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sumn-somethin · 7 months ago

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Why I still love Olegsey Dushnov even after episode 5

This post contains mentions of homophobia, sexism, and misogyny.

This is gonna be a longggg post lol but TLDR: I am very aware of his flaws and I sincerely believe that his struggles are valid but I don’t condone his beliefs. I’m looking forward to how his character will develop in season 2.

This post will be formatted as follows: 1. Olezha’s actions from episodes 1 to 5

2. My theories and analyses + information from Leena's VK

3. Elaborating on my theory about Olezha and Anton's argument

4. Overall thoughts

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1. Olezha’s actions from episodes 1 to 5

It was already hinted multiple times throughout season 1 that he was not straight.

In episode one in the original Russian dub, he made a gay joke about possessing Dima’s body (which I will discuss in more detail below). He looked a little too happy when he saw Anton, which is weird considering someone just died. He recommended to ghost Dima the shower rooms of both the girls' and the guys'. He had a habit of pressing his index fingers together, making him appear effeminate (which I will also discuss later). He explained how he was “drawn” to Dima physically (played off as a joke) when the notebook was brought outside.

In episode two, he tried to hide his interest in theatre and dancing. (The video he was watching is actually a reference to the prologue of West Side Story! https://youtu.be/bxoC5Oyf_ss?t=215). He stared a little too long at Dima while putting on his shirt. He hugged the guy who insulted him multiple times even after accidentally leaving him on the train.

In episode three, Karina, one of the psychics, said “He had a relationship. Strong. Nobody knew. Complicated connection. Blind leading the deaf. Domineering, stately person…” Olezha didn’t want anybody to know about his relationship and asked Dima to stop the psychic. Later in the bathroom stalls, Dima told Olezha, “Come out when you’re ready”, which is a pretty cool usage of the ‘coming out’ metaphor.

In episode four, Olezha told Dima how he learned knitting from his grandmother. Later, he presses his index fingers again out of habit. He crosses his arms to restrain himself from doing so. Upon arriving at the grave, Olezha talked about how he wanted to be an actor but his father rejected the idea. In a short flashback sequence, it was revealed that his father disapproved of his son’s habit of pressing his fingers together. Later, Olezha discovered flowers on his grave, which were actually placed by Anton. Olezha asked Dima to give him and Anton privacy. The way they said “Hello” to each other hinted that they had history together.

In episode 5 while watching Psychic Battle, Olezha had a strange reaction when Dima mentioned Anton. Later, Olezha had an extreme reaction to how Olya dresses. Dima defends her but Olezha insults him, calling him a feminist. When Olya visits the dorm, Olezha insists on asking Dima about her clothes. Olya, offended, talks about how Dima reminded her of a certain ‘moralizer’ (Olezha).

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2. My theories and analyses + information from Leena's VK

“Окей, это немного по гейский но…” This is a line from the first episode that translates as: “Okay, it’s a little gay but…” At first glance, it’s just a gay joke. But after watching episode five, I realized that it’s a deliberate joke that is in line with his character.

Olegsey Dushnov is a hypocrite. Specifically, he's a misogynistic closeted biromantic asexual who believes in "traditional family values".

He’s insecure about the fact that he isn’t straight, so he overcompensates through a self-deprecating gay joke. This has to do with how his father, Mikhail, raised him.

Although the show only talked about Olezha’s finger-pressing habit and interest in acting, it goes beyond that. Olezha knew how to knit and possibly even did makeup.

Mikhail has very conservative beliefs and did not approve of his son straying from masculine norms. Olezha was conditioned by his father to live by his conservative beliefs. Over time, he learned to hate himself and anyone else who did not fit the norm, including his own sister.

Olezha and Olya represent the duality of not fitting society’s norms. One is self-hatred and the other is self-acceptance. Olezha, even after death, could never be truly himself. Although his love for Olya is genuine, the way he expressed it only caused pain for both of them. He hates how Olya dresses because other people might judge her. But mainly, he is jealous of her freedom. He is jealous of the fact that Olya is free to do and wear whatever she wants, especially now that her moralizing brother is dead.

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3. Elaborating on my theory about Olezha and Anton's argument

Going back to Olezha’s self-hatred, what if he was the reason why he and Anton fought? Considering everything I mentioned above, what if Olezha was the ‘domineering, stately person’ that Karina described? There’s the possibility that Olezha’s beliefs instilled by his father, were the reason why his relationship with Anton became toxic.

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4. Overall thoughts

I love love LOVE how My Student Spirit teaches the audience not to become like Olezha, despite being one of the main characters. He is a literal ghost of his own past, afraid of the future. He is someone who had no control over his life (and his ‘life’ in death).

Personally, this is the first time I encountered a character with deeply rooted internalized homophobia (albeit indirectly). I am blown away by how angsty and complicated and difficult Olezha is as a character. He’s hauntingly, tragically beautiful.

Olezha was designed as an introverted theatre kid who knew knitting and makeup and I was so afraid that he was just gonna be a gay stereotype. But episode five broke me in ways I could not describe. Leena definitely knew all the common character tropes and how the fandom headcanoned Olezha but the route she went with his character is insane. I can’t help but admire her.

Overall, I love you Olezha but you’re a loser and YOU SUCK.

(All images are taken from Leena's VK account. Sadly, I don't have the direct links to these images 😥)

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