To Sir, with Love

Excellent

I had avoided watching this simply due to the title. Reminding me of a 50 year old movie, plus the same name for the theme song from that movie, it just seemed a little silly. But then when I watched it, I realized how wrong I was. Nearly everything about it was excellent. A good story, although it was just a little over the top. The acting was excellent. The cinematography was excellent. The settings and props were excellent. High production values throughout. Still have 7 episodes to go, but if they're as good as the first 10, I have no complaints. Good chemistry between the two male leads, and his brother Yang and the girl that he falls for make a cute couple. Great show.

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I wasn't expecting to be wowed by this lakorn (especially since it's the end of the year) but To Sir, With Love proved me wrong. It's probably the best I've seen this year and exceeded my expectations. I got into it because I saw that Film, who only starred in boy/girl dramas before, was actually going to be in a BL and was curious to see how it would go. I'm very glad I took that chance, otherwise I would've missed out on a very well acted and well produced show.

1. Story
The story was complex, engaging, and had great pacing. It was very obvious that a lot of care went into how it was edited and delivered. Having this sort of LGBT+ plotline set in a historical time could've easily gone wrong, but it wasn't the case here. The historical aspect greatly enriched the story and provided much of the character's justification for their actions. It was also quite unpredictable, and major actions actually had major consequences. I think what really made this stand out was how it was really a lakorn made for a modern audience; even though this is set in an older time, there are modern ideals that are cleverly interwoven where it didn't feel out of place and greatly appealed to me as a viewer of today. 

2. Leads 
Before I get into Tian and Yang, I just want to say that I consider Li (T's mom), Jao Sua Song (T's dad) and Chan (Y's mom) to also be the main leads, and would actually put Jiu and Ying Pin as 2ndary leads. Because without them, there would be no richness in this drama and no believable way to move the plot forward. When I saw that P'Pok would play Li, I knew she would kill it and boy she didn't disappoint. She is an amazing actress, able to pull off so many emotions and make me simultaneously empathize and hate her. Her look when she found Tian and Jiu together made me laugh for days. I adore her and she looked so fab in her Chinese outfits. Jao Sua Song was a surprise since I didn't expect much but his voice is so enchanting and he is surprisingly level-headed, intelligent and can admit he's wrong (can we pleaseee have more dads like this in Thai dramaland). I didn't like Chan as much as the first two but she was a convincing antagonist and it was enough for me.

I thought that this was Film's finest acting to date; previous dramas I've seen him in were just okay. Here he conveyed Tian's sensitive and gentlemanly manner so flawlessly and pretty much acted his pants off as Tian. Yang's actor was also good, although his role was written so well that it would've been hard for him to mess up. The brotherly relationship between Yang and Tian was a major highlight and mood booster for me while watching this, and I'm glad they both stayed loyal to each other till the end.

3. Secondary Cast
I don't have any complaints about the 2ndary cast; all acted well and added to the plot. I liked that Ying Pin wasn't your typical flower girl, but was sassy and intelligent. I also like that Jiu wasn't just a cold assassin, but was willing to open his heart and be desperate in his love for Tian. The rest of the cast, from the house servants to the members of the Five Dragons Association were fun to watch and really lit up the world inside the lakorn.

4. Romance
I wasn't sure if the drama could carry out a convincing BL love story, but I was wrong and the romance hit me in all the feels. This is the kind of love story I love where the two leads meet and there's a spark, but it's not until they get to know each other that the spark becomes a firework. Although this was a love story between two men, I liked how the focus was more on how they were just two people who fell in love, irrespective of their gender. This couldn't have gone so well without the two actor's commitment to the roles, from how you could see Tian light up when Jiu was around, to Jiu doing things for Tian that suggested that his love for Tian was deeper than we thought. I think my only gripe with this is that I felt like there was some missing info for how Jiu accepted being with Tian despite both being men; there wasn't an internal struggle shown that I'd expect men of this time to have, especially when being gay was unheard of.  Regardless, well done to Film and Jam for maturely and beautifully carry out a convincing love story. 

5. Overall
This was a visually appealing drama, from the vibrant colours and patterns in the background, to the clothes that everyone was wearing. The music was amazing (I have Ice and NuNew's songs on my playlist) and played appropriately. This was a wonderful watch with great storytelling, acting, romance and much more. I highly recommend you give it a go and I will certainly re-watch this on my own time.

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My most favorite Movie ever.

