This review may contain spoilers
It's just amazing
When I first came across the pilot trailer a few months ago, I honestly didn't know what to expect. I mean of course I knew that I could expect a whole lot of gay, but maybe because I didn't know what the concept of pilot trailers meant for the thai tv show industry, or maybe because I was preoccupied with other shows at the time, I didn't think much of it. Then, after I forgot about it completely for like a good few months, I came across the first episode; it didn't even show up in my recommended, I just saw the video pop up on the side when I was watching something else and guess what...I was hooked (I ended up binging the 2 episodes that had already released). I don't know if this has ever happened to me before, I can't remember; waiting for every Saturday, waiting till my computer clock shows 11:30 am, knowing that that meant I could finally watch a new episode of GAP. And boy, I will admit that I wasn't convinced by the acting right away, nor was I obsessively rooting for the couple, relative to now. But damn was I wrong. The acting, even the crying, that was maybe a little too sudden, in episode 2, got so much better. Don't get me wrong, the cliches, the questionable cuts throughout episodes that people mention a lot; I get it, I agree (for the most part), but, and trust me on this one, it's worth it. The couple is just that good; FreenBecky just really know how to bring a couple, a series, a fandom to life.Was this review helpful to you?
The story is amazing indeed
I was honestly surprised by this show. At first, I thought this would be just another lesbian show with nothing much to add but it turns out that I was wrong. This series talks about a difficult love due to the cultural questions in Thailand, and also due to business work. About the acting, it's what I like the most. We can clearly see their chemistry throughout kisses, hugs or even adult scenes. Finally a gl that has everything people want to see. Congratulations for this show. I'm already waiting for another series like this one.Was this review helpful to you?
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Clichés done well
This was my first GL and I absolutely loved it! The storyline did seem a bit cliché, but I am a sucker for such stories (age gap, social gap), so I did actually really liked that. The chemistry between Freen and Becky is absolutely amazing!The storyline is very good, even if it is a bit slow at times. There are certain areas that I feel like could have been done differently – in particular, the side characters / couple as we don’t really get to know much about them, but I found the little interactions between Tee and Yuki absolutely adorable. Also, the character of Cher and the way she treated Sam were amazing. She didn’t get much screen time, but she totally stole the show. I am kind of disappointed that we didn’t get much of a story relating to Nita, I think it could have been used for a conflict in a better way.
I do like what the show did with the representation when it comes to lesbian characters. However, there were still some problematic sides to how they did this. I hate how comic relief trans characters are a norm in BL / GL dramas. This is a problem I have with many dramas, not just Gap, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying.
Lady Sam is a complex character. She does appear very cold, reserved and arrogant, but getting to know her story, we can quickly tell that this is her way of surviving. She is independent and strong, but at the same, she falls victim to her grandmother’s manipulations every time. And that does make a lot of sense – Sam finds family very important, and with having no one else but her grandmother who also raised her since she was a child, she doesn’t want to lose her as well. Even if that means sacrificing her own happiness.
Mon is absolutely adorable! At first she seems to only be cute and sweet, but as the story progresses we also see her more mature side as well as her becoming more confident in her relationship with Lady Sam. I did find Mon’s idolization of Lady Sam a bit annoying and a bit problematic. I really like what they did with the public information of Lady Sam being mostly fake, which put both of them into an equal position when it came to getting to know each other. Sadly, Mon was still idolizing Lady Sam to the point where she forgave her some very hurtful things way too quickly. She does come across as a bit of a pushover.
Kirk is a character I cannot skip. He has his flaws, and he has made some dumb decisions, and while some were led by good intentions, others were led by his arrogance. But with where he is coming from and with the support he has, we couldn’t really expect anything else. I don’t think we can say he was manipulated by grandmother in the same way Lady Sam was, but she definitely holds some sort of power over him as well. Kirk wasn’t necessarily evil, but I think he was arrogant and entitled. But he did kind of come through when it mattered, even if I think he could have done better.
