S01.E02: Crush

[secnarf]

Released April 22 2022

[takalotti]

In the opener, Nick looks through Charlie’s Instagram and there’s a picture captioned with “I hate this place.” First, is that a picture of the halls leading to the changing rooms/gymnasium? It was rather nondescript so it was hard for me to tell. Second, I'm trying to figure out the significance of the imagined sequence in that hall. Is that basically Nick remembering how people talked about Charlie back when he was outed and how Nick was just a bystander to all the comments? Or had he also been participating in those comments back then? Either way, and now he feels guilty about it since Charlie is an actual person to him now as opposed to just a concept? Or was the sequence also a little bit about how Nick felt defensive about those comments on a subconscious level?

 

I think it’s so cute how many references there are in their texts to staying up too late chatting 🥰

 

I get why Charlie feels sad about Tao’s “intel” about Nick liking Tara, but first of all, as Charlie said himself, bisexual people exist. And second, Charlie, don’t you think Nick would have mentioned Tara at some point since you’ve been hanging out non-stop?

 

Nick’s two different reactions to almost holding Charlie’s hand were interesting. The first looked very panicky with the darting eyes, like he was thinking “what was that? Why did I even do that?” And the second was more confused than panicky, like “that was thrilling. Why was that thrilling?”

 

Why does Nick move to his laptop for his searches? Does that lend itself to more privacy regarding his search history?

[lovett1979]

12 hours ago, takalotti said:

In the opener, Nick looks through Charlie’s Instagram and there’s a picture captioned with “I hate this place.” First, is that a picture of the halls leading to the changing rooms/gymnasium? It was rather nondescript so it was hard for me to tell. Second, I'm trying to figure out the significance of the imagined sequence in that hall. Is that basically Nick remembering how people talked about Charlie back when he was outed and how Nick was just a bystander to all the comments? Or had he also been participating in those comments back then? Either way, and now he feels guilty about it since Charlie is an actual person to him now as opposed to just a concept? Or was the sequence also a little bit about how Nick felt defensive about those comments on a subconscious level?

 

Why does Nick move to his laptop for his searches? Does that lend itself to more privacy regarding his search history?

I just checked both scenes, the hallway on Instagram in Ep 2 is not the same hallway to the locker room. But it's probably a different hallway from the school. My interpretation of Nick's "vision" is that he is realizing how hard Charlie's life has been. And he feels like he just wants to protect him from all that (the way he protected him from Ben, which was the last thing we saw and what his DMs are about). I don't think Nick even knew who Charlie was before they met in Ep 1.

I personally find it easier to type and/or read on my laptop vs the phone, so it could just be that? Though also, I suppose someone could snatch his phone and see the history whereas the computer probably stays at home and is thus more secure.

[takalotti]

On 5/17/2022 at 1:43 PM, lovett1979 said:

I just checked both scenes, the hallway on Instagram in Ep 2 is not the same hallway to the locker room. But it's probably a different hallway from the school. My interpretation of Nick's "vision" is that he is realizing how hard Charlie's life has been. And he feels like he just wants to protect him from all that (the way he protected him from Ben, which was the last thing we saw and what his DMs are about). I don't think Nick even knew who Charlie was before they met in Ep 1.

Oh yes, I agree that I don’t think Nick and Charlie met before Ep 1. So I don’t think Nick witnessed Charlie being bullied in the past and was a direct bystander to that. I just meant was he a bystander to shitty comments people made behind Charlie’s back.

 

I guess I have a hard time figuring out how much Nick knew OF Charlie before Ep 1. It’s not terribly important, I realize, but it’s something I like to think about. (These are questions I ask myself, not questions I’m expecting someone to answer definitively.)…
 

For example, Ben is a year ahead of Charlie, but he still heard enough about Charlie to seek him out and start their meet ups. And in the big confrontation, Charlie says to Ben that “everyone” already knows he’s gay, which I do realize is mostly teenager hyperbole. 
 

So had Nick really never heard anything about Charlie in the past? Or had he heard people talking about a kid (named or unnamed) because someone found out he was gay?
 

And were the comments in that “vision” ones he actually heard people say about some nebulous person, but now he knows Charlie and is realizing that it was shitty and is having retroactive guilt over not being an upstander? Or was he having a moment of empathy, imagining what Charlie must have gone through (and is still going through), not based on any actual memories?

 

Had he participated such that some of the comments had actually been his own? (I don’t think so, even with the glimpses or references we have that Nick sort of fronts around his friends, I just can’t see him saying one of those comments himself even back when that was going on)

 

Had he (consciously or subconsciously) felt like some of those comments applied to him, so whether he participated or just kept his head down, was it for self-preservation purposes? Or was it just standard-issue “I’m glad I’m not the target” situation that’s so typical of the teenage years?

 

Basically most of these thoughts come from How Nick looked distressed in that “vision”. Was he distressed because part of him was feeling attacked even if he wasn’t the direct target? Or was he feeling guilty that he hadn’t done anything to stop it? Or was he distraught because he actually was part of it (again, behind Charlie’s back, not to his face)? Or was the vision simply Nick imagining what Charlie had gone through and wishing he had been there for his now friend (perhaps with a touch of doubt about whether or not he’d actually have stood up for him against the bullies)?

 

No right or wrong interpretations. Just my musings. 
 

And along the same lines, it makes me wonder if Nick put together who Charlie was when they introduced themselves, or if the first time Nick heard about Charlie being gay was the locker room talk before Charlie’s first practice and he was was putting it together for the first time (“oh, that’s the kid people were talking about last year”) and was just fine with it. It didn’t sound like any of the voices Charlie overheard with Nick’s, so it didn’t sound like he was participating then, but again he also wasn’t telling anyone to cut it out. He was just ignoring it. 

Edited May 19, 2022 by takalotti

[Anela]

This show is so CUTE. I'm finally watching it now.

Edited May 21, 2022 by Anela

[JustHereForFood]

I wish that shows that use so many texts between characters would take more time to keep the camera on them so that we can read them without having to pause all the time.

I like this series so far, most characters seem nice. Liked how Nick's mom told him that he seems more himself when he is with Charlie. The scene in snow was cute, the dog too.

I also like that we are getting a storyline with Elle in the new school. Must be weird having to transfer like that. We don't have single-gender schools, so I always look at them with a bit of caution, especially in modern setting when they've definitely run its course, IMO. I wonder how attending them must feel for LGBT+ kids, especially trans. At least these are not boarding schools, so they can also hang out with other people.

[possibilities]

Some studies show that girls learn more and better without boys around, but I don't know if that's the reason they are doing that in this situation.

[Sesquipedalia]

Watching this show makes me feel nostalgic for high school. Even though my experience was not great, this show makes me remember how it feels to be so carefree you can stay up texting (or in my case talking on a corded house phone) late into the night. I remember what it was like to obsess over every word of the notes my crush would pass to me between classes. I remember that electric spark from the first time my first love took my hand...

With all the cuteness, though, my favorite moment in this episode was Charlie's sister coming out of nowhere with "I don't think he's straight."