#skam france recap

[skambigbang]

Meet a mod: Claire aka claire.loves.books

A03: Claire_Akh Insta: @claire.loves.books

What is your Skamverse Story?

I first discovered Skam through comments on TikTok Heartstopper and Young Royals edits. That led me to the amazing alllofskam resource and from there I started watching Sam France. I didn’t realise how the show worked until I then moved onto Skam Norway and started looking at the transmedia aspect that the incredible fandom has archived. I joined the Bang in 2023 as a beta through seeing promotion for the event on the instagram of the Skam recap podcast Alt Er Love and thought it would be a great way to get more connected to the fandom.

Why are you excited to participate in the Skam Big Bang?

I am excited to participate in the 2024 Bang as a mod because I am keen to give back to the community that has given me so much. I am not exaggerating when I say I have made lifelong friends through this fandom.

What would you say to someone nervous about joining?

Please join us! Every contribution of any size contributes to making this a truly special event and you will be so welcome.

Follow us for more information and the start of signups for this years bang!

[maimishou]

Skam France Season 9 Thoughts and Expectations for Season 10

It’s been awhile since I’ve watched a season of Skam France. I went in basically knowing nothing about this season, but I’ll admit I had low expecatations after the previous two. Maybe it’s because I watched it as complete episodes rather than individual clips, but I enjoyed this season more than Seasons 7 and 8 which I watched as clips. I’m starting to think I just can’t handle watching a season live or semi-live. I know it’s not being clips that’s the issue because I watched the entirety of NL and the majority of España as clips just fine.

Honestly, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this season. While the breakup between Lola and Maya makes sense with the way they explained it (Though it apparently contradicts previous seasons. I probably should’ve rewatched or recapped the last few seasons in hindsight.), both were kind of awful this season. Even though I understand why Lola was upset she was also hostile pretty much all the time. And while I felt for Maya, what the fuck was up with her lashing out at everybody? Especially her basically delcaring that Max and Tiff were doomed to failure. I feel for Lola and Maya, but this season actively ruined thier characters and the ending didn’t really feel earned.

Another thing I noticed this season is that there’s a lot more scenes that aren’t from Maya’s POV. It’s nothing new, but it’s definitely unexpected since it’s mostly regulated to certain Sana seasons dedicating their last few episodes to the rest of the cast. It makes the show feel more cinematic and while I understand why it’s done (It’s to show how worried the rest of the cast are for Maya as well as what they’re up to when she isn’t around.), I’m not sure if I like it or not.

The best thing about this season was definitely Maya’s relationship with La Mif. While she didn’t treat them the best they were all supportive of her and you can clearly tell that they care for each other. Her relationship with Redouane is especially good. I love how supportive he is over her and while it’s not much it is a decent dynamic. I do wish it was more mutally benefictial however. Still, it’s basically the heart of the season. Yeah there’s her relationship with June, but to be honest that’s not one I was invested in and it’s weakened by them not even getting together.

Overall, I liked this season but it’s definitely a mixed bag. It’s better than the previous two but I still like seasons 4 and 6 more. Next season is Anaïs’s and I’m basically going into that with no expectations. She’s Tiff’s (previous?) best friend so I’m expecting Tiff (and Max by extention) to play a decent role there. And considering this season it is a bit worrying that they might damage the Tiff/Max relationship in some way. Of course, that’s assuming they don’t give Jo that role since for the most part Jo’s been the one who’s played a major role after Lola’s season. She wasn’t as important to Season 9 as she was to 7 and 8, but she was still heavily present. While I would hope they’d make Tiff the focus instead due to her relationship with Anaïs, I guess I’ll see.

[iamshannonmcfarland]

@skamfr do something pls

[sauerland-2001]

Omg I did not mean to delete my recap 🤦🏽‍♀️ why is this new editing thingy so useless.

[bleachblondebitches]

Did he just recap the last season for us?

[lucidpantone]

She is going through the 5 stages of grief and being very irrational. My thoughts on episode 2......

[salutmonmec]

Arthur: *opens his mouth in any social interaction ever*

[alexiaugustin]

pls give your honest opinions on eliola friendship / relationship 🤣

Okay so I think that most people already know that I'm not found of it at all so at the beginning I just wanna say that I do not hate it simply because I want to hate it and everything that happens on that show, but because I was thrilled and had high expectations when they first announced that they would have a brother- sister relationship this season. So everything I'm gonna say now isn't coming from a place of hate but complete and utter disappointment because that's what their storyline was. Also disclaimer; everything I'm gonna say isn't me hating the characters but me criticizing the writing and how the writing made both of them quite unsympathetic at times.

So let's begin with the first lola/eliott clip I ever really liked and that was their first meeting at the funeral. I just like how Eliott noticed that she was all alone and decided to talk to her because that's probably smth he wishes people would have done for him when he was lonely. I loved their bickering n how Eliott was the second person who made Lola genuinely smile that season and just like Maya he didn't let Lola's cold attitude throw him off. So being the naive clown I was I actually believed that they might do something good with them and that their storyline could live up to my expectations but oh hell no.

The opportunity of them getting closer n talking at the urbex party was right there and skam france just didn't use it. I actually thought that they would drop a clip after midnight as the first clip of ep3 where they would start making conversation because they were all hanging out with eachother anyway and then maybe start following eachother on instagram or smth. But no. Eliott and Lola meeting eachother at that urbex party wasn't there to develop their friendship and make them have a natural connection in the clips afterwards. Eliott being an urbex legend wasn't there to actually give his character more depth, it was just there so Eliott could lie to Lucas and Lola knowing about it so she could manipulate Eliott in ep8 but we're coming back to that plot later.

