It's Complicated

KinnPorsche was a WILD ride to say the least!!!

Before I get into the nitty gritty of my thoughts about this show, I would just like to say that I enjoyed the fandom that assembled for this show on social media. I loved reading theories and thoughts on Twitter, TikTok, and here on MDL. I loved the engagement that came from this show. It made the overall viewing experience more enjoyable for me.

KinnPorsche I would say is more of a romance set in a mafia world and not the other way around. With the mafia plot being more of a background event that comes up at integral times. KinnPorsche I would say is definitely more character and relationship driven which I loved. With that being said, I wanted to start off by doing a character analysis and relationship analysis of the main characters…

MAIN CHARACTER ANALYSIS/ PERSONAL THOUGHTS:

KINN: He is the head of the Main Family. I saw him as someone who is always trying to appease his dad and live up to his expectations. He wanted to become a singer growing up and he had different plans for his life but now he has to assume this position. So, there is this struggle between doing what he wants to do vs what his dad wants him to do. Kinn has trust issues due to a past relationship he had with his ex Tawan and because of the life he has lead and the people he has encountered. He puts up a facade of stoicism and intimidation when in reality he is sensitive and loving. So, it’s interesting to see his walls break down and his true character come to light as the show goes on. It’s good that he found someone like Porsche who helped him to be vulnerable and grow (even though I would say Kinn is definitely one of those types that let’s love cloud his judgment when it comes to his job as a mafia boss). But, I will say personally, that despite seeing the layers of his character as the show went on that he didn’t really stand out to me that much and I know that’s weird to say since he has a lot of screen time but I found myself to not be as invested in his character like I was with the other characters and I don’t know if it was because the way he was portrayed or the way he was written but something didn’t click for me (he’s still sexy as hell though so I will give him that lmao). Like, the way he was acting all tough and badass in the first and final episodes was what I wanted to see from his character throughout the entire series. I feel like they could taken more of those elements into account with the other episodes.

PORSCHE: He is working as a top list bartender when the series begins and it’s said he was a former national Taekwando champion and an underground boxer known as the Phoenix. He’s also an orphan who is responsible for taking care of his brother Porchay. I loved Porsche’s character because he did provide some comedic relief to the show like others have said. He also was a pretty even keeled person and I especially loved how much he cared for his brother (their relationship though not shown too much was very enduring to me) and knowing Porsche’s brother was his driving force for going to the mafia and doing all of the work made me like his character as a person as well. I do have to say though that Porsche was a bad bodyguard and I would have fired him pretty quickly lmao and you would think that with his background and the life that he has lead up to this point that he would know better and have better judgement especially stepping into a situation that can be dangerous and around new people who could have ulterior motives. He fails to see the magnitude of the situations that he’s in sometimes and that irked me. To have him become the head of the Minor Family in the final episode is questionable move since I don’t think he’s really head of the mafia material but it’s a good move on Korn’s part because Porsche is so consumed by his love of Kinn that he will basically do what the Main Family wants I feel personally so it’s almost like Kinn would be the head of both families essentially. I thought Porsche was a entertaining to watch.

VEGAS: What a wounded soul this guy was. He is the son of the Minor Family and like Kinn, he works so hard to appease his dad and live up to his expectations just like Kinn. But, I think the difference between him and Kinn is that no matter what Vegas does his father is never proud of him and sees him as not worthy of being his son. Not to mention, his father constantly abuses him. Vegas has essentially turned into a monster because of his dad and his circumstances and the cycle has continued on. Vegas always had ulterior motives and was always scheming against other people. He was the antagonist and villain of the story and with him and Pete coming together, the depth's of Vegas's character was revealed even more and he became more layered (I will talk about him more in the relationship analysis). But, he was one of my favorite characters of the series because I am a sucker for multi layered and villain characters. I would like to add a disclaimer though that I don’t condone anything that he was doing AT ALL!!!

