I’m really liking this last season. The new characters are adding a lot, while we’re also getting interesting developments for the original characters and their relationships. This is another strong episode.
Otis and O have decided there isn’t room for two student sex therapists on campus, so they’re having an election and Ruby has volunteered to be Otis’s campaign manager. Eric has plans to go out to a queer night at a club with Otis, but when he finds out his new friends are going too, he’s not sure where Otis fits in. In other plots, Mr. Groff attempts to connect with Adam, Maeve experiences a hard setback in her writing program, and Isaac helps Aimee explore her preferred art medium. (There’s even more than this going on in the episode, but these are the major storylines.)
Honestly, all of these plots are winners. We dig a little deeper into Ruby’s reasons for helping Otis, and putting them back into a storyline together seems good for both of them And when she decides they’re going to film a campaign video, it unfolds in a remarkable similar way to Katniss’s propos in Mockingjay—not a comparison I ever thought I’d make! But while we see that Otis and Ruby do understand each other and can recognize what the other needs, Ruby hasn’t lost her bite, either. Otis tries to argue that he doesn’t need makeup for the video, and Ruby bluntly responds, “Your skin looks like an onion, Otis!”
Both Adam and Mr. Groff have a hard time expressing their emotions, and Adam’s struggles stem in no small part from his dad. So it’s interesting to watch them both try. Groff has been working on himself for a while, but he’s realizing that it’s not just enough to better himself and wait for Adam to come back to him—he needs to actively reach out, even if those attempts are fumbling and awkward. When Adam clarifies that he’s bi, not gay, Groff is silent for a beat and then simply says, “They say that Alexander the Great may have been bisexual.” Hee!
Pretty much as soon as Aimee fumbled her first conversation with Isaac in the lift, I figured those two would be moving toward making a connection, but the way the show is going about it is nice. They both take art together at Cavendish, but while Isaac is a dedicated painter, Aimee is still trying to figure out what she wants to do, or if she really wants to make art at all. I love this exchange between them:
Isaac: “You’re a maverick.”
Aimee: “What does that mean?”
Isaac: “It means you don’t think like other people.”
Aimee: “I thought that was being stupid.”
Isaac: “No, it means that you’re your own person.”
Aimee is a character with a unique viewpoint and a lot of love, but even if she has people who value and appreciate her, it’s not often that we see someone respecting her.
As Eric gets deeper into his new friendship with Abbi, Roman, and Aisha, his feelings are complex. He totally blossoms when he has fabulous fellow queers that he can hang out and bond with—people who get his experiences, consult on his looks, and watch out for him. But at the same time, he feels a little guilty for being so happy and comfortable with his new friends, because it feels disloyal to Otis. When Aisha notes that he and Otis seem so different, Eric explains, “Yeah. No, yeah, we are. He’s always been my person, though.” But it’s hard for him to hear the others talking about how few straight friends they have, how straight people can never truly relate to them or how it doesn’t seem worth the effort.
Ncuti Gatwa plays this conflict really well, that tug and pull between Eric getting lost in his delight, feeling concerned, and not being sure what he feels at all. You can see the difference between when he’s really enjoying himself and when he’s just trying to.
And as usual, we have some terrific moments of wild exuberance from Gatwa. Before Eric finds out that Abbi, Roman, and Aisha are going to the club too, he’s freaking out about getting ready and antsy about Otis being tied up with campaign stuff. “7:00?!?” he shrieks when he realizes Otis won’t be able to meet him until later. He throws his phone across the room in anger, then quietly wails, “No!” as he immediately runs over to check that it’s okay. And then on the flip side, when he arrives at the club and sees all the incredible queerness on display, I love his high kick on the steps as he exclaims, “I am obsessed!”
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