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friendly rivalry
Mar. 7th, 2025 11:42 pmPicking up my proverbial pen to write about this show so that I can MOVE ON perhaps.
(1) This was really a story about two people who made each other better. It's kind of difficult to see through all of the insane plot points happening each episode but it was a story of two girls who experienced unconditional love for the first time in their lives and were all the better for it. Jaeyi was a deeply callous person until she realised that she didn't have to be. Seulgi was only interested in getting by until she realised she had the freedom to become someone larger than the box she's grown up all her life in.
(2) The question of queerbait is an interesting one because the arguments over whether it is or is not stems from the amorphous meaning of queerbait. For example, I've seen the scene of Jaeyi undressing in front of Seulgi and then a caption that says "you're saying *this* is queerbait"? when that actually would have been one of the clearest examples of queerbait if the story hadn't unfolded the way it did (more on that later).
(3) For all that happened in the 16 episodes, this is a genuinely romantic show. A lot of "toxic yuri" stays in that sphere and can't escape because the circumstances that surround it are deep-set in tragedy tropes (eg perpetual misunderstanding, your loved one killed my loved one, etc) but the fascinating thing is that FR allows the characters to keep reaching beyond that. Seulgi accepts that Jaeyi didn't play a part in her father's death, and that is enough. Jaeyi wants to use Seulgi as a tool, but her love eventually reaches so deep that she rejects the suggestion when Seulgi herself asks her to use her. The show allows them to love each other - allows Seulgi to say "step out of the light so I can see your face" and Jaeyi to tell Seulgi that she has always kept her safe, and will continue keeping her safe. In other words, what separates this show from other shows with "toxic yuri" or characters who live in perpetual (complicated) tension is that they're not afraid to move beyond that into a relationship where they clearly love each other more than what keeps them away from each other and take steps to come closer having decided that.
(4) What makes this show different from shows with typical "queerbait" couples is therefore the perpetual forward motion that keeps bringing the two of them closer to each other. When Seulgi and Jaeyi meet in episode 1, and immediately start to suss each other out. At one point in the earlier part of their relationship, Seulgi openly rebuffs Jaeyi. Then, she learns that Jaeyi helped her in a somewhat cruel way, and doesn't quite trust her but still has a little more mixed feelings now about Jaeyi compared to the initial hostility. Then, Jaeyi takes another step to protect her - from getting caught at the tuition centre, giving her new clothes, for her drug supply, the test questions. After this first incident, Seulgi hands Jaeyi her father's keychain. In my reading of this, I don't think she even quite understands why she does it, but she does it because Jaeyi has just broken through the trauma that had come back to haunt her on the rooftop. Later, Jaeyi helps Seulgi to escape a positive drug result (or at least she thinks so) and tells her she will keep her safe, and for the first time they get to interact with each other as semi-equals at a neutral ground (the school fair). At this point, Seulgi feels comfortable enough to tell Jaeyi that she doesn't trust her. What's fun about this show is that there is no negative feedback loop. After this, Seulgi first gets upset with Jaeyi for talking about her dad like that, then she gets in trouble and throws Jaeyi under the bus. Jaeyi's response: to affirm Seulgi again, and to protect her again. Then, Jaeyi is the one who needs support - her sister is missing, and everything that she's never been able to say to anyone, everything that she's been keeping in the privacy of her mind, she tells Seulgi, and Seulgi's response: to affirm - Jaeyi, you aren't a monster, and you're not alone. Again, at Jena's funeral, Seulgi pushes Jaeyi away, and Jaeyi says: I'll help you, and I'll keep you safe.
(5) Because of all of this, when Jaeyi finally makes the choice to push her away, we don't even get the usual miscommuncation and angst because Seulgi doesn't believe her. Seulgi is someone who's grown up to trust no one, but the constant forward momentum we had all the way up to this point means that Seulgi trust Jaeyi, and that makes all the difference. The momentum continues because Seulgi knows Jaeyi well enough now to trust her own intuition about why Jaeyi is acting this way, and that means she also knows how to pierce through her armour. This leads to the insanely romantic actions that both of them take in the last episode - where they now value each other's lives, happiness and safety above their own. Seulgi risks drowning because she doesn't want Jaeyi to go at it alone, because she's scared that Jaeyi will leave her behind. Jaeyi is willing to let the only person she's ever felt safe around go, maybe even forever, to keep her safe. In the end, at the very end, the show says - here, it's not over. Jaeyi is, for once, taking a breath and inviting Seulgi to come home, where she is, only if she wants.
(6) Now, to circle back on whether this was queerbaiting, my answer is probably no, although it wasn't clean or explicit the way I understand would have been satisfying or compelling or really just rewarding, for people who were rooting for them for 16 episodes. Even so, this was a story that was written intentionally to center around Jaeyi and Seulgi's relationship, and they importantly were never given male love interests. Seulgi explicitly saw Jaeyi in a non-platonic light. In my view, this was very much like 2125 where the writer pushed to the very limits of what they were able to do (maybe not even because of the station/provider's rules, but due to some other limitation) to keep their focus on the central relationship. But what I really did enjoy about it and what I think has really moved me and made this one of my favourite relationships in fiction is the very simple air of actionable mutuality. What they feel for each other is not ambiguous, not unequal, and not destructive. What they feel for each other compels them to risk everything they have, because it's worth fighting for. It's love.
