Love Shouldn’t Be This Hard
Episode 3 of Young Royals Season 3 starts with Wilhelm talking on the phone with his mother. The Queen expresses that she is struggling and worries about whether Wilhelm can take over. He promises her that he will handle his part. Wilhelm is distressed after the call.
Meanwhile, Simon’s mom is still having him take a drug test every few weeks. Simon has had enough and lashes out at her, saying this is why he never tells her anything.
At school, the third-year students get excited after receiving their graduation caps. The headmistress promises they might have their capping ceremony depending on how they behave during the school inspector’s visit the next day. Upon hearing this, August reminds everyone to sign the school petition, but Vincent says Wilhelm and Simon are the only ones who haven’t signed. The students ask August to talk to Wilhelm about it since his influence as a Crown Prince will be appreciated.
Later, Rosh and Ayub drop Simon off at school, and Wilhelm tries to talk to him about his mom. However, Simon is more concerned about the trolling on his social media. This disappoints Wilhelm, who is concerned about his mom and their future. He sternly explains that responding only worsens the situation, and it is best to ignore it. Simon apologises and tries to comfort Wilhelm, assuring him that the Queen will be okay.
Meanwhile, August meets with Boris and talks about how he feels since Wilhelm is running late. August feels he can’t say anything to Wilhelm without it being considered a personal attack. Boris talks to him about forgiving oneself and being a better human even when there is no reward.
After school, Simon returns home to find his mom cooking his favourite meal. She wants to talk, but Simon has been obsessing over the comments on his account and is in no mood to discuss anything. He heads to his room, and she follows him after noticing how sad he is. They talk about the struggles in his relationship, and she tries to encourage him.
In the meantime, August catches up with Wilhelm and reminds him about the mediation talks. Wilhelm asks if he called Farima to rat him out, and August says he didn’t. He asks Wilhelm to sign the petition, but the Crown Prince refuses. Wilhelm thinks August is concerned because he probably was one of the instigators in the infamous initiation incident.
Vincent steps in and says the media is lying and they need to defend the school. Wilhelm thinks there is nothing to worry about if it is a rumour. He says he can’t sign the petition as he is prohibited from taking a stance like the Crown Prince. Vincent finds this ironic, given that Wilhelm already took a stance.
The next day, the teachers inform the students about the school inspectors’ visit. They promise to loosen the rules if the students behave appropriately. Felice tells her friends that her dad will be with her since her parents don’t want her to be questioned without a guardian. Her friends ask her not to worry about the questions.
As they wait for her turn, Felice talks to her dad about his experience in the school, and he explains it was a great but challenging time for him. He felt he could never bring up the challenges with the school authority. He was the only Black kid and didn’t want to bring more attention to himself. Instead, he worked ten times harder to prove himself. This helps Felice decide what to tell the inspectors, and she asks her dad to wait outside. We don’t know what she said, but it seems she went off script based on her responses when her friends asked.
The inspection goes seemingly well, and August, Vincent and Nils hand over their petition at the end of the day. Vanessa is proud of them and allows the students to celebrate the Valborg holiday and their capping ceremony.
At the same time, Wilhelm and Simon celebrate after Simon is ungrounded. During lunch, Simon finds it problematic that students like Vincent don’t understand why the next holiday is a big deal. They assume it is a day meant for partying when it is the Labor Day movement when people demonstrate against inequalities and Royal Monarchy.
Elsewhere, Sara continues to figure things out as she lives with her dad. So far, he has been great, and she is starting to have hope for their relationship. August visits her and asks if she will reconsider returning to Hillerska. He regrets hurting her and doesn’t want her to destroy her life over his mistakes. Sara doesn’t give him an answer, but she at least listens to what he has to say. After a heart-to-heart talk with her dad, Sara decides to drop by the school. Her dad promises to pick her up if it gets overwhelming for her, but he fails to pick up her calls. She starts suspecting that he is drinking again.
Sara arrives just after the students have finished their capping ceremony. August waves at her, pleased to see her, but Simon and Felice don’t know what to say or do about her return. Simon and Wilhelm return to his room and make the most of their free time. They make love, and Simon confides in Wilhelm that he is still confused and hurt about how to deal with Sara. He feels he has always taken care of her, and if she can betray him, who can he trust? Wilhelm responds that Simon can trust him.
The following day, Simon attends the demonstrations and innocently takes a picture with a young fan and his mom. However, in the photo’s background is a poster calling for the end of the monarchy. Once Simon shares the picture, Farima calls Wilhelm to ask him to talk to his boyfriend.
Wilhelm calls Simon, who is excited because he had a good day, and as they talk about why he shouldn’t have posted the picture, Simon rounds the corner near his home and sees police cars outside. He hung up the phone mid-conversation and rushes inside the house. He finds his mom talking to the police about someone throwing a rock through their window.
The Episode Review
It is telling that Simon no longer enjoys singing. This relationship is taking too much of who he is, and it is heartbreaking to watch. He no longer has a voice and must always be on guard about his actions. He can’t publicly share or take a stance on his beliefs. Given that he is dating the Crown Prince, it is understandable, but where does he draw the line? What happens now that people are throwing rocks through his windows and the Royal Court is in disarray because of his post? Did the attack have anything to do with the post?
Of course, Wilhelm is worried about his mom. It would be too much for him to worry about Simon’s security. These two can’t seem to catch a break, and with two chapters left before the finale, we worry about what all these pressures will do to this young relationship.
On the other hand, we have Sara and August. It isn’t too late for them to repair their mistakes and find happiness. We hated this couple in season 2, but don’t they deserve a second chance?
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