methodwriter85

Chapter 54 -When Will and Zach break up in a pretty final, definite way. "With Or Without You" by U2 -When Will ruminates over his breakup with Zach while jogging around Malibu. "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac -When Will checks out the damage from his fight with Zach, and later tells Stefan about the fight. "It Never Rains in Southern California" by Albert Hammond

I was really, really, really not happy with this development as a Zach/Will shipper, but honestly, Mark needed a reason for Will to finally let go of Zach and he got it. It had to definitively end in any event. Will's going off to school in the East Coast and Zach isn't going to be available for a relationship until at least 2016 or so, assuming he has a normal NFL career.

Chapter 53 -When Will and Travis drive along the Pacific Coast Highway and talk about how to get back at Mr. Buck. "Horse With No Name" by America -When Will and Stefan talk about (what else?) boy trouble. "Two Lovers" by Mary Wells -When Will approaches Zach, who's sleeping. "Lonely People" by America

I completely forgot we were doing this. So far there haven't been any deaths in The Gap Year.

I miss Blue and Private Tim. They drove a lot of conversation. Private Tim has been around recently, but Blue hasn't been around since the end of the Obama administration.

I don't hate Zach, but I also have really shitty taste in men, so...🤷‍♂️

I grew up on the East Coast less than 90 minutes from a beach, so I feel like I met a fair amount of beach bunnies in my life. The preppie ones looooovvvvvveeee Jack Johnson, especially the ones that are around Adam Phillip's age. I'm more of a boardwalk person and walking on the sand than actually being in the water type. Somehow I managed to go 6 years without being at the beach but finally went again for Labor Day Weekend. It was kind of a trip. The weirdest part about my time at Pittsburgh Metro region was realizing that I didn't see seagulls in the parking lot. In-land life was kinda weird to me, not gonna lie.

Chapter 49 -When Will and Zach have sex before Will drops the bomb that he watched him with Travis. "Toxic" by Britney Spears Chapter 51 -When Will and Travis go surfing. "Wasting Time" by Jack Johnson

I'm watching a teen flick on Netflix called Do Revenge and Austin Abrams is totally giving off Keith Craddock vibes in that. He usually plays sweet guys but he played a total dickbag in this and did it well. Also, just for fun...the boy can fucking move: LOL My other Keith Craddock fancast idea is Griffin Gluck. He has that pixie level of cute I imagined with Keith, but also someone who totally looks like they'd stab you in the back in a heartbeat if they thought it benefitted them.

I was zoned for a certain high school but was able to transfer into a different one. One day during a track meet in 11th or 12th grade I was at the high school I should have attended, and I just kinda walked around. It was a weird feeling. It felt like the road not taken. This chapter definitely reminds me of that feeling. Like Will's seeing the people he was supposed to go to school with and would have if he had made a few different choices.

I thought it was interesting to see this group of people that Will had grown up with. This was a group of rich kids who had gone to elementary school together, and at the end of high school, they're still the "in crowd." They probably always will be. As a guy who attended over 10 schools in my life, I just can't imagine what that's like to be in a friend group that goes that far back. It kind of felt like Will was getting a peak at what his life might have been like if he had stayed in Malibu instead of moving to San Francisco.

Are you sure? I don't remember Skip getting any kind of redeeming bit in Pleasantville after he tries to force Jennifer to participate in the book burning scene. The only other bit he seems to get after that is turning to color at the end of the movie along with the rest of Pleasantville. I haven't watched that movie in years, though. It's funny that in some ways, JJ is a total trainwreck, but in other ways, he's actually got a pretty solid moral code once you get past the snobbery. I always loved that scene where JJ is pissed that he has to host John Carullo in his condo but he does it graciously anyway because good manners were part of his breeding. I've always said that JJ is basically Blair from the Facts of Life as a guy. LOL Anyway...Sally Draper for Taylor Buck? I lean more towards Marie Hobart, though. If there's any person I could buy having sex with her gay cousin, it'd be Sally Draper.

Yeah, it's more likely we'll see Will try to mediate in Patrick/Johnny Twink Boy situations again, but I can't see him actually in one. Like, really? Unless Will starts ordering out hits like his grandfather did and someone gets evidence, I can't see him getting blackmailed. I don't know if I could see either Will or JJ ever being able to order one- it's kind of funny how you've given them a conscience in a way that you didn't with Stefan, JP, and Brad. Surprisingly I could see Wade doing it. I've always seen Wade as someone who has a very dark side of themselves that they try to stay in control of. Like he's forcing himself to follow a moral code because he doesn't want to be like his parents, but there's some lurking underneath. It's interesting that Travis is described as looking like Skip from Pleasantville. Might that be foreshadowing that Travis is beautiful on the outside but terrible on the inside? I guess we'll stay tuned on that.

Skip from Pleasantville. Goddamn Paul Walker was so good-looking. I saw Pleasantville when I was 12. I was expecting something like that John Ritter comedy Stay Tuned but my mind was kind of blown away by the social commentary of the movie. It still holds up pretty well.

