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In last week’s episode, things got a little heated between Fraser (Jack Dylan Grazer), Caitlin (Jordan Kristine Seamón), and her OG group of friends. But this week, Fraser is suddenly chummy with everyone. Well, not necessarily everyone, but things are civil at the very least. And that’s all we can hope for, for now.
The episode opens with the group split into two teams in the midst of a paintball fight. Francesca treads the forest floor alone, decked out in some snazzy looking paintball gear. The next few scenes cut to Sam (Ben Taylor) and Danny (Spence Moore II) ganging up on Fraser, a member of the opposite team, shooting him at least 20 times. It obviously seems personal, but Fraser doesn’t seem to mind so much. There’s tension in the air, but it doesn’t last. Once their paintball war ends, the group reconvenes and starts horseplaying, throwing their gear, paint, and water at one another. It’s every man for himself. The best part about this scene is the orchestral music that plays in the background throughout the duration of the fight, the music rising to a crescendo when the fight begins to get more intense. The camera is set a distance away from the group, allowing the audience to simply enjoy the frivolity and remain content without actually participating in it. For a moment, we forget that there’s any bad blood within the group. Oh, the joys of youth!
Running through the same vein of spontaneity, Craig (Corey Knight) and Valentina (Beatrice Barichella) decide to get married a day before Craig is scheduled to embark on a two-year tour in Afghanistan. All of the group, with the exception of Sam, are overjoyed for the bride and groom-to-be. Plans are immediately set into motion, as they scramble for a wedding dress and suit. They head off to the base’s chapel to witness Craig and Valentina marry. Love and joy abound. But the day’s only just begun.
The group breaks and enters into a lush villa that has luckily been left empty by its original inhabitants. It doesn’t seem to be their first time, as they easily scale the wall to enter the building. The villa is where most of the episode takes place, as the group spends the rest of the day and the evening partying away as part of Craig and Valentina’s wedding reception. From swimming in the pool in their underwear to drinking generous amounts of alcohol (courtesy of the villa owners), to just straight up making a mess of the property. Are they concerned? Absolutely not. Are they having fun? Hell yeah. At some point, I felt myself longing for a teen experience similar to theirs, but I also have my gripes on these particular scenes. While everyone loves a good coming-of-age drama, there comes a point where the carefree spirit of teenage youth is a little over-exaggerated and depicted a little unrealistically. Sure, at some point as a teenager, you may have had a few beers here and there. But I don’t think half-naked dancing, full-blown nudity, and having sex in front of your own friends comprise a majority of teenagers’ experiences. While it was obvious from earlier episodes that the group is a free-spirited bunch, it seems very reminiscent of many of the TV shows and movies centered on the world of teenagers. The group ends the day with all of them in some state of inebriation, barely able to move, and their clothes missing. But hypersexuality and drug use seem to be the only themes that creators can think of to characterize the teenage experience. I think teenagers should be given a little more credit. In this episode, I couldn’t help but wonder: what was the point of all this? However, I received my answer when one of the last scenes is of Craig staring longingly at his sleeping bride and friends passed out on the living room floor. He stays there for a while with a small, sad smile, as we soak up the last few moments he’ll have with them for a long time. It’s easy to see that he’s happiest when with his friends, and some of the best moments of his life have probably been with them.
Taking care not to wake the bunch, he silently slips out the door and makes his way back to the base. The next scene cuts to Sarah (Chloë Sevigny) preparing Craig and many other soldiers to embark on their tour of duty, all while Neil Young’s “Living With War” plays in the background. It’s a sad sendoff much different from the mood of the earlier scenes. No time is given for sentimental parting words to be shared. Only a silent goodbye.
We are still left with many questions. Will Sam ever put his jealousy over Caitlin’s relationship with Fraser behind him? Will Fraser ever be fully accepted into the group? Will Craig return as the same person two years later, or will he even return at all? Will the group ever be the same? The future is evermore uncertain for this ragtag posse.
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