PETE: He is the most trusted bodyguard of the Main Family and throughout the series he was shown as being loyal and he had an almost innocent way about him. He was pretty kind and happy go lucky from what I gathered about his character. But, he had a hidden darker side to him that was revealed when he got with Vegas (I will talk about him more when I get to the relationship analysis like Vegas)

KIM: I really enjoyed the portrayal of Kim’s character even though he didn't really have much screen time. He’s the youngest of the family and lives a double or you could even say a triple life working as a musician, being a student in college, and doing work in the mafia. He doesn’t really associate with his family that much and he lives on his own. He could honestly do well as the head of the Main Family because he’s smart and doesn’t let anything get in his way. He’s also quite detached and doesn’t know how to use his words apparently when it comes to letting people know his true feelings lmao

PORCHAY: He’s trying get into college to become a musician and I would describe him as naive and young and dumb in love and it makes him to make questionable decisions that can be typical of some teenager. He’s the sweetest guy and you can just tell he wouldn’t harm a fly. We didn’t really get to see much of his character like Kim but you can tell he really loved and valued his relationship with his brother Porsche and you all know I liked that aspect of the show.

TANKHUN: What a joy he was to watch! He’s the oldest of the Main Family and he was kidnapped when he was younger and is dealing with the trauma from that so to others he may come across as a little off. The family decided that he was definitely not fit to be the head of the Main Family so he’s just living his best life watching dramas and wearing the best fashion with his bodyguards in the house. He's definitely over the top and over dramatic but it just works. I think Porsche really helped him to break free and start enjoying going out more since he confined himself to the house out of fear due to his past trauma. But, the thing with Tankhun is that he is actually the smartest one out of the entire family. He was always correct about people and situations. He was one of the favorite characters as well. I loved him so much!!!

RELATIONSHIP ANALYSIS:

KINN & PORSCHE: To start off with these two, I do have to say that I am still a bit confused on how exactly they found their way in love with one another. You know Kinn had eyes on Porsche and Porsche was his type but I am still trying to understand what really drew them to one another especially on Porsche’s side. On another note though, you could say that these two helped each other in the sense that they both found someone that they could be vulnerable with unlike any other. They had great physical and emotional chemistry with one another. Something that was ever present in their relationship though was the trust and jealousy issues and even when you thought that those issues had been resolved, the issues still kind of lingered on to me especially the trust issues. Yeah, they are cute and sexy and all that but I’m still debating on whether I think they are actually a good couple or not weirdly. I think they still have a long way to go and need to work out some kinks in their relationship. But, I was happy to see them together in the end.

VEGAS & PETE: Their relationship came to be the one that I was most invested in and they didn’t even start interacting until the end of the show. I think what really drew them to one another was their shared trauma. Vegas was abused by his father and Pete was abused his father as well. Vegas finally found someone that broke down his walls and got to the root of who he truly is. Pete was able to reveal another side of himself with Vegas. He didn't have to put on this happy go lucky attitude even though he was dealing with his childhood trauma as well. He could just be his true self with Vegas so I understand the appeal with this pairing. The reality though is that the show focused on the beginning stages of their relationship and it just doesn’t sit right with me. I have to judge what I see and I didn't like what I saw. Vegas tortured and abused Pete and kept him locked up and that’s just not right no matter how you look at it. I get why Vegas and Pete are drawn to each other and I get the attraction but the abuse just rubs me the wrong way. Pete, despite his feelings of love for Vegas, knew that the situation he was in locked up with Vegas was not okay too that’s why he ultimately chose to run and they come together in the end which is questionable. I also want to add that you could argue that Pete is a masochist and you could also say that Vegas and Pete’s relationship is a dom and sub relationship when it’s an EVOLVED relationship but even then, those types of relationships have boundaries and communication between the two parties about how the relationship is going to be. Vegas already started their relationship off on a bad note with the abuse and the power trip so it doesn’t really make sense to me why their relationship was romanticized the way it was (no matter how cute they are together… you need to see past that to the truth of the situation and the truth is ugly). If I had a friend in a relationship or situation like this, I would tell her to run or help her to get out of it. And I get that it’s fiction but that still doesn’t change how I feel. I think if they met under different circumstances I would feel better about them as a couple. They come back together at the end and I feel very conflicted by it because while they may love each other… the love is rooted in abuse and pain.

