I'm done being angry at Yotha. In other words, it's time for me to over analyze what the writers were thinking, and understand where Yotha was coming from.
Perfect 10 Liners EP 13 is full of unresolved conflicts that the show has been establishing since EP 9: mommy issues, situationships, trauma, and ambiguous relationships.
But I fixated on Yotha's new found vice in this episode.
In Yotha's head, apparently, kissing = apology. And he's so wrong. But it's so perfect for Yotha's character.
His failure to communicate, apologize well, and process his emotions make so much sense when he grew up in an incredibly masculine household. Of course, the concept of "masculinity" is dynamic, but Yotha's family, especially if we consider how detached New is from caring about Yotha's well-being, is what gender essentialists define as masculine.
It's a family where they don't talk about "feelings," don't embrace their brother to comfort, and ignore obvious problems, because they keep to themselves. Being sensible and emotional is considered a feminine trait. It's exactly why Yotha and New are different from Faifa, because he grew up with their mother, but that's a conversation for another day.
Yotha's approach in apologizing is quite.. masculine. It's assertive and physical. He doesn't ask permission and holds Gun down. This "method" is what makes the most sense to him when Gun, obviously in love with Yotha, likes being kissed. Gun kisses back and melts into it. Yotha takes it as a positive response, so his apology, therefore, is effective.
Yotha just has these.. big and complex emotions for Gun, and it's difficult to navigate when all that he's known about love is painful. He's a child of divorce, his mother abandoned him, and the grown man that dated him at 16 broke his heart.
This is not to say that his kiss = apology analogy is right, but he doesn't have much to work with when he doesn't know what else to do. The fact that Gun also struggle to communicate his feelings makes it more difficult for Yotha to understand. How should he apologize? Why is he apologizing? These are questions that are difficult to answer when the other person won't tell you the problem.
All Yotha is holding onto are his observations, because he's intelligent, just a mess. He knows that Gun likes him, and he knows that kisses make Gun as happy as it makes him. So, it's the most sensible thing for him to do (in his own logic). It's not the healthiest, but it's what he knows, and he needs to know better.
Gun probably understands this at the beach. Yotha is still confused, vulnerable, healing, and definitely not ready for a relationship yet. So, Gun waits, because it's the love he knows that Yotha doesn't.
I love AI overviews. He played a significant role in the first season of Merlin? Just the first season? You sure about that, AI? He played a significant role in the first season of a show that ran for five seasons in which he played the title character?
Sure, 13 died and now it's time for 14/15. But also, seeing the doctor being called a "he" for all their regenerations instantly after 13's death sickens me deeply
