hola!!

rory | they/he | 19 | adhd

[heli-is-other-people-deactivate]

That episode of Everything's Gonna be Okay, in which Alex calls out Nick for suppressing all his bad emotions so people wouldn't leave him... And the one in which Barb says she wanted people to choose her for once.... And the one in which Genevieve deletes her video in spite of her family saying it's good and being supportive about it...

[maybeacrowdedmind]

Loss of Healthy Rep

It is with a heavy heart that I tell you all that Freeform has decided not to renew the comedy series by Josh Thomas, Everything's Gonna Be Okay, for a third season. :(

I'm so sad about this because not only was it an incredibly relatable show, it is the only one I've ever seen to represent the autistic community respectfully. All autistic characters were played by autistic actors, and each autistic character's autism manifested differently, which is something I had never seen before this show came out. Kayla Cromer (Matilda), Lillian Carrier (Drea), Carsen Warner (Jeremy), and Josh Thomas (Nicholas) are all autistic actors who played autistic characters in this show and they all did such a beautiful job. Shows like these that show autistic representation authentically are so rare, and it was actually making this show that led Josh Thomas to getting diagnosed as autistic. This show not being renewed for a third season is not only a loss of representation for the autistic community, but the LGBTQIA+ community as well. EGBO featured two non-heterosexual relationships, Nicholas and Alex (an interracial mlm relationship) and Matilda and Drea (a wlw relationship where one partner (Drea) identifies as a homoromantic asexual and the other (Matilda) is either bi- or pan- romantic and heterosexual (if I worded this or got Matilda's orientation wrong, please forgive me, I'm doing my best). Having not one, but two LGBTQIA+ relationships are rare enough, but even more so when you account for the fact that there is an interracial one and the other is wlw (which I've heard is pretty rare when it comes to fiction) and has one partner who is asexual. As I'm not under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella, I'll leave a more in-depth discussion on this topic to those who are much more qualified than I.

The other thing that saddens me about the cancellation of Everything's Gonna Be Okay is the fact that until this show came out, I had never seen any autistic characters that were a) played by autistic actors, b) weren't stereotypical ableist caricatures, and c) actually had autistic girls represented. The last point is a really big one for me because before EGBO, I had never seen a female autistic character on a tv show. Every single one I saw was male, and they were always the same carbon copy of outdated stereotypes (the savant who is emotionless and insensitive, but his savantism excuses his every action because he is a "poor precious baby" who just can't help that he's practically an infant). On a semi-unrelated note, the fact that Savant Syndrome is the most used autism trope is completely hilarious and borderline laughable to me because people who are savants are extremely rare. The "poor baby" stereotype is also incredibly infantilizing and can be really frustrating to the autistic community. I was also super happy about there being autistic girls represented because I have so few characters in fiction who are like me, and seeing Matilda and Drea was so great to see, and I mourn the fact that because it got cancelled, so many autistic girls won't be able to see autistic characters like themselves onscreen.

Lastly, this show was pretty progressive when you think about it and it made a point to focus on topics that most people avoid on television (like those small margins of grey area in regards to subjects that are typically very black and white) and when differences in communication styles happened, the show never painted one way as the right way, which is very important. EGBO also showed characters doing and feeling things that so many people can relate to (like talking and being curious about sex, being nervous to meet your SO's friends, wanting to fit in while being uncomfortable fitting in, etc. etc.) and it did it in a way that didn't feel overly produced; it felt raw and real, which made the interactions between the characters organic and not like it was acting.

In conclusion, I am so disappointed that Everything's Gonna Be Okay was cancelled by Freeform because it had such amazing representation and as an autistic girl who had never had an autistic character who was female to relate to, I am disheartened and worried that I won't be able to see characters like these any time soon.

(Side Note: the fact the EGBO, which had autistic actors playing autistic characters, making the characters authentically portrayed, was cancelled after two seasons while Atypical, which has a neurotypical actor as the main autistic character (and is often treated more like a side character compared to the neurotypical characters in my opinion) and is often quite ableist and stereotypical in how it portrays autism (though there are parts of the show I like), got four seasons just feels unfair, you know?)

