This review may contain spoilers
Mild angst, limited red flags, HEA
What worked: story, continuity, character arcs (mostly), acting, lip biting
ROMANTIC INTIMACY:
• First the caveat - physical intimacy in the portrayal of a romantic relationship is a deal breaker for me. I don't mean explicit, but I do mean firmly implicit. For a fictional romance to resonate with me that component will need prominence in the story. So, I am discombobulated by comments decrying "too much" emphasis on physical love in a GL series when these series are essentially G or, at most, mild PG rated type content. I find that especially odd when, as in this case, the source material very explicitIy includes sexual intimacy. I acknowledge this because this personal filter underpins the comments that follow.
• The series did well showing that Khem's purposeful seduction of Rin was the only weapon she had to build intimacy with Rin and counter Rin's obsession with Pai. I've read the comments from viewers who thought of the sexual intimacy as pandering for clicks, but I think that misses the point that Khem was determined to fight for Rin on the only battlefield she had. Rin's growing emotional closeness and affection for Khem, which developed through this intimacy, was exactly the payoff the plotline was going for.
• The only thing I thought was awkwardly handled was Rin's constant pushback to Khem's desire for her. Rin is 38, not 58, so, while the need for sleep is a reasonable complaint, the second and third repetitions of her "exhaustion" felt overplayed. This could have been negotiated more fluidly by transitioning from physical intimacy to more scenes showing non-sexual physical embraces that emphasized emotional development.
Which segues neatly to what didn't work.
EMOTIONAL INTIMACY:
• The second caveat - I have a cultural limitation with Asian GL and Asian romance, in general, as it intersects with the Eastern affinity for "cuteness." What is perceived as endearing and playful in this culture hits me and my possibly probably emotionally stunted Western upbringing as immature, affected, farcical, and cringe. The best/worst expression of this was in the series "Blank," where the apparent maturity gap between the partners was a "YIKES!" factor that kept me borderline appalled with the romantic relationship.
That's a me problem, I know that. I acknowledge it because I'm about to throw down with the director on the choice to have Khem portrayed as an unceasingly bouncy, squeaky, superficial "puppy," even in scenes that beg for real emotional depth. The director allowed the physical intimacy to seem gratuitous and shallow because it never fully developed to portray deep, serious emotional intimacy, as well. We got to see some real emotional growth in Rin's acceptance of her attraction to, and eventually love for, Khem; I would have liked to see the same with Khem's physical intimacy and its bridge to emotional closeness.
• Where it really would have made sense to lean into physical intimacy as a bridge to emotional intimacy there was barely a trace. Both the "yay, we're back together" tepid (really really really tepid), almost chaste reunion smooch and the much anticipated pool scene entirely missed the vibrant energy of the joys of makeup sex. Yes, I was underwhelmed. The first real opportunity to show the balance of emotional and physical intimacy after Rin embraced her love for Khem, when both of them are FINALLY on the same page, was more fizzle than sizzle. Where lingering in the moment was called for, both scenes felt rushed. This seems to be a GL pattern, though, I had exactly the same complaint with the beach reunion in "Affair."
Red flags a waving:
• In Episode 10, while WE all knew Rin and Pai were finally done, Khem didn't, and she took Rin back without any assurance that she wouldn't be in for a lifetime of playing second fiddle. That omission completely defeats the purpose of Khem leaving in the first place. It seems obvious that a "did you dump that b**ch yet?" moment was needed before Khem sacrificed her very last shred of dignity.
Minor annoyances:
• Episode 9 - ten minutes of content packed into 45 minutes of run time.
• The cognitive dissonance of the line "We're almost home" delivered while sitting in a parked car.
• Rin's posse not showing up in person to confront her about her alcohol fueled self pity fest. That phone call was so lame it would have been better to leave out the interaction completely.
• The second couple - a waste of space and time. The actors did as well as anyone could have with character portrayals that whipped a 180 out of nowhere. I'm all for playing against stereotypes, but it's not credible for a gay coded man to suddenly dip into a relationship with a woman with absolutely zero build up and nothing going for them other than proximity.
