I already wrote a tag novel on this but I can’t get this scene out of my mind & it deserves a deep-dive, so- buckle up, kids.
the heartwrench started in earnest when Vegas stormed out the bathroom and Kinn turned to- or on to- Porsche. look at the small but striking journey Porsche’s expressions go through here:
I’m praying to the BL gods that we get some BTS commentary on this moment in particular because there’s so much that could be happening with Porsche here.
maybe in his tipsiness he was just happy to have Kinn there before the reality of Kinn’s rage hit him. maybe it was some of that gleeful sass in response to Kinn’s jealousy that we saw earlier in the ep.
or it could have a darker meaning: is that little smile a knowing one? a confirmation of the doubts about Kinn’s sincerity/intentions that have been brewing in Porsche since he found out about Tawan?
regardless, all are loaded/potentially devastating possibilities.
Kinn and Porsche then exchange slaps and verbal barbs, but it’s much more than the sum of its parts. they both have so many fears, insecurities and lack of trust in each other (and themselves, too) that they’ve been carrying around since this intoxicating, terrifying thing between them started.
the powder keg was already loaded & ready to explode- the altercation with Vegas was just the spark that lit it.
I’m glazing over the rest of the argument to the aftermath because that’s where things really get narratively delicious. I’ve always been a sucker for a good chase- the idea that someone not just wants but needs you to the extent that they’d pursue you- and Kinn’s desperate need for Porsche to stay with him is on full, aggressive display here.
he moves so quickly after Porsche that it comes off as an instinct, not an intentional choice- a magnet chasing its opposite polarity.
RBing with the GIFs I couldn’t fit in the original post. first up, the killer long shots:
mutual, unadulterated (horny) joy:
the pulling in:
bonus: I somehow forgot my favorite micro moment in this scene- when Porsche grabs Kinn’s chin and gently pulls him away, and Kinn nods to him in reassurance.
I like to think he’s saying it’s OK to surrender, that he’s safe with him- and once again, that was all the reassurance Porsche needed.
I already wrote a tag novel on this but I can’t get this scene out of my mind & it deserves a deep-dive, so- buckle up, kids.
the heartwrench started in earnest when Vegas stormed out of the bathroom and Kinn turned to- or on to- Porsche. look at the small but striking journey Porsche’s expressions go through here:
I’m praying to the BL gods that we get some BTS commentary on this moment in particular because there’s so much that could be happening with Porsche here.
maybe in his tipsiness he was just happy to have Kinn there before the reality of Kinn’s rage hit him. maybe it was some of that gleeful sass in response to Kinn’s jealousy that we saw earlier in the ep.
or it could have a darker meaning: is that little smile a knowing one? a confirmation of the doubts about Kinn’s sincerity/intentions that have been brewing in Porsche since he found out about Tawan?
regardless, all are loaded/potentially devastating possibilities.
Kinn and Porsche then exchange slaps and verbal barbs, but it’s much more than the sum of its parts. they both have so many fears, insecurities and lack of trust in each other (and themselves, too) that they’ve been carrying around since this intoxicating, terrifying thing between them started.
the powder keg was already loaded & ready to explode- the altercation with Vegas was just the spark that lit it.
I’m glazing over the rest of the argument to the aftermath because that’s where things really get narratively delicious. I’ve always been a sucker for a good chase- the idea that someone not just wants but needs you to the extent that they’d pursue you- and Kinn’s desperate need for Porsche to stay with him is on full, aggressive display here.
he moves so quickly after Porsche that it comes off as an instinct, not an intentional choice- a magnet chasing its opposite polarity.
there’s this moment against the mirror where they continue to struggle against each other, but it couldn’t be more half-hearted. the mutual stare-off is intense as they size each other up. Kinn is a brick wall of determination, but we all know Porsche could easily get out of his grip & that room if he wanted to. which way is he gonna go? the tension in this moment was palpable (all hail MileApo for acting their damn faces off).
and then, Porsche caves- literally. he curls into himself in a defensive posture against the mirror, clearly pissed about giving into this insufferable man he loves- but he does it anyway, because it’s Kinn. one of the hallmarks of their relationship is how mutually weak they are for each other, despite all the reasons they “shouldn’t” be.
once Kinn realizes Porsche is staying with him- at least for the moment- this deep, yawning regret paints his expression, tinged with a sort of loneliness (not surprising after the life he’s led), replacing the rage. there’s a different sort of tension here now- this feeling of walking the edge of a knife, knowing one wrong word or move could end the fragile sort-of peace.
Kinn’s terrified in this moment: not just at the possibility of losing Porsche for good, but the past repeating itself. of how the world seems stacked against his happiness- maybe even how he himself (and what he’s had to become/endure) stands in the way of it.
Kinn didn’t wax poetic here because, in my opinion, he can’t: he’s in the midst of a total emotion onslaught, holding onto this man who’s become so precious to him for dear life. but he has to say something,dosomething, so he goes for simplicity: I’m sorry.
we linger here for a minute, the camera purposefully moving in Kinn’s direction then Porsche’s, the mirror giving us a full 180 view. again, the ball is in Porsche’s court. the choice is his.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Porsche is a mirror, reflecting back whatever he’s given (or not given), which makes the use of mirrors here all the more chef’s kiss. Porsche also needs words to go along with actions, so as small as that apology was- it’s exactly what he needed to hear.
he didn’t want this fight, he didn’t want that kiss from Vegas- he wants to stay with Kinn, be with Kinn, in spite of everything they’re up against. there are so many layers here, but it’s really pretty simple: it’s love. stupid, wonderful, intoxicating love.
