Young Royals season 2 review: Coming out for love, light, and self

Young Royals, a show that centers on a queer high school couple is back for its second season, and the first thing that I want you all to know is that in terms of grand gestures, Young Royals season 2 stole my heart. It is not inspired by the cheesy 90s romance movies of the west where men would generally woo women. The grand gestures in this Swedish show, however, culminate in the growth of two young men who are in love. This includes their personal, that is, Wille and Simon’s individual journeys and their relationship as well. At the end of the first season, Wille and Simon had to take a break after the former’s statement to the press which denied a relationship with Simon. This went against the promise that Wille had made to Simon, and the trust in their relationship was broken. So the second season was all about Wille’s attempt at regaining Simon’s trust, while the latter tried to do what was the best for his life.

There is such lovely thought behind certain aspects of the film, irrespective of the couple’s orientation. Take, for instance, Simon’s attempts at distancing himself from Wille. He understands that certain things about Wille’s life could turn out to be toxic for himself. He does the right thing by not getting back with Wille until he sees a change in the way Wille treats their relationship. He holds out despite understanding that he never fell out of love with Wille.

Then, there is also the “rebound” relationship Simon gets involved in. Such relationships are usually underlined with a hint of toxicity. However, Simon doesn’t let his experiences influence his situationship with Marcus. He is sure that he is not capable of getting into another serious relationship at the moment, and is honest about it with Marcus as well. In fact, Simon attempts to divert his mind away from Wille and hopes to even move on. All of it seems impossible though.

It especially rings true when Simon decides to not reveal the name of his three fish. Those who watched the first season must be well aware of an emotional and lovely moment that occurred at the time Simon introduced his fish. So when he doesn’t do the same with Marcus, it is clear that this relationship is nowhere as intense as the one with Wille.

Wille and Simon continue to dance around each other until the other is ready. Every time Wille addresses his love for Simon, the question always remains — Can they really be out and proud about their relationship? While Simon is unsure of many things, one thing that he is certain about is the fact that he doesn’t want to remain a royal member’s dirty secret. In fact, this becomes the point of contention in their relationship and the two of them do everything possible to resolve this conflict. Whether they end their relationship forever, or they manage to cross this obstacle together is a journey that is immersive, extremely relatable and it also doesn’t veer away from the path that is set forth by the first season.

The sensitivity that was present in the first season of the show is also present in the second season, but there is an evolution in the way relationships are portrayed. Be it the friendship between Wille and Felice that is almost on the verge of breaking up because of a mistake. Or the one between Sarah and August, which is toxic in many ways. Each relationship gets its own arc that is not only convincing but also seeks understanding. As someone from the outside, we can see why Sarah did the things that she did. While her brother got access to drugs for August as a way to get with the in-crowd, his sister got herself a deal to enter the girls’ dormitory. I, for one, do not see any difference in the way the siblings wanted to feel like they belonged. Yes, what she did wasn’t right and it did hurt her brother in the end. However, as she says, she was “crazy in love”.

Each character gets a coming out moment, that builds up to the climax of the second season. In fact, these moments were the highlight of the season. August is vulnerable around Sarah, and he comes out to her about his intentions and his weaknesses. In fact, he is sincere with Sarah. Sarah gets her moment of truth with her best friend Felice. She is honest about not being objective around August, and how he skewed her perception. Felice is able to stand up to her parents about her choices now and is also able to accept the truth behind why she had been in love with Wille for the longest time. She even tells Wille the truth.

Simon’s moment of truth is his conversation with Marcus. This is the moment where he has been the most honest about his feelings for Wille, and it is also the moment where he decides to face the truth instead of avoiding it. Finally, Wille. His moment of truth is really a journey. It begins to build from the very first episode of the second season of Young Royals. In the last few moments of the season finale, Wille does what everyone in his life believed he wouldn’t be capable of doing. He made a grand gesture, one that does leave you swooning, with your heart pitter-pattering. That is when Young Royals drives home the fact that love is beautiful in all ways.

Priyanka Sundar is a film journalist who covers films and series of different languages with a special focus on identity and gender politics.

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