i would love to know everyone’s take on When It Happens
Alex’s got the “must impress the Bigger Boy” energy from the beginning, but it’s all stars and no hearts in his eyes
and i think Greg loves Alex by the end of the series 4 record
i see “no stars for naughty boys” as a turning point because it’s the first time Alex offers Greg a banter bit that he knows what to do with; prior to that there was no clear way to ‘yes, and’ Alex’s banter, because it was just Alex being obsequious and servile and Greg’s role required him to smack that down. but the stars on the name tag gave Greg a path to stay in character while heightening the bit instead of just ending it! you can tell they’re both so pleased with it! in the next episode Greg jokes about Alex being required to move around like a snake at home, which i’m fairly certain is the first time Greg initiated an unscripted joke instantiating Lore. obviously there is plenty of later banter that Greg has no time for, but he is comfortable with just shutting Alex down or turning it into Gay Chicken, whereas in earlier series he gets all stiff and agitated.
also i think Greg wants to be in love with everyone he spends any significant time with, he was probably trying to love Alex from series 1 but Alex is so weird and deliberately off-putting and cagey and offensively polite, and Greg is too shy to force his way past all that, he needs a clear on-ramp
the video from the Sarah O’Connell show where Greg is super besotted with Alex and giving him little kisses is from the promo period for series 5, so definitely by the end of series 5 records
right now i put Alex’s turning point somewhere in the pandemic, but my rewatch is just starting series 7 so i’ll see if i change my mind about that. he told Greg he loved him in the banter section pretty early on (series 5 maybe?), but he started telling interviewers he loved him around promo for series 12, which is also the series where he declared his love in the banter section a second, much more excruciating time. i’ve come to believe Alex’s weirdly public processing of his awareness of his love for Greg in 2021 was genuine on some level, but I bet it’s visible in his big sparkly eyes well before that.
i think Alex started trying to properly be real friends with Greg after series 7, but i think it took a while, because Greg and Alex do “being friends” very differently and it was probably pretty awkward. like I think Greg’s little snit about Alex not knowing anything about him was real and Greg just thought it would also be funny, and I think Alex ‘yes, and’ed it by pretending not to know how many siblings Greg has, but also Greg was broadly correct because Alex doesn’t really seem to think “knowing details about your life” is an essential part of friendship. friends to him are the people you have the most fun playing with! and he and Greg have fun, so they’re friends! and the out-of-sight-out-of-mind thing is real, but Greg refuses to be out of sight, he WILL videocall without warning.
dang this kind of got away from me
prguitarman
titsay
pixelskylines
turnnoffyourmind
theartofmadeline
