Speaking of questionable bdsm
byI should preface this review by saying that this was the first episode of Nip/Tuck I'd ever watched, and I was largely confused at why the two main guys weren't gay like fandom told me. I also had a hard time telling them apart. I tuned in last night largely to watch Claudia Christian, who's still after all these years a tv-girlfriend, and because I'd heard that she was involved as a guest star in a bdsm plotline. From what I've been told, one of the main characters Christian is basically whoring himself for fun and money.
Claudia's character Gwen was basically using bdsm as an extreme form of therapy. Gwen's sister had died and her mother committed suicide due to being depressed about her death. Gwen's fantasy was to be essentially frozen to death and brought back to life by being fucked by a warm body. This is known as extreme temperature play. She gave herself a tranquilizer - ketamine , which is a vet tranquilizer and is sold on the street as a psychedelic/tranquilizer called Special K - and sat in a bath tub full of ice. As she's telling Christian her fantasy, the audience sees it playing out as Gwen's drugged, frozen, and fucked back to life by Christian. When she does it in real life, Christian rushes to the hotel room to find a drugged Gwen frozen to death - not breathing, no pulse, etc. - and tries to revive her. Gwen wakes right before the ambulances show up and when he's praying because he's sure she isn't coming back. (Side plot with a nun and her saint pendant and Christian trying to find his lost faith.)
The problems with the scenario and what happened:
1. Prostitution
Pro-doms are not the same as prostitutes as they don't have sex (which that definition varies state-to-state) with their clients. (There might be a few exceptions as prostitution laws vary county to county in the US.) If Christian was really a pro and running his operation as a legit business, he will be searched and questioned by the police a lot Pro-doms have their homes, businesses, and lives turned upside by the police looking for the moment they slip up and it becomes prostitution. And in some cases, such as the state of Arizona, it is actually illegal to mix bdsm and sex, even if you're not a pro. So the whole sex thing, just no. (I don't know what laws are like in other countries, but the show's set in the US.)
2. The use of bdsm as therapy.
Yes, sometimes bdsm is used as a form of therapy. In fact, I have a friend who's writing his ph.d. thesis on bdsm and alternative relationships as therapy. Because of the psychological dynamic between top/bottom and the hormone/adrenaline/endorphin high one gets, bdsm can have therapeutic benefits. I know many women in the scene who's self-esteem and self-worth has vastly improved due to how they're treated in the scene. However, bdsm does not replace traditional forms of therapy, especially with extreme emotional disturbances, and Gwen seemed to need a new therapist.
3. When to start the scene
Christian would've be present at the start of the scene like we saw in Gwen's fantasy. Not being text-messaged after Gwen's already drugged herself and putting herself on ice.
4. Ketamine or Special K
You should never engage in bdsm activities while intoxicated, whether on drugs or after heavy drinking. It is simply unsafe. Think of all the stupid sex things vanilla people do while intoxicated and times that by 500. If a top is intoxicated, s/he will not be in full control of what s/he is doing, which can lead to injury or death of a bottom or spectators if it's a "public" play space. If a bottom in intoxicated, her/his senses will be dulled and s/he may not be able to properly inform the top of what's going on and may have needed to safe word a long time ago. Plus, either party could "consent to" or start a type of play that the other has not agreed to and not care. BDSM gives both the bottom and the top a natural chemical high; trust me, you don't need the drugs. Plus, if you feel as though you need to be intoxicated to do bdsm, then maybe you should reconsider if this is really for you. (Please note that I'm talking about intoxicated people, not those who've had a glass of wine with dinner 4 hours beforehand.)
5. The extreme in the extreme temperature play
Frankly, in safe, sane, and consensual bdsm, the bottom would not be put in hypothermia/death situation. Cold, yes. Chills, yes. Shivering, yes. Almost dying, no.
6. Reviving by fucking and aftercare
Christian's naked body would possibility not be warm enough even if the play had been less extreme. Warm to very hot water, especially with the ease of being in a bathroom already, is best for a bottom subjected to extreme cold. The hot can also be used in conjunction with the cold to vary the play. A hot shower with the accompaniment or monitoring of a top would be highly recommended after the scene to get the bottom's body temperature back to normal. Plus, the top needs to make sure that the bottom is not going into shock because of the temperature drop and increase. Christian would've stayed with Gwen a long time after their scene was done to make sure she was okay. While I am not sure the protocol of pro-doms, I know that I always call/e-mail the bottom the next day to make sure s/he is okay.
What the show got right or did well at:
1. Extreme temperature play
Ice is actually used in temperature play in that way. Bath tubs are often used as an easy place to put the ice and not have to worry about it melting everywhere. It's also an easy place to submerge a person in ice. The club I frequent, actually has an autopsy table that can be used in this manner. However, the top would probably have another person there to help out as the bottom would probably not be able to climb out of the tub without major assistance. Not to mention, this is an easy way to put a person into shock and having help is important, especially when lifting dead weight.
2. Christian freaking out
I do like that Christian did freak out. That he essentially safe-worded. Even if their bottom isn't dying, tops can and do freak out and have their own boundaries. I think it was especially important for Christian to freak out as he's a doctor and is trained to know how to revive people. This showed how extremely fucked up the entire situation was. And perhaps his reaction will serve as a warning for those trying to do dumb things they saw on tv.
Please note that I am not claiming to be an expert on everything bdsm and am writing this based on what I've done, what I've watched, and what I've learned.