I’ve spent the last five days recovering from a cold, which I used as time to catch up on my endless line-up of shows (they just keep on multiplying), and yet more just keep popping in. As the poets say, the years start coming and they don’t stop coming.
Currently Watching (on air)
Perfect 10 Liners: You gotta have the episode of people fucking up and miscommunicating. This one to me was better done than most, because it pulled on all the previously established triggers for Yotha (and Klao). It’s been interesting, because I’d say the show skews toward Gun’s POV—like, we don’t really see what Yotha gets up to at the bar aside from some brief scenes, including the one this week.
I say it’s interesting because Gun is the much more obviously sympathetic character—he’s very sweet and genuine in his desire for Yotha to be happier—but I still think they’re doing a good job making me understand how Yotha gets from point A to point B even though I feel like I don’t know him as well. Which is deliberate. Part of this arc is us, like Gun, slowly getting to see Yotha put more and more of his guard down until he gets to the version of himself we saw in the ArcArm storyline.
I don’t want to make it seem like I didn’t enjoy the first arc, because I did, but this one is so much stronger, both because of the above, Perth and Santa’s performances, and the complexity to all the characters involved (Gun aside, because he’s a very straightforward character). But Klao and Warich are such interesting foils in this, and I’m really curious to see how their story plays out since it’s, uh. Bad. Like, this is a couple where IRL I’d root for them to breakup. I don’t know if they’ll be able to devote the amount of time to them that is needed to truly resolve their…everything…but Aou and Boom were still filming recently so we’ll see.
Your Sky: Real and Hia! Save isn’t the strongest actor yet, but it doesn’t matter when Auau looks at him like he wants to devour him whole, and he certainly tried. I’m excited to see where they go from here.
To be honest, the actor who has impressed me the most in this show is Por, who has been killing it as Lee—he’s very funny as well as incredibly charming when it comes to his tiny little romance plot. Him and Teetee definitely should have a show of their own if just for him.
We’re entering the angst era next episode, which tracks since it’s episode 11, and I’m curious to see how it goes. I suspect the preview was a little misleading, since they usually are, but I thought it was really good to show that Teerak’s fears about his parents’ reaction weren’t unjustified with the conversations where they (especially his dad) jump to the conclusion that he’s interested in/dating women. Even if your parents are really loving, that can be such a downer and make you reasonably hesitant to come out. It’s a more realistic take on that kind of fear, even if it does feel a little like the show suddenly remembered that homophobia existed.
Fourever You: Almost an entire episode of Johan’s backstory of being absolutely pathetic and pining for North—who could ask for anything more? I am just all chest-clutching about the background of that crush and how Johan wasn’t able to kick it after three years, including one in a literal different country. The further background on his and Hill’s friendship and status as each other’s secret keeper really cracked me up—it’s exactly what I expected.
The Heart Killers: Forgot to talk about last week’s episode, but it’s incredible to me how Kant and Bison are living a melodramatic romance and meanwhile Style and Fadel are knee-deep in a romcom, whether Fadel likes it or not.
Pompam and Guy’s cameo as worstie soulmates absolutely sent me to the stratosphere. I’m of the opinion that Pompam should cameo in every GMMTV show, and now I think it should always be him and Guy together because it was perfect. Maybe they should always cameo as these characters specifically.
I’ve talked before about how ThamePo is, imo, really good episodic writing, and honestly THK isn’t dissimilar, even if it’s a little more subtle about it. I’ll have to think more about how it’s structured after it’s finished, but each episode does have a specific goal and isn’t just a section of a long story (which isn’t a bad way to tell a story, to be clear, I just think really solid episodic writing that’s in a larger narrative is harder).
Us: Literally just started this and I’m obsessed. Is it partially that I think Bonnie and Emi are both so cute? Yes. This cast is perfect to me. It has Soodyacht and Sammy? And Sing is there being really sweet and charming? Yes, an ideal show. I had honestly forgotten part of the basic premise until the last minute of the episode and was ready to throw something in excitement. To me, it has a lot of the same energy of Pluto, but is more pleasant to look at and also has a more immediately obviously plot.
Ossan’s Love Thailand: Each week, this show surprises me with how much I enjoy it. It’s very upfront about how ridiculous it is, and it puts its characters in absurd situations, but never at the expense of the characters themselves. The characters take the situation they’re in, and themselves, seriously, and that’s part of what makes it funny. It also means the emotions work when they pause to have breathe. The characters are all so much more likable to me than in the original, as well, which helps tremendously.
The Boy Next World: I saw a potential spoiler about this show earlier but apparently MAME said they’ve changed a lot in the adaptation. I’m hoping there really is some kind of spiritual/sci-fi thing going on and not just Cirrus having a break from reality or lying—I don’t think he’s at least entirely lying because the dreams we see from his POV imply there’s something else going on.
