which I think is at least partially because I agree with tvmicroscopes perspectives on the yr subtext
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I'm curious about these perspectives! what are they?
Honestly, it’s kinda hard to explain without either, a, sounding a bit like an insane conspiracy theorist or, b, basically just repeating stuff that he’s already explained but worse.
(If you want to ignore me and just read his posts, here’s a link to the first one)
The main kind of ideas though (+ links to the posts where he’s explained them (although, warning that a few of them are paywalled)) are:
Music is a metaphor for love.
(which makes the piano scene in 1.03 a bit sadder, but a bit less abrupt)
Water is a metaphor for feelings.
(rowing generally represents more shallow or fake relationships)
Lockers are a metaphor for secrets.
Stella and Fredrika mirror (subtextually act as) Simon and Wilhelm respectively.
Felice and Sara sometimes mirror Simon and Wilhelm, but, when they do mirror them, it’s not always Felice = Simon, Sara = Wilhelm, sometimes it switches.
Marcus is a “ghost” mirror for a guy who doesn’t exist within the text (let’s call him ‘Person X’ for clarity’s sake) (and is essentially just Marcus but significantly worse, like, take most of Marcus’ defining traits and exaggerate them: dating Simon (doesn’t need changing), 18 (legally an adult), manipulative, and works at/with Simon’s school.. (you can see why I say he’s significantly worse, I want to actually punch this fictional man for what he did to 12-14.5yr old Simon)).
August also sometimes mirrors Person X (but also sometimes Wilhelm or Simon. Which makes that scene where Sara goes to August’s room to talk subtextually super interesting, because it’s basically ‘Sara (Simon) goes to meet August (Person X) and, after some conversation, Sara says “I don’t think you’re the worst person” (or something along those lines) and now it’s Sara (Wilhelm) and August (Simon), having their cute moment (therefore making that scene cute for saraugust, cute for wilmon, horrific for younger Simon)).
(this also kinda explains why Stella was generally more judgy towards Felice in s3 about the idea of her telling someone about the initiations (ie: Person X) it’s basically subtextually two sides of Simon deciding whether or not to tell someone about what happened, one side feeling like it was “just a relationship gone bad” and that it was his fault that it even happened, the other side realising that they need to tell someone about it. Another scene that’s got this kind of thing going on in it is Sara and Simon’s argument in 1.06, both of them are subtextually Simon in that scene, with Simon being more rational yet a bit invalidating, and Sara being a younger Simon who felt like he wasn’t protected from Person X, that Linda should’ve paid more attention to what was happening. (In summary, young!Simon was (and still kinda is) dealing with this heartbreaking combination of feeling like it was his fault that everything with Person X happened, but also desperately wishing that someone would’ve prevented it from happening)).
Rousseau is/horses are an allegory for the line of succession.
(hence why I was, privately, slightly pissed at Wilhelm in 3.05 for suggesting that he might get back into riding, because it was clear it was just another way he was trying to play the Perfect Crown Prince to appease his mother).