Discussion: Dissecting Pain in Ep 7 and Ep 9 (25 January 23)

 

I feel like I’ve asked this before but what’s the most painful episode of Nevertheless lol

—

Ep 9 certainly, but also this scene in Ep 7. I think what was so heartbreaking is that it demonstrated both the depth of their feelings for each other and also the depth of their communication challenges.

You see some saw JE as asking for consent, but NB already consented to kissing him - and she was approaching him for more. He wasn't asking "Is it ok to continue kissing?" but "Is it ok for me to continue to pursue this thing between us because I'm all in.”

And this is very consistent with his headspace after he faces his feelings in Ep 6. He wants to be with NB so he tries to convey it to her. He's bad at it, he's so bad at it. The boy is awful at spoken communication, but goddammit does he try!

And at the same time he is trying to figure out how NB feels - he senses that she likes him, but he can't make sure without her actually saying it. But what she thinks MATTERS to him, and that is why he pauses and checks.

He sees that DH calls and NB looks then chooses to ignore it, but then he still wants to make sure that that's actually ok with her. He doesn't want to go back to square one, because he's trying not to be ambiguous.

Gawd they are so into each other, they want each other, but they are young, they're hurting, they're fumbling, they're new to a lot - It's messy and painful and it is most definitely not youth through rose-coloured glasses.

—

I think that every episode captures a different level of pain and discomfort that our babies feel. Ep. 7 and 9 differ so strongly in showing the progression and overwhelming heaviness of different stages of their struggles. 7 is like a pot always threatening to boil over and expose all the vulnerabilities that they’re still trying to contend with, within their own hearts. They’re both watching that pot and prodding at it cautiously, scared that it’ll boil over and burn them but also unwilling to just take it off the burner, so they keep watching. 

Ep.9 I think hurts equally as much in a different way because we finally see that pot boil over, with everything coming to the surface. It burns them and it hurts but there’s a sense of relief at not having to constantly watch over that pot waiting for the worst.

So I would say that ep.9 hurts more viscerally as the impact of the blow finally hits you, but I think ep.7 is so painful in that the weight on your chest never lets off. It’s an hour of uninterrupted anxiety because anticipation and fear of that blow can weigh so much heavier and hurt you much more in the long term than the quick impact of that final blow.

thisjieuns and doramaticbites