Well yeah wasted potential on that urbex party let's talk about the next party where they meet again: Daphné's birthday party. Again I know that it's a party and it's likely for people to just talk to everyone so I wouldn't say that Eliott and Lola talking there was coming out of nowhere. What did come out of nowhere tho, was their dialogue: "We're the same you and I" I'm sorry but first of all what teenager talks like that??? And second of all what exactly do you even know about eachother. Ah yeah right nothing because you never really talked to eachother before. I know that in interviews they have made up a whole background story as to why Eliott felt so cOnNeCtEd to her but none of this was ever brought up on screen so for me there's no explanation why he would say smth like that. Then the whole urbex lying to Lucas convo yada yada I pretend not to understand french and we're just gonna skip over that part of ep3 now. Next clip of the party Lola feels lonely and left out because Thierry acts like Daphné is his only daughter and for some reason Eliott looks @ Lola from across the room like that: [I'm to lazy to put a screenshot of the scene but y'all know the shot I'm talking about] and I remember the evening they dropped that clip and everyone was yelling and thinking that this look means that he's gonna fall in love with her. Yeah at best I would think that this looks like falling in love, at worst this look reminds me of Joe Goldberg. And I know that the scrip wasn't like: Eliott side eyes Lola like some penetrator from across the room but it really looked like that and it's the director's job to correct Maxence's acting because that really really wasn't it.

Next eliola clip is Lola going to Eliott's video shop. How she knew that he was working at that exact place at this exact time will forever stay a mystery. If only skam france would remember that they are a transmedia show and Eliott and Lola could have just texted after Daphné's birthday party??? But no she was just completely out of nowhere visiting him at his workplace and don't get me wrong the clip itself was good and them watching a movie together cute but I still wanna know where it suddenly came from. She didn't even seem to like him that much before so her going there when she wasn't feeling well just threw me off and I was like okayyyy whatever. It truly feels like they either deleted clips in between or forgot to upload some text messages.

Aymeric plot: I was kind of torn between liking the clip n disliking it because back when they dropped the clip I was just glad that Eliott got Lola out of there and I knew that he would bring her to his flat so she would feel safe but on the other hand I'm not a huge fan of this whole savior trope in general even tho I do get that it made sense for her to call him in that situation. But now that the season is over I don't even have to feel torn and can just say that I absolutely hate this whole storyline because they used sexual assault as a plot device so they wouldn't have to come up with some complex writing ideas to build up their friendship. So the next day skamfr acted like sexual assault isn't something traumatizing and never brought it up again it truly just existed so Eliott could play hero and Eliott and Lola could be friends. It was never brought up again not even in one single fucking conversation. How fun😑😑

I've said it before and I will say it again I will always hate that Lucas was allowed to have many friends and hang out with them whenever he wanted n be affectionate with them while Eliott's only friendship was actively written to cause problems in their relationship. I'm not even blaming Lucas' for his reactions this season because I'm sure that I would have reacted the same way if I were him but they could have just written the eliott/lola friendship in a decent way and left lucas out of it. It would have been really simple but instead they chose to make almost every Lola n Eliott interaction a problem between Lucas and Eliott and then they never even solved their relationship problems, not even off screen so that's truly a whole next level of skamfr being one hell of a stupid show.

Apart from that I really really liked the Saturday clips and they were the only clips I ever got sibling vibes from. Eliott being ready to run with Lola so she wouldn't have to face Daphné and Lola saying that she's gonna take responsibility and Eliott looking at her like a proud big brother> very cute also the way Eliott and Lola both got to speak for themselves about their mental health was one of my fave convos this season even tho- and call me a petty bitch for that- they even ruined that clip for me when Lola used everything Eliott told her in that clip against him later🙃🙃

The whole movie plot is ridiculous and I'm actually too tired to bring all of it up again so I'm just gonna say that Eliott asking a girl with zero acting experience and a crew with zero filming experience to shoot his uni project with him still has me laughing until today. No way in hell that this is something realistic to happen but #ohboy #nicetry for trying to sell that storyline. Eliott and Lola should have never kissed n they should have either changed the script to a friendship version of L&O for Lola and Eliott or let Maya take over Eliott's role when she showed up. This way it would have actually had a meaning for s6 and it would have made sense to end the season with a screening for that movie project. But what the hell was skamfr tryna tell us with that eliola kiss storyline?? The moral n the message where????

Ughhhh my favorite storyline: episode 8. Well I was gone over one weekend and this is the shit I came back home to. Let me tell you it really wasn't fun to watch these four clips in a row I literally had to pause the videos the entire time just to yell n question if I was hallucinating that shit. If their friendship wasn't written badly before then this was definitely the last straw for me. We all know what happened I'm not gonna explain it again let me just say that if I were Eliott I would have felt so damn betrayed and would have never just forgiven that shit in a week. Imagine trusting someone that much with your past and stories about your mental illness and relationship n even your relationship issues and all this person does is using everything you ever told them and even more (still wanna know how she knew abt the houseboat story) against you to manipulate you into drinking which then triggers you into a depressiv episode. Who wrote this and thought that we would still be rooting for this friendship?????

