#i'm taking nothing but stem classes and weirdly enough i feel that this keeps my writing and critical thinking skills sharp

[baya-ni]

ADAM and Emotional Manipulation: An Analysis

I’m glad we all agree that ADAM is Irredeemable Trash. In this post, I explored how ep 7′s flashback scene revealed how the power imbalance between ADAM and Tadashi inherent to their class difference serves as the basis for abuse, and how that abuse will culminate in ADAM throwing Tadashi under the bus for his political corruption. But that’s just one of many layers of characterization present in this scene, and I’m once again fascinated with just how much the writers were able to pack into just a few lines of dialogue.

I am once again going analyze this office/flashback scene, but this time I’m going focus on the way that ADAM abuses Tadashi beyond utilizing his privilege as a wealthy person, that is, the way that ADAM seemingly preys on Tadashi’s guilt and regret to keep him compliant. This’ll be wading into murkier waters of conjecture and theory, as we haven’t been given a lot of information about ADAM’s past but I hope this all makes sense anyway.

Obviously, trigger warning for discussions of emotional abuse.

In my first post, I theorized as to the personal history between ADAM and Tadashi, particularly how the flashback scene suggests that Tadashi’s past reluctance to stand up to ADAM’s father fuels ADAM’s abusive behavior. Firstly, we have this dialogue that precedes the flashback:

Which later parallels the following flashback dialogue:

I find this word for word repetition of the line “I have no opinions,” super disturbing, because it implies that every time ADAM goads Tadashi into disagreeing with him, he is calling back to this specific memory. Look at this side by side comparison of Tadashi’s expression:

The first deliverance of this line is a resolute lack of expression, he’s holding his tongue in the face of authority, which in this case is ADAM’s father. It’s the same expression I make when I get lectured by my own dad, and any child of strict parents also knows this expression well- keep your face neutral and you won’t be accused of talking back or being disrespectful.

But in the second picture, notice how the difference in expression. His gaze is unfocused and his eyes droop more- he’s tired, he’s resigned. To me, this suggests that the word for word reiteration of this line is a trained response, and that ADAM routinely calls back to this memory to remind Tadashi of his inferiority.

Going back a few episodes, we get this very interesting set of shots in ep 4:

Tadashi doesn’t say a single word at any point during this conversation between ADAM and his aunts, yet the decision to cut away to Tadashi’s downcast expression suggests that there’s ~s o m e t h i n g~ more going on here beyond Tadashi just listening in.

The similarity between this scene and the flashback is how it’s shown that ADAM is not, and has never been, in control of his life. First, punished for skateboarding by his father then later pressured by aunts to bring further distinction to the Shindo name, ADAM is not free to do as he pleases and is expected, as Tadashi is, to be compliant and obedient to his figures of authority.

In both instances, Tadashi is powerless to speak up for ADAM, and after the ep 7 office scene, I believe that this rare and subtle show of emotion is Tadashi being reminded of his past failure to stand up for ADAM.

And it seems to be a particular weak point for Tadashi, a memory that’s laden with regret and weighs heavy on him many years later, such that ADAM is able to use it as leverage to continually exert his authority and justify his abusive behavior.

Further, notice that throughout the show, Tadashi’s obedience never seems to be fueled by fear. No matter how many times ADAM degrades and exploits Tadashi, we never see anything close to gritted teeth or a clenched fist- nothing that shows he feels any frustration or anger in response to his mistreatment.

Even as ADAM tells Tadashi that he intends to make him the fall guy, ADAM states it as a fact, not a threat, knowing that Tadashi will do nothing but placidly accept his fate. We do get a bit of an emotional response from Tadashi:

But to me, his face conveys shock, perhaps a bit of disappointment, but above all there’s sadness- not anger, not betrayal- sadness. And in the end, he accepts his situation without complaint in a move that, to me, screams: “I deserve this.”

Someone PLEASE get this man some therapy, because if my theory holds true, Tadashi’s resigned acceptance is a form of self punishment. And this self punishing behavior is further encouraged every time ADAM degrades Tadashi by calling him a “dog”:

Y’all, Tadashi has been suffering for years, being constantly guilt-tripped into obedience over an inaction that ADAM had no right to feel entitled to in the first place (see again this post if you don’t know what inaction i’m talking about), and stuck in an environment that actively fuels his self-hatred and self punishing behavior.

Literally every minute I spend thinking about this office scene further indoctrinates me into the Tadashi Defense Squad.

I also think it’s interesting how the main tensions highlighted in this episode are  between ADAM and Tadashi, and Reki and Langa (obvs). And since this show has a pattern of drawing parallels, I think there’s something to be said about the similarity in powerlessness and resignation felt by both Tadashi and Reki in this ep, both coincidentially (or more likely not) stemming from ADAM and his ability to prey upon others’ insecurities- something I’ll likely be pondering over until the next ep.

But anyway, in conclusion: