#anti noa x shawn

[phantomoftheorpheum]

I don't love the Noa cheating thing, but I guess within the plot it kinda makes sense with her having more in common with Jen than she does with Shawn. Like Jen understands what she's dealing with more than Shawn could (even if he wanted to) simply because she's experienced it with her mom. Definitely wondering if it's going to play into her test somehow. The truth coming out or having to choose between the two in a way

This got kind of lengthy (lol, no one has been surprised less), so I've placed most of it under the cut. Also to help avoid detailed spoilers for people who are trying to do so.

I agree that the plot isn't necessarily a bad one for the story (like I've mentioned a million times that I don't like love triangles or infidelity plots, but they can be executed well, and depending on how this situation turns out, I'm still open to being okay with the plot line in theory), just one that makes me feel highly critical of the characters involved. And personally a bit sad, as Noa was my favorite in season 1 and I can't currently honestly say that in season 2.

I can definitely see why Jen (or even just the situation surrounding Jen) is more exciting & appealing to Noa, particularly at this time. She's a teenager who has been in a fairly steady long term (by teenage standards) relationship with a stable, but possibly slightly boring, guy. Noa formed a connection with Jen when she was at a low point (taking the fall for her mom), and the kind of bond that you can create when you're spending so much time with someone outside of your normal context can be intense. And Jen is a secret (at least we have not seen Noa tell anyone else about their romantic connection), which is thrill seeking and a little "dangerous," without (usually) actually being that dangerous. Jen is mysterious. There's a lot Noa doesn't know about her (illustrated clearly by her having no concept of Jen's father or her relationship with him prior to this episode). And I do agree that some of the closeness Noa feels to Jen has to do with their commonalities and relationships with their moms. Jen gets the stigma of having been to juvie. Jen gets what it's like to live with a mother who is an addict. Jen understands what it means to have to struggle to pay bills and be the "adult" in her household when she shouldn't have to be.

The thing is, I'm not entirely sure Jen is actually being honest about her backstory/home life at all. I certainly have some suspicions about that. It could all be true, or it also could be largely fabricated (or selectively true) in order to bond with Noa. Hard to say at this point. The reason that I doubt Jen's honesty (when I am currently giving the benefit of the doubt to Christian and Johnny) is because we've seen her lie multiple times, casually, on screen. If Christian or Johnny are also doing that, we don't know it yet. Jen's family (or her possible lies about her family) have become plot relevant with Noa borrowing money to bail Jen out for stealing from her father, so that definitely makes me question how Jen and her family (or her lies) might be important in the following episodes.

So, all that being said, while I can understand why Noa is interested in Jen (even though I would have personally much preferred a "Shawn and Noa broke up between seasons and then this girl she knows from juvie shows up at summer school" plot, just due to my own pet peeves and the reinforcement of negative stereotypes around bisexuality) the way in which she's gone about conducting herself is just really pretty shit. It's okay to fall out of love with someone. It's okay to end a relationship, not because things were bad, but because it was no longer fulfilling. It's okay to realize that you feel more attracted to and connected to someone else, and therefore it's time to reevaluate and possibly end your relationship. These things happen all the time. People still get hurt, but it's not because anyone is a villain. The problem is... Noa isn't doing any of that?

The only dissatisfaction we have seen of her relationship with Shawn this season is that he didn't go to Mouse's birthday. She also doesn't like/get along with his mom, but it's not as if Shawn was upset with her over this, he recognized and understood this issue, and even pushed back against his mother when he witnessed it in person. Noa has continued engaging in a physical/sexual relationship with Shawn (generally prompted by her), as well as a romantic one, while lying to him about her past and present relationship with Jen. She has not only shamelessly introduced him to the person she's cheating on him with, but had the audacity to play into Shawn's affection/understanding of how hard things have been with Noa's mom in order to get him to pay for Jen's bail. Two thousand dollars is a lot of money, and the fact that she could sit there, ask for that, play into how Jen is dealing with the same stuff Noa has, lie to him about why Jen was arrested in the first place, fail to mention that it was Noa's plan to steal from Jen's father, and then immediately run off to kiss Jen behind his back is... Well, it's something.

