This one's a beautiful, tender, quiet romantic drama with a moody atmosphere, set in a tight knit Welsh fishing community. It's a touching story about a man waking up sexually in the middle of his life, and how he, his family, and everyone around him deal with it, which makes it emotional and sentimental without ever getting over the top. The slow burn plays out against a landscape that's as bleak as it is gorgeous, where quiet, closed off men are stuck inside rigid ideas of what masculinity should be. Some people might be reminded of "God's Own Country," but I think both films are lovely in their own way. Jack is a middle aged guy who co-owns a mussel farm with his rough around the edges brother Dyfan, and the tension between the two of them is simmering under the surface right from the start. Dyfan's three sons all help out with the work, while Jack's sulky teenage son Tom keeps skipping out. Jack's been with his wife since they were both 16, and...
Charming but timid college student Mando is your typical hopeless romantic and dreams of a guy. One day he meets Barry, an out-and-proud basketball star who is practically a prince from a fairytale and looks similar to the guy form his dreams. Except Barry has a boyfriend. Mando gets cast in the role of Romeo in the college play where Juliet is played by Krisha. Mando decides to get past his feelings for Barry and before you know, Mando and Krisha are a couple. When Krisha takes Mando to meet her family, it turns out that Barry is her brother. Mando's suppressed feelings come back. Meanwhile Barry catches his boyfriend cheating on him and on a trip to cheer up her brother, Mando and Barry both give into their feelings. Soon enough they are having an affair without Krisha knowing about it. When Mando's friends confront him over this and remind him how its unfair to Krisha, Mando and Barry tell the truth to Krisha, who obviously feels cheated and fooled. Barry tries to take his life once again, clearly knowing that seeing Krisha happy is his highest priority. Mando comes out to his family and feel relieved. Time passes, Krisha has a new boyfriend which means Mando can start courting Barry once again, because the love and passion they have for each other is still very much present.
The story was simple, yet complicated showing confusion about sexual identity and how people still try to suppress their true nature just because of societal pressure and expectations. Mando's internalized homophobia because of his mother was something relatable from a story perspective. The characters of the three main actors were clearly etched out. The series doesn't justify Mando and Barry's affair just because they are gay and in love. Bisexual/fluid Barry got cheated on by a boyfriend but he also cheated on his beloved sister Krisha, who was in love with Mando. This is not acceptable and both Mando and Barry realize it. The stories of the supportive parents on both sides and Mando's friends were seamlessly incorporated into the story. The brief arc of trans woman coming out of the student's art professor seemed forced but quite relevant to the issues that the series wanted to highlight. In terms of acting I think Kokoy as Mando was quite good, though not as good as Gameboy. I felt he cried way too much in every episode. There are other ways that the remorse emotions can be shown. You don't have to cry at the drop of a hat every single time. Barry was extremely hot. I mean HOT. Thank you producers for a the real quick butt shot. I really wanna see more shows with him as a lead now. They had good chemistry. Luckily, the female character Krisha had a solid role and wasn't used just as a side prop. And she also did amazingly well.
An easy breezy series to watch. Story of love, friendship and being true to oneself with some gorgeous eye candy and very relatable characters. I loved it, quite a bit. (7/10)
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