realizing versus recognizing
the difference between bittyβs and jackβs oh moments
bittyβs oh moment is dramatic, built-up, like time is slowing down, like he suddenly canβt breathe because the airβs getting caught in his throat. like it isnβt just an oh but an ohβoh, oh noβno no no. itβs not that he doesnβt want it, itβs that he doesnβt want it with jack, his believed-to-be straight best friend. arguably, itβs like heβs seeing the feelings come to life and imagining them ruining one of the closest friendships heβs ever had all at the same time, likely a byproduct of his internalized homophobia in which he wonβt even allow himself the opportunity before he shoots it down.
and, interestingly, ngozi draws this entire moment out with warm lighting, soft tones, fading dialogue, gentle panning. while this is definitely done so to enlarge the impact of the moment, i think itβs also a way for her to tell us that thisβthis is bittyβs first ever oh. this is his first ever love. this is his first time ever experiencing that heart-stopping sensation of noticing youβre falling for someone, that youβve already been falling without evenβ
this isnβt just just an oh, this is a realization. bittyβs realizing heβs fallen, realizing it for the first time, and he doesnβt know what to do about it. thereβs no prior experience to lean back on, no shoulder he can turn to for help, no previous warnings that couldβve prepared him.Β
this moment is the moment bitty, for the first time, just knew.
jackβs is a single frame. a single, brief oh (even exemplified with the use of font).
where bittyβs is sudden and huge, jackβs is almost inconsequential, like heβs relaxing tense shoulders or letting out a held breath. itβs not so much of a build-up as it is a calming click into place,Β illustrating that jack has known, at some subconscious level, about his feelings for a considerable amount of time already. heβs known that his friendship with bitty has budded into something more. heβs known that heβs fallen, been falling and still falling. that heβs probably in love.
itβs no spectacle. itβs not eye-opening or dramatic. itβs just an β¦oh, a fog-clearing quiet accompanied only by a scattering of leaves and the soft tones of the wedding church bells.
of course, he couldnβt reach this point until the last possible moment. he needed the nudge from his dad, the finality of graduation, the pressure that this is it. itβs now or never. he needed the gnawing feeling of something left unfinished, something he needed to do to let his time at samwell come to a proper close.
but itβs not like it all culminated into some breathtaking realization. he already knew that there was somethingβit had been there all along.
he just finally recognized it.
vaporwave
andulkaphoto
dededos
germansingergirl
jbbartram-illu
jacobvanloon
pixelskylines
ellievsbear
dailybridgerton
theartofmadeline
