#newyearsirresolution

itsallnoncents: Quit playing games!

Ghostcat: So his laser beam staring was not working for you.

newyearsirresolution: He agitated me. Perhaps it was working too much.

Ghostcat: Did you feel protective of Isak?

newyearsirresolution: Yes, definitely. The Sonja curveball made me feel so betrayed on his behalf.

Ghostcat: My moms called Isak ‘Caperucita Roja’ or Little Red Riding Hood―he reminds her of a fairytale protagonist, innocently making their way out into the world, oblivious to its dangers―which cracks me up, considering Isak is fairly wily when he wants to be. It's the power of those big eyes. But then again, yes, we came into this episode fresh from the "betrayal" of this beautiful afternoon spent with Even and then boom! GIRLFRIEND.

newyearsirresolution: I don't think he's exactly oblivious, but I do think he's extremely vulnerable. Especially after the betrayal (is that how we're calling it officially?)

Ghostcat: Yes, more so than ever in this season now that we have a ringside seat to everything he experiences. Ha ha ha, officially? No.

itsallnoncents: The curveball.

Ghostcat: But it's a good question―one that haunts me actually. Isak is SO PEEVED when he sees Even at the party and Even is weirdly apologetic―weird in that he immediately "explains" his being with Sonja in the kitchen.

newyearsirresolution: He is! So was I!

Ghostcat: And while I got it, at the time, I absolutely understood why Isak was upset. I found it interesting that he shows his displeasure towards Even rather than hiding it. By having it out there for him to see, he's admitting how affected he is. That's bold for Isak.

newyearsirresolution: He clearly shows he has no time for Even's bullshit.

Ghostcat: Right, but it's not a closeted move, he's not like, hey bro, nice to see you.

newyearsirresolution: He's like, okay, why are you telling me you can't dump her?

Ghostcat: “u HAvE A gF, u (handsome) DiCk”

newyearsirresolution: He is admittedly a bit dickish.

Ghostcat: and Even, without this being a conversation, is picking up on what Isak's selling. He's not pretending it's something else either

newyearsirresolution: That's what softened me.

Ghostcat: Speaking of softening...(this won't be gross)

newyearsirresolution: Hahaha.

Ghostcat: Let's go back to the dance chicks scene. Yes, there's some broad comedy happening but there's a ton of info in that one clip.

newyearsirresolution: Yeah, there's the lovers' quarrel with Jonas.

Ghostcat: Ha ha ha. IT IS. IT SO IS. I loooooooove the way they fight. They fight like best friends.

newyearsirresolution: They do love each other, and it shows. And I was a bit surprised, I admit it.

Ghostcat: That there's real love there? or that Jonas is not about homophobic bullshit?

newyearsirresolution: Wasn't expecting that from Jonas after s1.

Ghostcat: Ah.

newyearsirresolution: No no, I never doubted the love. I just doubted the 'wokeness'

Ghostcat: And here we go back further still...when did you start watching SKAM and how?

newyearsirresolution: It was at the beginning of 2018.

Ghostcat: Did tumblr lure you?

newyearsirresolution: I just saw a random gifset of Isak and Eskild. Yes!

Ghostcat: Did you start at season one?

newyearsirresolution: I saw the gifset and I was intrigued because the kid in a baseball cap looked like a kid in a baseball cap and not like a man with foundation over his 5 o'clock stubble. (and as I've mentioned before, I also thought he was average looking which was refreshing. Stop snickering.)

Ghostcat: (moderator note: I am not snickering)

newyearsirresolution: Yes, I started with season one and with not much googling beforehand, so I had no idea about the social media stuff, or the real time format. Or the TRAILERS.

Ghostcat: And actually I agree with you, Tarjei can look ordinary.

newyearsirresolution: Which means I lacked quite a bit of information.

Ghostcat: Ah-ha! So no batshit crazy trailers for you.

newyearsirresolution: No. Also no batshit crazy hiatus and stuff. I binged it in a week.

