Fire, Water and Smoke Imagery in ep 14
Over 8000 words of thoughts on the fire and water imagery in this series and now we're finally here... honestly I have spent far too many hours of my life thinking about swimming pools and cigarettes, I'll be glad for a break 😂 (actually no I won't, I'm gonna miss doing these so much!)
A callback to Porsche's phoenix, and a visual of the memory he was telling Kinn about in episode 4: to grow up and become the phoenix, and take care of himself and Chay. Porsche has held onto the freedom of being true to himself throughout, and has shown that same freedom to Kinn, allowing him to become his full self. By the end of the episode Porsche is reborn into a new version of himself, one that rules by Kinn's side: freed by their love for each other.
This shot of Gun/Kun/Kan victory smoking is almost perfectly match cut with Porsche tipping his head back in distress in the previous scene. It's a clear indication and contrast of how they are both feeling—Porsche falling apart because he has no idea what's going on or what the truth is, and Gun sitting happy in his pre-conceived victory.
Gosh RIP Daddy Chan!!! Going out in style still doing his duty to the end by warning Kinn that the minor family were coming, and lighting up a smoke to see him over to the other side. The ultimate comfort cigarette.
The pool that Vegas "dies" next to is yet another new swimming pool in the main family complex. I'm actually really glad that they didn't go with the main central one, as too much of its meaning is caught up in Korn and Kinn, and instead gave VP their own pool. They're covered in the reflections from the pool for almost all of their dialogue, and when Vegas falls (depending on which shot you look at) he's almost in the water. I've often posited that water/swimming pools have to do with the main family, and I wonder if this isn't something about the inescapability of Vegas' demise while still in that shadow—or watery reflection—of that main family.
I don't have masses of thoughts on Kim smoking but as it is my duty to report each time a character does—he's clearly thinking of Chay.
Ahhh, my beautiful episode 1 callback. The same boat. The same river. The same section of river and buildings in the background. KP on equal footing. The lights on the water throwing back to their first kiss.
And still surrounded by the water. Still surrounded by the huge mafia expanse of it. More in the heart of it, in fact, than ever. And I have to be honest—I wasn't sure it was going to end up like this. There is a part of me that wonders (hopes?) that if we do get a s2, they will be able to get away from that huge expanse of still, reflective water—get away from the leadership of it all and experience some of the quiet, loving life together that they have both dreamed of.
But is true freedom like that fully attainable, for people with so much in their pasts and such deep devotion to their families? Right now, I don't think it matters, because they have each other. They have promised themselves to each other. Mafia bosses or not, that's never going to change, and now matter where they are or how much water is surrounding them, they'll be holding on tight to each other.
And so we end up here: with the victor, and his two poor fish, kept in separate tanks trying to fight each other till someone ends up dead. Korn is still very much playing the long game. He is still very much scheming. And while he may be sitting pretty for now, I don't think the Porsche we know and love is going to allow him to remain there for long... especially not if Nampheung is the final key to the puzzle.
To read the other 8000 words of fire/water/smoking meta throughout all the episodes, you can check out my masterpost google doc [some of the earlier stuff and probably intro still needs updating], or the individual episode write-ups I've been posting here on tumblr since ep 9.
Mirrors and reflections in this episode
