Subtext and Culture, Young Royals, Season 2, Episode 4
This episode picks up immediately after the previous one, Felice has fled Wilhelm's room and he's panicking...
Subtext: Not sure if he writes that to reassure Felice, or himself. Or maybe both?
Subtext: Either way, Henry totally snitched. Maybe he just told Walter, who then snitched, but no matter, the secret is out, and now everyone knows.
Subtext: Since Sara has never dated or even pursued a guy before, she's completely clueless on how it's done, and doesn't really understand sexting emojis. I use Urban Dictionary to figure out what the dang kids these days are talking about, and 🍑 means booty! You're welcome. This is an educational Tumblr after all.
Subtext: This episode is littered with hints about Stella's sexuality, and it's kinda telling that she's a lot less bothered about others seeing her make out with Fredrika.
Culture: It totally is. Sweden has imported a couple of retail holidays from the US, Valentine's is one, but it wasn't really a thing until the 90's, and it's pretty watered down compared to that. There's a lost in translation here as well, because in Sweden the day is called Alla Hjärtans Dag - All Hearts' Day, but the Hillerska tradition is called Valentindagen, which literally means Valentine's Day, which is not the same thing as the retail holiday.
Subtext: Oh look, it's the Theme™ rearing its ugly head again! Instead of examining crappy traditions, the students are just perpetuating them mindlessly. That everyone was "a bit sexist" in the 1700's is no excuse to keep the bad parts of this tradition.
Subtext: To the other girls, Marie Antoinette is seen as a positive example of the time period because of the ostentatiousness and nobility, but Sara doesn't quite make the same association, and only remembers her for being decapitated during the French Revolution.
Subtext: She lied, like a liar.
Subtext: Walter's slightly desperate strategy also applies to Wilhelm. If Simon says no, Wilhelm has no plan B.
Subtext: Oh look, the Theme™. We're on a roll here!
Subtext: The chant that Walter starts goes "Alla är lika mycket värda" in Swedish, which is sort of how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights start in its Swedish version. This egalitarian phrase pops up in tons of places and mission statements where people and organizations want to emphasize human rights, and is very familiar to most Swedes. But then the chant continues about how only very few people are allowed into Forest Ridge, making a mockery of the implied equality. Because of course these rich assholes think they have more worth than everyone else.
Subtext: Earlier I reblogged a great post by @randomsmilingpotatoes about how this season shows us easier, simpler relationship alternatives for both Wilhelm and Simon. This scene is one example of that, because it shows that if Wilhelm had been straight and going after the other rich girls at school, all the Forest Ridge boys would have celebrated him, included him in their fellowship, and cheered him on in his "conquests". Everyone knows he had a thing with Simon, but because he's a boy, and not rich, they're not celebrating Wilhelm for that.
Subtext: As usual when Simon feels hurt by Wilhelm's actions, he reactively reaches out to Marcus.
Subtext: Marcus comes to the rescue and treats Simon to a lunch that is more appropriate to their social class, they're having pizza on the hood of his car. This is another example of how a relationship with Marcus would be simpler for Simon, here he doesn't have to mind his table manners unlike at the formal luncheons at Forest Ridge where he'll always be an outsider.
Blink-and-you-miss-it: Of course Marcus has a Wunderbaum air freshener hanging in the rear-view mirror, like the low-brow pleb he is. I, on the other hand, am a man of high class and refined tastes, so I have a Pusheen air freshener in my car instead. Om nom nom ice cream.
Subtext: Yes Marcus, that is exactly what Simon wants to do.
Blink-and-you-miss-it: I'm cackling with laughter at Sara's expression as she tries - and fails - to take some sexy selfies.
Blink-and-you-miss-it: Whoops, can't have a horse plushie in the sexy selfie, so she quickly throws it to the floor before continuing.
Culture: They're playing Spökboll, a Swedish version of Dodgeball, and a staple of many a gym class. Also, angry, jealous Simon has great aim!
Blink-and-you-miss-it: Simon's eyes are up here, Wilhelm. Stop ogling his body.
Subtext: In Simon's defence, it was Marcus who surprised him with that kiss, it wasn't exactly mutual. Wilhelm doesn't know how much Simon is actually struggling with moving on, but Simon isn't dispelling the notion either.
