I've Seen what lies outside the barrier. Riches and Magic, Beyond imagination! And They've kept it all For Themselves! Mal promised us freedom! Delivering only lies... surprise, surprise. Opening the gates of Auradon For Her Friends, And No one else. No room for us Poor Unfortunate Souls. I'm Done Waiting For A day that will never come. THE ISLE WILL RISE!!! THE BARRIER WILL BE BROKEN!!
Ben not seeing the love potion as malicious is actually so important to me. Because why would he think someone giving a love potion would have ill intentions for him? Sure, he's heard of the heroes horrific pasts but those are just stories of the ye ole' days the adults share. He's the result of the Happily Ever After, things like that don't happen anymore. All the evil-doers are put away. He believes all the Isle Kids have that same kind of experience. Of course he'd just think Mal was actually this shy girl who was too afraid to ask him out. He wants to see the best in her; he sees the best in everyone.
Mal, on the other hand, knows just how wrong it is. She never, ever corrects him on his assumption of her having a crush on him and being too afraid to ask him out. Because why would she want to do that? Making him understand the implications of a love potions just drags him into her world, into the Isle where stuff like that was always malicious.
Obviously I don't condone Mal's actions, and the implications of a potion that makes someone obsessed ("love") with another person is something from a fucking horror novel. I just think it makes sense (in-universe) that he'd never think that she had malicious intentions and that she would never want to tell him.
Harry seemed like he was about to cuss out while Mal was trying to stop Uma from walking away and he remembered it’s a kids movie lol
Also I love the way Harry step up and speak for Uma when she’s overwhelmed with her emotions. Uma was losing her voice over her own emotional conflicts between anger, sadness and a faint sense of conscience that were from how Mal still dared to ask her for help over Auradon, when Mal just deemed that Auradon was not the place open for isle kids and it’s only for Auradon people and exclusive circle of VKs.
And I see Uma still considered Mal’s claim that Auradon is worthy to save because there’s people in Auradon. Ugh. She’s too good for her own good.
sometime I wonder that what would things go if Uma didn't go to the cotillion as Ben's date in attempt of making him down the barrier. Because it'd be a nail in the coffin to Bal relationship.
in D2, it's Uma's plan to pretend to be Ben's new lady of the court cornered Mal into confessing what she really has been thinking about being king's girlfriend. That she was insecure about her upbringing as a VK and thought that she had to play the perfect princess because that'd be who Ben should be with.
But without Uma sort of playing a foil there, I don't think Mal would confess her own insecurities to Ben in public, and Ben wouldn't show her the stained glass art either, as it'd be adding more pressure to Mal since the art is the tribute to her official announcement to be king Ben's future spouse, no Ben wouldn't do such a thing knowing that it's been stressed her so much and she ran away. By Mal showing up as his date anyway, he'd accept it as their relationship continues, but without Mal's side of assuring that she truly loves him and she's ready to take further step and commitment of their relationship, Ben learned that he can't suggest or hint next chapter. Maybe their cotillion goes smoothly, but there won't be the announcement of Mal's new status, no the stained glass art, no pre-engagement.
And as I think Mal tend to dismiss emotional part of relationship and her issues about opening up, I don't think she'd remember to tell Ben how she resolved and how she feel now. Ben will be left in the dark. Because all he learned from what happened in D2, is he shouldn't expect her to see him as someone trustworthy to open up how she feels. And when he asks she would avoid to answer. Do the relationship works that way? I don't think so unless later something enlighten Mal that Ben really sees her as who she is and he's safe to open up. But there’s no urgent need to introduce the stained glass art, no Jane's wit to show Mal how Ben deeply cared about her. So their relationship got a problem without an effective way to solve it. and it lasts, linger, and sink in like a poison.