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thatgirl4815 · 2 years

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The Pete Effect

~ A Deep Dive into Vegas’s Mind ~

When it comes to Vegas and Pete in Ep11, I think they contained a pretty massive story arc within the 50 minutes. And while I do think this story could’ve been spread out over the course of a few episodes, I do think they managed to offer a view of Vegas that humanizes him but does not necessarily erase or lessen the severity of his crimes. If anything, it puts the cycle of generational violence/trauma in perspective. If the purpose of this episode is to show why Vegas desires hurting people and where this destructiveness comes from, then I think they’ve accomplished that.

**For my take on Pete’s psychological state, see this post: The Vegas Effect

Recycled History

We don’t need to see Vegas’s history of abuse play out onscreen to get the full context of what he’s going through. From a storytelling perspective, it’s pretty standard: abusive father projects own self-hatred onto child. It’s a never-ending cycle of needing dominance to fill the void of never being good enough. We don’t know much about Korn and Kan’s father, but what little we do know indicates that Kan’s relationship with his father is similar to Vegas’s relationship with Kan. At the same time, this line from Korn in Ep10 is interesting:

We haven’t seen Kan directly “taking advantage” of anyone, mostly due to a lack of screen time, but the act of abusing Vegas is ironically upholding this very notion. This line is also notable in that it seems to apply to Vegas in particular, and Kan is reinforcing it by constantly reminding Vegas that he will never be good enough. Korn, master manipulator, likely knows that due to their rivalry, Kan suffers from the same self-hatred that Vegas suffers from. He exploits that with this line, and I have no doubt that Kan was reminded of this very conversation when confronting Vegas.

In this shot, Vegas is experiencing a build up of all these negative emotions: bitter resentment for his father, hate for himself, shame, guilt, rage. Kan tells him he’s failed not only as the heir of the minor family, but as a son—that’s the key point. It’s never about the business, it’s about Vegas as a person. Kan will always find flaws in Vegas because that’s easier than facing his own.

Vegas’s Psyche

What does Vegas do? He takes the gun from Kan, he points it at Pete as if to kill him, but he doesn’t follow through. Why is that? Because, as will become even more appparent later, Pete is a form of rebellion for Vegas. Keeping him—tormenting him—defies his father’s orders, but it also offers Vegas an opportunity to assuage his own feelings of inferiority. Pete is a prisoner, so Vegas’s dominance over him is a certainty. Vegas craves the chance to rip Pete apart piece by piece the same way his father has always ripped him apart (not to mention it also comes with minimal risk).

There’s an element of loneliness to this too. As the VegasPete bandaging scene proves, Vegas has spent his whole life feeling alone in his suffering. But while Pete reveals a similar experience in his own childhood, his imprisonment is also an opportunity for Vegas to impart his emotional pain onto someone physically. Vegas gains a certain satisfaction from witnessing someone else’s pain precisely because it is not his own. It’s a reminder that his father isn’t the only one who can inflict pain. That’s, in part, why I believe Vegas is so satisfied when calling Pete’s grandmother—Kan abuses Vegas both physically and emotionally, so why wouldn’t Vegas want to do the same thing to others?

So…

What stanches Vegas’s desire to inflict pain?

Even before their bandage talk, Pete is making waves for Vegas. We knew from the moment he laughed in Vegas’s face in Ep10 that he wouldn’t be one of Vegas’s regular victims; he presents a challenge, something Vegas can focus on. He’s a distraction as well as an outlet. Because, from a much broader perspective, Vegas’s position is terrible. His plans failed, the major family wants him dead, and he’s locked in a safe house with only Pete and a hedgehog for company.

One of the common critiques of this episode has been that Vegas’s feelings for Pete developed too quickly. I think this moment is where these critiques stem from. But, while there seems to be genuine fear in Vegas’s eyes at the prospect of losing Pete, I think there are two big reasons why:

1) With Pete dead, Vegas loses his outlet. He loses his distraction. And, perhaps most importantly, he loses his rebellion against his father. So long as Pete is alive, Vegas has a place to direct all that internal pain that his father keeps heightening.

2) Vegas doesn’t acknowledge it outright, but I think he knows Pete is a good person. Yes he’s in the mafia. Yes he’s committed crimes for his boss. But at his core, Pete is loyal. He’s self-sacrificing. He’s sincere. He’s as good as someone in this life can be. “No legacy is so rich as honesty.” I’ve seen others point it out, but I want to reiterate it here: Pete is already showing Vegas what it means to be honest about what drives him. That’s what their whole bandaging conversation comes to. It’s a truth that Vegas must face if he ever wants to escape the hole of self-hatred that his father has shoved him into.

As I’ve said, I do think that this storyline could’ve been stretched into two episodes just to really sit in that moment of realization and fear that Vegas has over Pete. But while it did come on somewhat suddenly, I think it makes sense if you consider Vegas’s attachment to Pete in context. I don’t think Vegas fully understands his attachment to Pete much in the same way we aren’t meant to fully understand it.

This kiss. Another manipulation? Another part of the game to lure Pete in? I can see it. I think Pete can too. Pete is smart enough not to trust Vegas, no matter how gentle Vegas might be. But we, as an audience, are fortunate because we see Vegas in moments no one else can. We have reason to believe it’s genuine, because Vegas is gentle at times when he really has no reason to be. He freaks out over the prospect of Pete’s death, he bandages him oh so tenderly because he wants to. He needs to.

Does he need to kiss Pete to give him the pill? Absolutely not. And Pete could resist that kiss—and the pill—quite easily. Vegas knows what he's doing. Pete accepts the pill because the tenderness of the kiss catches him off guard. The way I see it, Vegas goes for the kiss as a way of addressing his newfound attachment to Pete. I’d relate it to KP’s first kiss at the end of Ep3, as Kinn/Vegas and Porsche/Pete are, remarkably, in similar situations. (The amount of parallels between VegasPete and KinnPorsche is honestly insane, and those could honestly be a post on their own.)

As I mentioned above, Pete tells Vegas that he isn’t alone. And it’s the thing Vegas needs to hear most from someone. The thing is, I don’t think he even knew he needed it. But it takes a weight off his shoulders, as we see when he says, “It still hurts. But not as bad as before.”

I want to note that I don’t think Vegas’s sadistic tendencies have miraculously disappeared by the end of Ep11. Pete is a lot of things, but he’s not a miracle worker. I think Vegas has become enlightened, but one therapeutic conversation isn’t going to set him on a path of goodness. Trapped in this little bubble, it’s easy to lose sight of just how cruel and sadistic Vegas really is. It’s almost peculiar how easily I found myself not only sympathizing with Vegas, but blissfully ignoring all the bad things he has done. I mean, he was literally bandaging the wounds that he inflicted on Pete this episode, yet I somehow managed to overlook all of it and see only a confused, miserable mess of a man. And yeah, I felt bad for him. I’ll credit that all to Bible’s acting. He added such a level of humanity to Vegas at the end of this episode. I mean look at this—

...compared to this—

The genuine sweetness in that last smile? The end of this episode is the first time we’re seeing him without the mask.

In conclusion...

Pete has unlocked a part of Vegas that’s been buried by years of abuse. At least in my opinion, he’s set Vegas on a path towards healing and a release of all the anger welling up inside.

I don’t think this means that Vegas will lose the mafia-persona. They are all still in the mafia, after all. Conceptions of good and evil are much less defined in this landscape. But, I don’t think Vegas will need to use torture as an outlet for the pain his father causes him. I imagine he’ll still have an interesting relationship with pain—what with the apparent BDSM content we’ll be getting—but it won’t be used in the same context as before. Meaning that it will be something both Vegas and Pete enjoy.

That’s all for now. As always, more KP meta can be found ➡️ here, and my thoughts on the use of color in Ep11 ➡️ here!

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artisdrama · 2 years

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“right now, i feel useless. no, i've always been useless. i never exist. i have no feelings. i don't freaking have anything left within me. i can't take myself anymore, vegas.”

we all kept saying that vegas and pete are parallels to each other to what the same kind of abuse can lead to. it’s almost tiring how many times we analyzed how vegas weaponized his trauma by turning into an abuser in self defense, but we were a little blinded by pete’s smile because we genuinely believed pete was always being completely open about everything. his tattoo says it all, doesn’t it? no legacy is so rich as honesty. didn’t he share with vegas what his dad did? didn’t he follow what his heart told him? isn’t he gentle, a good friend, a good subordinate? that must be who he is.

vegas craves attention, acknowledgement, and he thinks he never received it because he never accomplished anything. pete did, though. he won the fight, and yet his dad still hit him. it doesn’t matter how good he is or how much he contributes to his surroundings, he’s never actually seen. it doesn’t matter how much effort he puts, how much emotional labor he puts in his relationships, he’s still secondary to their choices, a supporting character. it’s not just vegas that was never recognized as a person, it’s pete too.

it’s pete because he can disappear and people that he holds dear to him wouldn’t even notice until someone dreams about him. because he keeps being the wingman to others, but no one ever falls for him. he solves the problems for everyone, but not only that, his efforts always turn into more responsibility since he’s so reliable - never, i don’t know, a vacation i guess? his work has no emotional return to him, and while he’s loved by tankhun he’s still a subordinate and not a friend. it’s his boss, and he has no say in their relationship like the other does. “my most understanding bodyguard”. pete understands tankhun and shows his concern for him through how he takes care of the other, but tankhun loves pete exactly for that, and not for him. no one sees the true him.

he puts his heart in everything. yes, the honesty is there. and he does everything without expecting anything in return, because he knows that doing the right thing sometimes isn’t rewarding. that doesn’t mean he doesn’t crave recognition, it’s just that he doesn’t feel he’s ever going to receive the type of recognition he so desperately wants. and he can’t show this side to the others, because then he will be a burden and not fulfill the role he wants. he honestly wants to make everyone around him feel ok - and he’s fine with that, in some levels. he thinks helping others is rewarding because you can see the smile in their faces after it.

