"Do you approve?"
This is such a cool little moment from the first time Alfred is at Henry´s place.
The score that sets in immediately after Henry closes the door and locks out the outside world is so unsettling at first and sounds like danger is afoot, and for Alfred´s status quo it certainly is. There´s tension building right away. But then wonder of discovery gets sprinkled in quickly with those individual twinkling notes on top. It´s giving thrill of the unknown, uncertainty of what you´re getting yourself into, starting out with uneasiness, but magnetically and willingly letting yourself be pulled in, or, you know, visiting your secret forbidden crush for the first time.
Alfred is so unguardedly wide-eyed when he´s in that intimate setting and tapping more into who Henry is and what he cares about by looking at his photographs, it does something to me 🫠 (Even if they´re for a story they´re still Henry´s pov and choices, and Alfred looks like he´s soaking it all up, and also like he´s never seen photographs like that before. Just wait for later, buddy. You ain´t seen nothing yet.) You can basically watch him make those connections between what he sees and who Henry is in his mind. He´s filling in a crude drawing, shading and refining it as he moves from picture to picture. Henry´s gaining dimension, depth and color by the second, and Alfred looks like he´d like to keep going, as uncertain and scared as he might be.
And Henry? He´s just trying to gauge what Alfred is about. The question whether Alfred approves is really the critical and central one in the bigger scheme of things. Does Alfred approve of what´s going to happen between them? Of Henry? Of them? Of being with a man? They´re also the first words spoken here after Alfred has entered and come as a disruption for him, just like that ultimate approval will be a disruption to his life. Fitting that he doesn´t give an answer here at this point.
The slightest knowing smile spreading on Henry´s face at the end when Alfred basically has to tear himself away and return to reality is the best, especially paired with Alfred´s mouth falling open again as it so often does around Henry 🥰 perpetual shock to Alfred´s system thy name is Henry Ashe 🥰)
