This one's a documentary that lays out how the HIV and AIDS crisis hit Britain so hard, told through the people who were there taking care of the sick, and also through the people who made things worse for them. The survivors sit down and talk about what it was like back then, a time with zero treatment options, where getting diagnosed basically meant you were looking at a death sentence, the only real question left was how long you had and how much you'd suffer before it happened. Most of it plays out through interviews with gay men in the UK who lived through the eighties, guys who lost partners and friends to the virus, guys who got diagnosed themselves and ended up surviving long term, all of it happening in this climate of prejudice, ignorance, and outright panic that surrounded HIV at the time. But it's not only a story about suffering, it's also about how that suffering pushed the UK's gay community into action, leading to things like the Terence Higgins Trus...
Dohoon is works for an advertising firm and has long working hours and just eats whatever. One night after a long day, his new neighbor Yoonsoo rings his doorbell and introduces himself. Initially annoyed, Dohoon finds a mysterious gift on his doorknob the next day. Urns out the neighbor noticed his unhealthy eating habits. He does put a message on the beverage which gives Dohoon an idea liked by his manager. Dohoon wants to thanks Yoonsoo and they become friends. Yoonsoo wants to open a new restaurant, so he asks if Dohoon can have dinner with him every night and give him feedback, forming a close bond. Soon we are told that Yoonsoo knows Dohoon from university days but latter doesn't remember. One night they kiss but Dohoon finds out that the chef may have a toxic ex whom he may not have completely over with. A series of misunderstandings follow, combined with a whole lot of office politics melodrama etc. and as expected everything is sorted in the finale.
To be honest, there is not much of a storyline going on in this show. Almost 60% of the show is spend on office banter between colleagues, them working on the project etc barely leaving anytime for the actual romantic side of the story. Despite the excessive attention on the coworkers, there's little reason to care about them, because none of this characters is developed. Even the way initial love is developed between the leads feels so half baked. For few days they are having dinner and then just one day Yoonsoo decides to kiss him. Sure, he knows him from university, but anyone would be chocked by an incident like this. As I mentioned in the beginning, jealous accusations, stupid misunderstandings, and every tired cliché from the handbook of BL world are used in the show. Both leads become aggravating toward the end as they refuse to communicate or compromise. A good romance is supposed to convey how the leads fall in love, but here, the journey is choppy and confusing. The makers had 2 very good looking leading men and they could have done wonders with the cast but thanks to the lousy material and lacklustre characterizations; this show never even tries to rise above the mediocrity that it is serving its audience. It doesn't evened full justice to food recipes or trying to educate people on that. It just comes and go. This show is extremely arbitrary and very disappointing especially since food based BL shows are something I look forward to. (3/10)
Comments
Still, I know drama needs drama, but misunderstanding and poor communication are always the most tedious ones... Poor kisses have no excuses though!
I liked the korean food explanations. And the french name ;)
But its also unbelievable how the BL factories have stepped up their game