So at this point we've had three different opportunities for Georges to tell Albin what's going on. And at each step, Georges has dodged the issue--while at the same time, as I wrote about last week, the writing has never felt like a stall or a cheat, like the avoiding is there to build tension without earning it.
And now we get one more moment like that, courtesy of Jean-Michel, who is pushing Georges to do it, already. On the one hand, their brief scene together--in wihch Jean-Michel reveals he has been busy hiding anything queer in their house and wants Albin's clothing all hidden, as well--becomes a way of justifying Georges' stalling. He's so devastated by what is being asked he can't do the deed without demanding that Jean-Michel consider one more time what he's asking.
But the real shock of the season is to see just how horrible Jean-Michel is. Really the first act has been a slow progression in his monstrosity. First he asks Georges; then he hurries Anne away when she's about to meet Albin on the boardwalk. And now we find out he's messing with their home and wants Albin's stuff out, too, which is literally insane.
On the one hand, doing this raises the pathos for Albin once again, if we needed that. There's nothing like a terrible child to make you love their parents.
But it also gives the couple a clear antagonist in Jean-Michel, which is genius. Unlike Anne's parents in Act II, Jean-Michel has a deep personal connection to Albin and Georges. And a result the conflicts he creates for them are much deeper and more complex. Having strangers judge you is one thing; having your son be ashamed of you is so much more devastating.
There's lots of different kinds of antagonists in stories. But you want your story's main antagonist to challenge not just some external goal of the protagonists but who the protagonists are, what they fear or believe.