I love how slowly Porsche turns to Kinn here- it says “I’m not fighting; I’m not fleeing.” and Kinn turns with him, again moving with him like he can’t help himself.
and then: Porsche fully faces Kinn and my heart stopped. this isn’t an expression we’ve seen him wear in front of anyone: it’s soft but feels like a raw nerve. naked, vulnerable- it says, “you did wrong. I’m hurting, but I’m here. now show me how you really feel. heal what you hurt.” Kinn strokes his hair with a breathless sort of wonder, not quite believing his luck that he’s still there.
and then, the moment that shoots this scene into the stratosphere for me: Porsche doesn’t move. this constantly-joking, light-hearted gremlin of a man doesn’t do a thing to ease the tension- and he’s so right for that.
he lets the silence stretch on, and Kinn takes his cue: this is his moment to demonstrate his deep remorse and affection for Porsche. so- he starts worshipping him. smartly, he doesn’t move in for a kiss first- this would put them on too equal footing- not until they both get caught up in the heat together.
when they do kiss, Porsche grabs Kinn’s chin and gently pulls him away, and Kinn nods to him in reassurance. I like to think he’s saying it’s OK to surrender, that he’s safe with him- and once again, that was all the reassurance Porsche needed.
damn Tumblr’s 10 image limit to hell because Kinn’s expressions of pure, utter joy when Porsche touches him back is just incredible. Porsche mirrors (heh) that joy right back, delighted in his ability to make this man weak in the best possible way. it’s a beautiful, sexy sliver of happiness in the middle of the unstable chaos that is their reality- and really, their relationship.
and afterwards, when Porsche grabs Kinn as tightly to him as he can, Kinn in near-tears pressed against his shoulder? Porsche’s face tight with his own emotions and empathy for the man in his arms? there’s this feeling of inevitability; that they couldn’t pull themselves away from each other if they wanted to…come what may.
As more people join the KP fandom, some may ask, what genre is KInnPorsche?
Answer:Yes.
I’ve heard it’s a gay romance. Really? Yes, there will be a thorough exploration of tonsils and flicking of man tits. Also the world’s most emotionally intense hand job. You will have tears in your eyes.
What about the action? Someone is shot in the head in the first 5 minutes. There is a body count, so if you need blood, this show is here for you.
Torture?We have you covered. I recommend a transparent rain coat.
So it’s a serious action drama. Any comedic moments? More than you can imagine. How do you feel about a man dressed as a mermaid for punishment? Flying dicks? Flying hand grenades? Wacky hijinks abound.
Sexy moments? Bring a tall glass of ice water to watch this show. This is some off the charts chemistry. No bathroom is safe from these two. Or pool. Or window.
Adorable fluffy moments? Absolutely. Come for the murder but stay for the mafia boyfriend submitting to a million goofy pictures with his chaos gremlin. Also a wholesome side couple serenading each other, if that’s your thing.
Then it’s not a show with painful angsty moments. Au contraire. It will tear out your heart and FEED IT TO YOU.
Family drama? It’s all about family. And carp.
I can’t watch a show without a murder board. Is there a conspiracy and murder-mystery? That’s in there, too. Kimlock Holmes is working on it. He just needs to find the conspiracy and the murder and the murderer.
I need me some morally gray characters. How do you feel about dubious choices, followed by consequences, and heartfelt apologies?
Horror?Well, there’s a horror movie night…
I’m almost afraid to ask, but sci-fi/fantasy? Yes. Through the power of gay sex, our protagonist was completely healed of a gunshot would. Not even a scar remains.
I think Kinn grieves who he was before he was betrayed. The version of himself that felt most like him. A version of him that wasn’t divided, hidden away in pieces and shame.
He never asked for this life but he was living it, and he also had love until he didn’t. Suddenly he wasn’t enough. Suddenly he was weak. Suddenly everything that made him Kinn was what was wrong.
He doesn’t love Tawan in the sense of being in love with him, but he probably loves the idea of who Tawan was before he betrayed him. Tawan is the strongest tie to who Kinn was before. And I doubt he ever got any real closure or a chance to close the door on that part of his life in any real or meaningful way.
Kinn is trying to find his place in the world, balancing his father’s expectations against his own desire to be loved. In some ways it’s easier to want to go back to that simplistic version of yourself, to excuse everything that has happened and plead ignorance. Loving Porsche means accepting the things he doesn’t like about himself because that’s the man Porsche met and fell in love with. Because Porsche doesn’t just love the man in the woods, he’s dirtied and sullied his hands for the man who commands him to “make him talk”.
And Porsche, entirely disastrous in every single way, won’t accept any less than Kinn. I think Kinn needs to go back to that old head space to truly understand the gift of what he found with Porsche is. Porsche was willing to not only look past all of it but embrace it. All of the less savory parts, the bits Kinn doesn’t like, and to take the hand of the person he is truly. Porsche’s love isn’t conditional like Tawan’s was. It makes zero demands on him other than to be honest.
