The Moss family gets ready for a big event, and nearly everyone has mixed feelings. Nicholas shares some eye-opening news with Alex.
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 season finale of Freeform's Everything's Gonna Be Okay.
"Gulf Fritillary Butterfly" was written by Thomas Ward and directed by Josh Thomas
Genevieve isn't supportive of Matilda's wedding. She thinks it's insane that no one has done anything to stop this. She expects the adults involved to have the necessary maturity to have that conversation. Instead, it's seemingly a burden placed on Genevieve. She has to be the one to voice the concern that Matilda is too young to be making this commitment. She may not even love Drea. She may only be doing this to be less of a burden on her family. It's also fascinating to see the show dissect this discussion as something central to Genevieve. Others have silently had the same concern. With Genevieve though, it's bubbled up until it's the only thing she can think about. She has to say something because the people she trusts to be rational aren't. She only hurts Matilda though. She sends her sister spiraling moments before the ceremony. No one needs or deserves that drama. It's an intense sequence mostly because of the way Matilda and Drea process stress. Nothing is delayed at all with the ceremony. Everyone still comes together to celebrate their love. And yet, panic sets in the moments beforehand because of the perception that Matilda isn't going to arrive. Drea freaks out because she believes Matilda should already be there. Suze and Toby encourage that dread as well because they too had certain expectations. In reality, Matilda is just applying more makeup while Nicholas is having his own freakout. Genevieve enters the situation to send everyone spinning even more. It's a chaotic sequence. But one that still arrives at the final destination as intended. This season has certainly gone back and forth regarding the romantic nature of Matilda and Drea as a couple. It mostly serves as a refreshing way to depict romance. Drea is asexual. She is still romantic though. She wants this partnership. Matilda feels trusted and loved within it as well. She actually has the proper introspection to understand how she feels in this moment and how the rest of her family is as well. Genevieve doesn't know what to say during her big speech. It's not something she wants to do. It's something largely forced upon her. Instead, it's a reflection of how Matilda is choosing to process all of these massive events in her life. She understands that Genevieve is used to fulfilling a certain role. And now, that is being passed along to someone new. It will provide a significant change to the family. The house will still have at least one person with autism in it. Nicholas does get that official diagnosis. He doesn't really want to talk about it either. It's a huge revelation though. It provides new context to his behavior. It can't excuse everything he has ever done. Nor can it explain his worst impulses. Alex sees it as a way to better understand Nicholas. He can adjust his expectations of this relationship accordingly. Of course, he sees this as Nicholas taking the time to improve himself. Receiving a diagnosis is perceived as a huge step to offering Alex what he needed from Nicholas. In reality, Nicholas doesn't plan on changing at all. Yes, autism shapes how a person responds to the world. It can be central in so many ways. It offers some clarity to Nicholas. He is awkward around the subject though. He doesn't want to talk about it. Nothing has really changed. And so, Alex deserves something better. Sure, it's still awkward when Matilda forces him into the family picture after Nicholas makes things clear about where they stand. That is precisely what Alex didn't want to happen. It did nevertheless. He too is lost at the moment. He has been partying and got a nose ring. None of that offers much substance to him or provides a greater understanding of his identity. He searches for that and believes it would be easier to just return to what is known with Nicholas. That is no longer a possibility though. Nicholas makes that clear. The world is changing. It's just Nicholas and Genevieve in the house now. Things are different. And yet, they are still trusted to react the same way they always have. The world evolves but these people are still firm in their identities. As such, nothing potentially changes all that much. That provides comfort while highlighting the big and small stories that typically define so much of life. It can be dramatic. It can also just be menial. Both have the potential to be life-changing. Life continues regardless.
Genevieve isn't supportive of Matilda's wedding. She thinks it's insane that no one has done anything to stop this. She expects the adults involved to have the necessary maturity to have that conversation. Instead, it's seemingly a burden placed on Genevieve. She has to be the one to voice the concern that Matilda is too young to be making this commitment. She may not even love Drea. She may only be doing this to be less of a burden on her family. It's also fascinating to see the show dissect this discussion as something central to Genevieve. Others have silently had the same concern. With Genevieve though, it's bubbled up until it's the only thing she can think about. She has to say something because the people she trusts to be rational aren't. She only hurts Matilda though. She sends her sister spiraling moments before the ceremony. No one needs or deserves that drama. It's an intense sequence mostly because of the way Matilda and Drea process stress. Nothing is delayed at all with the ceremony. Everyone still comes together to celebrate their love. And yet, panic sets in the moments beforehand because of the perception that Matilda isn't going to arrive. Drea freaks out because she believes Matilda should already be there. Suze and Toby encourage that dread as well because they too had certain expectations. In reality, Matilda is just applying more makeup while Nicholas is having his own freakout. Genevieve enters the situation to send everyone spinning even more. It's a chaotic sequence. But one that still arrives at the final destination as intended. This season has certainly gone back and forth regarding the romantic nature of Matilda and Drea as a couple. It mostly serves as a refreshing way to depict romance. Drea is asexual. She is still romantic though. She wants this partnership. Matilda feels trusted and loved within it as well. She actually has the proper introspection to understand how she feels in this moment and how the rest of her family is as well. Genevieve doesn't know what to say during her big speech. It's not something she wants to do. It's something largely forced upon her. Instead, it's a reflection of how Matilda is choosing to process all of these massive events in her life. She understands that Genevieve is used to fulfilling a certain role. And now, that is being passed along to someone new. It will provide a significant change to the family. The house will still have at least one person with autism in it. Nicholas does get that official diagnosis. He doesn't really want to talk about it either. It's a huge revelation though. It provides new context to his behavior. It can't excuse everything he has ever done. Nor can it explain his worst impulses. Alex sees it as a way to better understand Nicholas. He can adjust his expectations of this relationship accordingly. Of course, he sees this as Nicholas taking the time to improve himself. Receiving a diagnosis is perceived as a huge step to offering Alex what he needed from Nicholas. In reality, Nicholas doesn't plan on changing at all. Yes, autism shapes how a person responds to the world. It can be central in so many ways. It offers some clarity to Nicholas. He is awkward around the subject though. He doesn't want to talk about it. Nothing has really changed. And so, Alex deserves something better. Sure, it's still awkward when Matilda forces him into the family picture after Nicholas makes things clear about where they stand. That is precisely what Alex didn't want to happen. It did nevertheless. He too is lost at the moment. He has been partying and got a nose ring. None of that offers much substance to him or provides a greater understanding of his identity. He searches for that and believes it would be easier to just return to what is known with Nicholas. That is no longer a possibility though. Nicholas makes that clear. The world is changing. It's just Nicholas and Genevieve in the house now. Things are different. And yet, they are still trusted to react the same way they always have. The world evolves but these people are still firm in their identities. As such, nothing potentially changes all that much. That provides comfort while highlighting the big and small stories that typically define so much of life. It can be dramatic. It can also just be menial. Both have the potential to be life-changing. Life continues regardless.
