(SPOILERS FOR THE SHOW)

im genuinely surprised when i found out that people in the yr fandom give simon so much shit and for what? trying to protect himself from getting hurt when wilhelm denied that it was him in the video after he PROMISED simon that he wouldn’t do that? or trying to move on from wilhelm? when simon got into dealing booze or stealing drugs from his dads, he suffered because of his actions! his friends(rosh and ayub) stopped talking to him, he couldn’t pay for the personal tuition and his mom and sara found out about it and were obviously very mad at him! sara got into manor house, made friends and mostly had a good time in the majority of the second season while she was basically betraying simon’s trust by not telling him who leaked the video and using that fact to get into manor house plus sleeping with the person who recorded and released the video! personally, i don’t think her character can be redeemed in s3! but i see people trying to defend her more than they will with simon and that’s very sad!

or the fact that even wilhelm didn’t have to suffer at the aftermath of the video cause he denied that it was him in the video! i mean, we all know that the internet sucks! imagine, the things simon had to read! and people want him to forgive wilhelm just cause he said he loves him?? i mean how can he trust him? does he not have self-respect? my poor boy prolly thought that he would only be hurt more cause if wilhelm can deny his existence now, why won’t he do it in the future? or how serious is wilhelm’s love for him if he can deny their relationship so easily after he PROMISED that he would do no such thing! or the fact that wilhelm’s doesn’t even apologize to him properly, clearly not realizing how much he hurt simon! i mean the guy keeps asking simon to be his secret? how can simon agree to that? notice how in the first half s2 it’s not that simon denies that he loves wilhelm, it’s more like how can i trust you? and he was right wasn’t he? wilhelm knew that august released the video but proceeds to once again make the choice for simon and keep him in the dark! i’m not saying that he didn’t redeem himself in the latter half of the season! but it definetely felt like only simon felt the repercussions of his actions! both Sara and Wille just got away! and august the guy who should have gone to jail was being rewarded by being the backup or getting the girl! simon definetely sufffered more than august and the fact that some people in the fandom still are annoyed by him is just really disappointing! atleast have a reasonable explanation for finding simon annoying or not a fun character! I mean if you can understand Sara’s action then simon deserves the same! i am not trying to say that simon isn’t at fault, im just saying that why are you harsher towards his character not towards sara, wille, or august!

also, can we not forget that marcus literally gaslights simon into not breaking up with him! like my guy can’t catch a break! i hope that simon gets to be happy in s3! even though he has to deal with his sister basically lying to him the ENTIRE FUCKING TIME!!!! my god, i just want both my boys to be happy!

Regarding your August and justice reply, I don't think you take in consideration what August wants when you say you hope he gets helps and realises he's been damaging others. Especially because he is well aware of the long lasting damages he has caused and other than being scared of being found and facing consequences, he hasn't shown to regret or be sorry for the pain and suffering he's responsible of. He's sorry his wrongdoings could cause him problems if found out.

I don't think he'll get any kind of judicial nor poetic justice. I think he'll be shown to kept in his way for the rest of his life, maybe not protected by the crown, but he won't let go of his habits not because he can't be rehabilitated. But because he doesn't want rehabilitatio. And you cannot help someone who doesn't want to be helped.

That's my favourite thing about August, actually: he is conscious of who he is and I don't believe anything can change his ways. Not even love. Opposite to Wille's journey where love changed it all.

About sullying wilmon's eventual happy ending? I think they deserve to be happy away from August's perceived toxicity but also, being away from him would be the only justice they could get.

TL;DR: I think August represents traditions and the nobility and that cannot be changed. Because they don't want to be changed. Just as August who enjoys his 'bad ways' and which make him such a compelling character to other too good characters like Simon or Wille.

I assume you're the original anon - thank you for getting back to me! EDIT: I stand corrected! Thanks for chiming in, August anon 2!

I understand your position, and I agree with parts of it. I'm going to put a cut here in case someone sees this who doesn't want to read any speculation on S3 - I wouldn't say there are any spoilers below, but I don't want to ruin anything for anyone.