Noeul’s role in this show is not dissimilar from Rain in LITA in that he’s kind of dumb and oblivious, but he’s performing it with an additional innocent shyness that Rain didn’t always have. I was reminded that Noeul has a business admin degree from fucking Yonsei University, so he must actually be a good student and smart, even if it’s easier for foreign students to get in than Koreans (though I also don’t know whether he applied and was admitted as a Korean student or an international one).
ThamePo: I don’t know what I can say about this show that I haven’t said before. It’s so good. This week’s episode was funny, sad, wildly sweet, and incredibly romantic all at once. The MARS team-up to find out who Pepper was dating was great, the reveal was the perfect amount of surprising and oh of course, and the way it resolved was sweet and heart-warming while also building into the main romance.
Speaking of the romance, the last sequence between Thame and Po was so silly young love that it had me yearning to be a teenager again, which I have to say is a feeling I virtually never have. But the giddiness of getting to spend time with a crush, killing time together in any way you can think so that you don’t have to say goodbye, is such a relatable and sweet feeling. I really love when we get to see how much joy the characters in a romance get out of being together, and this episode really showed that off. The slow burn is killing me, but it’s so earned, and it makes me so primed for the payoff.
Currently Watching (completed)
Love in the Air: Two episodes from the end, and it’s so funny watching this back on my computer where the scuffed audio is much more apparent. It’s also really obvious in retrospect just how young Fort was when they filmed this—he looks like such a baby—but that chemistry with Peat. How can you pass it up?
We’re two episodes from the end, plus the special episode, and I’ll admit it’s making me want to rewatch some of Love Sea just for the FortPeat of it all.
Finished
Caged Again: What a delightful little show! Overall, I think that, while flawed, it’s a fun adventure that never takes itself too seriously but treats its characters with care. Something we talked about while watching it is that it’s the rare show focusing on teens that gives the adults as much depth and personality as the kids, which helps strengthen the world they live in.
Ultimately, I think the main strength of this show is the chemistry and performance of the leads. Benjamin and Jai are astonishingly good for being newbies and for being as young as they are, and they work so well together. I really hope they get work together in the future, they’ve more than earned it in my opinion.
The Secret of Us: Having finished this, I can say it falls pretty squarely into a specific territory of show where I get so fucking tired of everyone being mad and upset with each other that I have to put things on 2x because I’m invested in knowing the payoff but can’t be bothered to watch a five-minute sadness montage.
This isn’t to say this show isn’t good, and I knew that it was this kind of show going in, I was just reminded of how much I dislike it and how a lot of GL things are this sort of genre. It makes me end up not liking the main characters as much as the supporting cast, which is always a shame.
I did think this was a cute show, even though I think some aspects were pretty underwritten. What are Earn’s career goals? What do they actually get, emotionally, out of their relationship with each other? I don’t know, I was like, I do believe they’re in love and I do believe they like each other, but I couldn’t always see why. It also has the most egregious example of a horrible parent I’m expected to forgive in Fahlada’s mother, who I thought should have just fucking died when she had her heart attack from being too homophobic. Horrid woman, and she never even apologizes for the worst of what she did.
The actresses in this were very charming, so I’m thrilled to know that they’ve been attached to a BODYGUARD concept show. Do either of them look remotely strong enough to be a bodyguard? Not in the slightest, but I suppose that’s part of the fantasy.
Pluto: I’m so glad this is over if only because it means I don’t have to look at that wretched color grading for one more minute. No one had any skintone and everything had a weird pink overtone like I printed the show off my HP sprocket. Snap25 why is this your aesthetic.
That aside, this show was also not good, which is not to say it wasn’t enjoyable. It’s completely wild and at times borderline nonsensical, with no real single plot throughline, but Namtan and Film are compelling together, the side characters are great, and almost every single named woman in the show is queer. It’s ideal.
My highlights of this show were: May and Ton’s ride-or-die cousin relationship; Thor with the weirdly blonde hair who I am convinced is in love with Ben; Namtan going for it when she kissed Film; and the nc scenes, which were so much more believably horny and, in general, believable, than what I’ve seen with other GL scenes. Maybe it helps having an actually queer actress in the lead.
I really don’t know what to say about this show, because, like, I don’t think I could truly recommend it to most people, except that it is compelling. I guess maybe what it’s like is a daytime soap opera but lesbian, which is definitely a vibe some people are looking for.
With that I’m gonna have to call it a night—it’s been a rough day and the days ahead will not be fun, but at least we have yaoi (and, increasingly, yuri).
urs,
hk