okay ive gotten a LOT of anons asking what i think the dance Symbolises so here’s my breakdown of it:
its pretty obvious the girl hes dancing with represents his relationship with religion, and he refers to her as an ‘angel’. in the first half shes clinging onto him and restricting him, and he wants to shake her off but he CAN’T - at one point she clings to his chest and he looks like he’s in physical pain. before he came out, pretty much any point pre-s12, he feels so guilty that its HURTING him. he can’t separate himself from his religion OR his sexuality, and it’s tearing him in two (”i feel guilty all the time for my thoughts and urges” - psycho pete returns”)
then (at the point luther leaves) he grips the angel’s neck and casts her aside, separating them. shes lying on the ground, either dead or sleeping, whilst he sits with his back to her. (he starts crying then, but i don’t think that’s part of the dance i think that’s a reaction to luther walking out) this point represents his coming out in s11, when he completely renounced god (”if there’s a god, there’s no way he’d make me queer” - the gang goes to hell) him ‘turning his back’ on the ‘dead’ angel shows how he feels like he needs to kill his religious side if he wants to accept himself
but then the angel rises, and pulls him up as he’s crying. there’s a moment between them (btw where the fuck is rob’s emmy?) where you can see that the dancer is comforting mac, and when she pulls him up it’s genuine, he’s shocked that they’re continuing the dance after luther has gone. the meta symbolism of this is that this is the point where mac realises that his worth doesn’t revolve around the approval of his dad. here he realises that he can be who he wants.
he and the angel continue to dance, slightly more violently and with more energy than before; despite reconciling, they’re still constantly pushing and pulling at each other, and mac can’t seem to make up his mind as to what he wants, one minute he’s casting her away and the next he’s pulling her back and holding her close. at one point they become completely separated, cast to opposite sides of the stage (possibly representing when mac came out ‘for real’ in hero or hate crime?) but the angel runs back to him and throws herself into his arms (”are you more gay than you are catholic?” “i don’t know, they’re at war.”)
finally, he lifts the angel up above his head, finally able to support her full weight, and finally in harmony with her, no longer pushing or pulling, just supporting. and when he drops her to the ground, she cradles him in her arms and comforts him, telling him ‘its okay, it’s okay’ over and over again. then the lights turn on overhead, and the angel looks upwards to the heavens; and mac stays cradled in her arms, allowing her to hold him, finally comforted by what he’s fought with his whole life.
so, yeah. looks like mac found his pride.
stormborns
izzy806
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