The start of your text actually aligns with what I mean when I say August doesn't fully understand the gravity of his actions or regret the harm he caused to Simon. I just don't believe he understands the long-lasting damage he caused. I think August's demeanour when the damage to Simon comes up and sometimes even when talking to Wille suggests that he doesn't truly get why people are making such a big deal out of the video. He wanted to hurt Wille and Simon, he understands that he succeeded, and he understands that he betrayed Wille. However, I think there are many aspects to it that he, as an incredibly privileged and emotionally immature straight man, simply cannot understand. Such as the fact that the video will come up for the rest of Simon's life when applying to jobs and such, or that outing Wille to the world and subjecting him to homophobic hate etc. was nowhere near proportionate to Wille's humiliation of him in front of their peers. We agree that August hasn't shown much remorse. I do think it's possible he feels some genuine regret for the pain he caused Wille, who is a member of his family and someone he was meant to be loyal to, because that's the kind of damage he's been taught to consider. But he doesn't feel as much regret on a more general human decency level, especially for Simon. You are right that most of his regret is purely based on his fear of punishment, and that isn't the kind of regret that can lead to emotional growth. As to your points about August not wanting to change his ways... It's true that he hasn't wanted to so far, but I reject the idea that he couldn't still realise he needs to. The fact is that August already voiced to Sara in S2 that he felt like there was "something wrong inside his head" and that he felt like "the worst person in the world", and he clearly wasn't doing well in between Lucia and the start of their relationship. If he ends up back in that headspace in S3, after the experience of having been expected to take responsibility for the first time in his life and without the miracle solution of the crown being dangled in front of him... I do think it's still possible for him to reach a point where he finally chooses differently. Whether that's him hitting rock bottom, being forced to talk to a counsellor as part of a legal punishment, realising that the breathing exercise Sara taught him and potentially having to care for Rousseau helps him, or something else. On that note, I would also like to push back just a tiny bit on what you said about love changing everything for Wille and nothing for August. Simon's love acted as the catalyst for Wille's change, but the change only happened when the internal processes sparked by that love and his own betrayal of it had run their course. He also needed counselling to get there.

We don't know yet if Sara's love or August's betrayal of that love ends up catalysing anything in him. Not in terms of winning her back, but in terms of highlighting the contrast between her kindness and desire to hold him accountable for his failings vs. his own and his family's unkindness and lack of accountability. That remains to be seen in S3.

As you said, the alternative is for August to stick to his bad ways for the rest of his life - and as I tried to say without saying it directly, I fear his life may not be very long if he does. We've already seen him physically punishing himself for his failings, both with overexertion and not eating, so we know he is prone to self-harm. He's also addicted to the ADHD meds, just like his father was addicted to whatever it was. We know Carl Johan chose to take his own life in the face of ruin, and that August idolises him and must've been brought up with the same kind of worldview.

So, August is displaying some serious warning signs of going down the same path as his father, and unless we get at least some signs to the contrary before the credits roll on the finale, I don't think I personally can find any joy in his defeat/fall from grace. Again, I don't mean we need to see his growth in the show or that I want to see him forgiven by his victims in S3. They certainly deserve to be rid of his toxicity, and even if he does decide to change his ways, he's got a very long road ahead.

But I understand that you feel differently and place more weight on August not wanting to change! It's a very good point that he represents harmful traditions and the nobility, and any change he undergoes would also represent some kind of change to those institutions. Liking his character as the toxic relic that he's been thus far is extremely valid.

Personally, I think August realising that he needs to break free of the toxicity would be a way of 'breaking the wheel.' Either showing that these institutions can be changed after all, similar to how Wille started enacting change at Hillerska in S2 when he encouraged the first-years to rebel...or simply showing again that these institutions hurt even the people who seemingly benefit from them, and when freed, even they can grow and heal.

Please know I don't mean to invalidate your stance in any way! I think it just comes down to the types of conclusions that the show wants to leave us with.

[As a final sidebar, I have to say that I respectfully disagree about Simon and Wille being "too good characters" as you put it. I think they have some morally grey sides as well, the same as most other characters in the show, which is what makes them so very human. But that's a whole other discussion!]

Phew, this got really long... I'm not even going to attempt to summarise it but I hope it made sense. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Thought, feelings, and opinions on the YR3 finale

Far be it from me to rain on anyone's parade, but by God, the 'walk into the sunset' felt so cheap, lazy, and narratively unsatisfying.

Yes yes we all love love, love prevails all obstacles and suffices in all lacking, and now that they've trotted off into The Great Unknown and dived into The Vast Lake Of Possibility, it's all rainbows and sunshine from here on. Right?

If so, why does the rest of S3's build up stand in contradiction with the ending?

