most of the post i’ve seen since the finale aired have been kind of simple declarations of a ship war being won (like good for y’all, hope you’re having a blast with that!). i just want to direct some attention to how this decision on innie mark’s part wasn’t just a simple helly vs. gemma decision. of course innie mark is going to choose helly because that’s who he knows and who he cares about. the episode makes it very clear that his decision is due to these feelings and how him as an innie has his own life that’s worth fighting for (along with all the other innies). his feelings aren’t any less valid because he’s lived a shorter life or has only existed on the severed floor. he’s standing up and choosing to fight for his own autonomy and life and emotions which is beautiful. on the other hand, outie mark has spent this entire show mourning and then trying to get gemma back. if it was up to him and not innie mark then he would have been out of that building with gemma no hesitation but in that moment it wasn’t him that was there. the point is that both innie and outie mark’s emotions and feelings towards their respective partners are deep and valid. because of this, personally, i think that centering conversation about this show around a ship war boils it down in a way that’s less emotionally compelling than what’s actually being presented on screen. there’s so much going on and the complexity of it beyond a “who’s endgame” idea is what makes it impactful.
