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lightsandlostbells · 4 years ago

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wtFOCK season 3, episode 4 reaction

Kiss kiss fall in love? More like kiss kiss stay away from me.

I have to warn you. This is the episode where I lost it. I had to go back and edit so much unhappy capslock out of my notes.

Episode 4

Clip 1 - Het drama again

Zoë shows Milan a video of the shooting prank. Milan asks about romance on the trip, Robbe says there were too many people and too little privacy.

Senne and Zoë have tension because Zoë is pissed that Senne was partying? And that he was posting pictures of parties on IG when she wasn’t there? I mean … look, I’m never a William fan, but this seems like Zoë’s problem. If you can’t trust him to behave when you’re gone, you SHOULDN’T BE WITH HIM. And if you feel like you can trust him, this dude going to bars or whatever shouldn’t bother you. At least it seems to be portrayed as Zoë’s issues. Milan mentions that she’s jealous. He seems to like Senne, and I do find that dynamic cute so far.

I do appreciate that the Noorhelm drama this time is boring and not like “Senne was mad about how Zoë handled her sexual assault” levels of offensive.

That being said ... Robbe’s story. Where.

If you’ve been telling a very tight story so far, where Robbe’s personal journey has been steadily progressing clip by clip, then a clip like this wouldn’t be that bad. We absolutely have not been watching a tight story. Even with the next clip of Robbe doing some introspection, I’m like ... can we not make every scene count toward his story when there’s so much catching up to do? Ten seconds of Robbe looking vaguely troubled out of a two-minute clip that’s mainly about Zoë and Senne’s relationship does not count. A better writer would find some way to make Zoë/Senne parallel to Robbe/Sander, like how Noora talking about William and “if he loves you, he’ll choose you” in the first clip of episode 4 is relevant to Isak sitting there texting Even and Even choosing his plans with Sonja over Isak.

Clip 2 - Milan and Robbe talk gaydar

Robbe checking out Sander on Britt’s IG … finally, some cyberstalking. Did he take a screenshot of a pic of Sander? Lol.

Milan sits down and asks Robbe his opinion of a guy on Grindr, sexy or not? Robbe is lukewarm, giving neutral answers, Milan says he’s allowed to have an opinion on whether a guy is hot or not.

It feels SO WEIRD to have this clip so late, and I’m trying to like … recalibrate my brain so it’s not just because it’s later than usual. I don’t inherently hate if a remake changes up the order of clips. But the problem is that we’re now FOUR episodes in and it feels like Robbe’s sexuality crisis has just begun, I guess? Or rather, efficient storytelling would start out with this clear view of what Robbe’s issues are, rather than muddling into it a few episodes in.

Milan’s all, this guy says he’s not gay, but he likes to blow guys. This turns into a conversation about Milan’s gaydar and how to know if a guy is gay. In the original scene, the purpose of this conversation with Isak and Eskild was there as a way of Isak figuring out if Even was gay. That ... does not really fit this version, because this clip is so late in the season. Isak was getting Eskild’s wisdom right after meeting Even, when he had nothing but a BJ reference to go on. But Sander eyefucking Robbe while kissing Britt and leaning in to kiss Robbe should be pretty big clues to Robbe that Sander likes men, no? And that he likes Robbe specifically. Yeah, Robbe might be doubtful because Sander is still with Britt, but nothing new has happened since the almost kiss to make Robbe doubt! It would make way more sense if they’d adapted the opening clip of OG season 4, with Even texting Isak that he had plans with Sonja, into the clip prior to this one. If Robbe had texted Sander an invitation to hang out, or even just a “hey, what’s up?” and Sander wrote back “plans with Britt” then it would be an understandable transition for Robbe to have some doubt about Sander’s sexuality in this clip, like hey, maybe he’s not actually into me, after all.

The scene might make sense if you think about Robbe listening and applying Milan’s words to himself. Thinking about how there’s “something trapped in them that desperately wants to come out.” Wondering if it’s obvious to other people that Robbe is gay. It still doesn’t quite work and I actually doubt that was their intention (I think it was all about how to detect if Sander is into guys) but I am searching for any scraps of Robbe introspection, so.

OK, at least they had Robbe immediately look up Grindr (I laughed that he searched “grinder”). Good! Sexuality conflict! Why is it so late! Although it was probably more about trying to find Sander rather than a personal move on Robbe’s part.

This is a very gay song, btw (I Like Boys by Todrick Hall).

Clip 3 - Robbe and Yasmina talk het drama

Aaron talks to Robbe about sitting close to his teacher to see her boobs and the teacher saying she knows why he’s sitting there. I highly suspect this is just a dream Aaron had, unless the teacher said it in a pissed off way. Throw his ass in the back row, big-breasted teacher!

Robbe meets up with Yasmina. Yasmina wants to know the dirt from the seaside, Robbe fills her in. Soooo are they good friends, or what? He tells her about Aaron and Amber and they laugh and stuff. I mean it’s cute and all but like … where is this coming from? Did they become great friends in the S2 that I didn’t watch?

And that’s the whole clip … again, I ask what was the point?

To establish that Robbe and Yasmina are friends? Way to undermine the development and importance of that relationship by basically cutting through the buildup and hard work to the payoff. Sana and Isak meant more to people BECAUSE they started off prickly and grew to like each other and respect each other via their actions and words, right? That their conversations were more interesting because of their opposing views and resulting friction? That the friction was extremely relevant to the religion discussion?

Was the point to talk about Aaron/Amber and how Amber supposedly isn’t interested? We don’t need Yasmina’s commentary on that at all since we could see how Amber herself reacted to Aaron. Like if Yasmina was all, yeah, Amber couldn’t stop talking about Aaron, she says she doesn’t like him but I think she does, then I guess I could see the relevance of this conversation since it’s “new” information ... but it’s just the same shit we already know. And again: why spend so much time on a SIDE HET ROMANCE during a gay character’s season? Two of out three clips in this episode so far have been about side het romances!

This clip was just not needed at all except to set up Robbe and Yasmina so the impending religion conversation feels mildly less like two characters who have barely spoken on screen suddenly have an intense and somewhat personal talk. Something they could have done in earlier episodes instead of the other repetitive, unnecessary clips they’ve done this season.

Clip 4 - Dance chicks

At Noor’s dance performance, Robbe’s pals are drooling over the performers (and honestly being rather inappropriate and distracting). At least they got Robbe’s lack of interest right. Even though they have established this FIFTEEN THOUSAND TIMES with the lack of interest in Noor, like this clip almost doesn’t feel necessary at this point! If they’d had it earlier in the season, sure, but now it feels redundant. Like we really super mega get it by now that Robbe’s not into the girls.

The instructor thanks the performers at the end and Robbe says that he was “so gay.” Hey, except you know what? THERE IS NO BUILDUP TO THIS MOMENT. ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NONE. Except for the homophobic jokes from his friends in the previous seasons, but there’s nothing I can recall in this season. But more importantly, Isak’s similar comment was prompted by him taking the gay test in a preceding clip. Taking a quiz about generalizations of gay people, rooted in homophobia! Which Isak applies to the dance teacher! In order to distance himself from being gay! WE GOT NONE OF THAT HERE. For fuck’s sake.

There is no setup or reason why Robbe goes from being somewhat neutral about gay people with Milan asking him about the Grindr dude two clips ago - where Robbe is just kinda like, yeah OK, whatever, you think everyone’s gay, Milan (but he’s not overly grossed out or homophobic) - to this moment where he’s making a derogatory comment about a person he perceives as flamboyantly gay. This scene just happens because it did in OG. And the thing is, obviously you can attribute Robbe’s reasoning here to internalized homophobia. We know internalized homophobia exists and why he has it. But this is a scripted narrative, and any scripted narrative needs to have things happen for a reason rather than just because.

I remember complaining that Skam Italia had a bizarre take on this scene. But that’s nothing compared to the laziness on display here.

Jens is like WTF at Robbe’s “so gay” comment, it’s clear he’s not feeling it. I do like that Robbe gets defensive when Jens scoffs at him. They ask Robbe why he’s such a downer lately and if it’s because of his dad, or because of the Vlogs. Robbe blames the vlogs and yells and walks off, they’re confused.

Lol I just realized that I don’t think there was any followup to the prank from the seaside trip that had Robbe all pissed off. Nothing to show that the boys reconciled or that Robbe didn’t get over it right away.

