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Too Many Missing the Point: Amazing Visual Storytelling
I've noticed a trend in a lot of reviews of shows that feature extended/more graphic NC scenes: bash the show as soft core p*rn. This is incredibly unfair for many of the shows who choose to include graphic NC scenes and screams laziness or puritanical judgement on the part of far too many viewers.
Sex is a powerful weapon/equalizer in storytelling. "Twisted Tie" uses sex as a narrative tool to mark shifting interpersonal dynamics, power imbalances brought into equal balance, and character growth. Sex is the vehicle through which conflict is resolved, redemption is earned, and power shifts. To say that this is a drama without a story that only offers NC scenes truly means the viewer has missed the entire thematic statement of the piece: because all they saw was simulated sex and not damn good visual storytelling.
The series does a truly sublime job of giving us a glimpse into a relationship that started with a power imbalance and takes us on the journey of how that power imbalance is rectified: and how the character most secure in his lofty position of power (Kang Do Jin) is brought to his emotional and psychological knees.
The choreography of the most talked about NC scene is an example of the visual storytelling to which I am referring. With Kang Do Jin on his back, Lee Seon U on top of him, and the creepy client behind Lee Seon U, Kang Do Jin is forced to watch the consequences of his choices in an immediate and urgent way. He's not sulking in a room imagining what is going on with the client and his precious lover, but he has a front seat to it, with the creepy client partaking of Lee Seon U in a way that Kang Do Jin has never done. I can imagine that moment became emotional torture for Kang Do Jin for years, even after Lee Seon U and he had their "fresh start." And the beauty of Lee Seon U's choice to enthusiastically partake for his own selfish reasons, to comfort Kang Do Jin during this difficult reckoning, made this a shared experience that ultimately bonded them very deeply. Lee Seon U was forcing Kang Do Jin to not only see the value in their relationship, but Lee Seon U was attesting that he would stay by Kang Do U's side, even when he might not deserve it. You don't come back from a lesson like that without beautiful scars. Lee Seon U knew it and in my opinion, is part of the reason why Lee Seon U ultimately found that evening so psychologically, emotionally, and physically pleasurable. It is how Lee Seon U shifted the power imbalance. I truly don't think any other visual storytelling beat could have captured this with such ferocity and immediacy. The resolution of conflict is brought to immediate realization for the viewer in the very next scene. While in a meeting, Lee Seon U steps in and takes over presenting to a client, and Kang Do Jin not only lets him (that would simply signify guilt) but enjoys watching is lover "close the deal"- he is proud of the power his lover has wrested for himself. The character growth this shows, again, is visual storytelling at its best.
Where the series falters is not showing the immediate emotional aftermath of the lesson Kang Do Jin is offered. Without spoiling much, I thought the way the writer's dealt with Lee Seon U's final say on the matter was ingenious. His reaction begs the question, "When exactly did the power imbalance shift? In the ill-fated hotel room or slightly before that night? The answer to those questions really adds far more dimension to the Lee Seon U's character. These questions really warranted another episode. I would have relished the opportunity to see that night from Lee Seon U's perspective in an additional episode. Seeing that very important scene from both perspectives and then an immediate confrontation/reckoning between the two men would have made for an emotionally satisfying episode. It also would have made the themes of the piece far more evident. The writer's opened themes (power, vulnerability, pleasure, the lengths we will go for someone we really love, work pressure/societal pressure for constant upward success) but barely explored them before tacking on a slapdash closing to those themes.
I would have rated this higher had any of the above been shown. I've said this before and I'll say it again. For every ten BLs that spoon feed you every beat, there is one gem of a BL that requires more active participation on the part of the viewer in order to understand the depth of the story being told. "Twisted Tie" is that one gem, even if the execution, ironically, is imbalanced.
Sex is a powerful weapon/equalizer in storytelling. "Twisted Tie" uses sex as a narrative tool to mark shifting interpersonal dynamics, power imbalances brought into equal balance, and character growth. Sex is the vehicle through which conflict is resolved, redemption is earned, and power shifts. To say that this is a drama without a story that only offers NC scenes truly means the viewer has missed the entire thematic statement of the piece: because all they saw was simulated sex and not damn good visual storytelling.
The series does a truly sublime job of giving us a glimpse into a relationship that started with a power imbalance and takes us on the journey of how that power imbalance is rectified: and how the character most secure in his lofty position of power (Kang Do Jin) is brought to his emotional and psychological knees.
The choreography of the most talked about NC scene is an example of the visual storytelling to which I am referring. With Kang Do Jin on his back, Lee Seon U on top of him, and the creepy client behind Lee Seon U, Kang Do Jin is forced to watch the consequences of his choices in an immediate and urgent way. He's not sulking in a room imagining what is going on with the client and his precious lover, but he has a front seat to it, with the creepy client partaking of Lee Seon U in a way that Kang Do Jin has never done. I can imagine that moment became emotional torture for Kang Do Jin for years, even after Lee Seon U and he had their "fresh start." And the beauty of Lee Seon U's choice to enthusiastically partake for his own selfish reasons, to comfort Kang Do Jin during this difficult reckoning, made this a shared experience that ultimately bonded them very deeply. Lee Seon U was forcing Kang Do Jin to not only see the value in their relationship, but Lee Seon U was attesting that he would stay by Kang Do U's side, even when he might not deserve it. You don't come back from a lesson like that without beautiful scars. Lee Seon U knew it and in my opinion, is part of the reason why Lee Seon U ultimately found that evening so psychologically, emotionally, and physically pleasurable. It is how Lee Seon U shifted the power imbalance. I truly don't think any other visual storytelling beat could have captured this with such ferocity and immediacy. The resolution of conflict is brought to immediate realization for the viewer in the very next scene. While in a meeting, Lee Seon U steps in and takes over presenting to a client, and Kang Do Jin not only lets him (that would simply signify guilt) but enjoys watching is lover "close the deal"- he is proud of the power his lover has wrested for himself. The character growth this shows, again, is visual storytelling at its best.
Where the series falters is not showing the immediate emotional aftermath of the lesson Kang Do Jin is offered. Without spoiling much, I thought the way the writer's dealt with Lee Seon U's final say on the matter was ingenious. His reaction begs the question, "When exactly did the power imbalance shift? In the ill-fated hotel room or slightly before that night? The answer to those questions really adds far more dimension to the Lee Seon U's character. These questions really warranted another episode. I would have relished the opportunity to see that night from Lee Seon U's perspective in an additional episode. Seeing that very important scene from both perspectives and then an immediate confrontation/reckoning between the two men would have made for an emotionally satisfying episode. It also would have made the themes of the piece far more evident. The writer's opened themes (power, vulnerability, pleasure, the lengths we will go for someone we really love, work pressure/societal pressure for constant upward success) but barely explored them before tacking on a slapdash closing to those themes.
I would have rated this higher had any of the above been shown. I've said this before and I'll say it again. For every ten BLs that spoon feed you every beat, there is one gem of a BL that requires more active participation on the part of the viewer in order to understand the depth of the story being told. "Twisted Tie" is that one gem, even if the execution, ironically, is imbalanced.
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