He's Coming To Me (Thai Series)

This Thai BL drama is another one of the recommendations that was given to me. At almost 60 minutes an episode duration and 8 episodes later, this took sometime to watch, but thankfully you are rewarded with a novel story, some good acting and direction and lot of food for thought. The entire concept of the show is very unique. I am not sure how many films or series are out there focussing on a love story between a man and ghost. Yes, a ghost!!

Its 1997, and Mes, a university student suddenly dies of heart-attack. He can't figure out why he is not reincarnated. None of his friends or family ever visit his grave, so there is a sense of sadness that overcomes Mes. When a kind young boy Than takes pity on the dilapidated grave and lights an incense stick, Mes suspects the boy can either see or hear him. As he grows older, Than continues to visit Mes's grave once a year, leaving food and candy that Mes has asked for, but he suddenly stops. Waiting for him, eventually Than does show up in 2019. He confesses that he could always see Mes but didnt want other people to think of him as a weirdo. Now that Than's father died many years ago and Than is studying law, Than and Mes are very happy to see each other and Than takes him to his Bangkok student apartment to live with him. Than's gang includes best friends Prince and Khiem and a young girl Plaifah. Plaifah has crush on Than but Prince likes her. Also Than figures out that the reason Mes hasn't reincarnated is because he didn't die of heart-attack. There is some other reason and Than promises to solve the mystery for Mes. Slowly every layer is peeled. Than comes out as gay to his friends and his mother when Plaifah kisses him. He and Mes really like and love each other but when Mes sees Than's mother, he is shocked. She used to be best friends with Mes in college but Mes broke her heart when he came out gay. Eventually Than is able to figure out the secret of Mes' death with support of his friends. Mes can probably reincarnate now, but the two lovers decide to spend as much time together happily as they can. On e day at a time.

As you can see, the story is very novel and has actually been done with respect and sensitivity. Nothing has been made fun of and every character gets their due. We see the goofiness of the friends group that Than has and how he balances his life with them and alongwith Mes. You see the unconditioned love and support that he provides to Mes even before they both realize that they love each other. Of course, you have to stop entertaining the idea of how on earth can a spirit and human fall in love but sometimes love no boundaries, so watch it with open mind. Nothing is rushed in the series. And sometimes, that also becomes a negative aspect of the show.  Some scenes I feel were quite stretched and could be done away with, but I guess given the mini series format, you cant just always focus on the core story. You do not additional storylines and actors to keep viewers hooked. I also liked the fact that it wasn't really always about their love. Than was doing all this for Mes in good intention and then with passage of time, its the comfort and attraction that happens between the two of them. Unlike most other BL stories, its not all about love between two boys. Focus on the grief and suffering arising from the death of a loved one creates drama. Sadly, the finale and the big reveal of why and how Mes died was not an absolute shocker. I felt something bigger and more shocking would have taken the series to an altogether different level. Of the Thai series, that I have seen so far, this is the most emotional series so far that goes beyond love and what you would do and what lengths would you go for love.

Barring the overdose of forced comedy in the first initial episodes and certain other scenes that were stretched, I can't find fault with this. Even the instances where the spirit can sometimes touch things and objects and other times not was also well explained. Its a good watch. (7/10)