Much to the chagrin of the family, Matilda announces big plans. Suze has plans of her own and wants to rope in Nicholas for help.
In 2020, the television industry aired 493 scripted shows across numerous outlets. The way people consume content now is different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, it's less necessary to provide ample coverage of each episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site provides shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of Freeform's Everything's Gonna Be Okay.
"Woolly Bear Caterpillar" was written by Thomas Ward and directed by Rachael Holder
Some decisions are easier to make than others. Nicholas is perfectly capable of giving his unsolicited advice when it comes to the consistency of Alex's sauce or Genevieve detailing Barb's latest actions. However, he is terrified of speaking his truth when it comes to shutting down Matilda's idea of getting married to Drea. Of course, this is a conversation that exists almost entirely outside of that relationship. Drea isn't involved whatsoever. Her parents are. They have opinions on the potential action. Matilda's family remains the focus though. That is so overwhelming for Nicholas. He instinctively knows that it's a bad idea. Teenagers should not be getting married. Matilda sees it as the next rational step in her relationship. She and Drea love each other. They have proven an ability to be independent. As such, this is a way for them to declare their love. Part of it is an action taken out of fear. She doesn't want to fall into the statistic of people on the autism spectrum who never get married. She embraces the happiness that she has bucked that trend. She grabs ahold of this dynamic not thinking about the future possibilities that could be available to her. This conversation can partly be removed from the autism of it all as well. Matilda can never escape that prism. She believes that people are only willing to say no because of her diagnosis and the way she sees the world. That isn't necessarily true at all. This is the same advice Nicholas would want to give to any teenager thinking about marriage. He is afraid to speak up on it though. He can't present his argument in a rational way. As such, he comes across as even encouraging of this idea. It's a frustrating concept. One that highlights his inability to actually be a guardian willing to make the tough choices in order to care for these girls. He wants to be fun and silly. That certainly has its moments. His perspective can frequently alleviate the situation and make people take the stress of their lives less seriously. He cuts the tension so effectively in many aspects of his life. Alex is still frequently annoyed. He wants Nicholas and his family to be more aware of the emotional turmoil he is going through. He wants them to ask about it and give him space to experience everything he is dealing with. He continually serves in that role for them. He has to coach Genevieve through calling Barb and how to act. He wants her to be a generous spirit who cares about her friends and wants to be there for them during turbulent times. He doesn't want her to write off Barb as acting out solely for being bored. That's not a healthy way to engage in friendships. It's what Nicholas encourages. And so, Nicholas and Alex continue to clash. It continues to build under the surface in their dynamic. Something explosive may happen in that regard. It's simmering tension. The show hasn't gotten to that climatic moment just yet. Instead, the story is primarily concerned about Nicholas' inability to say no to Matilda. He can do so for a moment. He can't handle her being mad at him. He needs to be loved. That is his key character flow. He obsessively needs that while also refusing to acknowledge all of the complicated emotions happening within other people. He is selfish in that regard. He shares with Matilda a peak of the responsibilities he has as a guardian. That action comes across as full support for her proposal. He gives her the tools to make it a reality. Toby is no good in voicing concern because he loves love. He doesn't want anyone to be uncomfortable around him. As such, it falls onto Suze to cool things down. It's a frustrating position for her because it's the role she is always forced into. She has to always operate this way because someone needs to have realistic expectations. She tries to push Nicholas in the right direction. He understands the impulse. He can't follow through on it in the end. He is worried about Matilda spiraling into a depression. She essentially uses that as a threat to get what she wants. She believes in the love she has with Drea. This relationship is something that not many people can understand. That's not a good enough explanation for getting married at this point. Nicholas is a bozo. He acknowledges himself as such. He is demeaned with that descriptor. It doesn't change the situation at all. He has some awareness of himself and his encouragement. The hard decisions still have to be made. He hasn't escaped those consequences. He just wants to delay them for as long as possible. It comes from him being emotionally stunted to an extent and not knowing how to manage the situation. He needs help. And yet, that too is demanding something from someone who is constantly forced into making these decisions. And again, that's not a healthy way for relationships to function. As such, a breaking point seems imminent in all of this.