I have a big problem with the way the boy squad is characterized so far, and it might be because they come across as more self-absorbed than other boy squads, as well as having a more superficial bond. I feel like so far they’re a rather cynical take on teenage boyhood. Again, not expecting them to be perfect or to be overly mature, but this show has to do a lot of work to make me believe they have the empathy or maturity to deal with Robbe’s situation kindly. (EDIT from the future: lol)

Clip 5 - Robbe and Yasmina talk religion

Oh shit, somehow I didn’t connect that dots that Aaron mentioning the teacher’s boobs would lead to THE boob teacher making an appearance! Unless there are multiple teachers with notable breasts at this school.

Another scene of Robbe not interested in breasts ... I mean, not to sound like a broken record, but this would have been good about three episodes ago.

The teacher is talking about religion and Darwininsm and creationism, which prompts Robbe to complain about how people still have religious beliefs in 2019.

Heavy fucking sigh. Have we gotten ANY religious moments from Robbe’s mom this season? Or from anyone else? Do the writers realize that Isak grilling Sana about religion was prompted by his OWN MOTHER’S religious beliefs and his fear of her judgment of his sexuality? No? Not surprised.

For real, Robbe just complains about religion out of nowhere … and like, obviously religious homophobia isn’t a rare thing, it exists. But it has not been established why Robbe in particular cares about the effects of religious homophobia, compared to say, the casual homophobia of his friends, or gay stereotypes, or gay bashing … we don’t know why religious homophobia has PERSONAL relevance in Robbe’s life. And yes, this is a concern for every gay person! But from a STORYTELLING perspective, there should be some focus as to what Robbe’s main fears are about being gay. Lack of acceptance from his peers? His family? Religion? Violence? Homophobic slurs?

I would say based on previous seasons, the most compelling basis for Robbe’s internalized homophobia would be the homophobic attitudes of his friend group. A revised take on the dance chicks scene might have been done with this in mind, but it wasn’t, and so it’s all just very muddled.

Anyway, Robbe goes on this tangent and asks Yasmina why she believes in God. The teacher voices what I thought and is like, why the fuck are you talking in class?

Again, there is NO BUILDUP to the involvement of religion at all. They have this shoehorned in friendship, I guess so he can ask her. He does bring up homosexuality at least, and how religion is so black and white.

Yasmina asks him what he believes. ONE THING they got right: they had Robbe challenge Yasmina on an intellectual level, and so Yasmina challenges him on an intellectual level right back. Because a lot of their dialogue is lifted right from OG, that’s why it works. LMAOOOO. Yasmina points out that homosexuality is an evolutionary “dead end” so therefore it can’t be genetic, so what is it? A disorder? A choice? I will also give some credit for her invoking the most anxiety-causing options to get under Robbe’s skin.

But the tone of their friendship does come across very different, because in the previous scene they seemed like good chums who had a rapport, and here it’s like Robbe lashed out at her for no reason, even less than Isak did with Sana, because Robbe just decided to torch his friendship with Yasmina out of the blue. I guess the answer is that Robbe is cranky so he decided to grill Yasmina over religion, but again, the fucking question is: why was he cranky? Two clips before this one they were on warm, friendly terms. In the last clip, he lashed out at his male friends, but that has nothing to do with religion. What the writers are asking us to do is basically just imagine all the stuff that’s happening in Robbe’s brain instead of doing their jobs and showing it to us. You don’t have to spoon feed us but you don’t also get to stick a few peas on a plate and wonder why we’re going hungry.

(REALLY. IT WAS NOT PROMPTED BY ANYTHING, NOT A TEXT FROM HIS MOM. WHICH IS WHY ISAK WAS UPSET AND LAUNCHED HIS INTERROGATION AT SANA.)

(CAUSE AND EFFECT, MOTHERFUCKER)

Clip 6 - Bowie playlist

Robbe is doing homework when Sander sends him a Bowie playlist. Robbe listens to Space Oddity and has a brief Moment. It’s very nice but wow, wouldn’t it be even better if Robbe fell for Sander listening to that? Say, in the last episode? Before they almost kissed? And before Robbe was suddenly declaring himself a Bowie expert to Noor?

Sander calls him, I like Robbe fixing his hair before he answers. It’s a video chat, gotta look his best! They have an actual conversation about Bowie and they flirt. Sander invites Robbe to the cafe later and Robbe is happy except then Britt is in the background and apparently she’s going with them, so it’s not a date after all, oh no. Robbe’s actor is good at subtly conveying his disappointment here.

Robbe hangs up and sticks his head against the bed (lol) and then goes back to Grindr. He immediately gets messages for horny sex and then gets rid of Grindr.

At first I was like, yay, this clip had a clear point and a sense of cause-and-effect, but now I’m like ... ehhhhh. Because the purpose of Robbe checking out Grindr is either A) so he can look for Sander or B) so he can check it out as a general way of exploring his sexuality (or both). The suggestion is that it has a lot to do with the former, because it was part of Milan’s advice as to how to find out if someone’s gay. But it’s a little weird here, because Robbe just saw that Britt was coming along to the cafe, so he should be discouraged about Sander. I mean, I think it’s still possible that he’s trying to figure out if Sander likes him because he’s getting mixed signals between the playlist and Britt, but it’s just a little off. And as for option B, I’m not sure why now of all times is the best time for that, like if you think about it, the sting of getting his hopes dashed should be the predominant emotion here, would he go straight to Grindr just to be like hmmm, maybe I’m into dudes?

And it bugs me because there is a super easy fix to this clip! Just have Sander send the Bowie playlist, Robbe listens to it, and as he’s daydreaming and smiling a bit, he gets out his phone and checks out Grindr, ready to search for Sander. But there are too many sex messages so he’s just like WTF and gets rid of it. Then Sander calls and they have this conversation that ends in Robbe being reminded that Britt is still in the picture. (Or he doesn’t need to get the sexy messages at all, I mean they’re kind of funny but I’m not sure they’re plot-necessary here.)

Noor texts him that they’ll meet up later. It’s not 100% clear but it sounds like she knew about meeting up with Sander and Britt, so that means Britt probably told her previously. Which is a little bit of different context from OG, because I was under the impression that Even asked Isak to hang out with them hoping that they’d be alone, and then somehow Sonja found out and made it into a group thing with Emma, making Even grumpy. With this it seems like it was planned as a group thing from the beginning, Britt knows they’re meeting up later.

Or wait, when Sander says he’ll give Robbe advice at the cafe later, does that mean Robbe already knows they’re meeting up? That would make sense because it’s what happened in OG (Even invited Isak in an earlier clip and then Isak found out Emma and Sonja were coming in a later one). They’re incorporating all kinds of OG elements in this episode so I wouldn’t be surprised. But I assumed that this was the invite because we didn’t see Sander talk to Robbe earlier this week? Shouldn’t we have seen that clip since it’s the first time they’ve interacted since they almost kissed? I checked the texts for this episode and I don’t see anything like Sander inviting Robbe, either? Did I just miss something? What is going on?

Clip 7 - Robbe is late to meet Noor

Later that day …. Robbe rides a bike. Very fast. The music is dramatic! This would not be out of place for an O Helga Natt scene

And yet it’s not OHN, it’s Noor? Noor seems annoyed. Because Robbe is late. OH NO THE TENSION WHATEVER WILL WE DO. WE CARE A TON ABOUT ROBBE AND NOOR.

Noor is super pissed at him and starts screaming and shoving at him. What the actual fuck? She complains that she thought he was dead or something and is mad he didn’t even send a message. She says fuck you and walks off. Robbe follows her on the bike.

I don’t know how popular this opinion is, but Noor did not come across as great here, like when I watched it I was baffled at her response. I say this as someone who is chronically early and also gets annoyed at lateness. She has every right to be annoyed that Robbe is late and that he didn’t message her to tell her he’d be late, and I get that there’s supposedly more to her reaction than just this one incident. But the screaming and especially the shoving at him is just WTF.

Also, she told him to meet him at 19:00, and the beginning of the clip is at 19:21 (I see what you did there) and Robbe arrives like a minute or two later. So he’s 20 minutes late, which is certainly annoying, especially because it’s dark and chilly outside, but IMO not a cause for “I thought you were dead or in an accident!” and the OTT reaction.

Clip 8 - Robbe and Noor fight

Sander and Britt are in the cafe, Robbe and Noor argue outside about him giving her mixed signals. Has ... he ...?

OK, I’d say I half-see her case, and I half-don’t. If Noor can somehow sense Robbe’s disinterest during their makeouts or lovey-dovey moments or w/e, then I can buy that. I think there are slight moments where he doesn’t seem into it. But Robbe has put so much more genuine effort into their relationship than Isak did. He hasn’t even turned Noor down for sex, really, they’ve just gotten interrupted every time, or she’s thrown up. He didn’t want to go to her dance performance except then he told her he would go approximately thirty seconds later. He went to her dance performance. He went to the seaside with her and kissed her and slept in the same bed with her. This is the first time he’s actually fucked up with her.