ROMANTIC INTIMACY:
• First the caveat - physical intimacy in the portrayal of a romantic relationship is a deal breaker for me. I don't mean explicit, but I do mean firmly implicit. For a fictional romance to resonate with me that component will need prominence in the story. So, I am discombobulated by comments decrying "too much" emphasis on physical love in a GL series when these series are essentially G or, at most, mild PG rated type content. I find that especially odd when, as in this case, the source material very explicitIy includes sexual intimacy. I acknowledge this because this personal filter underpins the comments that follow.
• The series did well showing that Khem's purposeful seduction of Rin was the only weapon she had to build intimacy with Rin and counter Rin's obsession with Pai. I've read the comments from viewers who thought of the sexual intimacy as pandering for clicks, but I think that misses the point that Khem was determined to fight for Rin on the only battlefield she had. Rin's growing emotional closeness and affection for Khem, which developed through this intimacy, was exactly the payoff the plotline was going for.
• The only thing I thought was awkwardly handled was Rin's constant pushback to Khem's desire for her. Rin is 38, not 58, so, while the need for sleep is a reasonable complaint, the second and third repetitions of her "exhaustion" felt overplayed. This could have been negotiated more fluidly by transitioning from physical intimacy to more scenes showing non-sexual physical embraces that emphasized emotional development.
Which segues neatly to what didn't work.
EMOTIONAL INTIMACY:
• The second caveat - I have a cultural limitation with Asian GL and Asian romance, in general, as it intersects with the Eastern affinity for "cuteness." What is perceived as endearing and playful in this culture hits me and my possibly probably emotionally stunted Western upbringing as immature, affected, farcical, and cringe. The best/worst expression of this was in the series "Blank," where the apparent maturity gap between the partners was a "YIKES!" factor that kept me borderline appalled with the romantic relationship.
That's a me problem, I know that. I acknowledge it because I'm about to throw down with the director on the choice to have Khem portrayed as an unceasingly bouncy, squeaky, superficial "puppy," even in scenes that beg for real emotional depth. The director allowed the physical intimacy to seem gratuitous and shallow because it never fully developed to portray deep, serious emotional intimacy, as well. We got to see some real emotional growth in Rin's acceptance of her attraction to, and eventually love for, Khem; I would have liked to see the same with Khem's physical intimacy and its bridge to emotional closeness.
• Where it really would have made sense to lean into physical intimacy as a bridge to emotional intimacy there was barely a trace. Both the "yay, we're back together" tepid (really really really tepid), almost chaste reunion smooch and the much anticipated pool scene entirely missed the vibrant energy of the joys of makeup sex. Yes, I was underwhelmed. The first real opportunity to show the balance of emotional and physical intimacy after Rin embraced her love for Khem, when both of them are FINALLY on the same page, was more fizzle than sizzle. Where lingering in the moment was called for, both scenes felt rushed. This seems to be a GL pattern, though, I had exactly the same complaint with the beach reunion in "Affair."
Red flags a waving:
• In Episode 10, while WE all knew Rin and Pai were finally done, Khem didn't, and she took Rin back without any assurance that she wouldn't be in for a lifetime of playing second fiddle. That omission completely defeats the purpose of Khem leaving in the first place. It seems obvious that a "did you dump that b**ch yet?" moment was needed before Khem sacrificed her very last shred of dignity.
Minor annoyances:
• Episode 9 - ten minutes of content packed into 45 minutes of run time.
• The cognitive dissonance of the line "We're almost home" delivered while sitting in a parked car.
• Rin's posse not showing up in person to confront her about her alcohol fueled self pity fest. That phone call was so lame it would have been better to leave out the interaction completely.
• The second couple - a waste of space and time. The actors did as well as anyone could have with character portrayals that whipped a 180 out of nowhere. I'm all for playing against stereotypes, but it's not credible for a gay coded man to suddenly dip into a relationship with a woman with absolutely zero build up and nothing going for them other than proximity.
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