Their touches really do become increasingly intimate from about Act of Grace through to the end.
First, Ed just reaching for Stede’s chest and shoulder, like touching him will keep him alive.
Then the kiss. Not just that hand on Stede’s face but the one around his shoulders that slides down his back.
The second kiss in the moonlight, when Stede reaches for and holds the back of Ed’s head to kiss him deeper.
The intense kiss against the wall - Ed just grabbing Stede’s shoulders and waist, Stede pushing his hand into Ed’s hair. It’s a combination of their first and second kisses, just that much more intense and reciprocal.
And the confident way they touch each other on the beach - Stede holding Ed’s arms, Ed caressing Stede’s face.
But the bit that really I think makes it is that final touch as Ed rests his hand on Stede’s shoulder and Stede holds his arm. It’s so comfortable and intimate, a kind of repeat of the "Act of Grace" moment, but it’s not tentative or grasping, and Stede is holding Ed, giving him that equal reassurance.
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hey so i am so so pleased they hired an intimacy coordinator this time around! and you can tell that the actors are much more comfortable too! the intimacy is much much better!!
let's do a lil intimacy breakdown from my knowledge as an IC in training and a director just in general
(this is a long post so it's under the cut)
fact is, there's some awkwardness in the ed/stede s1 kiss, which i am ninety percent sure is due to body placement. i'd wager there was a discussion on set that was like "hey this is a stunning shot, we love what it looks like, let's get the actors in" and they got the actors in and got to the blocking for the kiss and everyone was like "hey this is a bit awkward but we'll muscle through" - cause that awkwardness fits the character arcs.
but it's not actually all that easy turning all the way to one side to kiss someone without moving where your legs are! it's weird! it's an awkward angle! - or more accurately, it's the angle that two people would kiss at if it was a very impulsive, awkward surprise; or if your two lead actors are very good friends faced with playing lovers for the first time and not sure what to feel about that (we've all been there) - there's reticence, but it fits the scene so it's fine.
(Lucius and Pete and Olu and Jim also have moments of intimacy, which for the most part are fine, and I suspect that's a combo of a) their staging is SO MUCH BETTER, b) character choices, c) different directors and d) less of that "OMG WE'RE PLAYING LOVERS NOW" anxiety)
~~onto season 2~~
for the record, intimacy direction isn't just for kissing/sex scenes, ICs can come in for intimacy building exercises and additional blocking, as well as things like nudity, childbirth or any similar sensitive work, but I'm going to be talking mostly about kisses in this. anyway!
Beautiful! Kind, lovely, tender! The backdrop is super nice too. Honestly, the Lucius/Pete stuff has really been so nice all the way along; that's great casting! Especially in S2E5, everything reads as very earnest and space is used very well.
Archie and Jim. Now, we don't have anything to compare it to from S1, but I'm flagging it cause yeah, they definitely have similar staging to Ed/Stede from S1E09. I would say there's a much better range of movement in this one, likely because they're sitting on the floor, braced against the bed, so they can compensate for the weird angle better than E/S could. This might come off as a lil rude but it's also more likely that these two actors are slightly more flexible and can make this staging work better than Taika and Rhys.
Cannot for the LIFE OF ME find a gif of their hug, but they have fantastic chemistry! despite only showing up for like 2/3s of one episode. I've seen people whining about how they absolutely should have kissed - and you know what, I would have liked that too!
however, I suspect that what happened here was that one or both of the actors didn't want to kiss on screen, and voiced their objections to the IC, who found a work around. It was likely not cause of any kind of ill will or homophobia, for the record - sometimes you just don't want to kiss people. Maybe you're sick, maybe you're feeling weird, maybe you're just not in the right headspace, but a kiss might be off the cards that day.
This is behaviour we want to encourage, btw. The goal is to ensure that actors feel comfortable and that the shot isn't be all end all. I've done something very similar, we had 20 mins to get the blocking done and the actors weren't at a point where kissing felt comfy, so we did a kiss on the cheek and a hug.
it is better that the actors are comfortable than your ship is fulfilled.
Hey yknow what I was saying about how ICs aren't just used for blocking, they're used for chemistry building? That's what they've HIT ON HERE. This is genuinely a very lovely kiss. It's deeply appropriate for the characters, and it's private and simple. things get a little more raunchy, and hands start moving, but then it's stopped, for a narrative reason, and the chemistry remains with the hand hold. It's really very nice, well blocked and well performed. the hand placement! the tenderness! it's great. there's none of that s1 reticence, whether that was from characters or actors.
I think the intimacy work, much like the writing and the characterisation is much, much stronger in this season, and that's to the show's benefit. I know we're only halfway through, but I'm thoroughly interested to see where things go in the remaining episodes. I will update this post if anything exciting crops up in the final five.
and this is why you need to hire ICs! they make life easier for actors, directors and crew alike!!
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Just noticed that Ed's hand movement around Stede's neck and shoulders in the Season 1 beach kiss is repeated in Calypso's Birthday, but with important differences.
The first is very much in keeping with the tentative nature of the kiss and their relationship. Ed surprises Stede, they've never kissed before, and he likely doesn't know how it's going to be received. He puts his arms around Stede, but very gently and carefully. There's not much movement to his hand, and then he lets it drop onto Stede's back, rather than cradling his head. It's not leading to sex; it's an expression of attraction and establishing their feelings for each other, and Ed is very gentle and tenuous about it.
He also doesn't push anything too far. He's touching Stede, but he's not holding him, and Stede could pull away if he wanted to.
The second is very much a precursor to sex. Ed moves his hand, finger by finger, up Stede's neck, until his thumb strokes his ear. This is a reciprocal kiss; they want each other, and they're not uncertain about the other's feelings or desires. Nothing about it is tentative; it's escalating the moment, with total consent from both partners.
It's also a deeply protective gesture - Ed has seen Stede tortured and is reassuring himself that Stede is there, alive, in his arms, and he can touch him and keep him safe in a way he couldn't when his arms were tied.
They're not perfect kisses - the first is a little awkward and uncertain, and Ed doesn't move either of his hands much, like he's afraid if he moves, Stede will shatter. It's the beginnings of intimacy. The second is much more intense and physical, more clinging, and the repetition of Ed's hand movement is to bring Stede closer and give them both reassurance. But it's still inherently sweet and loving; this isn't so much "fuck" as "make love."
I love that this show does actually expand on the characters' intimacy with each other and lets their relationship, and how they express their feelings, deepen over time. Little things like the placement of their hands actually change the tone of the scene and show their care for each other in different ways.
Also, they're just really hot.
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