We Are Who We Are: Season 1, Episode 7 "Right Here Right Now VII" Re-Cap
As we head into the penultimate episode of Luca Guadagnino’s HBO Drama, “We Are Who We Are,” we experience the heaviness and hopelessness of loss. With just one more episode until the Series Finale, Episode VII “Right Here Right Now VII” is loaded with heavy overtones, spinning the series into, once again, another direction. Episode VII marks the one of the darkest episodes of the Series. While earlier episodes have largely focused on the meaning of gender construct and identity, Episode VII jumps in a new direction, exploring the meaning and feeling of sudden and dramatic loss.
Each episode of Guadagnino’s Series is crafted critically and carefully, jumping back and forth between harder hitting experiences and softer, quieter reflections. While Luca carefully pieces together the gentler storylines and character developments in Episode IV and VI, in Episode VII we are in a more urgent need of truth. These juxtapositions are also reflected in the Episode’s run time. In the sweeter, softer series, the episodes are shorter while the sharp, harder hitting pieces extend the run time, well past the hour mark. Episode VII is the longest running Episode in the Series to date with an hour and fourteen-minute run time.
Coming off of last week’s episode, with softer overtones from each of the different character’s perspectives, Episode VII picks up right where we left off, with Sarah reacting to the disturbing late-night phone call. The call was received during the 2016 Election Night results where they announce Donald Trump as the new President of the United States. As Episode VII opens, we can hear the echo of Trump’s voice ringing through the loud speakers throughout the base, announcing Clinton’s defeat. The uneasiness is weaved throughout the shots of the camera where we find Sarah at the base, addressing the instance that called her from her home in the middle of the night.
While Sarah does not immediately address the disturbing incident, we can hear the some-what muted voices surrounding her in the control room, as we piece together what has happened. At first, we see small glimpses of the attack before they are projected across the screen in the control room. Instead of dwelling too long on the actual incident that happened during battle, we see the base’ reaction with the flags raised at half-mast while the rest of the people remain oblivious to the destruction that has just hit their community.
At school, we see the soldiers visit Fraser and Catilin’s classroom while Fraser discusses the implications of Catilin’s decision to test testosterone injections. The classroom becomes abuzz with speculation as to what has happened that has impacted the base so drastically. The students are summoned to the gymnasium where they are addressed by the Principal. It is revealed that a selection of the troops sent overseas had been killed in combat, one of the soldiers, a brother of the student at the school. It is then revealed that Catilin and Danny’s friend, Craig, was one of the fallen. Caitlin slaps Fraser after their school therapy session for mocking the dead and making light of the situation. The sharp action causes a rift between the two friends, creating even more hostility between the two families.
We see Catilin begin to spend more time with Danny and Brittany again, temporarily abandoning her plans to inject hormones or speak with a therapist about her gender identity issues. The abandonment of her course is obviously caused by the aftermath of the death of their friend, Craig. As the families and friends of the fallen attend a memorial service led by Sarah, the Base Commander, Richard Poythress comments on her failings under his breath while she addresses the crowd. The tension between Richard and Sarah coming to a head as he openly contradicts her position and authority. The combat between Richard and Sarah has been building for the past six episodes and we sense a confrontation bubbling under the surface.
As the crowd starts to disperse, Richard, drunkenly and openly, challenges Sarah and her decisions that he believes led the soldiers to their death. He calls out her charge in front of the fellow soldiers, seeking to start a fight, pushing others who attempt to restrain him. He calls them “kids” that died at her hands. Before a fight can break out, he seeks comfort from his wife as he breaks down crying into her shoulder. The kids leave the ceremony out the back, Catilin follows, wanting to spend more time with the friends that new and understood Craig. They tell her that she can come along, as long as Fraser stays behind. Momentarily conflicted, she leaves with them alone. The friends congregate together, drinking and reminiscing on their memories together. Before we flash away, we see Caitlin lead Sam to an empty bedroom alone.
While Caitlin seeks the comfort of her old friends, Fraser finds himself at Jonathon’s front door where he is greeted by Jonathon and his girlfriend. While Jonathon is pouring himself a drink, the woman begins dancing with Fraser, taking off his clothes. Jonathon re-enters the room, watching from a far at first before, sandwiching Fraser between the two as Fraser spins around, grabbing onto Jonathon. Before things go too far, Fraser grabs his clothes and leaves in a rush, obviously embarrassed by the entire encounter. He exits the apartment, standing in the rain, he breaks down crying, before fleeing.
The entirety of Episode VII takes place in the span of a single day as each of the characters grapple with the sudden and tragic loss of the soldiers on the base. Each character struggles to make sense of the tragedy in their own, yet always destructive, ways. Fraser’s self-destructive behavioral tendencies at full volume as he chugs a bottle of Jack while lying on the floor. While Fraser and Catilin’s storylines are at the forefront of the Series, we can tell that Luca is most eager for audience to view and understand the inner-workings of Fraser’s psychosis, something that is almost unattainable as every chance where we are presented with an explanation about why he is the way he is, we are interrupted and jerked into a new direction.
With just one Episode remaining in the Season 1 of “We Are Who We Are,” we are left in the dark, guessing how the Series will conclude.