And well yeah that pretty much was it for the eliott/lola sIbLiNg storyline this season. Eliott didn't get to speak for himself about what happened and Lola only apologized for having called him and making him stay at the party but they never actually acknowledged what happened at that party and Eliott just took the blame n happy ending!!! They didn't even get one scene in the last clip together so that already shows us how the writers really didn't give a damn about their friendship this season and it solely existed to serve the mc and to get us to watch the new season n not because they actually cared and let's just say that one could really really notice that🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️

[theexecutionerssong]

Alright so, recap from the screening!

First, David, Carol and Niels spoke a bit and thanked the whole crew and us for being here and being so supportive, reminding us to keep being that supportive during s4 so we get more seasons. Then the cast got there from the back of the room and everyone got distracted so they called them down, they waved, Maxence with his cute plushy raccoon, and sat down front row. 

We watched episodes 8 and 9 back to back. I was sitting right behind Axel and Maxence and let me tell you, Axel’s hair is so floppily all over the place that it would fall back over the edge of his seat when he’d rest his head on the seat bahah.

Maxence seemed nervous about the scene in which Eliott has a manic episode, he sat up instead of trying to melt into his seat like he’d been doing previously. He leaned on Axel and Coline on his other side a bit, or they were talking, I don’t know. The whole cast looked to Assa and cheered/did a thumb up during Imane’s speech about the mural, we stan. 

At the end of episode 9, everyone was a mess. The only time I had seen that many people  cry in a theater was at the premiere of Love, Simon. We all got up to clap and when they turned the light on, everyone was crying. David went straight to Axel and Maxence, who were also crying, and made them stand up before cuddling them. The video I posted earlier was taken seconds after the lights went up again and you can see tears on their cheeks. They and the rest of the cast kept wiping tears for a good part of the Q&A.

After that there was the pannel and I think you’ve all seen the videos already so not talking about that here but hit me up if you have questions.

Then we had to go outside and that’s when the cast started talking and taking pictures with everyone. And I mean EVERYONE. It lasted about three hours, just talking and hugging and taking pics. 

I was lucky enough to get to speak with David a bit about that last scene of episode 9 and guys... They only did two takes. David said that Axel gave it his all, he went above and beyond and ran so fast he was afraid he would hurt himself (”j’ai cru qu’il s’était pété les tendons”). That first “you’re not alone” he says to Eliott, where he sounds so winded, barely getting the words out? Axel was actually close to passing out. He was out of it, couldn’t catch his breath, he was shaking. They didn’t take a break between him running and then finding Eliott. He seems to be such a wrecked because he was, emotionally and physically. 

When David heard Remember, he saw the scene happening right in front of his eyes, the shots of Lucas running, the flashback full of sunlights, the crescendo, everything. They shot the car almost hitting Lucas for real, David said Axel barely batted an eye and just went for it, blindly, trusting.

We also talked about how Skam France came to be and how many people described it as “a teenage show”, which made him roll his eyes because it often sounds negative in the mouth of some people. He explained that Skam was so important because it was a show that wasn’t for teenagers but made by teenagers. He talked with teenagers for months before going into the casting and writing the scripts. The first thing he always asks when the actors get on set is “how are you feeling? Have you eaten? Have you slept well? How’s your mood?” because he doesn’t want the actors to be fake. When a teenager is happy, feeling down, excited, moody, then he’s all of that and nothing will change it, and he wanted that to be felt on screen. It’s a show that gives a voice to teenagers but it doesn’t mean it’s supposed to be watched only by teenagers, quite the contrary.

The majority of the cast stayed until at least 9:30pm which is when I left to get something to eat. I’m amazed at how patient and enthusiastic Maxence and Axel in particular are, there were hundreds of people and they still took the time to talk and listen with everyone. Maxence doesn’t walk, he skips and jumps towards people, it’s adorable, and he literally makes you disappear into his hugs, he wraps his whole boddy around you. Axel is loud loud loud and kisses everyone ahah. Lula and Coline are the most adorable, bubbly persons you’ll ever meet. Paul is a sweetheart, considerate, taking his time, and so funny. I didn’t talk much to Anne Sophie, Leo and Edouard because I had seen them at the concert before. I missed Assa and Philipine though :(

When I walked past the cinema after having a meltdown at Five Guys because of Supernatural an hour later, I bumped into David again, his arms full of gifts from fans. We thanked him again, I told him I was impressed and so grateful for the time he gives us. He said that he felt like he had to listen to us, IRL or online, because that’s why he does what he does and that’s how Skam came to be, by listening to us. I told him that even though I’m 26, I can still relate to the show and that I would have needed it so bad 10 years ago. To which he replied that he’s eternally grateful for this kind of comments, and that our generation, the gen z/millenials, are the ones who are the most vocal about fighting for our right to love and that it was fucking beautiful but also shouldn’t be necessary. He hopes his kids won’t have to, and that all he wanted after tonight was hugging them. So I told him good night, go home, and hug them extra hard.

[skamfairy]

LMAO chloé is all 

and then lucas looks over, sees eliott with another girl and suddenly he’s like

[maimishou]

Skam France Season 11 Thoughts

It took me nearly a year but I finally finished this season after watching the first 5 episodes last May. And, no, I didn't bother recapping I just kept on rolling and knocked out second half of the season over the last three days.

The season was okay?A lot of drama but that's pretty much to be expected from France and Skam as a whole. I don't remember much of the first half but the drama in the second half was pretty forced.

That being said, it was nice to see Rym rebuild her relationship with her mom. Probably the best element of the second half of the season. Rym also owning up to and learning to deal with her issues was good .

The end of the season was a bit to abrupt though. The last episode didn't really feel like a season ending if you know what I mean? While it was definitely more straightforward and less confusing than Season 10's ending it still was a bit of a letdown.

