S02.E10: Close Your Eyes

[paulvdb]

Quote

At Harold's wedding, Mia makes a bold decision, while Victor and Felix consider their futures.

 

[Harvey]

Oh wow, Rahim is such a skank, moving in on Victor like that just as Benji ran off. Shameful behavior.

[possibilities]

I think Benji is too volatile and impulsive, always getting angry and not listening... I think he's not equipped to deal with the challenges and differences between him and Victor. He may have been right when he told Isabel that he wasn't  mature enough at age 16. It seems like Victor does have those skills, but he's not perfect, either. The parallel between them and Victor's parents would suggest V chooses B, but I'm not sure that Rahim was wrong about what was going on, either. Him voicing it seemed to me like him being honest about why he though Benji was freaking out, and it does force Victor to be more honest with himself about his own stuff, so I was okay with it.

I love the suggestion that maybe Lake and Andrew's ex (who I really like) might be interested in each other. Good, subtle acting from both actresses there. The breathlessness, the nerves... I liked it.

The last straw for me with Mia's dad was when I heard his vows, where he said he would always put his love for his wife over his ambitions. I get why that opportunity was too big to pass up, but he lied to Mia about it instead of talking with her about the situation, hearing her feelings and trying to think about the impact on her. He seemed to always ignore her needs, so at some level his ability to declare that he wouldn't do that with his new family shows that he really didn't put Mia on the same footing with them. If he was always, already traveling for long periods of time and leaving her alone, maybe he could have found a way to take the job but have two bases, or at least discuss it with her more, and try to figure out a solution. She's so close to finishing high school, I really think they should have considered her more. They have resources. Normally I would say that the kids don't veto things like career changes and major moves. But they really did establish that there was a problem here.

No idea if the show gets a third season, but I hope it does.

[tennisgurl]

Simon is looking very Jon Snow in college with all the facial hair. Nice that we got to see him one time before the show ended, but of course we end on a cliffhanger. I think that Benjii and Rahim both have their good and bad traits, although I think that Benjii and Victor have better romantic chemistry. It seems like Victor can be a lot more honest with Rahim without worrying about him getting pissed the way he does with Benjii sometimes, but then Benjii and Victor do really seem to connect, so I could see them going either way with who Victor is going to pick, but considering how much couple swapping went down this season, he might not be done choosing anyway. 

I thought this was a good second season, all of the characters are really sympathetic and likable, and their conflicts were understandable, if often frustrating. Even with all of the dating drama, most of their issues were about things that I can understand, it didn't feel like it was drama for dramas sake and no one was thrown under the bus to break up a couple easily. Especially Isabelle, who was pretty terrible for most of the season until she finally came around, and I do mostly like how they handled her finally realizing how wrong she was being, even if I am sure that this isn't the end of it. She and Victor will still certainly have a lot of work to do to mend their relationship, but it seems to be going in the right direction. I am glad that Victor's parents are going to try and make things work, it does seem like they love each other and really do want to make things work. 

I am sad that Felix and Lake split up, I liked them a lot together especially after so much build up between them last season. At least Pilar and Felix didn't hook up until after he and Lake had already broken up, I was worried at first that he might specifically break up with Lake for Pilar. I did like the whole plot with Felix's mom though, hopefully she really does get better and doesn't backslide, its not fair that Felix should have to take on so much responsibility while still being so young. Lake being bisexual should be an interesting thing to explore though. 

I hope we get a third season. 

[Glade]

I just started watching recently, and this is a sweet, wholesome show.  I'm sorry that Simon stopped shaving; it makes me glad that he won't be advising Victor anymore though.  Benji and Rahim do both have clear flaws, but I feel like exploring things with Rahim would be more interesting and possibly bring about more growth then getting back with Benji so that's what I'm hoping for.  I also really hope Felix's mom doesn't relapse; it seems inevitable that she will, but at least he has a support system now and hopefully won't feel compelled to keep it a secret if things get bad again.

[possibilities]

10 hours ago, Glade said:

I'm sorry that Simon stopped shaving; it makes me glad that he won't be advising Victor anymore though

This made me laugh so much,  because I AGREE.

 

I usually like facial hair, but... yikes. I just thought he looked terrible.

