Is this technically a gay show? Even after getting through the whole thing, that's still kind of tricky to answer. There's never any physical intimacy shown between the two leads, not even a single kiss. What it gives you instead is something that goes way deeper than that. It traces an emotional bond that spans a full decade between two guys who are both dealing with their own baggage, and what they share basically amounts to being soulmates. The story moves across Japan, South Korea, and Berlin. Honestly, whether people want to call what they have a romantic relationship or not doesn't really matter to me. A relationship doesn't need a label like boyfriends attached to it to actually mean something. And closeness doesn't need to be physical to feel genuine. What this show captures is something quieter but way more powerful, a bond rooted in understanding, respect, and just showing up for each other. Across eight episodes, each running 35 to 45 minutes, this is one...
Luke and Olly are going to a beach house to celebrate their one year anniversary, an event organized by older and richer Luke. Olly has got some kind of romantic dinner planned with a chicken hidden in an esky. Many funny incidents give us a hint of the wealth and maturity gap between the two guys including meeting a gay couple, a rich fancy beach house rental. Thinking of spicing things up, unknown to Olly, Luke has arranged for a guy for threesome from an app. The scene gets very funny, yet awkward and eventually they start to try out for threesome. Both Luke and Olly realize that they are not ok with seeing their boyfriend kiss another hot man. Olly freaks out and runs to the beach where the couple leads to an argument. In the meantime there is a fire in the apartment thanks to Olly's failed attempt at making the chicken dish. Luke calls him immature an meanwhile Olly was planning to propose. They ar both shocked at turn of events and realize they should probably split. Eventually, the next day they end up talking heart to heart and get back to being the same loving and funny couple that the episode began with.
This was a solid 30 minute episode showcasing the extreme stereotype of gay relationship through two extremely handsome and good actors Olly and Luke. They both had great chemistry and oh my god, the humor was spot on. The dialogues, the situations, the actions; almost every shot was funny while also trying to tell a meaningful love story. I appreciated that Luke and Olly directly addressed this through their dialogue, as well as their attempt at a threesome and Olly’s attempt to propose, only to decide on a happy medium as a happy, stable, unmarried couple. The dialogues were sharp, racy, funny, different and so many one liners. I cracked up at the end when they say “Married with dogs, or orgies, is that really our only options?”. There are many more such scenes like when the third guy leaves the house telling them how it was his worst threesome, or the scene where we see that Olly has no idea how to cook chicken; an many more such. Dare I say that the Australian accent was hot and charming at the same time. And for a change, I didn't need subtitles since local slangs were not used. I do strongly recommend to watch this short sweet episode. It definitely lifted my spirits. (8/10)
Comments
And it reminded me my own statement: everyone has at least one chicken story :D Luke and Olly had a pretty... er... explosive one, that's for sure. One of mine is from 1990s, when grandma was visiting us in town and my female parent decided to make her specialty dish, a mayonnaise basted whole chicken in a brown paper bag. Turned out fine, as usual. The three of us had most of it for dinner, but some meat was left on the bones and the parent planned to use the leftovers for a soup. Grandma went back to the country for two weeks and one day we realized that hey, she'll be back today. I was packing stuff for school, the parent had already left and suddenly I heard a loud rapping on the balcony (our apartment was on the ground floor). The parent, panting like a dog: "Throw that darn carcass of the chicken away before grandma comes! She'll get a heart attack when she sees that two-week-old skeleton!"
Or another one with my bestie. We have always loved using quotes from mutually liked books whenever there's an opportunity for that. When her late husband was still with us, he went to their summer cottage and left her home alone (not counting the cat). She said that she won't be alone, she'll invite me for a sleepover. A perfect place for the husband to ask "and you'll do what - eat chicken and watch TV?". (That was from the book "Wiplala" where an engineer Mr Peters forbid his wife to eat chicken and watch TV. When he suddenly disappears (Wiplala turns him into a dog), Mrs Peters eats chicken and watches TV every night. So "eating chicken and watching TV" was a synonym of something forbidden in our inside speech.) We planned the weekend really well, bought all the foodstuffs and planned all the important stuff that needed to be done. When we were sitting in the living room watching a classic movie, my friend suddenly burst out laughing. When I asked what's funny, she simply pointed her finger to the table and the wall - and then we were both laughing until hiccups. We were literally eating chicken and watching TV :D
And yeah, we all probably have some or the other chicken story.
u will never know :p
Sailor Maan has left a new comment on your post "Summer Love - Luke and Olly (Australian Episode)":
Haha it was so funny! Those witty dialogues!! I goes too quickly to empathize with the characters (break up and rekinled in a snap of a finger) but that's beyond the point, because it's mainly here to be hilarious. And it is.
It just caught me off gard in the beginning with the way gays were pictured. I was like "oh my, am I living in my very own Disney world or am I really supposed to be the annoying gay couple or the "your birthday gift is a threesome without discussing it with you first because we're fun people".Then I felt stupid I didn't recognize extreme stereotypes at first sight ^^
The message it wants to deliver was really nice though (inbetween those "2 options" haha)
As a great cook, I can totally picture myself in Olly trying to cook his chicken (or anything) lmao. With the same results. As you said, we all have our own disastrous chicken stories XD
Let's say the first time I (tried to) cook for my husband, we reached that secret agreement that I would be the kitechen help (peeling, cutting, mashing etc..), and he would do the real cooking XD. The meal was "good on the inside" (horribly smelly on the outside, and I'm not mentionning the looks...)
Agreement is still on 18 years latter lmao!
My family used to say I'm doing "poetry" when cooking. I apparently mix things in a way only I can understand. But it turns out fine! (sometimes... XD)
On a little bit more serious tone - you've obviously fallen off the same planet I came from (or grandma before me) :) I've been disappointed in so many cookbook recipes in my life that it's become a habit of mine to change them before I start. Like remove certain ingredients and replace with something... poetic :D Or just come up with something of my own. As long as I add the right words, even the craziest creations get eaten by the audience. You already know my "simple coffee", but ever tried an ice cream milkshake with tomato juice and sweet chili sauce or adding dark chocolate to the minced meat sauce (otherwise a gray and boring classic here)? The eaters are still alive and well :D My best this-is-too-weird combination turned out to be an actual potion, to my complete surprise: Ballantines with apple juice removes the writer's block :)
My friend showed me a clip by B. Dylan Hollis on YouTube and every time he recreates a recipe from some old cookbook and it ends up being something beyond weird (and breaking his blender once), I feel so sorry for him :D Some of the 1980s recipes could definitely use a poetic touch.
*The ringtone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80IeVt_3wkw. Their "Jolene" and "Good Man Down" are good, too.
And I'm flattered you want to adopt me. My husband might have a laugh saying "be carefull what you wish for, he is delivered with his 26000 mangas, good luck to you" XD
He would also probably say I have other weird passions like watching asian BL, but we both know you don't mind XD