LOVELY WRITER EP 2; THE PRICE OF AMBITION; SACRIFICE OF AUTHENTICITY, TRUTH AND IDENTITY
Okay Let’s crack on. I’m annoyed at myself that it took me this long to finally calm down and just write this analysis out. Basically, because real life can be a b*tch and get in the way. But this episode also showcases how the reality of life can get in the way and make us lose our values, self and ideals. Lovely Writer has been this amazing experience so far; each episode I just want to shout out, at how real, meta, and deep this show is. It makes me so happy to see a BL show that has so much depth even it is not meaning to be, what I see from this show is incredible and I’m in love with it so far. If Episode 1 focused on putting on masks to get to achieving your aspirations and hiding yourself; Episode 2 hones down on that message and also shows our characters making sacrifices of their truths, authenticity, and identity in order to survive the environment that they’re in to make their dreams come true. This theme is both as painful as illuminating, it really exposes and brings up questions about a lot of truths about our characters, it makes them so much more real and human but also foreshadows and leaves hints about the obstacles that our couple will have to face. Also, it tackles this sinister feeling that the show has when focusing on the love story brewing, is the love real, is it toxic, should we be worried? Why is Nubsib so secretive and eery? But actually, just a full exposure to the message of the show? So, Let’s analyse episode 2 and the theme of sacrifice of Authenticity, Identity and Truth, and why this is a foreshadowing to the rest of the show up ahead.
Gene: Sacrifice of Connectivity and Relationships
This episode of Lovely Writer aka Nubsib was just as great as episode 1. Maybe even more disconcerting and layered. One because on the surface we see the love story of Gene and Nubsib brewing, Gene is being forced out of his comfort zone with a struggle, and Nubsib has laid out his plans to finally get his attention. On the surface we immediately start of with a typical contract living trope in the storyline, Gene finding ways to still have his personal space and focus on what he has to write that day but finding himself becoming more open and convinced to let Nubsib in and break down some barriers he has always had with the outside world. Especially with how his home is so dear to him; is a safe space, that he doesn’t really want any intruder, or distraction wading in and making it uncomfortable for him. In a way Gene is so relatable; this what an introvert does, he protects his space and where he feels the freest from the clutches of people. He protects himself where he feels the most vulnerable because he’s afraid of being corrupted, used or hurt. It’s a metaphor, or well the house represents him because Gene is someone who for some reason does not like letting people in, you could say it’s his introvert nature, but it seems more than that, he doesn’t even let his own brother into his space, he doesn’t bother to really interact with people in any way shape or form, and each time he has to do so it’s full of anger and resentment at whoever is causing him to leave his space. Maybe he views people as obstacles to distracting or taking away his focus on writing, maybe he thinks interacting with people would cause a flood of insecurities to make him slow down with his writing, and ambition. We know he has distant friends especially like looking at Tum, there’s a friendly history with Tum from college bu even still with that, he’s truly okay with being alone and being without people. All he cares about is writing, all he puts his effort in is writing. And that’s where this theme of sacrifice already starts to play in this episode and show in general. The reality of sacrificing things of importance in order to make it in the industry or to make your dreams a reality.
For Gene, everything he puts his effort into is writing, it seeps everything from him: his focus, his time, his self-care, his sleep etc. He’s someone who’s just content creating and writing, it’s like that’s how he escapes the world and finds his own comfort, where he can be his true self. The house is a metaphor of Gene, because Nubsib has to find a way to enter into it, this isn’t easy to do but also we start to see him help make it even better, even more accommodating, even less chaotic. Nubsib entering ends up actually although forceful and uncomfortable; improving the living condition of Gene, he offers him back everything that his focus on writing and ambition lost him. He offers him the self-care, the food, the cleanliness, the time to do something else instead of always just focusing on his laptop, he helps Gene find a healthier way of doing what he’s already being doing. But also, he changes Gene’s perspective and knocks down a few walls, because he starts to realise that living with someone isn’t as bad as he feared: it’s actually the opposite.
