#meanwhile Ba-Mhee...

[stuffnonsenseandotherthings]

So this week we got the mentors relaxing around their interns and blurring the lines as well as some nice juxtaposition between Jane/Ryan and Judy/Ba-Mhee(/Tae).

Next week it looks like shit's going to hit the fan quite spectacularly and re-draw the lines we saw dissolving today.

[lurkingshan]

I loved this episode, and I am so glad this show stayed true to its themes (the only reason I was worried at all is because this is a GMMTV show, so I can never be 100% sure they won't prioritize ships over story). I have been saying for weeks that the way they were writing the Ba Mhee/Tae/Judy plot line did not make sense if they were trying to put Ba Mhee and Judy in a romance at the end, and that Ba Mhee's confusion about her feelings for Judy was instead meant to highlight the themes of the show and give Ba Mhee the chance to grow and develop a more mature outlook on romantic relationships. And today's episode did exactly that.

I found the initial Ba Mhee/Tae breakup conversation unsatisfying, and I am gratified to learn that was intentional on the show's part. I was honestly agnostic on whether these two should get back together (my aro ass would have loved Ba Mhee deciding to be single for awhile), but the thing that felt most missing for me was any real reflection from Ba Mhee on her own part in their relationship troubles. And that's exactly what we got today, as Ba Mhee got a taste of the type of overbearing attention she used to give Tae and realized it made her uncomfortable, and that while she is attracted to Judy, she doesn't actually want a relationship with her. She thought what she wanted from Tae was romantic gestures and constant attention, but through trying things out with Judy she realized that all she really needed was honest communication and quality time with him.

Crucially, Ba Mhee still reasserted in this episode that she thinks she may be bisexual; it was so important that they didn't erase that queer awakening for her. But her heart is with Tae right now--as the show has been demonstrating all along--so of course she wants to try again with her new understanding of her actual needs and where she may have misstepped in the past. I don't know that they'll stay together long-term after this, and I could easily see a future where Ba Mhee decides to be independent for awhile or date others, including women, but it felt honest that she is not done with this relationship yet. And for Tae's part, I was so glad he decided to try reaching out again and that he got to tell Ba Mhee he never forgot their anniversary and he does care. He didn't deserve to be cheated on, but his capacity to see his own shortcomings, forgive Ba Mhee, and try to communicate better was sincere. This has never been a narrative about a bad relationship that Ba Mhee was escaping from, but rather about a good relationship that was experiencing growing pains as they grew up together and developed different priorities. It was very well done.

Meanwhile, Ryan and Jane continue the very slow development of their relationship in parallel, solidifying the contrast in how these two intern/mentor relationship plots were constructed. Unlike Judy, who dove in with no apparent qualms with her intern (I would still like to understand what she was thinking, show! Perhaps she could talk to her high school buddy Jane about it), Jane continues to take his time. He and Ryan have acknowledged their feelings for each other, but they're still not acting on them beyond some additional flirting. Even though love is clearly making them a bit dumb (the printer, Jane, really??), they have not actually started dating or advanced beyond a hug in their physical affection, because Ryan is still Jane's intern. The preview confirms that the internship will be wrapping up soon, and I expect that Jane is waiting to see what will happen with Ryan's role in the company and what that means for their relationship. I am enjoying all their small moments while we wait.

[neuroticbookworm]

Consistency in character writing in The Trainee

The Trainee episode 10 was funny, flirty, goofy, dramatic and heartwarming. Jane and Ryan’s braincells finally giving up and succumbing to their stupid yet romantic whims, leading to them almost getting discovered by their entire crew was so funny. Jane basically roasting his peers on a spit to tell Ryan that his ideas, opinions and work are just as valuable as that of the seniors was heartwarming. So was the scene where Ryan finally lets us and Jane know that he just wants to be a part of the team as an extra who can explore different avenues, and though it is not as lofty as the goals his cohorts might have, he is happy and comfortable with himself and his choice. Pah enlisting the help of what looks like the entire art, finance, and editing team to execute a Mission Impossible-esque plan to usher Ba-Mhee into the fairy lights and dinner table setup (@lurkingshan and I screamed Dark Blue Kiss as soon as we saw it because we are nothing if not consistent PeteKao girlies) was goofy and adorable.

And now, allow me to address the elephant in the room: Tae and Ba-Mhee’s arc in episode 10. Before I get into it, a recap of their arc so far:

When Tae and Ba-Mhee were introduced to us, Tae was the one who chose and sought out this internship as it would help further his ambitions in the career he wanted to pursue. And Ba-Mhee had followed him there because she wanted to be as close to him as possible. Tae told her early on in the show that this internship was going to be intense for him and asked her to bear with him for a few months, but she didn’t seem to hear him.

And from there, we saw both of them make multiple mistakes: Tae not recognizing how bad Ba-Mhee’s anxiety around not getting to spend time with him was getting, Ba-Mhee not accepting the shift in priorities and giving him space to settle into his work, and both of them not communicating clearly with each other on how they feel, their intentions, and what they want from the other.

Meanwhile we see Ba-Mhee find her footing in her role as an intern, under Judy’s mentorship. Ba-Mhee observes Judy and for the first time, sees what professional drive, passion and competence looks like in a woman, and is fascinated by it. And naturally, she develops a crush.

We see in the high school flashback that Ba-Mhee has always centered herself around her attachment to her partner and all the ways she could potentially take care of them, even if the partner did not require her to do so. Tae never asked her to do most of the things she did for him every day, and likely did not actually want some of it. But Ba-Mhee seemed to feel that this is what a relationship requires. 

