yes, changing up the pre-established story for this was an interesting, if not irritating choice at first, but i feel like it actually helped the season in the end.
tincan were cute in season 1, yes, but their build-up still seemed somewhat rushed for a now main couple, there was not enough levels to it. if they were to become the new main, they needed proper screen time. and i feel like the writers knew that from the beginning, too. going back in time was probably the initial plan, no one could have predicted the perthsaint situation. but it happened, so they had to come up with a new solution. going with a storyline that's already halfway through, but not nearly enough of it shown and without any depth to it... or re-doing it with some changes? they probably could've still gone back in time and just not shown ae as much, pretending things were still fine with pete (his annoying crybaby stuff was a pain anyway). either they just wanted to move forward with them as well or that really was a stupid decision to please perth's fans. maybe they also found their impact on the characters to be too important to leave out. all possibilities that need to be considered. in the end, doing it the way they did probably seemed the most plausible to them. and while one could keep arguing if it actually was and it takes some getting used to, was it actually that bad? i personally don't think so. i imagine rewatching the exact same situation to be a bit tiring as well. this changed things up and again, most importantly presented tincan as actually deep and complex characters with motives, thoughts and feelings we can fully comprehend and relate to. we understand why they act like they act. and i think they did that wonderfully.
tincan's relationship developes very naturally and they have a beautiful bond. nothing between them or about the drama around them seemed forced. it was nice to see how they learned to appreciate and understand each other - and you could really tell how hard they fell for one another as well. they are very playful, but also take each other seriously. the comedic moments actually made me laugh, which is rather rare for dramas, and the romantic ones made my heart melt. unlike one too many bl pairs, they legitimately feel like a healthy couple and behave like one, too. their dating process was realistic and there was equal love, trust and care between them that they never failed to prove. i don't know about you all, but i absolutely love that.
now about the other couple and drama on the side... i can't really defend that, there was nothing there. i didn't mind too much... i just watched it all at 2x speed 💀 but it was really unnecessary. they would've been better off if they had given that 10% to tincan as well, if i'm being brutally honest. i like no... but no.
but again, i couldn't care less. tincan really sold this to me and it's honestly one of my favs now, i prefer it over season 1. unpopular opinion, but i guess that's nothing new to me when it comes to dramas.