Jamie recovered quickly. “Powerful stuff, Sasha. We’ll be right back after this.”

Matt adjusted his glasses, the picture of academic menace. “With respect, Sasha, the character is a trans woman. The senator is a closeted conservative. The show is literally using the idea of ‘deceptive’ attraction as a plot device. Isn’t that just the oldest transphobic panic dressed up in HBO lighting?”

There was no outside. There was only the endless, glittering machine—hungry for trans bodies, trans tears, trans rage. And the only way to win was to stop playing.

“Yes,” Sasha said, her voice steady. “The show is exploiting me. And so is this segment. You brought me here to have a ‘brave conversation’ about trans representation, but you also brought Matt—whose entire brand is concern-trolling my existence—to generate a viral clash. You’re not interested in the truth of the character. You’re interested in the performance of controversy.”

Sasha’s throat tightened. She’d prepped for this. “Matt, the show doesn’t depict deception. The senator knows Nico is trans from their second meeting. The ‘honey trap’ is a media label. In fact, the show critiques that label in episode seven, when Nico says—”

Jamie turned to Sasha, eyes bright. “Is he right? Is the show exploiting you?”