I've always had kind of a love hate relationship with Chinese historical BLs. Some are genuinely excellent, but then there are others that cram in so much plot that keeping track of all the layers of betrayal and scheming gets exhausting, and I end up checking out mentally. Part of the issue is also just how much content is out there in this space, so something really has to stand out to keep me hooked. In this case, the production value is genuinely impressive, top tier stuff, but story wise, I just couldn't bring myself to actually care about these characters. There's a ton of political scheming and backstage manipulation running throughout. Somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, a hostage ends up falling for his own Prince Charming. The show runs eight episodes, each around 50 to 60 minutes long. After spending three years guarding the border, Fifth Prince Yin Qi gets called back to the capital because of a secret letter, only to end up walking straight into a deadly...
t's been months since Andrew broke up with his longtime partner Zeph. He still feels trapped in the memories of his relationship. He eventually finds himself searching for guys on a gay dating app. On the evening of the quarantine, Andrew feels especially lonely and decides to invite Brix, one of the rent boys he met online. As the night progresses, their conversations open up a lot of possibilities: healing and connection, lust and love and probably moving on. Could a relationship happen here? The story idea was good, but somehow the execution was missing the connection.
Long time partners Calvin and Drake'e relationship is in a limbo and not even good sex can save that. Since the declaration of the quarantine, Drake has been anxious since he was not able to leave the apartment. He should have been on a vacation with his sister, if only Calvin had allowed him to go before the lock-down started. Unknown to Calvin, Drake is thinking of leaving him. For him, that vacation was his way to reflect on their crumbling relationship. Average execution, but I know of many couple whose relationships got tested thanks to the quarantine.
A mother who is separated with her young son during the lockdown is also trying to connect with her lover based in the US who's busy as a medical nurse. Their constant zoom conversation shows their fear for their personal relationships and the future.
Greg, an aging gay professor lives alone in his old apartment in Metro Manila. During the lockdown, he teaches online, reads novels, and does what he likes the most: sewing. Unexpectedly, a young man Harold shows up at his door and wants to borrow his bathroom to have a shower. Greg doesn't know how to refuse Harold and feels his privacy invaded at first, but they open up to each other after they start a conversation. A story of an unlikely friendship during the harshest of times.
Ivan is desperate to raise money to bring his mother Jack back home from Switzerland. He uses his body to get the attention of his clients as the pandemic makes it difficult for him to get decent job opportunities. When he goes viral online for his 'noble' reason behind what he's doing, he is caught up in a dilemma between right and wrong as he examines his real motivation behind his actions? Is he really doing it for the love of her mother or for the love of himself?
Kyle is trying to finish his screenplay while on quarantine. He starts to feel and see weird things in his apartment, even facing his exact facsimile. Is the double a projection of himself, a figment of his wild imagination or a manifestation of his psychological breakdown? What follows is a spiral between fantasy and reality.
Luke lost his father to CoVid. Matt, his father's lover, brings his remains and the two try to reconnect. The visit brings back memories and pains the two experienced in the past. Will they be able to finally forgive each other and move on from the sins of the past?
Neo, a shy and mute young boy and Omar, a mischievous teenager are forced to live together by their front-liner parents during the quarantine to keep them safe. Their cat and mouse banter later develops into some sort of budding bromance - complicated by the accidental chance of an innocent kiss.
Ryan and Quinn, a gay couple living in an open relationship with Pancho is suddenly confronted by a reality during the pandemic: that they are all unhappy with the set-up. The 'threesome' tries to reconcile their feelings for each other. What ensues conveys the intricacies of the men's complicated relationship abound with love, pain, secrets and lies.
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