#sander drieson

[if-music-be-the-food-of-love]

Sander just hits different.. like I was rewatching S3 and ep 3 came on and I was like this is not Willem DS this is Sander. They are so different and Willem played him so well with a certain vibe that can only be Sander. I miss him :(

He truly did an amazing job with Sander (and I will always be sad that we didn’t get to see more of him in that role—I’m still shocked at how little we actually have after 3.5 seasons. Wtfockdown was an absolute gift to humanity, albeit an occasionally cringy gift, but it’s basically the best thing that happened in 2020, at least for me, and it was Sander centric!).

To address your ask (kind of?), I honestly struggle sometimes to even believe Sander is the same person between ep 3-5 and ep 8-10, let alone the lovesick marshmallow we saw in wtfockdown. I mean he is, obviously, but there’s this physical transformation he undergoes throughout the season that just amazes me. His cool, edgy vibe becomes so soft and the best word I can think of is cuddly by the last episode. He literally melts before our eyes—that cool, impenetrable exterior slipping away as he realizes he does have value, he is lovable, and he is enough, that he is worthy of the love he seeks.

His hair is symbolic of that transformation. I interpret his blond hair, much like the leather jacket and docs, to be an armor that he wears to protect himself from the world—to project a confident image and act as a barrier (I answered an ask about this not long ago, but as far as we know, he doesn’t have close friends—is this a conscious choice, like does he purposefully set himself apart bc he feels he doesn’t deserve friends/love? God that makes me sad). Back to the hair, I feel like they made a conscious choice to have his hair look more sharp, more strategically styled before he knew Robbe liked him, and then in the scenes where he’s sure of Robbe’s affection it’s much softer, fluffier. By wtfockdown, it’s a wild mess. Of course, that’s just his cut growing out, but I think it parallels Sander’s emotional journey as well. He’s trying so hard at first, trying to project this cool, edgy look, both to attract Robbe and to hide behind. But once he knows how Robbe feels, and gains a better understanding of himself, he relaxes and everything looks more natural, wavy, fluffy, like he’s dropping the armor. By wtfockdown he doesn’t give a shit bc he is confident in Robbe’s love and his place in their relationship. And that’s also why as much as I loved his blond look, I feel that brown haired Sander post season 3/wtfockdown makes so much sense. He doesn’t need it anymore. He’s comfortable in who he is. He’s happy. He can let go of that armor completely and be himself bc he knows he’s enough, that someone knows exactly who he is and loves him anyway. Ok, that’s the hair saga I’ve been sitting on for a year.

BUT, the real transformation is in how he carries himself, his expressions, and that’s all DS. How did he do that? Like the Sander from Dinsdag 16:19 (ep 5) and from Vrijdag 20:18/21:03 (ep 10) are so completely different in how they move, how they carry themselves, their facial expressions. In the first, he’s closed up and angry, standing rigid and so tall, almost leaning away from Robbe, trying to be aloof. In those last clips he’s so relaxed and loose, his posture and his face. The lovesick expression on his face when he smiles at Robbe across the room or the way he lets Robbe twirl him are such a stark contrast, and for me it’s his whole journey. Sander’s arc is so complex. And that’s just one of many contrasts. We meet him in full on flirt mode, but we also see seduction, scared, hurt, confused, excited, etc. Maandag 11:03 is still the pinnacle for me. He’s absolutely brilliant there and totally believable. The range he showed throughout season 3 was just stunning, and it was a whole body transformation (which is why I think you see Sander and not DS bc he IS Sander in that moment, just as he was Max and Tuur?). It’s funny bc I praise Herbots for the exact opposite skill—that he can express so much with so little movement. We always know what he’s thinking.

They did a great job designing Sander’s character, probably my favorite overall change from the og, but how he acted, his portrayal of Sander, was truly something special. I think that’s why it feels so real to us (bc they’re so good at what they do).

Sorry for writing another novel in response. Analysis is pretty much my favorite thing. I never had anyone to share these thoughts with during season 3/wtfockdown, and by now I’m sure everyone has already said all of this. I just missed it.

I miss him too, anon. Thanks for your ask!! Hopefully I answered you at least somewhat coherently. 💖💖