Ghostcat: Ha ha ha, that sounds about right.

newyearsirresolution: To ease your concern about my sleeping habits, I had the whole week off. It was still Christmas holidays.

Ghostcat: Given all this, you had a ringside seat to Jonas being not a super awesome boyfriend to Eva in season one. (I am very concerned about your sleeping habits. They might be worse than mine.)

newyearsirresolution: Exactly! It was still fresh in my memory. And I have a special love for Eva, so I wasn't exactly his biggest fan.

Ghostcat: I want to be clear, I didn't think Jonas was awful. He's a sixteen year old boy who seems to be winging it as much as anyone else, but he wasn't a great. So given that, you hit season three, you knew Isak was next. Were you excited or meh?

pillowlava: Yeah no I agree, but as you can tell from my yelling at Even, it's very hard for me not to be biased :joy:

Ghostcat: We are very biased here. Everyone is aware. :snake:

pillowlava: I was excited because both season one and two had ended with an Isak-related big reveal

Ghostcat: that's true!

pillowlava: So I had somehow convinced myself that he was some kind of higher-ranking main

Ghostcat: It's interesting that both those seasons end with Isak and at the time, I wondered if that was the right choice? Why not end things with that main? But he was also my fave, so I wasn't as mad about it as I could have been.

pillowlava: Yeah I was guzzling whatever was thrown at me at the time, so I didn't really use much discernment while watching

Ghostcat: Season one, you end with him and Jonas and that awful Gay Bar song cue. Season two, that straight to camera lip-lick. Andem is definitely setting him up for bigger things.

pillowlava: That's what I thought

Ghostcat: So you were more or less primed for something big

pillowlava: (I wasn't right but I wasn't wrong either)

Ghostcat: And here we are with Isak watching the dance chicks and being like ho-hum while his friends salivate.

pillowlava: He has the exact same expression of when he's watching Mrs Nipples

etal: raises hand

Ghostcat: Ha ha ha. Yes?

etal: What do you think of the rest of the boy squad in the dance chicks scene? Especially Magnus and his subsequent Vilde dream?

Ghostcat: “With a whip!”

newyearsirresolution: I loved Magnus from day one.

etal: Yes.

Ghostcat: Because he didn't pay for the weed but still smoked a ton of it?

newyearsirresolution: Obviously.

Ghostcat: RESPECT.

newyearsirresolution: What's not to love about that?

Ghostcat: I love how Jonas calls him this one like he's the guy that's always there and they can't get rid of and now he's their friend?

etal: Watching that scene back, compared with later iterations in other SKAM remakes, they seem very innocent and nice despite their obvious grossness.

newyearsirresolution: And back to the scene, I was grateful that he dispelled the tension with the dominatrix thing.

Ghostcat: UNKNOWINGLY.

newyearsirresolution: And have subsequently wondered if he was really that oblivious in doing so. I've decided that yes, he was.

Ghostcat: Though I love trying to figure out how he goes from open-mouthed gaping at Even's everything to a SEX DREAM. You can watch him connecting the dots mentally. “Tall hot guy...huh...sexy...that's cool to think, right?...I mean...oh yeah...GUYS! I had a Vilde sex dream!”

newyearsirresolution: I also think Isak has a weird fascination with Magnus. Or perhaps that's me projecting

Ghostcat: Isak does? Ha ha ha. What do you mean? I want to know.

newyearsirresolution: But he keeps posting about him on insta.

Ghostcat: True! Though I think it's because a) Magnus is such a dummy, he keeps cracking Isak up and b) the real life BFF relationship between TSM and David.

newyearsirresolution: It's probably just the easiest one to make fun of, but at some point you have to let a joke go.

Ghostcat: Magnus is so beautifully oblivious, he keeps charging through even when everyone's cracking on him. “Why?” he always asks. “Is that bad?”

newyearsirresolution: I also wondered (not on first watch) why Magnus wasn't there for the first clip of this episode.

