The Charm Offensive

“Ryan Parker is good at douche-bro camaraderie and Dev is good at coaching women.”

Dev’s perception of Ryan’s ability to connect with men is influenced by their previous relationship, and the negativity of his opinion of Ryan is communicated by his word choice. This statement foreshadows Dev’s own change in role within Ever After’s crew as well as the revelations from Ryan regarding why his and Dev’s relationship truly ended.

“Dev knows from her file she has a college degree and her father’s a reverend, which means she perfectly straddles the line of catering to the show’s large conservative fan base without alienating its even larger feminist fan base, which claims to watch ironically.”

Ever After’s producers cast contestants that uphold the heteronormative expectations of their target audience, emphasizing the importance of LGBTQ+ Love and Representation. That the specific contestant described is chosen as the show’s winner before it airs also frames the context of what producers expect from contestants and Charlie alike.

“Charles is the cologne model. I’m just Charlie.”

Charlie struggles with the expectations placed upon him as the show’s prince charming and finds difficulty in portraying the trope effectively. His struggles represent his need for self-acceptance and present the opportunity for Dev to coach him, opening the door for their romance to develop.

“Being on is really hard for me. It drains me emotionally, and sometimes I’ll need time. To recalibrate my mind. Or else I’ll, um…I’m not sure…does that make sense?”

While describing his struggle to depict prince charming to Dev, Charlie introduces irony into the narrative. His statement directly reflects Dev’s constant struggle to be “Fun Dev” and the self-isolation he commits to during his depressive episodes in the fear that he’ll be rejected for not “being on” like Charlie describes.

“For some inexplicable reason, he almost tells Charlie Winshaw about the coffee and cookies and dabbling with depression, about his busy brain and his too-big heart.”

Dev resists the urge to confide personal details about himself for fear of rejection, concerned that people will dislike him if he isn’t providing his performative personality of cheer. Charlie’s vulnerability about his own mental health struggles introduces the narrative’s theme of The Significance of Emotional Support From Romantic Partners as Dev already feels comfortable enough to be tempted to show who he really is to Charlie.

“And do not act dismissive toward the women on the show, do you understand me? You are not better than them because you went to Stanford and care about fracking.”

Though Parisa works as Charlie’s publicist, the importance of her friendship for him is illustrated here as she sternly confronts his biases while he films on Ever After’s set. Parisa’s unfailing accountability and no-nonsense nature provides Charlie with guidance in his self-discovery and gives him a safe space to be himself without judgment before and during his romance with Dev.

“‘Because I’m not exactly lovable.’ He means to say it jokingly, but the sentence sags in the middle, becomes heavy and tinged with sadness.”

Charlie’s comment emphasizes the novel’s message about Personal Growth and Self-Acceptance. Like Dev, Charlie believes other people won’t love him because of his challenges with mental health, foreshadowing his journey of self-discovery.

“Charlie doesn’t avoid contact, and Dev’s warm fingers come over his like a weighted therapy blanket.”

Charlie’s lack of aversion to Dev foreshadows the depth of the connection they develop throughout the narrative. That Charlie does not pull away from Dev also reflects their emotional lives, as Charlie does not pull away from Dev emotionally, and waits for Dev to experience his own personal growth before they reunite.

“At forty, she was a single mother winning daytime Emmys for her work on soaps while struggling to date as a woman who was ‘too old’ by LA standards.”

Maureen’s struggles to develop and sell the concept of Ever After illustrates her sense of tenacity and determination. Dev provides this backstory, demonstrating his respect for her journey, and lending context as to why he does not confront Maureen’s anti-LGBTQ+ bias and abusive workplace behaviors.

“You’re right. That was a bullshit thing for me to say. You shouldn’t have to change yourself for love.”

Dev realizes his coaching from the first night of filming was dismissive and perpetrated the harmful and heteronormative ideals that Ever After promotes. Dev’s emotional maturity reflects the status of his relationship with Charlie as he gets to know him more and appreciates Charlie for who he is.

“Dev’s knees and Dev’s mouth and Dev’s Adam’s apple. He tries thinking about Daphne’s pretty blue eyes instead, but he can only see Dev’s dark ones, peering intensely at him behind his glasses.”

Charlie’s attraction to Dev builds slowly and only after Charlie gets to know Dev, building trust and friendship. Charlie knows a relationship with his producer is contractually forbidden, establishing a forbidden love trope. Charlie’s attempt to resist his feelings for Dev builds tension within the narrative.

“[Y]ou’re not obligated to figure it out, or come out, or explain yourself to anyone, ever.”

