#playboyy the series meta

[waitmyturtles]

I was in the midst of a little whiny sesh for the first 20 minutes of Playboyy, episode 3, just wondering when the story was finally going to gel. Going from a tidbit, a hint of a main storyline with the missing Nant, back to the antics of everyone, Zouey, First, and now Captain -- a lot, A LOT, A LOT is happening.

But @ginnymoonbeam threw out a quick flare to say that this show has some real sparks, and once I was able to finish it, I have to say I agree. A lot is happening. Every one of the storylines is heavy-to-super-heavy. It's Cheewin, it's chaotic. But somehow, I found it all compelling. Coherent? I don't think so, not emotionally, not entirely narratively. And @bengiyo noted to me last week that there's something stylish about this show that happens to be grabbing, and I agree.

So let me see if I can get everything in order first...

Zouey and Teena (I cannot get over what a fabulous name Teena is) stopped their shit because of a miscommunication,

First and Soong stopped their shit because of a miscommunication and money woes,

Captain and Coach Keen are now something like a thing,

Keen is also something like a thing with Soong,

Nont is needling into a situation with Prom to dig up more on his brother, Nant, and Prom may also be the dude in the hidden video that Nont found on his brother's laptop, and also Prom might be into webcam dudes, and maybe was the guy that Nont was cam-ming to, but then why did the guy on the other side of the webcam call shut his computer when he say Nont's face, so maybe that wasn't Prom, but Nont's recollections later maybe seemed to indicate that it was Prom?

We have definitely had ensemble shows where there was a lot going on, but THERE'S A LOT A LOT A LOT GOING ON, and again, all of this is heavy. Captain's just gotten spooked by the homophobes on his rugby team, and he's about to actually engage with them on a bet, which, yikes. So, sex addiction, possible sex crimes, possible kidnapping, wealth discrimination, homophobia, etc.

If you know my blog, you know I LOVE awl the themes, and I do really love Cheewin's work, including his insane work on YYY, and the last big show of his that I watched, Bed Friend, also just had stuff after stuff until it came together by episode 6 or so. At least, though, earlier in Bed Friend, we had an idea of what the story was and what was holding it together.

Narratively, here in Playboyy, because each of these NUMEROUS storylines is SO weighty -- it just seems like the Nont/Nant storyline doesn't have enough room to breathe. And it's really compelling! Nont is feeling forced to take every last step his brother took to retrace his brother's last locations.

Whew, I mean. Each of these storylines is actually kind-of-good-to-very-good. But I think in fiction -- we have to kill our darlings sometimes. Where will the Captain/Keen storyline take us? Will the Zouey/Teena storyline remain compelling for us to watch as Zouey continues to waver on his comfort in intimacy? Is Soong really judging First for money? What was that whole thing of calling him "baby" at the end?

I'm dithering a bit. I am getting attached to this show, I can feel it, but it's a lot to handle. I'm especially feeling compelled to stick with the show after Den Panuwat's hints about what he wanted to say about queer sex that he couldn't say in Only Friends. I think I just wish the show was slightly easier to watch simply by way of the number of storylines that we're tracking -- because with EVERY storyline we have, we have less time to spend on the ones that are carrying the real weight of the show.

But I'm sticking with this! Stylistically? There is still a lot to love.

[waitmyturtles]

//But I learned VERY quickly that I should keep this to myself if I don't want to be ostracized or bullied.//

I love that someone wrote this post with these feelings -- yay, @nozunhinged, for helping a lot of us to think about what's going on with Playboyy, and I'd love to muse for a moment. I felt the same way as you when I was growing up -- in a conservative Asian environment where even asking questions, even revealing that I was THINKING about asking questions, about intimacy, was received from friends and family with a lot of judgement.

What I'm concerned about with Playboyy is that there's A LOT A LOT A LOT going on -- lots of characters, LOTS of storylines (how many? Four, five, by my count?), lots of varying levels of depictions of intimacy that are being conducted at all stages of quality and emotion. As with so many Cheewin Thanamin shows (see: Bed Friend), Playboyy is starting off extremely laden with trauma, sex, intention, insinuation, everything.

So my first thought when thinking about Playboyy lately is: the plot better have centrality, and it better hold up. It needs to, because I want it to ultimately honor what @nozunhinged's post is referring to by way of the calling out of the judgement of sex by the global majority.

(This was a topic I unwound on in my Theory of Love review, in which I felt that ToL was easy to write off, because Khai and his initial preferred ways of having sex were easy to judge and write off -- and groupthink is a difficult mindset to tear one away from. I found Theory of Love to be a brilliant show in part for forcing us, a part of the global majority, to question why we'd judge Khai's sex in the first place.)

If the plot holds up, and if it can be made clear that this show is depicting sex at all levels of emotion (checked in, checked out, economic sex, love sex, all of it) and at all levels of quality, then -- Playboyy can be a really successful show. I don't think it's there yet. I think they could use a higher level of intimacy coordination and a clearing of the road to really dig into Nont's journey.

But I'm seriously pulling for the show. Because if each episode starts out with a clarity call about the global judgement of sex? And is able to tie that knot? That would be HUGE.

Commentary on sex work and the Thai economy? Dudes. Wikipedia reports that in 2003, sex work made up 3% of the Thai economy. In 2015, sex work accounted for 10% of Thailand's GDP. BIG FUCKING NUMBERS.

If Playboyy can give us critical commentary on the voluntary and likely involuntary nature of sex work in Thailand, the wealth disparities that lead many into sex work (which this show is indeed leaning into), the common co-morbidity of drug and alcohol addiction within the industry -- the show is already touching on a lot of this, and like I said, it's A LOT A LOT.

It's easy to write off Playboyy now, after four episodes, where we didn't have a lot of clarifying of the plot to start. But I'm truly pulling for it to hopefully be successful. Cheewin pulled Bed Friend from the trauma trenches to create an incredible story at the end. With ALL of these themes percolating, for the first time TOGETHER, in a BL setting -- I want it to work, and I'm still compelled to watch it.

I finally managed to put my overall thoughts about Playboyy into words and hoooooo boy do I have a lot to say.

I watched the mdl ratings go down, the blatant hate towards the plot, the actors, the scenes, the sex. There was nothing that wasn't torn apart about this series and yet I wasn't phased for a second and I kept wondering why because usually get very passionate about defending the things I love.

And then I realized that this series is the cinematic embodiment of a very lonely path that I've been walking for decades and I am already very, very used to the shame around it.

Sex is not just my special interest, I also had the privilege to grow up with excellent sex education (thanks parents) and on top of that I never struggled with my (pan)sexual identity. Sex plays a significant role in my life. But I learned VERY quickly that I should keep this to myself if I don't want to be ostracized or bullied.

"You're autistic AND you like sex? You like porn? What the fuck is wrong with you??? That's impossible."

And all the comments I read about playboyy are exactly the same just in different fonts. Ew sex. Ew kink. Ew porn. Ew sex work. Sex can't have storytelling, plot, it's just for shock value. We all read it.

