Reacting to Young Royals Season 3 - Episode 5

i love your reaction this episode was the hardest to watch and simon got the courage to say how he has been feeling its not easy for younger people to say how they are feelings and they both are feeling so much pain and its does hurt to see younger people go though this and also with wille he got so much presher on his plant that royal family and courts puting all this on him he only 17 year old its so much to deal with i just feel sorry for the both of them of what they are going though.

lisa mcarthur

I am soooo sorry....wow!! Didnt mean to annoy you. Love the content you make and its my happy place watching it.... l do respekt that you are on vacation and enjoying it all. You deserve it.... it was meant more as a "your content is so good that I can hardly wait"... sorry it came out wrong.... feel like a real shit

Katie Greet

Please respect that I am on vacation right now and posting this won’t make it arrive any faster…

Jackie-Ross Lavender

Impatiently waiting for the last episode dear 🩷🇸🇪👑🏳️‍🌈

Katie Greet

I think you’re right, Dennis. I think Simon’s heart is really breaking to have to say this to Wille, but he’s reached a point of having to protect himself and it’s necessary for Wille to hear this and see how much it’s costing Simon to say it. Edvin’s and Omar’s acting is superb in this scene, in my opinion, but that’s the case throughout this season in particular.

Ruth May

nicely put! totally agree with what youve said. i really think that it’sna tribute to lisas writing as to why there are so many discussions around the show. very differing ones at times. it is easy to see the good in each character as well as the bad. people take different perspectives on the characters and this is usually dependent upon the person who is discussing the characters. do the people discussing the characters have strong principles that they will never budge on? are they willing to see the good in people and/or the bad? as you said it may not be a “fairytale” in the way that everything is always happy.. but it is a really unrealistic situation.. which may never occur in real life or more than likely only once or twice. nevertheless, i love the characters and the show and thanks for the discussion!

LM-Entertainment Australia

So true🥹

Anja

Yes, I think you have put your finger on it. So many fans of this series are determined to see this story as a fairy tale. And it could be that. But I think that Lisa sees it in a much different light. In a totally different context, it has been said that acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances. I think Lisa's take is, okay, here is this fairy tale situation. A prince and a commoner fall in love. What would happen if they were real teenagers in today's real world. Simon cares for people. But if you are a caretaker and the person who's care you are taking refuses to acknowledge the damage they are doing, at what point do you say, enough! When do you protect yourself. Wille is only trying to do what he feels he must (Simon even acknowledges that). But for the second time, Simon (who is much wiser than Wille) realizes that they are in an impossible situation and for his own mental health, he must leave. Viewers of this series can take it any way they wish. But if you are really going to completely enjoy the complexity of it, think of it as REAL. How would YOU act in this impossible situation. I really didn't know how all this would all turn out. But as Wille says to Simon near the end of season 1, in the end, this was the only way.

Dennis Verner

Okay, that was not any easier to watch for a second time 🥲

Audrey Gunn

Hi Jackie! Just wanted to comment on #poison-cake-gate from the charity foundation event. I don’t think Simon’s face had anything to do with “but it’s ok for me to eat potentially poisoned cake” because everyone else was there eating cake also. I think it was the look of shock that THIS is Wille’s world- someone will always be trying to hurt him and that this is how he was raised-never getting to celebrate with food at events and I think it was just a culture shock moment. Plus I would like the think Farima would have told him not to eat the cake if there was any actual credible threat of it being poisoned 🤞🏻

KL M

It’s kind of reassuring to know you’re not 100% perfect when it comes to Young Royals, Dennis. I would still give you a score of 99.99% recurring, though! 😂❤️

Ruth May

This is exactly what I think, too.

Ruth May

Ya know, I pride myself in trying to notice everything in this series and I saw the woman with the guitar and never realized it was Lisa. I am mortified!

Dennis Verner

It would be a dull world-and a boring Patreon- if we all thought the same. 😊 But he’s 16 and struggling. Ok, enough defence of Simon.. I rest my case! 😂

Ruth May

Yes we will have to see different this time Ruth 😊. Breaking up with the love of your life when he is totally heartbroken to add even more heartache is not in my book. There is a time and place for everything and this wasn’t it.

