Never Let Me Go

very interesting concept but the execution was lacking

This show had a very interesting premise but, in my eyes, didn’t allow itself to go down an either darker or more lighthearted road and therefore couldn’t utilize iit. This show dealt with death and abuse but kept it all very PG-13. You definitely can still make a dark show with that rating, but this show specifically failed. This show wasn’t able to juggle and perfectly balance out romantic, dramatic, and sad moments. Therefore, it would’ve been easier if they just leaned more in a darker or lighter direction.

To give an example. At one point, Nueng’s mother and Palm’s father both get shot by assassins. And their knee-jerk reaction is to flee to a beach and hide there for idk how long and just chill there and have fun. They try to make it seem like Nueng has the best time of his life to lay the groundwork for the finale, but it doesn’t work. One moment Nueng is there, having the time of his life (even saying that he’s never been happier) and then we are reminded “oh right, the mom could be dead by now” but this show doesn’t want us to dwell on that too long, because oh look! another cute moment between our leads!

So, either this show goes into a darker direction and let’s Nueng and Palm show more humanity and worry about their parents or they go down a more lighthearted road and tell us “yeah they are fine, now look at them swimming in the ocean!” both doesn’t work. Or rather, this show didn’t make it work.

While Nueng and Palm had a stronger beginning, their ending felt weak. I absolutely love the bodyguard trope. There is just so much external and internal conflict right at your feet but the writers stepped over it. There was some interesting back and forth and testing boundaries and how far they could go. Especially since Palm’s dad seemed really really concerned his son might overstep a line and get them fired or something. And after Nueng’s outburst at the dance, yelling at Palm to “know your place” and calling him a mere bodyguard, etc. In the end it was a bigger deal to me than Palm it seemed. It should’ve laid the groundwork for future insecurities and struggles. You tell me that everyone around Palm kept telling him that there was a clear boundary that Palm shouldn’t dare to cross and that he was worth less than Nueng and he was only there to protect the rich and wealthy and he was like “yeah, anyway”? A shame. Palm just seemed to get over it too quickly, after his own father was telling him the same. It’s like everyone around Palm kept telling him the same thing and Palm just ignored it as best as he could.

The writers were also such cowards and didn’t like to address the obvious classism. They constantly brought it up but as soon as it could’ve actually made things interesting, they dropped it. Same goes for the “bad rich and good rich people” mentality. In BL there are only two types of rich people. The Good Rich People and the Bad Rich People. Nueng rarely gets called out on his privilege because he wants to help the less fortunate by playing piano for a dance club for seniors. His family is apparently stupidly rich but they are good rich people, so it’s fine. You can say about Not Me what you want, but at least they were very clear about one thing (and I am grossly simplifying here) “there is no such thing as good rich people because as long as they are hoarding their money and don’t help others with it, they are bad rich people”.

The bullying at school was definitely a choice. And to have the class president constantly come in after a “prank” and yell “guys come on, stop it” and his “I am the class president I can take care of it” obviously you can’t, Ben.

Also, you shouldn’t give away your villain if you aren’t doing anything with it. I was a bit let down after they revealed who killed Nueng’s father immediately. There was no mystery aspect to it, instead we got many mustache-twirling evil-laughter scenes with him. I always cringe when a grown-ass man is after a teenager. The only good thing about it was that it introduced an opportunity to us for a very interesting character that this show didn’t allow to become something great. Chopper.

I would’ve loved it if they allowed Chopper to be more of a flawed character. He remained pretty solid throughout the show, always trying to do the right thing and stopping his father for the most part. And I wish they would’ve given him a bit more room to explore him trying to help his father by spying on Nueng, or idk.

Chopper was by far the most interesting character for me. He was the most morally gray out of the teenage cast and definitely had a lot of internal struggles that were brushed over. His dynamic with Nueng was great. The “doesn’t matter if our parents hate each other, it has nothing to do with us” was a feast they didn’t eat. They never allowed Chopper to get close to Nueng, so his betrayal of never telling him what his father did, didn’t hit as hard. Especially when Nueng returned from the beach and tossed him aside. So much angst and drama that they chose to ignore.