(1) This was really a story about two people who made each other better. It's kind of difficult to see through all of the insane plot points happening each episode but it was a story of two girls who experienced unconditional love for the first time in their lives and were all the better for it. Jaeyi was a deeply callous person until she realised that she didn't have to be. Seulgi was only interested in getting by until she realised she had the freedom to become someone larger than the box she's grown up all her life in.
(2) The question of queerbait is an interesting one because the arguments over whether it is or is not stems from the amorphous meaning of queerbait. For example, I've seen the scene of Jaeyi undressing in front of Seulgi and then a caption that says "you're saying *this* is queerbait"? when that actually would have been one of the clearest examples of queerbait if the story hadn't unfolded the way it did (more on that later).
(3) For all that happened in the 16 episodes, this is a genuinely romantic show. A lot of "toxic yuri" stays in that sphere and can't escape because the circumstances that surround it are deep-set in tragedy tropes (eg perpetual misunderstanding, your loved one killed my loved one, etc) but the fascinating thing is that FR allows the characters to keep reaching beyond that. Seulgi accepts that Jaeyi didn't play a part in her father's death, and that is enough. Jaeyi wants to use Seulgi as a tool, but her love eventually reaches so deep that she rejects the suggestion when Seulgi herself asks her to use her. The show allows them to love each other - allows Seulgi to say "step out of the light so I can see your face" and Jaeyi to tell Seulgi that she has always kept her safe, and will continue keeping her safe. In other words, what separates this show from other shows with "toxic yuri" or characters who live in perpetual (complicated) tension is that they're not afraid to move beyond that into a relationship where they clearly love each other more than what keeps them away from each other and take steps to come closer having decided that.
(4) What makes this show different from shows with typical "queerbait" couples is therefore the perpetual forward motion that keeps bringing the two of them closer to each other. When Seulgi and Jaeyi meet in episode 1, and immediately start to suss each other out. At one point in the earlier part of their relationship, Seulgi openly rebuffs Jaeyi. Then, she learns that Jaeyi helped her in a somewhat cruel way, and doesn't quite trust her but still has a little more mixed feelings now about Jaeyi compared to the initial hostility. Then, Jaeyi takes another step to protect her - from getting caught at the tuition centre, giving her new clothes, for her drug supply, the test questions. After this first incident, Seulgi hands Jaeyi her father's keychain. In my reading of this, I don't think she even quite understands why she does it, but she does it because Jaeyi has just broken through the trauma that had come back to haunt her on the rooftop. Later, Jaeyi helps Seulgi to escape a positive drug result (or at least she thinks so) and tells her she will keep her safe, and for the first time they get to interact with each other as semi-equals at a neutral ground (the school fair). At this point, Seulgi feels comfortable enough to tell Jaeyi that she doesn't trust her. What's fun about this show is that there is no negative feedback loop. After this, Seulgi first gets upset with Jaeyi for talking about her dad like that, then she gets in trouble and throws Jaeyi under the bus. Jaeyi's response: to affirm Seulgi again, and to protect her again. Then, Jaeyi is the one who needs support - her sister is missing, and everything that she's never been able to say to anyone, everything that she's been keeping in the privacy of her mind, she tells Seulgi, and Seulgi's response: to affirm - Jaeyi, you aren't a monster, and you're not alone. Again, at Jena's funeral, Seulgi pushes Jaeyi away, and Jaeyi says: I'll help you, and I'll keep you safe.
(5) Because of all of this, when Jaeyi finally makes the choice to push her away, we don't even get the usual miscommuncation and angst because Seulgi doesn't believe her. Seulgi is someone who's grown up to trust no one, but the constant forward momentum we had all the way up to this point means that Seulgi trust Jaeyi, and that makes all the difference. The momentum continues because Seulgi knows Jaeyi well enough now to trust her own intuition about why Jaeyi is acting this way, and that means she also knows how to pierce through her armour. This leads to the insanely romantic actions that both of them take in the last episode - where they now value each other's lives, happiness and safety above their own. Seulgi risks drowning because she doesn't want Jaeyi to go at it alone, because she's scared that Jaeyi will leave her behind. Jaeyi is willing to let the only person she's ever felt safe around go, maybe even forever, to keep her safe. In the end, at the very end, the show says - here, it's not over. Jaeyi is, for once, taking a breath and inviting Seulgi to come home, where she is, only if she wants.
(6) Now, to circle back on whether this was queerbaiting, my answer is probably no, although it wasn't clean or explicit the way I understand would have been satisfying or compelling or really just rewarding, for people who were rooting for them for 16 episodes. Even so, this was a story that was written intentionally to center around Jaeyi and Seulgi's relationship, and they importantly were never given male love interests. Seulgi explicitly saw Jaeyi in a non-platonic light. In my view, this was very much like 2125 where the writer pushed to the very limits of what they were able to do (maybe not even because of the station/provider's rules, but due to some other limitation) to keep their focus on the central relationship. But what I really did enjoy about it and what I think has really moved me and made this one of my favourite relationships in fiction is the very simple air of actionable mutuality. What they feel for each other is not ambiguous, not unequal, and not destructive. What they feel for each other compels them to risk everything they have, because it's worth fighting for. It's love.
