Ok. So I just finished watching Only Friends:Dream On series and to be honest it has made me way more emotional than season 1. I feel like the first season was more about tangled relationships and adults that had no idea about how to control their own desires and urges. Through Ray's character, it also depicted alcoholism and through Mew's character, it depicted how often innocent people fall prey to the uglier world outside.
But season 2 definitely held more surprises. I'll talk about the couples one by one because I feel like I'll miss important details if I don't.
1. ArnoldTua- This couple was easily the most least toxic one. Seeing Tua's character reminded me a lot of Mew. Although at first I felt like Arnold was friend zoning Tua, later I realized that he just needed time for his own feelings to become clearer and that's alright. It also felt good to see how he wanted to clarify their status as a couple as soon as he was ready to do so.
2. RomeRaffy- I feel like Rome was the most sensible and non problematic character. I also liked it when he clearly turned down Pete because he was in love with Raffy. And there was a scene when the video of Arnold and Dean is leaked and everybody naturally assumes the culprit to be Raffy, so I thought that Rome will do the same and maybe even be angry at Raffy. But I was so happy when instead of jumping to conclusions, Rome first talked to Raffy sensibly. And the fact that he was ready to let go of Raffy, also showed his own realization of his self worth. He seemed like the most relatable character to me personally.
Now talking about Raffy, I feel like he is so misunderstood. I get that he wanted Jack and Dean to break up so he could be with Jack, but still he wasn't all that wrong. Jack also kept leading him instead of turning him down fully, so its only natural that Raffy felt like there could be a future for them one day. He was only in love. And thats not wrong. And he never actually hated Dean. His hatred was born from his own insecurities. He had pressure from his mother and was also in love with Jack. And on top of that he was constantly competing with Dean for the role of Romeo. Due to these factors, he hated Dean, but I feel like this hatred was also burned down in the glow of the lit cigarettes they shared in a scene. And I felt good to see that Raffy, in the end, chose to respect himself and turn down Jack when he realized that he was nothing more that a replacement for Dean.
3. JackDean- This was the most toxic and problematic couple in my opinion. I felt like Dean's character was so toxic and portrayed so well, I was literally applauding for actor Mix. His character perfectly showed how far people sometimes go to rekindle their relationships for the person they love. Although his ways were toxic, his end goal was always the same- Jack. All he wanted was to keep being his number one actor. And now that I write about it, his character seems way more vulnerable to me than it did on screen. He was confident and a little self absorbed, but I felt like he needed that level of self confidence because of his situation. He wasnt a nepo baby like Raffy. So he worked even harder. I feel like his determination and self belief was really applaudable throughout the series. Because all the while, he was hated, but never once defeated. And that shows how perfect he was in his craft. Other than that, no matter what situation he faced, he fought against it proudly. Like increasing his followers by making content with Arnold, confidently admitting to be a host when people at university were gossiping about him. But after the misunderstanding in the end, when Jack had made up his mind, instead of pushing, he quietly accepted his defeat. That felt very emotional to me. He also didn't get together with anyone, also turned down Gameplay. In the end, he, too, just wanted his boyfriend Jack back no matter what. But he could only do it when he was sure that Jack loved him too. And in the end, when Jack made up his mind and offered him just a friendship instead, he went back into acting mode and took his friendship like scraps to a dog not fed for a long time.
I dont have much to say about Jack but I did hate him for giving mixed signals to Raffy and leading him on.
Also when I saw Boston refusing to sleep with Tua when he was heartbroken, i was so shocked. Boston really had changed a lot. But then again, in the previous season too, it was said that he never forced people. But still, seeing him pass on such great opportunity was shocking and heartwarming. But when I saw him and Nick seeing each other after so long, that too with Nick's boyfriend being there, it felt like a flashback. I think Boston really did love Nick. I kinda wished for them to end up together, but I guess its just better this way. Not every relationship always has to turn into something beautiful and eternal. Sometimes it ends before time and thats alright. Some candles are better left unlit.
[ i loved the acting of all the actors in the series, especially EarthMix]