I just love the moment when Pete tells Vegas that he’s got nothing left, not even his humanity. You can see the shift in Vegas’ change in expression, when the realisation hits him, and how it quickly overwhelms him. I also like how Pete continues on to describe his psychological state, step by step, and how it’s almost like Vegas, the abuser in this context, is let in on the mental state of his victim (Pete), to the point where he can barely even listen. Vegas even attempts to stop him, but in vain, as Pete’s words continue to flow freely, coming out of him - because he can’t retain it within him anymore - and how this is expressed visually with Pete’s presence seemingly dominating and making Vegas withdraw in the scene.
I can see what you mean by liking the pain of TMS2, it had that element of realness to it that isn’t always present within the romance genre, in that sense it’s very refreshing but then also harder to absorb it, there’s something pleasurable about that too on the other hand.
Exactly for second seasons. Truth be told I STILL haven’t watched I promised you the moon, I’ve been spoiled of everything and yet I’m still hesitating lol. One day in five years or so I’ll have watched it smh. And yep, they changed the actors for the second season, which was fine to me at first because the new actor plays a new character but then the plot line was so messy and not even a bl really in the end because the ML obviously couldn’t reciprocate the feelings of the other character. So that kind of ruined the story as a whole.
Nooo, to think that we can only reminisce about Kinnporsche in the upcoming days, weeks and months or even years until a second seaso comes out. That’s going to be tough esp as my expectations for BLs but also romance series in general are getting higher by the day, it’s going to be hard to find others that I will thoroughly enjoy throughout. I relate to what you said about the individual episodes, it’s funny to see that we had a similar reaction to the same ones at that. Nice
Thoughts on VegasPete EP13: (initially just wrote this for myself but then I wanted to share so here it is)
I was thinking of the parallel of the first scene where vegas looks like he’s about to kill Pete and Pete seems joyous vs when Vegas threatens to kill him again ‘for real this time’ (to me he was just trying to scare him tho) but this time, whilst Pete does not back down from possibly dying, he is full of sorrow. Back then (ep 11), Pete thought that if he died in the hands of Vegas, loyal to the main family, and not giving in to Vegas, he would die victorious and purposeful as if he didn’t let himself succum to Vegas’ torture = possibly a symbol of corruption/deceit/immorality,. Which Pete thus wins against or escapes from (this inner wish perhaps to still be ‘good’, he has said that he thinks there are no heroes or villains in this world but I feel that he still innately wishes he could be seen as a force of goodness, of heroism). Pete is a character that’s very conscious of the mechanisms of the world, and is very self-aware otherwise. That’s also what allows him to empathize with Vegas in comparison to how I’d imagine Porsche dealing with Vegas – Porsche is empathetic but he’s not cynical like Kim/Vegas nor is he that knowledgeable/introspective in the way Pete is. He probably sees the world a little more black and white, which is why he initially associates the mafia to ‘bad acts’ like kidnapping and killing innocent people whilst also assuming that people wouldn’t go out of their way to bring harm to him unless he had done something to them (like in ep 5 after Vegas nearly raped him, the next morning he asks Kinn why anyone would come after him like that when he’s done nothing to them -> he’s more naive and thinks more simply).
Pete is different : highly emotionally intelligent and perceptive. He knows why Vegas is the way he is and can detect the intentions (whether conscious or subconscious) behind his actions, Pete himself mentions how he feels that Vegas is only using him as emotional projection rather that as a person, or a romantic partner (in love, people must respect each other as equals or else it isn’t love but falls into other categories like attachment, obsession, and so on…). Pete is developping romantic feelings for Vegas but, seeing that Vegas chained him again after the sex scene, he feels that he’s reverted back into a pet, an empty body that’s used as a venting machine. Again, he says this himself in the last episode when he angrily points at the handcuff on his wrist (“then what is this ?!”) and then when he literally mentions that he’s ‘human’ and ‘has feelings’. Perhaps, all along, Pete was trying to humanise Vegas, and to him, the sex scene (when he was also unchained, and therefore, a free being) was a sign of growth. That it was a sign of a mutual feeling of respect toward one another that made Pete feel accomplished, as though he was able to finally have a purpose : be someone of importance to someone else (even if platonically as I dont believe that it was romantic even during or after the sex scene), but also helping someone, genuinely. However, with the handcuff back on his wrist, and seeing Vegas not only brush off Pete’s words of concern but also going back to his violent ways, it’s no wonder that it was Pete’s breaking point. Whilst he was trying to humanise Vegas, Vegas was still dehumanising him. And then, whilst Pete had lost his sense of decency/dignity, his virginity (symbolic of innocence), his ability to get Vegas to open up to be able to comfort him, and even his humanity, he felt like he had nothing left.
Whilst captured, Pete’s purpose (and perhaps, in the end, the reason why he decided to stay) shifted to being there for Vegas in one way or another because he felt that Vegas needed him. Truly needed him, sincerely, as a person he could rely on and mutually share vulnerabilities with. That is why Pete had stayed, but Vegas’ ‘relapse’ into violence (which he had abstained from before the sex scene, at the time, a sign of potential, of change and evolution), crushed everything. His resurfaced violence only meant this to Pete : Vegas doesn’t need him, and never has, and if Pete stays by Vegas’ side, he will gradually lose all sense of self, and not have any significance. Because if Pete isn’t seen as an individual, a person, a human, by Vegas, then Pete is just a tool, like the many Vegas has in his room. He’s just replaceable. With this realisation, Pete’s purpose, to ‘save’ Vegas (which to me, is also equivalent at that point in time, to Pete ‘saving’ himself, as in an abstract sense, like his inner child) is gone.
