"Q: Finally, putting this all together, what does femme mean to you? MBP: Femme means to me that I have a feminine gender expression as a site of resistance of old values. Those values say that I am not a fighter, I am not smart, I am not tough, or that I can't be sexual and be a mother too. There are a lot of these should-nots attached to the old way of being femme that I have cast aside. In making my life a site of resistance, I walk through life my own way and create a kind of power and defiance that says "You can't touch me unless I say yes." To me, femme means being powerful in myself, in my own body, with all her feminine ways. It means saying to myself I don't have to take care of other people or give myself up for somebody else. Femme means that I am conscious about what people are saying and doing around me, toward me, as a woman, and that I always maintain my dignity and power. [...] I do not think that femme means making your butch take the trash out for you. I do not think that femme means loving to shop. If loving to shop for clothes was femme, Leslie would be a femme. I don't think femme is having long fingernails. I don't think femme is not understanding how to deal with money. Those are old degrading stereotypes that establish femme on a foundation that is degrading to women. And I do not agree with that at all. For me, femme is a place of resistance to that degradation, a place to divest femininity of limiting stereotypes, and a place to assert the power and dignity of femaleness."

Joan Chen, 1990’s

• Time line wise it’s not unlikely, but their behavior in season one speaks volumes.
• During season 1 we see many people comment on Vanders aging and potential loss of power in the lanes because of it.
• Vander seems aware of this, and most likely wants to invest in a person to succeed him and take his mantel to maintain peace.
• It’s my opinion Violet is his heir. She takes after Vander closely, but that’s not why I think he choose her.
• Season one, Vander talks to teenage Vi in a very interesting way. He pleases emphasis on the potential for her anger to hurt others who follow her. Not about how her anger could hurt her.

• This entire conversation between them reads more as a lesson in diplomacy and leadership.
• Even as a teenager Violet takes this lesson to heart. She seems to be used to this kind of conversation.

• The scene where she is teaching the younger kids of the lanes to fight, and Ekkos comment on practicing the moves she showed him tells us she is already fostering a strong sense of community and trust within the younger generation
• She is taking on leadership and accountability for the younger kids safety. Just as Vander watches over the smaller folks in the underground.

• She already seems to be falling into the mantle of the Second Hound of the Underground.
• Okay, okay, what about sevika???

• Well Sevika is Vanders right hand. A clear enforcer on behalf of Vander, the acting leader.
• Not only does she hold this position but later on she takes the same role for Silco.
• We are shown over and over that there are bigger, more physically imposing people in the underground,
• But BOTH Vander and Silco choose Sevika as their second
• To put it simply Sevika is the most competent fighter in the underground, and has traits that Vander needs Vi to learn.
• We see a nod to it here in her comment.

• Beyond this Sevika, unlike Vander, cannot rely solely on her physical size. Vander is fuckin huge. By the time Vander is in charge of Vi it would be obvious that she will not be like Vander in that regard.
• It’s common among martial artists to train under people who share a size bracket. What works for a 6’5” 300lb man will not work for a 5’7” 180lb woman.
• So it’s logical that while Vander trains her on base moves. Sevika would be the choice to impart specific training techniques to neutralize an opponent.
• This makes the fights between Vi and Sevika more compelling!
• Vi takes personal offense to Sevikas betrayal because it IS personal, Sevika abandons Vi to side with Silco. Not only does she get Vander killed. She fails Vi the second she walks out of that bar and into Silcos arms.

• Viewing the scene with this context we can see how VI’s combat style falls apart as her anger takes over.
• She becomes blind with rage, unable to tag out even when Sevika lets up and gives her the chance to walk away.

• Shes fuckin exhausted here but refuses to stop. Even though anyone who is in martial arts would tell you in a voluntary fight this is where you need to step away.
• She seems desperate to win, throwing punches without guard or thought.
• But here. Right here. That hand, look at how loose that grip is.

• She doesn’t believe that Sevika will hurt her, she assumes that the match is done. She’s pinned her.
• In sparring this would be the end. Vi is following the instincts imparted in her during her training with Sevika.
• And then Sevika does hurt her. Sevika is going to kill her.
• The final straw for me on settling on this opinion was this frame.

• Violet is fully surrendering, no fight, no screaming, no panic.
• It’s like she’s so shocked that Sevika would do this she’s dissociated.
• It’s unthinkable to her. Sevika is a traitor but she wouldn’t kill Vi. She taught Vi. She helped raise Vi.