This review may contain spoilers
A show that sticks with you.
Utterly obsessed with this weird, beautiful, arty, queer, subversive show.
If you go into this show expecting romance, there is a high likelihood you will be disappointed. Same for if you go in expecting a truly revolutionary anti-capitalist (or anti-AI) story. This is a quiet, character driven, mature story about flawed, messy people who stay flawed and messy up until the very end.
Here are things that stick with me:
-Koh's cold, clinical bedroom vs. Jira's warm, floral bedroom (and the fact that we never see Pheem's bedroom- we have no idea what his inner world is like).
-Establishing that Jira refuses to compromise his ideals and ethics for money over and over and then watching him absolutely fold for Koh to the extent Koh believes Jira will do anything for money
-Koh really seems to think he's in charge, but whenever Jira makes a demand, Koh follows.
-Jira's very accurate self-assessment that red flags turn him on
-Koh alone in his apartment posing himself like Jira's painting
-Jira isn't just gay - his art, his slang, his mannerism, his fashion all illustrate him as culturally queer.
The love triangle:
-Pheem presents himself as soft and caring but has a calculating, manipulative underbelly. Koh presents himself as cold and calculating but has a caring, vulnerable underbelly. Jira acts innocent and vulnerable but has these boys wrapped around his little finger - I think he knows exactly what he's doing.
-The way that Pheem and Jira seemed to be more into each other when they figure out they both know Koh - they are both getting off on the fact that they are denying Koh their time and on feeling closer to Koh by being with each other.
-Koh wears his crazy on his sleeve. He stalks Jira's social media, lets him know upfront and uses it to play transparent mind games. Pheem stalks Jira's social media in secret and uses it to create a persona he thinks Jira will like. Pheem cleans his apartment for Jira but Koh lets Jira see the mess.
-Pheem loves the image of Jira he's created in his mind and he loves the pursuit of someone unavailable/unattainable. Koh loves what Jira does for him - Jira gives him art, makes him feel, sees the parts of himself he keeps hidden, helps him sleep. Jira loves that Pheem wants him and he loves that Koh inspires him. But I don't think that any of them truly love each other.
The toxic romance:
-Ep. 8 is NOT a true romantic catharsis. There's a real dark underbelly through the whole episode - the leaky roof, Koh talking about opening a gallery to launder money, the fact that their "declaration" to each other was about attraction rather than connection. And this is all less than 48 hrs after Koh went full scorched earth on Jira and Pheem.
-That look on Jira's face after they kissed in the bathtub in Ep. 9 is chilling. I think he can feel something is off before he knows it consciously.
-The bedroom scene in Ep. 9 feels so scary and sinister. P'Nuchy lets the scene drag on just long enough before they both start laughing to destabilize the fantasy of their romance for the viewer.
-Koh sleeping in his car outside of Jira’s apartment 277 times and Jira leaving him there to suffer while he uses it as inspiration for his work.
The flowers:
-Koh gave Jira an iris bouquet while Pheem was still arranging roses for Jira. Koh is always 3 steps ahead.
-The iris + narcissus bouquets = Jira the artist and Koh the lonely narcissist.
-The flame lilies throughout episodes 9 and 10: "The computer scraps are me, emotionless, lifeless, haven't slept with someone in a long while. And the delicate flowers are you, who came to arouse me, and revive me." And in return for his revival... Koh creates tech that consumes and destroys Jira, generating a cold, emotionless, lifeless replica of his delicate art. I can't think of a betrayal that Jira could possibly find more horrifying than Koh stealing and bastardizing his art.
-The thought of Jira moving into that hotel was honestly devastating - he would obviously wilt just like his poor little plant. Koh moving out of his soulless, cool-toned prison of a hotel apartment and back into his childhood home, which he's apparently turned into a flame lily plantation, is a tiny glimmer of hope that Koh won't consume and destroy Jira but has maybe learned just enough to nourish the artist.
In the end, I wasn't really rooting for them to get back together, but I understood why they did.
I see Burnout Syndrome as less of a romance and more of an allegory for the tensions amongst art, tech, and capital. It makes sense that the starving artist gets in bed with commerce. Mawin the piss-throwing oracle told us that from the very beginning. And if Jira's going to find a patron in order to survive... shouldn't the artist get his pleasure where he can?