“i’m sorry. i aim to spread more smiles than tears.”

he’s content. it’s enough to keep him going, to inspire him to keep making others around him happy, because if anything that’s the only thing he knows. he has to live each day by itself, because if he sees the big picture he’ll feel like a side character to his own life. but deep inside, even though he has come to terms with his father’s abuse, he can’t distance himself from the violence. it’s his whole environment, it’s how he learned relationships work, it’s thrilling - and makes him feel alive. after being successful in destroying vegas’ plan, he’s so high on his accomplishment that the torture is almost a recognition on how well he fucked up vegas, and he can take it with a smile in his face.

but after all the violence and the torture vegas puts him through, he still can’t turn his caring persona of, because he’s so used to finding patterns in people in order to make them smile that he easily cracks the code to what’s vegas’ problem is. it’s almost instinctive at this point to only comfort him, not because he actually feels for vegas but because he is simply like that. he opens up just enough for vegas to understand that he’s being seen, but not enough for vegas to see him. he says just the right things at the right time, never giving information about himself or opening up. his goal was never to have vegas obsessed with him, but just to live each passing day and try to handle it as best as it could.

but vegas gets obsessed with him - actually, the idea of him. vegas is so caught up with the idea that someone understood him and didn’t judge him harshly that he completely ignores that pete is not “someone” in the sense of an abstract concept in his mind, but a person entirely separate. he starts seeing pete as an extension of him, projecting his feelings and his desires into the other. but this obsession shows up in the form of little actions of care and attention (in vegas’ way, of course), in the sexual tension, and this desire is so intense that it moves pete’s heart.

because, for a second, pete wants to believe that all that intensity and emotion is for him. that vegas actually saw who he is and understands, and is desiring him. when vegas tells him he’s sexy, is he saying that because he sees pete’s body and thinks he’s attractive or because the sex they had and pete’s submission is sexy to him? vegas proceeds to only talks about him and his feelings, but he never asks pete how he feels. he opens up - “i thought i was a freak”, but it’s not followed by a “have you ever felt something like that, pete?”. vegas finally asks him “how did you survive in this environment?” and pete’s finally smiling, asking back “why, do you think i’m a good guy?”. he’s expecting vegas to give an actual insight on it. but vegas shows how little he understands pete telling him he’s “stupid” - pete is far from stupid and he knows. and it’s not just bickering, because pete realizes that vegas truly believes he has nothing going on inside his mind, that he’s just what vegas wants him to be.

after that, he slaps himself in the face to wake up - vegas isn’t seeing him as a person, he needs to leave. that life is not what he wants. but then why did he say yes to him? why did he kiss vegas? of course there was a previous build-up of desire between the both of them, but what was that made him give in? he has never been into subspace before and he’s still trying to understand himself and what he wants, but right now he’s completely sober. and he blames himself a lot for everything. but when vegas gets inside the room mad, he’s doing it again - he’s trying to help vegas.

vegas still doesn’t sees pete, only what he wants to see. so it’s easy for him to simply act up and vent all his violence on the other when pete shows again how understanding he is (and he switches his emotions as if he wasn’t, a few hours earlier, putting all the care in the world making a dish for him). vegas still believes in what he told pete in the last episode before they kiss, that pete likes that side of him and that it turns him on, so it never occurred to him that acting like that again could have any other effect. not only that, but the line about them sleeping (which was already making pete dwell on self hatred for what he did and what he desired) finally snaps pete, because not only he isn’t in the mindset to enjoy that type of violence, but also because he’s done - he understands everyone, even vegas, but no one ever tries to understand him.

vegas’ obsession isn’t seeing him, but just a toy that will behave how he wants and like him the way he wants. pete wants to be desired intensely, madly and deeply, but he knows this isn’t what’s actually going on. it’s all a lie he’s telling himself, because he had a hard time coming into terms that vegas’ liked what he provided for him - comfort - and not him. he’s once again secondary to someone else’s feelings, and it doesn’t matter what he wants and what he likes, what his pain is, he’s not seen. and now, being punished by something he didn’t do, unable to even comfort vegas with his words, he’s useless too.

pete’s so done that he asks for vegas to kill him, and vegas is so out of his mind that he goes on to grab a knife and actually threaten to do it. vegas isn’t thinking properly but he does think this is just pete’s usual bratty behavior, and in his mind is something that can easily be solved like every other instance between them where he plays abuser with pete and then leaves. but this time, pete’s finally honest about his feelings. he’s done with everything, and he’s done with vegas treating him like that. he feels like shit, and there’s no point on keeping with this if he will still be treated like that. he tells him, he’s lost his humanity. he’s not living as a person, but as something. in this case, vegas’ plaything.

after all that, vegas sees the huge mistake he’s making, and starts begging - and that touches pete’s heart again. because vegas is begging him so desperately to not kill himself, that he’s sorry and that he needs pete so much, that pete falters a little. he knows that vegas still isn’t truly seeing him (if anything, he’s just finding out about him) but the feeling of having him begging for pete to stay with that face creates a bitter taste in his mouth. he wants vegas to desire his true self like that, and not the character vegas created in his mind. and that reinforces pete’s desperation either dying or running and leaving.

“i’m a human, vegas. i have feelings.”

vegas insists on needing him, which pete finally throws in vegas’ face that is not him that he needs but a mirror. he keeps projecting onto him, and never asking what pete needs, treating him like a pet. and pete shows him - if he actually needs him as a person, why the chains? why aren't his needs being met too? and vegas begs him to promise he won’t leave him. the fact is, pete can’t lie to vegas at this point, because he’s opened his heart so much he can’t pretend anymore he would do something like that. and he touches vegas’ face, because deep down he’s still conflicted with all those feelings, but he finally chooses to put himself first and knocks vegas out.

and while they’re apart, vegas never leaves his mind. even though he’s loved by everyone and everyone is grateful he’s back, there’s still a lingering feeling that he only ever felt being with him, and he misses it so much. because now that he had the taste for the obsession, for being almost consumed by someone else that wants them so badly, how can he go back to his normal and mundane relationships? he’s numb, both traumatized by what happened and dwelling in guilt because even though everything was so terrible he wants a little bit of it back. and he feels the shame of the intoxication he feel, unable to open up to anyone about that. him lying and denying to tell porsche is not only because he wants to protect vegas, but because he wants to protect himself from acknowledging that he doesn’t despise him as much as he wanted to, as he should do.

“get the hell out of my life.”

pete screams, but he’s unable to shoot the gun and end it all. when vegas takes the gun to his chest and screams, pete has an automatic reaction of fear that doesn’t go unnoticed by him, but he keeps pushing to try and make his point. but pete can’t say anything, just cry the tears he has been holding all throughout the episode since he left vegas’ house. and again, he is only truly honest in that moment where he lets himself fall to the ground from how painful everything is, and vegas is comforting him. the worst, for him, is that he’s allowing once again vegas in his space, touching him intimately and taking care of him. and his hand goes trembling to the other’s face, unsure if it’s the right thing to do or not, because he’s pained by everything that went down and all the abuse - but also a little bit glad that vegas is still so obsessed with him that he’d follow him there. he’s conflicted because he can’t reconcile the idea that he wants vegas and, maybe, vegas wants him too, because it’s never the case. just like he said, he’s useless, has never existed, has no feelings, no humanity. there’s no point in hoping that vegas would do that to him. but he wants to believe in him so much that he can’t stop crying.

#vegaspete #vegaspete meta #wow i WROTE for this one like . dammit don't you have a thesis to write to the 7th sir #i said i had many pete thoughts that i was waiting for the next episode to be released and i am glad to announce that i was right! yeeeee #but fr i am soooooo obsessed with this episode and everything and all the feelings i'm definitely a new human #kinnporsche the series #adding no pics because i'm lazy to screenshot everything #vegas kornwit theerapanyakun #pete phongsakorn #vegaspete analysis #also i feel i need to at that this is pete's inner monologue and not the truth per say #we know vegas' side of the story is different but still i think it's important to state that #pete has no way to read vegas mind so that's what he's working around... and it's a whole mess #pete doesnt know about the little things like making a dish from his home to him and never will so he thinks vegas is ignoring his humanity

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unlikelychildchaos · 2 years

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I feel like if the cast & crew of KinnPorsche were on Tumblr they would really appreciate all the analysis of characters, lighting, and foreshadowing these amazing and talented people with big beautiful brains do. If no one told you, y'all are remarkable. Reading your posts make my day.

