Bonding review: Another shade of grey

Bonding is a seven-episode Netflix Original which takes us into the world of BDSM through the lead pair of Tiffany Chester aka Mistress May, a dominatrix, and her gay friend Peter aka Carter, who is initiated into the ‘lifestyle’ as a bodyguard for Tiffany.

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Plenty of heavy duty stuff, but the quick writing and sharp wit, sprinkled with pop culture references make it quite appealing.

Written by Ektaa Malik

Updated: April 27, 2019 08:02 AM IST

4 min read

Plenty of heavy duty stuff, but the quick writing and sharp wit, sprinkled with pop culture references make it quite appealing.

Bonding director: Rightor Doyle
Bonding cast: Zoe Levin, Brendan Scannell, Kevin Kane
Bonding rating: 3 stars

Noted actor and a vocal supporter of LGBTQ rights, Jim Parsons — known for his role of Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory — made an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last year, and commented on why it will never be too late for gay rom-coms. “Tell that to When Harry Met Sally,” he said, “I mean how many straight roms coms do we need?” Colbert responded with “maybe it’s time for ‘Mary Met Sally’,” to which Parsons snappily replied: “Let me get sick of gay rom-coms, then, thank you very much. Bring it on.” If the latest programming at streaming giant Netflix, is anything to go by, Parson’s words have hit home, literally. No, we are not here yet, where we can snort and roll our eyes at the over-abundance of gay comedies, but we seem to have opened the chasm, and have alternate narratives trickling in. Last week we had Special, the story of Ryan who was gay and suffered from cerebral palsy. This week we have Bonding, a seven-episode Netflix Original, which takes us into the world of BDSM, through the lead pair of Tiffany Chester aka Mistress May, a dominatrix, and her gay friend Peter aka Carter, who is initiated into the ‘lifestyle’ as a bodyguard for Tiffany.

So yes, there are ample whips, lashes, leather, straps and latex to go around and much time is spent in a candy-floss hued sex dungeon. Add ample knots, ropes and fetishes to this heady mix. But Bonding isn’t the CliffsNotes of BDSM 101, it’s all about Tiffany’s and Peter’s shenanigans that take centrestage as they navigate dating, disclosing their chosen life of work and the resultant havoc it creates. On the surface, Tiffany becomes a dominatrix to help pay for grad school, and Peter needs the cash to pay rent for his hole-in-the-wall apartment that he shares with his sexually repressed roommate. Plenty of heavy duty stuff, but the quick writing and sharp wit, sprinkled with pop culture references make it quite appealing. There are many funny moments which are subtle political digs. When Tiffany drags Peter into a unisex bathroom, he stammers, “Can I be in here?” She snaps, “Don’t be a Republican.” One would want to applaud loudly for Peter as he finally makes his first appearance as a comic at an open mic — wait for it — in leather pants and an accompanying strappy masque. “Ah, I am coming straight from work,” he chimes, to uproarious laughter.

Zoe Levin as Tiffany is a delight, as she balances the boyfriend-jeans wearing college student avatar with her Mistress May persona, replete with spike-heeled thigh-high boots and leather corsets. Her vulnerability, as she opens up about her desire to ‘fix’ everything, including herself, is endearing. Brendan Scannell, as the insecure, mumbling gay man equipped with a scathing tongue also makes you smile.

With a 17-minute run time, the episodes have a kind of half baked feel — especially with the inherent thrust that is placed on streaming platforms to encourage binge-watching. The short span also leaves gaping holes in the narrative. We don’t know a lot about Tiffany and Peter. Do they have families? Why were they apart for so many years? We would never know. Also, what happens with Rolph, the live-in submissive of Tiffany?

As for the BDSM bit, we don’t know how accurate it is, or if the community would endorse it. But it’s definitely a step above the mess that was created by the Fifty Shades franchise.

Watch Bonding. And if you get the urge to call your high-school bestie, don’t be surprised.

Bonding streams on Netflix

ektaa.malik@expressindia.com

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