Noor sounds ridiculous right now. “Do you still love me?” Uhhhh what??? You’ve been dating for less than a month, really? Did he tell her he loved her at any point? I’m serious, is there some material I missed? Some nuance in the language that didn’t completely translate?

I get it, I’m watching insecure overdramatic teenagers! I’m just wondering if I’m supposed to be on Noor’s side here. They could have portrayed this less OTT and more fitting to Robbe’s actual offenses.

Anyway Robbe and Noor have a screaming fight in the street and he says he can’t breathe anymore because of her. I can buy that even if it’s dramatic because he’s feeling trapped by her due to his sexuality. She walks off, Sander and Britt come outside. Britt goes after Noor and hugs her, Sander sings Space Oddity to signify the crash and burn of Robbe/Noor. He has on a Pink Floyd shirt so at least his musical taste is more varied than Bowie.

Clip 9 - Robbe and Sander by themselves

Robbe and Sander drink alone at the bar, they don’t think the girls are coming back. Sander texts Britt and then tells Robbe they’re going to do something else. He shows him Britt’s text saying that Noor needs some time alone. I mean. this drastically changes the context of them going off together … it’s not because they want to be together, necessarily (although they do) but it’s by default now.

So they leave.

Yeah, I do not love what they did with this scene. It’s short and to the point but I want to point out a few things.

First, because again, there’s no need to break up most of these clips into such short, choppy scenes just because 15 or 20 minutes have passed in-universe. It might be exciting if you happen to be watching and following at the exact time these are being posted, but it also messed with the flow of the scenes and the build of emotions. Imagine if we cut off after Isak and Even left Emma and Sonja and then 10 minutes later we got them riding around on a bike. We’d missed that beautiful transition from the silent, empty room to Isak on the bike and then Head Over Heels kicking in. That’s one of my favorite moments in season 3 and it’s because of that transition. It’s because I was sitting there watching this uncomfortable scene and wishing Isak and Even could be alone and then they got to be alone and my stomach swooped! If you break up moments like those, there’s just not as much build. (Or imagine - horror of horrors - an O Helga Natt where Isak gets the text from Even and it cuts off after he runs out of the church and then resumes when he arrives at the school, so we don’t see his journey. You lose so much.)

Second, there is a curious lack of romantic/sexual tension in this scene. It’s there on Sander’s end, I think, or at least you can read it there due to his focus on Robbe and even some of his body language. Robbe, on the other hand, seems more upset that his girlfriend who he doesn’t even feel genuine attraction to has walked out on him rather than the fact that he is sitting next to the boy he’s crushing on, alone together, right before they share their first kiss later that evening. And it just makes me want to know why.

I don’t blame Robbe’s actor at all, because it’s the director’s job to tell him how to play the scene. But I rewatched this scene trying to be generous, and there is not a single shred of attraction or tension from Robbe toward Sander. He checks the cafe door when it opens, he asks Sander to text Britt, and when Sander suggests they leave, Robbe’s first instinct is to ask what if Noor comes back. He sits there moping into his beer the whole time. He doesn’t sneak looks at Sander. He doesn’t try to talk to Sander about anything except Noor and Britt. No banter, no discussion that’s focused on them, Robbe-and-Sander, you know, the main couple of this season (supposedly). It doesn’t even feel like he’s consciously trying not to look or interact with Sander because of the romantic tension. No, it genuinely feels like Robbe’s #1 thought right now is Noor. Does that make sense to you? It makes sense for him to be a little out of sorts due to the fight, but does it make sense that Robbe seems to have no perceptible reaction to being alone with the guy he likes? Does it make sense that they didn’t take this chance to throw in some romantic and sexual tension in order to pave the way for the kiss that is going to happen very shortly? Gotta say that I think this scene exemplifies my earlier complaints about how Noor was so prevalent early in the season and how Robbe/Noor was built up. Because once again, Robbe/Noor has taken precedence over the undeveloped Robbe/Sander pairing.

Finally, as I said above, the situation makes it so that Robbe and Sander are on their own by default, not by choice. Combined with the bizarre lack of tension, that makes this scene fall totally flat. There’s no sense that these two really really want to be alone together. There’s no joy in them running off together. Robbe actually seems reluctant to go off with Sander. And not even because he’s fearful of what might happen, ooooo things might get a little gayer than I can handle right now, but like he’d rather sit here and drink and think about his girlfriend.

It’s like they were concerned that Isak and Even were too mean to Emma and Sonja so they decided Robbe and Sander would only be alone because it was the girls’ decision to leave them, not the other way around. We even get that text from Britt so we know that Noor totes isn’t coming back and it’s OK for them to leave. I have no idea what their actual motivation was to construct the scenario this way, though. I would love to know. (The answer would probably annoy me so I’m better off not knowing.)

It’s little stuff like this that makes me want to sit down the writers/directors/whoever’s behind wtFOCK and have them watch scenes from Skam S3 and write an essay on the construction and execution of clips. Do some homework about timing, tension, narrative structure, and everything else that makes S3 work.

Clip 10 - Smooch time

It’s 21:21 so you know what’s happening. Also, bullshit! Why is this happening so fast. You haven’t earned this!!!!

Sander buys them booze. The Sander actor is very good, honestly. I like his screen presence. It is a testament to his abilities that this relationship is working for me at all, because it sure ain’t the writing. (Robbe’s actor is doing well, too, but the writing is dragging him down since he’s present for all this nonsense.)

This scene of Sander and Robbe drinking and riding bikes is genuinely good on its own and they have strong chemistry when they’re allowed to show it. They have easy banter and interaction, there’s a callback to the booking.com reference from when they met. Really, this part makes me sad, because I can see the potential here! If the writing was GOOD, if the story had a legit direction, if it was just better storytelling all around … this season could have been wonderful, they had the right guys to do Isak and Even’s story justice. Instead it’s like this one terrific moment in a sea of wtFOCK.

If they go in the pool I will roll my eyes. C’mon, guys, you DO NOT HAVE THE SYMBOLISM to do this scene. It had a meaning in Skam, in most of the remakes it’s just an arbitrary location.

Yep, it’s a pool.

Sander takes off all his clothes so he jumps in bare-assed, and Robbe laughs. Sander yells at Robbe to get in the pool so Robbe does a fucking striptease while Sander watches, more or less, and he’s about to get in the pool in his underwear, but Sander is like “all the way or no way” so Robbe takes off his underwear after a brief moment of hesitation and jumps in. So they’re naked in the pool. Cool cool cool.

Seeeeee, on the one hand this COULD be a moment of liberation, I could see it, taking off the clothes and jumping in as a representation of abandoning the stale hetero life or w/e. But I don’t think wtFOCK has built anything resembling a clear arc for Robbe, to the point where this act means anything, really. (Can you imagine Isak doing this in episode 4? I don’t know if it fits his character at that point, but I could at least be like, OK, this is part of his ~rebirth and I think we’ve built him up enough that this moment of liberation feels like a culmination of something.) I’m also not totally sold on the way they presented this, like we’ve got a closeted gay kid alone with his crush and the crush takes his all his clothes off and then Robbe takes all his clothes off with only the barest reluctance (but he’s not like … distressed or worried, just kinda like “aw, man!”) For some closeted gay kids? Sure, guess I could see it! But in the context of “this kid is struggling with his sexuality and he’s alone with the boy he likes and he’s supposed to be going through Some Shit”? Why doesn’t this have a bigger reaction in Robbe? Since they are drunk and not necessarily overthinking things in the moment, however, I will let this slide. Cynically I think this is mostly about trying to make wtFOCK Sexxxxy. I’m not a prude and I don’t have an objection in theory to a teenage couple skinny dipping together, but wtFOCK has a trend of taking a thing that happened in OG and going “How can we do this but more?” and these remakes know Evak is the big sell in fandom, so. They’re making it spicier. (EDIT from the future: Jumping ahead to later content on wtFOCK ... they very much are trying to make it Sexxxxy.)

Also, these guys just haven’t had a lot of buildup yet! And I can see like … rewriting this scene so the first kiss isn’t necessarily some epic release of a simmering tension and growing love, but more of a tentative, pivotal moment with a gay kid kissing a boy for the first time, and having the relationship grow from there. But wtFOCK isn’t doing that, it’s trying to do the Evak thing with the epic romance, and they haven’t earned it.

They go underwater for the breath-holding contest, Sander tries to kiss Robbe (Robbe’s eyes are pointedly closed so this feels like some unnecessary POV breakage) and Robbe shoves him back. He’s still in a good mood, though. They go back underwater and Robbe kisses Sander. Yay, I guess.

