#especially if we also consider all the parallels with kinn and porsche in episode 6

[stormyoceans]

Personally I think we have gotten a lot of foreshadowing on how Vegas/Pete might go. The meaning behind the yellow roses in the special episode, "Love that doesn't expect anything in return" and Vegas also states his opinion on love twice in the series. He says "No matter how bad I am, if it's for the person I love, I will never hurt his feelings." and "A guy like me, if I'm interested in someone, there's nothing I wouldn't know." So I would put money on Vegas willingly letting Pete go.

OH THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT!!!!

and it's interesting because i always thought all those things he said to porsche were just some perfectly constructed lines (and lies) to help sell this 'pining nice guy' image he wanted porsche to believe in, but now i do believe vegas is gonna abide by those words once he falls in love with pete

just because they weren't true before, it doesn't mean they won't be true in the future, so it makes a lot of sense to see them as foreshadowing!!!

tbh the closer we get to saturday the more im CONVINCED vegas is gonna free pete from the handcuffs and tell him to leave, but i also think that pete is gonna hesitate, and both of these things will change EVERYTHING. so yeah, i do agree that the most likely outcome is that vegas is gonna let pete go, but at the same time i want that to be followed by pete deciding to stay to have one last night with vegas before leaving the next morning (though im definitely biased about this sfjksgdjsgd)

[daltoneering]

The Pool Scene: no reflections anymore, we're in the water now

This post fits in with the rest of my mirrors and fire and water series, but there was simply too much to put into one of those posts, so it gets one of its own!

This is the scene we have all been waiting for. And not only because of the trailer—but because it's been foreshadowed since early in the season.

In the first instance of The Pool, Kinn is testing the waters (heh) for how Porsche feels about him—if he remembers their kiss. They are super reflected and separate from each other. The surface of the pool is still, and there are hidden feelings under that smooth surface.

The second time, it’s when they’ve been through some shit (eps 9-10) and are trying to reconcile. They make further progress than they did last time they were here—Porsche asks Kinn to trust him and Kinn kisses him in response—but it’s still not a full admission of love or trust. They are still reflected, but it’s lesser, and the surface of the pool has more ripples. They’re also physically a lot closer (kissing).

The third time, it’s when they say the words "I love you" to each other in full admittance of feelings. It comes right after Kinn has declared how much he trusts Porsche to Porsche’s parents, and it comes in the wake of his promise to start anew in the ~proposal~ scene in ep 12. They are no longer reflected because they are in the water, and the surface is full of bubbles and waves and movement, and they are as physically close as they can get (literally fucking).

It’s important that we as the audience recognise the significance of this and the weight of this scene and everything that has been building up to it. We wouldn’t have had this scene now, like this, if they weren’t in a place where they fully loved and trusted each other. Kinn especially. His entire character arc has been about trust and how trusting Porsche has brought him freedom, and that’s been shown through the use of mirrors and reflections and where and when he’s been reflected—so this is super important for his character arc, because he’s not reflected anymore. By being in the pool, in the water, he's in the place where the reflections once were, broken free of that duality of self that has dogged his footsteps since episode 1. He can no longer be confronted with his reflections and the lurking mafia side of him, because he has chosen Porsche. He is his full self. He’s converged.

It’s also important for their relationship, because they can’t lie to each other when they’re in water. In ep 6 they find water and we get the first instance that episode of Kinn being himself. There's the ep 6 river kiss, indulging in what they wanted with each other. There's the ep 8 pool kiss, unable to stop themselves from kissing even if it meant getting caught, because their feelings are just so huge and joyful. So now, even though we know that Porsche is hiding things from Kinn, we know that none of this is a lie. It is all 100% true and genuine feelings, and even if they weren’t having sex in the ~pool of truth~ or whatever, that much is evident just from Apo’s acting. To quote @the-wayside, it’s all about the equality—there is no cutting away, nothing obscured. They are completely honest and true in their feelings for each other.

And that’s why it’s so important that we got this scene before Porsche left! Because this whole time, despite what he’s doing, he doesn’t want to betray Kinn or stop loving him or stop trusting him. I said this in my post about trust but if anything, the presence of this scene here just serves to further reinforce the fact that Porsche does trust Kinn. 

It’s also a good bye of sorts (I should clarify, not a permanent one, Porsche was very much intending on coming back once he knew the truth, and Kinn gave him his heart in the ep 7 balcony scene and Porsche promised to return it and to come back to him). It parallels ep 7 in lots of ways, actually. Ep 7—the bathroom scene in particular—was what I consider the start of their genuine relationship, and while this is not the end, Porsche knows he is about to leave. Ep 7 is a promise on Kinn’s behalf to try to trust Porsche. Ep 13 is a promise on Porsche’s behalf that he can trust him, and that he is going to trust Kinn. And it’s a promise of their love. It's a promise to come back to him. Yeah, next episode is gonna be a rollercoaster, but I know this: KP’s love is not gonna waver, not one bit, not after this.