History YMMV / NeverWipeTearsWithoutGloves

* CriticalResearchFailure: Benjamin's favorite quotation from the bible is correctly stated to be Rev 21:4, but the passage that he recites is from the year 2000 translation of the bible. In the 80's he should have quoted from the 1911 translation. Probably an AcceptableBreakFromReality since Gardell is a Christian scholar who has written several books about God and Jesus and the new translation is, for lack of better words, nicer.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Are Rasmus' parents homophobes or just worried that everyone else is? Are they [[JerkAss jerkasses]] or just grieving parents?

* CriticalResearchFailure: Benjamin's favorite quotation from the bible is correctly stated to be Rev 21:4, but the passage that he recites is from the year 2000 translation of the bible. In the 80's he should have quoted from the 1911 translation. Probably an AcceptableBreakFromReality since Gardell is a Christian scholar who has written several books about God and Jesus and the new translation is, in lack of better words, nicer.

* FridgeHorror: Actually pointed out by Benjamin in the book, but for those who only saw the TV series it applies. Benjamin knows he has HIV while Rasmus is still alive. He takes care of Rasmus throughout his illness. Not only does he have to watch the love of his life suffer terribly, he does so knowing that the same fate awaits him - and nobody will be there to take care of ''him'' when the time comes. Luckily the inhibitor drugs come along before the virus develops too much in Benjamin but he had no way of knowing that would be the case while he nursed Rasmus.

* MoralEventHorizon: Rasmus' parents cross this ''big time'' after [[spoiler:Rasmus died. Having been almost parental substitutes to Benjamin they turn away from him completely and tell him he's not welcome at Rasmus' funeral.]]

** [[spoiler:Rasmus']] death scene is especially ripe with it, from his boyfriend's point of view. [[spoiler:The love of his life dying from a disease Benjamin knows he has himself is just part of it. Rasmus' parents have, up until this point, treated Benjamin well and Sara (Rasmus' mom) even says that he is like a son to them. Then literally as soon as Rasmus is dead they change their tone. Harald (Rasmus' dad) tells Benjamin he's not welcome at his boyfriend's funeral and that he will never be part of the family or even someone they'll acknowledge knowing, and he ''still manages to come off better'' than Sara.]]
** At one point in the book Benjamin tells Holger about how he took care of Rasmus, changed his diapers, helped him move from the bed to his wheelchair, all the while knowing full well that soon Benjamin would be in Rasmus' state, only with nobody there to help him.

* TearJerker: A lot of such moments, but special mentioning goes to the scene where Benjamin visits Rasmus' grave and tells Holger about the last years of Rasmus' life. Björn Kellman's performance is really something.

* TookALevelInJerkass: Sara becomes downright deplorable [[spoiler:on the day when Rasmus dies]]. She begins to move towards this territory earlier on but it's at that point where her likeability goes right out the window. The worst of it is probably when she tells Benjamin he is like a son to her and Harald, knowing full well that [[spoiler:they have no intention of letting him even attend Rasmus' funeral]] and they leave him behind very quickly once [[spoiler:Rasmus has been pronounced dead]]. In fact, once [[spoiler:Rasmus has passed away]] she changes her tune instantly and outright tells Benjamin that there's no reason for her to keep up the facade anymore.
** This goes for Harald too, although not quite as much. But telling Benjamin that [[spoiler:if he attended Rasmus' funeral it wouldn't be a dignified burial but a "gay spectacle"]] is pretty damn rough. The one factor that keeps him from being completely unlikeable at that point is [[spoiler:his very obvious and devastating grief over his son's death mere moments ealier, making you wonder if he would have been as nasty otherwise]]. Before he leaves he hesitates and is about to say something to Benjamin, clearly feeling sympathetic, giving you the impression that Sara is the driving force and he's too weak to stand up to her. Stefan Sauk does a brilliant job with the scene.
* WordOfGay: Holger. He is basically there to represent what Rasmus life would have been like if he never left town and embraced his sexuality.

* WordOfGay: Holger.

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: "''Mitt enda liv''".

** Several international critics mentioned an example of this trope in their reviews. Sweden is a liberal country that's always been progressive about gay rights and the Swedes in general were fairly early on accepting of homosexuality (it used to be classified as a disease in Sweden until, during the seventies, heterosexual people began protesting by calling in sick to work stating "feeling a little gay today", driving home how ridiculous it was to call it a disease in the first place). Even so Swedish society treated gay men horribly during this period - so what must it have been like in other, far less liberal countries? Many British critics, especially, talk about this in their reviews and emphasize that it's one of the things that gives the series such weight internationally.

* TearJerker: A lot of such moments, but special mentioning goes to the scene where Benjamin visits Rasmus' grave and tells Holger about the last years of Rasmus' life. Björn Kellman's performance is really something.

* TearJerker: A lot of such moments, but special mentioning goes to the scene where Benjamin visits Rasmus' grave and tells Holger about the last years of Rasmus' life. Björn Kellman's performance is really something.

* TearJerker: A lot of such moments, but special mentioning goes to the scene where Benjamin visits Rasmus' grave and tells Holger about the last years of Rasmus' life. Björn Kellman's performance is really something.

* MagnumOpus: For Jonas Gardell.

-->'''Benjamin''': I watched the most beautiful thing I had just... be destroyed before my eyes.

* {{Adorkable}}: Benjamin can be this at times.

-->'''Benjamin''': I watched the most beautiful thing I had just... be destroyed before my eyes.
* VindicatedByHistory: The people depicted in the story and basically every gay man in the eighties. At the time when the story is set they were marginalized, outcast and sometimes even persecuted. Now their story is being celebrated and praised and even the Swedish royal family has publicly shown their support for the gay community.

* Adorkable: Benjamin can be this at times.

* NightmareFuel