I really, really love this series, I am actually being addicted to it, to the couple, Thian and Jiu. What a nice story.
When I started to watch it, the OST is really soothing for me. It gives me kind of hope, I don't know what is the lyrics or meaning behind that song, but for me I feel in love.
The Chinese version of the soundtrack, makes me melt like crazy. I really(100x) love.
The beginning of this film (the 1st episode), was shocking. There's a huge drama happened already and I feel the ache of every characters because of the lost of 1 member and it's because of a secret, and that secret was exposed turned in to horrible situation.
The episode 2, makes me feel happy. Because it's the first time they meet each other. And I love how it went (except of a trouble happened in an Opera) but Jiu is ready to the rescue.
Ok enough! I actually summarizing it. But overall I like it so much and really really love the story. I love the characters and I hope they continue to do films to make me and audience who support them makes happy and feel in love.

The visual effects is a little unrealistic but I don't care, as long as they give us the good story and that's the most important.

The antagonists of this film. Why the heck, I don't mad at them even though they did monstrous actions. But Jan, the mother of Yang is really getting into my nerves. Jan servant, makes me laugh.

Madamme Li, very well done. Your outstanding liar of the year, just kidding! But your acting skills makes me blown away, very very impressive. Her butler Jia, is an expert too!

I love, how Thian and Yang loves each other as siblings. It's kinda rare because usually if your family has very deep quarrel then both siblings are also fighting and hate each other. But their relationship is a Gold, very precious.

Jiu and Thian, why I love you so much! I can't hide the feeling when I watch you in my screen, my heart pounding! You 2 has a great acting skills and you have power to inspire people like me to proceed in life, to inspire, and to be a better version of myself. Thank you for your existence, I love you!

사랑해요!

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A guilty pleasure -- Let's enjoy this soapy drama

Even though this will be a long ride (28 episodes), four aired episodes took off to set a direction for where this ride will be. Maybe there will be a plot twist, but we know a big storm ahead for the central conflict of the series, as the curse has been spelled at the beginning of the series.

Thian, as a leading source of the conflict, will need to make difficult decisions in the future. The firstborn prince in the family, Thian's fate wanted to be set by both his mom and his dad. As perfect as he seems, he admits that 'nobody is perfect.' His smart mom acknowledges Thian's shortcomings. What his mom, Lady/Madam Li, does not know yet is that he has already met his freefall; a guy who sells candy: Jia.

As the leader lady in the house, Li might outsmart Jan by endorsing Thian and Yang's relationship. Yang's innocent and warm personality trait has bound to Thian, he gives his loyalty to his brother. By far, this is precisely what Lady Li wants. What Lady Li overlook is Thian's big love for his brother; he sees his brother as capable of running the family business as well as his brother could be his escape to the position he never wanted in the very first place.

In this messiness and hungry for power, we have Bua as an ally for Thian and Yang. Soon, Yingphin will join as an ally. As a Ying, she will be perfectly perfect for her Yang. Thian and Yang's brotherhood will be contested in the future. I assume Yang's faith in Thian will never be broken as long as he keeps him on his side. Their relationship test will be my main interest to see in this series and how it will be unfolded.

I enjoy the soupy acting by Lady Jan(chan/Yang's mom) and her maid. These two should win the best couple award. They will be the source of humor in this show; no matter what they have done, people will forgive them because of their comical silliness.

They also have a really good set, a solid interior set. Thanks to the production and creative team for making this historic style into scenes. It looks fresh and lovely.

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a messed up family, and a cute love story

OMG really, i didn't expected this drama would be this great. it's not just a simple plot, it's more than that. like where did they find this perfect story and all these perfect cast, not only that , it connects everyone. Everyone of you, who think you are outcasted just because of someone's ideology or mode of thinking. Those people are not realising the fact that, they are also harming the future generation.
I truly enjoyed this lakorn. I was not expecting anything from the first, so everything was a bonus for me.
The main cast did complete justice to their job. Not just them, everyone from the series. Sometimes we can't make sense to the storyline, but everything can't be perfect ( so don't make it a big deal). I can't put words to explain film's talent. He is amazing and his smile is cute. And I really liked the brothers love towards each other.
Not to mention nunew's OST. He is one of the best.
And, I have to say this, if you are planning to watch a romantic comedy bl, then it's not for you. It's all about revenge, jealousy, action, fantasy and with some romance and comedy ( that's what we all are looking for). It's a complete pack of everything.
All those who love their mom, should definitely watch this.(don't wry you'll know after watching this series).
Its worth your time baby. And also they got so many awards. So just go watch it.

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A Mother's Sacrifice for her Son in the name of Love (A Family Drama, not BL Romance)

“To Sir, With Love” is probably my first real lakorn. The other Thai non-BL dramas I’ve watched are “Love Destiny” and “The Crown Princess”. So, I am still not very used to the overdramatic acting and soap opera-like plotlines yet. I was initially attracted to this drama due to its historical setting of a mature, forbidden gay romance. But as I read more and watch more, I adjusted my expectations accordingly. This is not just a love story, but a family drama with dramatic plot development that sometimes doesn't make sense. It’s about love and sacrifice, understanding and acceptance.