Ghostcat: Then you have Mahdi, who is easily established as more Jonas's friend than anyone else (and as our astute first watcher @BryroseA pointed out never seems to have a school bag at school).

newyearsirresolution: If it was random or to further establish him as the shallow dumbass friend. We don't know much about him, but we do know he's perceptive and knows when to shut up.

Ghostcat: I think...Magnus speaks before he talks, without really thinking of how things sound or how he'll come across. Like, the cat tongue convo...which [spoilers].

newyearsirresolution: Which is probably Magnus’ polar opposite as descriptions go, that's why it made me wonder about his absence in the clip.

Ghostcat: Mahdi is intriguing because he seems more combative with Isak but he also has that significant bit of eye contact with Jonas where he backs off of questioning Isak too much about his mom.

newyearsirresolution: Yeah, that made me think okay, they're not close, but they could be.

Ghostcat: A couple of the newbies wondered if Jonas has an idea that Isak might be lying about his mom. What do you think?

newyearsirresolution: I don't think he does.

Ghostcat: Yeah, I agree. He keeps that secret too well for Isak. He knows all about his mom.

newyearsirresolution: I think Isak is deliberately using his mum as an excuse exactly because he knows Jonas will believe him without questioning him further.

Ghostcat: Right. It's the answer that he knows Jonas won't push against.

newyearsirresolution: Which can be considered clever.

Ghostcat: Or terrible.

newyearsirresolution: Or snakey.

itsallnoncents: Definitely both.

newyearsirresolution: He doesn't even have to fake that much.

Ghostcat: Isak is constantly lying and we see that most this season, we also see that it's almost entirely protective.

newyearsirresolution: He is stressed about his mum.

Ghostcat: Definitely, with her 3am texts that he's unsurprised to receive.

newyearsirresolution: That does sound stressing.

Ghostcat: His reaction to that text was so interesting to me. He gets the notification, checks immediately and is like, okay the usual then.

newyearsirresolution: A non-reaction. Routine.

Ghostcat: It makes me wonder what he's waiting for, if there's a worse, more alarming kind of text he could get or if this is always what it is, but every day more or less.

newyearsirresolution: Well, the text didn't wake him up, so it mustn't be unusual for him.

Ghostcat: Not gonna lie, a part of me thinks it's HILARIOUS that these clips went live in real time and all these poor people couldn't resist watching this at 3am: a boy in bed taking an AM I GAY? quiz and blatantly lying through some of those answers.

newyearsirresolution: I know I wouldn't have resisted.

Ghostcat: Me too, I would have watched that shit and been like damn that was good. Also, what is my life?

itsallnoncents: All that anticipation to see him choose Woodstock instead of Moulin Rouge.

Ghostcat: When the cursor goes to Moulin Rouge first.

newyearsirresolution: Before learning about the clips, I thought my watching experience had been intense. I was wrong. Yeah about that, has he watched more Baz Luhrmann after R+J?

Ghostcat: I think so

newyearsirresolution: Or do you think it's random?

itsallnoncents: I like to think that he didn’t.

Ghostcat: Australia finally made him go to sleep.

itsallnoncents: That the Moulin Rouge choice was just synchronicity at work but definitely could have.

Ghostcat: I just like imagining Isak scowling through Strictly Ballroom but then being into it ha ha ha.

newyearsirresolution: He might have watched all of his movies, but I guess they weren't about to show us more clips of him lying in bed.

Ghostcat: But itsallnoncents is right, when did he watch? He was too busy looking at Even's video another five billion times.

itsallnoncents: I woulda veered right back to that.

newyearsirresolution: The views suddenly went up.

Ghostcat: The anticipation though is fantastic, he's building up Even in his mind (and our minds) so that when he strides up during the boy squad dance chicks scene I remember I screamed, like honest to god SCREAMED.

newyearsirresolution: Me too. But probably for different reasons.

