Vrinda Bachchan
Netflix’s ‘Bonding’ is a delightfully bold and explicit short-form series that tells the story of a New York dominatrix and her gay high school best friend who acts as her assistant. ‘Bonding’ takes a uniquely clinical and open-minded look at the BDSM industry and the big-city sex dungeons, exploring the world of sexual fetishes in a darkly comedic and totally non-judgmental manner.
Briefly estranged high school BFFs Tiffany and Peter assume the personas of Mistress May and Master Carter to help high-paying clients with a variety of fetishes ranging from humiliation and torture to watersports and tickling. When they’re not spanking and whiplashing as professional dommes, Tiff attends grad school, and Pete attempts stand-up comedy.
At the end of ‘Bonding’ season 1, Tiff reassures Pete that she will treat him as her equal, and they agree to bring the partnership up to 60-40. In a dramatic turn of events, they stab their shady new client after discovering his nefarious intentions and run away together. Let’s see how season 2 of ‘Bonding’ continues the story of Pete and Tiff. Here’s a short recap of ‘Bonding’ season 2, after which we’ve provided a breakdown of the second season’s heartbreaking ending. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Bonding Season 2 Recap
When season 2 opens, 10 months have already passed since the events of the season 1 finale. Following the stabbing incident (which was thankfully non-fatal), Mistress May’s and Master Carter’s reputations are in the pits. They narrowly escaped the police and any legal repercussions, but they are being called out on social media for lack of good judgment and general misconduct. Mistress Mira, who runs their sex dungeon, gives them one last chance and tells them to attend her beginner-level training course before they start taking on clients again, but Pete’s careless, jokey attitude poses a problem in class.
Peter is in a serious relationship with Josh, while Tiff is trying to eschew putting a label on her relationship with Doug, who tells her he loves her. Pete finds out that Josh hasn’t come out to his family or friends and is still in the closet. When Josh goes to tell his father that he’s gay, Peter intervenes in an unexpected manner, leading to their break up. The reappearance of Doug’s ex-fianceé causes friction between Doug and Tiff, forcing Tiff to reexamine her feelings for him. Mistress Mira tells Tiff that she has real potential as a dominatrix but advises her to quit working with Peter, whose priority is his stand-up comedy career.
Frank and Portia are expecting a baby, and Peter helps Frank get a job as a stripper at a gay club so that he can pay the doctor’s bills. But when Portia finds out that she has miscarried the baby, she decides to leave for London without saying anything to Frank. Tiff advises Portia to at least leave Frank a note and also shares that she had an abortion right after high school but never told Peter because they would have made bad parents.
As Tiff tells Portia that she regrets breaking off contact with Peter after school, Pete overhears the conversation, and a huge fight breaks out. Peter takes all the hurt from his break-up with Josh, his fight with Tiff, and the fact that she never told him he’d gotten her pregnant, and puts it all in his latest stand-up act. The comedy show is a huge hit but deeply hurts and offends Tiffany, who’d come to support Peter. Mistress Mira informs the girl that her lease is up, and she is forced to shut down the dungeon. Tiff’s and Pete’s paths diverge in the final episode of season 2.
Bonding Season 2 Ending: Why Do Peter and Tiffany Break Up?
It seems like the universe is decking up the cards against Peter and Tiffany’s friendship as everything starts falling apart and their relationship unravels. Their fight starts off as an argument over priorities and paying attention in class, but it snowballs into the two friends culminating their partnership as May and Carter. Peter is deeply hurt upon learning of Tiff’s pregnancy and subsequent abortion, and Tiff takes offense at Pete’s misrepresentation of the domme community in his comedy act. Pete wants her consent to perform the material in a TV show, but Tiff withholds her permission and asks Pete to do whatever he wants.
It feels like Peter is holding on to a lot of resentment from when Tiff had abandoned him after school. He cared about her more than anything, and she never responded to any of his calls or messages for years. Tiff is angry at him for making fun of her lifestyle as a domme, which she is very serious about. Peter doesn’t know that Tiff is dropping out of grad school to pursue domme work full-time. Unaware of Tiff’s plans, Peter is confused as to why she is so worked up about a temporary side job. Peter and Tiffany have a sort of dysfunctional codependency that they share, which causes them both to keep hurting each other, even as they admit that they care about one another to the point of distraction.
Is Tiffany Really in Love With Doug?
After her falling out with Peter, Tiffany seeks comfort in Doug’s arms and also tells him that she loves him. It’s important to understand here that there can be different kinds of love. Tiffany is really in love with Doug. But that’s the romantic kind of love. With Peter, she has this deeper emotional connection. Peter and Tiff started loving each other when they were high school kids, quite possibly each other’s first love (way before Pete figured out he is gay).
It’s as Tiffany says, Peter made her feel “safe,” and it’s very believable that she fell in love with that feeling of being safe and cared for. It’s very hard for Tiff and Pete to get over each other because they’re still best friends and the only ones who really get one another. Their now-platonic friendship is made complicated by the fact that they were once in love. But that does not mean that Tiff cannot be in love with Doug also.
Read More: Bonding Season 1 Recap and Ending, Explained
