Okay, so this moment. This moment right here is so awesome to me. This is the first time that I have ever seen (on screen or in a book) the male gaze land on two women kissing and have it NOT be about the guy and his gratification. What Alice and the cast and crew managed to do here is absolute perfection. Tara and Darcy are having this intensely personal moment of freedom with a deliberate, mutually agreed upon act of public physical affection, they're finding joy in each other... and there's Nick, seeing it for what it is and feeling a reflection of their joy, the radiance of it. Yes, it helps him realize something about himself to witness that moment, but ultimately, his happiness just helps us as viewers feel even more connected to Tara and Darcy. I don't know if I'm getting this all out in a way that makes sense, but, having taken so many literature classes where we studied the male gaze and how destructive it can be to women, I find this scene in the show to be quietly revolutionary. From the lighting, to the editing, to the scenes and conversations that take place prior that make it so clear what this moment actually means, right down to the song lyrics in the background ("Just another time I'm caught inside every open eye"). It's just pure gold.
