#but I decided I should finish it before character interactions shift again in s4

[duchezss]

Today I’m gonna talk a little bit about relationships and how Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous hits the nail on the head. Now when you think about relationships I know most people immediately think of romance, but today I’m mostly going to be talking about platonic because that's what the show is very good at. 

Platonic relationships, and I’m talking actual good ones, are extremely hard to come by in any media. Whether it’s books, tv shows, movies, regardless if they’re made for kids or adults. A lot of the time they lack depth and/or just become romantic especially between boy-girl relationships and I think that shouldn’t always be the case. As a raging lesbian I have a bunch of guy friends and I see them as brothers, but even for the straights it shouldn’t always be the “oh guy and girl are good friends ok they’re dating blah blah”. Friendships are very valuable and media should really showcase that more. This is what originally attracted me to this show. It’s incredibly difficult to have such a big cast in general, but it’s even harder when all of them are actively great friends with each other and work like a family. So here’s some numbers. In a group of 6 there are 15 different pairs of two, that’s a lot. That’s a crazy amount and it’s even more daunting for the writers because each one of those relationships is gonna be different and trying to flesh all of them out will take time. But this show spares no explanation when it comes to this. Out of the 15 different duos the show has actively explored 14 of them. I can’t emphasize how incredible that is. In just 3 seasons, 26 episodes, 14 have been explored, you could argue 15 but the last pair isn’t quite there and I’ll explain why below. 

So here’s my list, for my convenience I shortened all of the names and I’ll put a key below just in case:

Darius - D

Kenji - K 

Ben - Be

Brooklynn - Br

Yazmina - Y

Sammy - S 

Alrighty now comes the pairs, I’m gonna write a little on each and explain how I think their dynamic is and how well they’re written. Also I have a small phrase to describe all of their relationships and I’ll be adding that as well. 

D & K - Darius and Kenji have gotta be one of my favorite pairs in the show. They are arguably the most fleshed out duo of them all because they’ve had a lot of screen time together since the beginning. My phrase to describe them would be “sibling rivalry”. They have experienced a lot together and both of them have grown so much. I mean they started off hating each other and all they did was butt heads, but as time went on you could tell they truly do care for each other. I think they both see each other as brothers and for Kenji, Darius is a crutch to lean on. I really hope they make up after what happened at the end of S3. I want it to feel natural, but I trust the writers. 

D & Be - Darius and Ben were honestly a friendship I expected from the beginning, which is why I was surprised that most of their development happened in S3. They just have this unspoken understanding of each other and it’s clear they care for one another even if it’s in unique ways. My phrase to describe them would be “lifelong friends”. To me these two are the ones I think will always stay friends no matter what happens in life. Sometimes things can be tense between them, but Darius has always been understanding of Ben after his fall. Darius blamed himself so much, but Ben never did. I was so happy and satisfied that the first “I love you” of this show was not only platonic, but between these two. I’m curious to see how their friendship will grow. 

D & Br - I really thought Brooklynn and Darius were gonna fight a lot more than they did. Both of them have very strong personalities, but I actually ended up liking their dynamic so it was a nice surprise. My phrase to describe them would be “comforting”. Not as in comforting to the audience, but as they comfort each other when times are hard. They hug each other a lot and regardless if this is romantic or not, it’s sweet. Their relationship is very consistent throughout the series and I like it, this seems to one of the more stable friendships so they don’t worry me as much as the others 

D & Y - Yaz always has interesting relationships with people because she was very closed off when the show first started, Darius is no exception. To me there’s felt very natural and the phrase I would use to describe them is “older-younger siblings”. Darius never pushed Yaz the way Sammy did, which isn’t a bad thing btw, he just doesn’t approach friends like that. So instead they went very slow, but honestly I like it. I like how the show shows that some friends form fast and some take a little longer. Yaz is very patient with Darius and she really lets him act like a kid. A lot of the time it’s just him rambling and her listening, I really enjoy this friendship and I like how simple and yet calm it is. 

D & S - The arguments Darius’ and Sammy had were something I didn’t expect. I really thought the two of them would get alone, but I like how we as the audience can see the battle of mortality. Doing what’s right vs what’s good. That doesn’t mean they don’t get along though, Sammy is a real sweetheart and has always been kind to Darius. My phrase for them is “butt heads but still get along”. They know how to work together and they know how to calm each other down. This is because they’ve been in several serious situations with one another.