Kinn is very much in his own past, not just Tawan, but his view of himself, and until he can let go of that, he can’t move forward.
it might feel like we’re running outta time but. i want the bulk of vegaspete to come at me all at once and hit me like a tonne of bricks. i want it to be as intense as it can possibly be. as visceral and as raw as possible. let all the darker stuff in the second half of the season be a stark contrast to the first half. like you want it to stop but it won’t stop and now you’re drowning in it and now you just don’t want it to stop. like its one thing after the next after the next. punch after punch after punch.
and thing is. maybe that is the point of not showing vegaspete rn. of keeping them for later. for the purpose of that effect. to feel it from pete’s pov, that its just going from one layer of darkness to the next, deeper and deeper, and its just Not Stopping and its getting harder to even breathe or process all of this.
honestly i really dont mind it. bc i’d rather have the bulk of of them all at once to create that exact heightened effect on me, the audience, watching all of this.
i know today’s episode is so happy and cute but i’m actually in tears thinking how the future-kinnporsche will be once everything starts to fall apart… it breaks my heart so much. because these two people have finally found a home in each other, carved their names in each other’s heart, and loved with more than everything they own. they learn to trust and love. knowing that happiness in the mafia world is vague and temporary, i don’t know who i sympathise more; porsche or kinn?
i’m so weird because i’m the kind of person who wants everyone to be happy. let it be in real life or dramas/films/novels. i just want people to be happy. so, when they aren’t… it truly breaks my heart. episode 9 is still so far away but i’m already thinking of the consequences. i have a feeling the next episodes won’t be as fairytale-like anymore.
I was thinking about this too while I was watching the ep. The biggest part of me was over the moon, giggling and smiling SO hard that my cheeks still hurt.
The other part was like a lone braincell at the end of the class raising their hand and whisper-shouting “You see, this is actually very clever. If they want the viewer to REALLY hurt with what’s to come, they have to show us first the equal amount of happiness in order to us to know what Porsche and Kinn lost.
It’s like that saying: “The higher you fly, the harder is the fall” The more happy they’re, the more they will suffer when that’s taken away from them”
Needless to say that I wanted to throw them out of the window bc they were right.
People are out here complaining that KinnPorsche is too sexualized, but I think that’s one of the things they did right. They didn’t do that husband/wife, uke/seme bullshit that straight people love because they find the binary comforting and familiar. They gave us two masculine, physically capable men who like to fuck. That is a way more realistic depiction of a gay relationship than fade to black chaste kissing, though having seen straight TikTok, it doesn’t surprise me that’s what they’re into.
I mean you know why they say it’s “sexualized”.
*coughs*queerphobia*coughs*
Anyone who looks at it and only sees sex completely missed the point and that’s because they don’t want to understand queer relationships. That queer people experience sex in the exact same way they do: it’s fun and it’s meaningful. It’s messy and means everything and nothing at all.
They don’t want to be reminded that queer people have deep interior lives that deserve to be played out onscreen. Especially in an emotive context. They can’t stuff it away in a box if they have to confront the depth of queer love and sexuality.
They want acceptable queer which is void from the waist down.
I’m so excited for Vegas and Pete because I truly believe that Pete is just as fucked up as Vegas, but he hides it in a different way. He hides his lack of morality behind his fun-loving and bright personality. But as he told Porsche, he doesn’t believe in heroes and villains. He’s smart enough to be scared of Vegas, but it’s not because Vegas is evil. It’s because Vegas is just terrifying. But when Vegas is being violent, Pete doesn’t look away. He stares at that violence. I am so fascinated by these two and I can’t wait to watch their fucked up relationship play out.
I truly believe that Vegas and Pete are a far more terrifying duo than Kinn and Porshe. Kinn and Porsche have morals. They have lines they won’t cross. I don’t think Vegas or Pete have those. Pete is loyal to Kinn right now and it’s not like he desires to cross those lines, but he has no qualms about doing so. Vegas wants to cross those lines. There’s something just so terrifying about a couple who doesn’t care. Vegas is terrifying because he wants the violence and he enjoys being the bad guy. Pete is terrifying because he will watch someone bleed and feel nothing.
Kinn might pull the trigger on someone. He might look them in the eyes as he kills them. Porsche would do the same thing. But I don’t think either of them is capable of bringing out the level of fear that Vegas can bring out. And it will be all the worse when Pete is standing there, watching Vegas be terrible and doing nothing to stop it.
One thing I really appreciate about Kinnporsche is how well they understand what makes audiences feel. From a show like this, more mature, grittier, thematically darker, viewers know to expect the relationships to be the same. If Kinn and Porsche were out here hate-fucking and throwing each other into walls, sure we’d enjoy it, but we wouldn’t feel it as deeply.
And the directors and actors knew that going in. They understood that in the middle of all the violence and politics and intrigue and drama, what would hit hardest wouldn’t be the raunchiest moments or the loudest arguments. Instead what stands out the most in Kinn and Porsche’s story are the moments of tenderness, the forehead kiss and hand-holding and soft kisses and eye contact. Those moments contrasted against the brutal backdrop of their world give us so much emotional depth and nuance, and without them the relationship and story would be much less compelling.
porsches expression going from “nice kinn appeared and now i dont have to deal w whatever that vegas shit was and hey possessive kinn hot af tho” to “hold on this mf really thinks i was here voluntarily he still doesnt trust me” is just Exquisite
okay i’ll stop soon but in terms of power dynamics i think the smiles from Porsche at Kinn’s pleasure show that he’s starting to understand that he does wield power over Kinn in this regard. Kinn started the sexual encounter but was overwhelmed and rendered the yielding/pliant one as soon as Porsche started touching him back, and Porsche was palpably delighted by that. especially when he spit in his hand and elicited an ecstatic response from Kinn
As we all work through the trauma of Ep 9, there is a recurring theme around communication and miscommunication. As many noted, a lot of the angst in this episode could have been avoided if Kinn and Porsche discussed what they were up to.
