Switch: Leaving Your Mark

Lauren Phillips' ambitious new series for Adult Time is an invigorating portrayal of BDSM Lite style sex, with its title signifying the proclivity of submissive women to also mix it up, switching to become the dominant partner at times. Other than some obvious proselytizing in the hour-long opener titled "Embodiment" (of four segments memorialized on DVD), it achieves its goal of glamorizing the topic and, unlike the mainstream "50 Shades" emphasis on the male's role, it's presented with men absent.

On-screen, after a heartfelt introduction to the show, Phillips plays only a secondary role, appearing as a "favorite pet" in a group sex scene dominated by TS superstar Emma Rose, Hazel Grace and lovable young Leana Lovings. Notable in this segment, titled "Leaving Your Mark", is Emma's new look, with greatly enlarged butt and breasts. She gets to hump Lauren, and the scene ends with those typical elements of humiliation (the ritualistic Markings) made with lipstick or magic marker branding sub Lauren a "SL*T".

Casey Cavert, playing a doctor (i.e., sex therapist) carefully describes to the novice Veronica Voxxx the elements of BDSM and how becoming a submissive is actually a powerful form of female self-expression, achieved via experimentation with various elements of BDSM. This propaganda, which I always find unconvincing (in claiming that the sub is actually in control while being ostensibly abused by the domme) is a constant feature in porn, but writers Phillips and Bree Mills make it a cogent argument, EXCEPT for the issue of pain, which is raised by Veronica's inquisitive character, but carefully sidestepped by Calvert. You don't need to have a PsyD degree to wonder about the need to feel pain as a pleasurable experience -what's with that?

Casey gets to participate in sex in a lesbian BDSM threesome segment titled "Transformation" (with Voxxx and Maya Woulfe), while the final segment titled "Exchange" depicts Woulfe's erotic fantasy (while taking a bath covered with rose petals) of role reversal with Leana Lovings, each taking a turn at being the domme.

It's easy to imagine this series catching on, especially since it goes for a sensual approach as opposed to the more graphic and violent (even grotesque) screen treatments of BDSM that emphasize content like fisting and physical abuse.