It’s also why, when Vegas points a knife to Pete’s neck, threatening to kill him, Pete encourages it like he did previously, but this time around, he expresses deep sadness both when Vegas holds the knife and when he himself does. Even Vegas is taken aback by this, interpreting this initially as Pete acting to receive pity and to avoid being killed, but when Pete takes the knife from him to the point of making his hand bleed and being on the verge of slicing his own throat with it, Vegas quickly realises that he is being dead serious. However, now, dying doesn’t provide Pete any relief nor satisfaction. Pete is on the verge of crying, not laughing, because dying is desirable, yes, but now it’s painful, because he’s dying without a cause, without meaning. Pete only wants to die because he can’t bear to live, not because there is any purpose to his death. Pete’s choice to live and escape, to me, shows that, despite everything, he still has a slim hope to have some kind of usefulness to someone as a person In this case, going back to serve Tankhun as a bodyguard (even if, as a bodyguard, he is still a tool, at least he is treated as an individual with feelings by the others, like Tankhun and Porsche). That’s Pete’s only remaining purpose in his eyes. It’s that refusal to die without worth that leads him to the decision, even at the expense of Vegas’ wellbeing and his own feelings.
Pete is currently wallowing in a state of distress, of inner confusion, and is overwhelmed because his heart is messing with his head. It’s like he feels betrayed by Vegas in a way, for using something as intimate as sex as a form of venting (so Pete being used like an object) rather than what Pete may have previously imagined, that they were having sex as equals who find comfort in each other, which was then trampled on with the reappearance of the handcuf. The chains assert the opposite of everything he had fought against: they represent a power dynamic, a power imbalance at play between them. That Pete is a possession. With this in mind, we can think of this shift as Pete associating Vegas to a source that will corrupt him and turn him into nothingness, his deepest fear. Even when he is back with the main family, Pete is in turmoil because of the clash between his values that determine his essence (the need for fulfilment) and his positive emotions toward Vegas.
If we look at it from that perspective, that Pete sees Vegas’ act (putting the handcuff back on him) as a betrayal, it may also explain Pete’s rage toward him in the later scene when they meet again in Yok’s bar. I don’t believe he would have acted this way had he left back when the hedgehog died. He would have been vigilant of course, but not so angry to the point of possibly shooting Vegas and breaking down in front of him. I think that, perhaps, the sex scene is symbolic of Pete giving his all to Vegas : his trust, his vulnerabilities, his courage and fears, his ‘freakishness’, his (naked) true self. Especially because Pete assimilates kissing in particular (and physical intimacy) to love. So Vegas’ actions post-sex is not only a betrayal but an insult to Pete’s existence which he laid bare to Vegas willingly, and with expectation that he would be accepted as he is (just like how he would in turn embrace Vegas as he is). Yet the handcuff is a cruel rejection of Pete, a rejection of his authentic self. Vegas realises this through Pete’s words and actions, but it’s already too late. The deed is already done. Nevertheless, their reunion tells me that Vegas does want to see and accept Pete for who he is, and as an equal, not as some obsession or fleeting infatuation, as Vegas only apologises to Pete without pleading him not forcing him to come back. He leaves by himself, and now there’s no certain direction in which their relationship could really go, it’s all out in the open, in theory. As I mentioned, I think that Pete has great awareness about these things, so I don’t think that he’s misjudged Vegas either, I think that he definitely senses Vegas’ potential and sincerity, which is also why he gives in to him and hugs him to soothe the overwhelming despair that’s overtaken him.
But he’s conflicted. Pete may be afraid of being stuck in a loop where it appears that Vegas treats him humanely and then before long, he’s back to his old ‘habits’: his brutality. Perhaps he’s afraid of having to re-experience time and time again a loss of purpose, perhaps, it’s the uncertainty of not knowing for sure if he truly means something to Vegas. Maybe it’s because Pete’s desire to be good collides with his love for Vegas, that to love from a root of ‘evil’, of abuse, is utterly wrong and demented, which would explain his need to run away. All of these make up the reasons for Pete’s behaviour in my view. If Vegas is willing to change and shows proof of that, perhaps Pete would be able to give him a chance and love him whole-heartedly, but at the moment, he’s been stung by him. Stung so bad he can barely hold himself together. His heart is aching to an extreme, I love how it’s shown through teh characters’ whole body and facial expressions, how it seems like he is struggling to even breathe. It goes to show how much it is affecting him.
At this point, I think we may (maybe) run the risk of Vegas trading his life away for Pete’s forgiveness, a way to truthfully redeem himself to him, but that would kill off their love too soon (it’s still premature, and it is also why Pete is struggling with it so much). It’s interesting to me that Vegas could also tell that Pete was so on edge because of his growing feelings (‘and you know why…’, he says, referring to Pete not being able to shoot him because he loves him). Yet these feelings aren’t named, they’re mentioned indirectly, as though, both of them were new to the concept, confused by it, and only beginning to acknowledge it. Vegas has already become aware of his own emotions and is aware that that’s what’s going on with Pete too. This awareness that Vegas has of others has previously been used as a manipulation technique on others, but here he’s using it to express his sincerity toward Pete and also himself. I want to see more of Vegas’ intellectual gentleness coupled with his ability to empathise whilst also retaining what makes him who he is.