Up until 2x04, I simply felt bad for Shawn, because he (that we currently know of) hasn't done anything to deserve this, but I also thought Noa was at least a little conflicted about this situation. Her behavior in 2x04 showed absolutely no regret/remorse for her actions, which reflects absolutely terribly on her character. I was expecting at least a "I don't know if I can do this," or something after the kiss with Jen, where we see her immediately feel guilty, but nope. Just all giggles while cheating with the girl your boyfriend just spent 2k on helping out. Like forget about Shawn as person/character for a second, this is about Noa and who she is, what kind of integrity she has, and it is revealing a really heartless side to her. I hope the show has plans to try to build her back up in the future.

All that being said, (aside from the whole "bisexuals are cheaters" stereotype that is being reinforced) I think the storyline could be really interesting. Will Noa feel bad about her actions next episode when she's had a little time to reflect, or no? Is Jen being honest? Does Shawn already know? I actually think (if this is genuinely plot relevant and not just side romance drama) this whole situation could be a legitimately good use of the love triangle/infidelity plot (even though those tropes are generally not my favorite). It definitely feels like Noa has a big storm coming, and I can't say she hasn't earned it. I'm very curious to see what her test is, and how the Jen & Shawn situation will play into it. Is she going to have to make some sort of decision, like you said?

Right now, on a personal level, I do not ship any of these three with each other. I'm very pro "go sit in a corner and think about what you've done" for them atm. And if Shawn is innocent, I hope he gets a cathartic moment by the end of the season. So... that's where I'm at with it. I get it, I can see ways in which it may work for the plot, it makes me very upset with Noa as a character.

[phantomoftheorpheum]

on the shawn x noa x jen stuff, there’s something i’ve been thinking about.

in season 1, noa thanks shawn for supporting her and being by her side post-juvie. she implied that they had been together before she went to juvie, he waited for her, and still continues to defend her, trust her, etc.

they became official in march just after karen’s party. she was sent to juvie after. cute, fine.

but then jen is introduced and we’re told that her and noa were together in juvie.

were noa and shawn on a break that has never been mentioned? or was she in a relationship with shawn while getting with jen in juvie? if her and shawn were on a break or something while she went to juvie, i can’t imagine why they wouldn’t have mentioned that already. yikes this is so bad…

i understand that people want queer representation but the representation needs to be good. i can’t believe how many people i’m seeing ship noa x jen without even mentioning shawn. like, can she at least break up with him? i agree, even if he turns out to be bad, noa doesn’t know that but it’s repeatedly being a terrible partner. and i’d be shocked if - like you said, noa’s challenge wasn’t related to the love triangle.

Okay, so I went back to check my facts. I think the implication is that Shawn & Noa were genuinely a couple while she was in juvie (but maybe not completely official?) because in 2x02 Jen asks, "...what ever happened to that guy you were seeing when we were in juvie?" and Noa responds, "Shawn." And I don't see why they would bring it up like this (like they could have had Jen say something like, "Hey, what ever happened with you and that guy you told me you had a crush on when we were in juvie?") if they didn't want it to feel like Noa's past with Jen is illicit. So I'm also assuming Noa & Shawn's relationship is not open (seems like they would have mentioned this considering Noa's plot this season) and therefore this is just fully cheating. Also, this explains why she doesn't tell any of the other girls about this- if Jen was just a past relationship, Noa wouldn't have a reason to keep it a secret from them, but if her past with Jen means she was cheating on Shawn... Well, that's a different story.

I do think the timeline is a little muddled, because I don't think they planned any of this from the beginning, but it definitely seems like they're doubling down on the "Noa and Shawn were exclusively together when she met Jen" version of events.

And I'm with you. The reinforcement of negative stereotypes of bisexuality really bothers me, too. While, in universe, Noa cheating on Shawn (and treating him the way she has been this season) wouldn't be any better/worse if she were doing it with another guy instead (was Noa confirmed as bi or pan or anything in season 1 because I don't remember it?) the show making a choice to portray her character in a way that unavoidably (even if unintentionally) links her sexuality to her lack of loyalty is disappointing.

Shawn may turn out to be evil, but man is this storyline brutal for him regardless. I honestly can't root for Noa/Shawn as a couple at all, because if he's a bad guy, then obviously I don't want them together, but if he's a good guy then he deserves so much better. I can't root for Noa/Jen either, because this relationship is built upon lies and deceit and a serious disregard for another person's feelings. Honestly I think Noa needs to take a romantic break and reevaluate what she wants, who she wants to be, and how to proceed with a healthy relationship, but this is a dramatic tv show, so odds of that happening seem low.