Chapter 47 -When Will breaks down about his very fucked up relationship with Zach. "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" by The Backstreet Boys Bet you didn't expect me to have another BSB song up my sleeve, did ya Mark? LOL -When Will catches sight of a total dreamboat. It's a middle school friend, all grown up. "All I Have to Do Is Dream" by the Everly Brothers

Man, I loved soundtracking this chapter. We're just about a year and a half shy of "my" era, so to speak. Frat parties were fun. (Well, at a certain point and then you just stay at the party too long.) Taylor made out with Will because she knew he was gay and she knew he wouldn't read much into it. It's kind of like how straight guys would kiss other straight guys at parties, because they knew it was just for fun and nothing real was going to come out with it. Generally speaking, they wouldn't do it with a guy that they KNEW was gay, unless they wanted to actually experiment. Dan is totalllllyyy the type of frat boy I would have been obsessed with back in the day. "Fraternity Memoirs" and "Crosscurrents" (not about frat guys but might as well have been) really did a number on my developing gay psyche insofar as the type of guys I'd find attractive as I came across those two stories when I was about 17 years old. LOL (It took me until I hit 30 to get over that type of guy.) Zach...*sigh* Generations of Crampton/Schluter men have fallen for those Hayes boys, and damn it's never worked out. (I'm not counting Matt/Wade as Wade is not a Crampton/Schluter, and Matt is really only a Hayes in blood and not manner.)

If this is the finale, congrats- I'm really glad for you. A lot of years, buddy. At this point I've started re-fancasting because my original fancasts have aged out. LOL I am seriously impressed you've stuck with this. This is up there with Adam Phillips taking 10 years to finish "Crosscurrents." Anyway, here's a mushy gushy, era-appropriate song to close out this chapter...dedicated to "Corbs" and the "Brit".

Olivia Wilde as she looked in 2004 for Taylor Buck? Although Mischa Barton kinda fits that airhead Los Angeles look you seem to be going for:

Chapter 45 -When Will and Jeff, ah, make up. "Hungry Like The Wolf"/"Save A Prayer" by Duran Duran Chapter 46 -When Will rolls up to the frat house "Yeah" by Usher -When Will dances with Zach's girlfriend "Slow Jamz" by Kanye West -When Will goes to do a bump with one of the frat guys. "Take Me Home Tonight" by Eddie Money For some reason the coke frat always played this at parties even though it was 2005. Ah, 80's revival. -When Will starts hooking up with said frat guy. "The Stroke" by Billy Squier -When Will is massively fucked up getting back to his hotel, only to find Zach angrily waiting for him. "Early Morning" by Britney Spears

My "Young Mark Arbour" pick looking adorable while paying homage to Jack from Lost. Adorbs, although I'm pretty sure the real Mark would have never worn a rumpled suit like this. LOL

I think the reason why Will is gaga over Zach in a way that he never really was about Tony is that Tony pretended to be a stand-up guy while not being one, whereas Zach from the get-go has presented himself as the bad boy but he showed a softer side with Will. He's Dylan McKay from 90210, but gay. I think Will appreciates a guy who's upfront about not being the nicest guy around, as opposed to complete assholes that pretend they're Boy Scouts. As for Zach, he really does love Will, but he also knows that it's not enough to overcome the reality of the life he wants to have. Calling back to Streak, Zach and JJ differ in the sense that there's a limit to what JJ will do in order to excel at his sport (no doubt backed by the fact that he doesn't actually need the sport as a stepping stone to riches) while there really isn't anything Zach won't sacrifice to reach the top pinnacle of his sport. Hence why JJ decided to back out after his injury sidelined him because he wanted a personal life, while Zach is taking on a beard relationship.

Chapter 43 -When Will asks Zach to be his nasty boy. "Naughty Girl" by Beyonce God, those Hayes boys are freaks. LOL

Chapter 41 -When Will decides to pick up a guy at the industry party. "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner

Dylan Sprouse (my JJ pick) rocking a beard during the 2020 lockdowns. Aww. He looks like a 20-year old trying to look older with facial hair, which is exactly how I'd picture JJ if he tried growing facial hair. LOL The grumpiness to Dylan's face just adds to the JJ-ness of it all.

JJ reminds me a lot of Benedict on Bridgerton. He kinda just pals around, doesn't have a focus/ambition, and he doesn't have the pressure of being Golden Child so he just enjoys himself. I do wonder a lot- like JJ was so focused and ambitious when it came to skating. Dude was disciplined and focused enough that he had a spot to compete at Worlds, but then everything kind of just crashed. He seems to just be taking everything at leisurely cruise now, probably because he can for the first time in his life. It's there, but I do think JJ has emotionally progressed, just not to the level he should be for a 18-year old on the verge of finishing high school. We should remember that JJ does see a therapist, and he did have a really wonderful friendship with Carullo that I think brought out the best of him. .