Edited June 15, 2021 by possibilities

[dmeets]

If, after exchanging "I love you"s with Benji, Victor closes his eyes and it's a guy he's known for a fraction of the time that he sees a future with instead, then things are irreparably over with Benji, IMO. For that reason I suspect it's Benji he chose, but they've made Benji a bit of an ass in his spats with Victor this year, and there were several mentions of Benji's "white privilege" so I can't help but wonder if the events of the last year and Hollywood's overall commitment to improving diversity representation have made the writers re-assess pairing Victor with a white guy. Plus they developed Rahim in a couple episodes far more than they did Benji all of last season. I do like Rahim, but oof, not a good look declaring your feelings immediately upon seeing your crush's relationship apparently implode. I'd rather Rahim and Victor remain friends.

Hate hate hate that Felix chose Pilar. Reeks of the same "truly part of the family now" BS as Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. And to not say a word to Lake? Dick.

Lake deserved better. And if she's exploring her sexuality, it'd be nice to see her confide in Victor and see the two of them develop a bond that doesn't resolve around her best friend or ex (ugh) boyfriend.

Mia's dad had some balls to give those particular wedding vows in front of Mia. On the one hand, ultimately it's his say whether they move, but lying about it was uncalled for. (even though I thought Mia playing the "I choose you over mom" card was manipulative on her part)

Did I miss something between Armando having chicken dinner with the murder house realtor and deciding to try to reconcile with Isabel? Or am I conflating episodes already?

I wonder if Nick Robinson wants to be done with playing Simon Spier, or if TPTB suspected this might be the end. Because I'd have expected Victor's "break up" with Simon to be saved for the series finale. I hope this show has one more year in it. It'd be nice to see their senior year and there were way too many cliffhangers.

[festivus]

Well, I'm pretty sad about Felix and Lake but I did pick up on the vibe with her and Lucy. I'm down with it. On that note, I'm team Rahim. It didn't bother me that he kissed Victor. He knew there was something there and Victor and Benji were on a break. 

Y'all. Simon looked scary with that facial hair. Something about him seemed really unhappy too. Idk, it was weird.

[JustHereForFood]

On 6/13/2021 at 4:06 AM, possibilities said:

I love the suggestion that maybe Lake and Andrew's ex (who I really like) might be interested in each other. Good, subtle acting from both actresses there. The breathlessness, the nerves... I liked it.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one seeing that. I'm always for more bi representation, so I would be ok with that, even though I am not much of a fan of TV characters moving on to a next person the second they end one relationship. It is ok to be single for a while, especially if you are not over the previous relationship. But with Felix and Pilar and probably Victor and Rahim, I guess I shouldn't expect that from this series. But if that is my biggest complaint, it means the series is still one of the better ones currently on TV.

On 6/15/2021 at 7:48 PM, dmeets said:

I wonder if Nick Robinson wants to be done with playing Simon Spier, or if TPTB suspected this might be the end. Because I'd have expected Victor's "break up" with Simon to be saved for the series finale. I hope this show has one more year in it. It'd be nice to see their senior year and there were way too many cliffhangers.

I suspect they are not sure if they get a next season, so they are covering their bases. And it makes sense, with how much progress Victor made this season regarding his sexual identity, that he doesn't need a sort of outside mentor anymore, since he can now discuss things openly with other people who are in the middle of the story.

Mia's father continues to be a disappointment. Telling her right before the wedding seems sort of manipulative, as if she should not be mad at him on his big day. I don't like it when people drop stuff that needs a long talk on a day like this, ruining it for other people. It wasn't fair to his wife either, this was her day too. I liked how Andrew told him off. If someone told me at the beginning that I would come to really like Andrew, I would laugh, yet here we are. I was a bit worried that Mia would do something to harm herself, so I am glad that did not happen, although I'm afraid she is setting herself up for another disappointment with her mother.

Not a fan of the cliffhanger. I don't like Rahim much, but I'm not sure if Victor and Benji are in a good place to be together now either, after all that happened this season. Maybe Victor should take a cue from his parents and take a break to figure it out on his own.

I hope we get another season.