So Nubsib does this thing where his actions lead to Gene coming of his comfort zone and discovering about life and people which in return helps him discover more about the authenticity of the story he wants to write. This is why it’s so easy for Gene, each time he’s challenged by Nubsib’s actions to get inspiration and have a clearer answer to what he wants to do with his story. Because that’s all he cares about even if he’s uncomfortable with writing a BL genre, he just loves to write. Because he’s always had this shallow mindset towards the genre, he never really focused on finding inspiration in the truths about the genre, in seeing where there could be more to the genre than what he thought it was on the surface, (a theme of this show) but once he meets Sib, his attitude towards writing becomes different because he’s starting to see that authenticity and see the other truths to creating a romantic love story.It also probably shows how inexperienced he is with relationships, I mean for someone who truly doesn’t want anyone near him, it would make sense again that that’s an aspect of things he chose to sacrifice to focus on writing before Sib no one’s really caught his attention and he’s probably not seen the point to it. So, it is a fascinating look into these two’s love story already, although there’s a sinister feeling about Sib and his character motivations, we can already see how he’s affecting Gene even in his flawed, messed up ways. It’s nice to see that there’s a positive impact on the writer and it explores why it’s so easy for Gene to slowly let his inhibitions go and trust Sib and give his heart to him later.
Nubsib knows how to get Gene to truly look deeper into himself and question his desires and needs and wants, even as he manipulates the situation in which he gets a kiss from the script reading, it’s more about how he does it. Although it’s manipulative it’s the question he asks Gene that ends exposing Gene’s question about the truth and authenticity and his own feelings that he actually puts into his writing when it comes to BL. As writers it’s only when you are using your honest voice and feeling truly passionate and connected to the story, is when you see that inspiration and words pour out. And for Gene that’s the issue, he’d prevented himself from being truly connected with the genre he was writing, he followed typical rules and ideas that he saw as basic and shallow but he never thought to embrace the writing process and truly relay his own opinions and ideas into a story. Once Nubsib asks him that question of how he felt when he wrote his scenes, Gene realises that the key to unlocking his story is being authentic and focusing on the feelings and not the tropes/rules in the story (another similarity with the show itself). I think that’s telling, again how Nubsib affects him even though he uses probably problematic methods to do so. In a way Nubsib just being his flawed self, is what Gene needed to grow and unlock more to understanding his self and his truth. The show also uses that to showcase again the theme of authenticity vs pretence or fakery, because seeing their story unfold on the surface is tropey and forced/cheesy at times, but really there is a depth there to how they’re both affecting each other, although they’re pretending to kiss in the scene, there’s real feelings that have been unlocked since the first moment they locked eyes with each other, and although there’s a questionable part about the authenticity of some of the aspects of the relationship (Nubsib), the show isn’t running away from showing what these two have is real, automatic and in a way needed. So, it’s just layers upon layers of this idea of reality vs pretence in this show.
Nubsib: Sacrifice of Authenticity and Identity
Let’s talk about Sib because he’s such an interesting character when it comes to this theme of sacrifice. One because he’s someone who we are not sure we truly know, he’s hidden, he’s manipulative, two-faced, and secretive. It’s such a weird experience to see that what Gene is feeling is real and is helpful and needed, when it comes to Sib but it’s also scary because it leads to the question: is Sib a good person, does he have good motivation or is he just creepy? And in terms of sacrifice, it seems like he’s not losing anything to get his way and to be with Gene. But the thing I love about this show is again, the book/show is actually named after him (Its second name), Sib is actually the most important metaphor and message that is connected to the theme of authenticity vs fakery in this show. On the surface he’s someone who looks like he has everything, I mean it’s pretty obvious he has power and privilege over certain things (including wealth, the car he lies to Gene about is probably his) , the way he carries himself, and the way others bend to his will is hidden but it is hinted throughout the show. Tum has no choice but to listen to Sib and be ordered by him even though he’s the one who’s meant to oversee him as his manager. And Sib already had an audition prior to even meeting Gene in the other one, it was just for show, he had already been accepted into the role of Khin.
