#I want Kinn to tell him off so badly but also

[thisisevenharderthannamingablog]

Decision Point (Ep 5/6)

I just can't stop with this sorry, it's been years since I had anything I wanted to meta about.

"What happened to me?" The crux of the problem, succinctly expressed, that Porsche did not feel like an actor but a subject the previous night, that he didn't have a choice.

He spends most of this episode hurt and confused and looking desperately for any kind of signpost about what happened. The "go ahead then - do it" scene is one of the most charged moments between them. It's also Porsche trying to figure out -- in the most dangerous way possible, because Porsche -- which side of Kinn is the facade. Kinn's demeanor at the house is almost always smooth and controlled, even when he's dealing out violence. In this scene that is cracking. He is drunk and angry, and Porsche pushes hard on that, because he needs a sign. If that sign is pain, he can handle it; he can't stand the ambiguity.

Somewhere deep in the meta tag I saw a comment to the effect that Porsche's change of attitude to Kinn seems to be very quick. He goes from a state of high tension at the end of 5 to being much more relaxed going into 6. That struck me as odd, too, so I went back to the scene at Porsche's house, and I think that's the answer.

Because yes that was awkward AF and Kinn you do not visit your employees while they are supposed to be on vacation, and it was stupid of him to go alone, but? Kinn put himself into a socially awkward, dangerous situation that could not possibly benefit him. Everything that happens between them at the main house has the power dynamic in the background if not the foreground. By trying (however badly) to talk to Porsche outside of that setting, by leaving behind his bodyguards, Kinn is giving up control of the conversation.

Even though Porsche remains legitimately angry with him through that scene, this is the sign that he was looking for. That whatever the fuck is going on with Kinn, he isn't actually trying to hurt Porsche, who can forgive an unintended hurt -- even a very bad one -- in a way he wouldn't forgive deliberate cruelty. Which leaves him free to work on what this guy's fucking deal is, then.

Episode 6 is largely focused on addressing the power dynamic, which has to happen before they can get anywhere. It temporarily erases all the money and status and employer/employee business and puts them on equal ground in a very literal way. The early part elevates basic survival needs, which fosters trust and leaves no room for head games. The stream kiss establishes that there's still plenty of physical attraction on both sides and that Kinn has learned his lesson by being the one to break it off.

By the time they start talking, they've already reached a much more balanced state. Those conversations redress one of the remaining imbalances: information. Kinn knows a lot more about Porsche than vice versa. Porsche doesn't keep secrets about himself; Kinn does, but he starts to open up here, and again it's a situation where he doesn't stand to gain anything from doing so. That makes an emotional connection possible.

Finally, there's the ending. Kinn telling Porsche to leave -- essentially firing him -- at least symbolically vacates their previous agreement, resets the dynamic that threatens to come back into play before it can distort things between them. The fight then replays their introduction scene. Kinn is in danger, and Porsche can choose whether or not to intervene. This time around there's no money trouble, no coercion, no veil of ignorance; Porsche knows exactly what he's getting himself into when he comes back.

Freely chosen.

[mirrorofprinces]

⭐ ?

okie SO the fic i'm gonna choose to talk about is i can't stop and look the other way, aka the infidelity roleplay fic in which porsche lives out his Other Woman fantasies where kinn will always choose him, no matter what. except, i'm not really gonna talk about the fic itself (unless someone asks for something specific), i'm gonna talk about what it was SUPPOSED to be.