K, I’ll stop here haha. I rambled a lot, and maybe what I said was obvious enough but I felt like expressing it here. I hope this was interesting nonetheless :). Thank you to anyone who read this far <3
Your pov always a nice read!!! 💝 It made me feel the pain in ep 13 again. I loved that they chose this route,…
That’s right, yeah, I haven’t read the novel so my predictions could be so off xD (then again they have been changing things up so who knows lol)
I’m hoping you’re right then haha, I mean, you’d assume there would be some closure given we’ve seen his father slapping Vegas around this season. Surely it wouldn’t continue in the second unless Vegas himself dies, but again, unlikely.
That could very well be the case yes (for Kim). I think the mystery might also be something that will disappoint Kim, especially as his father is aware afterall of his investigation (which tells me that whilst he is hiding something, it may not be as shocking as we think, or at least, whatever Kim may think it to be).Mr Korn himself hasn’t been shown to be malicious at all during the entirety of the series, which is interesting. To me, this indicates that whilst Mr.Korn is definitely not innocent, I don’t think he is so awful as to merit dying in Porsche’s hands. i think the father may be more like Kim himself in the end, calculating but not ill-intentioned either.
Neat xD I did actually appreciate that the second season was dedicated to unraveling Jiwoo’s insecurities and unpacking the fears that both MLs had that had caused the relationship to fall apart. I tend to be a suspicious about this trope usually because it can sometimes be about unnecessary drama that didn’t need to be there. On example being Color Rush Season 2. But with TMS, we had already seen hints of Jiwoo’ personality that indicated that he was prone to such insecurities and behaviour, and I still remember wishing back then that they would have explored him a bit more, so the second season was timely :)
I had the same reaction for episode 13 actually. I think that’s happened to me a couple of times now with kinnporsche. The first time was with episode 5, seeing the happy-go-lucky- Porsche shift to a lifeless, traumatised shell for a while, showing his aloneness as he couldn’t rely on anyone emotionally. That really had an effect on me. Then ep 7 with the breathtaking and cinematic sex scene between Kinn and Porsche which was emblematic of the pain and desire that at that point made up their relationship. Finally ep 12 and 13 both had quite a hold on me because of how they nailed the heavy scenes between VegasPete.
Nice haha, what would you rate kinnporsche actually? im curious And for TMS2 I did tear up during in the final episode when Jiwoo asked Seo Joon to hug him as it was nice to see him make the effort this time around to reach him (and damn dehydration ehfjfjwh, that’s me with vegaspete ngl)
Your pov always a nice read!!! 💝 It made me feel the pain in ep 13 again. I loved that they chose this route,…
Ouh nice, I’d be interested in reading your review once the series ends then, it’s going to be hard to wait for the second season, especially knowing how long it could take. We’ll have to be patient T.T.
I also think something could possibly happen to Vegas but knowing that there is a second season reassures me as I doubt they would kill Vegas so soon after building up Vegas and Pete’s characters and their relationship, so let’s hope for the best. Yok getting killed wouldn’t be so awkward to the narrative actually as I feel that at least one or two will die in the big battle that’s about to occur. The thought just came to mind but, what if Vegas’ dad dies?? If Vegas does betray his father or even ends up killing him (as people are theorising the former), then the father’s death would actually be perfect to symbolise Vegas’ change as an individual. I would rather not have Mr. Korn die tho, I feel that especially if Kim takes over as leader, that it would still be too soon. However, Vegas’ father dying would in fact work very well. What’s nice about it, is that it makes for a bittersweet but satisfying outcome for the audience. We would empathise with Vegas possibly grieving as his father died after all but his death would , mean that he can start a new chapter of his life where he is no longer shackled by his father’s authority and abuse. Also, hopefully that would mean that all of the main characters would be safe but without making the end seem to unrealistic/cheesy for a mafia story. About the mystery Kim is investigating, I feel like it could be just about Porsche’s relation to the family to leadership/inheritance. I am curious though as to why Kim is so invested in this matter at all, considering he doesn’t necessarily want to take Kinn’s place. Maybe it’s just about sensing that his father has a secret and that he feels that he has a responsability to uncover it as a défense mechanism? It could be his way of protecting the family. That or he has always found it suspicious that Kinn is the one who was put in charge instead of Tankhun, we’ve seen that Tankhun is smart afterall. Maybe Tankhun’s kidnapping is somehow linked to the Porsche incident? Idk
And yess for VP I’m more than excited to seeing it all go down, especially as I would say that Pete is my favourite character in the series. I identify with him a lot and truth be told, I dont think I’ve seen a character like him in a long time, one that reminds me so much of myself or how I process things, someone I wish to be like even :)
Ps: hoping the ep will be at least 1h30, fingers crossed, and yes time flies by so fastt
Your pov always a nice read!!! 💝 It made me feel the pain in ep 13 again. I loved that they chose this route,…
Thank you, my love<3 I enjoyed the episode very much in fact but im a bit nervous about what’s about to happen in the last episode since we’ve got little time left. It seems a bit inevitable that they’ll end the episode on a cliffhanger (unless they quickly try to wrap things up but it might feel rushed in that case), but I wonder what type of cliffhanger it would be. I feel like they could, within the episode, make kimchay forgive each other and even get back together as they’re the couple that needs the least amount of screen time for that. In fact, based on Jeff Satur’s Why Don’t You Stay MV, then it’s very likely to occur (as we saw Kim in Yok’s bar). It’s most probable that Kim will find Chay staying with Yok, and because the bar is more secluded from the apparent battlefield that will happen in the main house, they may have some time to sit down and discuss their feelings and opinions openly. The issue is that we did also see a shot in the MV of Kim smoking(?) near a staircase that’s likely to also be at Yok’s bar, so unless that’s before he meets Chay there, it might mean that Kim failed to reach him again. However, given the pace of the series that might be redundant for the plot so I still think that the two will get to have a heart to heart conversation that will mend their relationship.
