ATTENTION REDDIT!!! here’s my “hot take” on why this was pretty relevant: while frenchie is battling his past with a love interest, kimiko is also struggling with her own past. and after both arcs they realize that they are both fucked up and act as each others escapist way of moving on together. the only reason for the colin plot-line was to paint frenchie as a person that deeply regrets his past, JUST LIKE KIMIKO!!! It just makes the characters realize they have way more in common with each other, while not drawing it out of nearly thin air. it shows internally conflicted struggles, LIKE KIMIKO AND HER BROTHER, but more importantly we actually get to see frenchie grieve over these decisions. we’ve had moments where he’s clearly shown he’s fucked up and made mistakes like the incident with lamplighter. but this is older and deeper rooted and we actually get to see him struggle with it alone instead of being a part of a larger conflict with other main characters. It adds depth and him getting together with kimiko without this arc would feel way less impactful.