Today, we explain the bathroom scene in We Are Who We Are. The moment in episode 5 of HBO’s new miniseries resonated with a lot of viewers. Let’s break it down and see what the bathroom scene in episode 5 means for the characters and the show.
What is We Are Who We Are about?
We Are Who We Are follows the story of two American kids who live on a fictional US military base in Chioggia, Italy, in 2016.
The show’s main characters are 14-year-olds Fraser Wilson (Jack Dylan Grazer) and Caitlin Poythress (Jordan Kristine Seamón), who are living with their parents on the army base for the summer.
The first TV show from Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino, this show has definite CMBYN vibes. However, it isn’t just a straightforward teenage love story.
Fraser and Caitlin become very close, leading their friends to believe they’re dating, when in reality Fraser is in love with his friend from back home, Mark.
Throughout the show, Fraser struggles with his sexuality and identity and ends up falling in love with an older soldier.
And it’s not just Fraser. We Are Who We Are revolves around the challenges each main character faces in understanding their own identity and place in the world.
The bathroom scene in We Are Who We Are
Episode 5 of We Are Who We Are is titled ‘Right Here, Right Now’, a title oozing with the urgency felt in throughout the whole episode. Caitlin, with Fraser’s help, is exploring her own identity, looks and queer tendencies.
“Surprise, I exist outside of your mind”, she says to Fraser after he says the moustache she’s drawing onto herself isn’t like he had imagined.
And this is the crux of the show. Characters in We Are Who We Are exist in a constant struggle between how they’re perceived by others and how they feel about themselves.
Caitlin’s exploration of her own gender identity in this episode leads to a poignant scene where the two best friends shave Caitlin’s hair down to a buzzcut.
Fraser is initially hesitant, saying that Caitlin’s hair holds her power. However, Caitlin pushes on – saying she knows her power lies elsewhere.
The bathroom scene in We Are Who We Are, episode 5, epitomises frantic teen excitement and urgency, but there’s more to it than that. This is something Caitlin has been building up to doing for a long time, something that took a lot of courage.
Jordan Kristine Seamón’s screams throughout this scene were a real reaction. She explained that, before filming this, she had never had her hair cut, not even a trim: “I forgot for a short period of time that we were filming a television show, so I started screaming.”
The bathroom scene in episode 5 sums up the recurring theme in the show that it’s okay to explore your own identity at any age, and emphasises the titular idea that We Are Who We Are.
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