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...
Loy, is a kind hearted son of a widow, whose father died and they have big loan to pay and then we have Kaew, who comes from a more nobler family. The setting is rural Thailand where farming is the way of life. The dup have been extremely close friends since they were kids. Both are strikingly handsome, natural leaders & pillars of the community, and are desirable by a lot of eligible females in this rather small community. One day they kiss each other (happens in the very first episode) but the leaves both of them confused. A few days later it happens again and they realize that their feelings are more of love for one another and they pray in front of God for their unwavering love. Interestingly, Kaew's sister and another girl (daughter of village head, whom Loy owes money), they both like Loy and want to be close to him. So a lot of side stories of backstabbing, plot planning, stealing boyfriends, a girl raised a like a boy happen in parallel. But when it comes to Loy and Kaew's love story we do get to see a few lengthy romantic moments. When Kaew's sister proposes to Loy, the two men realize that the society may never be able to accept their love. In a sudden finale, Loy gets killed by the village head's son, who is shown to be a bully and I think he dies and the series just ends there.
The biggest problem with this series was that the story meanders all over the place. Had the show focused on just the love story, it would have ben fantastic. The scenes are sensual, full of kisses, erotic and even the two handsome leads, you enjoy watching them. Their kissing scenes feel genuine and real. But there is no growth or build up of their relationship. It's sudden kisses, one min chat and going and getting physical. An emotional build up and growth was missing. The tragic ending does not help either. And then we have everything else. Biggest mistake here is too many characters in a jumbled mess. The acting was amateurish, and the plot meandered, therefore pointless. Some parts of it were downright cringe-worthy if not even revolting. There was no structure, no rhythm, and many of the supporting performers lacked confidence along with experience. It felt like scenes were just cut and pasted together with no real flow. The plot, the writing, and especially the fight scenes left a lot to be desired. While the series has its moments, mainly in the chemistry and kissing scenes between the two lovely handsome leads, the overall execution is lacking. I can't really recommend it unless you're in it for the visuals and a few hot moments. (3/10)
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