Plot -
The drama basically revolves around a mother’s sacrifice to protect her son in the name of love, no matter the price. Throughout the drama, 1st lady Madame Li and her sidekick servant Jia, try to protect her son’s secret. This obsessive overprotectiveness is the root of all evil. The romance between Thian and Jiu is actually a side plot. As I said, I re-adjusted my expectations and I am fine with this family-centric drama instead of a BL romance. However, I feel that this secret has been talked about and dragged on for way too long. If the cat is out of the bag sooner, the pacing of the drama would be better. I would have liked for the secret to be out and then spend time on the consequences and damage control. Instead, so many episodes are spent on protecting this secret with dramatic ‘twists and turns’. After a while, there’s no more surprise and it becomes a repetitive cycle of eavesdropping, devising an evil plan, hurting the person you love.

Romance -
As a romance lover, of course I would have loved to see more of Thian and Jiu. They barely have any scenes together in the first 5 episodes. But that’s ok, I patiently wait for them to be in the same house when the real romance happens. Because so much time was spent on the adult storylines, I am missing the slowly-falling-in-love and unsure-if-he-likes-me scenes. I wanted more loving smiles and shy side glances. The secondary romance between Yang and Phin also got the short end of the stick. They are such a cute, lovely and healthy couple that their romance is just a by-product of the main plot. I also want to see more of their initial falling-in-love development, as they got together pretty quickly.

Acting -
Yes, there’s over-the-top dramatic acting, especially from Madame Jan. This character requires the actress to act that way, and I am OK with it (though it took me a while to get used to it). There are also a few minor roles that act very lakorn/soap opera-ish. They only annoyed me a little. However, I think the MVP is Pok Piyathilda Mittiraroch as Madame Li. She’s so elegant and graceful. Her acting is more subtle and I really feel for her character. She could be all regal in one scene, then calculating in another, and then switch to being an emotional and caring mother. I am most impressed with her. The rest of the cast is pretty good as well. The young leads did an admirable job and I do think they have good chemistry together (when they actually have scenes together). Thian has more emotional scenes and they don’t feel over-the-top. Jiu has a ‘cooler’ and introverted personality, and the actor did well. When he flashed a rare smile when he was with Thian, it did melt my heart a little.

Production -
As this drama is broadcast on TV, I assume the budget is pretty decent. The main house where mainly scenes take place is nicely built and decorated. I love all the Chinese accents and furniture. Throughout the drama, there are many Chinese elements. I LOVE the costumes, especially the qipaos Madame Li wears. Her qipaos are nicer than some I’ve seen in a Chinese dramas. I also like Madam Jan and Phin’s more modern and fashionable styling. The men look handsome in suits, casual wear and traditional outfits, except for Jiu’s raggedly old T-shirts (well, he still looks good). However, outside of the main house, everything looks less sturdy and realistic. The CGI quality needs to be ignored totally….fake snake..fake fire…glittery killing…etc. The OST is decent with a mix of Thai and Chinese music.

Unrealistic events -
I do question a few things while watching and have to tuck away my rational brain a little. It’s hard to imagine proper and rich women beating up and killing bad guys like a born assassin. No matter how many times you’re shot and poisoned, you still have plenty of time to speak your peace before you die. Doors and walls are like thin air. They don’t stop people from eavesdropping in every single episode. You can conveniently and secretly follow someone to their secrets, and also conveniently find and pick up important evidence. I guess this is all part of watching a lakorn.

Despite my criticisms and not being used to the format of a lakorn, I had an enjoyable time watching “To Sir, With Love”. The drama is well-acted, and the pacing is pretty good despite some repetitiveness. I would have liked the drama to be about 12-15 episodes, instead of 17. If you are familiar with and like Thai lakorns, I would recommend this drama.


Completed: 1/8/2023

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Worth the watch

Honestly speaking I hadn't watched any thai lakorns, still don't so was very interested when they said this is going to be first thai bl lakorn. I loved it. Yes it had some nonsensical stuff and bit over dramatic acting sometimes but it's all a part and parcel of this genre that adds to the show. I loved how gracefully the relationship between the main couple was shown. It left you feeling giddy and wanting for more. I wanted to see more of Tian & Jui but sadly it ended. Both the actors did a beautiful job of portraying the emotions of those characters. The music was great and apt for the situations. Hoping to see something more like this in the future.