With that we come to my next point. Chopper and Ben’s relationship was a mere fraction of what it could’ve been. Basically, Chopper confessed his feelings for Ben and Ben rejecting, causing them to grow apart. And right after we find that out, Ben and Chopper both insinuate that they have feelings for each other and make it more or less known to the other. And after that there isn’t much development until they…suddenly decide to move in together. We don’t even get a dead fish kiss, imagine that. Not even a high five.

On top of that, this show wanted to frame Ben as Chopper’s moral compass. Ben telling Chopper to betray his father and stop him from committing more crimes and get more people killed felt ultimately flat because Chopper was never trying to do anything but that. He tried to reason with his father, but you can’t expect a teenager to stand up to his father who literally cuts people’s hands off IN FRONT OF HIM for a living.

The whole “you should stop your father” felt really insensitive coming from Ben, after he couldn’t stand up to his own father and be honest about the kiss. It was really hypocritical. And after everything, Chopper get’s shipped off to England to follow Ben to university (and we never get a scene where Chopper and Ben talk about moving to Europe together since it… seems like a pretty big move). We don’t even get a heartbreaking goodbye between Chopper and his father. He seemed devastated after he got shot and the next scene is him being sad about his father being in jail and that’s it. He rides off into the sunset with Ben never to be seen or heard from again. And there goes the most interesting character, wasted.

Same goes for Palm and his mother. At first it seemed like Palm had a lot of resentment toward her for leaving him and his dad behind. But after she explained that she wanted to flirt and party and live her life and just wasn’t ready for a child, all seemed forgiven. And then she’s killed and Palm shed a tear or two and that’s it. Nueng got almost the entire show whining and crying over his dead father and injured mother, but Palm didn’t even get an episode or two for his injured father and dead mother? Seems fair.

I wish they would’ve divided the focus on Palm and Nueng more equally, instead of blatantly favoring Nueng and his family over Palm’s (in a way it’s poetic how the rich family get’s more screen time and is favored over the poor family).

Or, and here I come with a drastic change, make this show about Chopper and Nueng. Two cousins who really love and care about each other are thrust into a family feud that neither of them want to deal with because “no matter if our parents hate each other, it has nothing to do with us”. More or less, the bad buddy road if you will but without the romance and more family bonding. I know that this show is about Palm and Nueng and I really love the bodyguard trope, I do. But I feel like there was so much unexplored potential with Nueng and Chopper.

The ending was okay, even though I’m really over the “separating the couple for ages in their time but for five minutes on screen” trope. Even though I did understand it from their perspective at the very least. I know that many wanted a sad ending but I personally am not really a big fan of those, so for all it’s worth, the ending was fine.

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It's fun if you don't take it seriously

I originally watched this series while airing and although I enjoyed it I still thought it was dumb so I gave it a 5. After watching Jack and Joker recently and being utterly disappointed by how dumb the story I remembered this one and thought that 5 was to harsh because at least this one somewhat makes sense sometimes so I decided to re-watch and give it a better rating if needed.

10 episodes into the re-watch I have to admit that 5 was generous enough. It's cute, with great scenery, good looking leads and great soundtrack. But all the plot holes and the bad acting make it a tough watch, especially the second time around.

I would recommend to watch this one if you have nothing else to do, just enjoy the silliness and the beauty of it. Also the special episodes are cute I recommend to watch them once your done with the series.

Em did I say the specials were good?? I was sure I had liked it the first time around, I had given them a 6 🤣 The specials are so so much worse, but again, pretty scenery beautiful boys, watch if you're bored, forget logic and enjoy the silliness.

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mixed feelings

it's a good bl but it has its pros and cons, so let's list it.

PRO.
-the story is good, it's entertaining, has some angst moments, romance, drama, etc.
- Acting of the main couple can be better since it's a bl with lot of drama that requires more emotions but It wasn't horrible. phuwin's acting when pond's character gets shot was the only moment I really felt the impact of the scene with both of them.
-Perth acting is so good, he did an amazing job with the character.
- I liked the picture, it was my fav thing lmao

CONS.
-even if the story is good, there were situations that didn't make sense.
-Some episodes were boring and it did take me a long time to finish them. I was really close to drop the bl
- there's moments where the acting should be dramatic but didn't feel like it, so the plot and drama were ruined lmao.
-first episodes were so good but the last ones are kind of boring so it can make the viewer lose interest in the show

Conclusion.

tbh I don't think it's a bl that I'll rewatch, it wasn't bad but I didn't connect with any character. i don't think is a waste of time but if someone doesn't watch it, I don't think they are missing an important series.

