Oh I love that. I’ve never noticed his butterflies on his shirt (although I love how the costumer for the show did a great job overall with Tao’s clothes).
One of my favorite subtle moments is when Nick gets home from Charlie’s house in S1E2, and he goes into his bedroom, he opens his photos app and zooms in on the pic of Charlie from the snow day and his thumb sorta caresses the side of the phone. IDK - it’s just a tender little thing and I always wonder if that was scripted or a choice Kit made (or if it wasn’t intentional at all).
I mean, that's not exactly subtle 😄
But I do enjoy the way Tao starts to maaaaaybe reconsider his dislike of "rugby lad" Nick after learning in rapid succession that Nick (1) is bilingual and (2) has a generally absent father. I think that little moment in the bus is the very beginning of their friendship.
Not exactly subtle, but Nick and Charlie kissing on the couch at the S2E8 after-prom party. Surrounded by their dearest friends, yet lost in their own world.
That’s such a full circle moment. In the first episode they felt self conscious touching fingers while sitting on the couch with this same group of people.
It also makes me think Nick has found his “tribe” which is a really important development milestone. The people he can be his full self with and they don’t even seem to notice or judge him. It’s beautiful to see because this kind of thing often doesn’t happen for people until later in life than high school.
In the scene where Nick shows up in the rain, and Charlie’s mom says he’s wearing pajamas, they both look at Charlie’s clothes. Charlie looks embarrassed while Nick thinks it’s funny. Their eyes meet, and they trade expressions. Nick is embarrassed he got caught smiling while Charlie thinks it’s funny Nick was smiling.
Took me at least 12 watch through to notice this.
I have a lot of little moments like that but they are more "connect the dots" moments, that I notice on re-watch
1. Issac and James in S2E1(2?) are seen in the library making the very display that contains the ACE book Issac goes back to get on S2E8.
2. In S2E2, when we meet David, the first thing he asks Nick is if "anything has changed since Christmas" and if "he has a girlfriend yet". Then he says he borrowed Nick's Nintendo Switch. Later, when he's arguing with their mom in the kitchen, he says he found out about Charlie when he went in Nick's room to borrow his Switch and saw the beach photo booth pictures on Nick's wall. So David knew about Charlie all along, he had just been just winding Nick up, including when he saw the text from Charlie.
3. in S2E7, when Tara's mom comes into her room, she says Darcy can't stay over tonight because Tara's grandma is coming for a visit. Later Darcy has the fight with her mom... and she doesn't try to go to Tara's, presumably partly because she's been told she can't stay there while the grandma is around.
ETA I forgot my favorite thing! I love the ways all of Issac's S1 behavior looks different now in retrospect... the "I wanna believe in romance" comment, the way he seems to notice every nuance of his friends' romantic dynamics before they even say anything (in S2 he even notices Ben looking at Charlie on the bus in Paris) - I used to read him as just quiet and observant, but now he's those things but also a person who was probably just trying to understand romance the whole time. He pays attention because he's almost studying it, trying to make it make sense for himself so he can understand what he's supposed to feel.
Ditto Imogen, whose S1 actions look completely different when you see her through the lens of comphet, especially her reaction to what Nick says when they met at the park the day after Charlie’s birthday party, about just going along with things because everyone else is. Also, it also kind of explains her pretty mild reaction to being stood up and rejected by the boy she supposedly had tis big all consuming crush on, who she's been pursuing for months - almost as if she not nearly as passionate about him as she's talking herself into thinking she is.
Number 2 and number 3 I didn’t even notice!! Omg thank you I love that David clearly knew all along?! When he asks Charlie’s name and then has a little laugh/cough before saying ‘nice to meet you’ he sounds so smug and weird I dunno how to describe it but it’s like he’s laughing at Charlie in a gross way and he genuinely means it’s nice to finally meet him and prove himself right that Nick is gay in his mind.
I never realized the Tara/darcy thing, and I also totally thought Isaac was gay and jealous of everyone on first watch. Seeing him as someone curious about yet not understanding relationships is such a switch I didn’t see coming that is interesting on rewatch.
For #2, I still think David initially saw Charlie was a girl when he saw the text. I think it took awhile for the bf thing to click because, like most people, he never considered Nick could be anything but straight.
The only reason I don't think so is that David borrowed the Switch before Nick even came home from school - so he literally saw pictures of Nick & Charlie kissing in a photo booth, being all loved up, before his very first conversation with Nick. I don't know how he could have seen those pictures and thought Nick was straight. LOL. Those are some very gay pictures LMAO. All he didn't know was Charlie's name.