KIM & PORCHAY: As for these two, I don’t really feel like they got a whole lot of screen time and opportunities to really delve into their relationship compared to the other couples in the show so I was not really as invested as I could have been with them as a couple. Their relationship was more surface level to me. You had Kim agreeing to give guitar lessons to an eager Porchay ,who doesn’t know that Kim is apart of the mafia, just to get intel to find out more about Porsche and what the deal was with him. Kim ultimately started to have feelings for Porchay but he wasn’t going to let it interfere with his investigation (which I really don’t understand what the point was of his investigation since the audience was already getting information from the other characters). Porchay revealed that he loved Kim (which I thought was a bit too much since he hadn’t known Kim that long to even use a word like love but he is a teenager so I understand lmao) and then it’s revealed that Kim is apart of the mafia and Porchay goes through a teenage crisis where he dyes his hair and tries to take drugs because he’s so heartbroken and he doesn’t want anything to do with Kim and you see Kim looking out for him without Porchay knowing and trying to get back with him to no avail. There was no arc or resolution for this couple. Hopefully if they do a season two, we get to see this couple explored more.

PROS & CONS:

PROS:

— CHEMISTRY: When I tell you the couples featured in this drama work SO freakin well together. The chemistry was NEVER lacking. There was no awkwardness or anything in terms of the affection or closeness that was presented. I have to bring up the love scenes featured in this drama as well since they were a huge talking point and they were tastefully done and the actors did what needed to be done (let me just leave it at that lmao). I commend the actors for being open to portray racy scenes like that. I think it takes a lot of courage and willingness to bare your soul and your body like that for an audience to see

— MATURITY: I love that this BL drama in particular dealt with more mature topics and was aimed for an older audience. Since I am an adult, I like to see stories that I feel like I can relate to on some level. Some BL dramas I feel can be too juvenile for me at times in terms of the topics and material covered so I can’t really connect with them like I want to but with this one it immediately clicked with me

— CINEMATOGRAPHY: THE LOCATIONS!!!! Applause all around to the camera crew!!! Everything was shot so beautifully and the lightning was equally as gorgeous. The show was just so aesthetically pleasing. You can tell that they had a budget to give this show the best quality that they could give and it showed

— MUSIC: Let me just start by saying that the opening theme Free Fall has and is still on repeat. I love that song so much!!! And not to mention the songs that Jeff and Barcode did for the show. They both have such amazing voices!!! The music really added to the overall feeling of the show and I think they chose the right music for the right scenes. The music just took the show to another level for me

CONS:

— SCRIPTWRITING/PLOT: I feel like this drama could have been written better overall. There were some plot holes and writing that I found to be questionable at times. The writing I feel was inconsistent for some of the episodes. Some episodes it was on point and some episodes it left me wondering what was going on.

— ROMANTICIZATION OF ABUSE AND DUB CON (or however else you want to define that scene in Episode 4): I mean come on now. Kinn had no business trying to have sex with Porsche who was under the influence of a date rape drug and then to top it all off, you had freakin Vegas who had given him the date rape drug and tried to force himself on Porsche not once but two times. Vegas also sat up here and abused and tortured Pete and people want to act like that’s okay and look past that blatant fact and bring up the fact that they are cute together which rubs me the wrong way. It’s not okay and it will never be okay. Vegas needs some serious therapy and Pete needs therapy too to recover from the abuse he experienced. Actually the whole cast needs therapy if I am being honest.

I am still debating on my overall final score but for now an 8.0 out of 10 sounds good because I was expecting more from this show but I was genuinely entertained by this show week by week despite its flaws. The experience watching KinnPorsche is definitely one that I will never forget.

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