#fredrika young royals

[simon-eriksson]

Fredrika & Stella | 3.06

[raincitygirl76]

To be perfectly honest, I found 3.06 a bit of a letdown. All Wilhelm’s problems won’t magically disappear just because he’s abdicating. And I found Kristina’s acquiescence deeply implausible. If someone has acted one way for 17 episodes, it’s tough to believe they’re magically a reformed character in the eighteenth episode.

There were a lot of things I really liked about the episode, don’t get me wrong. But for me, the entire third season didn’t hang together the way the first two seasons did. This last episode felt like such an abrupt tonal transition from the darkness of 3.01 through 3.05.

I loved that the boys (and Sara and Felice) got a happy ending. But I was hoping for….more. This ending didn’t feel entirely earned to me. The first 5 episodes of the season dealt with the downward spiral so well, and then they tried to abruptly bring everything back up again in a single episode.

Apologies if I’m going against the general zeitgeist here. But at this point I’m simultaneously relieved my four faves all got a happy ending, and feeling let down. Because they patched everything up in the space of an hour, and it was a rush.

That said, there were things I thought were spot on. Sara and Felice were note perfect. Nils and Vincent being dismayed about August’s promotion to working royal was great. And Stella and Fredrika being sapphic, but still being classist, snobby bitches. Being queer doesn’t automatically turn someone into a nice person.

But in terms of the central pairing, I’m feeling a bit let down. Like they didn’t quite earn their happy ending and I’m not quite sure it’ll really stick in the long term.

[skateboardtotheheart]

in no particular order, here's a list of season 2 moments I am obsessed with

- "I got a haircut"

- Kristina going "okay???" when Wille talked about Simon being on a date

- Simon CHUCKING that dodgeball at Wille

- "he likes it when I sing" "and I don't????"

- every time Ayub or Rosh were on screen

- AYUB AND SIMON ARGUING OVER THE NAME ROSH'S EX

- Stella's poem

- Wilmon's relieved smiles when they kiss at the ball

- "... uh huh" when Wille finally gets it through his head that the song is about him

- once again,,, the dodgeball

- Wille going to therapy

- CLOSING THE CURTAINS CLOSING THE CURTAINS CLOSING THE CURTAINS

- the giggles immediately following

- THEY DON'T HAVE NAMES

- "did he just say he'd give up the crown for you?"

- SIMON TELLING WILLE HE WANTS TO BE WITH HIM

- I LOVE YOU

- the speech the speech the speech the speech the speech

- Boris' smug ass look when Wille broke from script

- any time Simon sings

- Simon and Wille finally understanding each other via an oral book presentation that lead to them essentially arguing the other's opinion on their own situation

- Simon stealing Wille's sweater

- Felice being the Most Supportive Bestie even when Wille was an asshole

there are more. but these ones just,,, yes

[young-royals-confessions]

Stella and Federika were always terrible people. It took the 3rd season to give us a clear view of their true colors . They are a watered down version of Vincent & Niels.

I bet Felice had to sit through plenty of tone deaf conversations with them.

[waltybrainrot]

first and last appearances

(i am so sorry madison but getting a flattering ss of the last scene was impossible)

(thanks for this idea @zee-has-commitment-issues)

[in-amor-veritas]

some of y’all need to stop confusing your fanfiction headcanons about characters with them in the actual show. It feels like sometimes that you’re complaining how they didn’t act the way you thought they would bc you expect them to be the way they are in fic

[yeebeemaxheehee]

young royals finale so good i cried for twenty minutes

[insomnaticwilmon]

Young Royals characters with Big Brown Eyes save me. Save me Young Royals characters with Big Brown Eyes save me. Save me Young Royals Characters with Big Brown Eyes. Save m-

[bluedalahorse]

Notes on Sara’s initiation costumes

I am allowing myself a few comments of meta before before I begin my Substantial Adulting Task Of The Day.

How we see a character at the beginning of a season and at the end of a season is so indicative of their arc. Costuming plays a role in this, and this morning I’m particularly interested in how it plays out with Sara.

