Young Royals

The final season has landed! Apart from 1 episode! And now...it has!

It will not disappoint...to capture young love, with such emotional charge, is no mean feat...kudos to everyone involved. What sounded awful on paper, turned out to be the Swedish Heartstopper...with lots and lots of money.

It's sad that it's over, it did have the legs to runs a few more races...but, isn't it always better to leave on top?!?

Perhaps...a re-visit in 10 years time!?! There was that look! Sneaky!

Season 1...

The gay prince, the gay pauper...and, the straight pawn!

Admittedly, this did not initially appeal...thought it was going to be brats being brats with ridiculous privilege all played-out in the Royal Court of Sweden. Well, it is...but, it's so much more than that! What a relief.

This is taking the born on the right and wrongs sides of the track to the extreme...immigrant family and the Royal Court. A reluctant prince-behaving-badly meets an immigré paragon of virtue...as they say, opposites attract. This is a head-on collision between tradition, what's expected...and, what is wanted!

It does sound like melodrama and mayhem...but, thankfully, the writing and performances keep this lofty story grounded...and, dare we say, relatable. All gay men have gone through a semblance of this story...when those nascent desires that go against the grain start boiling towards the surface...despite doing so in the face of prohibition and outrage. Desire has always been prohibition's greatest enemy. Desire is - and will always be - religion's arch nemesis.

So, rest assured, this is not your typical teen drama. This is heightened simply by its context...the possibility of and out-and-proud gay king has taken a step forward. But...there are always those with ambivalent ambition who enact their moral turpitude for their own advancement. Enter August, the potent pawn...who brings a whole different level of conflict to the story.

Season 1's finale brings out the best and worst of these three young men...it's a cliff-hanger of accession!

Season 2...a new semester begins with all the same woes and more!

Conflicts grow, contempt rises and it all becomes cat-and-mouse...until the mouse roars! But...not as you would expect.

Tradition takes a step forward...albeit in the shadow of betrayal. Princes can be swept aside. Lovers become doormats. Outsiders learn their true place in the pecking order. Privilege, tradition and lust dominate this potential house of cards.

It really is a step up from the first season...here, modernity is calling for reform and reform can only be achieved through truth. It's a powerful ending and the inclusion of 'The Most Beautiful Boy' [by The Irrepressibles] gives it a moment of deep importance.

There has to be a season 3...to see where this truth can possibly go. Will modernity breakthrough? Or...will tradition prevail?

Trailer...