originally, this wasn't going to be a roleplay. this was going to be legit, like a whole long fic about kinn cheating on his wife with porsche, and i had it almost entirely outlined. i was gonna have sad gay kinn trapped in a loveless straight marriage for business reasons, and porsche was actually hired as a bodyguard for his wife, who was the heir of another mafia. but porsche saw how miserable kinn was, and as they spent more time together and grew closer, saw the way kinn looked at him. i was also considering porsche eventually earning the security clearance to know that kinn was hiring escorts whenever he was out of town or his wife was out of town, and porsche telling him off about it because he's gonna get caught (plus he's technically the wife's bodyguard, so, he's kind of forced to be on her side) and then it turns into a fight where porsche realizes he's jealous. then porsche initiates things, rationalizing it as the "safest option" because no one would question why kinn would be spending time with his wife's head bodyguard. they both outwardly treated it like a physical thing, even though it was much more than that. also, porsche is in turmoil the entire time, because kinn's wife is actually really cool and she genuinely trusts him, but she's miserable also, knowing her husband doesn't want her. i think at one point she even comes onto porsche, and i think he accepts a kiss but doesn't let her do anything else, just holds her while she cries.

i hadn't quite figured out an ending yet - maybe kinn and porsche get kidnapped together and be forced to actually confront their feelings, or korn "dies" and the coup happens and one of them gets badly injured so they end up doing some pretty public declarations to each other, thinking it'll be their last chance, or they get caught and porsche is imprisoned pending an execution and kinn knows there's nothing he can do to save him but his wife comes through at the last minute. something like that. i don't know. basically it had to end with them divorcing, but i couldn't figure out how to get them there without blowing up their empire, and i got lazy. i also became super paranoid that people would hate it? so i turned it into a spicy roleplay instead!

[ae-azile]

Gossip After Death: Chapter 7 Preview

Kinn wants to die. 

He wants to go back to sleep and then never wake up. That would be the easiest solution, and one that Khun may be able to stomach better. He doesn't think shooting himself in front of his older brother would go well. For one, Khun removed all the weapons, even the razors in the bathroom. He and Tay probably think Kinn is too out of it to notice, but he did. He wouldn't do that anyway. He isn't cruel enough to make it so either of them would find him, because that would be the most likely scenario. 

He especially wouldn’t do that when Khun just found Porsche out in the yard yesterday. 

“Why don't we let a little sun in?” Khun says gently as he gets out of the bed to pull the curtains open. He had prompted Kinn to eat breakfast a couple of hours ago. When Kinn didn't touch the food Tay brought in and continued to lie there in silence, Khun took the food in the other room before rejoining Kinn in the bed. Khun then offered to hold him. It was a strange request to be made at this point of their lives, yet momentarily tempting. But then Kinn realized the only person he wanted to be held by is Porsche. So instead, he turned on his other side and kept his back to Khun while he silently soaked his pillow with tears.

He wants to die. 

“Would you like to get something to eat?” Khun asks, “Maybe we can go somewhere low-key and not crowded. It may help.” 

Kinn doesn't answer. 

Khun clears his throat and tries again, “Or we can have the kitchen make some of your favorite foods and we can sit by the po…”  

Khun trails off, probably realizing sitting in the arguably prettiest part of the property isn't appealing when his boyfriend’s body was left there. Kinn could snap at him, tell him that he's stupid for suggesting such a thing. But Khun probably realizes sitting in such a place wouldn't be appealing for him either. It may never be an appealing place for either of them again.

He wants to die. 

But he also has a duty to Chay. He needs to make sure Chay will be taken care of. Namphueng, too. Namphueng had been one point of unspoken tension between Porsche and himself. Not that they weren't on the same side regarding her. They had been. But it isn't exactly easy knowing that his father kept her here for all this time and none of them had known about it. Kinn doesn't even understand how. He seriously doubts Ma knew. If she had, he feels like she would have helped her, not Pa. Things were tense between his parents before Ma died.

If he dies, he can see Porsche and Ma. He would really like that. He doesn't want to stay for Chay or Namphueng as badly as he wants to be with Porsche and Ma again. So maybe will stay just long enough to make sure Chay and Namphueng are safe. He can buy them a house, equip it with guards and a security system, neither of which will be interfered with by Pa. That shouldn't take too long. He can also update his will and make sure his money is left to Chay, Khun, and Kinn, as well as set up a nice size care trust for Namphueng. With the resources he has, he can probably get it all set up in a week or so. It means he will have to attend the funeral, but he should do that anyway, for Porsche and for Chay. So he will make arrangements for the people he cares about the most, attend Porsche’s funeral like he's expected to, and then pass away. He will leave a note to apologize to Chay. He will also let Khun, Kim, and Tay know that he loves them and that there was nothing they could have done to change his mind. 