All the incompatibilities Simon and Wille have when it comes to class, wealth, social standing, etc, were really put under a spotlight this season and have not gone away just because they've had a little sun-kissed make-up. Once the car journey is over, they have to actually talk about how they want their joined life to look—quite the feat at 16/17 years old—and judging by Wille's treatment of Simon throughout the rest of the series, I don't see it the road ahead being paved with glory.

We blame (excuse?) a lot of Wille's behaviours this season on external pressures. And yes, Wille was trying to balance his duty to the crown with his romance and was under intense stress with his sick mother and looming ascendence to the throne, but a lot of his shitty behaviour also came from him, as a person. Those behaviours might be learned and cultivated in an upper class context, but they're still his. He chose to shush Simon in the tent then poke at the sore spot that is Simon's litigation settlement. He chose to shout at his mother instead of pulling her over for a more sensible conversation. He chose to pass on the pressures of the court to Simon regarding Simon's online presence, rather than discussing it with him or pushing back against Farima.

And yes, I know he's sixteen and troubled, but troubled sixteen year olds also have agency and personality and decision making abilities. As much as a lot of Wille's poor behaviour is a result of external pressures, we can't blame all his actions on external pressures either, lest be become a flat nothing of a character.

S3 ep 1-5 presented us with what seemed to be a fundamental incompatibility between Simon and Wille—as people, outside of any institutions. And the 'walking off into the sunset' ending glosses over all of that character and relationship build-up for the first five episodes. They even created all the mirroring resolutions for Wilmon ("I hope you have a nice summer" etc.), only to stomp on them with what? "Mom says it's ok for me not to be King anymore! Yay!" and that's it, a big silver bullet to all their problems, now they can live happily ever after.

Speaking of Kristina—Wille just asked nicely not to be King anymore and that was it? All it took was one polite conversation he failed to have with his parents for seventeen episodes and now he's "free"? Yes there was build up to Kristina's decision, but it was also way too easy. They finally get to have a grown up conversation with Wille—I don't think they're just going to let him go, like that, after 5 minutes in the car. They still want him to be King.

And even if he's not king, he's still going to be a Royal. He might not take the throne, but he will still have titles, land, duties, and a place in the Royal family tree. He's not going to be a damn bus driver now. The only thing is is that he might no longer have access to the resources he needs—namely personal security— to live the life of someone inextricably in the public eye, and that doesn't make him freer.

Look, I get that Wille and Simon's romantic relationship was central loci of the show, so it makes total sense why so many people were rooting for a happy ending. I begrudge no one, of course—there is no one way to consume or enjoy the show, and everyone will take from it what they need.

But if they were going for a Big Sappy Ending, I wish they wouldn't have make the cracks in Wilmon's relationship so enormous that they can't just be papered over, as it feels they have in ep6.

Long Live King August.

yeah im not crazy about a love triangle either but i feel like there's no point in worrying about it at this point bc it's gonna happen anyway lol hopefully it's done in a satisfying way that leaves room for other storylines, my only concern is how they're gonna fit all that drama in 6 episodes without rushing it but we'll see! i'm happy to get those characters back

same, i can sum up my feelings about love triangles in general with 'UGH', but like i said if done right they don't necessarily have to be a bad thing. in this case they're so young that being with somemone else could be a learning experience for him in different ways. it could also solidify for him that wille is the only one for him, and do the same for wille regarding him. there might be some delicious angst and pining, that's always fun! well, when you know the outcome is good, which i really don't see any way in which they don't end up together eventually, they're 100% endgame.

so really, it's all about the writing for me. if they convince me it's needed and adds to the story, that it helps develop simon's and wille's characters and their relationship, if it's executed well, then i could be ok with it. so i'm just hoping for the best bc i want to believe the writers know what they're doing and won't fuck things up just for the drama and shock value. there's so much love and care put into this show so hopefully they won’t let us down.

also i get your concern, there's all these characters and they each have their own dramas to deal with, but i guess it depends on how the season ends for each of them? it's like while watching s1 you're thinking 'how are they gonna resolve everything??' and the answer was 'they're not!' unless this is the final season then they could take their time with all the drama and leave stuff to be resolved in s3. i just hope they manage to balance everything in a good way and not just have nonstop drama the entire time + that we still get plenty of wilmon interactions despite the situation b/w them being the way it is.

like you i just wanna see them all again, we've been waiting a long time for it and i miss them and i know they're gonna kill it :)

here are my thoughts on s2

first of all im gonna rate it a 7/10,i enjoyed it but there was definitely room for improvement.also s1 is superior.

i feel like i was just expecting more yk,like everyone thought it was gonna be really sad and honestly it just wasn't bc after a certain point it became repetitive.for example simon going back to Marcus when things got messed up with wille over and over again.