And it’s telling because he’s also good at playing this role of Khin who’s possessive and orders his lover around and tries to get what he wants with anger and power. Gene doesn’t think Sib would be good for this role because on the surface he sees Sib as someone gentle and naïve and slow, but ironically Sib is like Khin maybe without the problematic anger but from what we see or hear when he’s without Gene, he does order people around, he’s prone to disliking everything and having a sour face each time he’s in a situation with others. It’s only when Gene appears does his mask go on and he becomes this soft hearted, lost actor needing direction personality. So, the first sacrifice, if you can call it that about him is definitely his identity and authenticity to get to Gene. And at first, I wondered why this is a sacrifice because to me it seems like a great thing to get rid of if his character is anyway close to the character, he plays on screen Khin, but actually he’s sacrificing his power and control when it comes to Gene. There’s something about Gene that makes him want to be different. Something that exposes how he views himself. The reason why he becomes this act, is because he’s trying to be perfect for Gene, this exposes so many insecurities about what he thinks about himself, although it seems like he gets his way all the time, and his fans worship the ground he walks on, people let him do whatever he wants but it exposes that there’s something missing, something he had to lose to become this way. And the first one is identity/character, we’ve seen already the hints that this industry leads people to having to make sacrifices about who they are, to put on masks to get to where they want to go, to be put in a state of self-hate, insecurity about needing to change themselves for the worse to become successful. And although we’re watching him gain the success now, I think Nubsib is a product of that sacrifice of character/identity.
Perhaps the reason why he’s so cold and cruel is because he’s someone who was nurtured in a toxic environment that showed him how to get power by being that way, the reason why he’s calculating and manipulative on the surface is maybe because he had to always be this way to get what he wants. Whatever Gene is to Sib is opposite of whatever he’s had to go through, it’s clear he knows who he is, he’s determined to be helpful to him and show him he cares about him and needs him if we take his first words to Gene in the audition as foreshadowing how he truly feels about Gene. But whatever Gene did to make him want to sacrifice his riches, privilege, power, and control must have been something he desperately wanted to cling to, to grow and become who he was. Because for me it looks like Sib has always had to deal with the ‘pressures’ of being in the spotlight already, he’s already constantly followed by fans, (sacrificing his privacy, something that will end up becoming his biggest obstacle later in the story when he’s with Gene), he’s already prone to being objectified and pressured because of the effect this show will have on his fanbase and prior to the show
. His sacrifices point to the same ideas of rich privilege/pretty privilege where he’s probably been neglected, misunderstood, unloved although he comes from a great/privileged situation in others eyes and the way he’s had to get what he wants is to put on this façade of coldness and indifference, and also maybe that’s what he’s to attracted to in Gene is the authenticity that he can’t find anymore around him especially looking at how he interacts with Aey. It’s clear he sees him as someone who’s inauthentic, it’s clear he’s used to how the acting industry works and what they expect of him, so I can see him feeling like he’s surrounded by fakery and shallowness (like Gene thinks he’s also being forced to create and surround himself with, in his writing) and being so pulled to the fact that Gene feels real, and probably from their past, that’s what Gene always represented to him. Like maybe safety, maybe care, maybe authenticity. So that’s what I mean by him having to sacrifice his authenticity and identity for his own ambitions. But this is just my first theory about why he’s the way he is. Because what he’s had to sacrifice will come back to get him, it’s because of his lack of authenticity/truth to Gene that will cause him to lose him, it’s because of his lack of privacy that will cause him to lose Gene, it’s because of his pressures faced in the acting industry that will cause him to lose Gene. So yeh he’s an interesting character to keep an eye on because he’s not just a one-dimensional puppy that gets his way, he’s going to be a victim, he seems very intriguing and important to notice, especially since the novel/show is named after him.
Hin: Sacrifice of Morality and Self
The theme of sacrifice starts being truly shown in episode 2 when we see Hin and Aey/Mhok. It’s an interesting switch from the tone of the show, where everything is loud, cheesy and full of sound effects (which are done on purpose because it’s to emphasise the comedy effect that the show is trying to use to hide its message), to immediately showcasing characters that are clearly not okay, struggling and dealing with the truth of their hurts and desires. We first are exposed to this by seeing Hin. The more we get to know his character, the more I am truly afraid of what they’re trying to lay out for him, because if it was me, Hin is going down a secret villain arc, mostly because I already mentioned he’s someone with a mask, he’s peppy and happy on the surface and eager to follow and be inspired by Gene and his success (which Hin sees it as), when he him self is struggling to be taken seriously with his writing. We see in episode 2, the sacrifice he has made to make this dream a reality, first of all he’s had to sacrifice financially living well, he’s not making money because he’s not being noticed, compared to Gene who is completely serene and well of because of the results of his own writing and creativity. Hin is struggling to keep up with the demands of reality vs his want to follow his dreams and ambition.
