If you've watched To All The Boys I've Loved Before and The Kissing Booth, you already know that High School Rom Coms are back. But you've probably also noticed that Noah Flynn is problematic in many ways. Peter K is the main character we all need to see, mainly because he is very unproblematic.
1. He is respectful of Lara Jean's letters
The way Peter K reacts to the letters is so nice—he doesn't want to embarrass her at all. Noah does try to prevent Elle from embarrassing herself, but it ends up with her embarrassing herself more.
2. He agrees to follow her rules
When Lara Jean wants to make rules, Peter K agrees and even adds to them. When Elle makes rules, Noah tells her she's "cute when bossy" and then agrees.
3. He opens up to her early in their “relationship”
Started in the diner scene and continued after dinner at Peter's house, he opens up to Lara Jean about his dad leaving. The audience doesn't see Noah open up until he is fixing Elle's cheek after she fell in the garage. This is really delayed for a couple that has been dating for months.
4. He embraces Lara Jean’s cultural background
Peter wants to sit next to Elle and even bought her favorite Korean yogurt smoothies from across town. This shows him embracing her cultural background, which is a great example of how to interact with different cultures.
5. Peter K stands up for Lara Jean when he realizes he was wrong
Peter was delayed in defending Lara Jean, but once Chrissy tells him to do something, he immediately sets the record straight. Meanwhile, it took Noah a while to come back to show Elle he was sorry for his altercation with Lee.
6. He isn’t physically aggressive to Josh
They have a small fight over Lara Jean, but at no point does Peter K threaten Josh. Meanwhile, Noah is known for starting fights, and hurts Lee when they are fighting about Elle. It is also implied that Elle is the only one who can help him, which should not be one person's responsibility.
7. The Covey family loves him
We see that Kitty obviously loves Peter K between the rides to school and the movie nights. And even Lara Jean's dad encourages her to forgive him. But Elle's dad is suspicious of Noah throughout the movie, even though they are close family friends. Trust your family's opinion of someone—they are looking out for your best interest.
8. He positively challenges Lara Jean
Peter brings Lara Jean to a party and makes sure she tries out something new. He then takes her to a diner—somewhere she is comfortable—after so she isn't too overwhelmed.
Noah wants Elle to stop embarrassing herself, but this instead challenges her and she embarrasses herself more. Watching the scene in the locker room is borderline cringe-worthy, and Elle only acted like that because Noah didn't want her to.
Noah tries to hold her back making a negative challenge; Peter wants Lara Jean to have a richer social life which is a positive challenge.
9. Peter K doesn’t have an ego
Noah makes its very apparent that he has a reputation to protect. But at the end of To All The Boys, Peter shows that he's not as confident as he seems, and is very vulnerable. This is much more realistic and a better representation of guys for Peter.
Bottom line: hold yourself to the Peter K standard. Noah's problematic behavior is romanticized in The Kissing Booth, which makes it hard to see how his behavior could affect other. This is all really important to notice for the younger viewers.
Younger viewers should want a Peter K who will do all these things and--most importantly--be as respectful as he is. Respectful Peter > Problematic Noah