Finally, I'm not sure I have a favorite member of the new cast. Outside of Rym nobody really feels fleshed out. Hopefully Season 12 does more to make the cast feel like real people.

Overall, while it's definitely not my favorite season it's not my least faorite either. From what I know Season 12 is supposed to be the end of France so hopefully it goes out with a bang.

[loca-over-luca]

after eliott walked lucas home and he said 'so this is where we say goodnight then', they stared at each other for what felt like centuries 👀 it was actually just 7 seconds, why yes i timed that shit

[iamshannonmcfarland]

random 

[yossiacar]

It’s short and includes only some scenes but I have a fever and I need to go to sleep. Enjoy!

[ghostcat3000]

SKAM season 3 talkback series: Season Three overview, part two

The SKAM season 3 rewatch talkback series was done in conjunction with a first-time watch for a small group of newbies in 2019. I talked to a cross-section of fans about each episode so our newbies could get a varied taste of what the SKAM fandom was about. I didn’t get to post the final two interviews, here they are at last.

SKAM Season 3: Isak - Structure and Symbolism

Talk back with SKAM recapper @lightsandlostbells

SKAM season three overview (part two) conducted on 25, October 2020

Ghostcat: Hello, hello! Long time no see, here in talkback land. Today we have @lightsandlostbells, who provides my favorite SKAM commentary posts over on tumblr! Go and read if you haven't already. How are you? And welcome to this very lowkey chat corner!

lightsandlostbells: Awwww, thanks for the kind intro. Hello! I'm doing well, how is everyone else? I'm new to Discord so I hope I get this right.

Ghostcat: You only have to type and hit enter. I will attempt to keep things profesh but I can't promise that I'll be successful.

lightsandlostbells: Nice. I'm sitting here drinking tea, underneath my coziest blanket, ready to talk about one of my favorite things ever. It's so cool that years later, people still love Skam season 3 enough to chat about it together.

Ghostcat: Yes! Let's get into this thing, we're here to talk about the tidy little miracle of structure that is SKAM season three. On the one hand, it's a deceptively simple season. Boy comes to terms with sexuality. All's well that ends well. Romance, Drama, plus a sprinkling of mental health issues. 10 episodes, most of them under 30 minutes. I'd call it "mean and lean" if it wasn't such a hopeful story, full of love in a non-saccharine way. Once you start taking it apart and really studying it though, you realize that it's super well-planned, almost like it was ON PURPOSE. lightsandlostbells, you write some of the best recaps of the show. I hesitate to call them just recaps because you really dig into what they're about. What made you start doing them?

lightsandlostbells: 😊 Thank you so much! I started with the remake reactions, actually. When Skam France was released, there was a ton of hype due to being the first remake of Skam. Lots of varying emotions ranging from negative to positive - people who didn't want any remakes, people who were intrigued, and people who were so desperate for any Skam content that they'd take a remake. After the initial clips of Skam France were released, I made a few off-the-cuff posts about what I saw as differences between OG and the remake. Eventually, that grew into me recapping full episodes of the remakes.

Ghostcat: Ah ha.

lightsandlostbells: And eventually that bloomed into me going, well, I love Skam season 3 so much, and it's so wonderfully structured and is packed full of symbolism, why don't I write recaps of those episodes, too? I had all these Feelings about it that weren't going away anytime soon.

Ghostcat: Relatable.

lightsandlostbells: It's such a rich season of TV in detail that there was no shortage of things to write about.

Ghostcat: Before we get into what you discovered in rewatching and recapping, can you tell us a bit about how and when you started watching the show?

lightsandlostbells: By total random chance, haha.

Ghostcat: Were you googling "scam" and misspelled? (because that happened to one of our interviewees).

lightsandlostbells: I love it! No, I have YouTube to blame. In October 2016 this show Eyewitness premiered on USA Network. The show was about two teenage boys in a secret relationship who witness a murder while they're hooking up in the woods. I was like, hey, sounds like it could be good. (Funny thing, it's actually a remake of a Norwegian show...)

Ghostcat: Oh yeah...I think I saw gifs of that.

lightsandlostbells: USA Network put the first 10-15 minutes of the pilot episode on YouTube, so I watched that and then a few videos about the show. Shortly after that, my YT recommendations were full of supercuts of gay storylines...including one called Skam.

Ghostcat: YouTube recs strikes again. So you clicked on...a supercut?

lightsandlostbells: I ignored them for a few days and then, late at night, putting off going to bed, I clicked on a Skam video randomly, thinking I would watch a minute or two and then get bored and exit. Ha.

Ghostcat: LOL.

lightsandlostbells: It was actually the neon party clip!

Ghostcat: Oh geez. My favorite thing about that clip is how nobody at that party sees those two boys and their laser beam eyes. They're just bopping along completely oblivious to this high end romance.

lightsandlostbells: After everyone's finished dancing, Even is just standing there dead-on staring at Isak like he wants to kiss him or slowly murder him and everyone's just puttering around trying to find their phones or w/e.

Ghostcat: True, and then Isak shoots that over the shoulder look in the kitchen and Even is like: 👀

lightsandlostbells: The IsakxEven account on Twitter was still uploading the full clips to YouTube at the time. So I watched that clip, was immediately hooked, and then went back and watched the rest of S3 to that point. By reading the comments, I was able to figure out how the show worked, its real time structure, social media, etc. And then the first clip I saw in real time was the pool scene.

