On Dr. Trin's Central Conflict
and why I think Victor plays a bigger part than Tanwa in his storyline
Tanwa, as a love interest, is quite, well, interesting because he is so far pushing Dr. Trin to dismantle his habit of obedience, put-togetherness, uptightness and repression. This is very important for Trin's character development, as he needs to grow in his courage and self-assuredness in order to face his central conflict.
Shine the Series has done a very decent job at establishing what the main character's central conflict is: in the past, he chose to hide behind his status and avoid the sociopolitical convulsion he was faced with in Paris. His fears were materialized when his lover, Claire, chose to participate and lost her life. He, then, became even more convinced that collective struggle and putting yourself in the avant-garde of a political movement was not worth it, as it is too risky and it directly fractures relationships even in the most intimate way.
He is, however, now too deeply involved with his country's political scenario, because of his job and family relations, to the point where ignoring it forever will not be sustainable. He will be forced to face what he avoided the last time and will have to understand that even omission and silence come with a cost.
The show also introduced, this week, the fact that he comes from a working class background and, therefore, understand Victor's plights more than we imagined. But the catch is: Tanwa, being a bon vivant, an heir, whose main character arc is not yet established by episode 3 (which is how far the show's been aired as I'm writing this), is not really going to challenge Dr. Trin in the same way Victor can. At least not yet, unless Tanwa, as a character, is revealed to have some skin in the game.
As an heir, Tanwa can afford to smoke week, party and make music all day without having to directly face the political turbulence of his country in a way that Victor and Dr. Trin simply can't. Which makes me wonder - how is the main character's romantic arc moving him towards his most poignant dilemma?
It seems to me that it simply isn't so far. Which could've been a pacing issue, but it doesn't seem like it - because there is a character doing that: Victor.
Victor and Trin's slightly antagonistic dynamic, paired with their mutual respect and apparent blossoming friendship, is the most relevant relationship to Dr. Trin's central conflict. The fact that the show slightly hinted at a love triangle during this week's episode further's my theory that Victor is the one who will challenge Dr. Trin the most and might even affect his relationship with Tanwa.
Not (just) in a jealousy storyline. But Dr. Trin could be inclined to corner Tanwa into taking a stand and getting involved with the sociopolitical turmoil that is directly affecting the working class, instead of drifting away in escapism.
That is... a bold choice. To a degree, it feels strange that Victor and Trin's dynamic seems more interesting and affecting than Trin and Tanwa's dynamic.
I can't help but to crave more of the conflicts between Victor and Trin, because they move the story forward in a bigger way than Tanwa and Trin's romance. Man... What's going on with this show? lol