And sadly it's a very accurate representation of the role sex plays in our society. Which - ironically - playboyy exactly is about.

Playboyy is a visual collection of all the experiences of lives and people in which sex plays a significant role - even the lack thereof (looking at you zouey and all you lovely aces).

It's a collection of very important social commentary, with all the characters, sets, plots and visuals as a medium. Because this way, the points they make come across even stronger and draw out all the emotions they want us to feel - which is in the rarest cases, pure arousal. Because this is, in fact, storytelling. Even if many don't want to hear it.

Telling stories about sex is so stigmatized and shunned, it only has the tiniest place to exist freely. Just like sex itself. Every sex worker, sex educator, sex therapist, everyone who has a profession that deals with sex will tell you about it. The shame. The misunderstanding. Look at the state of sex work and porn in the world. It tells you everything you need to know.

And it's happening in the middle of the "modern" western society - Yes I'm talking about you, UK and I can't not plug this here:

*btw I am not a sex worker I'm just very passionate about letting people not just live their lives but giving them a CHOICE to do what they want or don't want to do

I existed in this tiny place for decades now and I got really comfortable in my tiny lil corner, but to see a show like this go "mainstream" talking about all the topics that tickle all the knowledge I collected over the years feels so amazing. And I can tell you, all you lil smartass purists, everyone involved in this show doesn't care an inch what you think, just like me. We're used to it, believe me.

I could go on for ages about how carefully all these topics of the show are treated but what I actually want to say is that I find it incredibly ironic that a show that depicts the struggles and stigmas about sex, exactly draws out the reactions and treatments it criticises.

If you don't want to join in on the fun, that's totally fine. I get that it's not for everyone (just like sex, he). But treating it as a piece of trash just because it's a thing you personally find icky is exactly the reason the issues Playboyy talks about exist in the first place. Hence you can thank your stuck-up ass yourself that debauched individuals like me get a gem like this to enjoy.

And the fact that it didn't just find a crew, but also the funding and the mainstream distribution proves that I'm not alone in this.

It's not my lonely little corner anymore and I'm absolutely thriving on that. Cry about it.

[sunshinechay]

Nont feels like a replacement. He came in disguise but I think once that disguise got dropped, I think he assumed that everyone has come to care about him as well as his brother. I think that statement is true, but I think Nont doesn’t believe it.

He just learned his brother may have died by suicide, but also that Nant may have staged it. Nant was a sex addict, a drug addict, a man capable of violence against someone he claimed he loved, manipulative and more cunning than Nont had imagined his brother to be. Nont idolized his brother but now that has all come crashing down.

Nont is upset and sad and angry and yet all anyone seems to care about is that Nant might still be alive. They want to keep searching, they want to find him, they don’t seem to care that Nont is coming apart at the seems. That he is losing the one thing that made him want to find out what happened to his brother, the pedestal that Nont put him on.

So he walks away from the boys he hadn’t realized he wanted to be friends with, he goes towards a man he might be falling in love with, thinking that man loves Nant. He offers to be Nant for that man just once, because he wants to feel that love. He is so desperate to feel wanted by someone that he will burn himself alive just for the chance to feel like someone wants him, even just one time.

But the way the boys look after Nont walks away, how uncomfortable Prom looks at the idea of pretending that Nont is Nant. They do care about him, they do love him. They don’t want him to leave or to feel like he is alone. Nont is a part of their lives now, but none of them know how to say it in a way Nont will believe, so they say nothing. Prom tries to show him through action, but all it does is convince Nont that Prom is in love with Nant. That Prom is not in love with him.

[mygwenchan]

Teena through Zouey's eyes - Famous artworks and movies in Playboyy the Series - Part 1

My art historian ass couldn't help but notice that a few references to famous works of art have been inserted into the Teena-Zouey scenes. This was most likely done, because we see Teena through Zouey's eyes and that boy undoubtedly has an artist's point of view.

We'll probably get a couple more scenes like these in future episodes. I'm expecting something like Michelangelo's David or maybe some classical sculptures. Vermeer's Girl with the Pearl Earring or Gustav Klimt's The Kiss would also work, I think.

Anyway, if you've spotted any other references, don't be shy and leave them in the tags or leave a comment :3

EP1 Teena modeling during art class - Auguste Rodin, Le Penseur

EP1 Bathroom scene, Zouey grabs Teena's thigh - Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Ratto di Proserpina

EP1 Bathroom scene, close up of Teena - Gian Lorenzo Bernini, L'Estasi di Santa Teresa

EP1 Zouey paints Teena at his place - Michelangelo, Creazione di Adamo

BONUS:

EP1 Zouey paints Jump - Titanic movie, 'Paint me like one of your French girls' scene

Of course this one is a reference to the many depictions of a resting Venus

For example Alexandre Cabanel, Naissance de Vénus

[Part 2] [Part 3]

[akria23]

Something I wanted to talk about is the gun scene. I saw someone say there was 2 pairings that had someone say they can’t live without the other and I’d actually say you have to count this scene as another. Because essentially the bit that’s important is the what’s being said underneath the conversation - what’s being said without words.

As Nont rejects Proms request for him to stay telling him that he can’t continue to live that way he’s not Nant - he moves the gun higher along Prom temple. This is because the rejection isn’t just being vocalized, he’s also showing Prom that he cares little for him & he will leave him once this is over.

This is where dialogue drops because Proms response is to move Nont’s hand with the gun from his head to his heart. He grips it, leans in, presses hard. This is a statement - this was him saying he doesn’t want to live without Nont. This was a rejection of them separating. Prom doesn’t get to speak tho because it’s against the rules, it’s goes against their agreement. And also Prom and Nont’s version of communication has always been more unhinged than the rest of the pairs because they’re unhinged and because Nont’s so resistant. But even in this moment, despite his earlier words, Nont is once again affected by Prom.

He backs down from the challenge by bending his wrist lowering the gun and eventually his arm from Prom’s grip. He looks away uncomfortably I think in part because he’s not as comfortable with the thought of Prom’s demise as he pretends and because he doesn’t want Prom to have that power over him, doesn’t want to have any sort of emotional bond to him. Nant hangs between them like a ghost…

When Nont told him not to cross the line, that he wasn’t Nant, Prom didn’t push or battle it - he became his partner in crime.

When Nont told him that he didn’t need aftercare because he wasn’t Nant, Prom continued to give him aftercare and moved the conversation to their plan.

Even after this conversation where Nont tries to convince him that he will leave him behind after the mission is complete (because he can’t do this life, he’s not Nant) - Prom sends him a text that basically says after murder, come home to me and if you’ve succeeded I’ll award you and if you’ve failed I’ll console you.

No matter what you think Proms motives are he obviously believes in playing the long game. Whenever Nont tried to erect a wall between them Prom glides over it and continues their relationship. Nont is in denial.

He wants to believe he’s the predator in the relationship, that he’s using Prom and will be able to discard him the second he doesn’t need him anymore but he hasn’t been able to do that yet even on the small scale.