Lol, I don’t actually want to sound like a bitter asshole. The song choice is lovely! The cinematography is pretty good! And like I said, they have nice chemistry. It’s just that the storytelling has been so messy up to this point that I can’t get too invested. The very first clip I saw in real time for Skam season 3 was the pool scene - I had just discovered the show a few days prior, and I kept watching the clips on repeat. I could not get enough of this story. I really really needed those guys to kiss. Yeah, I recognize that at the time the story was brand new and this wasn’t the fourth iteration of the same pool scene and the sixth first kiss for this couple, and you really can’t recreate that feeling of not knowing what comes next in a remake like this. Still, I think that if the writing had just been better, I could have been happy and invested in this moment.

I also think that the pool scene in particularly has a tendency to get written in kind of a rote way in the remakes. Some of them have put their own spin on it - I had plenty of criticisms of Skam France’s S3 but I did enjoy their first kiss and I praised that they made up their own symbolism - but some of them have gotten so close to the original, the exact same banter, the interruption at the end, and it doesn’t feel natural for those versions of the characters. I’m not sure if the remake showrunners think that the original scene is something the fans want to see or if they’re being lazy or if they think the OG is just that good (which it is, lol). I don’t think any remake has been that faithful with their O Helga Natt clips, by comparison.

Anyway they get caught, yadda yadda.

Clip 11 - Morning after the pool smooch

Robbe gets up and sees Zoë looking at Senne, seemingly hungover, on the couch. She makes coffee to spite him since the coffeemaker is loud.

Zoë asks Robbe about last night and says Noor was at the door. Robbe doesn’t tell her what really happened. Apparently Noor looked like she felt bad. I don’t think I can handle more Robbe/Noor, guys. I appreciate that OG didn’t drag out Isak’s thing with Emma once he kissed Even, but I’m not confident this won’t happen here.

Zoë asks if he’s all right. Man, the most effective relationship this season is probably Zoë and Robbe? Which is fine! But like … boy squad ain’t great, Sander and Robbe aren’t well developed, they fucked up Yasmina and Robbe already, Milan and Robbe are way behind schedule…

What if the reveal were that Sander were in Robbe’s bed?

It’s not. Instead, Sander texts him as a cover of Space Oddity plays. Robbe has angst and blocks Sander on WhatsApp. Ohhhh my. Another thing I appreciated about OG? That Isak was all in after he kissed Even, and that the angst came from different places besides the typical gay coming out storyline of “kissed a boy, regretted it, went back in the closet temporarily.” Not that it’s unrealistic, just that it’s done so much.

I think we’re supposed to take away that Zoë saying Noor was there looking sad made Robbe reconsider what happened with Sander? Or just general internalized homophobia. I don’t think the latter is totally out of Robbe’s characterization based on what we’ve seen so far, although I wish there was clearer writing so it felt more like “Robbe has internalized homophobia that made him block Sander” and less like “????? internalized homophobia I guess.” Again, I’ll letting this slide because I can also rationalize it as him being a little drunk last night, and now that he’s sober he regrets his choice, even if I don’t think this is a great choice at this stage in the season.

Clip 12 - The heaviest of sighs

The subs helpfully gave a trigger warning for homophobic slurs so I knew this was going to be “good.”

Robbe is listening to music as he goes home. Sander comes up to him, smiling, wanting to know why Robbe blocked him. Robbe says to leave him alone, that Sander got him drunk and took advantage of him.

L M A O welp, this would soooo kill this ship for me if I were invested.

FIND SOMEONE ELSE, SANDER, YOU DESERVE BETTER

Oh, so Robbe also shoved him and called him a dirty f****t! What a great romance!

No, really - this is the EXACT THING I was so glad that Evak DID NOT DO. I’m not saying their romance has to be free of flaws, that there can never be fuckups, that Isak can’t ever hurt Even and vice versa. But this is such a common and ugly trope in gay media.

Robbe goes inside and slams his door, Milan asks what’s wrong, Robbe tells him to leave him alone. We get Milan’s POV and not Robbe’s at the end.

Anyway lmao. wtFOCK indeed.

Did you enjoy the cuddle scene in Skam, where a same-sex couple got to be tender and sweet and open with each other for almost seven minutes? A clip that felt refreshing and even revolutionary for its normalization of gay intimacy? Hahahaha, fuck you.

Okay, seriously though. It’s not a problem that we didn’t have the cuddle scene immediately after the pool scene. It’s not a problem that they want to change up this storyline and make it their own - though again I would ask the creative powers at wtFOCK why they’re making these particular choices. It’s not a problem if Robbe and Sander’s relationship has some extra bumps along the way to their happy ending.

WHAT EVEN PROMPTED THIS CHANGE IN ROBBE, like I get the answer is “internalized homophobia” but Robbe was BUCK NAKED WITH SANDER IN THE POOL so like. Can we please get SOME context for why he suddenly had a freakout? Can we please get some narrative structure with cause and effect? Can we get a fucking reason that Robbe went from 0 to 100? Because if it was just the blocking Sander on WhatsApp, that’s one thing, but accusing him of sexual assault and calling him slurs is so vastly beyond that. If we’re supposed to take away that Robbe feels bad about Noor, that still doesn’t explain the ugliness of his reaction, rather than just telling Sander that he has a girlfriend and it was a mistake or whatever.

I’m going to add that I understand that Robbe went through some additional homophobic shit from his friends in previous seasons - I remember Moyo saying crappy things to him in S1, and I watched a S2 scene where the same thing happens. So I can understand if Robbe’s internalized homophobia is very strong. But they’ve also cut out so much stuff in this season that added to Isak’s internalized homophobia (no mom’s religion making him anxious, no gay test, no gay generalizations from Emma...) If they want to rely on internalized homophobia from previous seasons, then we really need a reminder in this season, such as his friends making homophobic jokes, which I do not recall hearing so far. And they need to show what happened between the kiss to provoke such a homophobic reaction.

After Sander said that thing about not knowing if anyone would ever love him … why did they do this? I love me some pain in storytelling but this isn’t just angst, this is needlessly cruel.

There is, believe it or not, a middle ground between “conflictless fluff” and “cruel homophobia and assault allegations” where you can have some tension, even have Robbe have a freakout, without bringing in this kind of material. Robbe could have told Sander to stay away without accusing him of assault or calling him slurs. He could have said he wasn’t gay or that it was a mistake or even “I was drunk” without following it up with “and you took advantage of me.” All of these options might have stung for Sander and for any viewers who were hoping for morning-after cuddles, but they also create conflict without pushing it over the edge into OTT cruelty.

HOW I WOULD REWRITE THIS EPISODE:

Ahahahaha

So far this season is like a disconnected set of scenes from Skam S3 with bonus filler scenes and unnecessary clips about non-Robbe things. It’s getting hard to think about rewrites because the point, if you will, so often so unclear. It’s also hard because this episode squeezed in so many OG scenes that were missing from earlier in the season that it’s like, well, shouldn’t we have had this a few episodes ago? Should we just leave them out now?

Okay. Start by getting rid of the first clip in this episode that’s mostly about Zoë/Senne, bump up the Milan clip. We start with Robbe looking at pics of Sander on IG, Milan comes in and asks if there was any romance on the trip, then they get into the Grindr talk, etc. The Grindr talk makes more sense before Robbe almost kisses Sander, but like. We can’t do anything about that now. What might be better is if the whole “how do you know if a guy is gay?” thing takes a swerve into not just Robbe trying to figure out Sander, but to something uncomfortably close to Robbe’s own behavior (like IDK, referencing body language and how a guy will lean in closer, like Robbe did with Sander) and then Robbe gets cranky because he’s worried he’s too obviously gay to other people. After Milan leaves, he starts looking up stuff like “how to act straight” or “how not to seem gay” or whatever. That leads us into the next clip...

... the dance chicks scene. Now we’ve seen plenty of Robbe being disinterested in girls already, so this time we’re going to show him trying to be interested in girls instead. Like he’s watching his friends’ annoying horny reactions and he’s clearly trying to imitate them and join in, but we can see that he’s awkward and not totally feeling it. But he’s trying. Then after the performance, Robbe makes the comment about the dance instructor being so gay.

There is a problem, IMO, in that Robbe’s friend group has been shown to be more homophobic than the average boy squad (as seen in S1 and S2). And frankly I don’t really believe yet Jens is the type to shut down a homophobic comment. Like in S2 Moyo and Robbe straight up start calling each other f*gs and Jens is like chill, no one here is a f*g, but if there were, you should date each other. That’s his idea of intervention. So I’m not sure how to handle that.