Ghostcat: WOW. What a great clip to see in real time. When we watched it with our newbies, they were all yelling. So genuinely happy for this fictional boy.

lightsandlostbells: THAT WHOLE DAY. I was refreshing the Skam webpage for updates. Because I knewwwwww they were going to finally kiss, for real.

Ghostcat: THIS WAS IT. IT WAS HAPPENING. It made sense that they'd kiss. It was the thing that needed to happen but going into their hell-double date, I was genuinely wondering...how. Good ole Even and his lack of chill.

lightsandlostbells: It definitely did. I remember sitting there watching as they got to the Head over Heels bike ride and my heart was just FLUTTERING. I was vicariously swooning through this epic teen romance.

Ghostcat: It is such a swoon-inspiring moment. The music cue is perfect.

lightsandlostbells: I was also watching in unsubtitled Norwegian.

Ghostcat: Ha ha ha! Really??? So you were filling in the blanks HARD.

lightsandlostbells: Yep! That was my whole S3 (and S4) experience. But it was great in a way because I was able to focus entirely on the acting, reading Tarjei and Henrik's microexpressions. I've mentioned before that I was able to tell Even was having a manic episode from the episode 8 kitchen scene by the acting alone, before I had subtitles.

Ghostcat: Really? We're gonna come back to that. Luckily for us, and I really do think this is an enormous part of SKAM's international appeal, both Henrik and Tarjei are wonderful when it comes to non-verbal acting.

lightsandlostbells: They're amazing. I remember when I wrote the recap for that clip, I had to watch several different times because SO MUCH is happening in that scene - with Isak, with Even, with Isak-and-Even, and also with Sonja and Emma.

Ghostcat: What did you think happened on your first watch without subs?

lightsandlostbells: In the pool/bike/double date from hell scene, I thought maybe Sonja just broke up with Even right then and there.

Ghostcat: Well, it does look that way. That entire scene is a gem of silent movie acting too. Isak on the couch and the five billion ways he has of looking around, looking away, looking directly at. All while winsomely sitting there in the costume Emma put together for him.

lightsandlostbells: I just thought Sonja got sick of dealing with Even and called it off right there, lol. The Norwegian kinda sounds like "We're done" in English which is what put the idea in my head.

Ghostcat: Ha! What did you think when you found out it wasn't quite that simple? Were you like I THOUGHT HE DUMPED HER?

lightsandlostbells: Yes, I had a bit of a grumble.

Ghostcat: Sonja and Emma are having this whole socially appropriate interaction while Even growls softly into his beer (I have such a thing for Even's seething in this scene, it's so overt and we've never seen him do that before.)

lightsandlostbells: Sonja's dialogue there is actually pretty revealing for her character, although you don't really understand until later.

Ghostcat: In what way? *chin hands*

lightsandlostbells: Even is not concealing his real feelings at all, and he's trying to get a silent conversation with Isak happening, and Isak's a bit too skittish to reciprocate.

Ghostcat: Isak is almost afraid to look at him directly but he keeps sneaking looks like he's taking sips of Even and then immediately glancing away. In gifsets, you can always spot the moment his gaze lands on Even and away.

etal: (all while in fancy dress too)

lightsandlostbells: So admittedly a lot of this is headcanon/conjecture, but Sonja is talking to Emma about how she's bored and misses having things to do during the day. It makes me think that just as Even relies on Sonja and sees her as a source of stability, in some ways Even is that for Sonja, too.

Ghostcat: Clearly, Sonia misses structure too. Also on the headcanon tip, but it makes me think about how Sonja's university trajectory was also diverted probably by Even's suicide attempt.

lightsandlostbells: Yes! Taking care of Even brings a sense of purpose to her life. We know from a previous clip she's working a crappy retail job that probably isn't very satisfying.

Ghostcat: That idea kind of piles on to Even's complicated feelings about dumping her.

lightsandlostbells: That's a good point! I've wondered about Sonja and university because it sounds like she isn't in school from her conversation with Emma.

Ghostcat: She's not and she definitely comes across as a driven, organized person which is why it surprised me that she wasn't.

etal: (She is, in a way unbalanced, even though she has both her legs.)

Ghostcat: Ha! Yes. It's a complex, thorny situation between the two of them. So much more than just a simple obstacle.

lightsandlostbells: One thing I appreciate about season 3 is that it really shows you why Even and Sonja need to break up without demonizing either of them.

Ghostcat: It's brilliant! It's very hard to do. Andem did a little bit of that with Jonas and Eva, but here, I think it's very high stakes. Was their troubled relationship something that you kind of understood on a surface level on first watch but deepened upon rewatch? It was for me, on first watch, I definitely knew they were wrong for one another, but upon rewatch it felt so much sadder. She's not the obstacle people think she is.

lightsandlostbells: It really is. Season 3 in general develops such high stakes beyond just "will this cute boy get with the other cute boy" and while it'd still be wonderful as a sweet romance, it ends up feeling downright profound by the end. Definitely deepened upon rewatch.

Ghostcat: Andem doesn't skimp on emotional truth with these characters. People don't do things arbitrarily. They all have their reasons for doing what they do. And it's not entirely in the service of a plotline the way it often seems in scripted drama.

lightsandlostbells: She's definitely not a shallow obstacle to be disposed of. Sonja represents Even's larger struggle, as well as being her own person, of course. If I can get into S4 here - I think this is why the conflict works so well with Even and Sonja versus a somewhat similar love triangle-type conflict with the Sana/Yousef/Noora situation. Which doesn't work for me nearly as well.