Something I will say is I don’t think Prom is actually as cool an collected as he appears when it comes to moments like these with Nont. I say that because more than once now we’ve been shown them ‘aggressively smoke’ during moments where they’re repressing a lot of their conversation / emotions when they’re together. And the amount of times Prom took a pull of his cigarette during the first but of the conversation to Nont taking a drag after sitting with obvious uncomfortable feelings (after he pulled the gun down from Prom’s chest).

[lugarn]

day whatever, still can't figure out why people are mad they didn't get to see zouey and teena's first time. we did get to see it! we saw every second of their first time, it was the bad one. bad sex doesn't make it not count! first times kinda suck because you don't know what you want, even if you know you want sex.

beyond that, zouey is an incredibly private person. he doesn't tell his bffs what his and teena's second time (or third, or fourth) is like because for him the ability to have these things be private is part of his recovery. it totally makes sense that narrative-wise that we don't get to see any of this as an extension of zouey's privacy.

playboyy has a lot of these masterful moments where they show in a more subtle way what someone's dealing with by having them not do a thing that everyone expects them to do. i fucking love it.

the narrative point of zouey and teena's second time is about recovering from the first time. the other narrative point is to show to what extent zouey is private--a lot more private than he has been so far--about what he wants. part of his recovery is getting to actually be private about his experiences and desires.

playboyy's story often revolves around recovering from bad things happening/having done bad things to others. the important part isn't that zouey and teena kept having sex, it's that they recovered from a bad experience. just the same way that porsche and jump, prom and nont, and first and soong all eventually do too.

[bunnakit]

do you want to get chicken noodles?

i've had several people wonder why i'm obsessed with playboyy's aob and why i'm constantly saddened by the indifference towards him on the dash so i figured i'd grab hold of my 'too much' habits again and do a breakdown of all the reasons i love aob.

as always, i'm just a little guy on the internet. i could be way off base, i could be seeing things that aren't there, i could be reading too much into things, could be forgetting points of the plot or times when people have mentioned aob in a bad light, whatever. i just ask that you be nice to me because i'm only this big 🤏🏻 (and i also took the time to make gifs of almost every single aob moment across 8 episodes and i've been working on this for 5 hours - some gifs are crunchy because i had to lower the quality to capture everything i want to address)

to preface, so much of aob isn't in what he says - you actually gain so much more to learn from aob about what he doesn't say and observing his body language and facial expressions closely. aob tells his entire story with his body, because that's how he's grown used to communicating.

episode 1 🌸

we see here aob is genuinely baffled by the behavior of teena and soong. he's used to the environment of playboyy where clients are just paychecks and there's game of cat and mouse and as a result no need for any sort of emotions or emotional manipulation. he's simply providing a service and doing a job. he doesn't have to lure and romance, his clients come to him. the idea of getting emotions involved is completely foreign to him.

episode 2 🌸

we're brought to a flashback almost immediately in episode 2 that raises a lot of questions but also shows us quite a bit. as aob walks up the stairs he moves as if he owns the place, with the utmost confidence. as he ascends we see security treat him with respect and offer wai's in passing - almost as if he is someone in charge here. this shows us what a big deal aob is among the club, how respected he is even as far as the security is concerned. i think it's a very interesting detail that helps back up aob's arrogance and confidence, because why would he be anything else?

the following conversation with the other workers is a bit confusing to me and as far as i recall we don't have all the answers to the questions it raises just yet. we do learn aob is the one that taught jump, teena, and soong during their time at playboyy. he asks them what they're going to do for a living if they're leaving and i think this conveys the idea that aob isn't as heartless as he appears. he worries for them and wonders how they'll take care of themselves if they leave.

teena makes a comment about the boss going too far but i'm not sure if we know what he means by that yet? i had actually completely forgotten about this encounter until i went back to grab screens. i want to comment on this part more but it's not really the point, i'm just really curious what the fuck they're talking about here as they seem to insinuate they've been forced to work here and even aob is surprised by that. this leads me to believe that aob might be a bigger part of the plot later on, perhaps in uncovering whatever was meant by these comments.

episode 4 🌸

i think this is the moment aob really lost favor with so much of the fandom and i do understand why, however, there's a lot that happens here that's very interesting to observe.

"Don't say 'true love' and 'soulmate.'"

i have to wonder why these were the first words aob brings up as soong laments his situation. no one said those words, aob, but you sure did.

teena then talks to soong about what he's heard and tells him he should be responsible for first's feelings in all of this to which aob makes the above expression. aob hates the discussion of feelings, believes emotions need to be removed from the equation entirely, and is baffled by the way his friends are acting about people that should be nothing more than clients and believes any form of relationship impossible.

"Try being in love." "What, stupid love?"

something about this makes me believe that aob doesn't know what love is, not real love. he dismisses it as stupid and scoffs while the others almost roll their eyes at him. it's easy for aob to give the advice he does when he doesn't have love burning a hole in his chest the way they do, he's never felt it before, doesn't know how all consuming it is.

and then as first confronts soong the camera pans from teena to aob and i find his expression very interesting. that doesn't look like a man removed of emotions. to me, that looks like a man that has just had his world tilted on it's axis and is now questioning everything he's ever told himself. he sees first's tears and the way soong stands still and listens as first falls apart. i think that moment truly startled him and drove home that the emotions between the boys and their 'clients' are very real.

episode 5 🌸

alright, episode 5 is a lot so i'm sorry for the absolute wall of gifs and texts coming for this single episode.

"Time to work, Puen."

aob meets puen on the stage and immediately his face falls as it's not him picked first but puen. later, aob walks into the back where puen is smoking and immediately takes in the sight of him.

"Are you Puen?" "I am." "You're quite hot."

"Come find me later. I want to know why you're so popular."

aob wants to know who has dethroned him and why his clients are so enamored with puen. what does puen, someone completely new to the business, have to offer that he doesn't? this is also where aob begins to look at puen and from here on he will never look away.

aob speaks so very much with his eyes. you can see his gaze drop and take in all of puen here during their 'evaluation' as he asks permission before going further with him. it's obviously quite professional but i think it also shows us that aob isn't as cold as he tells people he is; or perhaps that's just where puen is concerned.

this is really where i realized that much of understanding aob is reading into what he isn't saying or what his words are hiding.

"I knew it, you aren't that great."

but he is, because aob can't look away from him.

"...You attract clients that want to try new things. Once they are bored of you they'll dump you."

you're attracted to me and want to try something with me, but once you're bored you'll leave me.

"Why don't you teach me? I want to be like you."

show me what you want from me. i want you to like me.

"I'm sorry. I can't be a teacher. I'm a prostitute. Oh. Don't be like me." Because you can never be. Loser."

i'm sorry. i can't like you. i'm a prostitute. and please don't like me because i can never like you back. don't look to me anymore.

but puen accepts that challenge.

(i forgot to watermark this one lmao, i don't care enough to go fix it)

i'm still not entirely sure what to make of this moment with prom. why does he squeeze aob's shoulder as if to offer him some kind of reassurance? why does aob shake his head just the slightest bit and suddenly look like he's going to face a firing squad? does prom know it's already too late for aob, that he's in too deep? is he trying to prepare aob for the sudden fire in puen's veins? i'm really struggling to figure it out, really. i think it could mean quite a few things or nothing at all.