#kinnporche the series #kinnporsche #mileapo #biblebuild #vegaspete #kinn x porsche #vegas x pete #thai bl #be on cloud #kinnporsche analysis #vegaspete analysis

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magicaldreamfox1 · 2 years

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do u guys ever think abt how after pete escaped vegas only ever came to see him to apologise. how despite all the pleading and begging for pete to stay with him to start over together, once pete escapes vegas just accepts it. how he only comes to see pete to say sorry for everything he's done and everything that happened. not a single word abt coming back to him and starting over. do u guys ever think abt that bc i do.

#and then vegas telling pete again that he's sorry on the day that he expects to die #bc he doesn't want to die without pete knowing that he truly is sorry #how he asks pete to be the one who kills him bc it'd be the best way to die for him?#at the hands of someone he loves to pay for what he did #bc if he tries hard enough violence can feel like love???#and if it's pete who kills him at least he would know that he deserves it???#and that his death is worth something #idk idk i'm insane #vegaspete #kinnporsche #bl shows #kp analysis #dreamy talks

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fanfictionroxs · 6 months

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It's amazing how Todd putting Black in a coma or Vegas electrocuting Pete's balls enraged me less than Ray calling Sand a whore or taunting him about his financial situation. Like by the end of Not Me and KinnPorsche, I was a strict toddblack and vegaspete shipper, but by the end of Only Friends, I wanted Sand 2 countries away from Ray. Because see, Black and Pete are more insane than the men who hurt them and there's an equality in their relationships. Black put Todd in a coma timeout and Pete is.. well Pete, like no Theerapanyakul could handle this guy if he truly went batshit. And so there's an equality in the delicious toxicity of toddblack and vegaspete which is nowhere to be found between RaySand where Ray holds the upper hand and Sand does the emotional labour and gets punished for it by Ray. And in my eyes, that makes them worse than the coma couple or the mafia torture bitches probably because they, Sand and Ray, hit so close to home. Because while men like Todd and Vegas might not exist in real life with their insanity yet true love and fucked up devotion and friendship, men like Ray do who use and abuse and return with tears and apologies only for the cycle to repeat again.

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kireshai · 2 years

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I just had a mind blown moment thinking about the blood type thing. Cos someone was talking about the fact that O (negative technically) is universal donor and AB (positive) is the universal receiver and it got me thinking about using that concept as a metaphor for affection and love.

Like, Pete is a universal donor. He has the capacity to love anyone, even Vegas who has done some real bad shit to him.

And Vegas is a universal recipient, in the sense of he will take any love he can get because he's so fucking starved for it. (And don't even get me started on how AB is therefore also a limited donor type and how Vegas's upbringing means he can't give love that easily and he has to find the right kind of people - people who perfectly match him - to be able to give them that.)

So that's my contribution to serious analysis. Excuse me while I go back to obsessing over everything else VegasPete that happened this episode.

#kinnporsche #kinnporsche the series #kinnporsche meta #kinnporsche analysis #thai bl #thai series #vegaspete

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liyazaki · 2 years

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I know, I know- I went right for the jugular with that title. at first glance, this might look like a KinnPorsche finale hit piece...an "oh, y'all thought this was a HEA?" before I throw a bucket of gore all over your warm fuzzies, Carrie-style.

in reality? this is a long-form love letter to perhaps the most meticulously-constructed show I've seen in years- Asian, Western, European, etc., et. al. period, fin, full stop.

if there's an idea that KinnPorsche has driven home over and over again, it's that more than one thing can be true at once. that idea has never been more overt than in the finale.

something can be immensely satisfying, hella romantic, quietly appalling, empowering, and like a waking nightmare- all at once. for me, the finale was every one of these things- just maybe not for the reasons you'd expect. in summary: have a little faith before reaching for the pitchforks (thanks in advance).

but first: a little history, a little fandom

some background before we jump into the, as @dancinbutterfly likes to say, "it's about the DRAMATURGY"- of it all. I've been going into every piece of media for years now with as close to the inverse of expectations as you can get, because she has been burned and then some. I've been in fandom of all sorts for many, many moons. perpetual disappointment followed by headcannoning fixes are old friends, and I know them well.

I dumbed this show down before it even began, at no fault of the story or crew or anything else. eliminating my expectations before the word 'go' is just something that happens automatically. if you had told me pre-KP that a quasi-porn-with-feels, Thai-BL-meets-the-mafia show would shock me out of my media coma, I would've just giggled and said "sure, Jan".

that's exactly what happened, though: week after week, this show gave and gave and gave some more. unapologetic queer horniness on full display? here; take it. you want a light, joyful relationship in contrast to perhaps the most intoxicatingly-toxic one you've ever seen? sure, we got that too. how about fascinating moral quandaries and a dark, twisty thread of mystery running throughout? we got you covered and then some.

and oof, that mystery. the possibilities, the implications? the personal ramifications for these characters we were falling in love with? crumbs were suddenly being dropped from a table I forgot could have so much food on it, and I grabbed onto as many morsels as I could get my greedy little hands on.

we all did: the sheer amount of god-tier analysis and meta this fandom created is a testament to that. this show awoke something in our brains that made the collective talent shine brighter than I've seen in a fandom in a long while (Bad Buddy is a close second).

and then- the Finale™

but the real pièce de résistance here: the part of this horny, batshit beauty of a story that puts this show front and center in my mental hall of fame? that finale. pardon the crassness, but it's very much warranted here: that FUCKING FINALE. it was more than the sum of its parts, while simultaneously being the EXACT sum in a whispering, "are-you-paying-attention?" kind of way.

it confirmed little red flags I didn't even trust I was really seeing, which, sure- that's just good writing, solid storytelling. but then it said "nah- we're not done", and stuck the landing so intelligently, it elevated the rest of the story past my wildest expectations. thanks to the finale, I know that my rewatches (yeah, it'll be plural- move along) will be a perpetual mind-fuck affectionate.

it set up us for a likely-explosive second season, with as much potential for greatness as there is for Shakespearean levels of tragedy. without that 81-minute magnum opus, I doubt I would’ve been compelled to write this monster in the first place.

so let's get into the impact of the finale by taking a closer look at the most important players- starting with our sex-on-a-stick (I had to), second-in-command himself.

without further ado: you ready for a deep dive?

kiss me so that I forget myself. I close my eyes & fall in the abyss. -Kamand Kojouri

the title for this meta- Tragedy Dressed Like a Daydream- was inspired by Porsche's iconic walk down the hallway, cementing his new status as he symbolically ascends his throne.

my first thought during this scene- besides the obvious serve-CUNT-king- was, "that's a man who's walking to the gallows- he just doesn't know it yet."

Porsche also embodied raw, effortless power in this moment- but it carried even more weight than just that. this was an easy, almost-royal kind of stride- like he was born to it.

from Porsche's unforgettable presentation to the visual callbacks (more on that in a minute), this is the definition of a full circle moment. it felt less like the victorious kind and more of the snake-eating-its-tail variety, though. again, more on that analogy later.

my doom-and-gloom reaction to this scene has nothing to do with the fact that Porsche is not only staying in the Family, but rising to the top of its ranks. this is a mafia tale: I signed up for bullets, bloodshed, moral ambiguity and as much be-gay-do-more-crime as possible.

once I started to drill down into what exactly about this moment made me feel so unsettled, the reasons turned out to be much more nuanced.

a couple interesting details about this scene before we get into the nitty-gritty: we've seen this kind of oozes-power walk before. it's what I opened my Kinn character analysis with:

Kinn carries himself with the relaxed ease of an heir born to inherit a throne, and the singular, brutal focus required to keep it.

this is how Kinn walks into every room he enters- when anyone besides the people he's closest to are present, anyway.

there's so much I want to say here about the choice to film Kinn from behind versus Porsche head-on, the framing, etc., but I promised myself I wouldn't get too far into the weeds in this meta.

one more tidbit I noticed in this scene: Porsche never blinks- not once. a neat little trick I learned in Psych 101: blinking less communicates ease, confidence, lack of anxiety; while frequent blinking says "I'm afraid/nervous/lying." if you want someone to see you as more confident than you might feel, look them straight in the eye- or straight ahead and past them, like Porsche is here- and blink less. I doubt this was intentional, but it adds (subconsciously) to the powerful aura radiating off of Porsche.

when you know what a man wants, you know who he is- and how to move him. -George R.R. Martin

belief can be manipulated. only knowledge is dangerous. -Frank Herbert

the triumphant veneer on Porsche's ascension starts to crack as soon as we ask, "how did he get here?" the answer- the rot at the root, discreetly leeching off all the life it touches- is Korn.

we're well-aware that Korn is a master manipulator. he knows his sons' strengths and weaknesses like the back of his hand.

what really makes Korn a force to be reckoned with is his patience. he's been using his knowledge of how to utilize his sons- like the tools I believe he sees them to be- for a very, very long time.

it took years-worth of quiet, methodical consistency to orchestrate the events we arrive to in the finale- and to best mold his sons to carry out his purposes. we've also been getting hints at this the entire time- some of which weren't made clear until the very last moments of the finale.

galaxy-brained @dancinbutterfly caught a god-tier hint at just how deep Korn's machinations go, and it happened in episode ONE- yet it's impact in the finale is enormous. if you aren't convinced that Korn has been planning on using Porsche from the start, you're gonna want to hold DB's/my beer for this one. I'm going to be giving the CliffNotes version, but you can read DB's epic finale analysis here.

the last scene in the finale- with Kinn and Porsche declaring their commitment to each other on the boat- is a callback to episode 1 already, bringing us back to where Porsche jumped off the deck. after Porsche escaped, we cut to Kinn and Korn in conversation. I'll quote DB directly here:

Kinn is asked why he didn't procure Porsche- and we see Korn playing chess. he's playing as white, and white always goes first. Korn always has the information needed to make the first move. he takes the queen [Porsche]- and he uses it to get checkmate.

back to the finale: right after Kinn and Porsche's final hug on the boat, we cut over to Korn. he's sitting at a desk with two betta fish in front of him (my theory on that in a minute). Korn stops to look at his phone, smiling at the picture of Kinn and Porsche that Tankhun just sent him.