Ghostcat: Yeah, that didn't work so well. Andem needed Yousef to "give up" on Sana and hook up with someone else BUT it didn't match the character or how his feelings for Sana had been portrayed. The plot demanded it, but the characters didn't agree.

lightsandlostbells: Because once Even breaks up with Sonja, there's still the larger issue of mental illness that he and Isak need to face together. The problem really isn't Sonja's presence, after all. But with Sana/Yousef/Noora, the "conflict" really hinges on miscommunication and a simple 5-second conversation would have saved weeks of drama. It's over as soon as Noora tells Sana the truth. It's not a complex conflict.

Ghostcat: No. Not at all.

lightsandlostbells: Yeah, it was a case of the plot demanding the characters act a certain way instead of feeling organic. Also demanding that no one talk to each other for weeks...

Ghostcat: On rewatch, what was the first big thing you noticed about the structure that made you go, WOW, they did that. Mine was Even's flippant little "Did you think I died?"

lightsandlostbells: Yes, that was huge. I think the pool scene and the subsequent cuddle scene are packed with little moments like that.

Ghostcat: It's handled very deftly. His comment is so throwaway, it could be an improv BUT IT ISN'T and that's bolstered by Even's comments during the I'm Not in Love scene.

lightsandlostbells: Also earlier in the scene, when Sonja reveals that she's graduated. They leave it to you and Isak to connect the dots…hmmm, they're the same age but Even hasn't graduated yet? Wonder why. And then they just move on before you can think about it too much

Ghostcat: And Isak was going to ask Even why he transferred as a senior in Lykke til Isak. But they're interrupted by Emma.

lightsandlostbells: Yep, that too.

Ghostcat: The thing is Isak has been set up from season one as an observant guy.

lightsandlostbells: Emma literally plants herself between them...

Ghostcat: So he's trying to piece things together because he genuinely wants to know Even but Even is very good at diverting his pesky feelings. It made me wonder how Andem decided to spread out those clues and when and why?

lightsandlostbells: That happens all throughout the season. Another big hint you only notice on rewatch: Sonja's aluminum leg.

Ghostcat: Yes and the realization, when you look at the social media, of how often Even tries to communicate indirectly with songs and quotes and references.

lightsandlostbells: That was probably one of the biggest. Because it works so well in character, as Even being this weird quirky guy, spinning this wild story for a laugh, and only later do you realize he was genuinely trying to communicate with Isak. IT'S SO GOOD.

Ghostcat: So good.

lightsandlostbells: That's such a sharp character detail! (The songs and quotes and references).

Ghostcat: Particularly when you loop it with "I saw you on the first day of school" because it recasts nearly everything he says to Isak, not just because we know he had feelings but because now we know he had time to think about what he would say to him and of course, how he would present himself, at his best (cough that deliberate courtyard walk).

lightsandlostbells: Oh yes, "I saw you the first day of school" is absolutely a killer moment. Totally makes you want to rewatch the whole season.

Ghostcat: AND IT WORKS. it's no retcon!! that's what makes it so good.

lightsandlostbells: Even really does treat his life like a movie! Specifically a romantic comedy where he is the star. The paper towels are his version of a Meet Cute

Ghostcat: His love even gets the beauty close-ups in the stoney hang. The other thing that became apparent to me was how on rewatching, Even's influence felt bigger.

lightsandlostbells: It's alllll over the season.

Ghostcat: Yes! I muddled it all up in my head. I hadn't realized that Isak hadn't seen R+J yet.

lightsandlostbells: I mean, from the moment he mentions Baz Luhrmann, and we bring R+J into the picture, that shapes so much of the season.

Ghostcat: But there's Even, doing his best DiCaps Romeo look to camera/Isak. His idea, his framing, his choice of song.

lightsandlostbells: And I was lucky enough to watch from episode 5 onward in real time, and despite all the cuteness and romance, there was this level of dread hanging over everything all the time, because I was expecting the R+J focus to pay off later.

Ghostcat: It's meant to be there. You're meant to feel it

lightsandlostbells: And it does! Just not in the way everyone was fearing

Ghostcat: Using Luhrmann's R+J as the central motif works spectacularly and it's not the first time it comes up!

lightsandlostbells: Yeah, I mentioned in a recap that Isak hadn't watched R+J by the time Even does his alluring courtyard walk to Talk Show Host, so it almost comes across as Even's POV when you make the connection to the film.

Ghostcat: Andem tried to use it in season two with Noora and William in front of a fish tank but it doesn't resonate.

lightsandlostbells: Oh yeah...them.

Ghostcat: Here she brings it back and it makes sense.

lightsandlostbells: Not to get into Noorhelm but parts of S3 feel like course correction with regards to the development of the love interest and relationship.

Ghostcat: I agree. The biggest correction being a couple that actually likes each other.

lightsandlostbells: Yep!

Ghostcat: That's one way to kick things off in the right direction.

lightsandlostbells: And Even has so many interests and hobbies compared to William.

Ghostcat: Even is so different from Isak and yet he DELIGHTS in those differences. Neither of them is trying to change the other. Their differences complement one another.

lightsandlostbells: It honestly is amazing how Evak just works so well as a ship, in all directions. Like, I've tried to break that pairing down into words, and I just fail, every time, because it's got so much going for it.

Ghostcat: Back to R+J as a framing device: Even is a film student > Luhrmann is his favorite > he mentions his love of tragic romance > he sets up that pool kiss > he talks about death and loss > he's fearful of change and yet seemingly absolutely certain of his feelings for Isak. For whatever reason, we know he thinks there's an element of the forbidden with his relationship with Isak and we're led to believe (mistakenly) that it's because he has a girlfriend, but really the forbidden is Even himself, who doesn't think he should have this.