"Why are you criticizing me? People might think you're jealous of me."

puen has so very clearly learned what makes aob tick. he's learned that aob's pride is also his biggest weakness and he picks at that weak point to evoke a response from him - and it works. suddenly aob is all bluster and anger, but interestingly puen doesn't back down, doesn't even flinch. instead, he has a confident smile and meets aob's eyes with a challenge burning in his own.

aob doesn't know what to do with that. you can see it in the shift of his face. this expression is very similar to the one he makes when first confronts soong - he's on the wrong foot, confused and adrift because suddenly puen is no longer the innocent doe-eyed novice but someone who is pushing back and challenging him. no one has ever challenged him before.

they meet again later in the bathroom where aob is doing some sort of display of dominance perched on a urinal. listen, that's my blorbo, but even i can't defend that. baby get down from there, you're making even more of a fool of yourself.

"Do you want to eat chicken noodles with me?"

aob rejects the invitation and puen laments that he seemed fine earlier when they were in the room together.

"What happens in the room stays in the room, Puen. You can't have feelings for the clients. They'll be strangers when they leave."

what i do in the room with you has to stay there. i can't have feelings for you. you'll become a stranger to me when you leave.

"Why do you have to act so cold and emotionless to everyone?"

and aob doesn't answer. he doesn't even get angry. there's just a quiet look of resignation on his face and he bites his lip, almost like he's nervous, almost like puen is looking at him too closely and starting to see right through him.

"Can you have feelings for your friends or brothers?"

or for me.

"You aren't my friend or my brother. You're a competitor."

because you have to be. because i can't handle any alternative. i can't love you.

episode 6 🌸

they're in the bathroom again but this time it's puen waiting for aob asking why he's been avoiding him.

"Why can't you have sex like a couple? You taught me how to feel. So practice what you preach."

why can't we have sex like a couple? you taught me to remove the feelings from it so why can't you do that?

and i think it's very interesting that for a moment aob drops his gaze and looks away. he's been caught and called out and looks away almost in submission before pulling up his guard again.

"I don't have any feelings for a kid like you. I just can't do it. You're not sexy enough."

he attacks puen's looks but this is a direct contradiction to when they first met and the first thing he said was "You're quite hot." once again aob says the opposite of what he means.

i have feelings for you, this is why i can't have sex with you like a couple. i like you far too much.

"Fine. I'll be better than you someday."

fine. i'll make you love me.

and aob can't take it any longer. he goes just outside the door and breaks down because it's all so much; his feelings for puen, puen's refusal to back down, the turmoil he finds himself in having everything he's ever known turned upside down. he was never supposed to have feelings, least of all for someone as stubborn and determined as puen who breaks down his walls and challenges him at every turn. his will is breaking down every bit as much as he is in this moment.

episode 7 🌸

this was one of the first scenes to really make me emotional in this show. throughout this entire scene aob cannot look away from puen. all of his attention is on puen to the point where he neglects the client and even pushes him away. he touches only puen, kisses only puen. he seems almost tortured by the moment, to be so close but so far from the object of his desire.

and puen looks at him with the challenge in his eyes again, almost mocking: look at me, i've surpassed you. you can't take your eyes off me. i've won.

and aob continues to watch him, his eyes almost a caress, gaze almost reverent as if he's witnessing something holy. my man is absolutely lost in the sauce.

"You have a crush on a loser like me, huh? So you couldn't help yourself."

"This is how you pay me back?" why are you doing this to me? "Do it to me, not in front of the client. What's wrong with you?" don't challenge me in front of a client. don't push me.

but puen knows he's won, he knows he's hit the nail on the head and aob, as he always does, is growing defensive. because he's scared.

"But I'm glad that I'm important to you. Like I said, I will be better than you someday. But that day came so quickly. You lost."

i'm glad you've realized i'm important to you. like i said, i would make you love me. that day came so quickly. i've won.

episode 8 🌸

i didn't get gifs of the scene but prom asks aob if he's jealous of puen's popularity. that's all he asks. but what's interesting is aob replies:

"Jealous? I don't have feelings for him."

aob... i don't think that's what prom was asking. prom asked if you were jealous of his popularity among the clients, if you were jealous that he'd taken your throne.

and puen appears to challenge aob again, blows him a kiss almost as a reminder of their previous encounter. but aob doesn't get angry, doesn't rise to the bait. if anything he looks sad, maybe contemplative, and perhaps like he's coming to terms with something.

You only appreciate the value of something when you are about to lose it. It's just so fucking awful.

Especially when you know in your heart that you are powerless.

Because he isn't your boyfriend.

The more you want to know the more painful it gets.

throughout this entire scene aob looks so sorrowful, like he knows he has to do something soon or he will lose his chance with puen. he has to try because this powerless feeling is growing to be too much.

aob is waiting for puen at the bottom of the stairs and if you look he's bouncing his leg in a nervous tick. when puen rounds the corning his face is immediately in some semblance of a smile which is something we really haven't seen from aob. it gives the impression that he worked himself up to this moment despite how nervous he is. (his shirt is also very wrinkled, were you in a rush?)

"How are you going to haze me today?"

and this i think drives home that puen is tiring of their game. that aob is so very close to losing puen because puen is starting to believe aob's words, believe that aob doesn't like him and only wants to harass him.

so aob takes the leap.

(and i find the handle with care on the wall particularly interesting, as both of them need to be handled with care. aob, with his unfamiliar and warring feelings, and puen with his earnest and hopeful heart.)

and as aob bridges that gap puen looks taken aback and confused because what the fuck, aob isn't soft, doesn't do things like this.

"Do you want to get chicken noodles?"

aob asks, a throwback to the day puen had asked him on a date. an acknowledgement and an apology.

i'm sorry i wasn't ready then, but i'm ready now. will you still have me?

and that's why today's episode made me cry and why i love aob so, so very much. his journey learning his feelings and learning what love feels like and what love can be isn't pretty, he fights it tooth and nail the entire way, but the smile on both their faces as he jumps on puen's back gives me so much hope that they can be good for each other and support each other.

there are still so many episodes left and maybe i'll be wearing clown make up by the end of this, maybe my hopelessly disgustingly romantic heart has misled me, maybe i've read the facial expressions and body language all wrong, but regardless of all of that aob and puen are so special to me.

[heretherebedork]

Teena and Zouey really are more similar than you'd think they were, frankly. But also the way Soong smiled when he got the text from First? Aw.

Giddiest. boy. ever. Just... damn. Falling in love is complicated and it's even more complicated when you've been taught to never be in love

And even harder when he goes from being giddy to being told not to be in love and to First only hearing the most hurtful part and not the parts that lead to it... because it's about how complicated love can be and how much it can hurt and how do you find love when you're always been told that love isn't for someone like you.