In episode 2.1 of Young Royals, the Manor House girls initiate Sara into their circle. This initiation ceremony includes various costume items, all of which evoke with different archetypes and provide foreshadowing for the group’s eventual split. The girls cover Sara’s face with a witch mask, and have her wear an apron painted with a garishly bright and headless naked body, including prominent pillow breasts. For a portion of the initiation, Sara wears a princess’s tiara—something that is taken back by Fredrika, who anxiously explains about it being a family heirloom.

As we saw with Wilhelm’s initiation, and with initiations of this sort in real life, there is often a stage of the process that involves degradation or humiliation of the initiate before they are fully integrated into the community. The Manor House girls decide to degrade Sara with the breast-apron and the witch mask. Let’s unpack these symbols a little more. The nakedness of the apron speaks to with the idea of being exposed and vulnerable, but also—in this case—has connotations of sexuality and sexual awakening. It’s hard not to think of the way people cut teenage girls and adult women down by slut-shaming them. As for the witch, witches are folkloric outsiders. People of all genders in modern times have reclaimed the label of witch and found the empowering aspects of non-conformity, the same way Sara sometimes tries to empower herself by saying “I don’t need to fit in anyway” especially early on in the series. At the same time, we can’t ignore the way that historical accusations of witchcraft and witch trials have been used to push women out of their communities—especially older women, and women who were experiencing mental illness and neurodivergence. There’s a difference between claiming the role of the witch for oneself, and having it slapped on you as you’re forced out of the place you call home.

What about the tiara? The tiara of course invokes the archetype of the princess, and more broadly the idea of royal women. By joining Manor House, Sara has gotten a chance to “try on” royal status, but she doesn’t get to keep it. Fredrika taking the tiara back shows how quickly the can girls take back their welcoming of Sara, and how conscious they all are of Sara’s outsider status even when she’s passing her initiation with flying colors. (Lighting the banner on fire? Iconic.) I love how layered the symbolism of the tiara is, and how organically it fits into the Hillerska universe. It makes total literal sense that these landed rich kids would bring a family heirloom like that to school, use it for their teenage antics instead of like going to the drug store for bachelorette party supplies or whatever, and then get nervous about breaking it or getting it dirty during aforementioned teenage antics. And yet, the fact that this item has a history in Fredrika’s family shows that there’s a real system of power and wealth and lineage beyond the tiara—a system that works against girls like Sara.

Note that the tiara appears again in 2.5, when the girls are doing their TikTok video. The camera is panning across the dormitory wall when the voice on the video says “Who’s going to be the first to get married?” The camera lingers for a moment on a Polaroid of Sara during her initiation, where she’s wearing the breast-apron and the tiara together. This combination of power (tiara) and reproductive biology (apron) are a glaring reminder that the monarchy’s historic power has relied upon bloodlines to keep it going, and that they’ve used dynastic marriages to secure and maintain those bloodlines. This raises the question: does Sara reinforce that historical pattern with her gender in a way that Simon can’t, or disrupt it with her social class the same way her brother does? The camera cuts away from the photograph and over to the Manor House girls, who push Fredrika forward and she mimes showing off an engagement ring.

(Tangent: I keep wondering if Fredrika’s going to end up in a somewhat significant heterosexual relationship next season. I don’t see it taking over the plot but I can see it being used to develop themes.)

Let’s move ahead to the girls’ falling out and where Sara ends the season. Felice is upset with Sara in a fairly nuanced way; we know what she feels most betrayed by is Sara being in love with August when August did horrible crimes and Sara knew about it. Felice is trying to grapple with the complexity of Sara—she’s seen a side to her that she didn’t know about before and couldn’t have easily predicted. I think it’s fair to say that even if Felice is furious with Sara and feels deceived, she’s still seeing Sara as a human being. She’s just seeing a human being she doesn’t want to be friends with anymore.

