People may be sick of this type of discourse already, but Iâm honestly just trying to logically and calmly process (for my own sake) why I found SnowBazâs relationship arc to feel a little unfulfilling at the end of Wayward Son. I figure that if I can be at peace with it, I can move on and try to enjoy the rest of the book for what it was.
I think it comes down to this for me: the relationship arc that was set up early in the book was not fulfilled by the end, which left an unfortunate aftertaste of confusion, disappointment, and the surreal sense that nothing had really progressed in the book.
Iâm not talking about expecting all of SnowBazâs problems to be fixed within one book because obviously that is too simplistic and not how life tends to work; it would be a disservice to the complexity of their trauma if everything was solved in one book. (And Crowley do I love angst!)
But SnowBaz have arcs within arcs, and the smaller one set up specifically in this sequel (our lads needing to verbally communicate their unchanged feelings to alleviate misunderstandings) is what was left unfulfilled within the larger arc (them dealing with the trauma that in turn influences their behaviour within their relationship).
For me, it didnât make much sense for them to not solve that mini arc, especially when looking at how theyâve dealt with things in the past (at the end of Carry On).
Okay so letâs back up to the start of the arc. Wayward Son started with a further development of Simonâs depression arc: his trauma had become so pervasive and entrenched over time that it altered the way his brain processes things, until even physical affection feels like too much most days. These symptoms are clearly a long-term problem but we are set up with the hope that an extreme change of scenery (the road trip) will help get him off the couch, force a break in some of his unhelpful thinking cycles, and help him reconnect with Baz, step by step.
Simon doesnât live in a bubble though and his depression had ramifications for Baz as well: Baz was slowly and subtly held at armâs length by Simon until it felt like a natural disintegration of Simons feelings for him over time. Understandably, Baz misinterpreted that breakdown in communication (physically and emotionally) as Simon getting over him and just not able to make a clean break. This has always been Bazâs insecurity even in Carry On â that Simon doesnât like him.
All of this resulted in both boys scared to initiate a Couple Conversation. They were terrified that the other didnât like them anymore and were dreading the other person initiating a break up.
So we had a clear mini arc set up to anticipate throughout the novel: Simon and Baz slowly coming to understand each other again and alleviate this one misunderstanding. And that is what we waited for: the Couple Conversation; the reassurances the other needed to hear; the affirmation of their enduring love for each other.
And it was a goal that was achievable for them within the bookâs time frame â fear of a break-up was what held them back from initiating a Couple Conversation, not an innate incapability of being able to express their feelings to one another. Weâve seen them achieve Couple Talks at the end of Carry On: Simon tried to break up with Baz because he wasnât The Chosen One anymore, but Baz had a Conversation with him right then and there to talk through Simonâs insecurities and to balance them with his own perspective and promises. These lads are capable of Talking to each other.
And thus, as anticipated, certain moments in Wayward Son started to break the ice of what their relationship had become, and we could see and feel them getting closer to that goal of Talking to each other. And sure enough, when the time felt right, bloody brilliant Baz broke through their stalemate of fear to finnnnnally initiate a Conversation and be upfront about his feelings for Simon! And Simon was affected by what he heard! He had a strong non-verbal reaction so we could see that Bazâs words had cut through and werenât outright dismissed. It was exactly the start of the communication that was needed to fulfill the emotional arc threaded throughout the whole book.
But that conversation was cut short before it truly began â for cliffhanger purposes! And that is what left me feeling very frustrated and ripped off. It was not only an unnecessarily unfulfilled arc (which made it feel like the characters had made little progression), but one that does not carry enough weight to drag into another book. Our boys can talk! Carry On managed to get that Couple Talk 1.0 done in one chapter at the very end. It really doesnât take two books to have one conversationâŠ
I was left wondering why that particular tension (a Conversation) was chosen to drag into a third installment. A Conversation was never going to solve everything; SnowBaz have a lot of other stuff to work through which is strong enough to be carry over. For example. affirming they still love each other doesnât automatically resolve the unhealthy habits they have in their relationship, or reestablish boundaries, or remove all the awkwardness between them.
So in the end, that ending just ended up feeling like a rather cheap trick to panic fans into needing a third book, instead of trusting us to naturally crave a third installment since SnowBazâs relationship obviously wouldnât be completely healed yet.
And thatâs just my take. Where do I (and anyone else in the same boat) go from here? I guess allow ourselves to feel disappointed if we are (it is important to validate and acknowledge our feelings) and then we can find room to enjoy the parts of the book that did work well. :)
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