How do you learn to trust and love when everyone around you tells you that isn't what you're meant for because of what you've been doing to survive? (Soong can't even argue, he can't say a word, because he doesn't believe in any of it, not a bit of it.)

Really, the exploration of the love that Soong is experiencing tempered with the reality of his life and First's own innocence coming up but also his own love as well, his own pain only making everything worse and knowing that Teena believe in love because of Zouey and knowing how fine of a line the trust exists on and how easily broken it is if you don't know how to trust, well, trust.

Because this is basically the exact opposite of the problem that First and Soong have. The misunderstanding comes from a totally different place but also serves a different purpose. This is about what sex means and what being a virgin means and the different weights placed on either having or being denied sex but also how important sex can be to people...

Teena accusing Zouey of having sex with other people and just refusing to sleep with him, Teena throwing out the word whore for Zouey because he feels betrayed by his refusal to have sex, Teena already heartbroken before Zouey ever shows up rather than giddy until he realizes something, Zouey desperately trying to talk and explain only to be shot down...

And Zouey still arguing, still trying to point out that they were something more, that none of this is true, that he wants to talk about what's wrong... ugh. But also, yeah, Teena deserved to get slapped for that. Absolutely. But they're both falling apart because they care about someone that they can't communicate with and don't know how to trust or believe in or even just love because the very things that brought them together so easily tear them apart because differences can both bond and fracture.

(But also damn Teena calling Zouey a whore as the biggest insult he can find is wild and painful and so big, the fact that Zouey was still trying to fight for him to listen after that... oof, their love is rough but it's also just so damn there.)

My two sad little rich boys getting drunk to recover from their first forays into love. But also the very sad and much more lonely whores that fell for them who are much more alone and finding very different ways to cope.

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

I really like Playboyy. I like the settings that look like a mixture of TV and theatre. I like that the different pairings have different effects, like the dream filter for Zouey and Teena or the always a little bit filthy looking setting for First and Soong. I like that there are meanings behind it, that the picture represent the type of relationship that people think it should or would look like. I like the clean feeling you get of Nont's and Prom's encounters, the feeling of money, of prostitution and that that is both true and far away from the reality. I like how this series manages to put on masks on these "couples" on these "relationships". I like how they try to play with our prejudices. And to be honest I celebrate the variety of different kinks and preferences that find their places in this show. What makes me sad is that people won't give this series another chance, because they think it is just about random sex and corn and that they can't see the beauty behind all of that. And that this whole oversexualization is also part of this disguise and the play itself and with that the beauty of this series. But I get that it is not for everybody and that is totally fine. There is really a lot of sex in this one...

[waitmyturtles]

I was more hyped than usual for Playboyy, episode 5, because of some excellent discussion earlier this week about what individual fans are getting out of this show. I hold myself intrigued, but still skeptical, about what's going on, and if this series can close out the mystery aspect that's still lingering regarding Nant's disappearance.

The screenwriter of the show, Den Panuwat, is generous with their hints on social media. They've indicated the show is supposed to be interpreted as camp, and they've indicated intergenerational trauma from the richer protagonists onto their group of friends and sex partners.

Even with these hints, the show is still not foundationally sound, which I was hoping to see more of, and I didn't. We have an expanded storyline in Nuth/Phop, with the indication that Nuth is likely the last person to have seen Nant. But we have not delved into that at all yet, and we are instead watching Nuth and Phop likely catch feelings for each other while engaged in a drug-dependent sex partnership.

We were also introduced to Captain's rugby teammate, Puen, suddenly showing up to Playboyy as a new employee, facing the jealousy of Aob, a clearly older veteran who's... trying to teach Puen "the ways" out of jealousy? Maybe? I don't know why we need this storyline at the moment, but it's adding to the pile.

I mentioned in my post earlier this week that I keep on saying that there's A LOT A LOT A LOT in this show, and man. I mean. MDL has this series listed with FOURTEEN EPISODES. FOURTEEN. I have to ask this question: do Cheewin Thanamin and Den Panuwat not think that the Nant/Nont storyline is strong enough to lead a single episode?

I always go back to thinking about Bed Friend or Make It Right when I think of Cheewin shows having A LOT A LOT A LOT, but: Bed Friend was centered mostly solely around KingUea, and the trauma that the show focused on was Uea's. Make It Right had exactly two couples (to start) in TeeFuse and FrameBook. Compared to Playboyy, those two series were slimmed down by way of storylines, and still have strong central structure -- MIR having strong central structure from the start of the show, despite the chaos of the young men.

We're at episode 5, and adding storylines here. Do I think they can come together in 14 episodes? Yes, absolutely -- a skilled team could do it. I think I'm sharing frustration here about needing to go through it from the episodic perspective. As my friend @lurkingshan has noted to be about this show before: the little-to-no background knowledge we have of these characters -- their motivations, their curiosities, their personalities -- are unknown to us. There's no time to get to know them. We won't only get to know them by seeing who they're having sex with. It's a little tough to be interested in the meaning of these storylines when, except for sex, there's little going on by way of any of them, expect for Nont, delving into the "whys" of the disappearance of their friend.

I appreciate that the main friend group is also diving into their own investigations. That could be a show! But we now have Aob/Puen and Nuth/Phop and their whole deals to deal with, and I'm tearing my hair out a little. Maybe.... that's the point, who knows.

If campy stylistics are the name of the game -- then, like I said in my post earlier this week, this show has a lot to live up to. Camp, AND critical discussions on the wealth disparity and addiction co-morbidity aspects of sex work? Whew, that's a lot. The addition of so much stuff, at this point in the series, hurts the storyline, in my opinion. But, I will still stick with it, for now, out of curiosity if the style and the substance will both improve and meet at the same level.

[lukaherehelp]

Playboyy EP2 - Getting What You Want?

(feels ominous now)

Instead of commenting as the episode progresses, I'm going to go straight to analyzing everything that has caught my attention. Fasten your seatbelts, this is gonna be a long one with no brakes!

SO!

Let's get out of the way the horniness first because it has me distracted. Yes, more shirtless Teena, yes to Aob's melons are out first two minutes buT I NEED TO GO UNHINGED ABOUT THIS MAN FOR A SECOND:

he fuckin pulls in wearing converse, leather pants and jacket, a white tee and while still wearing those fuckin nerd glasses while smoking a cigarrette and y'all want me to skip it?! And then we procced to learn that he was in this sugar daddy/sugar baby with master/slave dynamics with Nant (where idk if there were actual feelings or not) AND Y'ALL WANT ME TO BE NORMAL ABOUT IT?!

I'm taking Nant's place! I'm running across the globe to be his barbie doll, all the feminism in me has left, the traditional woman protocol is activated. Sir, how do you want your eggs in the morning? I get Fiat now when he said he would let Leo tie and lock him up, this man has awaken that in me.

... okey, moving on to my actual notes. Let's begin again:

PROM & PORSCHE

two bad bitches in one single frame, they are blood related.