He wants to die. 

“Hey,” Khun says gently, “Can you tell me where your head is at? I am very worried about you.” 

Kinn is with it enough to know he can't answer that question, not truthfully. If he does, then Khun will just worry more and get in the way of Kinn’s plans. That can't happen.  But saying anything else feels too daunting, so he continues to say nothing at all.

Read the previous chapters here:

[thatgirl4815]

Transitions & Tension

I know we’ve all been praising Mile and Apo for their acting this episode, but I want to jump in and say that what’s impressive isn’t only their execution of immense tonal shifts but the speed and at which they execute these shifts. Their mood changes are seamless rather than choppy and divided. Not only does it make the scenes more entertaining and realistic, but it also makes them feel whole. 

Like in this beloved scene:

The shift happens right in this gif. Kinn’s face falls ever so slightly--without saying a word, we’ve already connected the dots about what he’s feeling. It reminds me of Ep6 in a way. This flirtation between them is a break from the real world. Kinn gets caught up in the moment before reality crashes back in. Porsche’s smiling face brings him joy, but everything about their situation is fragile. Porsche is still Kinn’s bodyguard, and he must assume all of the duties that come with that, but Kinn has never really wanted Porsche in this position (and I don’t think he ever really will). In the first few episodes, it was out of obstinance and annoyance with Porsche’s attitude. But oh how the tables have turned by Ep7. Kinn has acted as Porsche’s bodyguard in previous episodes, and it’s all been leading to this realization that the only way for Kinn to guard his heart is for Porsche not to guard his body. It’s an unwinnable situation though, because regardless of Kinn’s authority, Porsche still has to assume his role, no matter how dangerous it is. Kinn failed to free him from it in Ep6, so the only option now is to keep Porsche close and pray for his safety. 

Back to my point: the fact that this one scene--this one gif--can bring all of this context to mind shows just how natural and impactful the transition is. The mood flips as Kinn’s expression changes, but that’s all we need to understand the gravity of this moment. They can flirt and play with each other, but there is always this underlying threat to their interactions--the thought that for all they have gone through together, they could be ripped apart in a million different ways. 

(We won’t talk about the fact that this scene also uses three different music selections, each with varying tone, to coincide with these transitions. It’s a risky move to use so many selections, but in my opinion, it works. And Jeff’s soaring vocals of “Why don’t you stay?” as they look at each other??? Yeah.)

Let’s not even get started on the newest installment of The Scene™, because that’s got mood changes galore. Rage, frustration, heartbreak, guilt, forgiveness, desperation, lust, love: all in the span of only a few minutes. Mile and Apo have proven themselves to be phenomenal actors on their own, but they have a unique way of communicating with each other through their expressions alone. Their emotions are almost palpable, and they silently interact in a way that heightens these mood transitions effortlessly and realistically. 

From a screenwriting and acting perspective, this final scene is risky. It quickly becomes sexual, but this isn’t a hate-sex moment, as it very well could’ve been. Kinn and Porsche are very clearly sexually attracted to one another, but their coming together isn’t initiated solely by lust; as in both of KP’s sex scenes so far, the physical intimacy is inextricably tethered to the emotional intimacy. As @fleet-off​ mentioned in one of her posts, television doesn’t show emotionally-invested sex scenes very often, but that’s what makes KP’s so poignant. The tonal transition feel seamless at the end of Ep7 (at least in my opinion) because of these emotional layers they have built up so carefully over the course of the last seven episodes. I personally went into the show expecting the feelings to come after the sex, but I have been pleasantly surprised by the added layer of emotion because it makes everything feel not only necessary, but richer. And I think it’s really difficult to portray a relatively graphic sex scene and make it feel as if it really needs to be there.