Ghostcat: HE'S GONNA BLOW UP HIS SPOT. HE'S BLOWING UP HIS SPOT and Isak is just all GIANT EYES OF TERROR. It was my worst fucking nightmare.

newyearsirresolution: I couldn't believe he had the gall of approaching him while he was with his friends.

itsallnoncents: Ballsy af.

Ghostcat: He wants to be friends, newyearsirresolution. Good, good friends.

itsallnoncents: And then is just cool cool let me be MECHA PERCEPTIVE. Read you like the book that you are.

newyearsirresolution: No, I hate it. I was so mad.

Ghostcat: You didn't soften though?

newyearsirresolution: He should have treated it like their holy secret. I was so mad that he tried to acknowledge it in the open.

Ghostcat: When he looks at Isak, sees that deer in headlights look and makes up some bullshit.

newyearsirresolution: He backtracked cause fortunately he's not stupid.

Ghostcat: OH THE CAFETERIA YEAH BYE.

newyearsirresolution: But it still made me think that it had meant nothing to him.

Ghostcat: (Even strides off like Bigfoot) Sure, because he was so casual.

newyearsirresolution: That's also why I was so mad when he showed up at the pre-party

Ghostcat: but he's in Kosegruppa!

itsallnoncents: His eyes though.

Ghostcat: Were you mad he showed up with Sonja?

newyearsirresolution: I know he is! But he didn't have to go that hard!

Ghostcat: He went really hard.

newyearsirresolution: The hairband, the t-shirt.

Ghostcat: BUT IT IS ISAK'S BEST LOOK THO TOO.

itsallnoncents: Tossing his jacket over his shoulder.

Ghostcat: You think Even didn't walk in and go DIZZAMN! when he saw Isak in that look?

newyearsirresolution: That's what Even deserved.

itsallnoncents: Deserved to sweat.

Ghostcat: And Isak looks at him all peeved, like when a cat gets mad at its owner.

newyearsirresolution: He literally interrupted Isak and Emma. While they were making out.

Ghostcat: PLOPPED DOWN.

newyearsirresolution: He might have as well scooched Emma over with his skinny ass...

Ghostcat: I THINK U R BONDING 2 MUCH (title shout-out)

newyearsirresolution: ...to sit in between them

Ghostcat: I'm amazed he didn't sit between them but I do love that he pats Isak on the shoulder when he says "nice place" and Isak is like, FIRE EYES OF DISPLEASURE.

itsallnoncents: He’s pleased as punch when Emma hugs him.

newyearsirresolution: I especially enjoyed when Emma called him Endre.

Ghostcat: God, she's a dick.

itsallnoncents: It’s the best thing.

Ghostcat: Ha ha ha. I want to feel for her but she keeps doing dickish things. ENDRE wtf?

newyearsirresolution: She didn't even do it on purpose.

itsallnoncents: The one with all the gall in the world...is Emma.

Ghostcat: And Isak is really trying to engage with her at that party, drinking that beer and all-caps LISTENING. Trying to be funny and attentive.

newyearsirresolution: Not just listening. Contributing to the conversation.

itsallnoncents: Smiling.

newyearsirresolution: With jokes.

Ghostcat: But still, perhaps unconsciously, bringing Even in by talking about Nas.

itsallnoncents: His forefinger raised―Nas.

newyearsirresolution: He just couldn't help it.

Ghostcat: Here let me tell you about my new favorite musician NAS. He cannot help it. It is such a lovely bit of writing. So true to life. That need to talk about something/someone that you know you shouldn't talk about but YOU MUST. So you do so indirectly.

itsallnoncents: It hews so close to reality you can taste it. The obsession overflows from the brain and out the mouth.

Ghostcat: Okay, I went over our time AS PER USUAL.

newyearsirresolution: It's on brand.