Subtext: Previously, the Queen emphasized how anyone dating Wilhelm has to deal with his position, and later in this episode both Felice and Nils will say the same thing. This is the point where Wilhelm realizes that maybe it'll never work out with Simon if this is non-negotiable on his part, because Wilhelm can't stop being a prince. And since Wilhelm walks out of the argument, Simon realizes at this point that he maybe went too far, Wilhelm might actually move on after this.
Blink-and-you-miss-it: Wilhelm makes a hilarious puppy face when asking Felice to forgive him. Her calling him out on his enormous selfishness was pretty satisfying though, and well earned!
Subtext: And again, yet another example of easier alternatives for Wilhelm. There's no shortage of people who would want to date him because he is a prince, unlike Simon who is doing the opposite, making that relationship much more difficult.
Culture: Traditionally, there are fourteen lines in a sonnet. Each line also needs to be in iambic pentameter, and the whole thing needs to conform to a rhyme scheme. The most well known composer of sonnets was William Shakespeare, who mostly used the ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme.
Blink-and-you-miss-it: Vincent never misses a chance to put down the other boys, and I can't help but laugh.
Subtext: This episode really piles on the relationship alternatives, and here comes Nils with his suggestion: Keep everything on the down-low. Be gay, but discreetly. Hook up with guys, quietly. Go to private, upper-class gay parties at some exclusive ski resort in Switzerland, and meet guys who in the same situation and that can keep quiet. You don't have to be out and proud, no-one needs to know.
Lost in translation: Nils uses "gay" here, which in Swedish has a less strict meaning than the English word gay, where it usually only refers to a homosexual man. In Swedish though it can mean "not straight", so who knows how Nils identifies.
Culture: Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, isn't high profile enough for you, Nils? But he has a point, it's rare for people in that position to be out and open about it.
Culture: He's not wrong, it would be world news. I don't think there's any immediate family in the line of succession in any European monarchy that is openly queer. However, there's currently over 30 royal kids throughout Europe that are Gen Z or younger, the odds of every single one of them being straight is pretty much zero, so there's a chance that we'll actually see this in real life soon. Fingers crossed! 🤞🤞
Cinematography: Not content with dropping hints about Stella any longer, the show implicitly tells us that she wrote the poem to Fredrika by focusing on her face and her reaction.
Subtext: ...and follows it up with more hints in her dialogue.
Subtext: August has no qualms about standing naked in front of the window, with the curtains open. He doesn't need to hide his relationship with Sara, if someone were to spy on him, he'd be celebrated by the other guys instead.
Subtext: Even though August started the episode in a great mood after having the meeting with the Queen, here the trap of royal duty begins to close around him, and he realizes that it's not all positive. If he's going to be the spare, the royal court needs to control his future as well. Ten years sure sounds like a prison sentence.
Subtext: No, he lied, like a liar.
Subtext: As if the show hasn't already used Jan-Olof as a personification of systemic homophobia, here it's made explicit. The court needs for August to be straight, otherwise their backup plan might not work either.
Subtext: For Sara, this is possibly something she's heard her dad promise before, and that didn't turn out so well.
Subtext: Sara makes up an excuse for not going with August to the ball, but the real reason is because of loyalty, she promised the girls to go with them. She's also dating her best friend's ex behind her back, which is pretty disloyal as well.
Subtext: Felice is talking about Wilhelm, but now that Sara knows that August is Wilhelm's spare and a future royal, this suddenly applies to her too.
Subtext: Felice is loyal to her friends, which is why she turned Wilhelm down.
Blink-and-you-miss-it: Vincent being his usual hilarious horrible self.
Culture: In Sweden, the drinking age is 18, so only the third-year students are allowed to legally drink. But since this is an official party for the entire school, the staff can't serve alcohol to the kids, which is why a lot of them are pre-gaming in the dorms.
Subtext: For August, dressing up as a noble is something he enjoys. He's always wanted more status, and now that he's Wilhelm's spare he's got it.