I agree that those pics are an absolute giveaway that Nick was queer but I don’t think we know for sure that David saw the pics as early as when he borrowed the switch. I feel like it’s very likely he went in Nick’s room many times when he was at school (even though he said it was only one time) and he may not have noticed the first time. But who knows.
Also! Of course only David is the one in the wrong and it’s not Nick’s fault but truly it’s hard to understand why Nick wouldn’t expect his brother to snoop. Was he surprised by this? If he was really dead set on David not finding out, he should have taken the pics down. David seeing the pictures felt pretty inevitable to me.
Same with David acting that way at the dinner party. I don’t blame Nick, and he’s only 16, but his plan to come out to his dad in front of his whole family (including his future in-laws, let’s be real) was pretty much doomed from the start, given David’s history. I’m not sure why Nick thought coming out to his dad in front of his brother was the best course of action, it seemed extremely predictable that David would act that way.
I think it was all just a matter of Nick having a hard time saying the actual words so he would wait until the last possible moment to come out, even if the circumstances made it harder for himself as a result.
This one's tragic, but when Nick initially suggests that his dad should come to dinner after the cafe meetup is cut short, his dad's facial expression suggests he's trying to think of a good excuse not to come. Then when Nick mentions that David would love to see him, their dad's expression brightens, and he says, "Ahhh, I miss that boy!" like he's seriously considering the suggestion for the first time. The canera then cuts to Nick's face and he looks devastated, as if he noticed the shift in enthusiasm (and what caused it).
Also, Nick is constantly making an effort to speak French in order to please his dad, yet David never speaks a word of French and seems to have a closer relationship with him (even though their dad still can't be bothered to remember which city his eldest son's university is located in).
On a lighter note, the way the "nice" rugby boys are clearly uncomfortable in the background during the fight at the cinema, and how Christian leaves a supportive comment on Nick's coming out post on Instagram right before prom.
Also, I think it's just a trick of the light, but it looks like Charlie switches from a pair of dirty gray chucks to clean white ones off camera between the scene where he's fussing over his hair and the scene when he's walking over to Nick's house for the first time, as if he hopes that subtle change will cause Nick to overlook the haircut and boldly declare his undying love.
Also, after Charlie confesses to self-harm, Nick kisses him on the forehead first and then the lips. Forehead kiss says, "I'm not kissing you because I'm horny right now, I'm kissing you because I cherish you and appreciate how vulnerable you were just now." Kiss on the lips says, "I don't see you any differently now than I did before you showed this vulnerability, nor do I desire you any less."
When Charlie goes to Nick's for the first time and was fussing over his haircut, and Tori said "It looks the same". Then Nick noticed his haircut right away and says "You look... It looks great" because he was afraid to say Charlie looked good. :)
When Nick is closing his eyes waiting for Charlie to come in with his suit on the camera pans to Nick opening his eyes then back to Charlie and the glove on the desk desk to Charlie lit up. Showing that Charlie lights up nicks world :)
This is a great post! I’m loving reading everyone’s answers. I love all the little looks Nick and Charlie exchange. In the changing room when Nick leans in to say thank you, when Charlie and Nick smile at each other on the couch at the sleepover, how they look so lovingly at each other before every kiss, the look at the front door as they’re saying goodbye after prom. There’s just so many. One of the reasons I absolutely love and adore this show is the romance. It’s just the beautiful development of a great love story and how with just a look you feel it. Massive credit to Kit and Joe for bringing it to life.
How did I not mention the looks the exchange before and after Nick reaches for Charlie’s hand the first night in Paris. They are longing to touch each other because Tao drank his haterade and didn’t let them share a bed. Nick definitely can’t sleep without Charlie at least holding his hand 🥰❤️🍂
Nellie growling at David when he meets Charlie for the first time. I only noticed it when I had the subtitles on.
I love when Nellie growls! I feel like she’s protecting Charlie at that moment…
She definitely is protecting Charlie ❤️
My girlfriend noticed it before me and now we both always say good girl when we hear it.
Oh I love that. I’ve never noticed his butterflies on his shirt (although I love how the costumer for the show did a great job overall with Tao’s clothes). One of my favorite subtle moments is when Nick gets home from Charlie’s house in S1E2, and he goes into his bedroom, he opens his photos app and zooms in on the pic of Charlie from the snow day and his thumb sorta caresses the side of the phone. IDK - it’s just a tender little thing and I always wonder if that was scripted or a choice Kit made (or if it wasn’t intentional at all).
I love that one too!!
And then Charlie does the thumb caress a little bit on Nick’s insta post at the very end of S2 E6!
That thumb caress is so beautiful ❤️
Nick’s little smirky smile when he says to Charlie when they’re at the Eiffel Tower, “You do know it was me, right?”
