#Sorry for clogging your feed with disk horse

[bekolxeram]

Lagging behind the discourse of the day™ again because I've been balls knee deep in helicopter and weather stuff for the past month.

I've already done a full breakdown of that 57 second dinner scene in 7x10, but I'd like to focus on the last 4 lines that caused the whole daddy kink controversy this time.

If we want to talk about media literacy, I think it's important to look at how the source material actually goes, before coming up with interpretations. In this case, after months of debates, a lot of them in bad faith, the flow of the conversation has gotten mushed together, changing what the scene actually presents.

Most of us read this as Buck flirting, turning the heavy topic about shitty fathers into a lighter one. Folks who dislike Tommy to begin with say just because Buck is smiling doesn't mean he means it in a sexual way, and Tommy denies him the opportunity to open up emotionally by bringing daddy kink into the picture, with the "God I hope so" line. But it doesn't matter whether Buck is flirting here or not, because Tommy's actual reply to this line is:

Just, "I don't", no extra connotation, in a very matter of fact way. The ball is fully in Buck's court again, if he really wants to talk about his own trauma, or figure out if Tommy is truly unaffected by his upbringing, here is his chance.

Instead, he doubles down on daddy issues. I can't imagine anyone asking if their partner thinks they have daddy issues, with that face, in a non-sexual way. Objection, your honor, leading question.

So Tommy gives Buck the answer he's obviously looking for. The end.

There have also been talks about Buck being in a state of worry about Bobby's wellbeing, while all Tommy thinks about is sex. This one is not even worth getting into. The scene literally starts with Tommy asking if Bobby is gonna be okay, and Buck confirming that everything is looking positive. This is no longer a stressful, breath-holding moment, it's a finally getting to exhale moment. Bobby being back from death's door is a small win to celebrate over.