Korn's expression is that of a warm, loving father, by all appearances happy to see his son happy- but it kind of just made my stomach roll. and then, we reach the line that takes us all the way back to Korn's first game of chess, right after the other boat scene when he won the game using the queen:

"history is only written by the victors."

not to lapse into tag speak in the middle of a semi-serious meta, but are you crying screaming throwing up yet? someone throw me a thesaurus because "chilling" doesn't cover the level of twisted we're witnessing here. the juxtaposition of these scenes in particular casts such a deep shadow over Kinn and Porsche's happy-for-now ending, it's impossible to ignore (again, all credit to DB for catching it).

Korn didn't just make Porsche's sudden meteoric rise happen- he orchestrated it all. this hint was just a standout one of many. I don't think Korn ever expected Kinn and Porsche to get romantically involved, but did he ever switch gears masterfully when they did.

there isn't a single event in the course of Kinn and Porsche's story that Korn didn't either 1) make happen himself or 2) expertly adapt and work to his advantage.

riddle me this: what could be better for Korn than having his ever-loyal but soft-at-heart son on the throne? let's dream even bigger: how about having his son's heart as his second? as smart as Porsche is, this isn't a world he's known for long- at all.

Porsche doesn't fully understand the rules or know the players- and he certainly doesn't have the benefit of experience required to see the bigger picture. Kinn's biggest weakness is now right out in the open, ready for Korn to exploit when and if needed.

for a man like Korn, what could be better than that?

back to the fish, and what could be our last hint the finale at Korn's next move. betta fish- or fighting fish- are known for their aggression towards other bettas. Korn has the fish in two bowls, separate but still in each other's line of vision- and able to antagonize the other.

before he looks at his phone, Korn is tapping on just one of the bowls, almost like he's deliberately trying to rile the fish up. he's also watching them very intently- and Korn is the most intentional character in this show.

the meaning here is wide open to interpretation, but this moment doesn't feel accidental- next to nothing in this show is. I don't see how pitting Kinn and Porsche against each other at this stage in the game would work to Korn's benefit- they're the most obvious explanation- but I'm calling it now: there's something there, and I have a nasty feeling that it's important.

so- Korn is pulling all the strings. Kinn and Porsche are in power in name only. they’re simply pieces on the gameboard and they always will be, as long as Korn is alive. they’re only there because Korn wants them to be.

Porsche and Porchay were only reunited with their mother because Korn made it so. I could write pages of meta on those scenes alone- the combination of intelligence and fear in her eyes, her catatonic-seeming (but were they really?) reactions, ad nauseum.

I'm not going to delve too deeply into the Namphueng plot here, but I have to mention that something about her reveal feels reactionary. the timing and suddenness of it feels more akin to thinking on your feet than it does to a long-game strategy. there has to be so much more happening here than we're aware of yet.

the main evidence of this for me: Korn left Namphueng essentially locked up in a tower for years. Korn is nothing if not brutally efficient. he could've used her just like he uses everyone else right out in the open. it would have been a million times more practical for him to go that route, but he didn't. that choice says something.

I don't know if I can buy into the idea that his only reason for pulling off this years-long kidnapping-in-plain-sight was just to time her reappearance in order to control Porsche (and Kinn by extension). we're missing a puzzle piece here- really, I feel like it's a lot of them.

which leads us to the million dollar question: what the hell does Korn know? how far down the rabbit hole does the history- and crimes- of this family go? Korn methodically knocked so many threatening pieces off the board, there's now history that ONLY KORN is privy to. let that sink in for a minute. if knowledge is power, Korn's is now near absolute.

Korn's inescapable influence takes what otherwise looks like a beautiful triumph- Kinn and Porsche, united, back where they started- and makes it look more like walking into an abyss.

when and if we get S2, I can guarantee that none of us are prepared for whatever Korn is planning next. like I mentioned in the beginning, the potential fallout for our players left on the gameboard is, in a word- catastrophic.

I'll wrap up this section with a chef's kiss quote from my beloved @elnotwoods:

I got so blinded by the metaphor and the symbolism [playing chess] that I overlooked the fact that the pieces on a chessboard only ever do what the player wants, because there are different ways to play, different moves and strategies- but it’s ultimately up to the person moving the pieces to decide.

so the story of man runs in a dreary circle, because he is not yet master of the earth that holds him. -Will Durant

there's also the issue of who Porsche is, and the question of if he did possess full autonomy here- i.e. if Korn wasn't making his moves for him from the shadows- would this be the choice he'd make? does it align with who he is- or, at least, with who he used to be?

because no one- outside of the people in the Family itself- have been more directly affected by the brutality that comes with the criminal underworld than Porsche and Porchay.

their parents: slaughtered in their home. debtors harassed and threatened them both for years, to the point that Porsche went to beg for mercy on his uncle's behalf. they had to feel like they were living in a semi-constant state of fear- likely with plenty of righteous anger and resentment mixed in, too.

so rather than just a cycle that repeats, we have a true tragedy here in the form of the metaphorical snake eating its tail. the Kittisawasd brothers' lives, loves, even their life's purpose (for Porsche, at least) are now inextricably linked to the cause of the greatest trauma they ever experienced. they're not just a part of the Family now- they sit its throne, either directly or by association.

love- especially the new, fresh, starry-eyed kind of love- has a way of blinding you. of bending you in ways you never thought you would, without either lashing out or getting out first.

is Porsche capable of thriving in this world? absolutely. will it require depths of compromise he can't even fathom yet? undoubtedly yes.

I also don't believe Porsche would have put Porchay within 1000 miles of everything Kinn's world brings if it weren't for love. the "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" argument could be made here- the enemy being the world of the Family, not Kinn himself- but it doesn't ring true for me.

plus, we have Porsche's own words to fall back on:

I'm not on the main family's side. I'm not on the minor family's side. I'm on your side.

Porsche is here for love and love alone. Kinn is here because he is ever-loyal...Porsche's love is a bonus. a life-changing, beautiful bonus- but just a bonus nonetheless.

I have to pause to address what Kinn did and said right before this moment. he doesn't know his father is alive, but Korn's influence- or maybe more accurately, Kinn's indoctrination- is still SO strong, Kinn pulls a gun on the man he loves at the mere possibility that Porsche MIGHT believe Korn was responsible for murdering his parents.

and do you believe him? if you believe him, you have to be on the main family's side. if not- we're on a different sides.

more on this when we talk about Kinn, but this is bone-chilling stuff.

to circle back to Porsche and how he got here: at the heart of it, his decisions aren't all that different from the things anyone who's been stupid-in-love have done or come close to doing: compromising your values, making exceptions- being blind to the bigger picture.

what could catapult Porsche's ascension into a full-blown tragedy (gay gods, let it not; I mostly like being alive) ultimately rests on the gorgeous shoulders of our next major player.

the proverb warns that 'you shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you.' but maybe you should, if it prevents you from feeding yourself. -Thomas Stephen Szasz

while pretty much all of Korn's scenes gave us glimpses of his manipulation, they showed us something else equally important: the depths of Kinn's devotion, specifically to his family and the Family. in Kinn's mind? I don't think he can tell the difference between the two.

this isn't Kinn's fault- he never stood a chance. how could he? Korn's had an actual lifetime to subtly shape and mold Kinn into the obedient foot-soldier-in-a-Gucci-suit he is today- and did he ever get started with him young.

remember Kinn's fireside confessional? he told Porsche about his dream as a kid to be a singer, but he seemed to let go of that dream almost as quickly as it came. where did Kinn get the idea of having to step up to take the burden off of Tankhun if not from Korn?

he was a child, but the walls of his cage were already closing in- and he was none the wiser. cut to all of these years later, and he STILL isn't aware. Kinn is incredibly kind, caring and soft with the people he loves, so he just said "yes- I can carry this great and terrible thing." he took on the burden, and his life is forever changed because of it.

he can't get that time back, that dream, or take back all the things he's done in service to Korn since. he's left with wistful "I wonders" before shaking himself off and moving onto whatever task is assigned to him next.

