Taylor Swift's End Of An Era Docuseries: The 12 Biggest Takeaways From The Two-Episode Premiere — Plus, Grade It!

Just when you thought Taylor Swift's Eras Tour was over, another one begins: I'm talking about her Disney+ docuseries era, of course. 

The first two episodes of Swift's latest docuseries, officially titled "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour – The End of an Era," landed on Disney+ on Friday, and it's time to recap all the biggest revelations. 

Yes, there's so much we already know about the beloved pop icon, but what if I told you the docuseries provides even more insight into the world's most popular childless cat lady? From watching Swift hand-write notes to every member of her crew, to hearing her pet name for fiancé Travis Kelce, I'm rounding up the premiere's top 12 moments I simply can't stop thinking about. 

Once you scroll through my not-at-all-definitive list, head to the comments to share your own thoughts on the two-episode premiere of Swift's "End of an Era" docuseries. 

Stars, they're just like us!

Though Kelce doesn't make a physical appearance in the first two episodes, his presence is certainly felt. Swift is seen calling her now-fiancé on the phone ahead of a performance. Kelce tells the pop star he wishes he could be there to watch her show, but that he'd be scouring the internet for clips of all he misses once the performance concludes.

There is something kind of funny about imagining the most famous boyfriend in the world scrolling TikTok furiously trying to catch a glimpse of the surprise songs — sung by his then-girlfriend — just like all the other Swifties in the world. 

But the bigger revelation about their relationship comes when we hear our favorite English teacher call her lover "baby." Of course, they've always seemed like a "baby" couple, but now we have hard proof. 

Among all the behind-the-scenes interactions, Swift is caught singing, unstripped, in the backseat of a car and later in the stadium wings with collaborator Ed Sheeran. If you take away one thing from this docuseries, it must be this: Swift's evolution isn't only measured in eras and albums, it's also marked by the obvious improvement of her vocals. She was on-key, harmonizing, and riffing like any good Elphaba would. (OK, that may be an exaggeration, but still!) The woman is a much stronger vocalist than she was in her earlier eras, and it is a delight to hear!

After the Southport knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class that left children dead, Swift appears devastated by the news. During a confessional-style interview for the series, she becomes emotional while discussing the matter. 

She shares that she plans to meet with the families later that day, but vows to "be smiley." She says the emotional response needs to get out of the way before the show, so she can "lock it off" so that the grieving families and other fans don't have to worry about the wellbeing of Swift herself.

"It's like you're a pilot flying the plane," she explains. "And if you were like, 'There's turbulence up ahead. I don't know if we're actually gonna land in Dallas. I'm gonna try really hard, but I don't know if I actually can figure out how to land through this turbulence.' Everyone on the plane is going to freak out." Instead, Swift says she needs to take charge of her Eras Tour and keep her attendees comfortable and calm at all times. 

She also shares that worrying about what could happen to her fans is "a new challenge," and is seen feeling anxious about performing after the tragedy. She breaks down after meeting with the families of the victims, but goes on to do what she has promised: She wipes her tears and takes the stage to land that plane. 

To help ease her anxieties, Swift is seen laying down listening to "The God of the Woods" by Liz Moore as it plays from her phone's speaker. She says this is her way of trying to calm down after "having a very physical reaction" to nerves. 

Despite its glittery facade, Swift's Eras Tour was harder on the pop icon than she may have previously let on. During a conversation with Sheeran, Swift describes needing to take her upcoming two-month break "more than I've ever needed." She tells her friend that she plans to go somewhere "no one can find me." 

"I just don't wanna be tracked like an animal," she continues. "I just have felt very hunted lately."

Sheeran says he thinks people may have forgotten that Swift is still a human being amid all her superstardom, and she "one hundred percent" agrees. 

Is anyone else surprised that the pop icon travels back to her hotel after a long show still in costume? Perhaps this isn't the case every night, but at the end of Episode 1, Swift is seen getting into the back of her car, still fully dressed in her "Midnights" sparkly onesie. Even more shocking, the singer arrives at her temporary home, draws a bath, and begins wiping away her concert makeup still dressed in that onesie! 

As a girl who begins stripping away her outside clothes the moment she steps foot into her apartment, this is a shocking revelation. This tiny insight into Swift only adds further proof that this woman cannot be human. She doesn't get bogged down by an itchy bodysuit, nor do her shoulders get dented and red from too-small straps digging into her frame. No, Swift is a superstar and superstars aren't tainted by the wardrobe deficiencies of us mere mortals. 

Swift says that adding "The Tortured Poets Department" to the setlist required building a top-secret rehearsal facility, and they prepared the entire section of the show during a "tiny break" during the tour. As if that wasn't challenging enough, the dancers had to learn all the choreography in silence; Swift couldn't risk playing the songs over loudspeakers since they had not yet been released. In case you needed more proof that Swift's backup dancers are the best in the game, you've got it!

And if you were wondering how Swift and her band continuously pulled off surprise songs — with only a few occasional lyrical mistakes! — the docuseries provides some insight. Like their preparation for adding "The Tortured Poets Department," the band and dancers rehearsed the weekly tour additions as quietly as possible ahead of showtime. The stadiums were often roofless outdoor structures, which were already surrounded by swarms of fans hours before the show even began, meaning the band had to practice at the lowest possible volume so as not to tip off those vigilant Swifties. 

If "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" ever comes on, and you find yourself perfectly stomping to the beat, raising your finger gun in time with the lyrics, and dramatically crumpling at the emotional weight of such a small man's misdeeds, you have Emma Stone to thank. The docuseries sees Taylor Swift's choereographer Mandy Moore explain how the two started collaborating together, and credits the "La La Land" actress with the introduction. Thanks, Emma!

Though she's engaged to Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, Swift hasn't totally ditched her love of the Eagles. In both Episode 1 and 2 of the docuseries, the pop icon is seen wearing a Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt during rehearsals. Though Swift has long been an Eagles fan, having grown up in Western Pennsylvania, we haven't seen her sporting much of the merch now that she's supporting her Chiefs-playing fiancé. Could these moments have happened before Swift's relationship with Kelce kicked off? Perhaps. But as meticulous as the singer is, she decided to include this look in the docuseries, meaning she's not completely left her Eagles era behind her. 

The docuseries even devotes some time to Kameron Saunders' story, the backup dancer whose time on the Eras Tour catapulted him into social media stardom. Saunders recounts his early years as a dancer, sharing how teachers discounted his talent because of his size. He introduces us to his mother and his brother, an NFL football player, to whom he credits his success. 

Swift validates Saunders' experience, telling viewers that it's common for choreographers to come in with a specific vision for what the dancers might look like, and that uniformity is often desired. She, however, envisioned something else: The singer wanted her fans to look up on the stage and see themselves represented by the performers.

We knew that Swift handed out bonuses to every member of her crew during the Eras Tour, including the truck drivers, because it was widely reported at the time. The docuseries, however, documents the pop icon hand-writing notes to accompany her financial gifts. And because the woman is detail-oriented, each note is tucked into an envelope, and finished with a wax seal. Though the docuseries contains plenty of emotional moments, this moment in Episode 2 did inexplicably bring me tears. (I'm in my crying era!) It offers a glimpse at Swift's generosity and spirit of gratitude that can sometimes be forgotten when thinking of her as the biggest pop titan of our time. 

Now it's your turn: What were the biggest, best, most surprising moments from the first two episodes of "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour – The End of an Era"? Grade the premiere in the poll below, then sound off in the comments!