Anyways, I go into more detail about how cinematographic features like lighting and camera angle play into these mood changes in this post.

As usual, this post became a lot longer than I intended, but my concluding thought is that KinnPorsche manages to handle transitions in a masterful way that I adore very much. 🙂

[fishy-xp]

KinnPorsche Ep 11 Brain Rot

I only have one thought

Arm moving aside to let Pol share the chair with him.

The End. Goodbye, see you in a week.

PSYCHE, THIS EPISODE WAS OFF THE WALLS BATSHIT INSANE

The first VP scene ohmygod, the tattoo, the swearing, the pet names. I need Vegas saying 'what a load of bullshit' injected into my bloodstream

Pete giving in as soon as his grandma is brought in is so touching. He obviously loves deeply and will do anything for the people he trusts (e.g. Porsche, his grandma, soon to be Vegas). Having to pretend that everything is fine when nothing is not will always be one of the most devastating tropes.

Something about Vegas playing with Pete's face and hair whilst asking 'who's a good boy' and then pushing his face away like it means nothing GETS ME RILED UP.

Chan having to be there for all the family meetings and listening to their dumbassery is hilarious but did he have to have his gun out like he was about to shoot Porsche on sight. Please daddy, give him a break.

Tankhun saying 'my Kinn' and Kinn being all shy, this is the sibling content we need.

Pol writes Kinn x Porsche fanfic and Arm reads that fanfic, no I don't take critism. Also I don't know if it was just the translation but 'Daddy wants a breakup' I AM CREASING

Safehouse my ass, you mean safemansion

HEDGEHOG HEDGEHOG HEDGEHOG HEDGEHOG

HE CALLS IT BUDDY

Porschay's snoopy hoodie is the peak of fashion, Tankhun's entire wardrobe is crying

I want so badly for Porschay to be lonely around the major family compound because everyone there is a solid ten years older than him and then he bumps into Macau and they become friends and Kim and Tankhun are rolling in their graves because this is the forbidden Romeo and Juliet.

I have a feeeling after their parents died, Porschay had nightmares about it and this time they included Porsche also dying. He probably woke up screaming and crying for Porsche. Porsche rushes in to comfort him, telling him that he's right here and that he will not leave Porschay no matter what. So when they hug, Porsche says it again to remind Chay that he's right here in front of him, he'll be here when the nightmare is over because it's not real, it's only just a dream and Porsche is alive.

I don't care about novel TimeTay, show TimeTay are the most wholesome sexy ass couple and until something happens, I will continue to ship and enjoy them, go argue with a wall.

The way Tankhun introduces himself is top tier

This has been on my mind since Ep 7 but Vegas looks like a really good kisser

Pete's therapy session puts a lot of things into perspective for Vegas. Not only does it provide some comfort for him and make him realise he's acheiving the unachievable because the fault doesn't lie with him, but his father, but it also directly attacks Vegas as Pete is telling him 'you're hurting me, because you can't hurt anything else.' It takes major balls to say that to the guy who has you in chains, has anger issues and has fried your nuts off but it had to be said. It's a very interesting dynamic where the abused becomes the abuser, and then they meet an abused who becomes a protector.

Okay I am not the biggest KimChay enthusiast but Porschay's characterisation has intrigued me. He is the soft, wholesome baby but he is by no means naive or weak. He fought back against those kidnappers, had the balls to ask his idol to be his guitar tutor and also confess, told off Porsche for working in an danger job and confronted Kim about his lies. Porschay is a lot more capable then I intially thought and that is why I think we should give him a gun and see what happens. Thank you for coming to my Tedtalk.

Kim Kimhan Theerapanyakul, you may be the most beautiful man I've ever seen but you've committed a crime against humanity and you will be eliminated.