Subtext: ...while Wilhelm hates it, he hates having to dress up and play the part, because it's that exact thing that is stopping him from having a relationship with Simon. But at this point he's pretty much resigned himself to his fate, so he puts on the makeup and the dress, playing the part of a real prince, crying while doing so.
Subtext: August is normally a pretty confident guy, but here we see him being insecure and anxious for the first time, because he's actually in love with Sara and is afraid of fucking up his carefully planned classy little pre-party champagne date with her.
Lost in translation: Sara writes "Vi kan inte ses mer", which means "We can't see each other any more", which is actually kind of a break-up message. But the English subtitles make it seem like she's just standing him up for this one party.
Subtext: Simon was planning to only do his performance and skip the rest of the party, because he knew Wilhelm would be there. But now that Marcus shows up, ready to go to the party for Simon's sake, he changes his mind.
Subtext: The fish do have names, it's just that Simon associates that with a very happy memory of Wilhelm, and he's clearly thinking of that here.
Culture: We need to have a small intermission here, talking about the theme for the masquerade ball, and how this relates to the show.
In the early 1700's in Sweden, despite early successes defending Sweden on the battlefield against Denmark-Norway, the young king Karl XII embarked on a disastrous campaign against Russia that ended in defeat and weakened the military. On his return to Sweden he started a new campaign against Norway, but died in battle there soon after in 1718, which pretty much led to the end of the era of the Swedish Empire that had started a hundred years earlier.
These defeats and loss of military power made the monarchy pretty unpopular among the people, so when queen Ulrika Eleonora took over the throne after her childless brother, she was forced to give up a lot of power to parliament, and no longer had the unchecked power to rule over the country. The early to mid 1700's was also the time when the Age of Enlightenment swept over Europe, and philosophers like Voltaire and Rousseau spread ideals of liberty and equality and brotherhood, which in France ultimately resulted in the bloody French Revolution at the end of the century.
But In Sweden, these ideas led to the Age of Liberty, an era marked by rationality and science and civil rights, and Sweden started progressing into a proper constitutional monarchy, ruled by law instead of the whims of the current king or queen. However, parliament became more and more unstable, and in 1772 the newly crowned king Gustav III seized power from parliament in a coup, rolled back many of the recent changes, and restored the absolute monarchy.
And that's the dude in the painting above, sitting on the left, together with his two brothers, Prince Fredrik Adolf, and Prince Karl. This time period is the theme of the ball, and all the kids are wearing similar clothes; French fashion from the late 1700's, powdered wigs, cravats, tricorne hats, pearls and all. Because of course an upper-class school like Hillerska would rather celebrate a period marked by a strong monarchy and absolute rule, rather than that egalitarian wishy-washy nonsense of the earlier era.
In further parallels to the show, Gustav III was probably gay, had gay lovers among the nobility, and might not have been the biological father of his children, due to difficulties *ahem* performing the necessary act with his spouse, Queen Sofia Magdalena.
The king was a huge supporter of culture and arts, and under his rule, Sweden got its first opera house, its first ballet company, and a proper drama theatre, all of which are still in operation today. The king even wrote several plays and a few operas himself, and spent a lot of time directing these plays as well. However, him spending more time on his hobbies than actually ruling the country, combined with certain political reforms he pushed through, made him deeply unpopular among the nobility. So unpopular in fact that several nobles got together in a conspiracy to assassinate him. The king was shot at a masquerade ball in 1792 and died of the complications two weeks later.
All the conspirators were caught, the man who pulled the trigger, Jacob Johan Anckarström, was executed for treason, and a number of co-conspirators were either jailed or exiled. One of the leading co-conspirators' name was, and I shit you not, Claes Fredrik Horn. What's August's last name in the show again?
This lesson about queer Swedish kings in history is now over, back to the show.
Blink-and-you-miss-it: An alternative to pre-gaming is to smuggle in alcohol to the party and spike your own drinks with it. Fredrika Stella hid a pocket flask in her dress.
Blink-and-you-miss-it: Stella is wearing a very anachronistic dollar-sign necklace. It does look fabulous, though!
Subtext: Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? Stella doesn't dare make that gamble, and is instead settling for the unfortunately very common queer trope of secretly pining for your straight best friend.