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A complete story with amazing casts

First of all, I think what it meant to be a lakorn lol
I have watched miracle of teddy bear which is a full fledge 16 episode series with more than 1 hr screentime so i thought i knew what i should be expecting but this is another level.. As I said, as expected of a lakorn lol
Second of all, I am glad the actors are talented and film is able to help jam to emote. I was scared that he is on the inexperienced side but he managed to act out how jiu was supposed to be feeling at the parts. The supporting casts are doing their parts justice and was serving ACTING!!
Third of all, this series really go in depth about how gay people are stigmatized but also managed to portray the relationship of tian with his people, his parents, his step mothers, his brother and his lover and also his role in the house. I think this show has a fuller picture than regular bl shows give( they have 40 mins and 12 episodes so I can understand but I prefer a more complete story)
Fourth of all, and most important thing for me is that they didn't make the leads die or live in misery but have a happy ending and also acceptance. I was afraid that they might make tian leave the house to choose his lover but they welcomed back into the family. This show was aired in prime time so I hope a wider audience who watch the series can get the message.
P.s. the camera effect and sound still has room to improve so i give it 9.5 out of 10!

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Totally Unexpected and Amazing!

I can’t believe how much I loved this. This was my first “Lakorn” (Thai soap opera) and at first I thought the acting was just too over the top. But, I slowly got used to the style and then the story kept me hooked. And it was a wild ride!

I thought the story was crazy at the very beginning and it got even more crazy as it went along. You would think, as deep as it got, that there would be no way for the family to recover.

Everyone did a fantastic job with their roles. The women, the guys, the older men, and the children were just flawless. Tian and Yang were the sweetest brothers on the planet.

Like others have said, I feel empty now that it’s over. They drew me in like I was part of the family… not that I would want to be. Haha

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Engaging, Romantic, Emotional, Hilarous

Just perfect performances by everyone. For anyone looking for a nice desi/masala BL then this is it. Just didn't even feel like I needed to read the subs the acting was loud enough to let me understand in a good way. This is more of a lakorn kind of like a soap opera but just so addicting that the next episode doesn't have subs yet but I still watched half of it.

Edit:I have watched the whole drama and I just loved it. The ending is just fabulous. Each and every actor is so powerful in terms of their character that either you just hate the character or fall in love with them, their is no in between.

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It gets better...

This is the first lakorn I've seen so I knew going into it that it would be different from anything I've ever seen before. I also knew that the romance aspect was not going to be a big part of the story.

That being said, even going in armed and ready, the first half of the series absolutely DRAGGED for me. Not because there wasn't anything going on but because it was the same thing over and over and over again. I honestly ended up skipping most of the scenes with the second wife and her maid because every single time was "how do I get my son to succeed Tian?" And whenever the wives were arguing it was just supper catty to me. Then, as sweet as Lady Phin was, her voice sometimes just got on my nerves because she sounded like she was whining, even when she wasn't.

There's a lot of questionable actions going on which, I normally don't pay too much attention to because not much can phase me. But when Li started trying to send Mat to seduce her own son then drugged him and Phin to make them sleep together, thinking "if he has sex with a woman, he'll stop being gay," that was seriously messed up. And I almost felt queasy when they were sitting down to dinner with the mushroom dinner although I suppose that was the point so kudos to the writer for that one, I guess? I suppose the bad characters had to do some pretty nasty things in order for their redemption to be that much more satisfying and so they kind of accomplished that too. But it could have been done in maybe half the time. Especially since EVERY conversation was overheard by someone else. It should have moved the story along faster but it didn't during the first 80% of the series where it was a constant plot point. Honestly, for as big of a mansion as they were living in, there was ZERO privacy and apparently everyone was just happening by at the right moment.

Now, the second half was getting better as Tian started standing up for himself and flat out saying "I don't want to take over the family business and hide what I am anymore." Nevermind that no one except is brother listened to him but as we see him get more and more frustrated, the viewers are just waiting for the explosion to happen.

Speaking of the brother, I think the best part of this show was Tian and Yang's relationship. When they were on screen together, it was always phenomenal from start to finish. I really can't say enough good things about them and really, Tongtong's performance as Yang was probably the best throughout the entire series. Apparently, being a lakorn means there's bound to be some overacting which I definitely agree with. Especially Jan and her maid.. they were distractingly overdoing it which was also part of the reason I skipped their scenes.

The last couple of episodes really hit hard in an unexpected way for me. With how ridiculous the series started out, it really ended strong with some major feels and declarations. Some of the speeches could have been edited a bit shorter, especially Li's while she's there surrounded by everyone and she addresses each one individually. But still. I found myself tearing up a few times, especially toward the end.

Overall, I would say it was a worthwhile watch though I don't really see much re-watch value in it for me personally. Maybe if there was a Tian, Yang and Jiu cut, I'd watch that over and over. But this was a long series with a lot of repetitiveness that brought me really close to dropping it. But if you decide to start this, I'd suggest to stick with it because it gets better as it goes.

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