Compassionate Satire: Why I Don't Hate Dear Evan Hansen 

I honestly feel like one of the changes that damaged the movie the most was diminishing the role of Evan's mom. I think their relationship is integral to carrying this kind of messy story because its what allows us to forgive and empathize with Evan the most at the end of the musical ('So Big, So Small), which is further strengthened by the opening (Anybody have a map) and the fallout (Good for You.)

I saw a live performance in Washington DC before it went to broadway, and comparing it to broadway bootlegs they had already even all the way back then began to make changes to make Evan a less complex more "easy to root for" character whose actions were more half-accidental. In the version I originally saw, it felt like the writers didn't need you to be on Evan's side. He was just plainly doing the wrong thing, and it was really interesting and made his redeeming qualities all the more redeeming. It also didn't feel as much like he needed more repercussions, because the narrative was giving the audience the space to judge him themselves instead of trying to forgive him before he had even said sorry.

As you will recall, you had to explain what Dear Evan Hansen even was to me, but the effort you put into every frame is breathtaking. The sheer amount of work that goes into your videos almost makes your glacial publishing schedule look quite hectic. Amazing.

Seeing the show blind when it was fresh on broadway I never felt like the "wow, this is really fucked up" aspect of the plot really went away. Or the feeling that we never knew Connor, adding to how fucked up everything was. The shock factor was absolutely part of the experience, and I feel like all the dry Wikipedia summary readers never really felt that when talking about how "likeable" Evan is. He's definitely a character you can read parts of your own social anxiety and life experience into, but you never forget that he fucked up.

I know I’m a little late to the video since discussion of the show has kinda died down, but as someone who’s been having a lot of conflicting feelings about it due to people’s perceptions and stuff, I wanna say thank you so god damn much for making a positive video on the show. DEH is one of my biggest comfort shows for how it portrays anxiety and the dread of wanting to be seen but not knowing what’ll happen once you get there, and seeing it get torn to shreds by people who associate it with the movie has been crushing. The show isn’t perfect by any means but it gets on my nerves when people assume it’s just as bad as the movie (and honestly even though I’ve only seen the first half I don’t think the movie is even the Worst Thing Ever) because there’s so much to show that adds to the characters and makes it what it is, and why people loved it so much in 2016. I wish more people understood that just because a main character makes bad decisions, doesn’t mean that you’re meant to agree with it. Evan may be a character written to reach out to the kids with anxiety but he’s also a cautionary tale, and I think you understand that better than a lot of people I’ve seen review the show (Also I swear if I have to hear one more person describe the show as ‘a kid pretends to be friends with a dead guy so he can bang his sister’ when the most surface level analysis will tell you otherwise-)

I'll be honest, my first exposure to dear even hanson was a fan animation of "sincerely me" so I thought it was a gay coming of age rom-com for about two years before I actually found out what the plot was....

See, this is why I support bootlegs when stage recordings aren't available for purchase, lets ppl actually experience the songs in their proper context :P Although my first experience with this musical was so bizarre bc it was through a bootleg that was cut up into two videos, but I didn't realize this at first so for like a week or so I thought Dear Evan Hansen ended with "You Will Be Found" and it left me so shaken with unease and a sense of uncanniness XD Once I saw the whole thing tho I loved it! I cried rivers during "Words Fail" and I still cry when listening to "So Big So Small"

How is the editing AND the analysis on these so tight??! Dear Evan Hansen came out my Junior year of HS and then my show choir immediately sang like 3 of the songs, so my early impression of it screamed heartfelt innocent story, which always rubbed me the wrong way. Thanks for explaining why!

"Well sure, I didn't watch the play or the movie, but I've seen Jenny Nicholson rave about it for about an hour and a half, so I am somewhat of an expert - let's see what Grace has to say about it" My brain at 2AM apparently. Seriously though, beautifully produced video, convincing, and makes me wish to see the play perhaps, as the movie, as noted in your description, does suck.

I found out about your channel when my media teacher showed my class your video essay about video essays, and the consistent level of quality in your writing and editing is so impressive to me. I know very little about Dear Evan Hansen but you made this incredibly engaging and thought provoking I'm so impressed, sending big applause and high fives.

This is the only channel I've found that can swim in the sea of postmodernism and deconstruction and explains it where I can halfway imagine I understand postmodernism and/or deconstruction. I would love it if you could tackle "Gravity's Rainbow" because I have been stuck on page 100 for about ten years, and I doubt I understand much of what I've read. If you don't, I'm more than happy with what you produce. I've re-watched these videos more than once. I learn something new each time. Thanks for all your work.

Acepting that you love HSM is growing up

holy shit! i did not see this when it came out, gotta click on that bell ig. i had no interest in a deep dive into dear evan hansen before this but as always, an amazingly written, edited, and narrated video! one of the best channels on the entire site 💜

I'll admit to being wary due to the subject matter but as always, amazing video. I love that you talk about the rise of "embrace cringe, be free" culture online but how even that gets commodified and adapted.

"just considering the logistics of this simple task made me cry" Crying right now. (Just another neurotypical, neurotypically struggling to plot a mental path from now to leaving for work in 60 minutes. Like neurotypicals famously do on a daily basis.)

