I really need a way to take a break from all these BL shows, especially the Thai ones. I'm not saying they're all bad, but I badly need some kind of filter. Paper thin plots stretched over long episodes, clunky writing, and so much content out there that a list of what not to watch would be a blessing. This one's about two ex boyfriends who reunite years after breaking up. The writing's all over the place, and the characters have zero common sense. I'm also getting seriously tired of the non communicating trope, it's really starting to get on my nerves. The one good thing is the kids and the second gay couple, but beyond that nothing's memorable. It's 10 episodes, each about an hour. Than and Akin were lovers back in college. Than's younger than Akin, and even though they were together, Akin always had this feeling Than might be seeing other people, which was never true. We learn all this through flashbacks. In the present, Than heads a sports gym in...
Than and Akin were lovers back in college. Than's younger than Akin, and even though they were together, Akin always had this feeling Than might be seeing other people, which was never true. We learn all this through flashbacks. In the present, Than heads a sports gym in the same building where Akin works. Than's looking after a niece, while Akin has taken on the role of a father to Mawin. Than decides he wants his ex back and does everything he can to win him over. Only much later do we find out the real reason Akin's upset with him is that he believes Mawin is actually Than's son. And the fact that he never even tells Than this is just unacceptable. We eventually learn Mawin isn't Than's son at all and it was a huge misunderstanding, but by then I'm so tired of wondering why these people can't just talk. As you'd expect, over time the misunderstandings get cleared up and the two end up back together. The secondary love story is actually better developed. It's about Akin's coworker Pond, a photographer and a candid guy who says exactly what he thinks. He gets into an argument with a new client, Don, at first, but soon the two fall into a hot, steamy romance that grows into much stronger feelings. The only problem is that Don isn't comfortable with other people knowing about them. It's only when tragedy hits this couple that Akin and Than are forced to rethink how they want their own relationship to grow and where it ends.
Like I said, the one saving grace of the main story is the two kids Akin and Than are raising. They're adorable and they're the glue holding this mess together and keeping it entertaining. Without them, the two leads would have no substance at all. Pond and Don's arc, on the other hand, had real depth. Pond's vulnerability and exhaustion come through, so you can feel his pain. You can see he deeply loved Don, a love that sadly was never going to work out. For a secondary story, their connection outshines Than and Akin's in both depth and intensity, whatever those two supposedly had all along. There's enough steamy stuff to keep that part of the audience happy too, and with ripped bodies and perfect faces it always makes for easy viewing. The biggest problem is the reason the main couple broke up in the first place, which lands somewhere between ridiculous and foolish. I did enjoy the office friendships, those moments felt natural and added some much needed lightness. But when you barely remember the main story, who's going to remember any of the fluff in these shows? Will Thai BL producers learn and change anytime soon? I don't think so. Until then, if anyone knows a better way to filter these shows, please let me know.
Bottom line, a messy reunion story saved only by two cute kids and a better secondary couple. (4/10)
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