As for Kinn and Porsche, I believe that we will easily get to see them back together, or at the very least, we’ll know that they still love and trust each other. They’ve reached a point in their relationship when even if Porsche pulls things like this (running away, finding things behind Kinn’s back), there is still a silent understanding that they do care and promise not to harm the other. I sense that from how Porsche listened and stayed by Kinn’s side even when it was first revealed to him that his parents’ death was covered up by Mr.Korn and even when he found out that Kinn had manipulated him into becoming his bodyguard. There’s also the note that he left Kinn before leaving, stating that he loves Kinn even at that point (when his departure could easily be considered a symbol of rupture in the relationship, or in the mafia world, treason). I just think that Kinn will still need that verbal confirmation from Porsche as we saw in the trailer: “I’m on your side” because now Porsche is indeed threatening Kinn’s dad’s life with a gun, literally.
Then the cliffhanger could easily be about VegasPete. I initially thought that maybe the séries would end on a mysterious cliffhanger about the parents, but that’s already being answered and most likely going to be resolved in episode 14. I also thought that maybe we’d get to see more of VegasPete interacting before Pete left and that perhaps the last episode would show us Pete leaving and the VegasPete arc in season 1 would end with the scene of Vegas apologising to Pete. However, all of that happened already in the 13th episode - and I’m really glad about that , actually, because I’d like their romance to actually take off in the outside world where the two of them have definite free will, so that their love doesn’t risk passing off as Stockholm syndrome. And so that their romantic relationship itself would develop healthily despite how they started out. Issue is that it seems too good to be true for all three couples to end on a happy note in the first season. I mean, the second season risks being dull otherwise.
Plus. VegasPete are just at the beginning of their love, it has not fully matured yet, in fact, depending on how you see it one could say that it hasn’t even begun (we’re at the pre-stages) because they need to rebuild their foundation, restart again as Vegas proposed (just not in the conditions he was suggesting, wherein he has power over Pete). So given that the last episode will be longer as well, and that we did already see Pete and Vegas reunite quickly last ep, we’re sure to at least have some fulfilling interaction (and not just, oh I see you on the battlefield and I quickly try to get past you), unless the ‘longest episode’ just means that’ll be a couple minutes longer than the usual but now that would be cruel from BOC lol. Thankfully, because we have had them reunite previously, that means once they reunite once more they will (hopefully) get to settle things and find common ground. I think we will see them accept their feelings for each other (especially from Pete as I think that Vegas has already started to accept and has taken he first step to seek forgiveness, which was to see pete again and apologise). If that’s the case, I believe we will see that mutual acceptance in a more subtle way and that they’ll still be either physically separated by the end of the episode or then they will end the first season with mutual acceptance/love but that we won’t see them cozy up to each other immediately nor become a couple.
I guess we’ll just have to see. These last few episodes I’ve really been all about VegasPete and still am but I’m actually most looking forward to seeing Kim searching for Chay in Yok’s bar. And I think that’s because I’ve been hoping to see Kim express himself in a vulnerable way to Chay (which he will have to do for Chay to believe him and return to him, as we saw previously that simply going back to him physically or even helping him out - like in the warehouse -doesn’t move Chay, in that sense, Chay is definitely more stubborn that Porsche for real). So I’m most looking forward to seeing Kim desperateness (at the risk of sounding sadistic), given that he’s been good at keeping himself composed. Though even in the Chay-partying-scene, when Kim was much less composed, he gave himself away to anger which only distanced him from someone like Chay who needs a warm, and communicative approach (see how that works when Porsche talks to him directly, without deceit, and also comforts Chay in the process). So yeah, those are my thoughts for now :)
Thank you for often replying to my comments btw, that means a lot to me that you like my analyses ^^
This is the most unexpected crossover ever jdjhcdjc I watched I-land when it was airing and Geonu was one of my favourites, meanwhile I was already familiar with Mew through What The Duck and Tharntype, I never thought I’d see the day where they act together, and as romantic partners at that ?? lmao, it almost seems like a fever dream
The scene in which Vegas finds him must have been so difficult for him as Pete was still processing everything that had occurred, the trauma he'd gone through and the inner conflict growing inside of him. Pete is well aware of his feelings for Vegas yet knows he must push those feelings away as, morally speaking, if he doesnt refuse them at this stage, he knows he will completely lose himself. He could previously offer Vegas sympathy, and share more about himself in the form of a rival or friend, but romantic love is something else. Love is too much. This realisation is harsher for Pete as he knows full well that Vegas is still disturbingly abusive even if he understands that Vegas' abuse stems his own pain, that's it's because Vegas himself is hurt. Then again, Pete knows best that Vegas can disregard anyone at any moment, including him, but that even if Vegas keeps him around, it'd be as a mere pet or worse, an object of projection as he mentions. The realisation that the one person he shouldnt be feeling love for is also a person who doesn't see him nor treat him as human, to realise that you may be completely insifignificant to the one you love, just like how Pete felt around his father: useless, without worth. In the end, Pete and Vegas really are so similar.
