TV Show review
Review basis: 2 seasons, 15 episodes · through January 27, 2021
April 24, 2019 · 18 min · TV-MA · Canceled
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Bonding is a short-form Netflix dark comedy about a psychology grad student named Tiff who works as a dominatrix and hires her gay high school best friend Pete as her assistant in BDSM sessions. The two friends reconnect in New York and explore their relationship while dealing with clients, personal secrets, and growth. The series places strong emphasis on queer male sexuality, kink, friendship between a straight woman and gay man, and personal sexual liberation across both seasons.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Bonding.
Woke representation / casting
The show gives a central role to a gay male character and frames the core friendship and story around queer experiences and kink. The casting fits the explicit premise of a dominatrix and her gay assistant, with visible emphasis through marketing and character focus.
Woke political dialogue
Dialogue centers on personal kink encounters, client sessions, friendship, and practical consent discussions within the BDSM world. There are no broad activist lectures or systemic messaging.
Identity-driven story themes
Queer male sexuality, sexual identity, shame, and the gay-straight woman friendship dynamic drive the premise, character arcs, and many episodes. These elements are front and center.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The show challenges personal shame and taboos around non-normative sex and kink in a comedic way. It does not reframe stories as critiques of patriarchy, traditional institutions, or current identity politics.
Production
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Public reaction was dominated by BDSM community complaints about accuracy and stereotypes rather than claims of woke ideology. Anti-woke or right-leaning criticism treating the show as identity-driven propaganda is minimal and not prominent.
Creator track record context
Rightor Doyle has repeatedly centered queer stories and sexual liberation in his work, including public statements about responsibility to tell queer stories and follow-up projects that emphasize gay characters and authentic queer casting.