Subtext: Throughout the entire party, Simon makes it so obvious that he's not into Marcus, and is just using him to make Wilhelm jealous.
Subtext: Marcus is pretty oblivious though, and he can't wait to get the hell out of this place, he's not comfortable, he wanted a quiet date-night at home with Simon, but this was the only way he could get Simon to spend the night with him.
Subtext: Throughout this not-really-relationship, Marcus has insisted on setting the pace, and here he does it again. He has now decided that they should have sex, which is why he showed up to this thing in the first place, and is nagging Simon to sleep at his place, while completely ignoring all the signs that Simon is on a completely different page.
Subtext: Alexander is completely in the dark here, he thinks Wilhelm and Felice was a serious thing, and he thinks that August still has feelings for Felice.
Subtext: August is pissed about being stood up by Sara, so he reverts to his usual scheming self. Planning the downfall of the king at a masquerade ball? Didn't I just write about something like that a few sections ago?
Culture: The tall thing in the middle of the table is called a Krokan in Swedish, which is more of a decorative almond cookie thing than a cake. The pink marzipan cake is called an Operatårta, which is a pink variation of the even more classic green Swedish princess cake. If you live near an IKEA, you can usually find mini versions of these in their restaurant.
Subtext: It's kinda ironic that Marcus has more in common with Wilhelm than Simon, but what does Simon and Marcus have in common, really? They clearly have completely opposite tastes.
Cinematography: Out at the party the lighting is pink and warm and romantic, but in the kitchen there's a sickly fluorescent glow instead, and it's filled with modern things that completely clash with the theme of the party. Wilhelm tried putting on a show, but as soon as Simon is out of sight, he throws away his cake and escapes the fake dressed-up environment by going into the kitchen, where we see his real feelings.
Subtext: It was at this exact moment Simon realized that he had fucked up. His attempts at making Wilhelm jealous has completely backfired, and Wilhelm is now finally letting go, just like he has been preparing himself for the entire episode.
Cinematography: Unlike the first season which featured cute moments between the two of them in almost every episode, this season started with a fakeout dream scene, and has since then withheld moments like this on purpose to build suspense.
We've been seeing both Wilhelm and Simon have intimate scenes with other characters, but there's been no chemistry, nothing in those scenes that make us want to root for those relationships.
But now it's time for the emotional payoff, and the show holds nothing back, it employs every single trick in its book to make us really feel this moment: The action is slowed way down, and all outside sounds disappear. The only thing we're hearing is their heavy breathing, just like in similar scenes in the first season, and the soundtrack switches to the [dreamy electronic music] used in the initial dream scene. The chemistry is insane, you can cut the tension with a knife, and you're all supposed to remember that this is why we're watching this show! This is why we're invested in this couple!
And then they kiss.
Can you breathe again? Do you need to take a cold shower? Alright, let's wrap this episode up. Yeah, yeah, Marcus interrupts the moment, and he sees Wilhelm, putting two and two together, who cares? They kissed! They finally kissed!
Subtext: The idea that no-one picks up on the fact that this song is totally about a lost love is hilarious, because it's so obvious to me. I have to squint and look at it sideways to imagine how it could possibly be about the school, not the other way around!
Subtext: Wilhelm is looking at Marcus at this line, because Simon got lost by trying to get together with Marcus, but just now found his way back "home" to Wilhelm again.
Subtext: He did remove the profanity and he did put Hillerska in there like the music teacher told him, so that everyone understands it's totally about the school! And not about Wilhelm, nuh-uh!
Subtext: In the same way that Simon's song is about his feelings for Wilhelm, afterwards the soundtrack switches to Beautiful Boy, which is about what Wilhelm is feeling for Simon, because in this moment he could really feel that Simon does love him after all. The way Simon is ignoring Marcus and only has eyes for Wilhelm might be a big fat hint as well.
