We need to bring back TV awards for on-screen kisses again because Sterling Point delivers two of the most iconic ones we’ve had in years, and it’s going to take a long, long time before another tops them. There’s the gorgeous one we get with Annie and Ellis in the closet, and the beautifully emotional gem we get between Ramona and Oona. How they’re both executed is so perfect for the characters that words won’t do it justice no matter how hard we try.
Despite the fact that Annie and Ellis’ budding romance is the show’s slow burn, it almost felt even more agonizing waiting for Ramona and Oona to get together. Because right when the two women reunite, it’s clear there’s something between them, and it’s not a matter of if but when. So between the bathing suit scene and every shared glance, the show stretches the tension deliciously until we finally reach the tipping point that makes every best friends-to-lovers romance so enticing. (This is why I’ll always be a goner for the trope. The angst! The yearning! The years of intimacy that build before anything even happens! It’s unmatched, is what it is.)
Megan Park does something so nuanced in how she plays with familiar tropes because they feel comforting yet simultaneously unique. It’s like we were watching them come to life for the first time, and a lot of this also has to do with the fact that there aren’t nearly enough sapphic romances on our screens. (More, please!) So to see such a classic rom-com moment come to life with an abundance of layers isn’t just refreshing, but coupled with the emotionally raw performances from Bo Bragason and Amélie Hoeferle, we get something beautifully evocative. Unforgettable, in every way.
That said, part of the reason best friends to lovers will always hit is that the hesitations and fears one person tends to harbor are incredibly organic. No one wants to lose their best friend if the relationship ends. And in Sterling Point, it makes complete sense for Oona to be the one holding onto these fears because she knows abandonment that’s driven by another person’s choices. Ramona may be alone because her mother and grandfather died, but Oona’s mom left willingly. (It doesn’t even matter that it’s temporary. The sting hits all the same.) Going from one city to another, she’s used to a lifestyle that doesn’t allow for putting down roots, and in order to protect herself from pain, she wears armor in the form of flirting.
She gives herself freely to others because her heart isn’t in the equation, but with Ramona, every part of her would be involved. Because Ramona isn’t just her best friend—she’s her person. She’s a huge chunk of Oona’s heart beating out of her chest in a way that’s so understandably terrifying you feel it right as she starts confessing all her fears aloud. It also makes complete sense that someone like Ramona would think that all that she’s been through would be “a lot” for someone when that couldn’t be farther from the truth for the person who loves every part of you. Hoeferle’s performance sets the stage so poignantly in this moment, and how Bragason meets her halfway is everything.
You can just feel how hard Oona is trying to open up for Ramona, and you can feel how challenging it is for her to crack her heart wide open. And with a confession like this, there’s no action more deliciously revealing than the act of affectionately shutting someone up with a kiss. At that moment, Ramona acts in the best way she knows how, because she can tell this isn’t easy for Oona. Ramona not only understands everything Oona isn’t saying out loud, but she also wants her to see that they’re a risk worth taking. Their friendship is deeply precious for both of them, but a relationship can be just as sacred.
And the words that follow after they’ve kissed encompass a thousand emotions all at once: “I’ve been wanting to do that for such a long time.” With that confession, Oona stops holding back and fully brings her walls down for Ramona. It might be momentary, but it matters significantly. My favorite types of first kisses will forever be the ones that are soft and hard at the same time. Slow and fast. Tender and frenzied. The duality always does such an enamoring job of unveiling just how desperately characters have wanted each other, and it’s that exact desperation that makes the moment so achingly romantic.
There’s also something so riveting about the location and lighting. There’s a coziness to it happening at nighttime, dimly lit and in a space that’s near an entryway. It’s a comforting beginning that does plenty to externally showcase how important these girls are to each other.
This moment is also what establishes that though Oona pushes Ramona away in the end, she does it because she knows it’s what Ramona needs. And I’m saying it now, but they’ve got to be endgame. Sterling Point isn’t based on a romance novel where we have guarantees of a happy ending, but I need Ramona and Oona to make it. The eventual second chance that I imagine we’ll get with them in the future is bound to be lovely, and how the show effortlessly makes their romance one of the season’s highlights is no small feat. Their relationship is too precious for it to be short-lived.
Now streaming on Prime Video: What are your thoughts on Ramona and Oona’s first kiss? Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Prime Video