This two are so fuckin sus that at this point I actually think they are yet another red herring (at least Prom). But I'm not talking about their involvement in Nant's disappearence right now, I'm talking information and dynamics:

Prom works in Playboyy, Porche is in charge of Miracle Car Wash.

Prom is the older brother, Porche is the younger one. Yet, Porche is out here ordering around Prom like he is taking care of a child. Either he is truly the baddest bitch on this show or growing up Prom was not the most severe brother against Porche taking in account how family dynamics in Thailand tend to go... Porsche has some balls.

Now, Porche doesn't want Prom to work on Playboyy anymore. He even states that he must hand his resignation due to Nant be back, which makes Prom smile:

Prom is obviously happy about Nant's comeback but also about his job, he ain't bending down to his little brother's wishes.

Is Playboyy also one of their father's business? Would makes sense that you put your eldest in charge.

Porche is coming out to be quite the ambitious boy, managing Playboyy would be a much more profitable and exciting job that a fuckin carwash, but Prom gets more from his job in Playboyy than just being the maître and a possible host.

Porche comments about how meeting up with Nant again can screw them over... Why? Because of their relationship or because of the clips Nant was sending to Captain? Was one of them with Prom? Is Porche looking into protecting the family name?

To continue with Prom for a little: as happy as he seem to the news of Nant being back, he doesn't seem that thrill when meeting Nont.

clever of you to go see him in Nant's white, Nont, but I do think Prom knows his baby better than you do.

Still don't know what the fucking dynamic is apart from what has being obviously stated before but here is when I slowly slide in to talk about

NANT & NONT

First of all, Nont has run out of info and is already slipping, I was fully expecting for him to come clean to First and Zouey during the breakfast:

a bunch of babies

... yet he didn't but found out important info:

the relationship (money wise) Prom and Nant had.

the clips Nant was selling to Captain.

that he's into kinky sex lmao

Seriously now, in what type of trouble was Nant in that all the money (which is not little) Prom was transfering him, combined with what Captain payed him for the clips, wasn't enough? And that's if the money is the problem.

Nont seems to think that Nant is death (so do I) and he could have fallen victim of a rough session gone wrong. Is a possible. It could be accidental.

But if it wasn't, if someone is behind it... Let's go with our only clear suspect right now: Porche.

what is the motive? could be from jealousy or pride. Is not strange for younger siblings to think their older siblings are out of bounds to their friends and Porche is a possesive bitch. If he didn't like Nant to begin with, him fuckin Porche AND getting paid by him would probably send him to the fuckin edge. It could also be a matter of family pride as well. Maybe he knew about the clips, or maybe knew about the relationship by other means and that could tint their father's reputation, therefore also his. Specially if the problem is the clips... that shit would spread like wildefire.

quick to scream at

CAPTAIN

My brother in sin... WHERE THE FUCK ARE THOSE CLIPS GOING AND HOW ARE YOU SO NON CHALANT ABOUT IT? SPECIALLY SINCE YOUR "FRIEND" IS INVOLVED IN THEM?

anygay, he's currently distracted with Puen and Keen and I can tell he's already planning how to get in Keen's pants to join the team...

I don't have much comment (for now) on Teena and Zouey since they seem to be in their own bubble and not involved in the mystery at all, but I'm going to address the elephant in the room:

SOONG & FIRST

My mind tells me two things: "well, this fuckin sucks" and "is a red herring".

We had them going at it with their fuckin shenanigans (never better said) for almost the whole episode. But we keep being reminded about how materialistic Soong seems to be:

First adores this man to the same level Zouey adores Teena, but his eyes are set somewhere else: profit.

Now, we can go to Denial, the river in Egipt, for a while and say that he's being thruthful about how he doesn't want people to think he's with First for the money... But he is. First is a giant bhath sign for him. Even when he goes to leave First home after their little "cosplay" adventure (ominous that they were dress as knock off versions of Ghostface), he just have eyes for the fuckin watch First has eventually given him:

so much so that he gets caught by First's dad

which makes me go into two theories:

either Soong is really dumb and for real has being playing First + he's straigh up a psycho

OR

as many are wishing for, after the massive argument First and his father had, and the knowledge we have that First cannot move out due to his father's controling nature, him and Soong are teamming up to con First's dad... which I also think is a dumb idea, but how cares for now.

or at least that's it for now... I'll probably write more and go in depth as we wait for EP3, but that's my investigation work for now.

Remember, my ask box and my dms are open if anybody wants to scream my way,

Luka out!

[chaos0pikachu]

Hi chaos,

So people on other socials are saying playboyy is camp? I don't quite get that vibe so I'm asking do you? Why?

*cracks neck* okay let's do this; this got wildly long so I'm putting a chunk of it behind a cut b/c unlike some blogs I'm not gonna subject anyone to endless and endless scrolling just b/c I added pictures anyway~~

So people are probably getting this from Den himself:

I talked about camp an itty bitty bit before, specifically I quoted Susan Sontag who was an American academic, novelist and writer mostly known for her essays. You can read more about her here. Specifically I quoted her essay Notes on Camp:

(source)

I really recommend reading the entire essay, it's a bit dated, but Sontag also makes a point that camp changes with the times as well. This essay was written, after all, in 1964, before Hairspray (1988), Batman (1966), Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), or Mommie Dearest (1981) which are considered camp classics now. However there's a lot of good stuff to learn in her essay and she also names a lot of prominent either queer creators - Oscar Wilde, Jean Cocteau - or prominent figures that the queer community sorta like, claimed - Bette Davis, Greta Garbo.

Camp is a concept, it's not a hard and fast rule. Not every film or TV show that gets claimed as camp is intended to be camp - Showgirls and Mommie Dearest are sincere in their intentions, they are not trying to be camp at all, but through sheer accidental glory they stumbled right into the camp valley. Similarly with a film I recently learned about via this amazing essay, Valley of the Dolls which was also sincere in it's depiction of drugs, sex, and show business but just ended up...campy (this is part 2 which is my favorite part but part 1 is great too):

I would also recommend this video by Kennie JD on Showgirls and you get a modern idea of how a non-film critic sees the camp in Showgirls even tho it's not intended as camp (Paul Verhoeven is never going for camp in his films he's often going for satire and yet, alas lol):

Okay so this is getting away from me, the question was "Is Playboyy Camp?"

I would argue, yes but definition but it's more classic definition rather than what people probably associate with "camp" in the modern day. Which is "bad" films, or so-bad-they're-good films, or drag queens - would love to see Zouey in full drag actually - but Rocky Horror isn't a "bad" film, heck Showgirls isn't a "bad" film, neither is But I'm a Cheerleader or Jawbreakers, or many other camp classics. Some are "bad" in that they didn't achieve their intentions - again Mommie Dearest is a great, if unfortunate, example of this actually - but films that intentionally try to be camp tend to fail, like Cat and the Hat starring Jim Carrey. They're to fake, they try to hard.

As Sontag said, camp is both sincere and pure and it is also abstract and highlights aesthetic first and foremost.