Parisa encourages Charlie to discover his sexuality without feeling pressured by anyone else to define himself. She centers Charlie on his journey for Personal Growth and Self-Acceptance and their conversations about sexuality provide further LGBTQ+ representation.

“Most of the time, Dev is like a human bonfire walking around generously warming everyone with his presence. But burning that bright and that fiercely must be exhausting; no one can sustain it forever.”

Charlie’s close observance of Dev’s personality and emotional state helps him to understand Dev’s symptoms of depression. Charlie’s understanding allows his ability to provide greater emotional support to Dev and demonstrates his love for Dev regardless of his mental health issues.

“Charlie smiles, but it doesn’t reach his stormy eyes. Charlie has shared something huge and private. He’s flung his doors wide open and he’s inviting Dev to do the same. Dev thinks about the darkness, about drowning, about tiny tragedies. He pulls away his hands. ‘I really am fine.’”

Dev understands the sacrifice Charlie has made to be vulnerable with him but is unable to reciprocate the same level of emotional nakedness. Dev’s inability to show Charlie the same level of emotional presence begins the conflict between them and introduces Dev’s own personal growth journey within the narrative.

“I just mean I’m proud of you. I’m sure it took a lot of courage to let yourself be vulnerable like that with someone.”

Parisa’s intuition allows her to understand and empathize with Charlie’s new experiences. Charlie feels empowered by Parisa’s unconditional, platonic love, helping him to feel supported during his discovery of his sexuality.

“‘I just want you to be healthy.’ Dev yanks back, severing their physical connection. ‘I am healthy. I’m fine. I’m not some broken thing you need to fix. I’m not you, trying to prove to a bunch of tech douches you’re neurotypical.’”

Dev deflects Charlie’s concerns, criticizing Charlie’s intentions for starring in Ever After. That Dev assumes Charlie’s concern for his health communicates a sense of brokenness and a need to be fixed communicates his perception of himself and his own struggles with depression as he projects his feelings.

“I never should’ve said that stuff about him. Called Charlie crazy. I was being insensitive. I should’ve known how that would make you feel.”

Ryan recognizes his dismissive comments about Charlie were insulting and triggering for Dev, whom experiences depressive episodes. Ryan demonstrates that he is capable of personal growth when apologizing to Dev, showing support for Charlie and Dev by the novel’s close.

“Bali is religiously conservative, so they have to be careful not to touch in front of their boat guide as the sky ignites fiery orange, dissolves into bright pink.”

Charlie gains first-hand experience with sexual discrimination in a place that criminalizes LGBTQ+ relationships. Still, Charlie and Dev enjoy their emotional connection during their date, a bond that cannot be policed.

“I don’t know. Parisa used this word demisexual, and I think maybe that could be me? Or maybe graysexual, which I googled, and it means you only rarely experience sexual attraction. I mean, I know I enjoy both giving and receiving sexual pleasure, but I don’t know what that means.”

Charlie’s conversations with Dev and Parisa about a wide range of sexualities add diversity and inclusion to an LGBTQ+ romcom. Through Charlie’s journey of discovery about his sexuality, the narrative provides opportunities for education about sexuality in detail.

“I still have a lot to figure out about all that, so I don’t think I’m ready to come out as anything.”

Charlie is hesitant to categorize himself until he understands himself better. Without pushing Dev away, Charlie explains that he needs time to figure out what will make him happy, further developing the novel’s theme of Personal Growth and Self-Acceptance.

“‘Still weird about touching, huh?’ Josh chuckles and gives Charlie’s arm the most patronizing pat. ‘That’s my Chaz.’”

Josh’s moniker for Charlie represents how Josh and Charlie’s former colleagues expected Charlie to meet their behavioral standards. Josh disrespects Charlie’s boundaries by touching his arm, even though he knows Charlie dislikes the contact, demonstrating how his friendship was surface-level at best.

“‘What the fuck is wrong with you?’ Maureen asks Daphne. ‘Are you truly as stupid as you look?’”

Maureen verbally abuses the people she works with, almost running Ever After into cancellation with her inappropriate behavior. Through her abusive behavior and anti-LGBTQ+ bias, she creates her downfall, neglecting the cast and crew.

“For a moment he’s terrified. While most people responded to his season with an outpouring of love, there are still some dangers to being a queer person who discusses their mental illness on the internet.”

Charlie’s concerns allude to the risks that still exist for LGBTQ+ community members in publicly sharing their sexuality and mental health struggles. By discovering his non-heterosexuality and speaking about it publicly, Charlie learns firsthand about prejudice and discrimination.