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Alla hjärtans dag
little Valentine's Day hcs for Repugnant members
Mary:
Mary doesn't really believe in celebrating alla hjärtans dag
Then again, he doesn't believe in celebrating most holidays just because of how artificial it all feels, especially when it comes to love
But that doesn't mean they're gonna completely ignore and forget the holiday. That's no fun
It's not going to be filled with the cliche roses and chocolates, but it'll be special in his own way
... Okay, Mary does buy chocolates for you two to share. They couldn't resist
But for the day, they'll walk around Stockholm with you, enduring the tourists and even showing you some hidden gems in the city that they've stumbled upon
And at night, he'll lead you out of the city and pass Jakobsberg, taking you to the nearby lake
Maybe it's not entirely romantic or the most ideal evening, but Mary loves being alone with you, underneath the stars and with their arms wrapped around you
This is one of the times where they'll be completely vulnerable with you. It's the lease he can do. Mary knows they look scary and that a lot of people don't trust them based on his looks. So you coming out to the lake with him, at night, means a whole lot
By the time you guys leave, you'll be wearing Mary's jacket as a way to keep you extra warm and show who you belong to
DD:
DD works a lot but he's got everything planned out for today
He worked the morning shift for a reason and by the time he gets to you, he's already got some things he knows you've been eyeing
Your favorite drink, food and even the body spray you had told him you were thinking of getting when you got your next check
He also got you a couple extra gifts, having mainly bought you things that he knew you could use or was running out of
While DD is pretty romantic, he prefers to have the night be to just the two of you. No one else needs to know you two are together. No one else needs to know that you're taking each other out for the holiday
All that matters is you and him. So with a couple glasses of wine, DD will happily cuddle up with you on the couch and play a few of your favorite movies
But don't think it's just gonna be silence and drinking
DD will take this time to hold you close and tell you just how much you mean to him. This isn't something new since DD does this occasionally
But today is meant to express your love for your lovers and he's going to take full advantage of that
Hopefully you like soft kisses and being told that you're the light of his life
G. Grotesque:
He's trying his best, honestly
G.'s always been a little shy and, truth be told, he can overthink a good amount
Everyone said how they had to get flowers and chocolates for their partner, how they needed to get them gifts. So that's what people expect, right? Flowers, chocolates, gifts?
So he figures out which flowers you like most, what types of candy you prefer, and even gets a couple of tickets to the band you've been talking about seeing
Okay, so G. is going to celebrate alla hjärtans dag early. The band is playing a few days earlier and he thinks it would make the best gift
No matter how close you two have gotten within your time dating, G. will always approach you with that bashful smile and tinted cheeks
He's known for stumbling over his words, especially when he speaks English, but he'll be a little worse during this time and he can barely hold eye contact with you
Really, he's so worried that you'll laugh at him and call him names. So many people have done that to him in the past and the trauma has stuck with him
Just give him a few kisses and some reassuring words and he'll calm right down.
When the night winds down and you two get home, all G. wants to do is take a shower with you and cuddle until you both fall asleep
E. Forcas:
Similar to Mary, E. doesn't exactly celebrate alla hjärtans dag
He doesn't care for it. It's just a day that's never really been for him
But he also has an extra excuse to spoil you now, and he's going to take full advantage of that
He might be the quietest member out of Repugnant but that doesn't mean he's above giving you whatever you want
So for the day, it's whatever you want to do. Wanna go out to dinner? Great! Drinking at the bar? He'll keep you close to him and fend off any creeps. Wanna stay home and cuddle? Even better, he'll grab a blanket and get some snacks
If you ask him why he doesn't care to celebrate the holiday, he'll just shrug and tell you that he loves you every day. He doesn't need a "special holiday" to treat you right
If it makes you feel better, he'll buy you all the holiday gifts next year to make up for it
He does try to be romantic. There's a candle he got years ago that he decides to light while the lights are off and you two are watching a movie together
It's there. It smells sweet but he doesn't really care for it. He's mainly focused on you and making sure you're happy and comfortable
Really, E. is just a giant teddy bear and he's more than happy to go with the flow. So long as you're with him and happy, then everything is right in his little world
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Swedish facts- holidays edition
Here's the third installment of my swedish facts series (not counting the first one)
This will focus in Swedish holidays and traditions including more royal family focused ones.
🎅 Christmas
Celebrated on the 24th (Christmas eve) often with family. You commonly eat lunch, watch Kalle Anka (From all of us to all of you) eat dinner and open gifts. Every family have their own traditions.
