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unsaid-stardust · 3 years

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The Blowing Kisses Motif

OK THERE’S A LOT TO UNPACK HERE SO BUCKLE UP KIDS

Disclaimer: this is inspired by my friend’s post here (which you should read to gain more depth about this theory and also just bc lev is my friend and I love her). And @reggiepetersbass helped with some of this as well! go support them!! 💜

NOW ON TO THE META

For starters, let’s layout all the times it happens.

ep1: At dinner after Julie getting kicked out of the music program is brought up, Tía blows a kiss to Carlos before she leaves.

ep6: during “all eyes on me” one of the moves is Carrie blowing a questionable kiss (I say questionable bc it’s not the same as the others, but is worth talking about)

ep9-there’s two separate times in this episode as a whole:

when Caleb shows up on the grand piano, he whisks the boys away by blowing a kiss

after the “stand tall” performance and the boys poof out, Julie’s dad blows her a kiss

Now that we know what the motif is and when it happens, we can get in to the importance of each kiss, which can be attributed by how the characters react to the blown kiss as well as how it is executed. I grouped them one by one so do with that what you will cough work smarter not harder cough.

Tía’s Kiss

(wow you’re still here? ok.) Tia’s kiss is very playful and familial. When you first watch the scene, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. it’s something you see in a typical-loving home. What’s noticeable about this kiss is that it’s also very over the top and dramatic, but with warm tones. Tía uses both hands while making the usual “mwah” sound that is paired with a kiss. Carlos excitedly stands up in his chair, an “oh yeah!” sounding as he does, and he playfully pretends he is knocking it out of the park.

It’s clearly a positive response; a dramatic one too. The show is practically screaming “here! Look at this! Look at this kiss! It’s loving! Julie lives in a very loving and caring household!” which is important to lay out considering that some of the others are not like this at all. it’s also why it’s in the first episode as well as the first interaction Julie has with Tía in the season, but we’ll get to more of that later (buckle in or open the car door and roll out to make your getaway now idc it’s your life)

Carrie’s Half-Kiss

ah yes, the half kiss. i totally did not just find carrie blowing a kiss to prove my point nope Idk what you’re talking about.

As pointed out, one of the moves that Carrie performs during “All Eyes on Me” involves the act of blowing somewhat of a kiss. This kiss is nothing like Tía’s. It’s not at all familial or loving. No, it’s confident yet a little-bit self-absorbent. It’s dramatic, but in a true pop-queen way. It’s very carrie (I”m sorry you had to read that sentence sadkfhj).

Carrie is a bit superficial, just like her kiss. She doesn’t come from the same loving home that Julie does. Sure, her dad loves her, as stated in ep 9. But, one can assume that she’s felt a lot of loneliness. Her mom ran out on her at a young age and her dad is never there as he’s busy with his music. That’s all she’s known so it’s all she does. (This is totally not a self plug, but if you want more on carrie pls read here ). It’s practically inevitable that Carrie is the way she is currently. And it’s why her half-kiss is done for attention and receives applause instead of affection.

Caleb’s Kiss

oooo now this one! This kiss is the most interesting one imo. For those who didn’t read the first post I linked (seriously you should tho bc lev is smart don’t tell her I said that tho), here’s the quick run down. Essentially, galaxy-brain @reggiesjams explained that Caleb manipulates the way each character loves and blackmails them by holding their loved ones and hobbies by a thread. This is where each and every blown kiss throughout the season comes together; Caleb’s kiss.

Unlike Tía’s kiss, it’s not loving, but the exact opposite. It’s jealousy. It’s poison. Because it’s used to whisk the boys away from the studio, from crossing over, from Julie, the person all three boys love with their whole hearts (especially one Luke Patterson). And it’s right after that, that Caleb’s “last pitch” takes place.

The one in which he essentially tells all three boys “hey! this thing you love? if you go towards the light that is Julie Molina, the pourer of love that is Julie Molina, you won't have those things, but you’ll have them if you stay.”

This is where it all connects. (but I'll leave you in suspense because we still have probably the most important blown kiss throughout the season but honestly can’t believe you read this far! gold star for you good noodle)

Ray’s Kiss

yay!! back to love!!!!

ok so we established earlier that ray’s kiss happens after the boys poof out as the crowd cheers when “stand tall” ends. This is completely in contrast to Caleb’s kiss that happened before the performance. This kiss is so much like Tía’s and yet it’s not Tía giving the kiss (more on that soon almost there!). It’s full of love and affection and awe. It’s not used to accumulate applause or manipulate how someone shows their affection. No. It’s pure and good and wholesome. It’s everything that his daughter, julie, is.

TL;DR

Remember when I said I'd hold off about the connection that Caleb’s Kiss creates as well as why it’s not Tía blowing the kiss? Well, here it is.

The trilogy (or tetralogy if we count Carrie) of the blown kisses, and the chapter of Caleb’s manipulative kiss, is a nod towards the show’s theme which is quite literally “the power of love is the strongest power”.

In the first episode, we see a mourning Julie who has lost not only her mom, but her love of music. She’s dreary and dark. But, in the last episode, we see a Julie who is so full of light; literal fireworks exploding behind her as she performs. How does this happen?

Love. Love from her dad. From Carlos and Tía. From Flynn. From the boys. But, most importantly, her mom. She may not visibly be there, but oh is she there alright.

She’s there in the first episode with the sun that shines through the window as Julie sings for the first time in a year. She’s there any time a Dahlia is present. She’s there any time the boys are there because she’s the one that sent them. And she’s there after the performance of “Stand Tall” as her husband Ray blows a kiss to their daughter’s way.

She’s what brought the boys back to the studio in the end. She’s the one who guided them towards the light that is Julie; towards love.

It’s proven that Julie’s mom is who sent the boys back to her when Ray says after the kiss “I still don’t know how she does it” referring the the holograms. He could’ve said anything else. “Wow! My daughter is so amazing!” or “incredible!” but is that what he says? No. He questions the boys’ existence. This is pretty much the equivalent of a big flashing arrow that points to the show’s theme

And well, even though Carlos answers “it’s all one big mystery to me”. It’s really not because their mom’s love is the answer.

#julie and the phantoms #Julie Molina #Luke Patterson #alex mercer #reggie peters #ray molina #Carlos molina #I love this show so much #could I be over meta-ing #yes #but am I?#that's a low chance #everything in good tv and movie is done for a reason from the cinematography #to the music #to where the actors stand and what they wear #and kenny Ortega is a literal genius so it really isn't that much of a reach I don't think

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