I don’t love this idea, because I hate what they’re done with Moyo in particular, making him pointedly more homophobic (to be discussed in a future reaction) but Moyo and Aaron could perhaps laugh at Robbe’s comment and start riffing off it, while Robbe is sitting there pretending to laugh but looking increasingly uncomfortable, and Jens notices something is off with Robbe, and he tells the guys to knock it off, the guy is gay, so what? Big deal. Then aside from the other guys, he asks Robbe if something is wrong, and Robbe snaps at him or attributes it to family problems again.

I was going to also say that the setting for this clip doesn’t really allow for Sander to swoop in, like Even did to return the snapback, but actually maybe it could? Noor could have invited Britt and Sander to watch the show, right? So maybe when Robbe makes this gay joke and his friends are laughing, Sander comes up while Britt is talking to Noor and is like, hey guys, what’s up? Robbe’s friends are just like, oh nothing, did you see how gay that guy was? Then Sander is like, sorry, what’s the problem with being gay? He tells them off a little. Meanwhile Robbe is standing there awkward as fuck, not looking Sander in the eyes, while Sander is looking at him for backup, but Robbe just makes an excuse to bolt. Maybe he walks past Noor without saying anything, so she looks confused.

Now onto Robbe and Yasmina. Man, I truly hate saying this. But: If you are not going to incorporate other religious themes into this season, then you don’t need to redo the Isak-Sana friendship. Again! I don’t like suggesting this! But what actually is Robbe and Yasmina’s relationship bringing to this season when it’s portrayed like this?

They left out the weed blackmail, which is really just a plot device in OG, but it’s a plot device that sets up Sana and Isak’s thread. It also gets Isak to kosegruppa to meet Even, something which is irrelevant here.

Sana’s main tie to S3 is Isak’s mom. Isak’s mom is religious, that makes him anxious, and it’s a hurdle to coming out to her. Robbe’s mom is not religious, Robbe’s internalized homophobia doesn’t seem to have anything to do with religion specifically other than this one scene with him and Yasmina. It’s just a disconnected tangent. What’s more, what is Yasmina’s eventual advice going to do for him? Sana’s advice led Isak to come out to his mom.

I really like Yasmina. If there’s another way that her presence is relevant to the themes of this season, by all means let’s find it and include her. As it is, either make it that Robbe’s mom is religious and include the Robbe-Yasmina subplot, or don’t and leave it out.

I would love to see in-depth and meaningful friendships develop among all the characters in the Skam squads, just because I love all those kids. Jonas and Vilde? Even and girl Chris? Eva and Mahdi? I don’t care how random, let’s have them all! But there is a finite amount of time per season, and we can’t extend time for all possible relationships - just the ones that are most relevant to the story we are trying to tell.

I mentioned above a fix for the Bowie playlist clip that makes it have a little more sense to me. If you include Sander in the dance chicks clip like I said, you could have Robbe thinking about Sander again and wondering if he’s into men since he called out the boys’ homophobia. That’s how he ends up on Grindr. Then Sander sends him the Bowie playlist, Robbe listens, Sander calls and they talk, Robbe apologizes for bolting out of there the other day. Sander invites him to the cafe later, Robbe’s all :D until he realizes Britt is there and is coming too, then he’s :(

He’s late to meet Noor and Noor is upset, but not like ... screaming and shoving at him. She’s more snippy and passive-aggressive, she walks off. She says she’s upset because he ditched the dance performance without talking to her, and then he’s late to meet her, it seems like he just doesn’t care that much. They have a fight but it’s like a normal fight and not The End of the World. Just tone down Noor’s OTT anger and make it more natural.

I don’t have a preference in this version whether Noor and Britt leave the cafe and Sander and Robbe know they’re not coming back, or whether Noor and Britt just go to get some air and cry it out and Sander is like fuck it, let’s leave. The important thing for me is that Robbe sits there with Sander, painfully aware that they’re alone, and there’s lots of tension and awkwardness and his brain is clearly hyper-focused on the proximity of Sander’s knee to his own. They banter and flirt and then when Sander suggests they leave, Robbe acts like he wants to go.

Don’t do a pool scene for the first kiss. Give a shit, make it your own. Except IMO they have done so little to establish this relationship in terms of larger themes or symbolism that they have nothing to choose from.

Man, what if THIS episode was about going to the seaside, after they had been talking for several episodes, and they kissed in the sea when they were alone? That would be at least somewhat plausible? A take on the pool scene/underwater kiss that wasn’t the exact same.

You could do something related to graffiti, perhaps? Instead of breaking into a pool, they break into the tagging place or wherever. Or something else related to Sander’s artwork, because I know that this comes up in their version of O Helga Natt.

I’m not wild about adding this blip in Robbe and Sander’s relationship after the kiss, because of how much ground we need to cover the rest of the season (it messes with the pacing yet again) and also just because I like that Skam didn’t do this expected route. However, if they wanted to make Robbe try to shut out Sander again: the strongest case for his internalized homophobia seems to be his friends. So have him meet up with them again the day after kissing Sander. His friends bring up Sander and how weird he was at the dance performance about the gay instructor, like it’s just a joke! He took their comments way too seriously! Is Sander gay or something? And maybe Robbe tries to defend Sander - no, he’s a cool guy, really - and then his friends are like, pffft, what, do you have a crush on him? Robbe denies and everybody chills out, but Robbe seems troubled. Maybe this is when Jens finally gets a fucking clue and realizes something’s up with Robbe, and in the future there’s a scene where he shuts down gay jokes. For now, though, we do see how Robbe would feel compelled to go back in the closet. Sander texts him and Robbe blocks him.

Now we come to the worst part. So. Take out Robbe calling Sander a sexual predator and a homophobic slur and pushing him, that’s for sure. If he must reject Sander, do it in another way. “I’m not gay.” “I was drunk.” “It was a mistake.” “I have a girlfriend.” It’s not actually hard to do this clip without adding this ugly taint to their relationship.

Since I’m trying to think of rewrites without just copying Skam, here is a radical change on how to include a post-kiss freakout from Robbe earlier on so the pacing isn’t as odd. In previous recaps, I suggested Sander should be introduced earlier as a mysterious stranger that Robbe is trying to find. Well, maybe we can rework that. Robbe and the mysterious stranger share a kiss in episode 1. They’re hiding from the police or security or something after getting busted at a party or while tagging or w/e, and they’re both a little drunk and high on adrenaline, they’re smiling and laughing because they actually got away, and it just ... happens. The mysterious stranger can initiate it, but Robbe tentatively reciprocates before running away. Robbe freaks out and it’s after this that he starts heavily pursuing Noor. Because, you see, he’s not gay, he was just drunk, and it was all that other guy’s fault. But at least he doesn’t have to see that random guy again, right? No one will ever know. Just like no one will ever know if late at night when he can’t sleep, he does a Google search to see if he’s gay if he liked kissing a boy or if he can’t get it up with his girlfriend. Or if he goes on Grindr to see if he can find the mystery dude. It’s a bust and Robbe gives up and settles into dating Noor. Except in episode 2, OH SHIT, he’s introduced to Sander again via Noor, and it’s awkward and fuck, Sander has a girlfriend. Well, that’s good, right? Totally not a bummer. Anyway, Robbe tries to avoid Sander or tiptoe around him but they end up spending time together because they’re stuck at the seaside under the same roof. Maybe they directly address the issue by Robbe saying he’s not gay and Sander being like “me neither” (which technically is not a lie, lmao) and brushing it off as a mistake, or maybe they both pretend that it never happened. Maybe Robbe is more aggressive about it at first and Sander is like, whoa dude, chill out, I’m not going to tell anyone. Still, they get to know each other, there’s heaps of sexual/romantic tension, and in episode 4 (or 5 or whenever) they kiss again and it’s Epic.

This arc is definitely not the same as Isak’s or Evak’s and I absolutely won’t claim that it’s in the same league as what Julie Andem did, but I can see a narrative arc like this making some sense. Better than trying to do Isak’s arc half-assed.

It occurs to me just like … how little we know about any of these characters in terms of subtext or something? No hints about Sander’s background, really? Let’s get some clues in there.

I think something I miss about Skam was how kind it was. How all the characters were at heart, good people capable of the most generous love and empathy. And maybe we’ll get there with these characters in the end, but overall, so many of these people just don’t feel like that! There’s so much more ugliness and cruelty involved in this story, and it doesn’t feel like it’s done with good intentions, like to show the audience how to handle these situations and to heal.

