Please enlighten me?
QaF folks, I have a question. It's about episode 308, the first scene in Brian's office, when Brian is all "I don't want to see your face every day when I come in to work because I totally still love you" and Justin is all eyelash-batting, "I had no idea our former relationship was still a problem for you" innocence.
( Clip is here if anyone would like a refresher ;-) )
( Clip is here if anyone would like a refresher ;-) )
but from where I'm sitting Justin did expect special treatment from Brian -- he wanted and expected to be treated as more than a trick, as someone special in Brian's life. Of course he had a right to want and expect these things, and perhaps in a normal relationship that wouldn't be considered "special treatment" -- so, hmmm, is that what he's saying?
I'd go with this one, because, as you said, we know that Justin expected to be treated differently (and rightfully so) from all the other people Brian slept with. And he wanted Brian to acknowledge their relationship, and not only in the subtle ways Brian used to do it and which Justin was too frustrated to read anymore in the end.
OR, is he saying he wanted to be considered special to Brian but never actually expected to get that?
That would be plain sad, wouldn't it? Doesn't sound like the strong Justin we know, especially at the end of S3. I'd rather like to think that Justin finally realized that he means more to Brian than anyone else, and that it doesn't need special treatment to show that.
Ok, I'm starting to ramble, which is never a good thing. Especially at this time of night ... lol
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we know that Justin expected to be treated differently (and rightfully so) from all the other people Brian slept with. And he wanted Brian to acknowledge their relationship, and not only in the subtle ways Brian used to do it and which Justin was too frustrated to read anymore in the end.
I guess it comes down to whether he expected different treatment or simply wanted it without thinking he could get it. Personally, I'm with you -- I think he did expect it at certain points in the first few seasons, particularly in S1 when he had so much confidence and seemed to think he could change Brian with sheer persistence. (And I think in many ways he succeeded!)
So in light of that, I'm back to where I started: that it's BS that Justin never expected anything special from Brian. (And thank goodness for that.) Some other folks in this thread have suggested that Justin was being kind of tongue-in-cheek here -- saying "Sure, I never expected anything from you, just like you never gave me anything" -- knowing full well that both of those statements are total BS. I went back and watched the scene yet again, and Justin definitely has a playful look in his eye after he says that line, so now I'm thinking this theory has merit. *strokes chin*
OR, is he saying he wanted to be considered special to Brian but never actually expected to get that?
That would be plain sad, wouldn't it? Doesn't sound like the strong Justin we know, especially at the end of S3. I'd rather like to think that Justin finally realized that he means more to Brian than anyone else, and that it doesn't need special treatment to show that.
Well, there are two folks below who do read the scene this way, and at least one of them finds 308 very sad indeed. Personally, while I adore this episode, I do see a certain bittersweetness in it because I don't think all of their issues are resolved. I have always sort of wished that Ethan and Justin didn't break up over Ethan's cheating -- I wish Justin had realized on his own that Ethan wasn't right for him and Brian was. As it is, the cheating sends the message that monogamy and romance are just an illusion and so Justin may as well go back to Brian since his romantic dreams were total crap...but I believe that Justin's dreams were legitimate -- look at Michael and Ben! So I don't know. I guess it just laid the foundation for their later problems and gave the show somewhere to go in the future.
Now who's rambling? ;-)
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I agree with you that there were a lot of unresolved issues when they got back together.
I have always sort of wished that Ethan and Justin didn't break up over Ethan's cheating -- I wish Justin had realized on his own that Ethan wasn't right for him and Brian was.
See, I think that was exactly what happened. In ep. 304 at latest, we see that Justin isn't that much into Ethan anymore and sort of regrets to have left Brian (just think about the last scene in 304 and the returning of the bracelet). Ethan cheating on Justin was just the last drop to make the cup overflow, so to speak.
As it is, the cheating sends the message that monogamy and romance are just an illusion and so Justin may as well go back to Brian since his romantic dreams were total crap
Huh, that's a very interesting point. Never thought about it that way.
I always was under the impression that Justin would have left Ethan either way, and that it had nothing to do with Brian. And Justin DID realize that Ethan wasn't right for him but Brian was. Not because of the cheating, but because of the lies Ethan told him and Brian didn't.
Getting back together with Brian was kinda "inevitable" later, with them both missing each other and Justin's persistence and Daphne kicking his behind to leave the moping corner. ;)
That's a very interesting topic and it was enlightening to read all the other comments and how differently people see this scene. :)
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I love that 304 scene SO MUCH. I think it's the hottest non-sex scene in the whole series. Look up UST in the dictionary and that scene will be there. *shivers*
*pauses to watch the scene on YouTube*
*returns*
What was I saying? Oh! Yes, I agree that there were definite signs that Justin wasn't as happy with Ethan as he might have expected to be, and that he was still drawn to Brian. But I still would have liked to see him make the decision himself to leave Ethan (and perhaps be single for a while to get his head together) rather than essentially having his hand forced by Ethan's lies/cheating. It still seemed to me that Justin would have stayed for a while longer with Ethan had the cheating not happened, so I'm always curious what would have gotten him to leave. But I guess the cheating made for better/more dramatic television!
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