The Heart Killers 1×03 Review: Episode 3

Sound off, everyone. Are we all OK after that episode? No judgment if the answer is “no”. After all, there was a lot going on! To think we got whips, nipple clamps, Fadel’s sexy dance, that thing with the belt, sad backstory, and Style in a burger costume all in one episode!

Yes, I know, one of those things is not like the others.

Might as well jump right into it. Pretty much everything that made people go wild when the trailer officially dropped could be found in this episode. (Which makes you wonder, what did they leave out? We’re only on episode 3!) I did not think that the nipple clamp scene and the rope scene would be in the same episode, not to mention that we got the Fadel/Style drinking scene, too? I’m sorry, that’s just too much for my poor asexual heart to take.

No, but can we talk about the BDSM in this? I think this episode was a great depiction of why that’s something that needs some serious conversation. When Bison was explaining to Kant what he was into, he does mention whips. But he pulls one out suddenly, after tying Kant to his bed. I’ve seen multiple people insist that Kant gets into it eventually, but I did not get that impression. (Oh no, I’ll have to rewatch. For science.)

What this whole thing did give me is the reminder that, no matter how much Kant may or may not like Bison, this is still a job for him. His priority is having his criminal record expunged, so that he and his brother can have a better future. It’s pretty obvious in that first scene at his tattoo parlor that he is not at all interested in the things Bison is interested in; he is playing up his enthusiasm to get closer to Bison.

And the scene later in Bison’s room shows just why that is a bad idea. He has Bison convinced that they’re on the same wavelength. So then when Bison is in his own room, under the influence, he thinks he has the green light to take things further. Considering how hesitant Bison was before to do anything he didn’t think Kant wanted, I have to assume that this was the drugs and alcohol talking. Because you don’t just introduce ropes and whips into the bedroom without making sure everyone’s cool with it.

It comes down to trust. Neither Kant nor Bison fully trusts each other yet. Kant is going along with this because he needs to keep Bison happy and interested, but he is, at heart, an idiot who basically allowed himself to be at the mercy of a man he knows murders people for a living. He doesn’t trust Bison not to hurt him yet, particularly after the conversation they had about Kant’s back tattoo. And while I do think Bison trusts Kant more than Fadel does, at least, there’s likely still some level of doubt underneath.

Now, do I think that Kant will eventually get into it? Yes, I do. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if we got a scene in a later episode that mirrors this one, but where both Kant and Bison are fully present and one hundred percent consenting.

I’ll admit, I’m a little disappointed that the scene with Fadel serving Style the drink was a fantasy. However, it’s a fantasy of Style’s, so I do like that we got that after Fadel’s scene last week. It confirms that Style is at least physically attracted to Fadel, even if his adamant pursuit is more about getting Kant’s car than anything else. Plus, it would be hard for anyone to watch Fadel dance like that and not feel some way about it.

Someone on Tumblr had the theory that Style is the neighborhood darling; there’s no other reason why everyone would be so chill with him doing things like suddenly deciding to work at a butcher stand, or making an idiot of himself at the track. I think it’s hilarious that he’s continuing to do these things – that they weren’t just one offs in last week’s episode to get under Fadel’s skin. (But then, he doesn’t know that he got under Fadel’s skin. At least not at that point.) I also loved the butcher auntie wishing him luck as he ran off after Fadel; it just seems to confirm that yes, Style is the neighborhood darling, and everyone is rooting for him to get his man.

We also get Fadel’s sad, traumatic backstory. It turns out, he’s so adamant against Kant pursuing Bison because he was in a similar situation that clearly didn’t end well. There are two theories about what happened: either Fadel’s partner was killed (purposely, by Mother, to keep Fadel in line, or by accident due to the nature of Fadel’s job), or he was trying to get close to Fadel for whatever reason (and maybe Fadel killed him himself). He is digging a grave in the middle of the night in the last scene. What is up with that?

Both theories are equally plausible. Fadel is, after all, attending a loss support group meeting. So it’s not a crazy assumption that his partner was killed. On the other hand, I can’t help but think of his comments to Bison in episode 1, where he says that the only reason anyone would ever approach them would be if they had ulterior motives. That sounds like someone whose ability to trust was seriously damaged.

Bottom line: this is a man who has been through it, and now all he wants to do is protect his little brother. (I mean, I get the sense that Bison’s not even aware that this happened, with all of his jokes about Fadel having no heart.)

This is why, I think, he’s so befuddled by Style’s dogged pursuit of him. He’s living quietly, just going through his routine. He’s not trying to attract anyone, and yet Style won’t leave him alone. He has to suspect something, knowing that Kant and Style are friends. I think he’s hoping that Style is just after sex, and now that they’ve had it, Style will leave him alone. (I think it’s just going to make Fadel more interested in Style, personally. At least I’m hoping.)

And I am curious, because Kant told Style that as soon as he had access to Bison and Fadel’s house, they would be square, and Style would get the car. Well, we know Kant got in the house, so I’m wondering what it will be that makes Style keep going after Fadel. Is it just because he now knows something shady is going on, and he really wants to know? He does say that he doesn’t like being kept in the dark.

Then that just makes me think about all the inevitable betrayals, and which one will be worse. Fadel learning Style was only after him because Kant asked him will probably be a relief for him, honestly. Style is probably going to have some feelings about his best friend knowingly sending him into the lion’s den and not telling him that the guy he wants him to date is an assassin. And Bison will undoubtedly be crushed when he finds out Kant initially pursued him so that he could inform for the police, which will surely lead to some of the situations we saw in the trailer. 

By the way, I know I had Style in a burger costume in the first paragraph, but honestly, I just thought that scene was funny, and I don’t have all that much to say about it. It is interesting how far he’s willing to go, though. Is he that interested in the car? Is he that determined to prove there’s something else going on? Is he that gone for Fadel? Is it a combination of all three?

Also, don’t think I’m not going to mention the fact that Fadel broke a man’s arm with his thighs. Because that is a thing that happened.

I waffle back and forth on the Mother thing. In last week’s review, I talked about how I don’t think she’s their actual mother; I think “Mother” is a title. With all the little hints and tidbits we got in episode 3, I still sit pretty firmly in that camp. Because with the introduction of Keen, we see that apparently everyone calls her “Mother”. And when Fadel reminded Bison that they wouldn’t have had anywhere to go if Mother hadn’t “taken them in”, that implies that they were likely adopted. It’s also possible that this is a situation similar to Chen Yi and Ai Di in Kiseki: Dear to Me, who were orphans raised in the organization.

This week’s nods to the source material include: 1) Style tracking Fadel down at a heavy metal club (their diner is open for something like 14 hours and only has two employees, when does he do all this?) and 2) Fadel having the ex who burned him (or died).

This show continues to be unserious and I continue to be seated and paying attention for it.

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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