Episode 7 Candle Scene
This scene. THIS SCENE.
*takes a deep breath*
I'm going to write a detailed rant about this scene from scratch because I have watched it atleast a million times by now.
Firstly, the moment when Adey walks to Freddie's door, you can literally see the heaviness in her steps - the way this is meaningful to her. Compare this to the scenes where we have Adey waltzing into Brayden's bedroom like she walks into Maria's room. Even from this, it's clear as day the difference in her feelings towards those two boys in that moment. The moment where he opens the door, the look on his face, the candlelight between them, yeah, this ain't nothing to Fred either. That difference is further highlighted when Adey remarks this has been the first time she was back in this room since before he moved back in.
Then, there's the conversation. The lovely thing about Freddie is that he apologizes - for the collision, for kissing Elise, for doing things that he feels would hurt Adey. Personally, I know the difference that being told verbally that someone is sorry makes. Not to fill this analysis with comparisons to Brayden, but he's not generally like that. Even when Adey tells him it's okay, Freddie needs her to know he's sorry becuase he genuinely is.
Then, they talk about why he was so distracted and his mother. The beautiful thing about their relationship is that there is this non-transactional piece to it. They don't support each other out of some need to make anything work for external reasons (the rink, a medal, reputation) - they do it because they genuinely care about, and respect and admire each other.
There were elements about reminiscing about the past - the snow globe, their first routine. I've seen people trying to downplay their relationship by remarking that they were always reminiscing on the past. Well, 1) at least they got one, and a meaningful one at that. So meaningful that they mention that shared past in several conversations to others. And 2) They're always reminsicing about the past like they miss it. Not necessarily who they were, but the fact that they were close. You have Riley saying on multiple occasions "this is not the Freddie I know" or Brayden saying "Adrianna is so confusing". Freddie and Adriana have never said anything along those lines about each other becuase they know the important parts about each other - that's not holding onto a past version of themselves that doesn't exist anymore, but reminding each other of the best parts of themselves. So, I think that their dwelling on the past is a beautiful thing, a reminder that they've felt this way for a long time and it's not going anywhere.
Then, of course, there was the dance. This is one of those scenes that show you that not everything needs words. Yes, Adriana and Brayden have shared 90% of their scenes together this season, but Freddie and Adriana can convey what they feel about each other in mere glances.
"I remember exactly what it feels like to skate with you." The boldness in this line and that's the thing with how Adriana is with Freddie. She has always been straightforward with him when she saw the space to be so. After the vulnerable conversation, she didn't put an end to the moment, hold his hand, say she's sorry and call it a day. This line is what's been running round her mind all season, having to watch him skate with someone else, everytime she's run into a setback with Brayden, even when she hadn't worn her skates for years. "Me too" - they've both been missing something of each other and nobody sit there and tell me there is anything remotely platonic about those feelings. Everybody all season brought up Freddie to Adey or Adey to Freddie in one way or another. "I always thought...." or " Doesn't it bother you?" Yeah these two also always thought and yes, watching the other skate with someone else did bother them.
Can I also say, just rolling off how people were counting how many TS songs BellyConr*d were getting from TSITP, that the lyrical choice in this show is such a masterpiece. Insurance by Deep was such a beautiful piece to this scene, like I will always see this scene when I hear this song. Other glaring lyrical choices were "Real love isn't real love if it's not us" playing during their first kiss (if the writers walk this whole thing back I'm just....like what even?????)
Okay, back to the dance, the song starts once she puts her hand in his. Can we please talk about the way Freddie was looking at her in this scene? I literally called my mom over and told her that I want a dude to look at me that way, or nothing. Like, where can I find that? No wonder girly isn't getting over this man - the set of his jaw, the softness of the way he was looking at her. It is different from when Brayden is dancing with her, and the difference is that her and Brayden are what we want performers to be doing. Her and Freddie are the kind of stuff that makes me feel like I'm intruding, the kind of stuff where you need a door between the two of you and the rest of the world. It's not for anyone else, just for them. It is why I do wonder if they'll make it as a good skating partnership. They defintiely got the love down, but love isn't what is the foundation of most skating partnerships. Most of these people in real life aren't dating each other and there is reason for that I'm sure.
Even though their hands were in safe places, it was like the two of them were mesmerized with each other. Like they couldn't believe they were in that moment.
The moment where his eyes draw over to her injured hand and Adey's eyes following him as he takes the hand so gently to his lips. If anyone opened a dictionary and pulled up the word intimacy, it would be this scene. How does this scene even exist? The gentleness with which he kisses her hand, and closing his eyes as he does so, and then the eye contact when he looks at her again with her hand still at his lips. WHAT? HOW ARE YOU PEOPLE NOT SEEING THIS? HAVE WE REGRESSED TO AN AGE WHERE PASSION IS MEASURED BY GRINDING AND GROPING OR WHAT? WHATS NOT CLICKING ABOUT THIS SCENE TO Y’ALL?
The only dialogue in this whole dance is when Adey asks to see his back. Let's just pause there and process. He kisses her hand. Her first thought is kissing him where it hurts too. BRO. WHAT EVEN? WHOEVER WROTE THIS, I HOPE YOU DOING WELL TODAY IN LIFE. The intimacy of kissing each other when it hurts. The way they acted it out gave the scene a quiet tension which I don't think would be possible if there weren't years of history and longing between them. WHOEVER SHOT THIS SCENE - BRO YOU DID GOOD TOO. The close up of Adey kissing Freddie's back. Please, y'all, turn up the sound. You can literally hear Freddie's breath catch and stutter with every kiss. And the shot of him closing his eyes while her lips are on him.WHAT IN THE WORLD? WHAT MSG IS IN THIS? PLEASE INJECT THIS INTO EVERY SCENE WITH THESE TWO IN SEASON 2 IF THERE IS ONE (not that they don't bring something wonderful to every scene they share together becuase they so do).
Then, Freddie turning around and them both leaning in? It was crazy how Adey's dad interrupting them by calling for lights out didn't make the scene feel cut off or incomplete becuase it did what it was supposed to do for the characters. They hadn't even kissed yet and Adey was already halfway to saying screw the act and the sponsorship and everything else that isn't Freddie right now.
I could rant about this scene forever. It truly was a masterpiece in every way - acting, directing, writing. Every way.
