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It's a minor detail with big implications.
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I don't remember quite when it was that I first noticed it. But I think it only really came into focus after watching each episode in one of my many binge watches.
I talked a long time ago about a very important concept that has managed to recur through the SSD canon, mainly the tendency to cast characters who mirror our main cast. But have you ever noticed that all of the couples, navigating their romantic entanglements, have almost always mirrored Shane and Oliver exclusively?
Take a look:
I talked a long time ago about a very important concept that has managed to recur through the SSD canon, mainly the tendency to cast characters who mirror our main cast. But have you ever noticed that all of the couples, navigating their romantic entanglements, have almost always mirrored Shane and Oliver exclusively?
Take a look:
It seemed to start with Norman and Rita, who served as a conduit through which Shane and Oliver could indirectly connect and relate to each other on matters of the heart on a daily basis. They were the mirror through which Shane and Oliver could most directly address their own relationship.
But for all the other couples featured on the show, often featuring a blonde-headed female and a dark-haired male, their function served the same, but at the same time very different purpose. Where Rita and Norman allowed Shane and Oliver to address their relationship, the other parings showed Shane and Oliver how to be a couple.
But for all the other couples featured on the show, often featuring a blonde-headed female and a dark-haired male, their function served the same, but at the same time very different purpose. Where Rita and Norman allowed Shane and Oliver to address their relationship, the other parings showed Shane and Oliver how to be a couple.
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Sam & Marie
Soulmates. It's a concept that seemed foreign to Oliver, at least until Marie asked him directly if he believed in them himself. Oliver's smile said everything, and it was a glimpse into the Oliver that would continue to emerge slowly throughout the course of the series. If you'll remember from blizzard theory, Oliver's blinders were still very much on at this early stage, but the more the concept of "soulmates" got discussed, the more it seemed to click with Oliver. Much like the couples to follow, Sam and Marie faced obstacles that prevented them from being together. And this one was complicated, with many twists and turns. In the end, however, Sam and Marie found their way back to each other, even after many years apart. Shane and Oliver would need this encouragement, as their relationship would encounter obstacles that they created themselves, in addition to those that were beyond their control. |
He definitely believes in soulmates...
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Ellie & Bobby
Shane and Oliver came into this episode still feeling the after-effects of Shane dropping that bomb about Oliver's wife. The distance between them was obvious and tangible, and no more obvious than when Oliver shirked at Shane's attempt to pull lint off his jacket. Their encounter with Bobby and Ellie seemed to strike a cord most particularly for Oliver. As you'll remember from blizzard theory, Oliver was particularly blind to matters of the heart at first, slowly thawing as he and Shane furthered their relationship and invested more and more of themselves into their work. This evolution eventually allowed Oliver to become more and more aware of romantic entanglements in front of him independently, most obviously when Ellie pulled lint off of Bobby's shirt, much like Shane had tried to do for Oliver not long before. Oliver realized how much he erred by pushing Shane away in the first place, and eventually offered they continue their "dance." |
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Billy & Jennifer
Though this couple veers from the aesthetic similarities of the others, they teach Shane and Oliver how much better they are together. Who can forget Oliver looking at Shane while Billy sang his song? Shane truly does believe in Oliver, and Oliver seems to be making moves to be someone Shane can believe in---he did take a sudden interest in taking her advice to remember what "fun" is, after all. Oliver is learning ways to show he cares what Shane thinks, realizing this will be key to connecting with her. |
There's something in-between the lines...
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Jonathan and His Wife
We talked extensively in the Treasure Box series about all the situational similarities between Shane and Oliver, and Jonathan and Katherine's situations. What they learned from these letters is what love looks like. It's bearing your soul to the other person over time, sharing laughs and interests and dreams. These are all things Shane and Oliver have begun to employ in their relationship with each other. Yet, as we know, they have quite a ways to go. |
Love looks like this.
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Caitlyn & Joey
Misdirection and miscommunication were the hallmark of Caitlyn and Joey's story, not unlike it was for Shane and Oliver with regard to Holly throughout the entirety ofFrom Paris With Love. It would be the untangling of this complicated web that allowed Shane and Oliver to finally re-connect over springtime and porch swings. But they learned a valuable lesson about keeping each other grounded and telling each other how they really feel, whether through words or through gestures. And this is one lesson that is certainly seeming to stick as they enter a new phase in their courtship! |
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The aesthetic similarities between the couples encountered throughout the series and Shane and Oliver have been a way for them to see themselves and their relationship reflected back to them, while also providing an opportunity to learn something that will make their eventual courtship more successful.
Learning From ShOliver, Too,
~C
Learning From ShOliver, Too,
~C
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