1.The use of Japanese symbolism in this episode cannot be stressed enough. It touches on the principles of each of Nubsib and Gene& #39;s families, teaches their language of love and nurture and their road towards acceptance, in the aftermath of their sons& #39; coming-out
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2. Gene& #39;s mom invites him to a tea ceremony. One of the core tenants of that ceremony is the "Wabi Sabi". Very loosely- the wabi centers spirituality as a pathway to tranquility and Sabi deals with the material imperfection of the human experience.

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3. Through the ceremony and by encouraging him to make his own, she gives him a lesson of patience, acceptance, but also about discovering and working towards your happiness. The way to his father& #39;s heart is through compassion towards his faults and with time

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4. Meanwhile, for Nubsib& #39;s family love is earned through persistence, and nurture is passed by disciplined as exemplified by the Bonsai. Their lesson of love was actually to give up control and allow the true nature of things (their son& #39;s sexuality) to come through +
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5. Even then, Nubsib had to earn his freedom through negotiation. This actually reveals a lot about the circumstances that shaped Nubsib character and why he believed he had to scheme his way into Gene& #39;s heart
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I have more on their differences, but I& #39;ll keep it for a separate twt