simplealice

Pop Looks Bach serving as the leitmotif for Jay's feelings about Matt tracks the conflict of their relationship throughout the movie.

We get the fully orchestrated, full tempo version in the viceland era: Jay fully on the same page as Matt, his feelings for him totally secure, love in its fullest bloom

But we leave viceland on a sour note and nearly 10 years later, we hear Pop Looks Bach again, and it's Jay playing it quietly to himself, distinctly hesitant, uncertain, almost like he's picking out the notes of a song he used to know but hasn't played in a long time

We don't hear this theme again until the aftermath of Matt's sacrifice: Jay re-realising his feelings for Matt, Jay understanding the lengths Matt will go to for him -- Jay falling back in love

Then Jay playing it again in the corrected timeline, and it's confident, tempo back up. His song, his feelings, his love, fully owned again.