Korn is incredibly aware that love- romantic or otherwise- is Kinn's Achilles heel. all he has to do is casually mention how much the Family needs him (e.g. the apple scene) and boom- Kinn immediately falls back in line. Kinn would move heaven and earth for Porsche, but his blind loyalty to Korn is just as strong, if not stronger- the ultimate question, really.

and it bears repeating: Kinn's blindness is through no fault of his own. he's been systematically manipulated and groomed into becoming the man he is today. the fact that he's retained as much of his humanity as he has is a small miracle- however compartmentalized that humanity might be (read: being able to assassinate someone on the spot without a sideways glance).

if Porsche was walking to the metaphorical gallows unaware, Kinn is living on the knife’s edge, not realizing how incredibly precarious his newfound happiness is. he has faith in a foundation that doesn't exist. he's been drinking from a poisoned well all his life, and he's unwittingly invited Porsche to partake, as well.

I have no doubt Kinn’s intentions are good, and that his love for Porsche is as true, deep and real as any. it's the same sort of unquestioning, all-encompassing love- for his family, THE Family- that could be their ultimate undoing.

I am no bird; and no net ensnares me. -Charlotte Brontë

we're going to stick to the surface streets where Vegas and Pete are concerned, because to the shock of absolutely none of you who know me, I could write a book on them.

however, I have to highlight the stark contrast their story provides in the finale against Kinn and Porsche's. they were the only characters who walked away with complete autonomy.

what felt like the final nail in coffin to Vegas- no longer being in line to assume his father's position, gain his power and prove himself worthy- was his saving grace. again, this isn't because they got out of the mafia, but because they got out from under Korn- which, irony heaped upon irony, was still Korn's doing.

for now, Vegas, Pete and Macau have been set to the side of the game board by our main player. they're out of the game, but they'll still receive some of its benefits (likely financial). it's probably the best outcome they could have gotten.

regardless of how it came about, or whatever the future holds for Pete and Vegas- it'll be a future they author together from start to finish. they're going into this new chapter with their eyes wide open, their feet on the ground and with a mutual purpose- to somehow be a family- based exclusively on what they want and need most.

I wish that wasn't more than I could say for Kinn and Porsche, but with where we leave them in the finale, it is- for now.

we aren't one story- we can change our stories. we can write our own. -A. Poehler

and so, we reach the end. Kinn and Porsche are silhouetted against/almost swallowed by the darkness behind them (intentional? I'm thinking yes) on the deck of the boat where it all started.

everything has been leading us to this moment- even their final lines are a callback. Porsche is gazing at Kinn with so much warmth and affection, declaring that his life is Kinn's. Kinn assures him he'll treasure it, clearly in bliss- probably feeling like he finally has everything he's ever wanted.

the parallel- along with Porsche repeating again that he's there for Kinn and Kinn alone- gave me chills at all the high-romanticism, coupled with deeply-ominous foreshadowing.

Porsche's life is now Kinn's, and Porsche would give him absolutely everything (he already has). can the same be said for Kinn? is he capable of rising above a lifetime of submission to Korn for their relationship's sake, for Porsche's sake- or most importantly, for his own? Kinn and Porsche are on equal footing on the surface only, and Porsche couldn't be at a more dangerous disadvantage.

as @dancinbutterfly put it to me so eloquently:

there can't be equanimity when one person is standing on earth & the other is in chains, looking up at him from the heart of hell.

I have to use our catchphrase one last time here, because it's never been more applicable: this scene is the definition of many things can be true at once. when we step back to look at the state of play, the bigger picture- Kinn and Porsche's final moment is as tender and heartfelt as it is potentially heart-wrenching.

we're watching these characters we've come to know and love teeter on the edge of a precipice they don't even know exists- but we do. Korn knows- he created it, and he even gets the literal last word- not counting the small bit of dialogue in the final-final scene with Porsche, Porchay and Namphueng.

I was so distracted by the beauty of the relationships between our main/side characters and how they were developing, I didn't go over many of these small- but, in retrospect, crucial- details too deeply, until the finale left me feeling so uneasy, I had to figure out why. even that might have been intentional.

not to go crazy conspiracy board here (but I will): how poetic would it be if the intention all along was to 'dupe' (but not really, because we're talking about it here) the audience into being in exactly the same mental boat as Kinn and Porsche?

i.e. we're so distracted by all the pretty, shiny things (love! HEA! they're in power together! etc.) that we don't see the forest for the trees? I really hope- and dread- that we might get to see it all come to awful, angst-ridden fruition in a second season. because that, my friends? truly god-tier level story telling.

even with all this possibility for heart-wrenching fallout, I've never felt 'safer' as a viewer as I do in the hands of these writers. they left some plotlines under-developed or unaddressed entirely (for now), but the unforgettable story this team managed to create from the mostly-trash heap that is the source material is a testament to their professional prowess, and evidence of all the thought and care they poured into KinnPorsche.

this show has consistently delivered on every promise it made, and managed to surprise me at every turn. I don't know exactly where we're going from here, but if we get to see Kinn and Porsche's story continue? I can't wait to see where they take us- even if it rips our collective hearts out in the process.

what a way to go, no?

special thanks to @dancinbutterfly for going full-on Pepe Silvia with me through half the night (more than once) while I slogged through this thing, and to my wonderful wifey @elnotwoods for helping get my ideas off the ground 💖 tagging some lovely peeps who have been patiently waiting for this behemoth to drop: @patprans @ellaspore @bengiyo @snimeat @rainbowcolored7 @maleficent-cannoli @i-got-the-feels @shinwoonoh @risu442.

as usual whenever I write long-form, I’m doubting whether I actually said anything at all here? either way- thank you for reading this far & I hope you enjoyed it 🖤

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crystallinemoonlight · 11 months

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Just saw a great post about Vegas' hedgehog and the symbolism of its ill-fitted enclosure, and I can't stop thinking about it; it's a hedgehog in a birdcage, an enclosure it was never going to thrive in no matter what because that cage could simply never meet its needs, and in that cage the hedgehog grew sick and miserable, until eventually, it died. Vegas is the hedgehog in the birdcage; his home and life were never going to meet his needs. It was never going to be a healthy environment where he could thrive. Just like the hedgehog, Vegas grew sick and miserable, and almost died because of it.

And there's even more to it: the hedgehog couldn't be saved, but Vegas did. Vegas got put in a better environment suited to his needs where he could heal. He is the hedgehog of his father that didn't die. And see, the series sets Vegas as the owner and Pete as the pet, but I think this goes just as much the other way around, because Pete took the hedgehog out of the birdcage, Pete made sure Vegas' needs were met.

#the hedgehog has so much symbolism its killing me #its a direct freaking parallel to vegas #the hedgehog in the birdcage vs vegas in the mafia im not okay #THEY ARE BOTH IN THE WRONG ENCLOSURE. THEY ARE NOT THE RIGHT ANIMAL. THEY CANNOT FUNCTION #gun gave vegas the hedgehogs... vegas is his father's son.... vegas couldn't save his pets.... pete saved him...#vegas is the hedgehog that got away im not okay🥺#kinnporsche will be the end of me #kinnporsche #vegaspete #vegas theerapanyakun #vegas kp #pete kp #kinnporsche analysis #vegas' hedgehog #kinnporsche the series #kp the series

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sweetvixen1996 · 9 months

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Mafia Boys & Gifts As Manipulation

Okay so I need somewhere else to exorcise my Kinnporsche brain rot, and I guess that’s you fine people. So I submit my thesis of this post:

In episode 7, we see Vegas, Kinn, & Kim all give a gift as a way to manipulate the recipient.

One of the writers (who are trash people) are very smart to do is to echo certain beats with characters through their action to hammer a point home. A good example is Kinn kissing a drunk Porsche at the end of E3 and then sleeping with a drugged Porsche at the end of E4 -both acts of physical... attraction performed while Porsche is unable to fully consent but the latter having far more serious consequences.

The manipulative gift giving in E7 really hammers home that Vegas, Kinn, & Kim really are FAR MORE ALIKE than any of them would like to think. But its all about lenses.

So lets look at it:

Vegas:

Let's start with the most obvious example, shall we?

Vegas spends this entire episode pseudo-courting Porsche. Both to mess with Kinn, and to get a competent man in the Minor Family’s control (likely under his father’s orders), Vegas is going to use what he knows of Porsche to win him over. Including this gorgeous bike. Vegas explicitly frames Porsche getting the bike as a reward for a job goes well. That, by its very nature, makes it not truly a gift. Instead its payment, a carrot dangled above Porsche's head. Also, on top of Vegas just knowing that Porsche likes motorcycles, I think this serves as a reminder of their little motorcycle ride date back from E5 when Vegas was around to (seemingly) provide comfort when Kinn was not. Basically, Vegas is saying, “Look what I can give you, look at how much fun we can have together, and look at how well I know you but you just got to do this one thing for me and you can have all of it.”

