Rightor Doyle’s series Bonding, coming soon from Blackpills, follows the reunion of two high school best friends, Pete (Brendan Scannell) and Tiff (Zoe Levin), who haven’t seen each other in years.
Pete is an out gay man starting a stand-up comedy career, while Tiff is a grad student who also works as a dominatrix. The two characters become close again, discovering more about themselves in the process.
The Use of Surrealism as a Narrative Technique
Bonding is a story of two friends coming back together, but it does not follow a standard reunion storyline. At first, I didn’t really like how we don’t know much about who Pete and Tiff were before the reunion, but as the season goes on, I appreciate how little we are handed straight away.
The story builds up, establishing who the characters are now, rather than who they were years ago. Everything ties together when we get a few choice flashbacks nearer to the end of the season. This technique of holding the flashbacks until further along works wonderfully, and helps the audience get to appreciate the characters as they are in the present day.
When the first episode started, I felt the imagery was a little more surreal than expected, but this works out very well. It works sort of as a framing device for the changes in the main characters as the story goes along. What we see in reference to Tiff’s job as a dominatrix in earlier episodes is filmed with more surreal imagery, and some images that bring to mind the visuals of Twin Peaks. As the series goes along, her work as a dominatrix is shown in a more realistic light, matching Pete’s growing understanding of the work, pushing away from the stigma against it.
The Treatment of Women and the Stigma Against Working as a Dominatrix
What I found especially strong about Bonding is how it does not play into the stigma and tropes of working as a dominatrix, but rather shows us a strong character making her way through grad school, and standing up for what she believes in. In one particularly strong scene, Tiff stands up for a young woman in her class, Kate. In previous scenes, Tiff and Kate are not shown as having the best relationship. I wouldn’t say the two are friends, but this does not stop Tiff for standing up for what is right and protecting another woman from unwanted advances.
Their professor Charles (Kevin Kane) tries to take advantage of Kate’s desire to do well in his class. When Tiff sees how he is forcing himself on Kate, she does not think twice about helping her. Seeing women stick up for each other makes Bonding stick out as a realistic and important depiction of the treatment of women.
In one of the visits Pete and Tiff make, we come across an unhappy couple Andy (Eric Berryman) and Daphne (D’Arcy Carden) hoping Pete and Tiff’s services might help their marriage. When this visit starts, Tiff is there to help Andy, on Daphne’s behalf. While Pete is waiting with Daphne, he asks if she wants to hit him, which she does, opening her up to a possible way to save their marriage. D’Arcy Carden’s performance as a wife trying her hardest to make a marriage work is wonderful. The way she plays the suppression of her hatred is both emotionally powerful and a comedic triumph.
I loved that the visits Pete and Tiff went on were not all aimed at men. Having Daphne as a recurring character gives more depth to the type of people who might visit a dominatrix. Society has a stigma against the work, as well as a stigma against the people who utilize these services. Daphne is introduced as a sweet woman, trying to please her husband, and as we see more of her character, she is given more depth, yet still remains the same person we met at the beginning.
Relationships Leading Towards Positive Development
Closer to the end of the season, Tiff stands up and tells her classmates that she is a dominatrix, a fact she has been hiding throughout the season. Her friendship with Pete has helped her, but Bonding never makes you feel that her decision is not her own. Both Tiff and Pete stand up for themselves and showcase who they are in areas where they were hiding in the past.
This scene of Tiff giving a glimpse into her life as a dominatrix to her class is cut with scenes of Pete finally having the courage to get on stage and perform his stand-up comedy. Both characters change and develop through their rekindled friendship, but neither one is changing for the other. They are showcasing who they have always been with newfound courage.
Bonding ends with a scene calling back to the moment the two fell out of each others lives. In a flashback, the two are running in the woods after prom, and they decide to split up. The show has a nice full-circle scene where they are now running once again, and they decide to stick together. I thought this connection back to their past was done in a very nice way, and left me wanting the two to remain friends for years to come.
In addition to their friendship helping lead Tiff and Pete to overcome fears, the two both develop romances along the way. Tiff develops a relationship with Doug (Micah Stock), a fellow student in her class, while Pete starts dating Josh (Theo Stockman). For a show with only 8 episodes, many of which are less than 15 minutes in length, they created thoughtful and memorable romances. In such a short amount of time, I cared about these relationships and I hoped they would last.
Bonding: Conclusion
Bonding is an interesting and amusing look at the inner world of a dominatrix. Zoe Levin and Brendan Scannell work well together, and their characters paint this often criticized world in a new light. Bonding creates thoughtful and memorable characters and showcases their work in a positive light leading towards self-discovery and the building of relationships, both romantic and platonic.
Are you interested in watching Bonding? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Bonding is currently streaming on Netflix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmPp7Vxd1Fk
Does content like this matter to you?
Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.