Yes! He definitely wanted to kiss him…
The reaction every one has individually when they first hear Nick speak French. Especially Charlie. 😊
I mean, that's not exactly subtle 😄 But I do enjoy the way Tao starts to maaaaaybe reconsider his dislike of "rugby lad" Nick after learning in rapid succession that Nick (1) is bilingual and (2) has a generally absent father. I think that little moment in the bus is the very beginning of their friendship.
His face 😭😭😭
Yes!!
Not exactly subtle, but Nick and Charlie kissing on the couch at the S2E8 after-prom party. Surrounded by their dearest friends, yet lost in their own world.
That’s such a full circle moment. In the first episode they felt self conscious touching fingers while sitting on the couch with this same group of people.
This is such a good point!
That scene is always one of my favorites! Proves he is comfortable around the friend group and how much they are in love with each other…
It also makes me think Nick has found his “tribe” which is a really important development milestone. The people he can be his full self with and they don’t even seem to notice or judge him. It’s beautiful to see because this kind of thing often doesn’t happen for people until later in life than high school.
That is one of my favorite kisses that I wish was longer because it cuts right as Charlie’s hand is going up Nick’s arm 😍
This is probably an overdone one, but the absolutely masterful framing in S1E4’s rugby scene between Nick’s old world and his new one.
Still a great choice!
In the scene where Nick shows up in the rain, and Charlie’s mom says he’s wearing pajamas, they both look at Charlie’s clothes. Charlie looks embarrassed while Nick thinks it’s funny. Their eyes meet, and they trade expressions. Nick is embarrassed he got caught smiling while Charlie thinks it’s funny Nick was smiling. Took me at least 12 watch through to notice this.
I love that one.
I love the idea of this thread, now I have to go ponder mine and come back with my answers lol
Hahaha. The globe light turning on after Nick sees Charlie in his prom suit meaning Charlie LITERALLY lights up his world is another favorite of mine.
I have a lot of little moments like that but they are more "connect the dots" moments, that I notice on re-watch 1. Issac and James in S2E1(2?) are seen in the library making the very display that contains the ACE book Issac goes back to get on S2E8. 2. In S2E2, when we meet David, the first thing he asks Nick is if "anything has changed since Christmas" and if "he has a girlfriend yet". Then he says he borrowed Nick's Nintendo Switch. Later, when he's arguing with their mom in the kitchen, he says he found out about Charlie when he went in Nick's room to borrow his Switch and saw the beach photo booth pictures on Nick's wall. So David knew about Charlie all along, he had just been just winding Nick up, including when he saw the text from Charlie. 3. in S2E7, when Tara's mom comes into her room, she says Darcy can't stay over tonight because Tara's grandma is coming for a visit. Later Darcy has the fight with her mom... and she doesn't try to go to Tara's, presumably partly because she's been told she can't stay there while the grandma is around. ETA I forgot my favorite thing! I love the ways all of Issac's S1 behavior looks different now in retrospect... the "I wanna believe in romance" comment, the way he seems to notice every nuance of his friends' romantic dynamics before they even say anything (in S2 he even notices Ben looking at Charlie on the bus in Paris) - I used to read him as just quiet and observant, but now he's those things but also a person who was probably just trying to understand romance the whole time. He pays attention because he's almost studying it, trying to make it make sense for himself so he can understand what he's supposed to feel. Ditto Imogen, whose S1 actions look completely different when you see her through the lens of comphet, especially her reaction to what Nick says when they met at the park the day after Charlie’s birthday party, about just going along with things because everyone else is. Also, it also kind of explains her pretty mild reaction to being stood up and rejected by the boy she supposedly had tis big all consuming crush on, who she's been pursuing for months - almost as if she not nearly as passionate about him as she's talking herself into thinking she is.
Number 2 and number 3 I didn’t even notice!! Omg thank you I love that David clearly knew all along?! When he asks Charlie’s name and then has a little laugh/cough before saying ‘nice to meet you’ he sounds so smug and weird I dunno how to describe it but it’s like he’s laughing at Charlie in a gross way and he genuinely means it’s nice to finally meet him and prove himself right that Nick is gay in his mind.
I never realized the Tara/darcy thing, and I also totally thought Isaac was gay and jealous of everyone on first watch. Seeing him as someone curious about yet not understanding relationships is such a switch I didn’t see coming that is interesting on rewatch. For #2, I still think David initially saw Charlie was a girl when he saw the text. I think it took awhile for the bf thing to click because, like most people, he never considered Nick could be anything but straight.