So when KP were kissing in the helicopter, I was like lol are they going to fuck in the helicopter as a joke, cut to Porsche giving Kinn the gwak gwak 3000 and I ASCENDED

Vegas' pyjamas <3333333

[chalkrevelations]

I was going to maybe condense most of the VP scenes into one reaction post, but EPISODE 11 IS TOO MUCH. It would turn into a dissertation. So, we’re just going to take this bit by bit, I think. There will definitely be some “vibrating like glass about to shatter” moments eventually, but this one’s a fucking journey.

OK, out of that entire initial sequence, the thing I found most viscerally distressing was the phone call to Pete’s grandmother and his reaction to it, which a) of COURSE I did, because if there’s anything Vegas knows how to do, it’s emotionally manipulate and terrorize somebody, I’m surprised he lowered himself to jumper cables and a baseball bat at all, and b) Build Jakapan and Bible Wichapas deserve every acting award in the world. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that these torture and abuse scenes were more emotionally and psychologically taxing than any sex scene they’re yet to have, whatever kind of sex it’s going to be, and we’ve heard about the care that BoC took while filming the sex scenes, but I do hope they took the same kind of care while filming this material.

ANYWAY, I AM IN LOVE WITH BOC RIGHT NOW, because they just toss us right into the gd deep end at the beginning of the ep and leave us to swim or drown, and I’m’a take that challenge, because there’s a lot of crunchytasty stuff right up front, including:

1. A continued look at Pete vs. sex vs. violence, and how badly he handles sexualized situations compared to his stoic attitude about physical violence. Build’s doing a lot of fantastic physical acting here to delineate how Pete responds to Vegas’s physical abuse vs. how he responds when Vegas amps up by starting the groping and fondling. I find it kind of interesting that however much Vegas may be getting off on the power and control he has here – and I think we’re definitely seeing that he’s getting off on it, Bible is showing us that clearly, just by the look on Vegas’s face – I don’t think we see Vegas actually touch Pete skin-to-skin until he starts making things overtly sexualized. In the last ep, he used the jerry-rigged jumper cables, which also required the gloves, then this ep we come in immediately on him with the baseball bat, which he uses not only for the blows he’s giving but to lift Pete’s chin, rather than using his hand, in order to look him in the face. And it may be that’s helped Pete compartmentalize all this as something other than sexualized violence up to this point, but once Vegas starts prowling around him, moves to fondling and groping him – his shoulder, then around to his chest, into his boxers, running his finger along Pete’s hip under that tattoo – when we finally see him touch Pete directly, literally get his hands on him, that’s also when we see a shift in Pete’s demeanor. Unlike that steel faceoff we got last ep, we start getting little cringes, repeated attempts to shake off Vegas’s touch, along with increased unease and distress, explicitly asking Vegas “What are you doing?” and yelling at him that “I told you to kill me!” Vegas finally succeeds in rattling Pete when he makes the sexualized aspect of this glaringly obvious. And then he goes in for the kill. (i.e. Grandma)

2. THANK GOD we have some kind of almost reasonable explanation for why nobody in the main family is at all concerned about what’s going on with Pete. I want to punch Kinn in the face slightly less than last ep, when his dumbass forgetfulness was played for laughs and made me want to do nothing more than look him in straight in the eye and tell him that, yes, he is a shit leader, and no, he doesn’t deserve to have the loyalty of any of these guys, and then hopefully watch him cry. :deep breath: Having said all that, Vegas has set up a fairly plausible cover story, here, and I’m willing to be a little more forgiving, although Kinn obviously knows something is off and needs to learn to listen to his gd instincts if he wants to even stay alive in this game, let alone keep anyone else alive.