Another thing he’s sacrificing is also his family/ relationships, I mean by distance and choosing to follow his path, it’s clear he misses being with them and he misses having someone who is close to him, but he’s had to move to come to this situation to make his dreams as a writer come through. It’s all he wants, and it’s what gets him up from his mini depression in the episode, it’s what makes him gather his strength and proceed to write. And I know this feeling, the feeling of constant worry, anxiety, and depression that you’re not making your dreams happen, but the constant push to want to strive to make it happen because it’s all you want. The thing is, it would be great if Hin is just going to learn a different way in making his dreams a reality but this is a show that’s with the message that this industry corrupts and makes people sacrifice themselves in order to make it and get their ambitions, and as much as Gene and Hin could be close, I sense a brewing hostile thing forming between them, really in reality Gene is Hin’s rival, someone who clearly doesn’t appreciate how lucky he is to get to create these big BL stories that get hit after hit, someone who has his books being turned into a show, someone who’s being noticed but pushes every thing to not be noticed. In my opinion Hin would see Gene as someone who takes what he has for granted, coupled with the snark remarks, and cold closed of energy Gene seems to have sometimes with Hin? It just seems like it’s enough for him to react if worse comes to worse, if desperation reaches it’s limits, I just see Hin’s character choosing to become one of the sad realities of life and ambition in these stories, where he has to find a way to make it to the top no matter what.
It just seems like with the desperation growing and growing to be noticed, to be making money to survive, to prove to his family that he chose the right path, that Hin could snap. But maybe the show is just showcasing the reality of what people like Hin, Me, others have to go through when you chase after your ambitions, maybe it’s just a relatable plot that may end up having a good ending/ character growth, but just because of where the themes of the show seem to really be heavy on, I am going to keep an eye on Hin’s character. If I know Tee, he’s someone who has directed before a show where a character makes us love and trust him and seems happy on the surface only for him to be very warped because of the choices he chose to get what he wants (Lhong from TharnType) it won’t be surprising if Hin ends up becoming a plot twist villain. Sad but not surprising and would match with the reality/meta of the show’s message.
Aey; Sacrifice of Truth and Trust
Let’s put Hin out of the equation and actually focus on our ‘hinted’ main villain Aey. I keep saying he’s probably not a villain, but it is odd to hear Mhok say this episode Aey used to do bad things when he was younger and it’s nice to see him grow from that. With Aey, the spotlight on his character’s mask and actions is very telling, he’s someone who feels abandoned, hurt and betrayed. He’s resentful and he’s determined to make it. From episode 1 knowing the number of hardships he’s had to deal with to be an actor (like his queerness, his insecurities, lack of charisma etc) who’s as known as Nubsib is really fascinating and important to see. Episode 2 emphasises this determination again, he’s had to brave it and defy his family rules to choose to become an actor. He’s had to sacrifice his relationship with his family to try and make his dreams a reality. He’s had to put on a mask and become someone else on the surface to make his dreams a reality. And he’s had to sacrifice his own confidence, his own idea of self to please the fans and become an actor that’s successful. He’s even had to hide his queerness to fit into the industry, to be chosen. It’s through his determination that he overhears Sib talk about the audition and shows up, unlike Sib who’s asked to be placed in the audition easily, Aey has to fight to be seen and noticed.
You start to see this pattern with both Hin and Aey how they mirror and expose the privilege that Gene and Sib actually have in the industry though they don’t see it as that, well Gene doesn’t, I have a theory Sib also doesn’t but it’s ironic because from Hin and Aey’s perspective Gene and Sib are in amazing positions, are lucky and have it easy but they have to literally crawl and struggle their way out to make this dream they have a reality: to become noticed, to be taken seriously, to be successful in what they want to do. And Aey is 100% just like Hin is to Gene; a mirror character to Sib, he’s just as manipulative, just also sacrificing his authenticity, and identity to become better, to get what he wants, he’s choosing to become a wolf in sheep’s clothing just like Sib. And that’s why I like this show, the character’s mirror each other to showcase the hypocrisy, flaws and mistakes each character has. No one is a villain or a bad person per say, they just all have issues and are all humans but mostly are all victims in this industry.