I am an unabashed DEH enjoyer and I'm proud

I love this musical still, and I think anyone who didn’t get in at the ground floor were done a disservice by the paratext. I think the show would do better to lean further into the satire, but I can’t deny that some of the most affecting parts of the show are the bleeding heart vulnerable parts. Thanks for your always wonderful analysis ❤

I held a grudge against DEH because I was a huge fan of a different musical which closed not long after losing several Tonys to DEH. So I felt super vindicated when everyone started shitting on it. But honestly this video makes me think I should have given it chance. Just the analysis here is forcing me to come to terms with some stuff about myself I had kind of repressed. That’s pretty powerful.

i never know what's gunna come next on this channel, but i know it's going to be unique, thoughtful and beautifully executed.

Ooh a real hot take, can't wait to watch it! P.S.: oh, it's not about the movie, still pretty good video

This was a really good video that I enjoyed, so I am letting the algorithm know. Very refreshing after the flood of "DEH is bad actually" takes post-movie.

ugh that bo burnham quote is so good that i typed it out into my phone notes. bo burnham begging for everyone to forgive him, when really, he was never cancelled. and then what a comeback he had! opposite trajectory of dear evan hansen, sky high all the way

lol that clarification that you're referring to the musical is clutch 😂

This is incredibly well-written :D really changed my perspective on the musical and made me love it as a satire

Glad you’re posting again

i really like this take! i reccomend reading the book version if you want to see more deph of conors and evans charactar :)

See, what i would think/say is "I would have gladly cried considering the logistics, but for most of my life i've been unable to even cry because idk what happened to me, so i just sit here frozen in a blank stare, while time passes so maybe people forget i even had to do something", yet somehow some of the time my body moves and does things on autopilot and i'm left wondering if i ever did that or if i'm dead or simply dreaming. But i won't, because it feels like one-up-manship, where expressed grief forms this weird echo chamber that inflicts a resonance cascade of infinitely more grief upon its creators; that is, until it is forgotten. "Misery loves company", was it? So, we stumble forwards into the unknown, with blank stares and angst-crystallized hearts to our ever-closer lonely demise. I wish i could even cry. I wish i could post this without it feeling like a mistake afterwards.

You continue to be one of my favorite video essay makers. Whenever I get to see you made a new video I get a little excited since it's like a rare but very good treat. Anyway, you knocked out of the park with this one. I was discussing Dead Evan Hansen with a friend recently and I look forward to subjecting them to this video.

Full cover of Breaking Free when? 😂

Dear Evan Hanson are comfort songs, but I do like the meanings. I’ve always been anonymous mostly. It’s weird as an artist I was never a normal child I never really posted pics I only post art and even then I delete and reupload for each new world I create

5:29 Dunno if it was intentional, but it sounded like you were channeling a bit of @hbomberguy right there, lol

i was always a fan of the 8ook way more than the musical. i feel it does a 8etter jo8 getting its messages accross and fleshing out the cast.

on the one hand, WSGAT made a new video! on the other... that title. I'm scared.

14:44 - 17:16 : I think accepting the weird is part of self acceptance & growth, tho this has to be balanced with meeting others somewhere between due to the truth that everyone's weird, and so are at different points of weirdness, balanced along with boundaries and expectations even though maybe some of those b's & e's maybe should be torn down to build something more resilient or better - even if those new boundaries and expectations (and systems) will ripen and rot with time. And even if it's a trend, and with that accounting for how it can lead to justifying bad behavoir, I guess then I think to Steven Universe and the idea that everyone is projecting an appearance and we can't know someone directly yet are able to work towards intuiting who they are by getting to know them, but while having forgiveness to open up about what's invisible. And with that learning how to navigate tragedy with deciding what to reveal and evoke and what not to: And how, balancing to be known with acceptance (both for each ourselves as well as for each other). Great video! I'm always excited for your videos - (I didn't know about Dear Evan Hansen until now.)

Wonderful work here. Thanks for sharing your time with us

War on Musicalsplain' declared

Yeah, I think this kinda gets at how the show made me cry when fictional media otherwise never does that.

Excellent! Start to musical finish.

Babe, wake up, a new What's So Great About That video dropped

I have nothing insightful to say, I’m just commenting to help the video of one of the best channels on RU-vid! God-tier both editing and analysis.

Thank you for making this.

Yay you not dead, I jk, its always great to see your content.

The lyrics “It’s hard to be someone, but it hurts to be nobody” from half alive really apply here

i’m always hyped for a new video LETS GOOO!!!!!

the movie lost so much of the depth that the musical had.

That style of singing is like nails on chalkboard to me and i had no interest in this show, but this video is great, as ever thanks to your insights and presentational style. THANK YOU GRACE

I don't undesrtand the half ofrece it

What I have taken from this is just watch the High School Musical trilogy instead.

Great video

Holy shit new WSGAT!! Amazing video as always, absolutely loved the analysis

The body in pain is one of my favorite books of all time! So happy to see it referenced in such a well put together and fun essay

Don't mind me - feeding the algorithm. Love your stuff!

It's been a while. Thanks for making a new video. All the best.

Thanks for this, beyond the usual "because I like your videos a lot". It's a great companion to Jenny Nicholson's takedown a while back.

Just wanted to say that I've seen every youtube video essay and yours are my favorite

YOU"RE BACKKKK

Ok the last line. Just pierce me right through the heart!

I'm sorry for ever hurting anybody, no more of that🙇🏻‍♂️🖤

welcome back!

NEW WSGAT VIDEO

Argh, you are so good at these essays!!

Excellent video essay!! I haven't seen Dear Even Hansen but every time I see some reference or scene from it the protagonist reminds me of the protagonist from The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Is this the case?

Another one

niceee

6 Tonys

This is gonna sound odd but did you get a retainer?

Eh, agree to disagree.

Didn't even know this show existed but I still watched the whole video, it was this good