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theheightofdishonor · 6 months

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I'm gonna take the leap and finally talk about only friends on here. There's only one episode left so I think it's a good time to just write about it

Top and Mew

I won't lie, these two are probably the most boring pair to me and from the little i have perused through the tags, it seems like it's the same for a lot of people? But I do appreciate them. I think the lack of chemistry between them is 100% intentional. We know Force and Book can pull off chemistry. And on top of that, this crew is wonderful in bringing out the best from its cast so the fact that Mew and Top feel like they're missing something, that's on purpose. I think @shortpplfedup has mentioned a couple times about how Top and Mew's relationship is wrapped up in ego and image and how it warps their perception and expectations from each other and I agree! Even when they're vulnerable with each other, there's a guard there because they're unable to not be playing this game they've got going on with each other. And this tracks into ep 11 because the only reason Mew agrees to forgive Top is because Top threatens to walk away for good (because he can't handle the idea of being the loser in this relationship forever) and Mew can't have that because that would make him the loser permanently. I've been referring to their situation as 'gone girl-ing' irl because they're that couple who don't really like each other? but they're still never going to leave because they know they're well matched and would be more miserable with someone else and also leaving would mean admitting that they've made a bad choice so they stay together but they also kind of enjoy this mutual toxicity? Like Mew is 100% going to run to his friends again complaining about Top and then when they suggest breaking up, be like 'well, I should but" until it gets exhausting for everyone involved.

I know tons of people like this in real life. And they're not my favourite but i've made peace with it. That being said, I still don't quite understand what the team's intention is with Top because he really is very neglected in this cast. We know nearly nothing about him and the things we do know never get looked at. Again, I do think this is intentional and Force is doing a phenomenal job with the character but I just don't get what they're leading to. I won't make a solid judgement on this though til the finale airs so moving on

Nick and Boston.

My favorite pair and favorite characters? Yeah they are. Nick, my adorable little psychopath, we've had our ups and downs and I was skeptical if you'd ever stop being embarrassing but you did and I am so proud of my absolute favorite boy. He's accepted his own toxicity, taken a good hard look at himself and his feelings for Boston and he is on top of everything. When he's telling Ton in the club to not look at other men, there's (to me at least) no hint of that worry or insecurity from the first couple episodes. And Boston's reaction too was more of a guy who's heard his partner complain about the same thing a million times instead of taking it as a sign of Nick's clinginess. It felt like echoes of an old, worn 'argument' that's just rote. And then in the conversation where Boston offers a short term committed relationship? He doesn't just jump into and instead thinks about whether it's something he really wants and what it means for him and what it means for them. Not to mention how well he was able to establish expectations with Daddy Dan about their relationship. There's still time for him to backflip next week but for now, baby boy is winning.

And Boston! I think his character arc so far has been very well done. He's not had a complete personality makeover but he's changed too and has made adjustments to the way he looks at things. The entire conversation about a committed relationship with Nick was everything. It's such a huge step for him and you can feel it in just Neo's posture and his tone how much it means to him. I don't actually think I have the words to dissect him well and I think people far more eloquent than I have already done so so i'll just leave it at that.

Oh wait actually brief mention of the Atom-Ton thing because I don't know yet how I feel about Atom being let off so easily. On one hand, it feels true to where Boston is now that he doesn't want to pursue it too much, especially when he's leaving in a couple months and he's also had some revenge with Nick. On the other hand....I don't know. I guess i've shelving this til the last ep too.

One more thing, I've seen the idea that Nick and Ton haven't had enough screentime and I disagree, I think they've made a perfect amount of sense with the amount they've had. Would I complain about seeing more, of course not. But i'm not dissatisfied and their time's been used well and where their arc is at now, they don't need a lot either. Though from the preview, it seems like we will be getting a fair bit of them next week due to the Boston-Boeing storyline.

Sand and Ray.