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Exactly for second seasons. Truth be told I STILL haven’t watched I promised you the moon, I’ve been spoiled of everything and yet I’m still hesitating lol. One day in five years or so I’ll have watched it smh. And yep, they changed the actors for the second season, which was fine to me at first because the new actor plays a new character but then the plot line was so messy and not even a bl really in the end because the ML obviously couldn’t reciprocate the feelings of the other character. So that kind of ruined the story as a whole.
Nooo, to think that we can only reminisce about Kinnporsche in the upcoming days, weeks and months or even years until a second seaso comes out. That’s going to be tough esp as my expectations for BLs but also romance series in general are getting higher by the day, it’s going to be hard to find others that I will thoroughly enjoy throughout. I relate to what you said about the individual episodes, it’s funny to see that we had a similar reaction to the same ones at that. Nice
And same here ^^
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNDbdEcL/?k=1
What the characters are associated with vs what they ought to be more like
I was thinking of the parallel of the first scene where vegas looks like he’s about to kill Pete and Pete seems joyous vs when Vegas threatens to kill him again ‘for real this time’ (to me he was just trying to scare him tho) but this time, whilst Pete does not back down from possibly dying, he is full of sorrow. Back then (ep 11), Pete thought that if he died in the hands of Vegas, loyal to the main family, and not giving in to Vegas, he would die victorious and purposeful as if he didn’t let himself succum to Vegas’ torture = possibly a symbol of corruption/deceit/immorality,. Which Pete thus wins against or escapes from (this inner wish perhaps to still be ‘good’, he has said that he thinks there are no heroes or villains in this world but I feel that he still innately wishes he could be seen as a force of goodness, of heroism). Pete is a character that’s very conscious of the mechanisms of the world, and is very self-aware otherwise. That’s also what allows him to empathize with Vegas in comparison to how I’d imagine Porsche dealing with Vegas – Porsche is empathetic but he’s not cynical like Kim/Vegas nor is he that knowledgeable/introspective in the way Pete is. He probably sees the world a little more black and white, which is why he initially associates the mafia to ‘bad acts’ like kidnapping and killing innocent people whilst also assuming that people wouldn’t go out of their way to bring harm to him unless he had done something to them (like in ep 5 after Vegas nearly raped him, the next morning he asks Kinn why anyone would come after him like that when he’s done nothing to them -> he’s more naive and thinks more simply).
Pete is different : highly emotionally intelligent and perceptive. He knows why Vegas is the way he is and can detect the intentions (whether conscious or subconscious) behind his actions, Pete himself mentions how he feels that Vegas is only using him as emotional projection rather that as a person, or a romantic partner (in love, people must respect each other as equals or else it isn’t love but falls into other categories like attachment, obsession, and so on…). Pete is developping romantic feelings for Vegas but, seeing that Vegas chained him again after the sex scene, he feels that he’s reverted back into a pet, an empty body that’s used as a venting machine. Again, he says this himself in the last episode when he angrily points at the handcuff on his wrist (“then what is this ?!”) and then when he literally mentions that he’s ‘human’ and ‘has feelings’.
Perhaps, all along, Pete was trying to humanise Vegas, and to him, the sex scene (when he was also unchained, and therefore, a free being) was a sign of growth. That it was a sign of a mutual feeling of respect toward one another that made Pete feel accomplished, as though he was able to finally have a purpose : be someone of importance to someone else (even if platonically as I dont believe that it was romantic even during or after the sex scene), but also helping someone, genuinely. However, with the handcuff back on his wrist, and seeing Vegas not only brush off Pete’s words of concern but also going back to his violent ways, it’s no wonder that it was Pete’s breaking point. Whilst he was trying to humanise Vegas, Vegas was still dehumanising him. And then, whilst Pete had lost his sense of decency/dignity, his virginity (symbolic of innocence), his ability to get Vegas to open up to be able to comfort him, and even his humanity, he felt like he had nothing left.
Whilst captured, Pete’s purpose (and perhaps, in the end, the reason why he decided to stay) shifted to being there for Vegas in one way or another because he felt that Vegas needed him. Truly needed him, sincerely, as a person he could rely on and mutually share vulnerabilities with. That is why Pete had stayed, but Vegas’ ‘relapse’ into violence (which he had abstained from before the sex scene, at the time, a sign of potential, of change and evolution), crushed everything. His resurfaced violence only meant this to Pete : Vegas doesn’t need him, and never has, and if Pete stays by Vegas’ side, he will gradually lose all sense of self, and not have any significance. Because if Pete isn’t seen as an individual, a person, a human, by Vegas, then Pete is just a tool, like the many Vegas has in his room. He’s just replaceable. With this realisation, Pete’s purpose, to ‘save’ Vegas (which to me, is also equivalent at that point in time, to Pete ‘saving’ himself, as in an abstract sense, like his inner child) is gone.
