QuickTelling

I realized a very important point needed to be made about Davenzi. Then I decided to make that point as dramatically as possible.

Ouch. Cutting right to it.

I’m feeling a lot of things about it. (And, obviously, it’s normal and totally okay to feel more than one thing at once about these Amiraless clips.)

One of the big feelings is... underwhelmed. My deep dive essay about Amira and her season already went into why I feel like the film storyline could’ve been a goldmine for richly layered character interaction throughout the season, seen through a lens of Amira’s alienation from society and her family’s expectations. That felt like a huge wasted opportunity -- and a quick, slipshod clip about the making of the film doesn’t change that conclusion for me. Even if we set aside how unbelievable it is that Amira wouldn’t be involved with the film in any capacity, at any point in the season, there are things within the clip itself that felt wrong. Like how David, with his meticulous attention to detail and aesthetic, apparently wouldn’t think to secure the sheet background properly so you can’t see the loose folds, and wouldn’t already know which mask he wanted to use in the scene. I guess it’s a sign of how unenthusiastic he’s become about the idea and the process, but really? He’s been working on it for weeks, and seemed really invested in it, and this is all he has? Weird. Not just low-budget weird, but confusingly thoughtless and low-effort weird.

And the clip, I think, is more evidence of how much this whole season was negatively impacted by poor scheduling. It’s off-putting when big group scenes are missing half the cast with no explanation. It’s equally off-putting when David’s film feels like a last-minute afterthought with hardly any other characters visibly involved and basically no narrative tie-ins to other plot threads, after early-season text messages implied the opposite. I can’t help but feel like the show’s production kinda fell apart on every level, not just the writing.

But, honestly? My biggest feeling about the clip was happiness. Because Matteo and David’s happiness means a lot to me. So it’s beautiful to get a whole minute of them being supportive and playful and dumb and in love. Especially since this is probably one of the last chances to see it. Their re-imagined love story was quietly revolutionary, and made a big difference in a lot of our lives, and they deserve a lovely sendoff. So do other characters.