3. Did I mention how viscerally distressing I found the phone call to Pete’s Grandma? I found this super distressing, thank you once again, Build, for your PERFECT FACE and the utter fear and despair you’re able to communicate with it, when you finally surrender in an attempt to keep Vegas from calling her, and then how it keeps leaking through even as Pete tries to put on his fake happy smiley face with his happy smiley voice when he actually talks to Grandma, in what he’s got be expecting to be the last time he ever speaks to her. I couldn’t figure out whether to be horrified or weirdly touched that Pete was essentially getting a chance to say goodbye. The fact that he’s got Vegas up on him at the same time, groping him and licking his neck, further tearing him down by making this all explicitly sexual – this is MASTER WORK by Vegas. This is what he does, this is what he’s good at, and he’s turned a simple cellphone into a greater weapon than a baseball bat could ever be. I’m in horrified awe at this point, watching the scene literally with one hand over my mouth and the other over my heart, where it’s going to beat out of my chest. Then, add Pete’s completely helpless screams at Vegas afterward, when Pete’s had control wrested so completely from him and he’s so helpless and distressed and still so so angry about it all that he can’t even verbalize it, all he can do is gut-level vocalize it, and we’re only ten minutes into the ep, and I realize that they’ve brought me to tears. Literally. (ALL THE AWARDS.)

4. Vegas HATES the main family so much, and I don’t know how much of that is displaced anger that he can’t express over what his father has him do, and how much is reasonable anger for the positions he finds himself in for the benefit of The Family as a whole, which really ends up meaning the major family, since they’re the ones in control. Clearly he’s manipulating, as he uses everything to manipulate, when he has his supposedly heartfelt convo with Porsche at poolside, in which he talks about how the minor family has to do all the dirty work, but two truths and a lie, and how is it possible to do that kind of brutal work without becoming desensitized and brutal yourself? Then in this week’s “previously on,” they make sure to give us his Ep 10 dialogue with Porsche at the warehouse where he specifically calls the main family “filthy” and denies kinship with them, and again, is this displacement? Because I’ve met Korn Theerapanyakul, and I don’t trust that motherfk’r as far as I can spit (people aren’t chess pieces, asshole. Your children aren’t chess pieces), and I wouldn’t be surprised if Vegas has some legitimate grudges against the main family to bolster his obvious inferiority complex and whatever bullshit he’s carrying around from his own father. Then he twists the knife in Pete by asking if he thinks the main family would even look for his grandmother if she disappeared, and yes, that’s about terrorizing Pete via Grandma, but I almost feel like it’s also about driving a wedge in there, about trying to make Pete question the main family’s loyalty to him, whether it’s as strong as Pete’s loyalty to them (spoiler alert: hahahahahaha, we’ve already seen how interchangeable and disposable the main family seems to consider the Bodyguard Farm, swapping them around like toys, even without Kinn’s inexplicably dumbass forgetfulness about Pete in the dragon’s lair, so this is one of those sad situations when the worst person you know makes a good point).

5. Vegas tells Pete that he’s not going to kill him because he’s so much more interesting when he suffers. When Pete loses his masks. When he’s not the smiling face he puts on to re-direct suspicion. When he’s not the impassive stoic, the implacable observer watching Vegas take a man apart. When Vegas can see him - and at this point, he has to have Pete in extremis for that to happen, so that’s what he’ll do. I … sort of wonder if Vegas sees this as turnabout is fair play. I mean, Pete got to see him (although I suspect Pete hasn’t seen anything compared to what he’s GONNA see). And if all Pete will give him in return is a mask, well, Vegas will tear it off, if he has to.

6. It DOES NOT ESCAPE ME that Kun grips Vegas’s face when he berates him the exact same way that Vegas grips Pete’s face precisely at the points when Vegas is applying the worst of his emotional and mental torture – including asking what would happen if Grandma disappeared. Throughout this sequence, Vegas holds Pete by the neck when he wants to control him, he holds him by the face when he wants to hurt him – and in a way that he knows will not only hurt but will get a reaction, because it’s emotional rather than physical violence. And I find it extremely telling that he seems to have learned that from personal experience with his father.