Which means Tae’s inability to reciprocate those attentions and the unavoidable distance induced by the internship was wreaking havoc on Ba-Mhee’s anxieties and insecurities.

And it all culminates in episode 7, in which as Tae was crunching time to get his work in before the deadline so he can spend their anniversary with Ba-Mhee, Ba-Mhee was falling deeper into the swirling mess of hurt, insecurities, fear and a rush of new passion towards Judy. And as Tae finally found her in front of that cafe, he would see her kissing Judy.

In episode 8, Tae and Ba-Mhee finally talk to each other, and after saying their sorrys, decide to go their separate ways, with Tae taking the blame for their relationship failing.

In episode 9, Tae struggles while Ba-Mhee grieves her relationship, worries about Tae, and asks Judy if she would want to be something more, to which Judy says yes. She flirts with Judy, but every time they have a moment, Ba-Mhee compares it to her relationship to Tae rather than enjoying it as its own moment.

Which finally brings us to episode 10. Tae was still having a hard time with his breakup, which led Pah and a few coworkers to encourage him to give talking to Ba-Mhee another try. Judy takes Ba-Mhee out to lunch without asking her if she has plans, which she did with Pie. Judy also tells Ba-Mhee how to drink her juice and throws Ba-Mhee’s pillow and coat into the laundry without asking her. Which Ba-Mhee notices. She notices how she does not feel very nice when Judy assumes things for her and acts on it, and she seems uncomfortable with the attention she thought she wanted. And when the time came for her to talk to Tae amidst the fairy lights, she tells him she has realized that all she needed was the time and moments they had together. She wants things to go back to the way they were.

There was a lot of discourse on Tae after episode 7, discussing his dependence on Ba-Mhee, how he iced her out when she tried to take care of him, and so on. Some of the discussion seemed to paint him in a negative light that I don’t believe the show ever intended. I think the best way to analyze and understand Tae is to chart his character arc in chronology: Tae, a shy and nerdy kid meets Ba-Mhee in high school. Ba-Mhee tries to flirt with him unsuccessfully. Tae stays behind with a sleeping Ba-Mhee so the other annoying boys will leave her alone. On the last day of school, Ba-Mhee blurts out that she has a crush on him but confidently barrels on, which Tae finds cute, and he says (or rather, writes) so. They became official and have been together for at least 4 years. Tae, now in college and in his early 20s, lands an internship in a field he is passionate about and is excited to work in. He enjoys the work immensely, but struggles to find time to spend with his girlfriend, who followed him to the internship. He folds further under stress of not keeping up at work as Ba-Mhee continues all of her usual acts of service and more, expressing her care and love without a hitch. But they are not under the same kind of pressure at this job and his workload is much more intense than hers. Regardless, he plans their anniversary and works extra hours to make his deadline.

The show has always portrayed Tae in a sympathetic light because he is a kid trying to figure out his way in life. He makes mistakes in his relationship and his work, but he has good intentions and he is not the only one that makes mistakes. Ba-Mhee and Tae liked each other, and enjoyed each other’s company. But they had blindly fallen into an unsustainable relationship dynamic after getting together in high school, and it got tested heavily the moment it came in contact with the real world outside of the rigidity of high school and college. Ba-Mhee’s intense obsession with her partner is not healthy, and it could not hold up to a reality where they each have other responsibilities and priorities. The way she wraps her self-identity in how well she can take care of her partners is dangerous. She needed to learn that life offers so many avenues for passion, fun, and fulfillment, and a romantic relationship is simply one of them. She also needed to learn to communicate with her partners, ask them for what she needs and give them what they want from her, instead of assuming that this is probably what they want and run with it till it overwhelms them and opens a chasm of misunderstanding.

And this episode finally gave me the confidence that that is exactly where the show wanted to take Ba-Mhee’s arc. She understood that nobody can be a perfect fit for anybody, and she also understood that Judy is probably no more or no less compatible with her than Tae. She discovered that the secret sauce to a healthy relationship is communication. And she decided that she wants to give her relationship with Tae another try, because she still has strong feelings for him.

This show has demonstrated over and over that it is primarily a workplace drama centered on five half-baked interns and their struggles in navigating this internship, and their chaotic early 20s lives. Ba-Mhee started out as a girl who aimlessly followed her boyfriend she is obsessed with into an internship. Now she is on track to becoming an intern graduate who learned to be competent at her job that she enjoys, with a relationship that rests on the same strong foundation of love and care, but now with better boundaries and healthy communication. She and Tae haven’t magically become perfect, but they’re learning. While all the interns are training in their respective jobs, Ba-Mhee and Tae are also trainees in love. And I, for one, am excited to see where the show leads them next.

[bengiyo]

The Trainee: Judy Works Too Much

Finally catching up on The Trainee, and what is Judy even thinking?

She knows Ba-Mhee is feeling nervous about Tae right before their anniversary, and she's good at reading people and anticipating their reactions to things. Why would she make the mistake of kissing her drunk intern at a work event? Also, Tae works at their company, too! I am here for the lesbians, but this was a foolish move! She clearly spends too much time at work if she lost focus this badly.

Meanwhile, Ryan is pushing back on an earned scolding by confessing his crush? My guy, I love you, but exploding glass is my workplace injury nightmare scenario. I'm gonna need you to take the lesson about expanding your decision-making tree.

I'm feeling bad for Tae! He worked his ass off to make sure he could have the weekend available for their anniversary and surprise Ba-Mhee, only to find her making out with her mentor. That's so embarrassing!

I'm looking forward to seeing the fallout of all of this next week.