Marstrand

I understand why you think that but my opinion is that Simon had reached his breaking point. With everything that had already happened to him and being under so much pressure within his family and having ‘lost his voice’ in terms of his music, however much he loves Wille-and I think that’s very much- he had to protect himself. You can see how much it costs him to say, ‘I can’t do this any more’ in Omar’s superb performance in this scene.

Ruth May

I’ve seen A lot of people say they don’t like Simon, which I find quite sad and unfortunate. They’re very quick to sympathize with wilhelm and rightfully so because he is definitely a damaged character, but they refused to see how Simon is also affected, and also damaged. He is such a selfless character, and the moment he puts down a boundary to protect himself, or protect his family people call him selfish. as someone who really identifies with him, it really makes me upset when people simplify the struggles that he has and act like the decisions that he makes are easy for him. I think he’s a very strong person and to me it’s very obvious that he loves Wille so much but he’s also been taking care of people, his whole life like for me it really feels like sometimes he’s a parent to his sister instead of their mother because of her job. He was taking care of his sister. He was taking care of his family. I feel like at points it’s alluded to the fact that He probably was also taking care of their father and now he’s taking care of Wilhelm it’s too much he’s only 16. He’s not an adult he’s not equipped to deal with these things and he shouldn’t have to and I think it’s very strong of him to put that boundary down even when he loves Wilhelm.

veri✨

also yes that was Lisa with the guitar ahaha when I told her that I saw her in ep 5 she was like “did you see the panic and terror in my eyes?” 😂😂

veri✨

Exactly. The problem for me is the timing. I totally understand and have been always compassionate to both sides, but I just think if someone I love has a mental breakdown and a huge fight with his parents on his birthday right in front of my eyes and I can see how much he is hurting, I probably won't go and tell him our relationshop is over literally a few minutes later. Even if I decide at that moment that it won't work between us, I would probably first offer some support, a hug, a shoulder to cry on, and then talk about the situation a day or two afterwards.

Dorabella

Well it wasn’t any easier the second time around…

Erin

Well here is me thinking different than everybody else again 🤷🏼‍♀️. I understand this was to much for Simon but I do believe Simon should just have hold Wilhelm and comfort him that night. Wilhelm was so sad and broke down after his big fight with his parents on his own birthday. I do believe Simon could have had the talk the day after when they calmed down. If you love someone as much as I think Simon does Wilhelm that would have been more a natural respons. That’s my thoughts, and I stand by them. I love Simon too even if I don’t like what he did here.

Marstrand

Yes, it is very beautiful. I must admit that I went through a lot of tissues in episode 5 and the finale and had to buy another box for the Young Royals documentary which made me sob all over again.

Ruth May

Me too😂😂

Anja

Yes, Wille is nothing less than a neglected child. Never, under any possibility, meant to be King. And, yet, here he is. Help him, for God's sake. For HIS sake.

Dennis Verner

I love watching you watch these episodes, you really feel them just as I do. Lisa's writing is so on point! Note, once again, the rhythm. Simon says, "I can't do this anymore." That's exactly what Wille said to Simon when they break up after Erik's death. Please, within your schedule, don't wait too long to do the finalé. It's tough but very, very, very beautiful.

Dennis Verner

Agree! This episode destroyed me because I've never felt worse simultaneously for what both our boys were going through. Don't understand how anyone could hate Simon after watching him sacrifice so much of himself out of his love for Wille and desire to be with him. Simon was obviously heartbroken in this last scene but absolutely made the right decision, for both of them really. Poor Wille has been thinking that as long as he has Simon he can deal with all the other problems around him and that's not fair or healthy. Admittedly though the timing of this breakup crushed me for Wille's sake. He was so in need of comfort in that moment and I really wanted them to just cuddle first so he still felt loved 😥 That said, we know Simon doesn't typically seek physical closeness when he's upset and instead needs space, so it wouldn't really be fair to ask that of him. SIGH. Happiness come back!!!!!

scarr

what an episode. all emotions and characters aside - edvin deserves awards for that birthday cake scene. he's an incredible actor and i know we've seen so many fantastic scenes and acting by him. i feel that this was the strongest performance of the series though. incredibly well done. it made us all emotional and uncomfortable and empathetic. simply amazing. i too agree with you about simon. 90% of the time he gets the rough end of the stick and his words and emotions in the final scene of this episode summed them up. it was heartbreaking to watch. ive seen people criticise him as well - i wouldnt say ive seen "hate" but have seen people say "well, wille was in a bad way there, he could have at least stayed there the night of his birthday and then had that talk in the morning." im indifferent really. it would have come regardless. yes, it was lisa playing the guitar in that scene - i only found this out a short time before watching your reaction. id missed it the first few times i watched the scene because i was so focused on wille, simon and his parents reactions. as for the august letter, i was incredibly emotional over it. putting aside all the horrible things hes done in that moment, it was shattering. you hear the issues he has with his self-image and it was just really sad. that being said, it doesnt excuse any of his actions but adds another level of complexity to his brilliantly-written character. i think the contrast between simons family and willes family is a great illustration of the saying "money doesnt make you happy." cant wait to see your reaction to the next one and hopefully also to "young royals forever" (the BTS doco).

LM-Entertainment Australia

Love how I now, everytime, watch anything on Netflix, I sing "Netfliiiix" to the logo 🤣🤣🤣🤣🩷

Katie Greet

Oh My! These boys said what needed to be said but it’s so difficult! Sara and August’s separate journeys have been interesting this season. Thanks Jackie!

Diane Furlong

It’s a glorious show. I was profoundly moved by it when I saw it in London. It really held the importance of community and music.

Jackie-Ross Lavender

I, too, have seen people react to this episode by condemning Simon, which seems to me to completely miss the point of what’s going on. When you watch the shots of Simon when Wille is trashing his presents, he looks absolutely terrified, and I totally understand why. He is indeed out of his depth with this situation, and as much as he loves Wille, he knows there’s nothing he can do under the circumstances to fix anything. And I reacted the same way to August’s letter that you did - I found it heartbreaking. It doesn’t excuse the things he has done, but it does help us understand them. He is as broken as Wille is, just in a very different way. Another thought I had right after the hug with Sara, Simon, and their mother was that this is the family that the royal family is the total opposite of. Yes, they go through their difficulties, too, but in the end they do love each other. There just doesn’t seem to be that kind of love in Wille’s family. One more thing: I really need to go back and listen to the original cast recording of “Once,” because I didn’t recognize the song, and I really should have. I liked the movie a great deal as well. When the touring production of the musical came through town during Covid, I didn’t see it, but I really would like to have seen it. A friend of mine toured in the show and was sad when the tour had to end early.

Lane Wright

jag menade barer och restauranger men skriv det fel haha

veri✨

I absolutely agree with you about this.

Ruth May

No, it's 20 at the Systembolaget - the state owned liquor store - and 18 at restaurants and bars.

Natasja Mrdjanov

Really keen to see your reaction Jackie. I love this episode, I know it’s heartbreaking but I just think the acting is superb from all our main characters. The scene where Sara breaks down about her Dad made me literally burst into tears.i haven’t been her biggest fan but I really felt for her in that moment. Of course the scenes with Willie and his parents and the final scene with Simon were so heartbreaking but I could never hate Simon , he had just reached breaking point.

Lynn0816

I think is very important to keep in mind what you said about what is the leading question of the show presented to us in season 1: love or duty? Everything that has been unfolding after that is an attempt to answer this question. We have been presented to different perspectives, experiences and possibilities of dealing, again, with that question. We've been introduced to a different side of August since S2 and now it is even clearer how insecure and emotionally neglected he is and how realistic it is when we think about the cycle of abuse. I agree this episode is all about telling the hard truths. I think one hard truth that is shown to us in this episode is how broken Wille is. I saw many times people describing Wille as "the priviledged kid, who suffers no consequences whatsoever and he should be more like this and he should be like more that". He is, in a way, trapped in a cycle of abuse as well. He will need to make a choice for himself as much hard and difficult it will be.

Ingrid Machado Pena

Omar said in an interview something along the lines of how this was the moment that Simon saw Willes parents as more than just the queen or the king but as people and he saw how broken and damaged their family was. And he realized that he was out of his depth and that, even though he wanted to support wilhelm he realized he had to protect himself as well

veri✨

Omar said in an interview that it was his genuine reaction to Wille throwing the gifts because Edvin completely improvised that part. Stunning acting this episode (and next) !

AngelaTeacher

I legitimately had a drink after I watched this episode and then they made us wait a whole week 😭

veri✨

People who hate Simon after watching this episode have not been watching Young Royals.

Ruth May

OMG. You look exactly how I felt watching this and knowing that I had to wait a week before I could see the finale- emotionally drained and exhausted! (Probably a good thing that neither of us resorted to a bottle of vodka, though!) For me, this episode is all about telling the hard truth. The situation with Wille and his parents has been building up for a long time and however painful the explosion is, it’s necessary, in my opinion for them to be confronted with his raw emotions and for him to express them. I think if they had not mentioned Erik, praising him up there on the pedestal where they’ve enshrined him, Wille still might not have exploded like this, but knowing the flawed Erik now and still listening to their version of him on his birthday, which is meant to be a celebration of him, not about Erik, even hearing Simon’s musical talent put into the context of Erik’s -it’s too much to bear. It’s such a strain for Simon, too, trying to make polite conversation in an atmosphere of forced and formal communication while understanding how Wille is hurting, because he instinctively sees what’s beneath the surface. ‘Love shouldn’t be this hard’, but sometimes it is. Interesting, by the way that both Wille and Simon repeat phrases that their mothers have said to them. Wille repeated, ‘Being a prince is a privilege, not a punishment’ when Simon asked him what was good about the monarchy and in this episode, Simon repeats what Linda said to him when she was comforting him before he went to the birthday party. In the end, though, when whatever your parents say, you have to make your own choices. The letter that August reads to Sara, especially now we know what happened to him during the initiation, is heartbreaking. It doesn’t excuse what he did to Wille and Simon, but it certainly contributes to our understanding of the damaged person who then inflicted damage on others as well as damaging himself further in the process, caught in the vicious cycle of the abused becoming the abuser. All I would add, though, is that every symbol, every echo and parallel from season 1 onwards has been pointing to a crisis and a choice. Crown or Heart? As Simon says in season 1 when Wille asks him to be his boyfriend and just go on as they are, ‘You have to decide what you want and you have to do that on your own’. This episode clearly states: ‘You can’t do both. You have to find a way to choose.’ The brave 16 year old kid who gave the Jubilee speech and thought he’d won freedom for himself and Simon to be together now finds he still has to put Simon’s words into practice after all.

Ruth May

100% agree with you!! I've seen so many people say that they hate Simon after this episode and I just couldn't understand why they were saying that. So it makes me feel better that someone else interpreted it how I did.

Kaly

veri✨

This was the episode I cried first this season🥹

Anja

This episode destroys me every time I watch it. The first time I’ve watched the scene with Wille finally saying everything to his parents that he’s been struggling with, I was crying and screaming at the screen „go off Wille“! He needed to say all these things. His parents really needed to hear this. I thought as well that certain things have to change for Wilmon to be endgame. It can’t continue like this. And I found it very brave of Simon to make that decision… Also, I really felt your emotions, Jackie. It was very painful to see Sara so sad…I can also speak from personal experiences when it comes to my biological father. You keep wandering what it is that you’ve done for them to be so careless or uninterested. I’m glad Simon forgave her cause I couldn’t stand the fact that she would be all alone ♥️ Sending you lots of love and hugs 🤗

Frances

Good morning Jackie, I've just watched 20 Minutes because I have to work now. Bless you, I feel for your reaction about Sarah and his dad, it's really bad. Feel hugged 💖 Have a nice day.

Prinsassy