Stella and Fredrika, meanwhile, don’t see Sara—they only see the initiation costume. Sara, the witch, is disloyal to Hillerska conformity and should be cast out. Sara, the blatantly naked girl, went and slept with a boy she shouldn’t have. I think it’s worth pointing out that while, yes, August did crimes and Sara knew that, Fredrika and Stella don’t know this part of the story. From their perspective, they are attacking Sara for… *checks notes*… hooking up with a guy that Felice dated last semester and never really cared about?  They’re mad with Sara for being so “naive” as to be “manipulated” by the school’s notorious player (even though Sara did a fair amount of initiating in the relationship and August was infinitely less harassment-inclined toward the other Hillerska girls in season 2?) While, in life, sometimes slut-shaming is really obvious, there are other times where it’s covered up by flimsy excuses. “I’m sex-positive, I just think in this case she should have…” Stella and Fredrika are not making the case for justice or accountability. Again, they don’t know what this has done to Sara’s relationships with Simon and Felice. They’re enjoying the opportunity to tear Sara down and reinforce the values of their insular, elitist community.

This is precisely what makes Stella and Fredrika so interesting to me. Until they clear the air about whatever’s going on between them (we know Stella has unrequited romantic love, but Fredrika’s romantic feelings are unconfirmed, and it’s clear they haven’t had a real conversation about it) they are inclined to lash out at authenticity in others. Their joking about the sex tape and surrogate mothers in 1.6 kinda happens along the same lines. Sara has the authenticity of the witch archetype and allows herself to be emotionally naked/vulnerable in that moment, holding true to her heart even when it’s weaponized against her. This is why her parting line to Stella and Fredrika, about how at least she can be honest about her own feelings, is so satisfying to me. YMMV, of course. But I think it says a lot about who Sara is and what she’s willing to own, even if she takes a while to process a deeply messy situation and let go of what she loves.

(This is also why Maddie can’t be present in the scene. Maddie is chaotically authentic and only follows Hillerska’s rules when she wants to. She’d be chiming in like, ok yeah he’s evil trash but he at least went down on you right?)

To wrap up, I want to address Sara’s final look of the series. The word that comes to mind when I think of her final outfit is “dislocated.” Sara’s left her riding pants behind on the dorm room bed—a symbol of breaking with her friends, and specifically the way they’ve weaponized their wealth against her. As she leaves Hillerska’s grounds with her rolling suitcase, she’s wearing her skirt and blouse, but not her blazer and tie. She’s still somewhat attached to the school, but not in the way where she’s wearing their logo anymore. She also wears her purple shirt, reminding us of Simon’s infamous purple clothing accents, and I think we’re supposed to see this as her thoughts being partially with her brother and the home she grew up in. While Sara begins the season in caught up in a jumble of archetypes, she ends the season in a different kind of liminal space: between two worlds, but not really anchored in either of them. This makes me wonder where Sara will end up in season 3 physically. We’ve all assumed she is going back to Linda, but it may be that she tries something really unexpected, like moving in with her dad or trying to make it on her own now that she’s eighteen. Both of those things make me worry for her.

Sara’s future home is another issue entirely, so I’ll bring this back around to character arcs. There’s themes going on in season 2 about how people can get pigeonholed into certain fairy tale archetypes, and a lot those themes get reinforced through costuming choices. At the end of the season, we’re being asked to see Sara as a person—her sparkle and flaws all as once, just as she is.

BONUS COSTUMING NOTE: did you notice that Sara is predominantly dressed in white during the Valentines ball scene, while Felice is predominantly dressed in black? Please note that this is the episode where August begins scheming again and in the episodes that follow we see him lurking around the chess board in the common room and talking to the other third years about how to win chess and stuff. My point is, FELICE AND SARA ARE THE CHESS QUEENS THIS SEASON. I THINK IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE ON PURPOSE. I love the way this show makes me think!

[youngroyals-hc]

Wille gets a call from the royal court at stupid o'clock in the morning, which he promptly ignores, but the 5th time they call back he groans and realises they're not going to go away. He begrudgingly answers the call, slipping on tracksuit pants and a hoodie and blowing a kiss to Simon who watches his boyfriend go regretfully.

A few hours later and he still hasn't returned; Simon is sitting at breakfast making small talk with the Forest Ridge boys but continually glancing up at the door whenever anyone walked in, hoping it would be him. 10 minutes before breakfast closes he decides that the prince won't be coming, so he gets up and makes him a sandwich and heads to class.

