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Journey With You (Chinese Series)

By Golu
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...
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Settle Down (Web Series) (Canada)

By Golu
There are so few comedy stuff out there that every content that comes out is anticipated a lot. I did not know anything about this 6 part Canadian series, but I was happy to be pleasantly surprised. It is exactly the light queer kinda comedy we need right now. It is about relationships, the many and varied forms they can take, and the many and varied challenges and obstacles they present, both real and imagined. Each episode explores the challenges of queer love through new client stories, tackling themes of anxiety, commitment issues, and unconventional relationships. These clients and their stories reflect various topics about queer dating, love, and sex.

Mason runs a podcast about love. Relationships and settling down while also running a match making business for queer personnel, a welcome change from the plethora of apps available. He has been married to Jarod for a few years , who has been very supportive of the business but of late Jarod feels that his work is more important for Mason thereby completely ignoring the dynamics and love and importance of their own relationship, which is kind of ironical since he runs a relationship expert podcast. Over the duration of 6 episodes, Mason struggles to find a work-life balance is threatening to taint his budding love empire beyond repair. We meet new clients every episode while we also see his dynamics and support via his best friend Ben, who himself is going through and off and on relationship with a hot guy and has body positivity issues. We also meet the girl who works with Mason and a new barista friend that Ben and Mason make over the course of time. Their antics and advice add humor and depth to the narrative. Together, they navigate a world where love is rarely perfect, but always worth fighting for. When Jarod cannot take anymore, they even go for relationship counseling, but Mason, who supposedly knows everything about love eventually is unable to save his own marriage.

Settle Down offers a refreshing take on the complexities of relationships, exploring themes like anxiety, commitment issues, and unconventional love. Each episode weaves together Mason’s personal journey with compelling client stories, exploring the highs and lows of contemporary queer love. Thankfully, the show doesn't make things soppy. Instead, it is very relatable, you laugh with what you see and you even find comfort in some of these scenes. No relationship is perfect and no individual is perfect. It all needs constant work and you can never take your partner for granted. The demise of many relationships is often a result of poor communication, and I think Settle Down tackles that perfectly. The fact that the show is created by POC, it is nice to see a mixed representation of communities in the show. The show does what many other series fail to do by capturing the push and pull of what it means to be ambitious and still be accountable to others. Kudos to the makers and the director who also plays the lead Mason. Great acting by not just him but everyone else in the casting. Not only the visuals are very good quality production, the locations, the outfits, the vibe and thoughtful creation of each character really made every single person stand out in their own way, corresponding with the whole creation. I thoroughly enjoyed this show and we can really use series like this that try and mirror the real challenges that we all face in our day to day lives without giving us stress about it. It's refreshing to see a show that balances humor, heart, and authentic representation so effortlessly. (7.5/10)
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