Time to begin the only Shakespearean retro-gritty crime thriller fluffy BL I’ve ever seen. We start with hitmen.
We know they’re hitmen because they carry out a hit
Bison and Fadel are two very different kinda-brothers. After the job, Bison chills at the bowling alley. Good friends Kant and Style are there too. Kant is the one with the tattoos, Style is in the crop top.
The two of them are so against commitment that we know commitment is around the corner for both. Kant takes the first step, spotting a lone Bison down a few lanes. He tries to flirt by mansplaining bowling, Bison puts him in his place but then allows him to get touchy-feely to learn how to throw a better strike.
Then they go to a hotel together for some casual sex.
Style strikes out. No, that’s not bowling. Whatever. He heads home alone only to rear-end Fadel’s car while texting. To stop Fadel’s endless lecturing he offers to repair Fadel’s car. Fadel can’t let him near the car yet because there are dead bodies in it.
The next morning
Kant goes back home, where his brother is reading Taming of the Shrew as a meta moment since it is the basis for this show. Kinda.
Fadel preps food at Heart Burger, their new cover. They lost their last cover because Bison got trigger-happy during karaoke. Bison is whiny about wanting to quit and live his life. Fadel believes in the work they do for “Mother” killing bad people.
Kant meets with Captain Christ, a cop who wants a favor. He’ll dispose of old evidence of thefts Kant committed if he gets close to a specific hitman.
Style flails his limbs around in an endearing dance, despite his father objecting like this is Footloose. Fadel brings his car sans bodies, insurance, or registration. Style is mostly okay with this.
Kant sacrifices his stomach for love/work
He shows up at Heart Burger, pretending it’s a coincidence. Bison can’t cook and feeds Kant a terrible cheeseburger.
Kant wants to be Bison’s boyfriend, but Bison just wants to flirt. Fadel returns and tries to kill Kant with a look. He takes Bison away to warn him that this is a terrible idea. Sweet killer Bison is excited that Kant is into him. Fadel wants him to trust no one.
Fadel gets his car back and there’s some sensitive nipple banter between him and Style. It’s not quite courtship.
Kant and Bison eat frozen yogurt and Bison learns more about Kant than the other way around, including his fear of the sea. After the date, Fadel threatens Kant with death.
Kant will not die for love/work
He calls Captain Christ to try and get out of it with no luck. Bison brings a Fadel-cooked burger over as an apology. Since he’s never had a boyfriend, Fadel killing them hasn’t been an issue. Kant decides they’ll hire someone to seduce and distract Fadel. This is Taming of the Shrew.
Kant goes to Style for this, offering his beloved car as payment. Style wants the car and to humble Fadel. Kant is an iffy friend because he leaves out the whole “hitman” thing.
Style’s first attempt to win Fadel involves showing up at the burger place after it closes, demanding beer, getting drunk, and getting kicked out. Fadel discovers through social media that Style and Kant are friends.
Style’s second attempt to seduce Fadel isn’t any better
He crashes a vegetable cart into him at the market and gets into a fight. Fadel sprays him with water.
Bison uses wanting a tattoo as a pretext to stop by Kant’s work and get him to feel him up. Kant’s golden glasses with chains are great.
Style can’t believe Fadel isn’t in love with him yet and asks Kant for info on Fadel. Kant shows up at the burger place in black, sits at a table, and hands Bison a note. Is he trying to be sneaky?
They go to the bathroom to discuss the Fadel situation. Fadel comes in and Bison hides Kant by claiming he has tummy issues. Fadel tells him to wash his hands. Ew.
Later at home, Bison uses vandalism and stomach issues (again) to get Fadel to leave. He sneaks into his room and does a series of sketches of Fadel’s day. Which is an odd way to record information.
Despite all this effort, he resists Kant’s flirting. It was more about just getting Fadel off his back.
Kant goes to his teenage, Shakespeare-reading brother for help. Basically, WWSD?
Style’s campaign of harassment continues
He stalks Fadel and does his version of the 10 Things I Hate About You (based on The Taming of the Shrew) singing scene while Fadel is exercising. Then he holds meat for the restaurant hostage and follows him back to the restaurant. Irresistible!
At the bowling alley, Kant chases off a guy flirting with Bison. Then they do their own version of the Pulp Fiction dance contest, dancing in their socks on the lanes. They aren’t John Travolta and Uma Thurman but that’s for the best.
The two win the trophy and it’s enough to get some kisses out of Bison. After he leaves, Kant pays the guy who flirted with Bison. This does feel Shakespearean.
Fadel has some odd tastes
At the gym, Style follows Fadel into the sauna and gets touchy with his abdomen tattoo until an older man interrupts. In a dark locker room, Fadel chokes Style and demands to know what he’s doing.
Style says it’s because of love at first sight. Undaunted by strangulation, Style drags him into some rough kissing. Fadel pushes him away and threatens to kill him. Style wonders if this is worth dying for.
At home, Fadel pretends to shoot Bison. He knows about the dance competition and wants Bison to be more careful. Bison says he’s not dating Kant but taking it slow, though he’s glowing with happiness. He wants to know about Fadel and the guy who won’t leave him alone.
Fadel warns that Kant wants something, Bison says it’s his body and heart.
In his room, Fadel thinks about Style and masturbates. Victory!
There are lovely, questionable reasoning skills and morality here
Fadel is all over Bison to keep a low profile while talking about the importance of their work. Meanwhile, he’s threatened to kill two men for taking a romantic interest in him and Bison. Yes, he suspects them of ill intent. And yes, they have ill intent. But still. Not exactly hiding.
He’s a great match for Style, a man who thinks stalking is seduction. Style doesn’t take life seriously, which is a great match for Fadel’s hyperseriousness.
I wish I had a better read on Kant. I know he liked Bison pre-discovering-he’s-a-hitman-and-agreeing-to-spy-on-him. He looked sad to wake up alone. Once he agrees to work for the Captain I can’t tell what is an act for work and what is genuine interest. It’s hard to get emotionally involved in their relationship when I don’t know what it is for one of them.
There are a lot of scenes that don’t do much besides reveal information we’ll get later anyway. The lighting is too bright. But I love the outfits and set decorating. Here are some choice favorites from this episode:
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