BLISS RATING: ★★★★+
“I just didn’t want to lose you. You are the only one here I can feel I can talk too.” – Quote from The Young Royals
This is the first European BL I have watched, and I admit that I was intrigued by its narrative. It is a story of royalty and the deep dark and depressing loneliness of someone in a ‘royal family’ who is not a conformist. This is a bit of an unusual BL story because it does have a lot of grit, heart, and raw emotions to it, surprisingly. It is about a Prince from Sweden who is still young and rough around the edges and before he could get too out of control, he is sent to a boarding school.
The Prince, Wilhelm (Edvin Ryding), is not next in line to the throne but still must maintain a certain amount of decorum and etiquette as he does represent the Royal Family. As he enters the boarding school, almost immediately he is smitten by Simon (Omar Rudberg). The reality is that Simon has three strikes against him. One is he is gay and out which makes him a target. Two, he is Hispanic so a minority and not ‘in’ and by default disadvantaged. And three, poor, always a disadvantage. Of course, he is looked down upon by the other elitists in the school.
The two are instantly attracted to each other and despite a lot of obstacles, manage to maintain a relationship and attraction to each other covertly. While we can see the connection and it is real, there is a disconnect, mainly due to the differences in social status. Both pretend that is not real, but both know that it is. This really is a story of how little participants sometimes have over their own lives. In that sense, it is a profoundly, profoundly sad story.
There is no doubt about the honesty and reality of this series. It does not pretend to be a fairy-tale story of royalty but a series of gut-punches forcing players back to reality. No matter what happens, there is always something or someone who will block or hinder the fruition of what ought to be a natural thread between two people. Images must be maintained. Status must be preserved. And proper decorum a must. As much as Wilhelm wants to develop a relationship with Simon, he is too young, too immature, and too inexperienced to do much about controlling his own life. While he realizes that he is betrayed by his friends, controlled and dominated by his mother, the Queen, and manipulated by societal norms and mores. His only real friend and the person who knows him best is Simon.
But tragedy strikes. Wilhelm is thrust into the position of being the next in line for the throne, which increases pressure on him and even further deepens his need to conformity. He now is completely at the mercy of what his role in life dictates to him. At this point, he is powerless to change that. This series does not present love between these two in any positive light. It is hidden, becomes clandestine, and when exposed, denied and pushed aside. In that sense, it is a profoundly sad commentary on what it must really be like for people who are members of a royal family and who have certain images that they must maintain. In reality that is all it is. Images.
This series has several side stories that deflect from its real mission and adds nothing to the overall story and frankly are unnecessary. It is evident that trying to fall in love with a commoner is difficult enough; falling in love with a minority individual and poor only worsens the outcome. There is no need to add superfluous story lines. This story would have been much better had they simply told the story of the difficulties of these two young men in trying to maintain a relationship.
I really wanted to see them grow but instead there was a bit too much concentration on individuals who, while interesting, only took time away from the focus of this story which is of course them. Ironically, we get to ‘see’ others in more depth than we did the two main characters. All we get to experience (at least for the first five episodes) are sporadic situations that they are forced to endure. It is only in the last episode do we get to see, hear, and yes feel the agony of these two young men because they are not being able to express their feelings openly and honestly. We do see their hurt, pain, and humiliation they both must face which neither one causing this.
This story is very sad, almost melancholic, and painful to watch. We know that even when they are able to intimately love, it feels like an intrusion as we KNOW their status puts them in a different category than the rest of us. They can never fully enjoy each other without peering and leering eyes everywhere.
Let me comment where I think this series veered off path. One, the antagonist named August (Malte Gardinger). He is a chameleon of the worst kind. Self-absorbed, self-indulgent, insecure, and thinks he is someone important. But he is traitorous and obviously cannot be trusted. He is the type of individual who will sell his friendship to the highest bidder the more insecure he becomes. He is completely untrustworthy. And this story elevates him to a central figure. He is so transparent that anyone with any power could use him.
Two, Simon’s complicated sister, Sara (Frida Argento). She is a bitter individual angry over her fate of being born into a poor family and an individual who is on the Autism Spectrum. She is very willing and quite capable of selling out her brother to move ahead. In a sense, no different than August; just the poorer version of him.
And third, you have the Queen (Pernillia August). She is conniving, manipulating, but with a motherly-type veneer. However, she is ruthless and will do everything and anything to protect the name of the family and the legacy of her family which includes seeing that her son does not have a relationship with the person he loves.
So, these are the ‘supporters’ who surround these two young men in this sea of deceit, distrust, and deception that now is their world. It is truly an unhappy story filled with loneliness, isolation, and a reality that no one can be trusted.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. the series? While the acting all the way around is top notch, I give a slight edge to Edvin as Wilhelm. He is a sad (actually from the beginning), pathetic figure with little to no joy in his life. When he finally meets someone, who understands him and desires him simply for himself, he is incapable of showing that publicly. He has to wear many different hats and does a lot pretending/acting. At times, he is angry. At times, sullen. Yet himself when he is with Simon. While Simon states he “will not be anyone’s secret”, Wilhelm knows he is in love with him, and he knows that Simon is in love with him and no matter what happens. Alas, Wilhelm is incapable of handling the enormous pressure to ‘come out’. Simon will not leave his side and Wilhelm senses and knows he will be there but cannot reciprocate. Edvin plays this role with some solid emotional nuances and does so with complete believability. He has to do this with an air of royalty, but not arrogance. He must be all these things yet still be relatable as a person and future king. He portrays his emotions as what is to be expected but deep down, there is so much more going on. He shows that in his face and his actions. The only time we really see Wilhelm is when he is with Simon. He has to outwardly be stoic but inwardly crying his eyes out. Publicly stating he is not gay, but inwardly, softly, and quietly whispering to Simon as he leaves for Christmas break that he loves him. There is a profound sadness in Wilhelm’s face, and you can sense his isolation. It is remarkably subtle acting that is so believable that I shed a tear for I can understand his self-isolation. It brought back my own.
What is further remarkable about this series is that they did not portray these two as Adonis’s just stepping off Mount Olympus. Not that they two are not incredibly handsome; they indeed are! They are typical teenage boys with blemishes and flaws on their faces that showed and made them feel more like me growing up. Dear God, I remember those days and how self-conscious that made me. They did not hide this and made these two even more relatable, not less. Kudos for seeing the real them. I am impressed and that took a lot of courage to do.
This is not a feel-good kind of BL story. In the end, when you see Simon’s face as the future king of Sweden whispers to him that he loves him, he remains stoic, almost catatonic. He is unable to react, respond, or acknowledge that connection without their whole world reacting. So, he stands there, statuesque.
How utterly sad all of this is and represents a real sense of life’s unfulfilled dreams.
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