K & Be - These two have always been an interesting pair. They started off hating each other, but after Ben’s fall it was clear that Kenji cared very deeply for him. Their reunion was so sweet. Phrase for them is “caring but pretending not to”. Romance aside they have such a unique bond and I really hope we get to see more of it. They have been very distant with each other and I think it’s an interesting showcase to what happens when both characters are closed off. They get defensive quickly and it’s evident that they have some unresolved problem that needs to be addressed.

K & Br - When I first watched this show, at first I couldn’t get a read on what they were going for here, but it came through later on. My phrase for them is “brother and sister”. They are both very understanding of one another, and they keep each other grounded. They have such a lovely platonic relationship, and I admire how much they care for each other. Not to mention both of them know how to help lead, and I hope we get to see more of that in later seasons. 

K & Y - Kenji and Yaz are polar opposites of each other, and that’s why their friendship is so interesting. They balance each other out, and they literally dedicated a whole episode to showcasing this. Kenji taught Yaz how to relax, and she taught him how to be more serious when it mattered. But within this they both also confide in one another a little more. So therefore my phrase for them is “a shoulder to lean on”. A personally love their friendship and I love how they can understand each other without saying anything. They like to sprinkle in this duo a lot and I’m here for it. 

K & S - These two were practically destined to get along because both of them have such a carefree attitude. But within their cheerful front there seems to be a deeper layer. My phrase for them is “comedians with a twist”. They clearly get along, and I love to see them on screen together. Kenji was the only one to never bash Sammy during S1, and was even the one that helped Brooklynn forgive Sammy. It’s clear they both care a lot for each other, and I’m curious to see their future interactions.  

Be & Br - Remember how I mentioned that I felt there was one duo that wasn’t quite there. Well this is it. We know how both characters act by themselves, but they’ve never held a conversation on their own and we’ve never really seen them interact outside of a group setting. I would describe them as “not explored enough”. I really hope they do get explored though because I think this could be a fun duo. 

Be & Y - This duo is more on the side of underdeveloped, but not quite like Ben and Brooklynn. See these two have had moments together, but it’s few and far between. One thing that does stand out though is that Yaz clearly listens to Ben’s advice. Usually when he suggested that the group are not gonna be friends once they make it off the island. My phrase for them is“sorta tense but valued”. Yaz values Ben’s words, and he does so with her as well. But other than these small moments we don’t know much, probably due to the fact that Ben was gone for most of S2, which is where a lot of development happened. 

Be & S - I really thought Ben would be the last one to mess around and pull jokes on Sammy, but here we are and I love it. I feel like most of the campers were really gentle with Sammy, but wasn’t afraid of a little harmless fun. Sammy was always first to hug Ben and I just think their friendship is super sweet. My phrase for them is “playful siblings”. Sammy has always had a soft side for Ben, and I wonder if it’s cause he remind her of one of her siblings. Regardless of why they get along, I want to see more of them soon.  

Br & Y - Their friendship at the start was bumpy to say the least, and frankly I liked that. Not all of them were going to be friends from the get go and it was nice to see them have to awkwardly become friends. Especially after both of them were at each others throats in S1, and to me that’s why their friendship was that much sweeter when it happened. My phrase for them is“competitive friendship”. They don’t really butt heads anymore, but I doubt they’d pass up the opportunity to try and show each other up for fun. 

Br & S - Originally these two got along fine, but they had to start over after S1. It was interesting to see them earn each’s trust back, and now I think it’s clear that they have each’s back. My phrase for them is “tense to comforting friends”. Sammy approached Brooklynn first for their little “mission” in S3 and I think that’s very telling of how far their friendship has come. They both seem very approachable for one another. I think it’s a cool how their rivalry quickly became a friendship. 

Y & S - My phrase for them is “literally gfs”. Honestly that’s all I have to write because it’s so obvious, but alas I will elaborate, cause I have a habit of doing so. Sammy seems to be Yaz’s first good friend, and she clearly helped her “get out of her shell”. Yaz was the first to defend Sammy, and even in the aftermath, they eventually get close again. The long run? Yeah that entire episode was dedicated to them, no more explanation needed. They mean the world to each other and I really hope they’ll be canon one day, wishful thinking I know, but let me.