There’s this weird attitude of defense where cruelty, tragedy, and negative events are defended in the name of realism and there’s a backlash to the backlash, acting like the critics just want fluffy plotless hand-holding and cuddling, a conflict-free season, or a story where no one makes mistakes. And it’s like people forget that in Skam season 3, the story was FULL of angst! We know Evak get their happy ending but like … from episode 1 all through O Helga Natt, the story is packed with conflict. People hurt each other. Even in episode 10, not everything is perfect. It is very possible to do angst and conflict without this ugliness. Like … I have to assume people weren’t here for episodes 5 and 6 of Skam S3, or for the hotel scene, or episode 9 up to OHN, because I can assure you, there was no lack of angst. There was just a lack of shock value gratuitousness.

As always, let me know if I missed something due to cultural or linguistic context.

#wtfock reactions

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jaycross666 · 5 years ago

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It’s been nearly ten years since Lil Wayne, on Birdman’s 2009 hit, “Money to Blow,” implored listeners not to worry about Cash Money’s future because the label would be all right as long as they “put Drake on every hook.”

Since then, Drake’s earned the right to be mentioned in the same breath as Rap’s Greatest Scene-Stealers ever—Busta Rhymes, André 3000, and Lil Wayne—as he’s swiped dozens of songs out from under artists on the strength of show-stopping guest verses.

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Even more, a Drake feature practically guarantees you a hit: over the past decade, he’s guested on seven No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart (“No Lie,” “Moment 4 Life,” “Right Above It,” “Aston Martin Music,” “I’m On One,” “Say Something,” and “Only”), and 13 Top 10 hits on the Hot 100 (“Work,” “What's My Name,” “She Will,” “MIA,” “Look Alive,” “No Guidance,” “Going Bad,” “Yes Indeed,” “Right Above It,” “F***** Problem,” “Love Me,” “I’m On One,” and “Walk It Talk It”).

With his status as hip-hop’s Feature King unchallenged, here are Drake’s 50 best guest verses.

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But first, a couple of notes before we begin:

We’ve omitted songs where Drake only sings the hook: Rick Ross’ “Diced Pineapples” and “Aston Martin Music”; Lil Wayne’s “She Will,” “Love Me,” and “With You”; Gucci Mane’s “Back on Road”; Tyga’s “Still Got It.”

Also ineligible are remixes that double as Drake freestyles: “We Made It,” “Paris Morton Music,” “Sweeterman,” “Tell Your Friends,” and “Freak N You.”

Without further ado...

50. Nicki Minaj — “Champion” ft. Drake, Nas & Young Jeezy

Album: Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012)Producer: T-Minus, Nikhil Seetharam

Two years before he was having tea with Erykah Badu on 2014 loosie “Days In the East,” Drizzy mentions that he used to stay with her in his verse on “Champion.” And while Jeezy might steal the show with his appearance, Drake delivers the more confident verse, reflecting on how he makes “hits in three acre cribs” and “stars outta basic bitches.”

49. PartyNextDoor — “Recognize” ft. Drake

Album: PartyNextDoor Two (2014)Producer: PartyNextDoor

This is Peak Drake: In the span of two bars, he plans trips to Europe, then remembers his side piece’s Benz needs snow-equipped tires.

48. Preme — “DnF” ft. Drake & Future

Album: Dear America (2014)Producer: Noel Cadastre & Noah “40” Shebib

You’d be remiss to bring up this verse around lyrical heads, but admit it: Drake’s performance on “DnF” is unbelievably catchy. Even more, it contains one of the best Sad Boy Drake sequences in his catalog.

47. Big Sean — “Made” ft. Drake

Album: Finally Famous... Vol. 3: BIG (2010)Producer: Kanye West

In the summer of 2010, Big Sean should’ve known better than to request a feature from the Rap Rookie of the Year. Predictably, his decision backfired: Drake not only washed the Detroit rapper on his own song (“Made”), but arguably had the best overall verse on the entire mixtape. I wish I could say Sean learned his lesson, but considering what took place three summers later (Kendrick’s guest spot on “Control”), we both know the answer.

46. Rick Ross — “Gold Roses” ft. Drake

Album: Port of Miami 2 (2019)Producer: OZ, Syk Sense, Vinylz, & The Rascals

Writing about the song in his review of Port of Miami 2, my friend Yoh said it best: “Drake has one of the most seamless deliveries in hip-hop. The words don’t have any weight, and his voice never fumbles the cadence. He steps into a particular zone. As a lyricist and performer, Drake must be considered a great rapper. The blasphemy line. The double-jointed line, too. Scorpion needed ‘Gold Roses’ more than Port of Miami 2.”

45. French Montana — “No Shopping” ft. Drake

Album: MC4 (2016)Producer: Murda Beatz, Cubeatz

Congrats to Joe Budden for turning a one-sided war against Drake into the most unnecessary rap beef in recent memory. In the summer of 2016, their feud culminated in Drake sending multiple shots at Budden on French Montana’s “No Shopping.” In hindsight, these barbs overshadow Drizzy’s superb verse, which has earned its place in the canon of underrated Drake guest spots.

44. Bun B — “Put It Down” ft. Drake

Album: Trill OG (2010)Producer: Boi-1da, D10

Nine years on, Drake’s verse on Bun B’s “Put It Down” has aged like fine wine. Following a couple of cringy lines early on (“I never cheat unless you count the girls I cheat on;” “Homesick just when I thought I was sick of home”), Drake finds his sweet spot and begins rapping like the superstar he’d soon become.

43. Meek Mill — “Going Bad” ft. Drake

Album: Championships (2018)Producer: Wheezy

Drake’s 2018 guest-appearance blitz will go down as one of the best in his career. After owning the winter with “Look Alive” and “Walk It Talk It,” the summer with “Yes Indeed” and “SICKO MODE,” and the fall with “Never Recover” and “MIA,” Drake still had enough left in the tank to supply his former rival, Meek Mill, with one of his best verses of the year on their reunion collaboration, “Going Bad.”

42. Jamie Foxx — “Fall For Your Type” ft. Drake

Album: Best Night of My Life (2010)Producer: Noah “40” Shebib, Rico Love, & Drake

After spending 2010 singing hooks for A-list rappers like Birdman (“Money to Blow”), Lil Wayne (“With You”), and Rick Ross (“Aston Martin Music”), Drake capped off the year by flexing his versatility alongside an A-list R&B star. On Jamie Foxx’s “Fall For Your Type,” Drake’s closing verse introduced fans to the off-script, sing-song style he’s now known to implement when rapping over R&B beats.

41. Rihanna — “What’s My Name?” ft. Drake

Album: Loud (2010)Producer: StarGate, Kuk Harrell

“Best I Ever Had” and “Find Your Love” may have been the first tracks that showcased Drake’s mainstream popularity, but his guest spot on Rihanna’s No. 1 hit, “What’s My Name,” proved he could be a pop-star in his own right.

40. T.I. — “Poppin Bottles” ft. Drake

Album: No Mercy (2010)Producer: T-Minus, Nikhil Seetharam

On the No Mercy standout, Drake makes up for a lack of lyrics with a devastating flow, cementing his swag-soaked performance as one of the first iconic club bangers of his career.

39. Timbaland — “Know Bout Me” ft. Drake & JAY-Z

Album: Opera Noir (2013)Producer: Timbaland & J-Roc

Timbaland’s “Know Bout Me” could’ve been another stellar collaboration between JAY-Z and Drake. Instead, Jigga merely spoke 16 words on the intro, “We gotta sell these bitches the dream, my n***a. N****s like Walt Disney around this bitch.” Thankfully, Drake made up for his counterpart’s no-show and went in with a double-time delivery on the second verse.

38. The Game — “Good Girls Go Bad” ft. Drake

Album: The R.E.D. Album (2011)Producer: Cool & Dre

Despite being one of the cornier verses in his catalog, you’d be hard pressed to find another Drake guest spot as funny as his appearance on Game’s “Good Girls Go Bad.” The 16-bar verse is filled with hilarious quotables, from the opening lines (“Good evening, I’m in Chicago at the Elysian / With some girls that say they models but ummm, I don’t believe ‘em”) to his use of childhood TV references as pickup lines, to the way in which he tosses aside a former flame in brutally honest fashion.

37. Waka Flocka Flame — “Round of Applause” ft. Drake

Album: Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family (2012)Producer: Lex Luger

Following his sympathetic verse about strippers on The Weeknd’s “The Zone,” Drake pivoted on Waka Flocka’s strip club anthem, “Round of Applause,” delivering the most malicious stripper tribute of his career. Backed by Lex Luger’s pulsating beat, Drizzy leaves his feelings at the door.

36. SBTRKT — “Wildfire (OVO Remix)” ft. Drake

Album: N/A (2011)Producer: Jerome

On May 20, 2011, Drake posted a remix of SBTRKT’s “Wildfire” to his OVO blog. The track was quickly erased from our minds, however, when “Dreams Money Can Buy” arrived hours later. Eight years on, you won’t find many people who’re familiar with Drake’s verse on “Wildfire,” let alone aware of its greatness. This lack of recognition, though, is exactly what makes it such a rewarding listen.