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a heartwarming & addicting watch
Truthfully I rarely finish shows but this one had me hooked ! While the acting and chemistry were a little confusing to me at first it quickly became very beautiful. The leads were phenomenal and by the last episode the chemistry and emotions were off the charts, I cried so much ! I love how realistic it felt too. In many romances I find that when the leads have conflict they can be very tropey or one-dimensional. Sam and Mon however felt very human to me, their personalities and characters were really well developed, and the conflict plot points were well done, even though truthfully they did have a tad too much conflict sometimes. But it was still very realistic and beautiful to me. I really recommend this show to anyone interested!Was this review helpful to you?
The one that Started it all
This is the series that started it all and paved the way for other GL series. The story is Ok nothing new, but even so it is very entertaining. Maybe because of Freen and becky's Chemistry, I think if other actress made this series it won't be the same. Freen has very expressive eyes. I rewatch this series for the hundred times since it was release and i still don't get tired of it. The acting is not the best but it's okay, at the end of the series you can tell that becky is improving little by little. The OST will always be nostalgic.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The First Thai GL Celebrated All Over the Globe
One of the first GL series from Thailand, "Gap The series" was a well-received and appreciated show, that broadened the scope of the GL industry. In an industry monopolized by the Boys’ Love genre which mostly focused on the love story between two boys, it was nice to see a lesbian love story. The show was nicely paced, being a sweet and cozy workplace romance between a boss and subordinate, with one being cold but sweet and other being a ray of sunshine.Read the complete article here-
https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/05/27/gap-the-series-series-review-ep-1-to-12/
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First, and hopefully not last.
The first full-length Asian GL ever. The story is a typical CEOxEmployee office romance, with a touch of queerness. I want to, with all my heart, thank and congratulate Saint Suppapong, for paving the way to other GLs and for the popularity this drama has gained. He said, in an interview, that people close to him told him that it's a risky idea; so I want to thank him, once again, for not getting discouraged and not giving up on this show. I actually, wanted it to give it a 9.5, but changed my mind, seeing that it's a first in this industry. Although I hope, that it isn't the last.STORY:
A basic romance one, with a ton of angst. Mostly coming from the fact that they are a female couple. But social class takes a role in that, too. I do like that Kirk , Sam's fiance, didn't turn out to be a total jerk:)))
ACTING/CAST:
I rarely cry, I'm not an emotional person, at least on the outside. But this GL made my eyes fill with tears a handful of times, and made the tears run across my face a few. What I'm trying to say is, they acted the emotional parts extremely well, especially in Ep 11 in the beginning of part 2. FreenBecky did extremely well for rookie actresses, but I also think that actress Mind, playing Nueng, did amazingly well for the little amount of lines she did. The actresses playing as Sam's friends were hilarious, and the Irin, playing Mon's friend did great, also. Actor Heng, who I have not seen for the first time (SCOY) did not disappoint me, yet once again. I think that the actress playing Grandmother is underrated because she made me hate her, and when she had to became a "good character" I felt empathetic enough to like her again.
MUSIC:
It wasn't bad, I especially like the saxophone in Ep 11.
REWATCH VALUE:
Why wouldn't you rewatch the first GL ever, after tons of them (hopefully) get produced after? I'd love to, to remember how it all started.
OVERALL:
Spectacular. I love Saint for initiating this, and everyone who contributed to this for their hard work. The story is typical, but it's a wlw. So what are you doing here? Go ahead and watch it.
Princess likes you!
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This review may contain spoilers
The one, the only, the OG...
Gap: The Series is singlehandedly responsible for the current wave of GL media sweeping the nation of Thailand. It was also my Thai GL gateway drug. It’s easy to nitpick what’s not very good about Gap, which other reviewers have already done. It’s certainly more fun to watch if you embrace its unique brand of campy hilarity, like when Lady Sam goes home to her empty mansion, puts on some funereal violin music, lights a bazillion candles, and takes a sad bath, like a depressed vampire. Or when Nop gets noped into the sprinkler wearing a “No Pain No Gain” t-shirt. Comedy gold, people!What’s more interesting to me are the things that Gap does well. Whether intentionally or by accident, Gap succeeds in certain areas where recent GLs (*cough* loyalpin *cough*) have struggled. The characterization is surprisingly strong, for example, especially in the first half. Take the sad vampire scene: It’s silly and over-the-top, but it tells us all we need to know about Sam. She’s rich and pretentious, but her wealth and good taste can’t protect her from loneliness. Mon is naive and idealistic, meanwhile, but she’s no doormat; she has a mischievous streak, and calls out Sam constantly on her bs. The power dynamics are uncomfortable, of course, if you stop to think about them for too long, but the script does a pretty good job of making Sam enough of a blundering dork (who is possibly neurodivergent as well) that the playing field seems level-ish.