Showgirls grabbed people in part b/c it's so so so very over the top; from the acting yes but also the costuming and set design. But I'm a Cheerleader had a way smaller budget, but it's very aesthetics focused:

I've seen people say that Playboyy looks "fake" or "artificial" but so does But I'm a Cheerleader. However artificial is the wrong word, imo, to use here; rather both are camp and surreal. They're going with surrealistic aesthetics to emphasize the emotions of the characters and also, cause gays like color. We love that shit. It stands out. It's fucking fun, it's campy!

I don't think Playboyy is strictly camp but it does take inspiration from camp - it pushes its priorities of the film making to be about the aesthetics rather than emphasizing reality. It's not uninterested in reality - the discussions of sex work in a amoral way (which sidenote I think is a good thing), of sexual desires, the complexities of relationships and boundaries, the acknowledgement of kink etc - but it's uninterested in presenting the world of the show solely through a "realistic" lens visually.

Fantasy is part of the narrative of Playboyy thus that is reflected in the visuals.

BIAC is part satire, which I wouldn't say Playboyy is, since it's not satirizing anything specific - unlike Lovely Writer attempted and didn't accomplish imo doing well from what I watched - it's clear to me that Den is playing a lot with genre. Now how well him and Cheewin the director are accomplishing this, well that's up to individual interpretation.

I can't force people to like Playboyy as much as me - even tho I'm right - b/c I'm not a weirdo and we all like different shit. I do think that Playboyy is using like, actual cinematography however. Like I see that word thrown around a lot and then people provide really like basic examples. Like I'm so sorry but 2Gether's cinematography is basic at best and boring at worst. Two dudes standing in a badly lit room in a mid-shot does not impressive cinematography make - which is fine because a lot of these shows are made on shoestring budgets.

I don't expect Moonlight level cinematography from gmmtv or MeMindY shows. And Playboyy doesn't have that level either it can't it's clearly also made on a small budget.

That said it IS filmed with purpose, and with a specific visual language. Not every shot is great but I do love the sincerity here, it's using color, lighting, and set design with actual thought to enhance the overall aesthetics of the show, enhance the fantasy at play, the camp.

Camp films aren't inherently "bad" films. They make you laugh, scream, and the best ones, actually do say something or spark discussion. Rocky Horror is meaningful to people, But I'm a Cheerleader means something to people, they're both unashamedly queer films that were both kinda bombs - critically and financially - and then slowly gained a cult following b/c they were way ahead of their times.

I get the feeling if camp applies to Playboyy at all it's in that sense, a series that's being pretty harshly maligned and disregarded critically at the moment, but that actually has a ton to say and may end up gaining a following down the line after it's over.

This was like, wildly long and I apologize lol

[sunshinechay]

Many others have spoken about this but I want to add to the screaming by saying how much I love the conversation that Playboyy is having about consent so far. Someone asks for it, someone gives it. Consistently every episode, someone talks about how important it is. How important it is to get it, to make sure it’s enthusiastic and how it not being so can be bad. How it can be frustrating when it isn’t given but the important thing is to make sure you stop and reassess with your partner before you continue.

This show has a lot of sex yes, but I think it’s one of the best ways to show that consent for this type of story. It’s about sex, the many ways sex can be had, the many ways sex can influence a person in ways both good and bad. Consent is consistently at the forefront and I am enjoying the hell out of it.

This show is trying to talk about how important being honest with your partner(s) is. How important it is to make sure that they know everything and can consent to it whole heartedly.

First and Soong both clearly have feelings for each other, but they are not being honest with each other. Neither thinks they are can be and they are a prime example of what happens when the truth comes out but not from the person it should.

Teena is not being honest about how frustrated he is that Zouey doesn’t want to have a specific kind of sex with him and I absolutely think he knows it’s because Zouey isn’t telling him something important. So as dumb as he is for believing Zouey actually has had sex before because of Captain’s clip, I get why he thinks that. He thinks it because Zouey is lying by omission. Only he misses that he is also lying by omission. He hasn’t told Zouey the original reason for his pursuit and Zouey is going to out and it’s going to suck.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Prom and Nont’s sexual tension feels more romantic after Prom figures out that Nont isn’t Nant. That Nont admits it. Both are being more honest with each other (though I wouldn’t be surprised if both have one more thing hidden up their sleeve). I think it’s not a coincidence that Prom feels less threatening from a narrative sense. All of his scenes have a softer edge to them this episode, because the two are finally being truthful.

Nuth and Phop’s scenes feels inherently creepy and haunting and it is at least partly because we know Phop doesn’t really want to be doing what he is doing. Still he lies and gives Nuth consent but he doesn’t want to. He lies that he bought Nant’s laptop from a secondhand store (I haven’t never seen a more obvious lie in this show yet).

It’s only when the characters start being honest that the truth can revealed. It’s only when the truth is known that we will know what happened to Nant. That all of the couples will know if their relationships can last or if they will crash and burn under the weight of life, lies and the truth.

[mygwenchan]

Since I still see people complaining about the sex scenes in Playboyy:

The stark contrast between artistically crafted shots of non-sexual scenes (some of those truly look like they could be art installations) and sex scenes that seem unaesthetic, hasty, somewhat badly performed and sometimes even comical, highlights the conflict between what we expect and dream of versus the true nature of interpersonal relationships.

Dream versus reality is one of the big themes in this series. We can see it in the way the characters expect certain things from their relationships, only to be repeatedly confronted with the fact that they won't get what they want. Teena dreams of sleeping with a virgin, but both his feelings and Zouey's hesitation get in the way of it. Zouey wants to conform to society's expectations about sex, he really does try. But in the end sex repulses him for some reason. First dreams of running away from home to have a steamy affair with some hot guy, but he learns that Soong isn't really into the idea. Soong seems to like First, but he is hit with the reality that affection won't be able to buy you dinner and it won't pay your rent. And then we have Nont who tells himself that his brother is still alive, while deep down he already knows that something bad must've happend to Nant (I'm delulu about that too, so I feel you Nont!)

Likewise the viewer is also forced back into reality. The dreamlike sequences end abruptly and instead quick humping and bad audio (the Japanese!) is thrown at us. Did you expect something kinky and hot? Did you expect romantic kisses in the rain? Well, you won't get any of that! In Playboyy sex scenes are used as a tool to make the viewer look beyond the dream. Sometimes sex is used for educational purposes or it tells us more about a character and sometimes it makes us think about our own relationship with kink and sex.

In addition, I believe it is also a direct critique towards the majority of BL series that are out on the market right now. Because those shows usually try to ascend sex between two men onto a higher plane. They only highlight the dreamlike romantic aspects of gay relationships and ignore real life issues, even the really small things (how many sex scenes have we all seen where they don't even use the lube and simply go straight at it...). Sex is not soft background music, slow motion shots, perfect hair and pretty make up, the right pose at the right time... Instead it can be messy, funny, weird, with sweat pouring down your face and smeared mascara.

[akria23]

Suspect / Character Chart Update:

Nobody:

So this week’s episode moved us off the path of Nuth as he claimed that Nant committed suicide - including some possible flashbacks of the body. This moves my Nobody theory - specifically Nobody: Theory A into sus rank 1.

