Burnout Syndrome 1×05 Review: Episode 5

We are definitely learning things about these characters, even if they aren’t necessarily learning anything about themselves. I think episode 5 is starting to peel away the façade and reveal what’s underneath.

The relationship between Pheem and Jira is interesting to me. This is clearly the first time Pheem has really had to try to win someone over. Yet at the same time, Jira seems to want so badly to be into him. They’re not clicking because I think, deep down, Pheem doesn’t really know who he is. A lot of what he’s doing in this courtship dance is a mix of what he’s used to and what he thinks will impress Jira.

Case in point: the shirt. Jira had this idea, and like many ideas, it didn’t turn out exactly the way he anticipated. If he were more excited about the finished product, he likely would have given it to Pheem sooner. As it is, he only gives it to him when Pheem stops by his apartment. Regardless, Pheem wears the shirt on his date with Jira; his friends all think it’s ridiculous, and I think he agrees. But he still wears it.

See also: his new tattoo. We already saw this boy shirtless recently, so we know that wasn’t there. He just got this tattoo, and he specifically got an artsy one. Since we don’t see any of the thought process that went into him deciding on this particular tattoo, we can only speculate as to his reasons. But I’d be willing to bet that it had a lot to do with the new artsy boy he’s hoping to date.

(This is prime manic pixie dream boy, y’all.)

But then we also have the designated player moves where he does things like offer to carry his bag. (Although I will say, the line where he asked if his hand was heavy, and could he carry it was pretty smooth.) He brings back the palm-reading to suggest they go back to Jira’s place. He may not have had to try very hard prior to this, but he obviously has a catalogue of things that have worked for him before.

Pheem seems lost. He complains constantly about his job, yet he doesn’t take any steps to rectify the situation. It’s a point in his favor that he has apparently successfully managed to convince Koh not to do the layoffs. But as Mawin points out, he’s defending the man who is oppressing them. He’s too enamored with his comfort zone to take the risk.

I wonder if Jira is meant to be his risk. Perhaps he’s behaving this way because this is who he really is, and it took meeting Jira to see that. Then again, perhaps he’s behaving this way because he’s a player and this is still just a game.

While we’re on the subject, I’m a hardcore OG girl, but come on. Stop not showing us the DewGun, especially when you have Dew looking like that crawling across the bed. I am begging you. (Side note: I maintain that someone taking off their glasses before a kiss is 100,000,000 times sexier than taking off their shirt. I will die on this hill.)

Contrast this with Koh, who seems genuinely confused by his interactions with Jira. I think he’s been isolated so long that he’s forgotten what it’s like to be a Real Boy™. He may be wealthy and successful, but he’s just a pathetic loser, really. Carrying a single rose in a poster tube only to hand it to Jira bloom first? This is a man who’s never had to apologize before.

(Admittedly, when I saw him carrying the poster tube, I absolutely thought he was returning the painting. I felt a similar gut clench when he was taking a photo of Jira’s sketch later. I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop with this.)

Koh is so much softer with Jira than he is with anyone else. At least, he is now. Even the way he speaks is different. The fact that he only seems able to fall asleep in Jira’s presence says a lot. His reactions to Jira’s art say even more. But even Jira seemed surprised that Koh had an actual human emotion at the sight of his latest painting.

This man is such a contradiction. I’m loving the insights into his character, because he is so complex. All of the characters in Burnout Syndrome are flawed in some way, and I think many would argue that Koh is probably the most flawed. But this is what makes him interesting.

He’s so cold and callous when Pheem tries to warn him that his decisions may cause more people to attack him, which seems to imply that he doesn’t particularly care what happens to Jira. But then he goes to the bar and talks to Ben and explains that he’s legitimately worried for Jira’s safety. Not only that, but he doesn’t like the way he is right now. And he does, in his own stilted, awkward way, try to atone for what happened. Still, as we can see from the preview for next week’s episode, he’s not going to stop putting Jira in harm’s way, so his apologies don’t mean much.

I will say that I’m a tad disappointed that the gorgeous scene of Jira as an angel in Koh’s lap was just Koh’s fantasy, but it’s only a little bit. That was such a beautiful shot. I hope whoever came up with that concept got a raise. That said, I do kind of love that it was Koh’s fantasy, because I think it says a lot about where his mind is right now. In the same way that Jira views Koh as his muse, Koh is looking at Jira as his savior.

While we’re at it, that moment with the wind blowing, and the rose petals falling on Koh, asleep on the couch? Art. 10/10, no notes.

I am intrigued at the way he keeps trying to pose himself the way he’s posed in Jira’s paintings. It’s like he’s trying to see what Jira sees.

And then we have Jira, torn between two men. On paper, one of them looks way better than the other, and it should be obvious which choice to make. But while Pheem is charming and conscientious, it’s clear that there really isn’t any passion. This is why it’s taking Jira forever to get through one drawing of Pheem while he’s currently on his third of Koh.

Oh, sure, he can be coy and flirty, and we see that when Pheem takes Jira home. But he’s starting to flirt with Koh now, too. Honestly, I think the more Pheem tries to win Jira over, the worse it goes for him. Jira is attracted to the red flags, and Pheem seems determined to put those away.

On another note, something I love about Nuchy’s shows is the soundtrack. Like with Not Me, I have to watch this show with my phone at the ready so that I can Shazam basically every other song. A good soundtrack can really enhance the storytelling. (Although as much as I love “My Forever” as a track, using it as the OP seems wildly out of tone with the show as a whole.)

I still have no idea where we’re going from here. We’ve reached the halfway mark, so I feel like starting next week we’re going to see some movement in some direction.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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