8
13
2
Blue
USA
What it was, what it could've been...
When KinnPorsche was announced, Trapped was nearly the only action BL you could refer to. This appeared to be even darker & grittier, so it was instant anticipation for me. Fast forward to 2021, the promotion of KP begins and they’re really pushing its mafia themes. So when the drama finally airs and there are shootouts, fighting and killing; I think to myself "This is my kind of thing. Why don’t I feel immersed in this world of crime?". Well… because the world building in this series is slim to none. The way Porsche falls asleep during his orientation and gets thrown into his bodyguard duties with no knowledge of the organization, sums up how I felt as a viewer. lol
After awhile, it sinks in that the mafia themes are mostly superficial and the screenwriter's portrayal of organized crime doesn't get much deeper than men in suits carrying guns and having meetings. After 14 episodes, I’m left with a very vague understanding of what dealings/activities Kinn’s family actually takes part in. The writer relies so heavily on the viewer’s general knowledge of mafia culture that there’s barely a build-up or explanation for anything that occurs. At one point they have to defend their territory from a rival gang and I could only wonder what that “territory” was. Do they control all of Bangkok? Some of it? Is it even Bangkok? And what do they do within this territory? Drugs? Prostitution? Money laundering? There’s not enough to go on, but I could sense the writer telling me “it’s mafia stuff, just go with it”.
Eventually the series does reach a point where it feels like events are properly built up and connected to an overarching story- towards the end. When the mafia stuff is put aside and it focuses on the death of Porsche’s parents. This is also around the time Vegas and Pete offer us the unconventional romance and fatal attraction that was surprisingly missing from the main couple. They weren’t perfectly executed, but done well enough to steal my attention from the main plot.
In conclusion: I enjoyed the characters, their wild & funny interactions, the no-holds-barred expression of sexuality, and the badass action sequences. But story-wise, I'm perpetually torn between liking this as a BL, and being disappointed that it's a hollow shell of a crime drama.
After awhile, it sinks in that the mafia themes are mostly superficial and the screenwriter's portrayal of organized crime doesn't get much deeper than men in suits carrying guns and having meetings. After 14 episodes, I’m left with a very vague understanding of what dealings/activities Kinn’s family actually takes part in. The writer relies so heavily on the viewer’s general knowledge of mafia culture that there’s barely a build-up or explanation for anything that occurs. At one point they have to defend their territory from a rival gang and I could only wonder what that “territory” was. Do they control all of Bangkok? Some of it? Is it even Bangkok? And what do they do within this territory? Drugs? Prostitution? Money laundering? There’s not enough to go on, but I could sense the writer telling me “it’s mafia stuff, just go with it”.
Eventually the series does reach a point where it feels like events are properly built up and connected to an overarching story- towards the end. When the mafia stuff is put aside and it focuses on the death of Porsche’s parents. This is also around the time Vegas and Pete offer us the unconventional romance and fatal attraction that was surprisingly missing from the main couple. They weren’t perfectly executed, but done well enough to steal my attention from the main plot.
In conclusion: I enjoyed the characters, their wild & funny interactions, the no-holds-barred expression of sexuality, and the badass action sequences. But story-wise, I'm perpetually torn between liking this as a BL, and being disappointed that it's a hollow shell of a crime drama.
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