Summary
Young Royals season 2 continues to live up to the hype with a fresh, Swedish LGTBQ+ drama that fashions a plot circling romance and revenge.
We review Netflix’s Young Royals season 2 – this article is spoiler-free, so you can read without the risk of any major reveals!
Young Royals season 1 caught the teen community by storm. An LGBTQ+ royal love story mixed in with plenty of outrageous drama and tinges of revenge. While Hulu had Love, Victor, Netflix had a different offering. One that was an underdog; Young Royals was released on the platform with little promotion, but word of mouth gripped the online community. It was a sure thing that we were getting a season 2. Team Wilhelm and Simon took our minds hostage – will they, or won’t they make it?
But the end of season 1 left this bubbling, complicated love story at a crossroads. After August unnecessarily leaked a sex video of Crown Prince Wilhelm and Simon in bed together, all hope looked lost. Being part of a Royal Family means rules. This series coats itself in backward traditions that uphold Wilhelm’s identity and leave him desiring more but receiving little. If you look past the dopamine-hitting teen subplots, it’s a sad love story. Simon and Wilhelm are very much in love, but it’s difficult for them to have each other.
And so, season 2 provides another battleground for teens battling for love and acceptance. We have Sara adjusting to campus life while dealing with her lust for August; we have Wilhelm brooding for Simon, who is seemingly exploring elsewhere, and we have August feeling regretful for his actions with the leaked sex video and wanting forgiveness from Wilhelm, who seems hellbent on revenge. A lot is riding on the story’s main plot points, and the Netflix series does not waste its time delving into the less important subplots that audiences will talk little about.
Young Royals season 2 continues to live up to the hype with a fresh, Swedish LGTBQ+ drama that fashions a plot circling romance and revenge. The series enjoys the dramatics but keeps the tensions bubbling rather than overflowing. Too many teen dramas fall into the trap of providing a vicious circle of events without developing the characters and providing much-needed context.
Young Royals does not fall into that trap; it enjoys building up its characters slowly. A fine example is Sara, a student who seemingly has little problems but finds herself in social dilemmas in season 2. There was a clear plan for this character. The series creators decided not to wedge her useless storylines and gave audiences a reason to care.
Of course, the main story is the relationship between Wilhelm and Simon, with August on the sidelines embroiled in a revenge plot against him. It makes for sensationalist viewing, but there are plenty of surprises in season 2 that will shock the audience. There’s creativity in the story to make this love story more complicated, but in a reasonable but structured way, making things possible for a Young Royals season 3.
I feel that season 2 of Young Royals is better than its predecessor. Netflix has a gem on its hands, so let’s hope the writing sustains, the audiences keep on coming, and the ratings maintain — this is an underdog series that could become a staple teen drama like Elite.
What did you think of Netflix’s Young Royals season 2? Comment below.
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