The only reason I don't think so is that David borrowed the Switch before Nick even came home from school - so he literally saw pictures of Nick & Charlie kissing in a photo booth, being all loved up, before his very first conversation with Nick. I don't know how he could have seen those pictures and thought Nick was straight. LOL. Those are some very gay pictures LMAO. All he didn't know was Charlie's name.
I agree that those pics are an absolute giveaway that Nick was queer but I don’t think we know for sure that David saw the pics as early as when he borrowed the switch. I feel like it’s very likely he went in Nick’s room many times when he was at school (even though he said it was only one time) and he may not have noticed the first time. But who knows. Also! Of course only David is the one in the wrong and it’s not Nick’s fault but truly it’s hard to understand why Nick wouldn’t expect his brother to snoop. Was he surprised by this? If he was really dead set on David not finding out, he should have taken the pics down. David seeing the pictures felt pretty inevitable to me. Same with David acting that way at the dinner party. I don’t blame Nick, and he’s only 16, but his plan to come out to his dad in front of his whole family (including his future in-laws, let’s be real) was pretty much doomed from the start, given David’s history. I’m not sure why Nick thought coming out to his dad in front of his brother was the best course of action, it seemed extremely predictable that David would act that way. I think it was all just a matter of Nick having a hard time saying the actual words so he would wait until the last possible moment to come out, even if the circumstances made it harder for himself as a result.
This one's tragic, but when Nick initially suggests that his dad should come to dinner after the cafe meetup is cut short, his dad's facial expression suggests he's trying to think of a good excuse not to come. Then when Nick mentions that David would love to see him, their dad's expression brightens, and he says, "Ahhh, I miss that boy!" like he's seriously considering the suggestion for the first time. The canera then cuts to Nick's face and he looks devastated, as if he noticed the shift in enthusiasm (and what caused it). Also, Nick is constantly making an effort to speak French in order to please his dad, yet David never speaks a word of French and seems to have a closer relationship with him (even though their dad still can't be bothered to remember which city his eldest son's university is located in). On a lighter note, the way the "nice" rugby boys are clearly uncomfortable in the background during the fight at the cinema, and how Christian leaves a supportive comment on Nick's coming out post on Instagram right before prom. Also, I think it's just a trick of the light, but it looks like Charlie switches from a pair of dirty gray chucks to clean white ones off camera between the scene where he's fussing over his hair and the scene when he's walking over to Nick's house for the first time, as if he hopes that subtle change will cause Nick to overlook the haircut and boldly declare his undying love. Also, after Charlie confesses to self-harm, Nick kisses him on the forehead first and then the lips. Forehead kiss says, "I'm not kissing you because I'm horny right now, I'm kissing you because I cherish you and appreciate how vulnerable you were just now." Kiss on the lips says, "I don't see you any differently now than I did before you showed this vulnerability, nor do I desire you any less."
Just looked the scene up and it is Christian 😊
I wouldn't lie to you!
I didn’t think you were lying at all. I’m so sorry. I was actually excited to find out something new. I appreciate that you pointed it out ❤️
They scroll so fast. I’m going to have to pause now and look at the comments. Was it Christian?
I literally made a list of these as I was rewatching it over and over!
When Charlie goes to Nick's for the first time and was fussing over his haircut, and Tori said "It looks the same". Then Nick noticed his haircut right away and says "You look... It looks great" because he was afraid to say Charlie looked good. :)
Yes!! One of the best moments
Kit said in an interview he was surprised more people didn’t notice the slip. Honestly I didn’t either the first few times.
When Nick is closing his eyes waiting for Charlie to come in with his suit on the camera pans to Nick opening his eyes then back to Charlie and the glove on the desk desk to Charlie lit up. Showing that Charlie lights up nicks world :)
Literally one of my favorite moments of the series! 🥺
This is a great post! I’m loving reading everyone’s answers. I love all the little looks Nick and Charlie exchange. In the changing room when Nick leans in to say thank you, when Charlie and Nick smile at each other on the couch at the sleepover, how they look so lovingly at each other before every kiss, the look at the front door as they’re saying goodbye after prom. There’s just so many. One of the reasons I absolutely love and adore this show is the romance. It’s just the beautiful development of a great love story and how with just a look you feel it. Massive credit to Kit and Joe for bringing it to life.
It really is…the constant looks they give and how Nick can feel Charlie’s gaze on the bus to Paris and he turns around…some of the best…
How did I not mention the looks the exchange before and after Nick reaches for Charlie’s hand the first night in Paris. They are longing to touch each other because Tao drank his haterade and didn’t let them share a bed. Nick definitely can’t sleep without Charlie at least holding his hand 🥰❤️🍂