Again, it’s the industry that is the main villain of the show. That’s incredible, and meta, and real. So Aey is someone who has this energy of someone who also feels unloved, neglected, and abandoned because he clearly feels hurt by whoever Earn is. I don’t know why people think she’s his girlfriend, he’s apparently gay so I don’t think so, but she gives me maternal vibes, she gives me older sibling vibes. Her story is that she also sacrificed her dreams in order to fit the mould of the family’s values and wants to survive. So she represents the opposite of Aey, she’s a reflection to his failures in his head if he doesn’t make it, she’s probably daddy’s favourite, or responsible, always doing the right thing whilst Aey is seen as a nuisance and her presence probably reminds him of that hurt and abandonment that heHi’s felt because of choosing to be who he is. For me the reason for why he’s not speaking to her is because he’s the one who’s been hurt or neglected by her, she’s trying to make amends because she knows she’s the one in the wrong and judging from her character introduction she either tried to make him stifle his wants and needs or she hurt him by betraying him in order to seem responsible and survive in life. So she’s also connected to the reality of the sacrifices people make to survive in the world and get their ambitions; the theme of the episode.
it’s interlinking to relatability of ambition, but it’s also connected to the struggle and why people become who they become; flawed in the industry. And that’s why Mhok is so fascinating to this story, I think he’s a love interest to Aey, and mostly because the rules of this show is that the person who’s connected to exposing authenticity and making the other confront the truth about their selves is the reason for why love is needed and valued. Mhok is someone who knows Aey without the mask, he clearly cares and wants to do what’s right, he’s here to ensure that Aey is fine and doing well. Mhok is someone who is connected to Aey’s real self, past and hurts and he’s someone who is able to stop or call out Aey whenever he goes too far. So the question is what is Mhok’s actual ambitions, why is he doing all this for Aey/Earn, what is his goal? Right now I think he’s screaming jilted lover or he has feelings for Aey and this is how he protects him, there’s little hints he does care, he gets a little weird when Aey is flirting with Nubsib in episode 1, so he clearly doesn’t like Aey pretending or being close to Nubsib in that way. Either way he’s going to be playing the role of Aey’s calming influence/moral compass, the person who grounds him. For Aey to be so three dimensional already as a character, and maybe as a villain is again why this show is good, it’s deeper, it’s real and all the characters are fleshed out, and the plot is structured, planned and good.
So we have this idea of characters who are making sacrifices; very sad and unfortunately realistic sacrifices to get to their goals and ambitions, not only have they all sacrificed a piece of their authenticity to fit into this harsh environment, but they’ve had to regress their characters, their self, and mute their own voices to survive and reach the end where their dreams become real. Ambition is a real thing, we all want to get to where we goanna go, achieve our purpose, or fulfil our dreams, the reality this show portrays is true, it’s so difficult in this world to be successful and get to where you want to go, without losing your voice, without becoming full of insecurity and without feeling cold and vicious due to the abandonment, neglect and betrayals experienced during the journey. Life is never easy but at the same time, this show places a huge focus on being authentic, on still following your heart and fighting your voice to be heard, it also showcases the facets of humanity; how yes we can be flawed, we can be lost and we can become different to our values, but real self-love, genuine romantic love and hope can help us fix those things, find a way back to who we’re meant to be, but also succeed after all the effort and tries. There’s still positivity and a chance to make things right by confronting the reality of the situation, by finding our selves and knowing what we stand for.
So, I’m not worried about Lovely writer being this toxic message of Nubsib manipulating his way and getting away with it, it’s more than just this surface BL love story, it really about watching these humane characters grow and learn. Nubsib is going to have to learn and grow and deal with truth of the industry before him and Gene can actually settle and get that happy ending, and they have a lot of trials and obstacles to deal with that will transform him, grow him and expose him to wanting to do better and wanting to take of his mask. Gene is someone who doesn’t like the shallowness and corruption of the industry and so he’s someone who’s going to go through his own journey and learn about how maybe it’s not just only the truth about the genre, I also think with a little bit self-discovery of knowing his truth and doing what he wants to do at the end. And I know this is really deep for me to be analysing this show, but I always knew Lovely writer would be relatable, and to be honest I’m shocked at how real it is, even though it’s still being disguised as a romantic comedy BL. Tee clearly had a goal of exposing and being as real as possible whilst still offering the joys and entertainment of a love story. This is all I could ever ask for in a show and a BL, I think it’s incredible where this show is going, and I can’t wait to see where things play out. Even if like the show didn’t mean to be this deep, and Nubsib ends up being like the devil or something, or this ends up truly being toxic, it was fun to see this show for now as a media piece that means something, that reflects something and makes you think about yourself, and your dreams, ambitions, and goals. And that’s something I’m grateful for.
2087
jacobvanloon
areudirty
snowghoul
turnnoffyourmind
janainaart
prguitarman
stormborns