Ghostcat: So I have to ask you a couple of things: were you still mad at Even after the kitchen scene and what did you expect going into the next episode?

newyearsirresolution: No I was not. Inappropriate jokes at inappropriate times are the way to my heart apparently.

itsallnoncents: Nice.

etal: Impossible to be mad.

Ghostcat: Ha ha ha, DICK JOKES.

newyearsirresolution: Yeah that's my kind of humour, I'm a simple woman.

Ghostcat: It's great. Even tries for earnestness, comes up against the wall that Isak put up, and goes for full on weirdness. Weirdness wins.

newyearsirresolution: Weirdness always wins. And I have to say, I'm really sorry for Noora, but my first worry was 'where is Isak going to sleep?'

Ghostcat: Ha ha ha, true. NOORA.

newyearsirresolution: Yeah and it was also the second time they got interrupted-

itsallnoncents: Straight from London into cockblockery.

newyearsirresolution: -so I was afraid it was going to be a motif.

Ghostcat: Were you surprised that they nearly kissed? I was...I genuinely was like, wow, that took so little to get Isak there, considering all his fears.

newyearsirresolution: Not exactly. When I saw Even had stayed back to help cleaning I was expecting/dreading it.

Ghostcat: Ha ha ha "cleaning."

itsallnoncents: You know where it’s going when he pops in. “Oh, I’ve got a bike.” Mmhmm.

Ghostcat: And Isak does that turn at the sink.

newyearsirresolution: When I realized it was actually about to happen I was literally holding my breath.

itsallnoncents: Yes.

Ghostcat: Even's scooching closer and closer and door slam.

newyearsirresolution: And then Noora :unamused: You knew something was coming. What would it be? Oh. NOORA.

newyearsirresolution: Was not expecting her tbh.

Ghostcat: Me neither.

itsallnoncents: Nope.

newyearsirresolution: S2 had dragged enough for me, I didn't think I was gonna see her soon.

Ghostcat: Ha ha ha, I won't lie. I was like dear God, no Noorhelm drama. Dodged a bullet there. Thank you, HAYES, for deciding not to come back two weeks before filming. Crosses self, points to sky

etal: Doesn't have to map on to Romeo and Juliet BUT...

Ghostcat: Yes?

etal: If it did this would be the fish tank/flirty palms bit I think? Interrupted.

Ghostcat: Well, they are all in neon like those fish and we didn't even really get into the glory of the Call Your Girlfriend scene.

newyearsirresolution: We sure know how to stay in our lane.

etal: And all the eyes.

itsallnoncents: It’s like we need five minutes of talk for every minute of screentime, I swear.

Ghostcat: Where not only is Isak in the tropical fish pink cheek stripes in blue light but his mouth is actually opening and closing like a fish.

itsallnoncents: Ha ha ha.

etal: lol

newyearsirresolution: Ha ha ha.

Ghostcat: Well played, Andem.

itsallnoncents: And he gets hooked. *Nearly.

Ghostcat: And SO DO WE.

newyearsirresolution: He does look like a pained fish.

itsallnoncents: Even is so careful in his kiss approach. It’s impossible to resist. There’s no gusto.

Ghostcat: And on that note, I would like to wrap up this part of the chat with a gif haiku. You ready?

newyearsirresolution: As I'll ever be.

Ghostcat: [Mod posts series of three gifs of Isak in his pink-striped cheeks glory: narrowing his eyes, rolling them grandly, then settling into a flirty little smile] Y/Y?

itsallnoncents: :thumbsup:

newyearsirresolution: I hate this guy.

Ghostcat: Ha ha ha, so ordinary looking.

itsallnoncents: Face journey 378/1005

Ghostcat: So inexpressive. I have no idea what he's thinking and/or feeling.

itsallnoncents: Impossible to track. He’s really a total mystery.

newyearsirresolution: I want to flick his forehead.

itsallnoncents: I want to smoosh his pointy nose with my fingertip.