Marcus was definitely toxic and had shown red flags from the start but bc he seemed like the nice guy everyone ignored them.like the fact that he pressured simon into a relationship saying stuff like "i will wait for you,we will take things slow" just seemed really manipulative to me bc he knew damn well that simon was still in love with wille

I think there was too much screen time about sara and August,also for me personally i think they completely destroyed saras character making her so unlikeable and i honestly dont know how they writers will fix her relationship with simon and felice in the next season (if there is one)

The whole Alexander-august thing made absolutely no sense bc why would Alexander risk getting in serious trouble again??i dont get it

I absolutely loved how wille was treating August,it felt so relieving seeing august slowly lose everything

episode 3 wille and felice...no words,it made again no sense

I love the fact that wille started seeing the therapist bc i believe he needed someone to talk to and get advice from and i hope if there is a s3 that we will see more of this character development

I think that simons character didnt have that much depth this season,he was only associated with marcus,wille and the video.i would like to see more about his relationship with his father and just in general more about his personality

I loved the ending so much i think it was the most powerful scene in the season,like wille making that statement, everyone on the royal family panicking,him and simon reassuring eachother by smiling,then the music drops and wille is staring at us breaking the 4th wall ahhhh it was so good.honestly if there is no s3 im okay with that ending knowing that simon got his closure and wilmon is fine.but im also worried about sara calling the cops which is why i believe there will be a 3rd and final season about how things turned out.

also the new wlw couple has so much potential im really hoping we will see more of them next season (when sara almost outed the girl i was so furious)

also nils...i did not expect that.i think he was hitting on wille but wille definitely didnt understand it.

wille being oblivious of the fact that the song was about him😭😭❤️‍🩹

im happy that wille finally gave space to Simon bc then simon was able to sort out his feeling and come to the conclusion that it has always been wille.

I did mean full on sobbing yeah and I think it could happen from all the pent up tension accumulated at some point. But I wouldn’t mind just him crying, shedding tears.

Also thanks for reminding me of that interview 🥲 but I am the eternal clown and I hope he was making things bigger than what they are, especially since he said WE were the ones getting panic attacks from what would happen in s3 💔

Uhhh but imagine a parallel scene to the football field but this time it’s Simon calling Wille 💔

The point is, s3 NEEDS to further explore Simon’s story, both as Wille’s boyfriend AND as his own character. We need to see his healing process at least starting to develop somehow.

And yeah I agree that Wille will def still suffer from anxiety and depression, especially with whatever is gonna happen after the speech and mental health doesn’t get cured in the span of twenty seconds, not even if you get your boyfriend back, so I do expect him to still have attacks. I just don’t want them to be provoked by new stuff bc not only he doesn’t deserve to have to think about other things on top of everything else, but there is absolutely no time. Too much going on for him, he hasn’t even properly mourned his brother yet, he has so much he needs to do, giving him other stuff would be insane and sadist and repetitive as well.

Lol okay idk how likely it is that he will be full on sobbing but i do think he will probably cry.

OHHHHHHHHHH… LOL maybe that is what he meant 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

If simon calls wille like that from the football field i will be the one having a breakdown omg…

Yeah i really hope so also about Simon’s side being shown. I’m getting worried bc it feels like like there isnt enough time to address everything that needs to be addressed with the 6 episodes but im sure they will find a way to make it work. But i think outside of Wille we could see that through how things go down with Micke or even with Sara. That would be kind of interesting. Since Omar said Simon’s grows as a character i believe him and think that will happen somehow with him continuing to think about what his needs are/ balancing his needs and others needs.

I also agree with about not wanting more things that will hurt them but a lot of people seem to think thats just the kind of show we signed up for 😭 so ☹️☹️☹️

I really desperately need them being happy together and supporting eachother even if there is a lot of outside drama. I do not want prolonged fights and them not talking to eachother that would be so frustrating after s2 thats enough. and i hope new things dont come up to mess with them :(( bc also like we are saying there is more than enough already that could give them stress and drama. I guess idk they have to balance tying up the loose ends they created and also have like enough to keep people engaged thru the 6 episodes? Bc sometimes i dont like with final seasons of show when it seems like they are just trying to wrap everything up with a bow. I dont think yr is like that so i guess we will see how they handle everything thats open ended