[Report This]Date: September 27 2024 8:16 AM Title: Chapter 6: Mutiny
The opening couple of sentences from Pete's perspective to start the chapter do a great job of showing just how much being around Kim now can change people. Pete may have been a piece of shit (God rest his fictional soul), but he wasn't wrong about Kim (more or less literally) squeezing the confidence out of him. I just liked that we got a closer look from a different perspective of how Kim's growth has altered someone so close to her orbit.
And holy shit does Pete come off as even more disgusting than usual in that segment. He admits (to the reader, anyway) that he let Kim "become the villain" on purpose and only think she's gone too far because he doesn't like the direction the show is going. He doesn't give a shit about Aaron or his safety, lying about staff getting involved to help the cast with Kim, he doe the same about the purpose of the show in general (saying the point is to break hearts for ratings, basically), and even though I hate Charlie, the way Pete thinks of him almost makes me sympathize with Kim's production assistant (and that takes a lot to get me to do that, so you know Pete has to suck).
But it's also kind of sad, because both Aaron and Charlie are indirectly warning Pete about Kim, and his sexism just won't let him see it. And that cost him his life. Kim beat him in the battle for Charlie's soul, and that was the end for poor pathetic Pete. I do like the symbolism behind his death, though, falling from his perch above everyone else on the island, going from above it all to a victim of his own ignorance. Underestimating Charlie was a huge mistake.
Speaking of Charlie, his segment was masterfully written. I love how he's losing his mind and what it leads him to do. Not only that, but it flows nicely into the theme of the first segment with Aaron: the effect Kim's growth and newly developing attitude is having on those around her. Charlie is so scared of Kim and so desperate for some semblance of power that both the evil and sweet versions of Kim in his hallucination lead him to killing Pete. He sees the monster she could become, the monster he helped create, as well as the sweet person she used to be. Of course, because Charlie is scum, what he feels, aside from intense fear is a sense of opportunity instead of the guilt he should be feeling.
And just like that, Kim inadvertently caused Pete's death without even realizing it. Fucking brilliant! Now, I wonder how she would/will react if/when she finds out what Charlie did and why he did it.
Also, holy shit was that Kim growth sequence hot as fuck! It makes me that much more excited for what might happen if/when Kim actually reaches some of those heights (didn't Pete say something about her being twelve-hundred feet tall? I'd be good with that!).
But back to the hazards of being in Kim's orbit, we see Darren already looking worse for wear the first time we see him on this chapter. He's got that huge hickey and already looks like Kim has sucked out his soul with her dominance. That checks out, too, as we saw her ordering him around last chapter, too. Between that and her intense sexual needs, I think he probably doesn't think less of Aaron anymore like he did back when Aaron told Darren he could take Kim off his hands.I loved how Aaron stood up for Desy when no one else would. I think it was particularly brave of him, since he has had to deal with Kim the longest. But then again, maybe that's why he did it. He couldn't stand to see her pick on somebody else like that, and that's why he demanded that Kim stop without worrying about what she could do to him. I don't think it was the desperation that Kim thought it was, although it fits her perception of the breakup to think so, I think.
And I immediately liked Aaron and Desy as a couple. You wrote their wordless chemistry quite well and maximized the limited dialogue between them as well. Not to mention that Aaron is one if the more likable characters in the story, in my opinion, so I'm always pulling for him!
Brian's paranoia of the cast's reaction to Pete's death show that he's a veteran reality show host. Or maybe it's just this cast he doesn't trust. But I, too, wonder if Kim's tears were real. If so, I go back to that question of how will she react if/when she finds out what Charlie did.
But Aaron's reaction, that ... that was real. And sad, too. His one chance at salvaging this thing, of feeling safe, fell 80 feet down a cliff. And even if he could have still gotten off the show, that instant connection with Desy surely would have kept him there. He'd have worried about her if wasn't there, too.
I should have known Charlie was playing by Highlander rules. He killed Pete and then immediately swooped in for his power. The production discussion and vote were fun. I love how the med team was like "Nope" about Charlie's Kim pitch!
Of course Brian cast the deciding vote for team Kim (what Charlie represents). I get his rationale, trying to be relevant again, but he clearly saw that there was something wrong with Charlie. I think his attraction to Kim back in the first segment in the story back in chapter one played a factor as well, even if he didn't say it outright.
Lastly, I'm loving Kim as an emerging villain! Her turn from sweet and lovable to dominant and uncaring has been paced so well, and I feel like Pete dying is going to lead to a critical moment that will probably accelerate her descent into darkness. The way she just picked Desy up, ignored her begging to be put down, and taunted everyone was haunting. There's just something about the way she goes about everything that has a cloud of darkness hanging over it.
Another great chapter! I'm really interested what a Charlie-run show looks like next chapter.