JJ's performance in episode 11 is so crucial in helping Yuuri move forward.
So I was really surprised when JJ choked in ep 11. If there was one person who I never thought would crack, it was JJ. I expected consistency from him, so when he messed up I was SUPER shocked.
And that’s the point.
Remember this scene from the same episode where Yuuri reacts to failing his jump? After executing a near perfect performance?
This is the look of someone who’s just… so angry at himself for failing. Someone who’s thinking “wow you’ve fucked up the year before and this year you have Viktor by your side and YOU STILL FUCK UP.”
Yet in episode 12 that’s no longer a prominent issue. You no longer see him terrified of failure, and you can tell that watching JJ gave him the insight that he needed.
This is him realising that even the most seemingly infallible are fallible. That they can and will cave in to the pressure from time to time, and that it’s okay.
And this is him realising that he’s NOT a failure. That he’s not some pathetic loser to everyone for messing up that jump.
And finally here’s where he finds a bit more confidence in himself and self-worth. Here’s where Yuuri realises that messing up does not undermine every other success he’s had, that it does not define him. That he failed at one jump, but he also succeeded at every other, and was brilliant enough to be one of the final six.
Here’s where he realises that he failed, and that he can forgive himself for that.