For the record, I do think Vegas genuinely likes Porsche, and is probably physically attracted to him. Everything he does in this episode and beyond is absolutely a power play, with Porsche just being another piece on the chess board in the game of domination Vegas is constantly trying to play with Kinn, but, unlike his thin veiled contempt for Tawan, Vegas seems to truly enjoy spending time around Porsche. I always think back to that hug they shared and how Vegas just sort of melted into it. It’s hard to fake that sort of react.

Maybe in a different life, they could have been actual friends.

In hindsight, I do wonder how much about the bodyguards all being happy and Vegas caring about them is a show and how much of it is real. Vegas definitely wants to frame life at the Minor Family as a better alternative to serving the Major Family, but we also know that Vegas is not incapable of caring about the people around him. In fact, he’s something he desperately wants to be good at.

On a side note, we also get the case of Vegas giving the pork skewer to Pete. It's a small thing, and probably also manipulation, but with how important food becomes in their relationship, I think it's worth noting.

Kinn:

I almost hesitate to call this manipulation, because this moment is really just so sweet. So instead I'll discuss how Vegas uses the bike as a reward while Kinn uses his favorite gun as an excuse. For these two knuckleheads, E7 is a transitional period. E6 had them admitting for their attraction and affection for each other, and the Side Story had them cementing that what they had in the woods isn't going away, but E7 here is them trying to figure out what this new dynamic means and how it can exist back in the “real world.”

Kinn is not ready to say “I love you” verbally to Porsche yet. He cannot fully put his trust in Porsche just yet. After everything with Taiwan, and just well his entire life, all the jealousy and insecurity and possessiveness is coming out in full force. Not to mention, Kinn is stuck at home recovering from his injuries, likely making him feel useless. Plus, he has to at least have a suspicion that Vegas was the one who drugged and took Porsche back in E4 -on top of actively plotting to take Porsche away now.

Yet Kinn also knows he needs to be careful. Even if he can't say those things, he knows he at least needs to give something up or risk Porsche pulling away. Specifically, pulling towards Vegas. So he gives Porsche’ his gun, the one Kinn always keeps on him. It's Kinn’s way of saying, “even if I can't be with you in person, this gun is my way of being with you in spirit.”

Then he tells Porsche that Porsche has to come back so he can return Kinn’s gun. Now this is a fun little gray area, because Kinn IS able to say Porsche needs to come back to him -not why, mind you, he’s not their yet. But Kinn is trying his best. Unlike Vegas, who views Porsche as part of a game, Ken sees Porsche as the prize at the end of the game. The only thing that matters. The thing Kinn wants to get above all, no matter what he has to sacrifice.

I love this whole interaction because it just runs the gauntlet of emotions. It's sweet, it's sappy, it's funny, it's flirty, and it's a little tense. Overall, it's a good example of both Kinn’s own emotional limitations, and Kinn trying his damnedest to show how he feels since he's not great at putting things into words. And if that involves a little manipulation, well there are probably worse things in the world.

Also I think it is really funny that this entire scene and the situation with the gun is very reminiscent of the concept of the Lady’s Favor. That being where noble women would give Knights a personal token, usually a handkerchief or a ribbon, when they went off to do something dangerous as both a token of their affections and to make the Knight promise to come back. The promise, of course being so that the Knight would stay safe, and so the Knight would have an excuse to visit their Lady again.

Kim:

The Kimchay relationship is interesting because it somehow manages to be both the most wholesome while also being the most duplicitous. One of the things that makes all three of the major couples in this series interesting (or controversial, depending on who you ask) is that there is a very clear uneven power dynamic. Kinn is Porsche’s boss and a mafia leader, and Vegas literally has Pete chained up in his house -you can't get much more even than that. And yet, both of them are in a situation in which the power dynamic difference is obvious. That's not the case with Kimchay. While it's true that there is the obvious unbalance of the Idol/Fan dynamic, and the age gap being jussssst wide enough that Kim and Chay are at different points in their developmental adult life, the real power dynamic difference comes from the fact that this entire relationship is built flat on a lie. It is a lie that Kim himself eventually comes to love and wish was true, but not one that could have ever been sustained.

There are a lot of really great metas out there about how Kim is actually the most dangerous of his brothers, and is far more willing to coldly manipulate and act for his goal, and you see a lot of that these early interactions with Chay.

At this point, I think it's safe to say that while Kim may think Chay is cute and sweet, and is charmed by him despite himself, Chay is still just a means to the end within his investigation. He's also completely aware a Chay’s infatuation with him and is using that to get through the door of Chay’s life and house -quite literally.

If the motorcycle was a reward from Vegas, and the gun was an excuse from Kinn, I'd say that Kim is using the guitar as almost a form of payment. A way of further buying Chay's trust and good nature. He may have even specifically brought it as a way to override Chay questioning why Kim knew where he lived.

And yet it's also important to point out that this episode is a turning point in their relationship, just like it is for KinnPorsche. Before this, Chay was a tool, if a very charming one. Kim doesn't even really have the patience with him to wait for Chay to finish talking and expressing his doubt about accepting the guitar before asking to use the bathroom. Not to mention further taking advantage of Chay’s feelings for him in order to get Chay out of the house so Kim could investigate the Mysterious Locked Room.

But then Kim finds the Idol Wall, and everything changes. I am 100% convinced that is the moment where Kim not only knows that Chay has nothing to do with any potential mafia dirty business, but also when Kim starts feeling some guilt over his manipulation of Chay. Both of which should make him immediately back off, and we see in the next episode that that is sort of what he does, but his initial response is instead to engage further -even outright flirting with the implicit promise of further contact with the two, even though it actually doesn't have any merit at this point.

Basically, this is when Chay starts to become REAL to Kim.

#kinnporsche #vegaspete #kimchay #kinn theerapanyakul #porschay kittisawasd #vegas theerapanyakul #kim theerapanyakul #porchay kittisawasd #kinnporsche analysis #this is my brain dump #sorry if it doesn't make sense #bring on the piles of red flags disguised of handsome men #and the messy bitches who love them #not chay though #he is a sweet sunshine child #even if he wouldn't know a red flag if it was strangling him

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ichigokeks · 1 year

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To this day nothing can ever come close to Pete jumping when Vegas touches his shoulder. Within just a few seconds it foreshadows their relationship and manages to show us their true personalities. Vegas is cunning and will appear friendly but he always demonstrates his power and dominance indicating his inferiority complex - in this scene, he touches Pete not as a friendly gesture but to assert his dominance and "push" Pete out of the way. Pete looks submissive and polite and seems to fear Vegas but he is courageous and doesn't back down as he is the only one to address Vegas directly and remind him that this place is for bodyguards not the bosses. It indicates his unbreakable will and inner strength which makes him face Vegas in the torture scene without fear.

#and another thing #kinnporsche #vegaspete #nanatalksaboutkp #kp #kpts #biblebuild #kinnporsche the series #kinnporsche analysis #happy 1 year anniversary #bible wichapas #build jakapan

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berryberrytired · 1 month

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I CAN’T FIND THIS MASTERDOC OF KINNPORSCHE ANYSIS. It was so good it was an organised doc which looked at each episode and all the themes and motifs and the characters but i cAN’T FIND IT. CAN ANYONE HELP ME. PLEASE. Got my friend to start watching it and i want him to have this. pleased

#kinnporsche #vegaspete #kinnporsche analysis

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thatgirl4815 · 2 years

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Vegas should be terrified.

We know by this point that Vegas’s biggest fear is being alone. The thought that no one loves him, that he is unworthy of even the slightest bit of affection, has festered in his heart and won’t let him go. It’s corrupted him, yet it (ironically) only drives more people away.

But here’s Pete. His captive. His enemy. The subject of his torture. And he stays.

Not only that, but he hands himself over to Vegas. He grabs Vegas’s hands to keep him from hurting himself. He sacrifices his own freedom to help a broken, vile person. I can’t even begin to describe that level of selflessness. It’s one thing to help someone innocent and suffering, but it’s another to help someone wholly undeserving of it. Vegas is a recipient of trauma, but he’s also a creator of it.

And yet. Pete comes back.

I don’t think I will ever come to a definitive conclusion about Vegas’s expression here. Among other things, I think this is the moment it clicks for Vegas that this man isn’t like anyone else. Pete has been on the receiving end of Vegas’s hate and fury--he’s seen him at his absolute worst--and even then he stayed. Not only that: he reciprocated.

Pete was afraid, once. Now it’s Vegas’s turn.

So maybe that’s what we’re meant to take away from Vegas’s expression in this final moment: fear. Being scorned or even abandoned by his father would arguably hurt far less than what Pete could do to him. For all the manipulating Vegas has done, he now finds himself in a chokehold. And the complete turnaround is perfectly and poetically ironic.

