This is the second vertical AI BL drama I've sat through, and honestly I went in knowing better. I had it on while I was doing cardio at the gym, and what struck me was just how much the plot echoed the last one I watched. Same step brother romance angle, same mystery girlfriend showing up near the end, same extra guy pining after one of the leads. Genuinely the only thing going for it was the runtime, the whole thing wrapped up in forty five minutes flat. The setup kicks off with Finn moving schools because his mom just married into money. He finds out his new step brother Aiden goes to the same place, and he's warned to keep his distance from him. Their first run in at school is rocky, just like you'd expect, but there's this odd pull between them neither can shake off. Finn keeps telling himself not to read into it because Aiden's straight and openly homophobic. Things shift when some kids start bullying Finn and the student council president, Ryan, steps in to ...
The season 2 ended with who will Victor choose at the end between Benji and Rahim. It turns out he does visit Benji and he cannot get him out of his mind, but Benji has drinking issues and in order to get his life in order he needs to go to rehab and break up with Victor. As expected Rahim is upset by the way Victor handles the situation but trie friends can't remain apart and soon they are friendly. A new romantic interest is thrown for Victor in terms of Nick with whom he gets into a "fun" vibe and nothing serious but it makes Victor realize that how much more he is into Benji and that he can never get over him. Thankfully a charming love is also introduced for Rahim and they actually make a good pair. Victor's best friend Felix continues his flirting and affair with his sister Pilar and its something that Pilar wants to hide from her over protective father which puts a strain on their relationship. The effervescent Lake is confused about her sexuality. She feels attracted to Lucy and finally they become a couple but she still is struggling to navigate the whole situation with her mom. Also Lucy has other plans from her life. And finally we have Mia and Andrew. Mia's dad moved to west coast leaving Mia and Andrew to go on their own voyage of discovery, as Mia contemplates her future living situation.
The third season is full of positives. It’s sweet and touching, delivering an emotional and fitting finale. Forget that all these high school teenagers actually behave and act like full blown adults and you are like, Teenagers are not supposed to be this way, but then thankfully you overlook this fact and embrace yourself to try and enjoy the show to the fullest. In essence it stays true to its first two seasons, with being sassy, full of jokes and serious issues being addressed at the same time. But at its heart, the show is still about Victor, who he really wants to be as a person and who he wants to be with and why. And the sam holds true for all the other characters who must determine their best choices moving forward. And when Victor gets the bravery award in the last episode, it makes everyone think and as a result things feel a bit rushed in an attempt to quickly wrap things up and tie them up in a pretty creative bow. Yes more episodes would have given more gravitas to handle all these 6-8 characters in depth, but despite that as audience I was still quite smitten by all of them. Victor is still charming and you want things to work out for him. But he is also a teenager so whether he wants to have "fun" or be in relationship is something he will figure out on his own. The short lived love triangle between Benji, Victor and Rahim was also quite interesting. In fact, I have to say that Rahim's character actually ended up being my favorite of this season. We get to see a bit more to his personality and his background and his background I think a spin off series focusing on his character could be a great idea. IN contrast Benji gets a raw deal this season with his character being very bland and completely uninteresting, where I found myself yelling at Victor as tow hat does he see in this guy that he can't get over him. But this is all my wishful thinking.
Season 3 also has some missed opportunities in parent-child dynamics that could have played out longer, having a greater impact. But maybe that wasn't supposed to be the focus since there was already so much that needed to be sorted out for its main characters. Many problems are thrown at these inordinately mature teenagers and they somehow all manage to overcome them. They make be unbelievable but it’s hard to deny its charms, as guileless and blindly optimistic as some of us may still find them. The finale happens at the winter carnival, pretty much the same spot where the journey began for all it characters. Overall I enjoyed the season and the series as a whole, even though I remember I was quite judgmental of its first season. Now just give us a spin off on Rahim and I will be a happy camper. (7.5/10)
Comments
Interesting to read that the character of Benji gets on so many viewers' nerves :D Mine, too :D I don't even know what exactly is wrong with him that gets on my nerves, but there's definitely something. While your favourite was Rahim (I liked him, too), my absolute favourite person from S1E1 has been Felix. Such an amazing friend, smart and has a way with words. Absolutely adored the scenes with him.
I wish I had made a bet about the final scene being on the Ferris wheel - I would have been rich like a troll by now :D And the person who made the trailer for S3 should seriously consider another job :D
You are right that its hard to pin point exactly what's wrong with Benji, but just his way of speaking, changing his mind every few seconds, taking Victor for granted and his hair style are definitely some (if not all ) things that annoy me about him.
I really want a spin offf series with Rahim. someone please !!
+1 for a "Love, Rahim" season1 now! XD