Burnout Syndrome 1×03 Review: Episode 3

Jira reconsiders his hasty decision to quit his position with Koh. Unsurprisingly, things aren’t as black and white as they previously appeared.

First of all, I cannot believe Jira didn’t look Koh up as soon as he could. In fact, he didn’t even look him up at all – Ing did! Was his curiosity not piqued? How was he not dying to know? I do love that rather than just texting Ing, he sent her the photo of Koh’s name written in his underwear. He’s like a very specific brand of lazy.

I can also appreciate that Ing changed her tune about his dramatic shadiness pretty quickly as soon as she realized just how rich he was. Morals are all well and good, but you should take every opportunity to squeeze the 1% out of as much money as you can. Seriously, though, I know that it would be more white knight heroic for Jira to stick to his principles, but it is more realistic that he ended up going back. He does need the money.

He does use the opportunity to do a little negotiating. After Ing tells him how much she likes his painting of Koh, Jira takes the painting to Koh himself to bargain for some modeling sessions. He’ll be Koh’s human avatar if Koh agrees to let him sketch him. Koh inspires Jira’s art in a way that’s new to him, and he wants to keep that feeling going. Koh even buys the painting. (Admittedly, I was terrified that he was going to scan Jira’s work for his AI software.)

The scene where Jira calls Ing to tell her that he sold a painting was so well done. Gun’s acting in that scene was fantastic; I think a lot of us can relate to the feeling of finally being acknowledged like that. We’ve seen in the previous two episodes that Jira is very insecure about his art, because he’s been doing it so long and he’s still struggling. Koh buying his painting is a sign that his work has value.

I also liked the scene where Koh “models”, and not just for the extremely shallow reasons one might expect. There was a quiet intimacy in those moments, particularly when Koh was lying there in the pile of clothes while Jira drew.

I’m glad that Jira learned about Koh and Pheem’s connection in this episode. If that had dragged out very long, it could have caused issues. That said, they do seem determined to keep the information from Koh, and I suspect that will be a big deal later. Particularly because both Koh and Pheem seem to be getting something from Jira. It’s early yet, so there’s no way to know if this is how things are going to go, but this is very much a manic pixie dream boy situation.

Pheem basically admits to this when talking to Ben. He mentions that he thinks Jira is “healing” him, which is the reverse of how his relationships usually go. I had speculated in last week’s review that Burnout Syndrome may choose to go in the “this love will ruin you” direction. However, this is almost a textbook example of the manic pixie dream boy trope.

Another thing that the scene between Ben and Pheem managed to do is highlight that, while Pheem certainly seems like a decent guy in comparison to Koh, he’s not necessarily that much better. It seems that Pheem comes to this bar a lot and apparently uses it as a dating service. When he says he normally heals the people that he meets, I’m fairly positive that he means with sex. And he admits to hoping that Jira’s life gets even worse, so that he’ll have a reason to keep coming to the bar, seeking Pheem out.

Which is why I’m so very confused at what the heck is going on between the two of them. I noted last week that Jira did not seem very into the kiss, which is confirmed when we pick back up with this week’s episode. However, they do keep flirting, and Jira does go to Pheem’s apartment later. (Apparently, the “do you have a cat” line is a Thai euphemism similar to “Netflix and chill”.) But still, Pheem seems much more invested than Jira. It could be because the constant interruptions from his phone were making him unable to really focus, but it looks like it started before the phone calls did.

Honestly, I think what I said last week holds true. Jira is drawn to both Koh and Pheem. But with Pheem, it’s more about the idea than the reality. When the moment comes, he can’t fully commit to it. Perhaps he can tell that Pheem is a bit of a player, while he’s looking for a deeper connection. There is also an element of miscommunication: Jira tells Pheem that he is only a phone call away, implying that he would like Pheem to call him. But later, Pheem indicates that he was waiting for Jira to call him.

Some fans are speculating on whether or not they intend to fully embrace the DewGun of it all, given the branded pair. I maintain that they absolutely can do this if they want to. If Khaotung can kiss Book and Mond in Only Friends, Gun can kiss Dew. And it is still early. There are plenty of episodes left for messy relationships and bad decision-making.

And then we have Koh. He is clearly a complex character, and they are purposely drip-feeding us information about him. I mentioned last week that it would be difficult to redeem him fully, given how heartless and, well, evil he has acted so far. Yet this week’s episode, where he manages to relax with Jira and open up about his family’s business, hints that there may be a soul left in there after all. (Albeit, like, a very tiny piece.)

Obviously, the walking red flag needs to have a semi-tragic backstory to make him truly appealing. Koh watched his parents run their business into the ground because of their kindness and was determined to go in the complete opposite direction. Again, Burnout Syndrome says a lot about capitalism as a system. Koh’s parents, regardless of how profitable their business was doing, refused to let their employees suffer. Some would say that this is a noble effort.

However, in the end, the business was acquired by a larger corporation (in fact, the corporation that Jira helped Koh buy in episode 2), which chewed it up and spat them out anyway. The lesson Koh took from this was, “Kindness is weakness.”

I’d argue that this is the wrong lesson to take away, but I think the narrative is leading you in that direction anyway. It is possible to be kind and not be taken advantage of. I don’t even think Koh’s parents were taken advantage of. I’m not going to sit here and argue about the evils inherent in the system, but just because you lost doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth doing. It did matter that Koh’s parents were so adamant about taking care of their employees; it mattered to the employees.

But I can understand Koh’s position, because while it’s important to take care of the people in your life, there is a reason why you are instructed to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others put on theirs.

All this to say, I think Jira is “healing” Koh in the way Pheem believes he himself is being healed. Koh keeps everyone at arm’s length so that no one sees his vulnerabilities. Vulnerable equals weak, after all. But Jira is different – even the still unnamed butler can tell.

There are a few moments that indicate this, such as Koh drinking from the glass Jira left behind, or him feeling relaxed enough to fall asleep without medication for the first time in years. Also, when we saw Koh waking up at the beginning of the episode, it used the same establishing shot as last week, through the glass. However, this time, the camera finishes its pan before Koh is out of bed, so he is not fractured by the shot.

Someone suggested that Jira could make a grand gesture for Koh by making him clothes. Jira’s already criticized his fashion choices (not just today by calling his entire wardrobe boring, but also last week with the suit), and Koh has explained that he can no longer wear anything tailored because it reminds him of what his family lost. Producing art like that, painstakingly and lovingly crafted, is a big part of what makes us human.

However, I’m also still lowkey expecting Koh to feed Jira’s art into his AI software. The way he seemed fixated on Jira never having sold his art before gave me the chills, but that could just be because, so far, we don’t have a reason to trust Koh. Perhaps he was so caught up in the idea because he appreciates the honor of owning the first painting that Jira’s ever sold.

What I appreciate about Burnout Syndrome is that I don’t know how this is going to end up. Will Jira’s love save Koh from himself? Or will Koh’s fascination with Jira damn him? It honestly could go either way at this point.

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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