[ripsapphire]

hope there’s a trans reoccurring character next season,, and there’s less “WOMEN have vaginas and I don’t like vaginas,, and y’know WOMEN have those 🥴🥴” because as a dude with a vag that wasn’t particularly fun to hear gjdkgjdkg

[daenrys]

EGBO FINALE SPOILERS:

i agree w nicholas’s reasoning but i rlly hope alex isn’t gone, i rlly like him 😢

but the wedding oh my god i cried so much

[hazlezah]

Honestly, I'm proud of how Nicholas handled Alex trying to get back together. The responsibility of why they broke up is on both (IMHO Nicholas carries much of it, but it takes two to tango and you can't change someone to be who you need them to be) and the pain of breakups is a legit thing. They didn't work, and it's okay to go 'oh with that revolution it makes sense' and then,, move on

[ripsapphire]

@heartless2000 was talking about oscar and tbh i gotta agree and I had a lotta words so I’m just making my own post gjdkg,,

he was actually very sweet and thoughtful towards genevieve which i think could have been good for her growth and getting comfortable around people. I was originally put off by him because he had reminded me of boys who’ve made me uncomfortable,, (being “clingy” and taking things/himself very seriously,, obviously nothing wrong with that,, just my personal taste in friends) but him sincerely thanking genevieve for her gift and trying to make things comfortable for her on the phone by filling the silence shows he really cares about her (despite being a little unhinged at the tree gjdkg). I can see how the writers might not be having her grow this season and are instead having her have setbacks by being self destructive (underage drinking, turning people away who care about her in favor of toxic people, etc.) she ended last season performing for a whole room of strangers (i like that stand up is something her actress does i think thats fun) and she did make her youtube video,, but she originally completely scrapped her video and gave up,, genevieve struggles with accepting herself for who she is. This really shows through on the date with her avoiding all the questions and not being just stand with herself in the mirror for even a minute,, so I think she’s acting out/is out of character on purpose like she’s trying to be someone else and oscar liked genevieve for who she was so she’s pushing him away so she can be someone else yknow ??

[ripsapphire]

did anyone notice this??? gkFGJKFLHGJ

[ripsapphire]

when barb was talking about how she always felt forgotten and she just wants someone to want to talk to her,, oooh baby :,(( and like you see it in the show too how she’s always written off or is the butt of the joke,, i just really relate

[heartless2000]

Are we just ignoring that Leonard was legitimately a horrible person last season?

He’s a kid and kids change but he sent what he thought were Tallulah’s nudes to the entire school. Genevieve was rightly REALLY upset about that and now we’re just pretending it didn’t happen???? And he gets rewarded and she rewards him????

I don’t understand the logic here. That’s a completely out of character move for Genevieve and for a show that’s so good with representation and had a full discussion about consent and the complexities of that when you’re young and in relationships, it’s really upsetting to see someone who shared nudes with the public get rewarded. His actions are never even discussed again.

Plus, until this episode, Oscar was genuinely really sweet and caring. He made a point to encourage Genevieve and make sure she was comfortable with everything. When she mentioned that she didn’t like silence on the phone he went out of his way to ensure someone was always talking. He took her gag gifts really seriously and treated them as special, as special as the genuine gift he gave her. He’s been really kind, considerate, and wonderful up until this episode and I’m really disappointed with the way he acted.....

I’m really confused as to what the writers are trying to do and say here

[ripsapphire]

ive noticed this season in compared to first onr that there’s more ongoing plotlines,, while last season even if things weren’t exactly wrapped up they were all self contained stories for the most part while this season things go on for a couple episodes,,, season two feels,, not like suffocating,, just like,,, kinda heavier/dense ? idk

[ripsapphire]

nicholas describing masking his whole life hit home so hard,, along with the mixture of also having adhd,, like the bit about trying so hard to figure out how to ‘act normal’ and how you’re supposed to while other people just know already!! and the finally not masking around someone and they don’t like being around you anymore

[ripsapphire]

made me cry when matilda told alex he was one of her best friends and that her wedding wouldn’t be the same without him when last episode he said that they would be looking at group pictures years down the line and forget who he is,,

their relationship is very sweet,, like in the episode where they drink together and he says that he loves hanging out with her when she felt like a burden,, they’re besties :,((

[ripsapphire]

just waiting for genevieve to get her lizard

[ripsapphire]

SHE GOT THE LIZARD BABYYY

[ripsapphire]

the first season of egbo is a comfort show for me but for season two i’ve been

STRESSED

[ripsapphire]

cottagecore lesbians: a reality

[ripsapphire]

man why’s genevieve with leonard?? like did she just forget just like,,, everything he did last season ? just like all of it hjdkgkfk

[hellabifurious]

ok the most recent episode of egbo was good but that scene in the safety deposit room made me FEEL things. nicholas is constantly being torn between an impossible position of being the authoritarian parent (which neither he nor the girls want) and being the chill, goofy older brother (which gives the girls freedom but not the structure they need). this episode really showed how he grapples with that while still trying to do what’s best for his sisters.

also i’m so v nervous about nicholas and alex’s relationship, i know we’re edging towards a big fight and i’m desperate for them to just COMMUNICATE