This seems like an easy fix from the outside, but it does bring up an issue with both Kinn and Porsche, which is just how alone they both are. Neither of them are used to discussing with another person.
On Porsche’s side, he was orphaned young, essentially had to rush into adulthood to take care of his brother. From what we see, there’s one uncle of dubious value and no other adults that Porsche could lean on. He has to make decisions himself, take care of his brother himself, and wrangle loan sharks by himself. One could point to his friends, but we don’t actually see him opening up to them. At the end of Ep 5, they point out that he seems upset, but he doesn’t actually admit or say why. It’s interesting that Yok is the only person he seems to really request help from. If she knew he was communicating so little with Kinn, she’d probably yell at him to sit his man down at the end of the day and talk.
But maybe, Porsche, sweetie, you should say what is bothering you.
With Kinn, he has a father who gives a lot of advice, but doesn’t seem like someone Kinn opens up to. This feels more like a distant dad that Kinn is constantly trying to please. He has one brother who has disappeared. (I still wonder if there was a falling out). And another brother who is determined to be ridiculous. Although the most recent episode suggests Tankhun can offer useful advice, Kinn may have gotten used to indulging his brother without really listening to him. He does have two friends and he has opened up to them about his feelings regarding Porsche. Somewhat.
Now we have Porsche and Kinn together. They have opened up to each other as we saw beautifully in episode 6. However, Porsche has little experience relying on someone else and Kinn as the head of the mafia family feels like he has to do everything alone. He’s the lonely king at the top. Most couples slowly level up their communication over several smaller, lower stakes interactions. They don’t take on a proverbial boss fight after a few dates. So where does that lead us in episode 9?
When under stress, people tend to revert back into old behavioral patterns. Porsche doesn’t talk to Kinn because that’s not something he’s used to. He’s used to protecting people (see: Porchay), so he’s taking it all on himself to watch out for Kinn. Then Kinn is going into this episode trying to make up for past mistakes and since trust was his failure last time, he’s not making that mistake again. He’s only trusting himself this time and holding his cards close to his chest.
Controlled mafia boss pose. I am not letting any of my feelings out.
(I really hope Porsche’s pleading voice was like a knife in Kinn’s chest)
Ep 9 was the first real test of their relationship and they both made mistakes. They weren’t out of character and Kinn’s were telegraphed from episode 1, but still…mistakes. What this relationship needs is frequent open communication. There are five episodes and if everything were perfect now, we wouldn’t have a story. Kinn needed to stumble, then resolve his trust issues and open up to Porsche.
Hi everyone! Here is episode 5 and 6 (aka the clusterfuck episode and the great wilderness adventure episode) of the D/s analysis series by myself and @lutawolf, her Part 2 here. Thank you for all the lovely comments and shared thoughts so far!
Okay so Porsche-as-sub at the start of episode 5 makes my heart hurt. The night before he placed himself in someone else’s hands completely, probably for the first time ever, probably in a way he didn’t even know he was capable of. And that morning his Dom is closed off and distant – like he’s disappointed. Like after giving Kinn everything, Kinn’s decided he wasn’t good enough. That’s devastating for a sub, let alone one operating on such an instinctive intuitive level as Porsche is right now, where he can’t mentally reason himself out of the feelings of unwanted-ness and rejection.
(Kinn’s not in a great place either, but Luta’s going to talk about how much he’s messing up. Suffice to say that Kinn probably feels he’s massively overstepped; as a man, as a boss, and as a Dom, and doesn’t know how to connect or comfort Porsche beyond tersely asking if he’s okay a few times. And because Porsche is a hopeless romantic at heart, that’s way below what he needs for the night after his first time.)
Noooooo, Kinn, no, why would you say this? For a sub this is devastating, especially because it’s unfair! Sometimes as a sub you do fail at something and you’re not sure why, but in those instances it’s the responsibility of the Dom to explain and correct and respond appropriately.Once again I’m leaving to Luta to talk about why this is a Bad Dom moment, but poor Porsche has a maelstrom of hurt feelings and righteous indignation mixed with longing and lust inside him right now, which is what gives us that turbulent bathroom-lighter scene. Having Ken and Big perform the punishment is also extra damaging, because it adds another level of distance between him and Kinn; a punishment from Kinn’s hand could have reaffirmed the connection and attention even if it was still unjust.
More heartbreak (I told you this was the clusterfuck episode right?). Porsche is still trying to be a good sub asking permission to go out, because he knows deep-down how much Kinn’s attention is worth, that to be chosenby Kinn would be validation like nothing else. So Kinn’s dismissive do what you want is a horrible response to get – it would feel like Kinn’s basically tossed him aside. Now there’s a whole range of ways a bratty sub could respond to that feeling, but you could broadly group them into:
Go into hyperdrive trying to re-attract their Dom’s attention
Become very inward-focused and withdrawn and sad
Act out (aka uber brat)
And what does Porsche do?
