Stringy72

disclaimer: this is MY opinion and maybe some of these will change after the re-watch.

let's start: what i liked

lovro + ivan being complex developed characters: ivan isn’t just a love interest, and lovro’s whole personality isn’t simply “being repressed because he’s gay.” both of them are complex and going through their own journeys at their own pace, and it’s beautiful because as you follow their story, you realize that what ivan needs is someone like lovro, and vice versa. ivan exists outside of being this attractive, kind-of loser who drives a tomos. he’s never a cliché. and lovro goes through a very serious case of comphet (lol) in the skamverse, but he’s still trying to help his mom, dealing with daddy issues, and having his own interests like skating or anime. he keeps trying even when he feels disgusted with himself. his internalized homophobia was portrayed really well. he’s still fighting those demons even after kissing ivan, and he doesn’t blame ivan for that disgust. it’s not like “wow, i kissed ivan, so it must be ivan’s fault” (robbe, i’m looking at you). instead, he keeps going on dates with ivan and even brings him to his special spot. he’s willing to go against his own fears in order to finally be happy, and that’s such a complex thing to portray. so honestly, claps to the writers.

realism: nothing gets brushed off (even if lovro gets away with a lot of stuff lmao), every choice is in character, and there’s a strong attention to detail that makes everything feel real. the main characters and the development of their relationship are complex because croatian society creates a complex context. the story is shaped by the rules of a very real society. lovro’s struggles, his relationship with ivan, and what ivan represents to him are all defined by what, according to croatians, is really happening in their country. every scene feels built around the question: “what would happen if this were the real world?” there are some sad scenes, like in ep. 10 when lovro says “what’s the best thing that could happen to you right here?” and he fantasizes about kissing ivan in front of the school and nobody caring :(

but there also happy ones which contrast another reality: not everything is bleak. not everyone in society would react the same way and there are people who will not react to you kissing your boyfriend. THAT is also realism.

there are other choices that i liked more than others, but they’re part of the realistic scenario the show sets up. filip is there because his reaction to gay people is one possible reality. he’s not redeemed and he’s not justified (even n mario tries to defend him, which, yeah, it’s not easy to realize your friends are not good people. cut my boy mario some slack). lovro’s mom cries when he comes out because she’s scared of the real world. and there’s uncertainty in lovro’s minute-by-minute speech because he can’t promise he’ll be there always. it wouldn’t be realistic or healthy if he did. for me, the “we have time” approach to intimacy (which, of course, might partly be affected by the infamous “censorship”) also makes sense within the story. the writers did a great job not forgetting that ivan is on his meds and coming out of a depressive episode, so it actually feels very realistic.

lovro and ivan not having sex when ivan is a manic episode: i'd like to thank the writers for not stealing their first time together. ngl i'm a romantic one and i was worried because of the ema and this whole scene too

jakov: i love him and every time he was on my screen i was happy to see him. what a lovely guy. i already miss him. favorite jonas, above giovanni garau, who is also the chillest and coolest guy in the skamverse. the coming out scene was so good. he delivered ally, he delivered bring back shame for driving a tomos, he delivered complaining about unnecessarily expensive food. love you, woketron3000.

this is my favourite duo now (lovro has excellent taste)

subota 18:15, nedjelja 11:58, nedjelja 11:15, utorak 22:05 (the gay club one), petak 21:32 and petak 23:07 (ep 2): if i start talking about what i like about them, i’ll need to make another post. these were so good!!!

lovro and his mom!!!: utorak 16:32 is very special to me. lovro's mom reaction made my heart grow and the conversation about grandchildren really hit the an only child who’s gay and feels that invisible responsibility of giving our parents grandchildren tower. it’s a real struggle for some of us that i hadn’t seen portrayed in media until sram :') also, i like that they made her present and that lovro actually helped her with her coping mechanism. for me, that was a sign that lovro knows how to deal with someone who’s struggling with their mental health.

lovro + ivan screentime together: this might be an unpopular opinion, but i actually feel like we saw ivan a lot for a romantic interest in the skamverse. because of that, i don’t really buy the idea that their relationship didn’t have a build-up. we literally watched them go through hell and back together. do they fight? yeah. but they fight because they’re building a relationship based on respect, on getting to know each other, and on being honest about what they want. they fight in ep. 8 partly because lovro doesn’t know ivan is going through a manic episode or because ivan is pushing lovro away (like in ep. 6) because (based on ep 8 & 10) he's afraid lovro won't be happy with him (due to his bipolar disorder).

they go on dates. lovro keeps asking questions and is genuinely interested in ivan’s interests, like painting or josipa. he cares about ivan’s story from the very beginning (please, they even have a conversation at the swimming pool before they kiss lol). he also asks ivan several times about his knee and his lack of sleep. ofc he pushes ivan away the first three episodes, but it's also build up of their relationship. this scene alone is a proof that lovro pushed away, but still failed to do it because he wanted it.

