Ron Does Stuff

At the end of the previous episode, Wilhelm’s request to have Simon take down an Instagram post is set aside as something more immediate is taking up Simon’s attention — a brick thrown through their house’s window.

We start this episode with a voiceover of Simon’s mom talking about the attack, about how she was just watching television when the brick crashed into the window. She didn’t see who did it, and we see Simon looking at their taped over window as his mom talks to someone on the phone about everything that happened. She shares that they may have to move to a different place if things like this keep on happening, and I don’t blame her.

Simon and Wilhelm finally meet up in Hillerska, and at least Wilhelm isn’t badgering him about the post anymore and is just concerned for Simon’s safety. Simon is understandably rattled by what happened, since it’s the first time that it’s happened in his 14 years of living there. Simon also talks about the possibility of him and his family moving, and Wilhelm is definitely not having that, and says that he’ll talk to the Royal Court about doing something about it. My money is on the Royal Court not doing anything about it.

Elsewhere in the school, the seniors finish taking their national test and Vincent isn’t happy about it and thinks it’s pointless since a graduation isn’t going to be held anyway until the Inspectorate finishes its report, which is apparently going to take months. Vincent wants to do something about it, but doesn’t know what just yet. An encounter with Simon does inspire him, though. After being a dick to Simon and making fun of him being a ~communist~, he realizes that the thing that they can do is to hold a demonstration. That they’re rich fucks asking for more privileges is lost on him, but Vincent isn’t exactly the most nuanced of the seniors.

Vincent’s teasing also triggers a conversation between Simon and Wilhelm, as Simon admits that he is against the monarchy. When Wilhelm tries to defend the monarchy by saying that it’s been able to solve political crises, Simon points out that that can also be done by an elected official, and not just by one family. And Simon also points out that the only thing the monarchy has given Wilhelm is heartache.

Meanwhile, Sara is not having the best time back at Hillerska. Felice and the gang continue to ignore her, and you can’t really blame them for doing so. Simon is I think shooting daggers at her with his eyes, and August is the only one to talk to her and is happy about her showing up during Walpurgis night.

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Over in Wilhelm’s room, he’s told that he has to step up as his mother is too unwell to do a government function. It’s been decided that he and August are going to attend in her place, and he has to decide on what his non-profit is going to be by that time.

Wilhelm also talks to the court about giving Simon protection, and that manifests itself in Jan-Olof visiting Simon’s family and trying to push the moving out agenda, especially since it’s something Simon’s mother also wants. She mentions Gothenburg, a city whose name I recognize because the Gothenburg Film Festival is where Let the Right One In won an award. Yes, that is another piece of Swedish media that I know.

Simon speaks up against a move, and the compromise they come up with is that Simon basically vanish from the public eye, while the Royal Court will provide him with security. This is probably just me, but not being perceived by the public and social media sounds like heaven.

Back in Hillerska, Simon is helping Wilhelm pick out a theme for the non-profit he’s going to estbalish. The Royal Court wants Wilhelm to pick ~sports and health~ to show that he’s a “serious, traditional, smart and strong young man”, and Simon suggests why not something mental health-related, or something LGBTQIA+-related. Wilhelm says those causes can be seenas a political statement, and I can understand that when it comes to something LGBTQIA+-relatd, but surely mental health is apolitical? Either way, Simon compromises and Wilhelm picks ~sports and health~.

Later that day, Vincent’s planned demonstration happens and I honestly just rolled my eyes at this rich kid decrying ~fascism~ in their hoity toity school just because their graduation has been put on hold for a bit. And Simon clocks the hypocrisy immediately, and also realizes that Wilhelm doesn’t have the balls to protest anything unless he can do it without consequences. He walks out on Wilhelm, and since nobody’s talking to Sara, it’s only the two of them left in the classroom and she is unfortunately the target of Simon’s rage.

Meanwhile, the entitled rich fuckwits of Hillerska learn a lesson about going on strike because the principal closes all the places where they can get food and locks the dorms as well, effectively confining them to the school hall. If you wanna go on strike, go on fucking strike, you asshats. It’s really not helping that I’m watching this while multiple countries in Southeast Asia are protesting actual problems.

Unfortunately for Simon, he just can resist that royal dick and comes back to join the strike. That royal dick must be something else! As the strike continues into the night, tensions begin to rise between Vincent and August, as old wounds like the prefect position are brought up again. The kids are also really, really hungry, which you would have prepared for if any of you had been part of a strike before. It does lead to a hilarious scene where these kids are bidding 2,400SKR for a bag of chips. That’s more than P14,000! We also find out that Felice talked about the school initiations during the Inspectorate interviews, which makes half of her friend group almost turn against her.

Unfortunately again, the rich fucks get their way since the principal caves in to their demands. At least now they can see the power of collective action! Felice and Sara also finally get to face each other, and while it’s tense, it looks like Felice’s feelings are thawing, especially after seeing how quickly her other friends almost turned on her.

August and Wilhelm also have a confrontation, and here we find out the truth about the initiation rites that started the inspections in the first place. It turns out that the initiation rite involving a gay porno was one that Erik, Wilhelm’s brother, and his class had arranged, and August was part of the class that had to endure that. Wilhelm’s world view is cracked, to say the least.