35. Nicki Minaj — “Only” ft. Drake, Lil Wayne & Chris Brown

Album: The Pinkprint (2014)Producer: Dr. Luke, Cirkut & JMIKE

Is it the strongest song by Young Money’s three-headed monster? Not a chance. But that doesn’t mean it’s not an entertaining listen, especially Drake’s verse, which is perhaps the funniest guest spot in his discography.

34. YG — “Who Do You Love?” ft. Drake

Album: My Krazy Life (2014)Producer: Mustard

As someone who loves to ride the latest wave, Drake had no choice but to link up with 2014’s hottest rapper-producer duo, YG and Mustard, on the former’s hit single, “Who Do You Love?” After lacing the Bompton rapper with an excellent guest spot, though, Drizzy was forced to settle a dispute with Rappin’ 4-Tay, who called him out for biting his 1994 song, “Playaz Club.”

33. The Weeknd — “Live For” ft. Drake

Album: Kiss Land (2013)Producer: The Weeknd, DaHeala & DannyBoyStyles

Nearly a year after linking up on Thursday standout “The Zone,” Abel and Aubrey joined forces for “Live For,” the fourth single from The Weeknd’s debut studio album, Kiss Land. Released in August 2013, a few weeks before the release of Nothing Was the Same, the sprawling cut found Drake assessing the competition.

32. Fetty Wap — “My Way (Remix)” ft. Drake

Album: N/A (2015)Producer: NickEBeats, JayFrance & Micah Street

If you’re still not convinced of the power of the Drake co-sign: With this remix, Fetty became the first rapper to have his first four debut singles chart in the top 10 on the Hot Rap Songs chart simultaneously: "Trap Queen" (No. 2), "My Way" (No. 3), "679" (No. 5), and "Again" (No. 8).

31. DJ Drama — “We in This Bitch 1.5” ft. Drake & Future

Album: Quality Street Music (2012)Producer: Kane Beatz & JMIKE

Occasionally, Drake is capable of stealing a song on the strength of his charisma. DJ Drama’s “We In This Bitch 1.5” is one of those rare instances, as Drizzy needs just one minute to set the tone and hijack the song, with a lively opening sequence.

30. The Weeknd — “The Zone” ft. Drake

Album: Thursday (2011)Producer: Doc McKinney & Illangelo

The first collaboration between The Weeknd and Drake on one of Abel’s projects, “The Zone” lived up to the potential the duo displayed on Take Care standouts “Crew Love” and “The Ride.” “The Zone” sees The Weeknd set the stage for Drake’s big entrance. From there, Drizzy offers up the most gentle verse about a strip club ever laid to wax.

29. Lil Wayne — “It’s Good” ft. Drake & Jadakiss”

Album: Tha Carter IV (2011)Producer: Cool & Dre

This song is remembered for Lil Wayne’s subliminal shot at JAY-Z, but Drake has the best verse on the collab. The Boy’s appearance is a short one, but it hooks you immediately, before it ends with him announcing Wayne’s return home in triumphant fashion.

28. Mary J. Blige — “Mr. Wrong” ft. Drake

Album: My Life II… The Journey Continues (Act 1) (2011)Producer: Jim Jonsin & Rico Love

It’s easy to forget from 2009 to 2011, Drake was the Best R&B Guest Rapper Alive, scoring features with everyone from legends Mary J. Blige (“The One”), Alicia Keys (“Un-thinkable (I’m Ready)”), and Jamie Foxx (“Digital Girl,” “Fall For Your Type”), to present-day superstars like Chris Brown (“Deuces (Remix)”), Sean Garrett (“Feel Love”), and Trey Songz (“I Invented Sex,” “Unusual”). His second collab with the Queen, “Mr. Wrong,” remains his most underrated R&B feature to date.

27. Fabolous — “Throw It In the Bag (Remix)” ft. Drake & The-Dream

Album: N/A (2009)Producer: Tricky Stewart & The-Dream

Long before he’d declare his intent to give Halle Berry a baby on 2013’s “Versace (Remix),” Drake professed his love for older women on the remix to Fabulous’ 2009 hit single, “Throw It In the Bag.”

26. Travis Scott — “SICKO MODE” ft. Drake & Swae Lee

Album: Astroworld (2018)Producer: Hit-Boy, OZ, Tay Keith, Cubeatz, Chahayed & Mike Dean

If Drake was properly credited, there’s a good chance “SICKO MODE” would rank inside the top 10. Not that it matters much, considering his opening and closing verses are arguably the highlights of the ASTROWORLD standout.

25. Aaliyah — “Enough Said” ft. Drake

Album: N/A (2012)Producer: Noah “40” Shebib

In order to appreciate the overlooked greatness of this 2012 loosie, let’s ignore the fact that Drake is listed as the featured artist on an OVO-sanctioned, posthumous Aaliyah single. Backed by 40’s smoky, after-hours R&B production and the late singer’s silky falsetto, Drizzy unleashes one of his classic confessionals.

24. Game — “100” ft. Drake

Album: The Documentary 2 (2015)Producer: Cardo & Juliano

Twenty-six days before Meek Mill would kick-off the biggest rap beef this decade, Drake was already on the defensive. When listening to his verse on “100,” you don’t have to read between the lines. He sounds exhausted while reflecting on his position atop hip-hop, and the incessant threats that come with it. And yet, Drizzy still appears unfazed, too busy making his circle smaller to concern himself with opposing forces on the horizon.

23. A$AP Rocky — “F**kin’ Problems” ft. Drake, Kendrick Lamar & 2 Chainz

Album: Long.Live.ASAP (2013)Producer: Noah “40” Shebib

Released in October 2012, “Problems” wasn’t just the year’s most star-studded posse cut, but also a changing of the guard moment for hip-hop. At the time, Rocky was two months away from dropping his debut album; 2 Chainz and Kendrick were fresh off releasing theirs. And then, of course, you had Drake, who was just hitting his prime. While it’s debatable which rapper had the best verse, there’s no denying Drizzy came off as the biggest star of the bunch.

22. Lil Reese — “Us (Remix)” ft. Drake & Rick Ross

Album: N/A (2012)Producer: Young Chop

By the fall of 2012, Drake was amidst a flawless streak of guest spots: Rick Ross’ “Stay Schemin’,” DJ Drama’s “We In This Bitch 1.5,” Nicki Minaj’s “Champion,” 2 Chainz’s “No Lie,” French Montana’s “Pop That,” Meek Mill’s “Amen,” Aaliyah’s “Enough Said.” As if that wasn’t already one of the greatest runs by a featured rapper, Drizzy made sure to earn more street cred points that October, when he hopped on to the remix to Lil Reese’s “Us”.

21. Birdman — “Money to Blow” ft. Drake & Lil Wayne

Album: Priceless (2009)Producer: Drumma Boy

Fresh off a summer in which he catapulted to superstardom on the back of a handful of hit singles (“Best I Ever Had,” "Successful,” “Forever”), Drake proved he possessed the Midas touch on the fall 2009 anthem, “Money to Blow,” which, of course, is remembered for Lil Wayne’s prophetic line: “We gon’ be alright if we put Drake on every hook.”

20. Tinashe — “2 On (Remix)” ft. Drake & OB O’Brien

Album: N/A (2014)Producer: Mustard, Redwine & DJ Marley Waters

Drake ran the rap game in 2014 solely on the strength of one-off singles. Take a moment and look at this murderer’s row of hits he released between December 2013 and October 2014: “0 to 100/The Catch Up,” “Tuesday,” “Draft Day,” “Trophies,” “Wade Made It,” “Days in the East,” “How Bout Now,” “6 God,” and “Heat of the Moment.” I mean, good God. Perhaps the greatest testament to Drake’s unbelievable run that year is that “2 On/Thotful” is probably the eighth best song in the group.

19. ILOVEMAKONNEN — “Tuesday” ft. Drake

Album: ILoveMakonnen (2014)Producer: Sonny Digital & Metro Boomin

Built around Sonny Digital and Metro Boomin’s syrupy beat and iLoveMakonnen’s Auto-Tune-enhanced vocals, “Tuesday” provided Drake an opportunity to step out of his comfort zone. By delivering perhaps the best vocal performance he’s ever laid to wax, Drake helped “Tuesday” go viral, which in turn, minted Makonnen a star and gave the most boring day of the week new meaning.

