21 Thoughts While Watching "Spring Awakening: Those You've Known"

I’m unashamed to admit that I had a Spring Awakening phase in high school. Look, things were different back in 2007 for me. I was angsty in the way that all teens were, but not angsty enough to be listening to the screamo bands of that time. I wasn’t even angsty enough to listen to American Idiot and I was barely moody enough to listen to Fall Out Boy.

But you know what really spoke to me back in 2007? A pop musical about a bunch of horny, depressed, and repressed German teens in the late 19th-century. That’s Spring Awakening, folks.

This lovely musical introduced us to Lea Michele who, allegedly, cannot read. Jonathan Groff, whose mother I sat next to at a concert one time and told her, “congrats on your son.” And John Gallagher Jr. who loves Bruce Springsteen and horror movies, so we’re kindred spirits.

Spring Awakening is also 15 years old, so HBO is giving us former semi-moody teens a cast reunion documentary. This is my Harry Potter Return to Hogwarts special and these were my thoughts while watching.


  • Lea Michele being married is news to me.

  • The Glee jump scare within the first five minutes. I should be drunk for this.

  • Comparing this reunion to The Beatles is a bit of a stretch in my humble opinion. Only because Spring Awakening could do “I Am the Walrus,” but The Beatles couldn’t do “My Junk,” y’know?

  • Jonathan Groff showing off a picture of his ass that he has saved on his phone…sir.

  • The duality of Lea Michele taking a car service while J. Groff bikes to their first rehearsal 👀

  • Lea Michele has a child???? I am learning a lot, but not about Spring Awakening lol.

  • If they really wanted this to be a true retrospective about the original show, they need to talk about the people (me) who watched shaky bootlegs of the show on YouTube…allegedly.

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  • They better give me a full version of “The Bitch of Living” because that was my favorite song. So far they’ve only given me a full version of “Mama Who Bore Me” which is lame.

  • Okay, they’re giving me flashbacks, but I would like to see John Gallagher Jr. in the year of our lord 2022 fully sing “The Bitch of Living.”

  • Hearing Lilli Cooper and Lauren Pritchard as adults sing “The Dark I Know Well” is really something quite extraordinary.

  • Look, I get that Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff are the most recognizable cast members and that’s why the focus is mainly on them. However, the people tuning into this special are Nerds (me) who would like to see the other members of the cast.

  • Or just tell me some fun gossip to make up for it.

  • I guess I spoke too soon. All of this talk about how Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff bonded leads to Lea just blurting out that she showed her vagina to him because he was interested in “the geography of the different parts.” Maybe this documentary reunion was a Mistake.

  • “And Then There Were None” still goes so hard and John Gallagher will forever be my favorite part of the show.

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  • I’m sorry? Lea Michele thinks Jonathan Groff got a Tony Award nomination because he donated $50 to the church??? And she didn’t, so that’s why she didn’t get nominated??? I’m gonna have a breakdown. That’s unhinged.

  • Bless. And now I get to hear “Don’t Do Sadness/Blue Wind.” The best duet in the damn show.

  • Lea Michele is acting like camping in a tent at the Groff family farm was truly roughing it.

  • It only took an hour and ten minutes, but finally “My Junk” is given the chance to shine.

  • “Those You’ve Known” really does make the tears come, doesn’t it?

  • “I don’t know. It’s about sex, probably, you know.” - Phoebe Strole’s thoughts on “Purple Summer,” her one contribution to the whole doc.

  • Okay, but now let’s do one of these for the masterpiece that is 13 the Musical.


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