Some decisions are easier to make than others. Nicholas is perfectly capable of giving his unsolicited advice when it comes to the consistency of Alex's sauce or Genevieve detailing Barb's latest actions. However, he is terrified of speaking his truth when it comes to shutting down Matilda's idea of getting married to Drea. Of course, this is a conversation that exists almost entirely outside of that relationship. Drea isn't involved whatsoever. Her parents are. They have opinions on the potential action. Matilda's family remains the focus though. That is so overwhelming for Nicholas. He instinctively knows that it's a bad idea. Teenagers should not be getting married. Matilda sees it as the next rational step in her relationship. She and Drea love each other. They have proven an ability to be independent. As such, this is a way for them to declare their love. Part of it is an action taken out of fear. She doesn't want to fall into the statistic of people on the autism spectrum who never get married. She embraces the happiness that she has bucked that trend. She grabs ahold of this dynamic not thinking about the future possibilities that could be available to her. This conversation can partly be removed from the autism of it all as well. Matilda can never escape that prism. She believes that people are only willing to say no because of her diagnosis and the way she sees the world. That isn't necessarily true at all. This is the same advice Nicholas would want to give to any teenager thinking about marriage. He is afraid to speak up on it though. He can't present his argument in a rational way. As such, he comes across as even encouraging of this idea. It's a frustrating concept. One that highlights his inability to actually be a guardian willing to make the tough choices in order to care for these girls. He wants to be fun and silly. That certainly has its moments. His perspective can frequently alleviate the situation and make people take the stress of their lives less seriously. He cuts the tension so effectively in many aspects of his life. Alex is still frequently annoyed. He wants Nicholas and his family to be more aware of the emotional turmoil he is going through. He wants them to ask about it and give him space to experience everything he is dealing with. He continually serves in that role for them. He has to coach Genevieve through calling Barb and how to act. He wants her to be a generous spirit who cares about her friends and wants to be there for them during turbulent times. He doesn't want her to write off Barb as acting out solely for being bored. That's not a healthy way to engage in friendships. It's what Nicholas encourages. And so, Nicholas and Alex continue to clash. It continues to build under the surface in their dynamic. Something explosive may happen in that regard. It's simmering tension. The show hasn't gotten to that climatic moment just yet. Instead, the story is primarily concerned about Nicholas' inability to say no to Matilda. He can do so for a moment. He can't handle her being mad at him. He needs to be loved. That is his key character flow. He obsessively needs that while also refusing to acknowledge all of the complicated emotions happening within other people. He is selfish in that regard. He shares with Matilda a peak of the responsibilities he has as a guardian. That action comes across as full support for her proposal. He gives her the tools to make it a reality. Toby is no good in voicing concern because he loves love. He doesn't want anyone to be uncomfortable around him. As such, it falls onto Suze to cool things down. It's a frustrating position for her because it's the role she is always forced into. She has to always operate this way because someone needs to have realistic expectations. She tries to push Nicholas in the right direction. He understands the impulse. He can't follow through on it in the end. He is worried about Matilda spiraling into a depression. She essentially uses that as a threat to get what she wants. She believes in the love she has with Drea. This relationship is something that not many people can understand. That's not a good enough explanation for getting married at this point. Nicholas is a bozo. He acknowledges himself as such. He is demeaned with that descriptor. It doesn't change the situation at all. He has some awareness of himself and his encouragement. The hard decisions still have to be made. He hasn't escaped those consequences. He just wants to delay them for as long as possible. It comes from him being emotionally stunted to an extent and not knowing how to manage the situation. He needs help. And yet, that too is demanding something from someone who is constantly forced into making these decisions. And again, that's not a healthy way for relationships to function. As such, a breaking point seems imminent in all of this.
