what I loved most about this show, and how lucky we are to have gotten the final season that we did.
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Date: 2024-04-04 04:55 pm (UTC)Season 3 starts with the private arbitration/settlement negotiation, and immediately establishes how inadequate legal and financial reparations are at mending the divide between Wilhelm, Simon, and August.
this is such a brilliant point that I hadn't quite clocked - at first I thought it was odd that the settlement process didn't take up more of the season, but as you say, it didn't (and was never going to) solve any of the intra and interpersonal problems in the show.
As the season goes on, we see Wilhelm become more and more complicit in the abuse Simon suffers.
OOF this is such a good way to put this. It was so painful to see Wilhelm take away Simon's happiness so many times (it felt like so many) e.g. calling to admonish him after he posted the video of himself singing. It felt like Wille was just being a jerk, but he really was just acting more and more part of this bigger system that was harming both of them.
Wilhelm says almost the exact same thing to Simon that Erik said to him in season 1 (“everything you do now represents me and the royal house”/“everything you do reflects on us as a family”).
aahhh brilliant parallel!!
... if I idolized Erik, and I detested August, and my image of both of these people was incomplete, then what does that say about me?
YES - this whole time he's been comparing himself to both of them - "let me try to be MORE like Erik, and wow I am NOT like August", and to find both of those called into question is so powerful.
And he lets go of the violent anger that has plagued him through much of the series in that moment.
THIS, this is so powerful.
And I think it will serve as an ongoing reminder for me that even when I mess up and do not live up to my ideals, I am still worthy of radical forgiveness.</em? <3333 I want to put this on my wall. What a great reminder. Thank you for this thoughtful brilliant post, it has reminded me what I loved most about this show, and how lucky we are to have gotten the final season that we did.