Ghostcat: Ha ha ha. Thank you, @newyearsirresolution for coming to chat with us today! I leave the floor to anyone else who wants to chat about this glorious episode. See you next time for when we discuss 3.4 with @hakkepippern.

itsallnoncents: Thank youuu, newyearsirresolution!

newyearsirresolution: Thank you, this was really fun!

Heihallohadet: :raised_hands::ok_hand::clap: I was fooled by winter time and came in an hour late, but enjoyed reading through. Thank you @newyearsirresolution and mods :two_hearts:

newyearsirresolution: :grin:

Ghostcat: Oh yes! Congrats on your extra hour of sleep. :slight_smile:

Heihallohadet: It was glorious.

Ghostcat: @etal did I miss anything? I feel like I must have...

hakkepippern: I can't wait to read this :grinning:

Ghostcat: and p.s. @newyearsirresolution - please send me a 3.4 Keen på å bade question for next week's guest, @hakkepippern

newyearsirresolution: I'm probably rewatching tonight, so I'll send it soon.

Ghostcat: Take your time

hakkepippern: Yeeeey! I'm really looking forward to it :grinning:

etal: @Ghostcat sorry I got waylaid by my own dance chick insisting that I watch her tap dance.

Ghostcat: TAP DANCING ALWAYS WINS

etal: did you cover how wonderful the kissing while stealing glances is because that is like mainlining teenage messy desire (tap dancing is fine but very loud esp on bare floorboards)

itsallnoncents: we barely touched on Call Your Girlfriend. Even is a whole mouf kisser. he really multitasks

newyearsirresolution: I thought so too, but wasn't thrilled at the prospect

itsallnoncents: I’m an asshole. I really just...didn’t care. I’ll own it.

newyearsirresolution: And look how quickly I changed my mind, I'm that easy.

itsallnoncents: Sings: you can hate me now!

Ghostcat: I didn't care either. I loved Isak too much at that point to deny him.

itsallnoncents: They’re so young. It’s not that I didn’t think of Sonja’s feelings AT ALL, just that  everything is so up for grabs at that age.

Ghostcat: That's true.

newyearsirresolution: Oh but it's not because of Sonja that I wasn't thrilled, I was just scared Even would break his heart.

itsallnoncents: Mm, sure.

Ghostcat: But then again, something I always think about is how they're the kind of couple that people bump into years later and go, wow, they're still together. @newyearsirresolution you weren't wrong though?

itsallnoncents: #feelings

newyearsirresolution: About Even breaking his heart? I just thought he would be careless with it, hearts get broken but there's lots of ways to do it. I thought Even's would be an unforgivable one.

itsallnoncents: he breaks his heart for sure. just not in the way that viewers would worry about

Ghostcat: True, he does so in an unexpected way but that's Andem. Her superpower is the unexpected move.

newyearsirresolution: There's lots of it spoiler induced sweating.

Ghostcat: Ha ha ha.

itsallnoncents: He never read as The Heartbreaker type to me, not once.

Ghostcat: Well, that hair and jacket sure did

itsallnoncents: I was OTP spoiled though, generally. yeah, in looks only. but not in intentions.

Ghostcat: Not the eyes though, too invested.

itsallnoncents: For all his coolness and chill, he always seemed like someone missing a layer of skin.

Ghostcat: He comes across as sensitive and open to nuance. He picks up on so many non-verbal cues from Isak.

newyearsirresolution: I never for a second managed to get out of Isak's POV, that's why the whole “first day of school” thing hit me so hard.

itsallnoncents: He read as needy to me and not in a bad way. Just full of want, genuine want. The POV is strong.

newyearsirresolution: I was too busy waiting for the other shoe to drop to notice Even was just a boy too.

itsallnoncents: Yeah, there’s so much tension. You’re definitely waiting for...something.

Ghostcat: He's just a boy, standing in front of another boy, asking him to love him.

newyearsirresolution: I half want to nod with enthusiasm and half want to yell at you.

Ghostcat:  ❤️

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