7. I also find it very interesting that Pete got to see No. 6 happening. Mmhmm.

[bestillmyslashyheart]

Porsche being visibly more upset about Kinn’s wound than Kinn’s brother? (Also shout out to Tankhun for being the only member of Kinn’s family to be there at the hospital for him)

Porsche needing to be at his side??

Kinn unsubtly telling Vegas to fuck all the way off??

Kinn knowing what Porsche needs and handing over his phone??

The hand holding???

Porsche wanting so badly to lay on Kinn but not wanting to hurt him?? And then he does???

The hair petting????

How am I supposed to function??????

[kpdeek]

Episode 7 Thoughts & Reactions

Okay, I'm typing this out on my phone so let's see how much my thumbs can handle. I just needed to get everything on my mind OFF my mind and into words, so if you actually read thru this entire mess, goddamn you're patient 🤣🤣 (also, I've never had a Tumblr in my life. Don't really know how to use it, but I needed SOMEWHERE to post this beast, & hopefully have a convo with someone).

First off, I'm gonna start with the KP scenes. I think this episode woukd have worked well without the side story, which just speaks to how well written this show is (tho I am BEYOND grateful we got that story. It was a much needed reprieve from drama and pining). First hospital scene, Kinn asking Porsche for a hug: we're seeing him allow himself to be vulnerable for the first time ever. If him kissing Porsche in EP 4 was a Crack in his armor, there's a whole ass crevice in it now. Then, Porsche & Kinn pushing each other's buttons when Kinn asks if Porsche enjoyed the beer Vegas gave. Porsche realized Kinns jealousy streak, & boy did he exploit it. At times it was cute, & other times I might have been worried for Porsches life (right before that steamy ending lolz).

Then my FAV scene on the balcony @ the minor family house. Did yall see how Porsche was seeking out encouragement from Kinn? UGH. & for a second I thought Kinn was really going to be an asshole & just let the night end by hanging up on P, but NO!!! my man's escaped the hospital to give Porsche his lucky gun. I can see that Kinn--despite his suspicious nature & being burned by a past lover--is really trying here. He meant it when he said he doesn't want to be like his old self, but old selves are hard to grow from & cast out when they're so ingrained into every aspect of our lives (& encouraged by all aspects of our lives, except for the ONE aspect u want to change your old self FOR). The dirty talk is dirty talk, & I won't dwell on it much, but in the middle of the conversation, how u can see Kinns face shift 180 degrees from playful and flirty (and horny) to utterly concerned, maybe even afraid? ughhhh Mile did so well. You can tell Kinn is effing SCARED of his feelings, scared of Porsche (or at least of giving Porsche the power to hurt him like Tawan did. I still don't think we've gotten a semblance of the truth about that particular relationship, but until ep. 8 I guess...).

& then the bathroom scene. Ah, Vegas, Vegas, Vegas. Idk who u think u are, but clearly you've tried this shit with Kinn once. Did you really think you'd have your way again? Now, I know he was thinking Porsche is drunk, but I don't think Porsche really was. I mean, up at the party Vegas was coming on pretty strong, & Porsche looked wary of him then, shifting to look behind him, acting kinda distant, maybe uncomfortable. But then if he's faking bring drunk, it makes me wonder what his motive was. Because even with Vegas taking his shirt off & coming onto him & stuff, there was a moment where Porsche looked sober as hell, with the way he was uncomfortable, & then proceeded to push Vegas off him. Maybe he's getting suspicious of Vegas being the mole because Vegas is just acting shady enough? Knowing Porsches dream, always showing up when it's oh-so convenient to lend a hand or a shoulder. Yeah, I think I'll stick to that theory until I'm proven wrong. Plus, Kinns outraged "DO YOU SEE THE RING ON MY FINGER?" in other words, "There's only room for one alpha male in this house, & that's ME!" So sexy. So, so sexy.