Gap even has good side characters! Sam’s friends all have distinct personalities, and they are so much fun that I can almost forgive them for being a bunch of self-absorbed nepo babies. Mon’s coworkers have their own charm, too. (I’m only iffy on Auntie Mhee, who seems to lean into certain transphobic stereotypes in a way that doesn’t sit well with me, although I admit I’m out of my cultural depth.) Even the rival CEO villain, who contributes jack-all to the story, serves so much **** whenever she appears that she justifies the whole pointless subplot. And the male characters, Kirk and Nop, are written with the right amount of nuance—they are obnoxious and entitled, with exquisitely punchable faces, but they’re given the chance to grow without being absolved for their behavior.
I do wish the later episodes wasted less time on the evil grandmother and tiresome Sam/Mon drama, and allowed the side characters more time to shine. It’s especially tragic that we were deprived of Tee/Yuki so that Sam and Mon can have yet another round of break up, make up, make out. To be honest, when I rewatch Gap, I rarely make it past Episode 9—the characters get a bit lost in all the drama toward the end, and there’s not enough camp to make the drama fun.
But there’s a reason I keep rewatching Gap! The romance might be riddled with tropes and clichés, but you know what? The tropes work. It IS cute when the couple meets as kids for the first time, and when they reunite as adults, I DO want to know what happened to Lady Sam to make her change so much. It’s fun to watch a ray of sunshine like Mon melt the heart of an ice princess and make her smile, and it’s fun to watch them try and fail to hide how much they want to make out in the workplace. Gap is a trashy show, yes, based on a trashy book, but as the film critic Pauline Kael once said, “GL is so rarely great art that if we cannot appreciate great trash we have little reason to be interested in it.” (I’m paraphrasing.) I wouldn’t say Gap is always great trash, but it is pretty dang good trash, for the most part, and it paved the way for hopefully even better trash—and, who knows, maybe even some good art—in the future.
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One of the best GL series in my opinion
I don’t usually binge watch a series but when it comes to great GL storylines, I’m hooked.Love between two women is something worth watching and in my opinion, it is one of the best series I’ve seen. I’ve already watched it nearly 10 times and the chemistry between the two protagonists Sam and Mon is quite fantastic.
The pure love of Mon to melt Sam’s coldness is lovely in itself. There are some questionable camera angles that I found confusing at times, but nothing beats the loveliness between the two, I look past the angles, and focus on the angels.
Overall, the soundtrack was cool, mystifying, romantic, the story can be an emotional rollercoaster, but you just have to watch it for yourself. Don’t take my word for it, everyone has their own opinion and we should respect that. After writing this review, I might as well watch it again from the top.
FreenBeck for life ❤️
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The best GL series for me as of the moment.
For me, this is the best gl series!!! I love everything! Lots of rollercoaster feeling. The comedy is so good. Their mini game especially the trade between sam and mon is very unique. The story is really good. Others might felt cringey especially first episodes but keep watching, maybe until ep 5 but if you still dont like it then the series is not for you. Freen and becky are so good here and they really have a good chemistry. I am so crazy over them that it is not healthy anymore haha You always have something to look for every saturday but now, it is down to 2 episodes. I hope there will be more series or movies of Freen and Becky in the future but I am also good if they have their own projects, will still support them so they can grow as an actress too.Was this review helpful to you?
Best GL representaion on TV/ Youtube
I love the accurate GL representation this show provides. The main actresses' chemistry is undeniable. Sometimes I wonder if they are a couple in real life because the acting is so natural, cute and definitely romantic. Freen (Sam) and Becky (Mon) are talented and are very sweet and humble to fans as well. I sure can’t wait for season 2 of this series. This series was adapted from the novel of the same name. I have been waiting for this series since the first pilot trailer I accidentally watched on Twitter. Go watch it and you'll understand what I mean.Was this review helpful to you?
