3.13, “Mount Rushmore or Less” - Our ThingAfter the dust settled on this episode and we all sort of

3.13, “Mount Rushmore or Less” - Our ThingAfter the dust settled on this episode and we all sort of realized what had happened and were sitting in angsty misery, I remember thinking about how this all reminded me of that scene in Infinity War, when everything’s going to hell and Dr. Strange looks at Iron Man and tells him “We’re in the endgame now.”Like, yeah, this hurts, this is bad, and it’ll probably get worse before it gets better, but… it’ll get better. We’re committed to this path now. We’re going to see it through.You knew things had to go bad when the episode had Cyrus and TJ doing so well. Their scenes are the park are so delightful. TJ’s crushing on Cyrus so hard and so visibly that even Kira’s picking up on it (which obviously isn’t a good thing, but, you know… we’re in the endgame now).I especially like that little moment after TJ pitches the idea of the somersault costume to Cyrus and then smiles and goes “I thought it was funny.” He does it in that self-conscious way where you say something to someone you like but fear getting rejected so you leave the door open for them to gently let you down. “I mean, you know, whatever, it’s just an idea. It’s dumb. Don’t worry about it.” Like, TJ thought up the idea for the costume and then was like, “I want to do that with Cyrus but is he going to get it? Is he going to think it’s even funny? Did that moment mean as much to him as it did to me?”And, of course, somersault did mean as much to Cyrus as it did to TJ.I do believe that sweet exchange when Cyrus is asking Buffy if she gets that somersault is their thing is him telling her, without saying it, that he’s got a crush on TJ. And I think she does get it. She understands this isn’t just a friendship, which is why she helps him and gives him the sort of moral go-ahead to leave Mount Rushmore.In the scene with TJ and Kira, I like how really clear they make it that this costume is special to TJ and something he really wants to do with Cyrus.Kira comes at him a bunch of different ways in that scene to try and get him to do a costume with her. First, with the soft sell: it’s a great idea, basketball related, super simple. Go the basketball route, low-effort, no stress, etc. TJ rejects it, telling her he has a costume, somersault, an inside joke with Cyrus. So, basketball not being a selling point, Kira pivots to making fun of the idea of doing a costume based on an inside joke and telling him that her idea is really cool. Like, you know people might not get that, or think it’s stupid, etc., but my idea would be cooler. But TJ just laughs that off and tells her he’s set. So, avoiding looking silly or uncool isn’t a selling point either. Kira then pivots to the nuclear option. You’re really going to do a couples costume with a boy instead of a girl? Hmmm. That one gets through to TJ.Whether it be because he’s not ready to be out, or he hasn’t come to full terms with his homosexuality, or he just didn’t realize how obvious he was being in his crush on Cyrus (or some combination of all three), Kira’s words rattle him deeply.Which leads to that brutal scene at Costume Day.TJ looks like he’s being held hostage. He’s trying to get away from Kira to explain himself to Cyrus but she catches up. He’s trying to hide his costume but she forces him to show it off. He wants to stay and talk to Cyrus but she literally drags him away.Cyrus is heartbroken, meanwhile. I think he’s probably reassessing his entire relationship with TJ in these moments, trying to figure out if he’s misread it all again or what.It’s a tough scene to watch, but reassuring, in a sense. The storyline is in motion. We’re heading to an endgame now.There’s no turning back. -- source link

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