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artisdrama · 2 years

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where we are - vegaspete and the temple scene

in episode 9, vegas and pete have their first proper interaction, even though they are by no means strangers. so far, the only information we have is that kinn suspects vegas is involved in tawan’s return and that he has a mole in the first family, and pete’s goal is to figure out as much as he can. pete is a notoriously bad stalker, and keeps getting caught red handed by vegas. right now, their future relationship has finally the precedents to develop into something sexual - though not romantic.

where’s vegas right now

for vegas, being followed means two things: first, he now represents a threat to kinn, which gives him the satisfaction that he’s is powerful enough to bother kinn to have his most trusted guard to be at the look out for him. his desire to antagonize out of deep hatred and envy is being fulfilled, and definitely brings him a little bit of joy, which makes him play around in order to mess up with both kinn and pete. on the other hand, now it would be of the major family’s interest to get rid of him, hence him going after porsche looking for sympathy - by trying to ally himself to porsche, he’s also admitting that his actions have cornered him to a point where insisting probably means death.

that makes being followed also thrilling, as any slip could give in the information he so carefully took care off these last few episodes - by eliminating the italians, which is hinted that worked along with the second family, he’s also trying to erase the minor family’s deeds to gain both trust and power. if the hints left in the episode are true, he’s also probably using tawan to mislead the major family into investigating the italians and not the minor family. having pete following him should worry him, but right now he feels as powerful and controlling as he feels cautious, and he takes enjoyment in playing with fire.

for vegas, pete is not exactly a threat but amusing - the man is clearly a bad stalker, but he is the most trusted bodyguard of the major family and does his duty diligently. i think that vegas is intrigued by pete in a way he’s not by any other of the bodyguards, even porsche, yet it’s not romantic at all, but psychological and sometimes a little erotic. i’ll explain.

vegas takes a lot of satisfaction in their current dynamic and in the fact that pete is putting the utmost effort into running around him, and he has fun leading him to random places and then getting pete lost. he also likes to get him unaware, just like in the car in episode 6. the power play they’re currently playing makes him excited, and vegas likes the sensation that he has some sort of control over pete - and that pete can’t escape, since he’s bound by duty to follow him, making vegas always take the lead on whatever will happen next.

vegas also seems to believe that pete is an interesting person, as he doesn’t back off. even after getting caught more than once he still seems to be calm and composed, and during the torture scene in episode seven he’s the only one to not look away and watch it all. in his mind, pete likes the risk of following him. vegas sees himself as a predator (which is also shown through his wardrobe throughout the series, with constant animal prints) and he feels that pete’s behavior is one of an obedient follower that’s vulnerable to his plans. he’s so bad at what he’s doing, but he still does it.

i believe that, when vegas looks at pete smiling throughout the episode, he’s genuinely enjoying watching pete’s reactions to him and how much he affects him. as someone that gets off on power imbalance and dominating, shown through episode 4 in his red room with whips and chains, pete’s reactions (important, to him) are slightly erotic too. just like when he reminisces about porsche hitting him with enjoyment, he also sees pete’s struggle against him through a near sexual lenses.

he openly flirts with pete, insinuating a relationship with him. his goal is to disturb pete’s imagination and perception of him. right now, pete sees him as the first son of the minor clan and kinn’s rival, and takes no interest in vegas as a person. vegas insinuating himself as someone to have a relationship much like a family and a partner has the goal to make pete’s thoughts astray and to induce him into visualizing him sexually. that’s done with the intention of intimidating pete, as vegas feels that pete would probably be distraught by the idea - both because he’s a loyal follower to his boss and wouldn’t want to desire him, but because vegas also suspects pete’s a masochist and will feel guilty for having these thoughts and not feeling disgusted by them.

the last point, for vegas, is the way pete obediently puts himself at service for him. he offers to go for another jug, and also promptly goes to pour the water for vegas. pete’s obedience to power is attractive to vegas, and he feels a curiosity for pete that he hasn’t felt for any other person, as in his mind pete is affected by his power on a deeper level. this satisfacts vegas’ ego so much that he feels drawn to provoking pete more and more.

where’s pete right now

while vegas’ intentions in the series are almost too easy to read, pete still hasn’t shown as detailed as him neither his motivations, nor his inner monologue. we know much less about what drives pete forward, especially since he puts himself at the service of other people and not to himself. we know, however, pete is a religious person, and it’s willing to put his best in every job.

during all interactions between him and vegas, he shows to be more interested in observing vegas’ actions with the goal of understanding instead of judging and passing a moral ruling. he has no interest in narratives of heroes and villains, and is also not impressed by the cruelty of vegas’ actions.

as a side note: for the torture scene, i see pete’s reaction more as him reminiscing on his recent encounter with vegas, where he was caught spying him, and what vegas is capable to do to him if he ever finds himself vulnerable to him. i think pete is also curious about vegas’ methods and wondering to which point his cruelty is done out of pure sadism or to which extent that was needed to extract information. since pete is someone that values getting the job done, i don’t think he’s inclined to completely dismiss the importance of vegas actions. i think he stopped big’s punching not out of sympathy (since, as we see in the third episode, he’s willing to kick a man until he almost passes out and seems to also enjoy ruling punishment), but because big’s methods were inefficient.

back to episode 9, pete seems to not be disturbed by vegas for the first part of the scene. he even asks out of curiosity whether vegas enjoys listening to the sermon, which makes me believe that he’s not frightened by the proximity they are at that current moment. he also seems to wonder how much vegas is messing up with him and how much he’s actually into the sermon.

in a sense, pete still sees that as an opportunity to understand vegas more. his curiosity goes further than only the job he has to do, to also getting a grasp on the other’s actions and how they guide vegas’ steps. maybe the information macau gave, that vegas seems to currently be into dharma, makes pete feel that there’s a bridge towards understanding, as pete is also religious. at the same time, pete is still a little bit cynical of vegas’ intentions in going there.

pete only gets distraught at the moment they have to make merits. it’s vegas insinuation of praying together and meeting in another life that takes pete off the tracks and makes him start getting nervous. until that point, he still felt a sense of security. it’s not that he believes that vegas didn’t notice he’s following him, but the fact that he still feels that vegas is not a threat to him. by this point, i think pete notices that vegas’ sudden interest in buddhism has nothing to do with the dharma, but the fact that he’s messing with him, going there exactly because he knows he’s being followed. for pete, someone that is religious, he wouldn’t suggest making merits with a stranger, and it finally hits him why vegas isn’t there.

to add on this, vegas touches pete back in an intimate suggestion, right after suggesting they both did something usually reserved for families and couples. pete, by this point, hasn’t thought of vegas in any situation that isn’t the young master of the minor clan. with the touch, his mind goes astray to numerous thoughts. while vegas hands slowly goes down, he also starts to have pictures in his mind of vegas not only as someone that’s dangerous but someone that is also preying on him. in his mind, even if he’s not interested, he’s forced to picture vegas as a partner and what would that be like, and added to the erotic undertones of their current situation he definitely pictures something sexual.

my theory is that he doesn’t understand how he feels about those pictures in his mind, and that’s the source of his distress. he doesn’t feel as repulsed as he thinks he should have felt, and that makes him conflicted about himself. he tries to get away from vegas’ touch, but he’s still out of his mind.

until the point he pours water and comes back, he seems to be completely out of it, lost in thoughts and distracted from the mission. he’s so out of it that it doesn’t occur to him that vegas is trying to get him lost. when he gets back, he’s finally composed and seems to be already back to his normal self when he realizes vegas isn’t there anymore. when he finds the post-it, he instantly regrets how vegas has tricked him into distracting himself and losing sight of the mission.

conclusion

vegas’ insinuation only works against pete because pete is vulnerable to power play. it’s mentioned in the novel by vegas that, the moment he laid his eyes on pete, he knew pete was a masochist. i don’t think that’s true of the novel pete, since his inner monologue shows otherwise, and I think it’s something the authors added just because of some sort of fantasy they already had. but so far, pete in the series seems to be built around order and obedience, punishment and reward, though we haven’t seen much of the dark side he’s still hiding. so i think it’s true to the series that maybe vegas has already caught on how power is one of pete’s weaknesses and is already manipulating him based on that.

i also feel that this sets a precedent for sexual tension between their relationship, even though it’s more from vegas’ side. pete’s willingness in going to vegas’ house in the next episode also shows that he feels he can definitely handle vegas in the worst case situation, and he seems to be a little enticed by the thrill of everything, maybe as much as vegas. of course porsche and pete’s relationship is the main reason he’s getting in the house, but he seems to be willing to do something of too much of a high risk too abruptly instead of carefully planning it, which makes me believe he also likes the hunt.

vegas is definitely attracted to pete, but he has no thoughts whatsoever aside from the prospect of dominating and leading their relationship (whatever it currently is). i don’t think it ever occurs to him to see pete even as a person, much less a potential partner. pete, on the other hand, has a morbid curiosity for vegas and is just now understanding how much of a hand vegas already has on him and the major family, and he’s definitely interested in understanding it. to me, this scene is much better than the cinema scene in the novel, and sets a mood for what will be the beginning of their relationship instead of making their sexual interest in one another come out of nowhere.

#vegaspete #kinnporsche #kinnporsche spoilers #kinnporsche the series #kinnporsche episode 9 #vegaspete analysis #vegaspete theory

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ellaspore · 2 years

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Vegas and English : a sociolinguistics analysis

General consensus in the fandom is that in Kinnporsche all the charcaters use English as a tool of deception, Vegas the most.

