In defense of a line crosser
In episode six of Hidden Agenda, Joke crossed several lines. Kot told him he was being too demanding, Wave told him he was being rude, and Zo told him he was being aggressive.
But in Joke's defense, Joke isn't merely crossing lines; he is trying to break through the barriers Zo continues to enclose himself in.
Because although Zo will toe the line, he never fully crosses it, so Joke has to get inside somehow, so he can be with Zo.
For example, when Zo is witnessing the couple walking in the rain, he clearly has his walls up with a hard barrier between him and love.
Yet when Joke shows up as Zo is trying to leave without him, Joke has to enter Zo's space in order to be inside with Zo. Even when Joke provides shelter and safety, Zo is reluctant.
Even with his friends, Zo never fully puts down his defenses.
Unlike Nita's situation where the barriers and boundaries are absolutely necessary,
Zo is constantly on the edge of his own barriers, only to back off without warning,
Which requires Joke to close the distance.
And most of the time, Zo, who cozies up to the line, makes little fuss when Joke crosses it.
Yet when Joke crosses the line between the two colored panels later in front of others,
Zo exits the space quickly leaving Joke to figure out why his behavior was acceptable before but not now.
And this is the core of Joke's line crossing - the lines keep moving according to Zo's feelings.
Zo even tells Joke something to this effect when he lectures Joke about his behavior, in front of others.
Because Zo tells Joke that he needs to respect boundaries, but it's difficult to do so when Zo isn't clear about those boundaries.
When Zo is upset, the barriers emerge
but the moment Joke concedes, they are in Zo's barriers together.
If Zo initiates an action, the camera doesn't stay still.
It pans between the two, so no definite barriers exist.
But the moment Joke asks Zo to stay and to clarify his feelings for Joke, the camera stops moving, and the barriers become clear.
So, once again, Joke has to be the one to cross them in order to get some sense of resolution from Zo before Zo exits the space.
And this is a huge problem.
Zo will kiss Joke, then avoid him. Zo will say he is fine, but run away in the middle of the night. Zo will tell Joke to be himself, but not in front of others. Zo will get close to the line, but won't commit to crossing it. Joke has to interpret everything Zo does.
Because history has proven that Zo's boundaries can be moved with a little nudge.
Joke didn't win enough games to achieve the prize of Zo opening his heart to him, yet in the end, Zo wore the "Game Over Lover" shirt to bed indicating Zo was trying on the idea of it.
So even though the boys are sticking to their respective color-coded drinks,
It seems like next week Joke will push his way past Zo's defenses once again
allowing Zo to finally cross a line or two.
Because if Zo keeps putting barriers between himself and the outside world, while Joke keeps crossing all the lines, someone is going to end up hurt.