18. Kendrick Lamar — “Poetic Justice” ft. Drake

Album: good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012)Producer: Scoop DeVille

The Kendrick Washed Drake on Take Care camp (via his scene-stealing guest spot on “Buried Alive Interlude”) seem to have forgotten that The Boy returned the favor on Kendrick’s debut album, good kid, m.A.A.D city. Drake’s appearance on “Poetic Justice” might not jump out at you, but when stacked against either of Kendrick’s verses on the song, it’s obvious who comes out on top.

17. Nicki Minaj — “Moment 4 Life” ft. Drake

Album: Pink Friday (2010)Producer: T-Minus

“This supposed to be y’all year? We ain’t get the memo,” Drake raps on “Moment 4 Life,” a highlight from Nicki Minaj’s debut album, Pink Friday. At the time, you couldn’t blame Young Money’s roster for feeling themselves. In the fall of 2010, the label boasted the Best Rapper Alive, Lil Wayne, along with the Rap co-Rookies of the Year, Drizzy and Nicki, both of which released their debuts within five months of one another.

16. Alicia Keys — “Un-thinkable (I’m Ready) (Remix)” ft. Drake

Album: N/A (2010)Producer: Alicia Keys, Kenny Brothers Jr. & Noah “40” Shebib

For someone who, in recent years, has been clowned for their immaturity and inability to grow as an artist, it’s easy to forget that there was a time when Drake seemed wise beyond his years. This verse is enough of a reminder, as a 23-year-old Drizzy voices his inner fears about partying too much and not finding the right woman.

15. Lil Wayne — “Believe Me” ft. Drake

Album: N/A (2014)Producer: Vinylz & Boi-1da

Five years after Lil Wayne told listeners, on “Money to Blow,” not to worry about Cash Money’s future because the label would be alright as long as they "put Drake on every hook,” Drake continued his mentor’s prophetic claims on “Believe Me.” From the jump, Drizzy assumes the role of host to the welcome-back party, rolling out the red carpet for his Big Homie, with one of his best guest spots this decade.

14. Big Sean — “Blessings” ft. Drake

Album: Dark Sky Paradise (2015)Producer: Vinylz & Allen Ritter

Big Sean dropped “Blessings” on January 30, 2015, exactly two weeks before Drake would surprise-release If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. In hindsight, his verse here gives us a taste of the subject matter he’d visit on IYRTITL: Feuding with YMCMB over unpaid royalties, worrying about his mother, throwing shade at the press, and, of course, repping the 6.

13. Lil Wayne — “Right Above It” ft. Drake

Album: I Am Not a Human Being (2010)Producer: Kane Beatz

If I Am Not a Human Being was Lil’ Wayne’s pre-prison curtain-call, then “Right Above It” was his victory lap. Backed by triumphant production courtesy of Kane Beatz, Drake, the Rap Rookie of the Year, delivered a career-defining guest verse that marks the moment the torch was passed between the Young Money President and his protégé.

12. BlocBoy JB — “Look Alive” ft. Drake

Album: Simi (2018)Producer: Tay Keith

Considering that the best part of Drake’s guest appearance on “Look Alive” is the infectious hook, you could argue that his eight-bar verse doesn’t deserve to be ranked this high. In this case, however, Drake does such an excellent job blending the hook and his first verse together, that you have no choice but to consider them one and the same.

11. 2 Chainz — “Big Amount” ft. Drake

Album: Daniel Son; Necklace Son (2016)Producer: Buddah Bless

On “Big Amount,” Drake raps circles around 2 Chainz without even breaking a sweat. His verse is so effortlessly executed that it’s easy to miss how casually arrogant it actually is. And yet, once his calm, cool and collected delivery wins you over, don’t be surprised if you find yourself admiring each arrogant boast.

10. Meek Mill — “Amen” ft. Drake

Album: Dreamchasers 2 (2012)Producer: Key Wane & Jahlil Beats

Backed by a gospel-clapping, organ-laced piano loop, there’s no denying fans were shocked to hear Meek rap over a beat so far out of his wheelhouse, so effortlessly. In an alternate universe, we might remember “Amen” for Meek’s jubilant hook. Unfortunately for Meek stans, though, The Boy showed up and stole the song while operating on cruise control.

9. 2 Chainz — “No Lie” ft. Drake

Album: Based on a T.R.U. Story (2012)Producer: Mike Will Made It

Fresh off his show-stopping guest spots on Kanye West’s “Mercy” and Nicki Minaj’s “Beez In the Trap,” 2 Chainz entered the summer of 2012 as the hottest feature in hip-hop. Then, in an admirable move in the spirit of competition, Drake reclaimed the title by dusting Tity Boi on the Atlanta rapper’s debut single, “No Lie.” Thanks to his contagious hook and instantly-quotable verse, the banger was inescapable that summer.

8. Rick Ross — “Made Men” ft. Drake

Album: Ashes to Ashes (2010)Producer: 2 Tall Beats

After spending the fall of 2010 handing out guest verses to R&B singers such as Jamie Foxx (“Fall For Your Type”), Tank (“Celebration”), Rihanna (“What’s My Name”), and Trey Songz (“The Usual”), Drake needed to raise his street cred. So, that December, he hopped on one of the hardest beats he’d ever come across, then proceeded to murder the hardest rapper alive, Rick Ross, on his own shit.

7. PARTYNEXTDOOR — “Over Here” ft. Drake

Album: PartyNextDoor (2013)Producer: PartyNextDoor

The most underrated verse of Drake’s career is a victim of circumstance. Released the same day as “Versace (Remix)”—only one of the two or three best guest verses in his catalog—“Over Here” remains criminally overlooked in the canon of Drizzy features. Backed by a murky beat courtesy of PND and 40, Drake’s double time verse makes you feel like you’re sitting shotgun in his Bugatti while he navigates through the streets of Toronto.

6. Future — “Sh!t (Remix)” ft. Drake & Juicy J

Album: N/A (2013)Producer: Mike WiLL Made-It

Released in December 2013, Future’s “Sh!t (Remix)” arrived just three months after Drake released the biggest album of his career, Nothing Was the Same. But rather than celebrating his recent coronation on his first post-NWTS verse, Drake warned the rest of hip-hop that his reign was just beginning. Over Mike WiLL Made-It’s thumping beat, he sounds hungry as ever, yet is well aware of his unchallenged place atop the rap game.

5. DJ Khaled — “I’m On One” ft. Drake, Lil Wayne & Rick Ross

Album: We the Best Forever (2011)Producer: T-Minus, Noah “40” Shebib, & Kromatik

Drake already had a flawless streak of guest spots (from “Money to Blow” and “Say Something” in 2009, to “Made Men” and “Right Above It” the following year), but never had he swiped a song out from under the headlining artist as effortlessly as he did on DJ Khaled’s summer anthem. When Drake wraps up his opening verse around the two-minute mark, the song is already his, completely.

4. Kanye West — “All of the Lights (Remix)” ft. Drake, Lil Wayne & Big Sean

Album: N/A (2011)Producer: Kanye West

In August 2010, an early version of “All of Lights” leaked, featuring Drake rapping over Kanye’s triumphant beat. Three months later, however, Drizzy was noticeably absent from the official version. In interviews, Drake stressed that he was okay with Kanye’s decision; his tone on the unofficial remix, however, argued otherwise. Released in March 2011, Drake’s verse on the “All of the Lights” remix serves as our introduction to the tough guy persona he’d tap into later that year on Take Care.

3. French Montana — “Pop That” ft. Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne

Album: Excuse My French (2013)Producer: Lee On the Beats

Fresh off delivering two of the year’s best guest verses, on Rick Ross’ “Stay Schemin’” and 2 Chainz’s “No Lie,” Drake laid claim to summer 2012 on French Montana’s banger, “Pop That.” In hindsight, Drizzy’s scene-stealing verse is a perfect snapshot of where he was at in his life at that exact moment.

2. Migos — “Versace (Remix)” ft. Drake

Album: N/A (2013)Producer: Zaytoven

After owning the previous two summers on the strength of stellar guest spots (2011’s “I’m On One” and 2012’s “Pop That”), Drake did it again in 2013, with an earth-shattering guest verse on the remix to Migos’ then-bubbling hit, “Versace.” Six years on, it’s impossible to measure how impactful Drizzy’s verse was, considering it helped catapult the Atlanta trio to superstardom.

1. Rick Ross — “Stay Schemin’” ft. Drake & French Montana

Album: Rich Forever (2012)Producer: The Beat Bully

With no disrespect to DJ Khaled’s “I’m On One,” Drake’s guest verse on Rick Ross’ “Stay Schemin’” is the moment when he snatched the throne for good. By flaming rap vet Common in the opening bars, The Boy proved that he was about that action. If it’s not the best guest verse of his career, it’s surely the most important.

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