Try and sleep with a random bar lady
Mope around the bar with sad face on
Accept a bike ride from Vegas back to the mansion
As a fellow bratty sub I personally feel these are rather restrained responses as I would have gone absolutely feral if a Dom I was loyal to tossed me aside in such a way, so top marks to Porsche for holding back. And for not punching Kinn in the face when he yells at him and demotes him to a lower bodyguard position later on. Because this is Porsche at the end of his brat rope, actually crossing over into a more aggressive dominant style because of Kinn’s mixed signals and casual cruelty.
And so he does the right thing. He leaves. He puts distance between him and the bad Dom who’s making him feel shit about himself. I’m stressing this point just because I know there’s a few people interested-in-but-lacking-experience-in-D/s reading these posts and I want to be clear that this was a good, healthy thing for Porsche to do.
Disclaimer: This blog does not advocate the use of get-along handcuffs irl, but god are they effective in BL
The Great Wilderness Adventure aka episode 6 is lovely and healing, both for their general relationship but also from a D/s perspective. Porsche starts off still in brat-on-the-brink mode, being challenging and aggressive towards Kinn (justified. Kinn’s clearly never set foot in the countryside in his life). But once they find water and hope then they start settling back into their usual dynamic, their bonds only intensifying by the sharing and communication. Giant paragraphs of text kill my soul so here you can have another list
A few of Porsche’s physical moments of submission
Splashing the cool water over Kinn’s neck
Waiting by his side to eat; letting Kinn hand him the food
Making Kinn more comfortable when he sleeps
A few of Porsche’s verbal moments of brattiness
Er pretty much just the constant, constant teasing
(the teasing goes a bit too far but as Luta says, Porsche is still acting out a bit because Kinn damaged the D/s trust between them last episode, so Kinn is indulging his brattiness more than he normally would to help them regain equilibrium)
If you’re thinking, iffy all that submission stuff just sounds like caring not kinky bdsm, well, yes. That’s because submission isa form of caring (as is being a Dom) albeit within a power exchange structure. But they are lovely little symbols of Porsche’s continuing devotion to Kinn’s well-being, in the same way that Kinn is devoted to Porsche’s protection in a wider more over-arching sense*. And all these moments of Porsche’s care lead up beautifully to the symbolism of Porsche’s offer to cut off his hand to save Kinn’s life – and of equal importance, Kinn’s refusal, and then him letting Porsche go. They each give the other their life back. Both of those moments showing the other how much they matter, and that they are cared for and trusted, which is the heart of any D/s relationship, which takes us from this:
To this:
And sets us up perfectly for the joy that is the side story!
*If you’re reading this post episode 9, don’t @ me
Rest of the D/s series
Introduction to Porsche as a bratty submissive here
This is dedicated to: my whores that I adore, the unhinged, my darlings, my brats, and the coconuts. Because they specially requested this after the ask the other day. This is a companion piece to the amazing @iffervescent Porsche being sub psrt 2 found here. Please note that you will see that iffy and I vary some. That’s good, because you are actually seeing the way these two different perspectives view the same thing.Anything that I question might not be Dom, might just be a norm move with dominate traits, will not be added to this.
Beware my darlings, we are going to be show casing what not to do. In episode 5, Kinn could have written “How to be a Bad Dom for Dummies” I want to incorporate this because there are so many misconceptions about what a Dom should be and how they should act. These misconceptions can be pretty dangerous for a sub, who is just stepping into the kink community and unaware of what to be concerned about.
Iffy is going to go into detail about the morning of episode 5.
Where I want to start is after Kinn had the talk with his father. Kinn then punishes Porsche, through his bullies. Let’s say that Porsche fucked up and he deserved to be punished. I don’t agree because he asked Kinn, he’s been starting to get conditioned to listen to Kinn. So of course, he drank the drink when he got the nod. Let’s say he did deserve it though. It’s not the punishment that’s the problem it’s that he couldn’t do it himself and he gave his sub to his bullies.
Porsche came and asked Kinn if he could go out. Porsche still submitted even after he was wronged. Even if he deserved to be punished, for him to go right into submit like that. It should have been acknowledged. Instead Kinn essentially let Porsche go as a sub. He went from Dom to boss which is why Porsche was confused. Porsche has been steadily been conditioned to accept the dominance. Then Kinn saying “do what you want to do” is essentially acting as a boss not a Dom. I’m gonna let iffy go into more detail on this from Porsche’s perspective.
In my opinion Kinn got too used to the power Porsche gave him. He took it for granted, which you just don’t do. He did though, because shortly before, Porsche was still giving him submission. A submissive is not weak though. They can take back what they have freely given.
Porsche took back his power but instead of Kinn listening and recognizing. He got caught up in the pissing contest because he forgot that Porsche is naturally Dominant. He then tried to come down hard as a Dom Daddy with “Your Life Is Mine.”
A Dom is followed by a sub due to trust. To the knowledge that they will have their needs met. A Dom is only as good as their ability to instill confidence in their Dominance. If they fail at their ability to give guidance and leadership to their sub then they will see resistance. A sub is not weak, they can be resilient and stubborn and they do not have to follow a Dom.
Kinn chases after Porsche where he continues to show case his stupidity. He attempts to Dominate a Dominant in his own home, in front of his pack. He is so used to the rent boys easy submission that he is not recognizing the loss.