If you go into this show expecting romance, there is a high likelihood you will be disappointed. Same for if you go in expecting a truly revolutionary anti-capitalist (or anti-AI) story. This is a quiet, character driven, mature story about flawed, messy people who stay flawed and messy up until the very end.
Here are things that stick with me:
-Koh's cold, clinical bedroom vs. Jira's warm, floral bedroom (and the fact that we never see Pheem's bedroom- we have no idea what his inner world is like).
-Establishing that Jira refuses to compromise his ideals and ethics for money over and over and then watching him absolutely fold for Koh to the extent Koh believes Jira will do anything for money
-Koh really seems to think he's in charge, but whenever Jira makes a demand, Koh follows.
-Jira's very accurate self-assessment that red flags turn him on
-Koh alone in his apartment posing himself like Jira's painting
-Jira isn't just gay - his art, his slang, his mannerism, his fashion all illustrate him as culturally queer.
The love triangle:
-Pheem presents himself as soft and caring but has a calculating, manipulative underbelly. Koh presents himself as cold and calculating but has a caring, vulnerable underbelly. Jira acts innocent and vulnerable but has these boys wrapped around his little finger - I think he knows exactly what he's doing.
-The way that Pheem and Jira seemed to be more into each other when they figure out they both know Koh - they are both getting off on the fact that they are denying Koh their time and on feeling closer to Koh by being with each other.
-Koh wears his crazy on his sleeve. He stalks Jira's social media, lets him know upfront and uses it to play transparent mind games. Pheem stalks Jira's social media in secret and uses it to create a persona he thinks Jira will like. Pheem cleans his apartment for Jira but Koh lets Jira see the mess.
-Pheem loves the image of Jira he's created in his mind and he loves the pursuit of someone unavailable/unattainable. Koh loves what Jira does for him - Jira gives him art, makes him feel, sees the parts of himself he keeps hidden, helps him sleep. Jira loves that Pheem wants him and he loves that Koh inspires him. But I don't think that any of them truly love each other.
The toxic romance:
-Ep. 8 is NOT a true romantic catharsis. There's a real dark underbelly through the whole episode - the leaky roof, Koh talking about opening a gallery to launder money, the fact that their "declaration" to each other was about attraction rather than connection. And this is all less than 48 hrs after Koh went full scorched earth on Jira and Pheem.
-That look on Jira's face after they kissed in the bathtub in Ep. 9 is chilling. I think he can feel something is off before he knows it consciously.
-The bedroom scene in Ep. 9 feels so scary and sinister. P'Nuchy lets the scene drag on just long enough before they both start laughing to destabilize the fantasy of their romance for the viewer.
-Koh sleeping in his car outside of Jira’s apartment 277 times and Jira leaving him there to suffer while he uses it as inspiration for his work.
The flowers:
-Koh gave Jira an iris bouquet while Pheem was still arranging roses for Jira. Koh is always 3 steps ahead.
-The iris + narcissus bouquets = Jira the artist and Koh the lonely narcissist.
-The flame lilies throughout episodes 9 and 10: "The computer scraps are me, emotionless, lifeless, haven't slept with someone in a long while. And the delicate flowers are you, who came to arouse me, and revive me." And in return for his revival... Koh creates tech that consumes and destroys Jira, generating a cold, emotionless, lifeless replica of his delicate art. I can't think of a betrayal that Jira could possibly find more horrifying than Koh stealing and bastardizing his art.
-The thought of Jira moving into that hotel was honestly devastating - he would obviously wilt just like his poor little plant. Koh moving out of his soulless, cool-toned prison of a hotel apartment and back into his childhood home, which he's apparently turned into a flame lily plantation, is a tiny glimmer of hope that Koh won't consume and destroy Jira but has maybe learned just enough to nourish the artist.
In the end, I wasn't really rooting for them to get back together, but I understood why they did.
I see Burnout Syndrome as less of a romance and more of an allegory for the tensions amongst art, tech, and capital. It makes sense that the starving artist gets in bed with commerce. Mawin the piss-throwing oracle told us that from the very beginning. And if Jira's going to find a patron in order to survive... shouldn't the artist get his pleasure where he can?
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