yes, they didn’t talk about parallel universes, and honestly i don’t think either of them would even believe in that lol. did you see ivan’s face during the palm reading? or lovro saying “you’re not ready to marry me”? the skepticism of it all.

ivan progressively becoming manic + the depressive episode: maybe this is just me, but i felt like the way they showed ivan’s episode slowly becoming more and more evident throughout ep. 8 was 10/10. in the first clip, lovro can still hold a normal conversation with ivan, even if ivan hasn’t slept and is painting unsettling art. then they go on the kebab date, and ivan feels slightly more detached from reality and a bit lacking in empathy. then we see him at school, feeling awesome for building the chair tower and defending mario from the teacher. it’s strange, and it made me (and lovro) worried about him. that’s when lovro really starts to realize that something is definitely going on. and finally there’s the sauna scene, where ivan is completely detached from reality and their conversation becomes awkward and hard to watch. you can tell that, even from the beginning, lovro senses that something is wrong. it didn’t feel like a sudden plot twist like in some other versions of skam (including og), but rather something that was carefully built up until it reached its climax.

finally, the depressive episode isn’t forgotten. episode 9 starts with ivan coming down from the mania and slipping back into the depression (which we see :( ), and by the end of the episode you can still tell he’s really struggling with himself. he doesn’t suddenly get better just because he’s with lovro, even if the comfort helps. we don’t really see ivan looking okay until two weeks after it started. he’s still dealing with troubling thoughts in episode 10, even after waking up at lovro’s at the beginning of the episode. you can see it in moments like when he says “i’m afraid you won’t be happy,” or in things like the death of the tomos because the meds make him sleepy u.u, or just in his expression. it's only in the by the last clip that he finally looks better and more stable.

the daydreaming sequences, the metaphors, the easter eggs and the parallels: urghhhh it really felt like everything was carefully thought out. i won’t analyze everything, but i love the flowers and the idea that lovro daydreams about ivan when he asks himself, “what’s the best thing that could happen to you right here?”

Right now, at this exact moment, I'm sure there's a Norwegian guy, probably hunched over his laptop, coffee gone cold, writing a paper for his PhD, somewhere in Oslo, in a bright apartment that he's been living in with his husband for almost 10 (!) years. His shoulders hurt. And for no clear reason at all, there's this dull ache in his chest. Not sharp, just enough to notice. He pauses and presses a hand over his heart.

Somewhere further south, Italian Isak is laughing. He's half-sprawled on the couch, friends all around, his fiancé's legs thrown over his lap while one of his hands is busy steadying a small, warm weight asleep against his chest. There's laughter, low voices, the quiet rhythm of a tiny breath. The apartment feels full of happiness. And still, for half a second, his smile falters. Like something brushed past him, barely there but impossible to ignore. He tightens his grip, instinctively protective, before he even knows why.

A few miles away, half-Italian-half-German Isak is on vacation. Same place every time. Italy: a small, slightly run-down apartment that smells like salt and old wood. The paint is peeling but the balcony opens up to the sea. His boyfriend, film student, currently on semester break, is still asleep, hair a mess, mouth slightly open. Italian-German Isak crawls back into bed, presses his face into that familiar shoulder. And his chest tightens, just a bit, like a wave breaking somewhere far away.

In Spain, a young woman is sitting very still. Her girlfriend, hair blue, eyes shiny, is sketching her, pencil soft against paper. She shivers suddenly. Her girlfriend looks up. "Cold?" She shakes her head. "No. I'm not, really...".

In France, an Isak who should be nothing but happy stares at intertwined fingers. A ring. Eliott's ring. Still new. Still unreal. He proposed to Eliott just some days ago. He traces the metal with his thumb, smiling, and then there's this quiet bam in his heart, a bruise where joy should live. He blinks, breathes, leans his head against Eliott's shoulder. Love anchors him, but the feeling lingers, somehow.

In Belgium, an Isak is trying to study for his master's. Emphasis on trying. His fiancé is in the kitchen, making toast far too loudly and listening to pink floyd even louder. The apartment is small, warm, alive, and the walls are fully plastered with Sander's art. And suddenly, Belgium Isak has to stop reading, has to breathe through it, because his heart hurts in a way that doesn't make sense.

And in the Netherlands, a Dutch Isak lifts his camera. There’s a young man in front of him: soft smile, sleeves too long, wearing clothes that Dutch Isak designed himself. Just a model, officially. Just work. He adjusts the focus... And shivers.

And then... Then there's a young, scared, so so scared boy in Croatia. Heart racing, hands shaking, convinced that this pain is permanent. That this fear will swallow him whole.