If I had a firstkhao bias going into this show, it's definitely been worn down. I've more or less given up on Sand developing any sort of backbone or self-respect + the idea of Ray finally reciprocating and taking care of him. They're still cute though and I don't mind any longer that it's an imperfect relationship. That being said, it was so fun seeing Boeing come back to wreck them this episode. Sand's mom tells us that the way Sand is with Ray is just how he is with everyone he cares about but I don't think Ray understood that til we see Sand and Boeing in action. Sand is very clearly uncomfortable in Boeing's presence and yet! He says they can be friends, he asks about Boeing's job, he tells Ray to leave so they can talk in private, sweetheart this man CHEATED ON YOU?? And on top of all of this, he brushes away all of Ray's attempts to claim him in front of Boeing too. Talk about creating all your own problems.

I do want to muse for a bit on Sand saying that Boeing is exactly his type and how he doesn't deny it when Boeing says Ray is the opposite of that. I think they're actually more alike than they seem on the surface. Their mutual disregard for boundaries and willingness to exploit Sand's weaknesses are sure similar as is the need to be seen as special. Boeing turns nasty at the idea of Mew meaning more to Top than he did and a lot of what draws Ray to Sand is the way Sand treats him as something special (and he's not happy either when it's revealed that Sand's behavior towards him is something he gives everyone) On the other hand, Boeing is very put together and barely shows a hint of vulnerability whereas Ray wears his faults on his sleeves and is generally a mess. I haven't quite verbalized any conclusions about this yet but i'm mulling over it. We'll see if I have time to write something up later this week.

Now Ray. Ray's having the time of his life parading around as Sand's boyfriend until it all comes crashing down. They're having cute record shop dates, talking about their future, being domestic in front of elementary school kids, the whole nine yards and even when Sand is being so shifty bringing up Boeing, he's confident enough in where he stands that it doesn't faze him whatsoever. I love Ray but seeing his uncomfortable crawling realization that perhaps Boeing might pose a threat was everything I wanted. The confirmation about his threesome proposals being a front was unneeded but fun. I'm looking forward to seeing how he continues to react to Boeing next week. That little look they shared when First stepped into the water? I suspect these two are going to eat that man alive.

Boeing

Boeing is my darling little agent of chaos. He had his turn with TopMew, he's currently wrecking SandRay and from the looks of it, he's moving onto NickBoston next week. I adore that he's apparently the final boss for all our main couples. I think he's gonna lose 3 for 3 which i'm a little crestfallen about but it's a fun time. I'm enjoying the chaos. I do hope we get to see a little more about his motivations and personality next week though.

Cheum

The fandom's response to Cheum is so weird. First she's on this pedestal of being the perfect girl who can do no wrong amongst these dumb messy boys and now she's the worst of the worst. It's the messy gay show and she's being a messy gay. I've been waiting for her to do something properly awful. The show's not done yet so I do think her response to the Atom-Boston thing will get more screentime next week. Of course I'm not trying to gloss over how terrible her treatment of Boston was but I'm also not expecting her to suddenly grovel nor do I think she should because it's not something she feels sorry for! Her just apologizing for it and feeling bad would be glossing over the fact that these are genuinely things she's thought about Boston all along and that she was just using the opportunity Atom provided to say it. The fact that Boston didn't do what she thought he did doesn't matter to her. And that's what they should address. This storyline is still ongoing though so again, holding out judgement til the end.

Overall, I've loved following this show week to week. It's been messy, it's been dramatic and it's had a lot to say about promiscuity, friendship, relationships and fandom amongst like a dozen other things. Watching the show and fandom reactions to it have been eyeopening. Additionally, the performances have been excellent. Only Friends is proof of how a good director and environment can bring out the best in all its cast because I honestly can't pick who has given the best performance here since they've all just been that good. Even if this show somehow flops next episode, I won't even be that mad because it's been so good and enjoyable that it deserves a bit of leniency and i've enjoyed it all the way through.

#only friends the series #i think i've covered everything?#i might not have though #ofts #if i think of something else i'll make another post

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