Common foods are ham, herring, ribs, meatballs, jansons frestelse, risgrynsgröt (porridge made of rice) and cured salmon.
🎆 New Years
Pretty straight forward. Often celebrated with friends. You eat fancy food, drink champagne and toast at midnight. Every year there's a celebration from Skansen in Stockholm which is broadcasted in TV live. There are music performances from different artists and every year a special person is chosen to read the poem "ring out, wild bells" by Alfred Tennyson. It's read just before midnight and if the timing is right it finishes just as the church bell starts ringing in the new year with It's twelve rings.
💕 Alla Hjärtans dag - Valentine's day
This is not a huge holiday in Sweden but if you are a couple you might go out for dinner or cook something special. You might give roses or gifts but it's not a huge thing. As a kid we made gift cards for friends and family. It's like in the US but toned down.
🍩 Fettisdagen - fatty tuesday
It's a Christian tradition that has it's origins in fasting. I think 47 days before easter? Before fasting you ate to be able to withstand the fasting and from there fettisdagen has become a very celebrated and anticipated tradition where you eat a special kind of baked good. It's a wheat bun with cardamom that's filled with whipped cream and almond mass/paste.
🧇 Våffeldagen -waffle day
Celebrated the 25th of March. It as Christian roots but nowdays we juat eat waffles.
🐣Easter
Easter is a bit all over the place.
Apart from the Christian easter traditions we also dress up like påskkärringar (witches) and kids and over their drawings to their neighbours and often gets candy in return. Parents might by eggs that that they fill with candy that their kids then get. Some kids have to search for theirs.
We eat alot of eggs but also herring.
🔥Valborg- celebrated 30th of April
It's celebrated to welcome spring. You light huge bonfires in the evening and in some cities Valborg is a huge thing. In Uppsala and Lund for instance. There are choirs performing and speeches and poems being held/read. It's a huge deal among uni students but also an appreciated tradition along families. It's just a different kind of celebration 😂.
Valborg is also the current kings birthday.
🌸 Första Maj
The day after Valborg. It's the "working class'" holiday and super important for many people. May day in the UK. Many speeches are being held, especially by the labour party and other parties on the left. There are also many demonstrations.
🤰🏾Mother’s day
No need to explained. Celebrated the last sunday of May.
🇸🇪 Nationaldagen - our national day - June 6
I would say that it's not as big as in many other countries but it's still celebrated a bit. The royal family is always involved. You have the day off but like I said I wouldn't call it a very important holiday for most people. Some people dress up in tradtional clothing though.
☀️ Midsommar
Perhaps the most swedish holiday/tradition of them all. Celebrated with families and/or friends. You commonly have a barbecue, eat the traditional foods like the new potatoes and again herring.
Strawberries are common to eat for dessert. Either the way they are with ice cream or whipped cream or strawberry cake.
You dance around the may pole (mostly kids and their parents) and you make flower crowns and dress nicely. Some wear their traditional clothing like on our national day.
It's not as crazy as the movie.
🦞 Kräftskiva - cray fish party
Usually held in August. You eat crayfish and wear weird hats.
🥨 Kanalbullens dag - cinnamon bun day.
Celebrated 4th of October. We celebrate the amazingness that is cinnamon buns. Not the weird ones with frosting.
🎃 Halloween - 31 October
Not a huge holiday. Mostly celebrated among kids that go trick or treating (still not a huge thing) and students that likes to party.
🕯Alla Helgona - All saints day. Celebrated Saturday between the 31st of October and 6th of November.
We remember the people in our lives that are no longer with us by visiting their graves and light candles at the graveyard.
It's a beautiful holiday.
👨👧Father's day - pretty straight forward. Celebrated the second Sunday in November.
⭐️ Advent
Celebrated the 4 Sundays before Christmas eve. We light a candle every sunday leading up to christmas.
👸🏿 Lucia
YR did a good way showing it and it's basically about celebrating light. There's a performance done by a choir and one of the women is dressed like lucia.
I was going to include traditions with the royal family but this post is already so long. If people are interested I could make one revolving around the royal family and the traditions that they are very involved with.
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