[JustHereForFood]

I have been thinking about all of these charactes' ages. When Benji said that he and Victor are both 16, I was a bit surprised. I know Victor celebrated birtday last season, but I thought it was 17, not 16. And I thought Benji was maybe older than him. The actor doesn't look like he belongs still at high school (which I know applies to most teenage characters on TV), but also the storyline about his addiction seems a bit off to me, if he is 16 and a year sober, it means he started AA at 15. Now, I have zero knowledge about AA, but it seems a bit early to me, like how does someone even know at that age that they have an addiction, as opposed to just getting drunk and not handling it well. I guess I should have rewatched last season before this one, as I don't even remember anything about Benji having problems with alcohol. But it would work better for me if he was 18 now.

Then, if Victor is 16, Pilar must be 14 or 15 at most, so Rahim is probably the same age as her, yet he is on dating apps with adult men, claiming he is 22. Did none of the writers thought this was a bit problematic? I guess I just don't get why can't they all be 1-2 years older. Sure, Mia's and Felix's storylines only work if they are not 18 yet, but they could be the youngest of the group. It doesn't help that they are all usually acting much more mature than 16. And since I am apparently thinking about this too much at this point, Lucy should probably be 18 if she is serving alcohol at the wedding, but she said she was in Mia's class, so the same as 16-year old Victor...

[possibilities]

I don't remember anything about Benji and alcohol from s1, but in s2 they said he crashed a car, so it seems to me that he was illegally drinking and illegally driving, and I think that his problem is implied to have been pretty well developed and clear. I think you know you're an alcoholic by your dependency on it, which can happen at any age. 

It would help explain his anger and hard line about family acceptance, if his backstory is that previously he was sneaking into gay bars to meet other gay people because his family was not accepting, and that's how he became an alcoholic and that's why he's super angry and super-confrontational about Isabel. But it would not justify his unwillingness to talk to Victor about his history, and about how the current situation with the secrecy and avoidance affects his sobriety. It would be more in character for him to be explaining himself rather than accusing others, but they seem to have wanted to create conflict, instead of portraying Victor and Benji as the perfect fantasy soulmate kind of relationship that starts in high school and lasts forever with no hiccups.

[JustHereForFood]

12 hours ago, possibilities said:

It would help explain his anger and hard line about family acceptance, if his backstory is that previously he was sneaking into gay bars to meet other gay people because his family was not accepting, and that's how he became an alcoholic and that's why he's super angry and super-confrontational about Isabel. But it would not justify his unwillingness to talk to Victor about his history, and about how the current situation with the secrecy and avoidance affects his sobriety. It would be more in character for him to be explaining himself rather than accusing others, but they seem to have wanted to create conflict, instead of portraying Victor and Benji as the perfect fantasy soulmate kind of relationship that starts in high school and lasts forever with no hiccups.

I really like this point. It would make more sense, because as it is, we don't have a clear explanation on why he was so confrontational at times. And while I would like more communication between them, I agree with the bolded, that that might be too much of a perfect situation and this seems to be maybe more realistic.

[possibilities]

It's realistic that a first love might not endure, but I admit I don't mind watching people get along and grow together rather than apart. So often, a conflict that becomes a break up forestalls any growth and just resets the characters to new conflicts. It's true in life, also, though, so I can't really fault it in storytelling.

Edited June 19, 2021 by possibilities

[circumvent]

I more or less binged on this show in about a week and even tough I am old I really enjoyed it. I found out that it is a good way for me to relax, watching meaningless teen drama - this show was surprisingly not meaningless though.

I don't have much to say other than it was quite enjoyable and left me wanting more. The one thing I thought was - to me - a little annoying was Mia's constant sulking. I get the why, but I would like to see more development, either see her really talking to someone, or why she is not talking to anyone about the things that make her somewhat depressed all the time. 

[ThiamBictor]

I just watched the entire season and I am so over this idea of taking breaks and finding solace in the comfort of new love interest. Like if you love your Partner that much sit down and talk to them and if you are that incompatible then break up and move on. It seems that the only relationship that didn’t do this in both seasons were Felix and Lake and even then Felix did it a little bit. At least he officially broke up with Lake before moving on with Pilar. Like even the parents do this. And it is driving me crazy.

Victor is the worse of this, is every season going to end up with him kissing someone new at the end of the season? At this point I am thinking Victor needs to be single and learn how to be himself first. All this bouncing from one relationship to another is not healthy especially for someone that just came out. Be single and figure out yourself first and then start trying to date.

