Social Commentary on the Intersection of Class and Identity that Loses Sight of Itself

I will start off by saying that user "Proxy" wrote the strongest and best-worded review, which entirely captures my feelings on the show start to finish. My additions are brief, but I think relevant:

1. I do not enjoy media that essentially holds up a cue card for me when I am "supposed" to feel a certain way; I just like to feel that way because I am so immersed in the story. Squid Game felt like a constant slap with this card, "Be sad now! Be shocked now!" and I could never truly experience those emotions.

2. I have a concern that the VIP moment, where he attempts to sexually coerce and assault the undercover officer, perpetuates the stigma that gay men are predators. There is no other gay content in the show--for understandable but unfortunate reasons--so this made me extremely uncomfortable. Given such a popular show is gaining such popularity in areas which are progressive AND conservative socially and politically, and because much of this popularity is occurring through apolitical consumption , I worry what this presents for the (my) gay community. This is a historical issue for gay representation in media, so I hope the reception doesn't follow previous representations of such a stereotype and have real-life consequences for gay people.

The acting was great, but the story lost itself, and the ending was absurdly bad. The show absolutely kept me hostage. Did I enjoy it? Not really. I won't rewatch. I appreciate a user who turned me to Alice in Borderland instead, a death game show which does not at all lose its purpose and has a canon trans character.

Squid Game was worth the one viewing if just for the class commentary and the very solid acting. But that's really it.

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A Perfect Special

I fell in love with TharnType in almost an overwhelming way--the series was perfectly complex and deeply nuanced, and reflected a lot of my own experiences as a gay person. I felt immersed in the story in ways I never had before. By the finale of Season 1, I was crying from relief that Tharn and Type could finally be happy.

This special was EVERYTHING. It was beyond a perfect ending. The series was wrapped up and added to beautifully, and other specials should take note. I would be hard-pressed to find something to complain about if asked to be critical. "Our Final Love" has become a comfort for me, and I've rewatched it countless times, even putting it on as background during my work day (I've seen it so often now I honestly don't need the subtitles anymore).

I liked the special so much I paid for it on Vimeo even though I also bought the season 1 boxset. It's really that good.

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TharnType is a beautiful and worthwhile story about love and growth

I really can’t believe TharnType is over!

It probably has a lot to do with how much I projected onto Tharn, but the series was a JOURNEY for me.

I don’t think I have ever watched something that made me feel stronger, more complex, and genuinely difficult emotions–or one that I have related to so much. Those things are of course intrinsically linked. With most series, I feel I watch it but am removed from the story; I don’t typically think any of the characters reflect me personally, or have similar experiences to me. But I felt constantly involved with TharnType. Again, I completely projected onto Tharn (something I don’t ever do)–having experienced a lot of the things he did, and having my own complex if much softer relationship with internalized homophobia like Type–and that made this series affect me quite deeply.

That aside, while I have watched series with better writing, the tension and relief were always perfectly executed. And the growth, the arcs! Tharn and Type were so dynamic as characters, and to watch two people work that hard to love each other was really something. The finale knocked me out. Just–insert that post about hating it when fictional characters make me believe in love, you know?

All this to say that TharnType is extremely important to me and I am completely shocked by that since the first time I tried to watch it I turned it off within the first few minutes (right after Type said he “hates gays.”). I am so unbelievably grateful I decided to give it another try. My personal experience with being gay was better articulated in this series than a lot of other queer media I have consumed in all my 23 years.

tl;dr TharnType is a beautiful and worthwhile story about love and growth, and for me personally, it was a genuinely cathartic experience because of how much I can relate my own self, relationships, and experiences to the story.

It’s not an easy show, it’s not an easy story, and it’s not an easy watch.

(and that’s phenomenal)

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