The ones I want to go back and watch are Ellie and Danny!!!! And Ellie and Timmy!For me, the highlights of the pairs event were Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe's free skate, and their SP. I don't think all pairs need to have a romantic focus, and I don't necessarily think Emily and Spencer do, every time. But they ARE focused on giving performances that reach out and touch audiences, and connect with their music and audiences (live and video) on an emotional level. Every time they skate, one or both of them speaks of the importance of giving viewers something on a heart to heart level.
I remember something Alexa said in an interview, that one motivator for her for skating this year was to find out what being World Champions would do for their confidence level. I really hope she eventually tells us. To me, watching them, it's been a boost to their confidence and also added pressure. I wish they weren't overscored so much, but it's nothing that doesn't happen in pretty much every federation. It's a reminder that everything in figure skating is subjective, including how the technique is scored. It bothers me when there's positive GOE on throw jumps when Alexa puts a hand down; but I know that it's because their throws score so high on the other qualities of the element. It's just another thing that puts a distance between regular audiences' enjoyment of events and the results, which can be confusing or downright off-putting, and seem unfair, if not intentionally so.
I always look at my own behavior afterwards: Chan and Howe'sskates were the ones I went back to view again and again. They just make me happy.
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My quote function isn't working at the moment, but I liked the quote in the article from Chan.