@etal-late: I mean 👆

Ghostcat: By likening them to R+J, he believes their love is fated but impossible but he lets himself have it for a little while. All the clues stack up.

etal: 'The forbidden is Even' ouch yes.

Ghostcat: He's feeding them to us and Isak so that when Isak goes to the church and Nils Bech is up there singing and the neon cross is shining and the montage starts and ISAK FIGURES IT OUT. That run, paired with those strings, and that backward montage―

lightsandlostbells: Oh I'm so glad you brought up O Helga Natt, because that's where I was about to go with this, lol.

Ghostcat: ―hits like a ton of bricks. Suddenly all these little moments, them talking in bed, the kiss in the elevator are reframed in a new context. Their love becomes EPIC.

lightsandlostbells: YessssSSSSSSS (the part of this chat where I get incoherent has COMMENCED)

Ghostcat: And, as we find out at the end of the ep, it's NOT because someone dies. It's because of how real it is.

lightsandlostbells: So going back to what we were saying about Even communicating through notes/art/music: I think that's why Even's text in O Helga Natt is so effective. Because throughout the season, he's been dropping hints to his emotional state through his sketches and song lyrics, and we're like Isak, we're trying to piece it all together. With that text, Even finally lays out his true feelings in this vulnerable, direct manner. Then as soon as Isak connects the dots, all those clues in the season pay off. It was absolutely glorious to watch this in real time because I was dreading this would be a story about death. Instead, it became a story about rebirth.

Ghostcat: YES. Which ties into the story of Isak/Isaac in the Bible.

etal: Woah

Ghostcat: Lest we forget that Mamma has been doubling up on the indirect hints as well. Her texts are also clues.

lightsandlostbells: O Helga Natt is utter brilliance. I know everybody recognizes it's a masterpiece, but there are just so many things happening in it. It was difficult to write about for recaps because I didn't want to miss anything. I still feel like I did.

Ghostcat: Because things continually reveal themselves about it.

lightsandlostbells: Yeah, Mamma even mentions baptism like immediately before the clip, lmao.

Ghostcat: Yeah! It’s oh so spectacularly specific but never labored.

@modestytreehouse: My god she does.

Ghostcat: It feels like a gift.

lightsandlostbells: The pool scene and O Helga Natt are mirrors of each other and I think that's such a testament to Julie Andem's mastery of structure. (Also the cuddle scene and Minutt for minutt are mirrors. Lots of scenes in S3 are mirrors to each other.)

Ghostcat: The symmetry of this season is spectacular. Even with the most throwaway nonsense.

lightsandlostbells: I'm a huge sucker for symmetry and it's all over the place in S3.

Ghostcat: Like Magnus and that cat tongue girl.

lightsandlostbells: Yep!

Ghostcat: Ending the season by making out with a meowing Vilde.

lightsandlostbells: The dance chicks: starts with Isak being alienated from his friends as they drool over hot chicks. They come back so Isak can confidently reject them, in a scene where he also talks about which of his male friends he'd bang.

Ghostcat: I remember watching it and saying out loud OH MY GOD, EVEN CAT HOOKER PAID OFF.

treehouse: (21.21)

Ghostcat: Sana and the 10%. Isak being unable to say a guy is hot

lightsandlostbells: That's such a nice little Christmas bow, lol.

Ghostcat: --to telling his boyfriend exactly that. Avoiding his parents/reuniting with his parents and about to meet Even’s. A party where he’s off in another room pretending. A party where he’s in another room being as real as can be. Lying to truth-telling.

lightsandlostbells: Isak putting on a fake persona to flirt with Emma at her locker about "the asshole" to Isak being himself with her and bringing back "the asshole" comment in episode 10.

Ghostcat: Yes! Everything is suitably rounded upon. It is airtight.

lightsandlostbells: Except the girls who were hungover on a Wednesday.

Ghostcat: They're still hungover, it's four years later. Still fucked up (we are those girls). [Mod note: it’s five years later, we are still those Hungover Wednesday girls]

lightsandlostbells: They might want to pop a vitamin IDK. Lol yes, Julie Andem had a plan for them all along! They were symbolic representations of the audience.

Ghostcat: Ha ha ha.

lightsandlostbells: When I think about S3 I physically manifest into that Ben Affleck smoking gif.

Ghostcat: All this talk of perfection leads me to the final question in this section of our conversation…you know what's coming.

lightsandlostbells: Oh, and the representations of time in S3 also have payoff!

Ghostcat: We didn't get there!

lightsandlostbells: From big talk of "forever" and "infinite time" to "minutt by minutt" and "now" (Sorry)

Ghostcat: Oops. Ha ha ha. But yes! Also important, along with the numbers nudging us along, all that very deliberate time, BUT this is big talk so let me dumb things down with the following question―what is your interpretation of the following emoji hieroglyphics: ❤️ 🐬 🌞 🍆 💯

lightsandlostbells: "Isak, I love you so much and also you make me horny as Flipper. The sun shines out of your dick. Full marks."

Ghostcat: Excellent.

lightsandlostbells: Aren't dolphins notoriously horny in real life? I'm not a marine biologist.

Ghostcat: I am and it’s true, they are famously horny and pansexual as well!

lightsandlostbells: JULIE ANDEM DOING IT AGAIN.