He has lost trust and he is apologizing. It’s not good enough considering but I’ll forgive him since they were interrupted. A Dom apologies by more than words. Doms have to physically show their subs that they are sorry. Their entire relationship is dependent on their sub’s willingness to trust them. No one wants to take commands or even listen to someone they don’t trust? If trust has been broken then it is going to take more than words to get it back. It’s going to take a physical apology to restore trust. To let you guys in on a little secret.. Porsche does forgive Kinn in that moment.
Episode 6 is when Kinn starts to act like a proper Dom. By not being a Dom. I mean he is still Dominant, but he is taking a step back and working to earn his submissive back. He can see that Porsche still cares by the care taking he is doing. Porsche still has a lot of hurt and anger to work through though. So Kinn is letting him be as bratty as he needs.
When Porsche gets too bratty with the “You’re such a burden.” He gets a gentle correction of “I heard that.” Then he goes back to letting Porsche get it out of his system. Listening to Porsche is another very good Dom move. As a Dominant to a sexual submissive, you have to recognize when they need to lead. There are times when they are knowledgeable and it would do harm to not recognize it. They can’t simply flip a switch and be submissive all the time. Especially when faced with a situation where they are used to being a Dominant.
Kinn provides food. He notices Porsche reaching for fish and provides it. He is preforming an act of care. He pulls Porsche close when he is cold, another act of care. He is earning his submissive back in the way that he knows means the most to his submissive. He pulls back from the kiss because he has not yet earned that right. While Porsche has shown he still cares, he has yet to submit.
When Kinn hears his name being called he goes right into Dom mode. He pulls Porsche along and then gives the non-verbal command to jump. Porsche jumps. Porsche has submitted. They aren’t balanced yet though, too much hesitant and they fall. It’s enough of a start for Kinn to go back to Dom status though. Kinn gives gentle correction to Porsche over the handcuffs with “That’s enough” and explaining why they need the cuffs.
After Kinn and Porsche have a heart to heart. Porsche shows his full submission during rock, paper, scissors. It humbles the Dominant who now realizes that he hasn’t given as much as he has gotten. While a D/s relationship is a power balance, the amount of care should not be unequal.
Notice that once Kinn has his submissive back. He takes the lead again. Commanding Porsche to come and showing him what to do. When they are out, he commands Porsche to leave. Again, the amount of care given should be balanced. While a Dominant wants control, it shouldn’t supercede the bratty submissive’s happiness.
Ok@luckydragon10, you inspired me with that chess post so I’m going to attempt to tackle this knight discussion as best as I can because I do agree that their placement seems somewhat peculiar. I will undoubtedly go off on a few chess tangents in this post, so I’ll apologize in advance.
Usually, the knights are facing forward, toward the opponent. More than likely, the pieces were set up facing Kim simply to show them off, but because chess plays such a symbolic role in Korn’s plans, I think their positioning is notable to emphasize Kim in relation to the knight piece specifically. (Hopefully you won’t mind if I use your original picture from your post.)
So far, we seem to have established that Porsche is the queen piece and Kinn is the king piece because, while Kinn receives protection and remains the focus of the game, Porsche leads this protection. Also, not to get too far off, but I would argue that the queen piece is the main character of the game because she is the most powerful piece; that being said, she also needs protection because, while it’s possible to win without her, it becomes much more difficult for the king to stay protected. All of this aligns with Kinn and Porsche as characters so far. KP are both main characters, but Porsche gets the limelight in the context of the show while Kinn gets the limelight in the context of his world within the show. Porsche is more of a traditional main character because his struggles are more typical of standard protagonists (not to say Kinn isn’t a main character, but I think this distinction is worth making).
Before I get into Kim and knights, I’m going to break this down a little clearer based on my own conclusions about the character-chess symbols:
Kinn: King
Porsche: Queen
Korn: Player
Kim: Knight
*Going by these matches, I would say Vegas is the opposing king and Pete (eventually) the opposing queen? But Pete is currently on Kinn’s side, so we’ll have to wait and see how this match pans out. *EDIT:@cornyonmains made an interesting post about the potential for Pete representing the bishop piece, which you can read about more here.
Kim as a Knight
So, Kim as a knight. Inside and outside of chess, knights are defenders of the crown. I was originally inclined to name bodyguards like Arm, Ken, and Big as knights in this metaphor, but reading your post made me think about just how much Kim suits this piece.
Unlike pawns, knights have resources that others do not have. They work in service of the crown, but they are afforded a level of respect that other defenders do not typically receive. So far, this aligns with Kim as the third son of the mafia. He has resourcesandstatus. Knights are also often well-trained; good ones learn the weaknesses of their enemies before striking. Finally, knights are not in the spotlight. They defend behind the scenes, as Kim seems to be doing. A devoted knight would reasonably do some digging into his king’s allies. Kim probably assumes that Porsche is a traitorous knight (notice I say knight instead of pawn, though I could also see Porsche as a rook in Kim’s eyes) who could easily gain power and retaliate against Kinn—that’s one of the reasons why he has decided to investigate him (in addition to trying to unveil his father’s secrets). I think Kim would be even more passionate about his investigation if he knew that Porsche was actually the queen. Kim doesn’t realize how closely connected Kinn and Porsche are; otherwise, I wonder if he would take more concrete action to warn Kinn about Porsche (even though the audience knows that he has no reason for concern about Porsche’s motives). It also makes me wonder just how much Kim knows about Kinn’s past relationship with Tawan. Could that be one of the reasons why Kim is so devoted to learning more about Porsche—to protect his brother from another betrayal? I think his efforts would make even more sense if he knew what happened to Kinn before.