Do I believe that Nant committed suicide tho? No I’m not convinced yet. I do think he’d have a lot of reasons for suicide - which I pointed out the first time I posted - but there’s so many questions left with that option. Where’s the body? Did nuth hide it? Why? What about a suicide note - not everyone leaves one but it seems strange of Nant in particular to not want to get out to his brother what he’d never been able to say while living.

I do think this does move up other aspects of the Nobody theory tho - they confirmed debt collectors so maybe Nant faked his death & went into hiding, or they harmed him. We still have the possibility of psychological break & Nont and Nant being the same person who just suffered a traumatic experience or drug usage that caused a break in his psyche - I still don’t want this the most but I can see it being this cause it is the safer route to end us off with.

Nuth:

Nuth has moved down in the ranks to the number 2 spot. Hes not lower because while he claims that Nant ruined his life and committed suicide all of his flashbacks of Nant so far hasn’t shown Nant be violent or harmful towards him. He’s pictured supportive, sexualized, and a hurt Nant. That’s not to say Nant couldn’t have harmed him or even made his life worse - it’s just a possibility that Nuth isn’t a reliable source even his flashbacks. We’ve seen him have hallucinations so it’s difficult to say what he recalls or sees as 100 proof of things happening or have happened.

Also…did they ever tell us what the bloody hand print was from… If Nant was selling drugs to pay his debt is it the same ppl Nuth is selling for? Theres also these lines or cages placed over Nuth sometimes and I’m not sure if it’s metaphor for criminality or a metaphor for how trapped he feels. There’s still one of two threads they can pull and circle back around to it being Nuth so he stays on the list.

Prom:

It’s still all vibes no evidence. He doesn’t slip, he doesn’t miss. He’s almost the perfect specimen partner wise in the sense that he has an ability to read Nont in a way no other does. He’s not overbearing, or controlling. He doesn’t try to change Nont’s mind after boundaries are set. Anything Nont says he needs or wants, Prom goes along with - an active supporter (plotting, research, giving him the weapon). But that’s the thing, Nont is more honest with him than he is with any other characters - and he has to see the frayed edges but he doesn’t pull Nont back at all. He enables…he’s supporting his descent.

The question I’m lost on is why. Maybe it’s empathy, relatability- I too am sadistic in my way, I too have rage, I wanna kill someone - and because he’s so good at repressing he admires & desires Nont who doesn’t repress who just acts and reacts. And this is what makes them revenge lovers.

But there’s still always that niggle at my brain that reminds me that Prom inserted himself and then had had influence over the case ever since. The show is always highlighting something off when Prom is in the mix - the music change, the aesthetic of the room, the way they position his def in scenes at the Playboyy with Aob & Puen (which I’m sure is to show us how he’s a source that benefits from the competing nature). He still feels like an invisible hand, still feels like he’s playing chess and seeing moves ahead of his lover. There’s so much mystery surrounding him still that’s it’s difficult to move him off the suspect board.

Porsche:

I still can’t tie Porsche into his death so he stays at number 4 ranking but I still wonder if his sugar daddy had anything to do with Nant that would’ve set them into a competitive nature for his resources and therefore enemies…that’s my mind working theories from what the story has given us thus far tho.

[lugarn]

On Jason Lee and Realism

I have seen some saying that Jason Lee's portrayal as an abuser in Playboyy isn't realistic, and I have to politely disagree.

(Spoilers for Playboyy through the finale. Trigger warning for abuse + discussing the mindset of this type of predator/abuser.)

Jason Lee is very realistic. All it takes is one look at real-life examples like Harvey Weinstein or Larry Nassar to see it: predators like this typically hurt a wide pool of people, not one or two specific victims.

This is just the way they work, because many predators are opportunistic. They can't let an opportunity (like one of their adopted son/sugar baby's school friends befriending him) pass without taking advantage of it. They can't let the opportunity to have the system protect them while they're perpetrating abuse pass without taking advantage. 

The way that Jason Lee exists in the world, and by extension the sex that he has, is entirely about power, conquest, and control. 

He didn't make Aob blow him in front of a bunch of guards because he thought the sex would be better. He made Aob blow him in front of a bunch of guards because it was a power play. It was remember who you are + remember the power I have over you.

People like Jason Lee have an ability to tell when someone is less under their control, because the control is what they're in it for. Not sex. The sex is incidental! They crave the power/control, and so when they don't get it, they are hyper aware.

Just like any predator, Jason could tell that Aob's loyalty to him was flagging, so he upped the amount of power he exerted over Aob. Instead of just giving him orders, he sexually humiliates him and gives him orders at the same time. He doesn't let the opportunity pass to remind Aob who he is and that he is powerless. Aob received the message loud and clear, too, you can see from him getting the fuck out shortly after.

It's very realistic for someone like Jason Lee to hunt for victims in people who already lack power. Jason Lee targets people who socially lack power (sex workers), young adults whose idealism isn't tempered by real world experience (queer students at private school), and young adults who need something and are willing to bargain (anyone needing a scholarship). We know for a fact that his victim pool includes not just sex workers but also students at one particular school that he is a major donor for. He provides scholarships, and as mentioned, a predator like him can't let opportunities pass unexplored.

How did Puen ended up at Playboyy and not working independently? Not that it matters at this point, but I do wonder sometimes when Jason Lee clearly has no qualms about hunting for victims among his son's school friends--one of whom stayed with Porsche at Porsche's house for a time. That's right, remember that offhand comment that Nant and Porsche lived together for a while in first year? 

For me it would be shocking at this point if Nant hadn't also had a similar experience as Zouey and that was part of his desire to expose Jason Lee. I have a feeling that based on Teena's reaction to Zouey's painting that the 'I had sadistic sex' from Teena in episode 6 at the party was Jason Lee too. 

A connecting thread that I haven't seen people mention is the letter necklaces. Teena, Nant, and Phop all have them. We know where Phop got his, but we don't know where Nant or Teena got theirs. In a show with this much visual language it seems like an interesting thread which hasn't really been considered by fandom yet, so I urge all of us to think about the above facts and other visual cues to better understand what is going on.

Jason Lee's main victim pools are Playboyy and the International School. It would be very surprising to anyone familiar with this type of abuser if he didn't hurt an extensive number of people in both of these pools. We know of three victims for sure, but there are a lot of cues that point to the idea that his victim pool is much larger. 

The size of the pool is not unrealistic at all. It's incredibly realistic, to a point where it's uncomfortable to watch and think about deeply sometimes. But that's for me part of why I love the show: we just don't typically get this level of realism about sexual coercion and abuse from BL. Playboyy makes me feel seen in this regard because it's somebody finally showing the systems of abuse and power that I'm most familiar with from my life experiences. 

Media representation isn't just about the good parts. Seeing the worst parts of my life onscreen and watching characters navigate it with the safety/distance of fiction has been super healing in a lot of ways for me. 

Jason Lee is realistic. That's why Playboyy makes me feel like someone understands me and some of my traumatic experiences.