Ghostcat: I'm not actually a marine biologist, but I couldn't resist…the symmetry. :sunglasses emoji:

___

Thank you so much for reading these interviews! I will post a master post of links to all of these if you feel like nerding out at your leisure.

Thank you again to all of our interview participants! You were very kind to say yes.

Last but not least, thank you to our first watch crew for agreeing to go on this little ride back in 2019. We hope you enjoyed watching SKAM with us. 💗

[inmyarmswrappedin]

Not sure if you are still doing rankings. But I am watching 19 and I am also really enjoying your recaps of them as well. It has got me thinking about siblings. So I am wondering what is your ranking of sibling dynamics in the skamverse, you can include parental or found family dynamics if you want.

Hi anon 🍪 I was going to say this in response to another ask from a few weeks ago (about ranking Isak and Sana pairings), but it was one of those asks where I started replying and it got so long that I sent the ask to the drafts where it’s still chilling. My drafts folder is a boulevard of partially answered asks gvhvh.

But anyway, what I was gonna say then, is that I’m pretty much done ranking stuff across Skams. For a couple reasons, one being that now that 2 of the 3 remaining Skams are doing a new gen, the shows have gotten harder and harder for me to compare. Like, Skam France and Druck so obviously have completely different goals and execution, that it feels ridiculous for me to compare Daphné and Lola, and Kiki, Zoe and Nora. They were handled so differently that, unless I really love Daphné and Lola despite the skamfr of it all (which isn’t the case), the scales are massively tilted in Druck’s favor.

The other reason has to do with how to handle the top spots. And, in this case, I also find it unfair to compare, let’s say, Kiki, Zoe and Nora, and Fatou and Ilai. Because Kiki, Zoe and Nora are all central characters, whereas Ilai is a supporting character. And one of the biggest parts of Nora’s season was the relationship between all three sisters, whereas the Fatou-Ilai relationship is mostly there to give context to Fatou’s personality. So, sure, I can like Fatou and Ilai better, but Druck has dedicated a lot more time and effort to Kiki, Zoe and Nora.

(Edit!: I forgot to say this, but thanks for letting me know that you’re reading and enjoying my 19 recaps. I don’t mind not getting a ton of notes, because I know 19 doesn’t have a huge audience, but notes are kind of how I know the posts are reaching someone. So having a person say they’re reading and liking them goes a long way. 💛)

That being said, I will now go over the different sibling relationships in the Skams, and I’ll keep it to actual siblings, because if I start including parents and found family, this ask would be fated to the drafts folder lol.

I generally enjoyed these relationships:

Sana and Elias: they were the first sibling relationship in Skam, and I think it was a more or less good portrayal of a nuanced relationship, that isn’t all peace and love, but also not hate all the time. I liked Elias, as well as the attempt to develop him and his friends through Hei Briskeby.

Amira, Essam and Omar: Really more Amira and Essam, since Omar had such dad vibes that he really seemed to relate to his siblings more from a position of “ha ha these children are so moody!!” Essam was such an interesting character, and I’m disappointed that he got axed when Druck went in a different direction with their new gen. 

Kiki, Zoe and Nora: I mean, they’re iconic! Along with Viri’s “season”, I think s5 has been one of the best attempts to make up for the Vilde season we never got. I think all three characters could realistically take the Vilde role in a Skam version. Once Mamachwitz is out of the picture, Nora becomes less of a Vilde, but I do think she’s one in the first part of the season when she’s still living with her mom. I loved the way Druck explored how siblings come together and apart when their parent can’t parent. 

Fatou and Ilai: I like when these type of shows make it clear that the siblings are subject to their own pressures, I also experienced impostor’s syndrome at uni for a time, so I could relate to Ilai. I think Druck did well with the time they had to dedicate to this relationship.

Emma and Nora: This was Eskam utilizing all their braincells. I think Emma is such an important character, I love that eskam was very clear in not blaming Emma’s SA on her drinking or partying, and that it continued to not judge Emma as she partied and drank. They walked a fine line with showing that Nora knew it wouldn’t be Emma’s fault if something did happen to her, but also being worried that something would happen to her. Because it’s only human to worry even if you know the theory. It was also a great way to illustrate Nora’s struggle with knowing the theory and applying it.

I generally like these relationships:

Dani and Cris: I don’t like Dani, but I’m glad he was a source of support and love for Cris.

Dounia and Kasim: They had so much potential tbh, even in their actual incarnation as non hijabi but practicing Muslim, and gay Muslim who doesn’t practice but does take comfort in Islam. 

Yasmina and Elias: I mean, it’s wtfck. Elias will drop gendered slurs because the writers are useless. But they’ve had a couple conversations so far, which is nice. It’s nice that wtfck is giving their relationship facetime.

I can’t really comment on Daphné and Lola, nor Sana and Rami from Skam Italia.

I didn’t like these relationships:

Eleonora and Filippo: I mean, I didn’t watch their Eleonora season, so that’s one strike. But the other is that Iiii hate it when the Skams make the William fight about fighting homophobes. And then Skam Italia took it a step further by wanting to be “nuanced” by making Eleonora’s brother be gay, so she’d look even worse for not approving of Edoardo fighting homophobes. Also, Filippo looked younger than half the teen cast, so lol.

Imane and Idriss: I fucking hate that Idriss took Ingrid’s side in the Ingrid/Imane fight. There are two special seats in hell reserved for David H and Niels.

Nora and Sporty Spice: I realize that they don’t know they’re twins separated at birth, but still, you’d think Sporty Spice would be less creepy about his sister.