(*Had to include a smiling picture of Kim because Jeff deserves to be looked at.)
Bringing this all back to the chess metaphor: Kim as a knight is unique.Knights are the only piece that move in an ‘L’ formation, capable of hopping over other pieces. How does this relate to Kim? Well, Kim’s storyline feels very separate from the rest of the plot, and I think this is why. The settings and mood all feel different, very loosely connected to the main plot. Kim is (at least in my opinion from what we know) trying to weed out potential issues, but he’s doing so at a distance 1) because it’s safer and probably more fruitful and 2) because we know he really doesn’t want to be involved in the mafia life if he doesn’t have to. It’s better this way.
Korn as the player
Now, to bring Korn back into this. As the player, he has control of all pieces; however, we’ve seen him steadily lose control over the past few episodes. Kim has gone rogue in his attempts to dig into Porsche’s background and Kinn consistently pushes against Korn’s orders by pursuing Porsche. Korn’s greatest fear at this point is losing control, but I think he’s beginning to realize how quickly it’s slipping away from him. I suspect he will take stronger action soon to retaliate (like he did when he sent Porsche to work with Vegas in Ep7).
Ok, as promised, I went off quite a few times, but this is my general interpretation of Kim as a knight in the chess metaphor. I’ll probably think of more connections later, but hopefully this made some sort of sense. The chess metaphor is ultimately so fruitful that it would be a shame not to dive into it at every opportunity. It’s not completely straightforward, but I think there are some natural connections we can make. :)
First off, I haven’t done fandom meta in……years. I can’t even remember how long it’s been! So please bear with me as I try to wrangle my thoughts here.
As I’ve been going through episode nine, I’ve been coming back to the parallels of Kinn’s framing when he’s speaking to Tawan in the cell in the opening scene and after Porsche has been taken away by Big and Ken. They aren’t a true 1:1, but the style of the shots are both a distinct departure from the rest of the framing of the show to this point. (They use a similar framing with Yok, but the context of it is separate from Kinn’s framing, and it’s a more expected context to see Yok looking directly at the viewer, because we are meant to be seeing through Porsche’s eyes at that point.)
A squared, solo shot is something that isn’t uncommon in filmmaking, but it’s generally reserved for documentary films, when the director wants the viewer to be drawn in, to sympathize with the story being told. It’s fairly rare in scripted filming, and as above, when it’s used, it’s often in a comedic context. Here we have Kinn confronting Tawan for the first time, decidedly not comedic. We don’t know if Kinn believed he actually killed Tawan or not, but he’s obviously not happy to see him back, for good reason! He has already told Porsche why Tawan being around is not something he would ever welcome or want.
This is a pretty tight shot—we know from the previous shot that Kinn is standing directly in front of Tawan, so the camera is placed as Tawan would see Kinn. Mile is actually looking ever so slightly off to the side here, too—the shot makes you pay attention but you, the viewer, are not being addressed. You know that Kinn is speaking very deliberately to Tawan.
We get Kinn’s order in this same tight shot, directly to the camera, and he leaves saying they’ll discuss things in the morning.
In a near perfect episodic bookend, we then have Tawan confronting Porsche about bugging his room. Interestingly, in the first scene, Kinn is standing opposite to Porsche but Porsche is in uniform, aligning him with Kinn; here, the blocking is similar, but Porsche could not be more visibly separated from Kinn. (Kinn has also changed from wearing white to wearing grey.)
Kinn is staring straight ahead, seemingly at nothing, but at the next cut we see him better.
Compared to his total lack of emotion when confronting Tawan, we see him visibly swallow and take a deep breath before it hits:
He’s not just staring at nothing, he’s staring at you. You are the independent party here. He doesn’t look at Porsche until the second time Porsche says his name, and the shift in eyeline could not be more obvious.
“I trust no one,” he says, accompanied by his little sincere eyebrow raise. He is willing Porsche to understand him when he can’t say it any other way. He is playing a part for Tawan. He never says he will discuss it with Porsche later because he is trying to tell Porsche he is going to come as fast as he can.
Kinn watches Porsche until he’s out of sight, then he looks right back at you as the camera pulls in tight. You, the viewer, are now in this moment with Kinn. You see me, he says. You understand what he could not, he says. You know where my heart lies, he begs you to understand. He holds you there and then he shakes his head a little and lets his eyes drop, ever so slightly, releasing you from bearing witness. The fourth wall slams back in place as Tawan touches Kinn’s shoulder, and he is left hoping that someone has heard him when he couldn’t speak.
So, Catholicism isn’t exactly in my wheelhouse, and feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. But I believe the statuette in Vegas’s room isn’t the Virgin Mary and is actually Santa Muerte, no?
Yes, and quite interesting since Santa Muerte has associations with both cartel life and the LGBTQ+ community.
Some additional info for non-Latine folks:
Santa Muerte is also known as Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte which translates to “Our Lady of the Holy Death. She was originally a male figure, but became increasing popular as a female deity and is a combination of Mexican indigenous beliefs, folklore, and Spaniard Catholic beliefs. In the last few decades she’s grown increasingly popular so you’ll see her imagery show up in various parts of Mexico, the Carribean (shoutouts to my fellow Caribbeans!!), parts of Central America and parts of America with prominent Latine populations.
