But it was great to see a teenage character who realistically reacted to losing loved ones, struggling with mental illness, having his life turned upside down, losing his agency, facing horrible loneliness, near-death situations and having the weight of the world on his shoulders. He cried, he raged, he shut down, and whatever he did felt REAL. Jonas was not one of those hyper-masculine characters who had to be stoic for the sake of being a man. He was a quiet, sensitive underdog and that was his greatest appeal.
As someone who suffers from depression and has had to face loss and loneliness, I could relate to him so much. That's one of the best gifts the show has given me. A character who I could see myself in. That's why in spite of all the weird activities and details that are so characteristic of the show, in spite of the horrible things an adult version of him ends up doing, the teenaged version of Jonas Kahnwald will always have my heart.