Whether you liked or disliked season 4, there’s one thing for certain-
You’re happy Matt is finally back and safe
And the reunion scene between Pidge and Matt after all the emotions and build up in the show-
I’m not crying you’re crying
It was (one of) the most satisfying and happiest scene(s) we’ve gotten so far in the series for us and for the characters of the show.
However, this isn’t the reunion I wanted to talk about. No, the reunion I want to talk about is
The reunion between Shiro and Matt
People loved that Shiro and Matt finally found each other after so long and after all the build up in the series, and I was happy that they finally found each other too but... I can’t help but feel like something’s off and after a couple of seconds of watching the scene I had realized
The scene was beyond underwhelming
Because they meet each other after so long with all this build up for what?
I thought this is not how it was supposed to go, the build up and emotions and just-
Now, here’s why I find this scene so underwhelming:
Pidge and Shiro are the ones closest to Matt and both want him back well and alive and miss him with all their hearts. Obviously, they’re both going to miss Matt in different ways because for Pidge, Matt is her older brother she was close to. In the flash backs, one of them was a show of how smart Pidge is but it also showed how lonely she was had felt with it. Matt helps her see that her smart brain is not a curse but an awesome gift. She relies on him. Pidge misses her brother.
For Shiro, Matt is his friend (depending on the backstory we get with those two they might be best friends even). They graduated together, went on an important space exploration together and suffered together (and separately). They’ve gone through big and small together and they’re both close. Shiro misses his friend.
Along with missing Matt, Shiro has a prominent thing about himself that makes this scene so underwhelming
There is such a thing as Survivor’s Guilt
Now Survivor’s guilt “is a mental condition that occurs when a person believes they have done something wrong by surviving a traumatic event when others did not” It’s also a significant symptom of PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Now we know that Shiro suffers from PTSD, I don’t need to explain why because everyone already knows. It’s canon.
But with PTSD (depending on the situation), there’s a high chance of Survivor’s Guilt. It’s “ a significant symptom of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).” It’s a part of having that PTSD.
So what’s to stop Shiro’s PTSD from causing him to be alone with his thoughts and overthink what he knows and convinces himself that Matt and Samuel aren’t as okay as he wants to believe?
What’s to stop Shiro’s PTSD from causing him nightmares where he watches Matt and Samuel die in front of his eyes and feel like he could have saved them but didn’t?
What’s to stop Shiro’s PTSD from making him feel guilty about escaping and leaving Matt and Samuel in the clutches of the Galra and possibly dying when he was able to get away alive?
What’s to stop Shiro’s PTSD from making him pour out all his built up emotions and guilt that he’s been hiding for the sake of the team and universe after finally seeing Matt right there in front of him, touching Matt right there in front of him, hearing Matt right there in front of him, feeling Matt’s heartbeat right there as he hugs him, having Matt alive right there in front of him?
What I’m trying to say is:
Shiro cares about Matt a lot, it’s been established in the show. Shiro saves Matt from suffering in the Gladiator arena. Shiro cares about Matt’s (and Samuel’s) family by taking Pidge under his wing as a brother figure for her. Shiro misses Matt and I don’t understand why the scene is the way it is. I needed more and there was supposed to be more but it’s not there.
Now there is the argument that Pidge had told the team on their way back that she had in fact found Matt and Shiro would be anticipating Matt’s return
but there would still be those built up emotions that were never shown and it leaves me feeling that-
There’s something off about Shiro
It could be the clone theory, it could be something else but there’s something off about Shiro and it has to do with the Galra and when he disappeared at the end of season 2. There’s something wrong with him and this was the biggest red flag that gave me the biggest feeling of this in season 4.
This scene could have been so much more