It should also be noted that Santa Muerte is not a figure of evil, punishment, or judgement even though she is a representative of “death”. She also represents a path to the afterlife, healing, and protection.
Since Santa Muerte is considered to be a deity of protection, particularly for outcasts, she’s become a popular figure within the queer community as well. You can read more about that here in this article.
This makes me wonder if the statue we saw at Vegas after party in ep07 was of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Welp. Ep 10 was a lot to see, feel, and digest. Now that I’ve watched it (repeatedly), I’m here as usual to break down some lines of power, staging, and framing in KinnPorsche.
As usual, I can’t catch or call out everything, and the discussion is always open!
Okay so even though I have never written anything on social media about any TV show, I need to talk about the following:
The VegasPete torture scene (or rather the introduction to it cause we’ll unfortunately get more next week).
Damn… First off, huge props to the actors. Both Bible and Build did a magnificent job, not just in that scene but in the rest of the show as well. But this episode they really said: “You thought we could act? Haha funny, we’re gonna show you that we can ACT”. I’m blown away, honestly.
It’s no secret that the cinematography in KinnPorsche in general is otherwordly, and this scene is no exception. I absolutely loved the angles, the color grading, the flow between takes, the symbolism. Spot on.
Now onto what this post is for - the actual scene, or more specifically, Pete’s smile throughout it.
I have seen people talk about it, and this is my take.
Pete doesn’t actually like what Vegas is doing to him.
I thought that was obvious, but apparently some people claim that because he’s supposedly a masochist (which isn’t really confirmed in the series yet, and if yesterday’s episode is anything to go by nothing is as it is in the novel until shown otherwise) he enjoys Vegas torturing him. In my limited knowlegde of BDSM, the first and most important thing is consent. Even if he were a masochist (which would be fine and not something to judge or use to excuse Vegas physically hurting him without consent), he would not enjoy someone he dispises right now putting his hands on him, let alone doing what he does in the scene, right?
At first I believe Pete’s smiling because he annihilated Vegas’ plan to hurt the most important people in his life (not counting his grandma) - Kinn as his boss, whom he’s loyal to a fault to, and Porsche as his best friend. The torture hasn’t started yet, but he knows what’s to come and his smile says “Bring it on you slimy motherfucker”, and I love him for it.
After that first time Vegas electrocutes him, even though he was screaming a moment ago and understandably so, Vegas expects him to falter, yet Pete smiles AGAIN. This one I believe says “That’s all you’ve got? Think I’m that easy to break? You’ve underestimated me all those times in the past and look how that’s worked out for you. Still haven’t learned?”.
What he’s doing is showing Vegas defiance and immense strength that this seemingly shy and quiet, rule-following guy posesses. He knows Vegas wants to see him break, and he refuses to give him the satisfaction of that (at least for now).
All in all, even though Pete’s view of the world suggests that he’s not all that good and innocent, I absolutely love him. Everything that he displays in this scene is just makes me do so even more.
Mr. Kinn loves you so much. Please take care of him.
I don’t want to lessen Pete’s sacrifice, his willingness to get tortured and killed for Porsche because FUCK NO…
…but we have to talk about Big’s sacrifice. He and Porsche aren’t friends, they’re not particularly close to each other, they don’t even like each other all that much. Hell, Porsche is the person who took his job AND Kinn from him.
And yet, here we are. Big loves Kinn and because he knows Kinn loves Porsche (so it wasn’t only Arm after all) he’s not even HESITATING to take two bullets, to give his life to save Porsche. For the happiness of Kinn. To protect not only Kinn’s body but also his heart.
It’s just so heart-breaking and selfless - especially put to contrast with Tawan’s disgusting selfishness.
And I kinda have a problem with the way the episode just glazed over that - if Big is really dead.
He got stabbed, he got shot twice, there was an explosion…but we didn’t (really) get to see the body. And I have this rule with movies and TV-Shows: if I don’t get to see the 100% dead corpse, I don’t believe it. We saw a body bag carried away with very convenient timing - but only one. Tawan shot himself after all. They suggested “dead” in the conversation between Arm and Kinn but they didn’t SAY the word. And there’s also the fact that the show LOVES to mislead the audience.
I don’t know, it’s probably just wishful thinking because - like I said - I hate the way nobody really acknowledged Big’s sacrifice - but who knows.
Anyways, I am sad and thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
Build kept saying as a hint that Pete isn’t a good person. What he meant was that Pete would walk into Vegas’ room, knowing he would get tortured and did it still, laughed in Vegas face and smiled through the torture because even though Pete isn’t fully aware of it himself, he likes pain, he likes violence. He is intrigued by it. He is drawn to it. The thing is, Vegas repulses and attracts Pete at the same time.
At first Vegas thinks that Pete is only laughing to mock him or to act cool, so he shows him the sparks. But after he hurts him several times and Pete still laughs, he is intrigued. For one, Vegas is impressed by Pete’s endurance and ability to smile no matter what and second, Vegas interprets Pete’s strength as a challenge - which it was. You can see Vegas’ interest in Pete changing the moment right before he asks him ‘One more time?’ He wants to test him and see how far he can go. He wants to know how much Pete can handle.
We only see Vegas’ reflection because we only see Vegas as whatever he chooses to be for a person to manipulate them. He is only a reflection, not his true self. He stands in front of the mirror as if he decides what to look like and what mask he picks for the next person.
The mirror also symbolises that Vegas is a two-faced person.
