#bean screams

Let me cut y’all off and say that I think the Cat King’s deal is an excellent plot point. It falls perfectly into classic fairy tale patterns; mess with a powerful being’s domain and receive a cunty little riddle on how to get out of your new life destabilizing curse. It’s wonderful, it’s fascinating, it has a distinctly Neil Gaiman spin despite him not writing the show, I love it.

However, that does not make it a cool moral premise to begin any sort of relationship with. There is an explicitly demonstrated power imbalance; the Cat King is shown to have powers way beyond Edwin, and is using his power to put him in danger. His offer to remove the curse if Edwin fucks him, then, is not an offer that could be truly consented to.

Even though we see that the Cat King cares for Edwin in many ways. Even though we know that Edwin is physically attracted to the Cat King. The offer is nonetheless made in a quid-pro-quo, tit-for-tat manner (sleep with me and you’ll get that promotion, your grades will improve, I’ll make a recommendation for you). Regardless of the presence of attraction or care on either side in any case like this, it is still exploitative because true, reliable consent cannot be given in the presence of coercive power imbalance.

Let me be clear again, I love the presence of this dynamic in the show. It adds enormous complexity to the Cat King’s character and to Edwin’s journey with his sexuality. It makes the offer all the more interesting as we learn about the Cat King’s care for Edwin’s well being. It makes it satisfying and offers an insight into Edwin when he gives the Cat King the accurate cat count in Port Townsend, even though he’s attracted to him and genuinely intrigued by his offer.

Narratively it is excellent. Morally it is still an exploitative relationship founded on power imbalance. This is something that could be worked through, if they so decided to! And I would be on board in that case (though my PayneLand heart would shatter). But it is something that would need to be worked through, and as of yet has not been.