[Acceleration]

On 6/17/2021 at 7:41 PM, JustHereForFood said:

Then, if Victor is 16, Pilar must be 14 or 15 at most, so Rahim is probably the same age as her, yet he is on dating apps with adult men, claiming he is 22. Did none of the writers thought this was a bit problematic? I guess I just don't get why can't they all be 1-2 years older. Sure, Mia's and Felix's storylines only work if they are not 18 yet, but they could be the youngest of the group. It doesn't help that they are all usually acting much more mature than 16. And since I am apparently thinking about this too much at this point, Lucy should probably be 18 if she is serving alcohol at the wedding, but she said she was in Mia's class, so the same as 16-year old Victor...

I actualy recognize myself in a lot of that? I went on the apps (or webpages back then), when I was 15 as I just started to realize that I was in love with one of my male classmates, so I find the ages and the talk very realistic. It's problematic to say the least, but realistic that a boy like Rahim would be on the apps and claim to be older. You can usually spot them pretty quick anyway and since you can't really speak or connect with someone else over that part of your life, the apps tend to be the first place you're at. If a Victor would've existed in my universe, I probably would've done the same as Rahim and reached out or at least tried to be in his orbit.

 

[Scarlett45]

I am glad Felix’s Mom is doing so much better and they had their talk. It looks like she is going to keep up with her treatment.
 

Regarding Victor’s age- remember that he showed up to Creekwood the middle of the spring semester in season 1, so his bday is likely late winter/early spring. Season 2 wasn’t an entire school year, but part of a semester so it hasn’t been a calendar year yet. 
 

These kids are 16/17 so I don’t mind them wanting to kiss other people very six months or a year, so long as they are honest and not mean or cruel to each other. I may be bias but I liked Rahim better than Benji anyway. 
 

The music was so good in this episode. 
 

I thought it was growth that Victor doesn’t need Simon’s counsel any more. But that beard and hair- he was so cute before! The hippie beatnix look may appeal to others though. 

 

Mia going to see her Mom- Mia does need to heal from her mother's abandonment and that may mean going to talk to her about how she feels. I feel that Harold has really dropped the ball here- he has been neglecting his daughter emotionally, and I am sure he feels because he has provided her a nice comfortable life that he has done a good job as a Dad, but thats not it. It is not his fault his wife ran off and abandoned her kid, but when that happens the parent left has to step up and try to do more work to make up the difference. Single mother's guilt trip themselves about having to be Mom and Dad, I am not saying he should guilt trip himself, but he needs to do better or he wont have a good relationship with his daughter when she is an adult.
 

I would love for them to get another season! (googling is fundamental yes there will be a season 3)

So glad I watched this it brought me joy!! 

[JustHereForFood]

6 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

Mia going to see her Mom- Mia does need to heal from her mother's abandonment and that may mean going to talk to her about how she feels. I feel that Harold has really dropped the ball here- he has been neglecting his daughter emotionally, and I am sure he feels because he has provided her a nice comfortable life that he has done a good job as a Dad, but thats not it. It is not his fault his wife ran off and abandoned her kid, but when that happens the parent left has to step up and try to do more work to make up the difference. Single mother's guilt trip themselves about having to be Mom and Dad, I am not saying he should guilt trip himself, but he needs to do better or he wont have a good relationship with his daughter when she is an adult.

Good point. I thought that she decided to see her just as a reaction to her father's news, but we don't actually know the reason, she may just want some closure and maybe (hopefully?) to take some steps to be emancipated.

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, JustHereForFood said:

Good point. I thought that she decided to see her just as a reaction to her father's news, but we don't actually know the reason, she may just want some closure and maybe (hopefully?) to take some steps to be emancipated.

She likely doesn’t need to be emancipated. Harold can appoint a guardian for her in ATL and let her stay, OR her Mom can have custodial parent duties (even from a distance) and let her stay in ATL where she wants to be. 
 

We don’t know where her Mom is and that may play into all of that next season. I thought Mia got a little bit of the short end of the stick this season. I didn’t really see her fall for Andrew. I knew he really liked HER but I just saw her using him until they actually ended up together.