Wille arrives at class 20 minutes late looking cranky and tired. He slips into his seat next to his boyfriend and drops his head to Simon's shoulder for the briefest moment before getting his books out and staring blank-eyed at the teacher. Simon reaches out and puts his hand on Wille's thigh, rubbing lightly with his thumb to comfort his boyfriend. Wille's grimace turns into a tiny smile as he traces the lengths of Simon's fingers with his own under the desk.

A few minutes later the teacher instructs them to get into small discussion groups and find somewhere to work. Wille turns and looks at Felice and Fredrika, gesturing with his head as he stands up, holding Simon's hand for just a moment and giving it a gentle tug. The four of them head towards the library and sit down at the desks. Simon takes the opportunity to reach into his bag and place the sandwich on the table in front of Wille, quickly kissing his cheek and smoothing back his (rapidly growing) hair behind his ear. Wille looks for a second like he is about to cry, before quietly whispering "Tack, Simme" and gently unwrapping the green paper.

As the four friends sit and discuss the structure of the Riksdag, Wille nibbles on his food, and his mood slowly starts to rise. He still sits quietly for the most part (years of being told not to share his political opinions is not an easy habit to break), but he nods along to what Simon says and gives him encouraging smiles, especially when Fredrika says something misguided and Simon tries to hold in his annoyance as he explains his point of view.

The class ends and the boys gather up their belongings and walk down the corridors of Hillerska.

"So what did they want this time?" Simon says gently.

"They're still trying to convince me to do Military service like Erik did. I just can't Simon, I can't imagine spending 12 months learning how to hurt other people, even if it is just for show. Why can't they just let me take alternative service and let me actually do something good instead?" Wille's voice rises in panic as he speaks, and Simon pulls him aside and into a nook in the hallway.

"Wille, they can't make you do anything. If you object publicly, what could they do about it?"

"Make my life more hell than it already is" Wille replies miserably.

"Maybe... Or maybe, you could put a spin on this. Think about it. Showing alternative service as a valid option to those who view it just as an excuse. We could do some really public acts during it, invite the press. Surely the court will see that as a positive impact on your image?" Simon says, taking his boyfriend's hand with his while circling his other over Wille's shoulder and chest to calm him.

"I couldn't ask you to do that Simon, I know how much you hate the press." Wille says sadly, but less dejectedly than before.

"You're not asking me, I'm offering älskling. Plus, it gets me out of the conversation too; I'm certain they were warming up to that."

Wille huffs out a breath and leans in closer to Simon.

"Will you ask them, mi amor? Next time they call, be super positive and tell them all the things you will do and why it's a good idea. I'm sure you can win them round."

"What would I do without you, my Simon?" Wille says, finally circling his arms around his boyfriend's waist and hugging him tightly.

"Well, for a start, not eat breakfast I suppose" Simon teases back, and it earns a laugh from Wille.

"Come on Wille, military service can wait but I don't think Mr Englund can" Simon says, breaking away and leading Wille back into the hall as the other boy groans and starts spewing complaints about their teacher instead.

[zee-has-commitment-issues]

We severely sleep on how adorable Fredrika is:

Look at how she looks at Stella:

SHES SO CUTE

[young-royals-confessions]

I'm afraid of the Stella-Frederika storyline in s3. They warned us of them in s2 the same way they warned us with Sara and August in s1. I don't want screentime wasted for this when there is already so much to adress and so little time left.

[youweremyversaillesatnight]

okay listen i cannot get this thought out of my head so i’m just. putting it out there. stedrika but i’m a cheerleader

[palehottubchild]

my 2 cents nobody asked for: felice fredrika stella go see barbie they drag wille with them, henry and walter go see Oppenheimer, august vincent and nils go to Oppenheimer and august and vincent are definitely the guys who hate on barbie for being anti-men without having actually seen it, nils doesnt go to barbie but is NOT hating on it simon and sara do the barbenheimer combo (bc sara wants to see oppenheimer and Simon wants to see barbie) if you disagree leave your own thoughts in the notes xoxoozozoz