Now that may be true for all the other characters, but it has been pretty clear for a long time that Vegas is different, because he is essentially portrayed as bilingual.

And so English for Vegas is not a lingua franca, used to communicate with foreign people for business. English is a part of him. And so code-switching has multiple reasons for him.

For those who do not know, code-switching refers to the practice of a multilingual speaker of alternating between two or more languages in a single conversation or situation.

Sociolinguistically there are different reasons for code-switching, being

to show solidarity with a social group,

to distinguish oneself,

to participate in social encounters,

to discuss a certain topic,

to impress and persuade the audience

to express feelings and affections

Vegas uses English with the assassin(EP2) to discuss mafia business(reason 4), with Porsche(EP4-EP7) to make himself appear less threatening and to manipulate him (reason 5), with Macau(EP6) to discuss without having others understand them(reason 1), with Tawan(EP10) to talk about the plan(reason 4 again), even with the hedgehog(EP11) to again appear less threatening and to reassure it(reason 5).

Now Episode 13 just highlighted the fact that Pete is the only one Vegas uses English with to express both feelings and affections.

In Episode 11, the feeling he expressed in English with Pete were for the most part anger, “What a load of bullshit” and “Who’s a good boy?”.

In Episode 13 instead Vegas uses English essentially to express the height of his feeling. His love and incredulity first “do you know how sexy you are" and then his desperation "Shoot me" and sincerity "I'm sorry, I'm sorry".

All bilingual people know that sometimes when we feel too much it is easier to use another language to express ourselves. Because being open is scary, and sometimes feelings are too much. And that is exactly what Vegas feels.

And he’s so full of emotion it's overflowing everywhere, a dam open that cannot be closed again.

#linguistic analysis #nobody asked for it but it gets me hot #vegaspete #kinnporsche #ella's cursed thoughts

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magicaldreamfox1 · 2 years

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so i'm just thinking abt the reputation pete must have post-canon among main family bodyguards.

like as we know from pete himself, word travels fast amongst main family bodyguards and there must be a few who survived the ep 14, confrontation. obviously people would've known pete at least in passing, he's tankhun's head bodyguard that must mean something. and suddenly he's missing for a few days, rumour has it he went to the minor family's house (with the fit tankhun threw (rightfully so) surely people would've heard abt it right? right) and everyone knows what happens to bodyguards who are sent to the minor family's house. except pete returns and word spreads fast about that too. pete returned, covered in blood and injured but alive. then the family showdown happens, a lot of people die but surely a few main family bodyguards would survive. and they would hear abt it. pete left. he resigned. and they let him. which i'm sure not many bodyguards can say for themselves. rumour has it he went after vegas. and then shot a bodyguard of the main family dead for him. and that he's with vegas now.

vegas who has A Reputation, everyone knows that. so pete not only made it out of the minor family's house alive, he also managed to resign and then went to be with vegas.

and maybe they'd even see him sometime, pete coming to visit porsche or tankhun and he looks fine like he's doing well.

and like. they must be terrified of him. and like even when they get new bodyguards word would spread just as quickly. u don't fuck with pete bc pete has seen the worst of the worst of this world and not only come out alive the other end, he also willingly walked back right into it.

#thinking abt pete maybe this even qualifies as dark!pete #like i'm sorry i feel like i'm really bad at articulating my thoughts in a good and coherent way #but brain goes brrr #pete must have a killer reputation #like if they main family bodyguards aren't terrified of him then idk either #like mans survived the minor family literally resigned and they let him. and now he's just chilling with Vegas Theerapanyakul #u know the murderous evil cousin #like FUCK #people would be scared i know it #especially abt the part where pete quit To Be With Vegas #bc from an outsider pov it'd take a special kind of insane to want to be with vegas right #they're terrified of him i know it. some are even more scared of him than of vegas #and like him being super nice and polite and smiley makes people not believe it at first #they're like really this guy???? no way #but like there's moments in between where u can see how smart and calculating he is #and people would insist like no really this guy did all of that don't underestimate him #and people would be scared they would i know it #vegaspete #kinnporsche #kp analysis #bl shows #dreamy talks #pete

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fishy-xp · 2 years

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The Minor Clan v the Major Clan

I’ve seen a lot of people having differing opinons on whether Vegas parading the main family bodyguard’s around the minor family compound and showing how better the minor family bodyguards are treated was either a) accurate and the minor family do actually treat their bodyguards as more than objects or b) all for show and everyone fears them and are simply play acting for the main family bodyguards.

Personally, I am on the side that thinks what is shown by Vegas is correct. Vegas acknowledges that the minor family does the dirty work, they are the guns and the labor. They are considered as lesser than the major clan who live in luxury and excess, they are high-class, whilst the minor family are very much lower class. I think Vegas is genuinely kind to the market community outside of the minor family compound. These are mostly older people who work to support their own families through whatever means possible, selling street food and groceries who are likely backed by the minor family in return for a percentage of commission on their sales. The minor family offers them protection from anyone that tries to scam or take advantage of these families and shopkeepers in return for a physical barrier between the rest of the world and the minor family house as well as information as gossip and rumours can float very easily in a busy market place. These families see Vegas and the minor family as young masters who are very generous and protects them, the darker side of the family can be overlooked.

We are mere working class people, this is not something we need to be involved in. See no evil.

Secondly, the minor families bodyguards. I find it very likely that these men are the sons of the shop vendors outside. Coming from the same lower-middle class background, the minor family offers them employment, income and care for their elderly parents and younger siblings in return for their loyalty and their lives. I believe this differs from how the major family recruits their bodyguards which is likely through an intense screening process picked from a pool of former security guards, police officers, intelligence agents. My best evidence for this is Ken, a clearly foreign bodyguard who is likely recruited from an overseas agency, maybe former Interpol, or security intelligence. There is a very clinical process for the major clan in recruiting their bodyguards, it is merely a job where the best of the best are chosen. There is nothing relational about it. They simply demand their lives in exchange for money, nothing more. The major family can put a price on these bodyguards.

Your life is mine because I bought it.

In direct contrast, the minor family sources their men from the local community. These bodyguards were likely struggling, disenfranchised boys who are offered a way to escape the poverty cycle. They are given a purpose in life, a community with other men just like them, and are allowed to be in a position of power that life has previously withheld. There is some fear thrown into their loyalty, but it also garners their respect. Sometimes people see people who are stronger, more powerful, more forceful, more evil then themselves and that only strengthens their respect towards that person. That is how the minor family bodyguards perceive Vegas, someone to be feared but as long as you do no wrong to them, you have nothing to fear. As long as you don’t cross Vegas or the minor family, there is nothing to be worried about. They will not just begin torturing or shooting off men for fun. Vegas only lets out the crazy to traitors or people he doesn’t care about. He hasn’t once been shown to get angry, rude or violent with his own bodyguards (unlike the major family). Vegas clearly understands peoples’ emotions, so being able to relate to these men would allow him to strengthen their loyalty towards the minor clan in a way the major family would never even attempt to engage in with their own bodyguards.

We are not so different, you and I. I know exactly what you’ve been through.

Also in Ep 2 when Macau goes to his dad after Porsche pushes him into the pond, Gun chastises Korn ‘you’re not only teaching them how to use guns, but also manners’. Why say that, if Gun doesn’t value such a thing? The minor family and their manners have even been brought up by Porsche who notes not only do they have manners but they actively use them towards others including the bodyguards.

They haven’t hurt me.

Furthermore, I’d like to discuss the familial relationships between the Major and Minor Clan brothers. The major family brothers are clearly all distant from each other. If there is any sort of care towards each other, its subtle at best and non-existent at worst. They do not work together, they hide and scheme by their lonesomes, never letting anyone see their hand. In contrast, Vegas and Macau appear incredibly close knit. They are always seen hanging around together, they share jokes and are physically affectionate with each other. In Ep 7, Macau apologises to Porsche and extends an olive branch at Vegas’ request which evidently influences Porsche’s perception of the minor family as forgiving and having manners (something that in his experience cannot be said for the major family). In Ep 9, Macau forcefully restrains Pete and enthusiastically asks for him to join them at a sermon he appears very interested in only to fall asleep during said sermon which betrays his intentions that he did not give a single shit about it and only did so because Vegas had plans for Pete. Macau does this because he knows it’s what Vegas wants and he will help his brother scheme and entrap because Vegas likely makes it very explicit to him about his plans and doesn’t keep Macau in the dark about things. Vegas actually cares about Macau and vice versa, so it would make sense that Vegas does actually care about his community and his bodyguards. The minor family understands very well that the relationships they make are their strongest assets. They work as a team strengthened by intrinsic relationships rather than the major family who are burdened incessantly by duty.

There is loyalty that is forcefully taken and demanded. Then there is loyalty that is willingly given.

#mentally i am still in ep 7 #kinnporsche #kinnporsche the series #kinn theerapanyakul #vegaspete #vegas theerapanyakul #macau theerapanyakul #sin city brothers #kinnporsche analysis #kinnporsche meta #porsche pitchaya #tankhun #kim theerapanyakul #porschay kittisawasd #fishfoodforthought

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