It’s also why, when Vegas points a knife to Pete’s neck, threatening to kill him, Pete encourages it like he did previously, but this time around, he expresses deep sadness both when Vegas holds the knife and when he himself does. Even Vegas is taken aback by this, interpreting this initially as Pete acting to receive pity and to avoid being killed, but when Pete takes the knife from him to the point of making his hand bleed and being on the verge of slicing his own throat with it, Vegas quickly realises that he is being dead serious. However, now, dying doesn’t provide Pete any relief nor satisfaction. Pete is on the verge of crying, not laughing, because dying is desirable, yes, but now it’s painful, because he’s dying without a cause, without meaning. Pete only wants to die because he can’t bear to live, not because there is any purpose to his death.
Pete’s choice to live and escape, to me, shows that, despite everything, he still has a slim hope to have some kind of usefulness to someone as a person In this case, going back to serve Tankhun as a bodyguard (even if, as a bodyguard, he is still a tool, at least he is treated as an individual with feelings by the others, like Tankhun and Porsche). That’s Pete’s only remaining purpose in his eyes. It’s that refusal to die without worth that leads him to the decision, even at the expense of Vegas’ wellbeing and his own feelings.
Pete is currently wallowing in a state of distress, of inner confusion, and is overwhelmed because his heart is messing with his head. It’s like he feels betrayed by Vegas in a way, for using something as intimate as sex as a form of venting (so Pete being used like an object) rather than what Pete may have previously imagined, that they were having sex as equals who find comfort in each other, which was then trampled on with the reappearance of the handcuf. The chains assert the opposite of everything he had fought against: they represent a power dynamic, a power imbalance at play between them. That Pete is a possession. With this in mind, we can think of this shift as Pete associating Vegas to a source that will corrupt him and turn him into nothingness, his deepest fear. Even when he is back with the main family, Pete is in turmoil because of the clash between his values that determine his essence (the need for fulfilment) and his positive emotions toward Vegas.
If we look at it from that perspective, that Pete sees Vegas’ act (putting the handcuff back on him) as a betrayal, it may also explain Pete’s rage toward him in the later scene when they meet again in Yok’s bar. I don’t believe he would have acted this way had he left back when the hedgehog died. He would have been vigilant of course, but not so angry to the point of possibly shooting Vegas and breaking down in front of him. I think that, perhaps, the sex scene is symbolic of Pete giving his all to Vegas : his trust, his vulnerabilities, his courage and fears, his ‘freakishness’, his (naked) true self. Especially because Pete assimilates kissing in particular (and physical intimacy) to love. So Vegas’ actions post-sex is not only a betrayal but an insult to Pete’s existence which he laid bare to Vegas willingly, and with expectation that he would be accepted as he is (just like how he would in turn embrace Vegas as he is). Yet the handcuff is a cruel rejection of Pete, a rejection of his authentic self. Vegas realises this through Pete’s words and actions, but it’s already too late. The deed is already done.
Nevertheless, their reunion tells me that Vegas does want to see and accept Pete for who he is, and as an equal, not as some obsession or fleeting infatuation, as Vegas only apologises to Pete without pleading him not forcing him to come back. He leaves by himself, and now there’s no certain direction in which their relationship could really go, it’s all out in the open, in theory. As I mentioned, I think that Pete has great awareness about these things, so I don’t think that he’s misjudged Vegas either, I think that he definitely senses Vegas’ potential and sincerity, which is also why he gives in to him and hugs him to soothe the overwhelming despair that’s overtaken him.
But he’s conflicted. Pete may be afraid of being stuck in a loop where it appears that Vegas treats him humanely and then before long, he’s back to his old ‘habits’: his brutality. Perhaps he’s afraid of having to re-experience time and time again a loss of purpose, perhaps, it’s the uncertainty of not knowing for sure if he truly means something to Vegas. Maybe it’s because Pete’s desire to be good collides with his love for Vegas, that to love from a root of ‘evil’, of abuse, is utterly wrong and demented, which would explain his need to run away. All of these make up the reasons for Pete’s behaviour in my view. If Vegas is willing to change and shows proof of that, perhaps Pete would be able to give him a chance and love him whole-heartedly, but at the moment, he’s been stung by him. Stung so bad he can barely hold himself together. His heart is aching to an extreme, I love how it’s shown through teh characters’ whole body and facial expressions, how it seems like he is struggling to even breathe. It goes to show how much it is affecting him.
