#byeeeeeee

i actually think some of the criticism makes sense. not everything has landed perfectly and not everyone is going to connect with the direction they chose. that is valid.

for example, i understand why some people feel like the ema storyline lasted a bit too long. even if it technically did not extend more than in og, it felt long. but at the same time, that was clearly the build up for the “everybody is an island” conversation, which was important for lovro’s internal journey.

and that is kind of my overall point. if you look at the bigger picture, everything tracks. it is intentional. it is just uncomfortable and maybe not 100 percent what people expected when they heard “skam remake”.

personally, having watched multiple remakes, ivan is probably the even we have seen the most of as an individual character. and when you compare romantic interests across sram seasons, he feels like one of the most developed outside of just being the love interest. we know his fears. we know his hobbies. we know his mental health. we see how he handles conflict. we know about his codependency. he exists beyond lovro.

and at the same time, they have shown us very clearly that lovro genuinely likes him. his journey to accept that has just been long. very long. maybe a bit too long at times, which again, valid criticism. but it was always there.

lovro is the one who looks for ivan in episode 1 and asks him to give him a lift after staring at him from the balcony all heart eyes. lovro is the one who accepts going to ivan's place in ep2, who searches for him, who watches him from a distance. even when he avoids him, it is because he likes him and that scares him. we even have small details like ivan being described as chronically late (which i think is 100% connected or implied to him hiding his mi) and lovro waiting two hours for him. that says something.

lovro was never comfortable with public affection from the beginning. that has been consistent. not because he doesn't wish ivan's touch, but because he's scared of the consequences it might cause in others. and that's why the second they had actual privacy at ivan’s place, he literally climbed on top of him and talked about them having sex and sleeping together in the same bed. so the narrative that he doesn't look like he likes ivan does not align with what we have been shown. you know?

i also do not understand the “there is no build up” argument. we have spent eight weeks watching lovro slowly dismantle every wall that used to terrify him because he likes someone. we've seen eight weeks of ivan being what lovro needs and viceversa. that is build up. that is pacing. and structurally it mirrors og more than people admit.

if the complaint is about the pda, it feels misplaced. when you are newly accepting yourself as a queer person, there can be disgust and you end up pushing the person away (been there done that :( ). that does not automatically make the relationship unhealthy. and based on what we have seen, ivan has consistently respected lovro’s boundaries and timing.

“we don’t need to talk about that.” “you don’t need to say anything.” “you could’ve cancelled too.”

even in episode 8 lovro was the one asking ivan to kiss him. and about the fights. every single conflict they have had comes back to fear, to shame.

episode 6 when ivan says “it’s better this way” because he is scared to tell lovro he is bipolar and scared of not being loved. the sonja situation, which mirrors og but with added codependency that makes it harder for him to let go. the fight after they were outed, where lovro is scared of being attacked, of being seen, of what people might do. and the filip storyline literally confirmed that those fears are not irrational. the kebab. the sauna. again, fear. lovro trying to protect themselves. ivan spiraling while clearly manic.

none of this reads as something that they won't overcome in order to be together...lovro does not hate ivan for who he is. ivan does not hate lovro for being scared. their conflicts are about fear, not lack of love.

btw people counting how many times lovro kissed ema versus how many times he kissed ivan lost the plot fr!!!

the story itself makes sense. the lack of privacy fits two teenagers (plus, lovro's fear now is about the outside world, spaces are used as plot devices).

it is messier. it is darker. it is not soft og fluff.

goggles loves fries