Now, unto Vegas. Oof, that man is the definition of psychopath. Bible freaking shined this episode. The dead look in his eyes when he was torturing, the pleased smirk when he consistently came out on top, the gun exchange bt. him & Porsche (so freaking hot btw). & then the purely rageful way his gun shook when he wanted so badly to shoot Kinn, the petulant way he knocked Kinns hand down and stormed out. We're really seeing a guy who's always been "second" to his cousin & who so badly just wants all the goods for himself. The lover, the praise, the power, the attention. I feel bad for him in a way, having to fight for a position Kinn isn't so keen on anyway, always coming up second best because Kinn is the family's golden child, the heir. I get why he is the way he is, what with the unhealthy competition there, coupled with the violent life he's been raised in.

Now, our third couple: KimChay. Ahh, Kim, no matter how hard you look, you're not gonna catch any dirt on our inmocent little Chay. In some ways this budding relationship kind of weirds me out--kim is a man, Chay is more like a child. Not talking about the real life age difference, we have to look past that when it comes to the reality of the show. But I mean in their characterization & personalities, in their maturity. I see Kim slowly but surely falling for Chay, who is possibly the most innocent person Kim has ever come across in his existence.

I've said this before somewhere else, but despite Kim coming off as the shady character he has been, i think he's right for questioning his father's motives in wanting to hire Porsche so badly: we should be asking ourselves that question as well. With time, I think we'll see what Korn's motivations are, but I'll leave that for another time. At this point they're giving us heavy one liners from Korn that hint at things, but nothing too solid enough to grasp. I have theories, but again, I'll save those for another episode.

Anyway, Kim. I see him falling for Chay the more he learns Chay is not a threat, but I have a feeling by the time Kim confronts his feelings for him Chay will have found out that this entire relationship began because he was simply a pawn in Kim's agenda. What that agenda is, I'll say here: I think Kim, suspicious of his fsthers insistence in hiring Porsche--who does not fit the bill for the fams usual expectations of their bodyguards--is digging into Porsche to understand why Korn rooted for this man so hard. Why is Porsche being treated differently by their mafia leader father? Though Kim is painted as the shady one, I think he's just trying to protect his family, or at least look out for them from the distance he's put between him and them. He loves them, just doesn't want to be a part of their world. I'm gonna say something that kinda sounds like reaching considering we don't know much about Kim just yet, but I feel like Kim will be the surprise hero at the end of the series. If not hero, then at least the bearer of answers for some questions we still have.

I feel like I'm not saying everything I want to say, but all this to say (hehe) that these actors are doing a freaking phenomenal job at their roles. Keep in mind I've never read the books, I don't know what changes have been made in the plot, tho I've seen a lot of people say we're separated from the book now. So looking at the show as what it is, it's amazing. The emotion, the rawness, the realism, the comedy, the humanity, the moral ambiguity, all of it. So well done, written, & performed.

This thing is getting super long, but I'll end with what I hope to see in EP8: the infamous pool scene (only because Mile hinted it'll appear in either 8 or 9), Porsche being the jealous one for once thanks to Tawan's rise from the dead. I hope they don't bother us with Tawan too much; he's already causing enough trouble for our main couple without having appeared on screen once, & we already know how Kinn feels about him. But I hope to see Porsche return the same kind of need for Kinn as Kinn needs for him. I definitely don't want to see Kinn questioning his feelings for Porsche or using Tawan as a way to hurt him. I believe in Kinn & have faith that whatever Tawan wants, Kinn has been hurt enough by him in the past not to fall for any trickery, but then again we don't necessary know on what terms he & Tawan broke up (tho a small part of me thinks it's the same kind of situation as Kinn telling the world Porsche died so he can go back to his normal life). Sigh. This plot point kind of worries be, but I have more faith in the writers than I do Kinn (lollll), so I know whatever we get is going to be good.

Alright. That's pretty much all I have to say. Again, if you read thru all this, kudos👏🏼 I'd love to have lengthy convos with yall about everything since I can't really talk about the show with anyone in my life, but for now at least I have the space to write it out. Until next time, cheers!