At this point, I think we may (maybe) run the risk of Vegas trading his life away for Pete’s forgiveness, a way to truthfully redeem himself to him, but that would kill off their love too soon (it’s still premature, and it is also why Pete is struggling with it so much). It’s interesting to me that Vegas could also tell that Pete was so on edge because of his growing feelings (‘and you know why…’, he says, referring to Pete not being able to shoot him because he loves him). Yet these feelings aren’t named, they’re mentioned indirectly, as though, both of them were new to the concept, confused by it, and only beginning to acknowledge it. Vegas has already become aware of his own emotions and is aware that that’s what’s going on with Pete too. This awareness that Vegas has of others has previously been used as a manipulation technique on others, but here he’s using it to express his sincerity toward Pete and also himself. I want to see more of Vegas’ intellectual gentleness coupled with his ability to empathise whilst also retaining what makes him who he is.
K, I’ll stop here haha. I rambled a lot, and maybe what I said was obvious enough but I felt like expressing it here. I hope this was interesting nonetheless :). Thank you to anyone who read this far <3
I’m hoping you’re right then haha, I mean, you’d assume there would be some closure given we’ve seen his father slapping Vegas around this season. Surely it wouldn’t continue in the second unless Vegas himself dies, but again, unlikely.
That could very well be the case yes (for Kim). I think the mystery might also be something that will disappoint Kim, especially as his father is aware afterall of his investigation (which tells me that whilst he is hiding something, it may not be as shocking as we think, or at least, whatever Kim may think it to be).Mr Korn himself hasn’t been shown to be malicious at all during the entirety of the series, which is interesting. To me, this indicates that whilst Mr.Korn is definitely not innocent, I don’t think he is so awful as to merit dying in Porsche’s hands. i think the father may be more like Kim himself in the end, calculating but not ill-intentioned either.
And same :D
I did actually appreciate that the second season was dedicated to unraveling Jiwoo’s insecurities and unpacking the fears that both MLs had that had caused the relationship to fall apart. I tend to be a suspicious about this trope usually because it can sometimes be about unnecessary drama that didn’t need to be there. On example being Color Rush Season 2. But with TMS, we had already seen hints of Jiwoo’ personality that indicated that he was prone to such insecurities and behaviour, and I still remember wishing back then that they would have explored him a bit more, so the second season was timely :)
I had the same reaction for episode 13 actually. I think that’s happened to me a couple of times now with kinnporsche. The first time was with episode 5, seeing the happy-go-lucky- Porsche shift to a lifeless, traumatised shell for a while, showing his aloneness as he couldn’t rely on anyone emotionally. That really had an effect on me. Then ep 7 with the breathtaking and cinematic sex scene between Kinn and Porsche which was emblematic of the pain and desire that at that point made up their relationship. Finally ep 12 and 13 both had quite a hold on me because of how they nailed the heavy scenes between VegasPete.
And for TMS2 I did tear up during in the final episode when Jiwoo asked Seo Joon to hug him as it was nice to see him make the effort this time around to reach him (and damn dehydration ehfjfjwh, that’s me with vegaspete ngl)
I also think something could possibly happen to Vegas but knowing that there is a second season reassures me as I doubt they would kill Vegas so soon after building up Vegas and Pete’s characters and their relationship, so let’s hope for the best. Yok getting killed wouldn’t be so awkward to the narrative actually as I feel that at least one or two will die in the big battle that’s about to occur.
The thought just came to mind but, what if Vegas’ dad dies?? If Vegas does betray his father or even ends up killing him (as people are theorising the former), then the father’s death would actually be perfect to symbolise Vegas’ change as an individual. I would rather not have Mr. Korn die tho, I feel that especially if Kim takes over as leader, that it would still be too soon. However, Vegas’ father dying would in fact work very well. What’s nice about it, is that it makes for a bittersweet but satisfying outcome for the audience. We would empathise with Vegas possibly grieving as his father died after all but his death would , mean that he can start a new chapter of his life where he is no longer shackled by his father’s authority and abuse.
Also, hopefully that would mean that all of the main characters would be safe but without making the end seem to unrealistic/cheesy for a mafia story.
About the mystery Kim is investigating, I feel like it could be just about Porsche’s relation to the family to leadership/inheritance. I am curious though as to why Kim is so invested in this matter at all, considering he doesn’t necessarily want to take Kinn’s place. Maybe it’s just about sensing that his father has a secret and that he feels that he has a responsability to uncover it as a défense mechanism? It could be his way of protecting the family. That or he has always found it suspicious that Kinn is the one who was put in charge instead of Tankhun, we’ve seen that Tankhun is smart afterall. Maybe Tankhun’s kidnapping is somehow linked to the Porsche incident? Idk
And yess for VP I’m more than excited to seeing it all go down, especially as I would say that Pete is my favourite character in the series. I identify with him a lot and truth be told, I dont think I’ve seen a character like him in a long time, one that reminds me so much of myself or how I process things, someone I wish to be like even :)
Ps: hoping the ep will be at least 1h30, fingers crossed, and yes time flies by so fastt
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Just my own subjective view
I enjoyed the episode very much in fact but im a bit nervous about what’s about to happen in the last episode since we’ve got little time left. It seems a bit inevitable that they’ll end the episode on a cliffhanger (unless they quickly try to wrap things up but it might feel rushed in that case), but I wonder what type of cliffhanger it would be. I feel like they could, within the episode, make kimchay forgive each other and even get back together as they’re the couple that needs the least amount of screen time for that. In fact, based on Jeff Satur’s Why Don’t You Stay MV, then it’s very likely to occur (as we saw Kim in Yok’s bar). It’s most probable that Kim will find Chay staying with Yok, and because the bar is more secluded from the apparent battlefield that will happen in the main house, they may have some time to sit down and discuss their feelings and opinions openly. The issue is that we did also see a shot in the MV of Kim smoking(?) near a staircase that’s likely to also be at Yok’s bar, so unless that’s before he meets Chay there, it might mean that Kim failed to reach him again. However, given the pace of the series that might be redundant for the plot so I still think that the two will get to have a heart to heart conversation that will mend their relationship.
