can we talk about platonic elmike in season one
can we talk about how mike took el in and gave her a warm place to stay and introduced her to society out of the goodness of his heart
and can we talk about how people immediately started criticising him for helping her for romantic reasons, how society can only possibly justify a boy helping a girl for his own selfish intent
and can we talk about el, who had never received any kindness in her life, let alone had a friend, and how she felt like everyone expected their friendship to be something more, and how she literally compared mike to "a brother" right before he kissed her, but because he kissed her that meant she had to kiss him too
can we talk about el in season 3, when she was shocked when max told her she was allowed to dress like herself, be herself, have her own identity
can we talk about toxic masculinity and blatant misogyny and everyone forcing children into harmful stereotypes because there's no way two kids of the opposite gender could possibly just be friends
can we talk about the autonomy they both deserved so fucking much, but never got
can we talk about how mike would have no problem telling el he loved her if they were allowed to just be friends