As for Kinn and Porsche, I believe that we will easily get to see them back together, or at the very least, we’ll know that they still love and trust each other. They’ve reached a point in their relationship when even if Porsche pulls things like this (running away, finding things behind Kinn’s back), there is still a silent understanding that they do care and promise not to harm the other. I sense that from how Porsche listened and stayed by Kinn’s side even when it was first revealed to him that his parents’ death was covered up by Mr.Korn and even when he found out that Kinn had manipulated him into becoming his bodyguard. There’s also the note that he left Kinn before leaving, stating that he loves Kinn even at that point (when his departure could easily be considered a symbol of rupture in the relationship, or in the mafia world, treason). I just think that Kinn will still need that verbal confirmation from Porsche as we saw in the trailer: “I’m on your side” because now Porsche is indeed threatening Kinn’s dad’s life with a gun, literally.
Then the cliffhanger could easily be about VegasPete. I initially thought that maybe the séries would end on a mysterious cliffhanger about the parents, but that’s already being answered and most likely going to be resolved in episode 14. I also thought that maybe we’d get to see more of VegasPete interacting before Pete left and that perhaps the last episode would show us Pete leaving and the VegasPete arc in season 1 would end with the scene of Vegas apologising to Pete. However, all of that happened already in the 13th episode - and I’m really glad about that , actually, because I’d like their romance to actually take off in the outside world where the two of them have definite free will, so that their love doesn’t risk passing off as Stockholm syndrome. And so that their romantic relationship itself would develop healthily despite how they started out. Issue is that it seems too good to be true for all three couples to end on a happy note in the first season. I mean, the second season risks being dull otherwise.
Plus. VegasPete are just at the beginning of their love, it has not fully matured yet, in fact, depending on how you see it one could say that it hasn’t even begun (we’re at the pre-stages) because they need to rebuild their foundation, restart again as Vegas proposed (just not in the conditions he was suggesting, wherein he has power over Pete). So given that the last episode will be longer as well, and that we did already see Pete and Vegas reunite quickly last ep, we’re sure to at least have some fulfilling interaction (and not just, oh I see you on the battlefield and I quickly try to get past you), unless the ‘longest episode’ just means that’ll be a couple minutes longer than the usual but now that would be cruel from BOC lol. Thankfully, because we have had them reunite previously, that means once they reunite once more they will (hopefully) get to settle things and find common ground. I think we will see them accept their feelings for each other (especially from Pete as I think that Vegas has already started to accept and has taken he first step to seek forgiveness, which was to see pete again and apologise). If that’s the case, I believe we will see that mutual acceptance in a more subtle way and that they’ll still be either physically separated by the end of the episode or then they will end the first season with mutual acceptance/love but that we won’t see them cozy up to each other immediately nor become a couple.
I guess we’ll just have to see. These last few episodes I’ve really been all about VegasPete and still am but I’m actually most looking forward to seeing Kim searching for Chay in Yok’s bar. And I think that’s because I’ve been hoping to see Kim express himself in a vulnerable way to Chay (which he will have to do for Chay to believe him and return to him, as we saw previously that simply going back to him physically or even helping him out - like in the warehouse -doesn’t move Chay, in that sense, Chay is definitely more stubborn that Porsche for real). So I’m most looking forward to seeing Kim desperateness (at the risk of sounding sadistic), given that he’s been good at keeping himself composed. Though even in the Chay-partying-scene, when Kim was much less composed, he gave himself away to anger which only distanced him from someone like Chay who needs a warm, and communicative approach (see how that works when Porsche talks to him directly, without deceit, and also comforts Chay in the process). So yeah, those are my thoughts for now :)
Thank you for often replying to my comments btw, that means a lot to me that you like my analyses ^^
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The scene in which Vegas finds him must have been so difficult for him as Pete was still processing everything that had occurred, the trauma he'd gone through and the inner conflict growing inside of him. Pete is well aware of his feelings for Vegas yet knows he must push those feelings away as, morally speaking, if he doesnt refuse them at this stage, he knows he will completely lose himself. He could previously offer Vegas sympathy, and share more about himself in the form of a rival or friend, but romantic love is something else. Love is too much. This realisation is harsher for Pete as he knows full well that Vegas is still disturbingly abusive even if he understands that Vegas' abuse stems his own pain, that's it's because Vegas himself is hurt. Then again, Pete knows best that Vegas can disregard anyone at any moment, including him, but that even if Vegas keeps him around, it'd be as a mere pet or worse, an object of projection as he mentions. The realisation that the one person he shouldnt be feeling love for is also a person who doesn't see him nor treat him as human, to realise that you may be completely insifignificant to the one you love, just like how Pete felt around his father: useless, without worth. In the end, Pete and Vegas really are so similar.
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(Will eventually write about the ep when i have time T^T)
The angstt
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:)