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A rather forgettable series

As always, everything is my own opinion and not intended to offend or upset anyone. (Let's be honest, I'm just rambling, really.)

So, I'll be honest - I didn't enjoy this as much as most, it seems. Perhaps I'm just fed up with every other BL being mafia related in someway, and the whole 'boy from powerful family falls in love with boy who is a nobody' feels so over done these days. The storyline was predictable and very little felt realistic or believable.

In terms of the cast, until recently I didn't enjoy Phuwin as an actor at all; I feel like he often gets typecast and comes across as whiny, which makes me sad because he is obviously a great actor and very talented, but I feel like he doesn't get to shine very much. Even Pond didn't really get a chance to show off his acting skills; I feel like the cast were a bit restrained? I'm not sure how else to explain it.

Over all, I felt it was pretty forgettable, and not a series I would ever rewatch. (However, I will say that the 2 special episodes for Our Skyy 2 were fantastic, and I would have loved to have seen more of that Palm and Nueng because Pond and Phuwin actually looked like they were enjoying themselves. I'll hold back from saying too much, though, as I'll save those rambles for my OS2 review.)

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Left me unsatisfied.

I’m a sucker for vintage and retro in movies and shows and that’s what I want to talk about first. The atmosphere In this drama is just ravishing. My eyes are in heaven. Thank you.

Many people say that this movie is a miserable attempt to recreate KinnPorsche, but I won’t agree. I am used to seeing similarities between Thai dramas, they stopped bothering me. I always look for specificities in every drama and I have never failed to find them, and that’s what I pay attention to while rating dramas.
Salient similarity: “You do it, because my/your father told you so. That’s your duty, you don’t have feelings for me”. The same situation was with Phupha and Tian. Classic story.

Thai dramas would have lost their peculiarity without beach vacations, musical instruments and motorcycles. I’m glad to see that the guitar was replaced by the piano. There’s something that has been bothering me all the time: american songs. It was so unusual to me…Thai songs were outnumbered by american songs, but I’m not saying that it is a bad thing. I just love listening to Thai songs in Thai dramas, that’s it.

Everything is comprehensible in this drama until you get picky about the plot: What happened to Palm’s father? When did Ben manage to generate feelings for Chopper? I knew from the start that these two would end up together, what I’m saying is that they needed more screentime.
Sometimes the main leads were clutching at straws for showing some chemistry: either they had smoldering emotions or tried to forge them. This is the main reason I couldn’t force myself to feel that special emotional boud with the leads. I still can’t get over Khao and First, because they enchanted me with their acting skills and chemistry. Palm was naturally shy and meek, but what about Pond? Was he shy to act? There were a lot of sad moments and only once they made me cry and I apparently felt the chemistry: when Palm was screeming and calling his mom after she died and when Palm hugged Nueng from the back after pushing him away. I adore that scene.

I can say the same thing about Nueng’s emotions. When Palm got a tattoo to honor Nueng, the latter was supposed to act like he was really astounded. In my opinion, he failed. Instead of manifesting surprise, he was acting as if Palm MUST have done it a long time ago, because he was his Young Master, and it would have been a shame not to do that. I need real emotions, that’s it.

This transition from teenagers to adults was not smooth. Nueng became a businessman in the blink of an eye..or maybe I’m underestimating him. I don’t know, it just wasn’t convincing enough to me.

And the last time when Palm left Nueng…C’mon, bro, you have talked this over for like hundred times already and the deduction has always been the same: You love each other and want to stay together. I understand, that Thanya’s words affected him, but c’mon, how could you think of yourself as an impediment after what you had been trough? This was either a way to get them separated for worrying the audience, or forgetting promises given once or even more was a piece of cake for Palm.

7.5/10.

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It's not what i expected, BUT at least...

For me, it's still one of the best Thai bl series in 2022. However I agree with the comments below and can’t deny the fact that there’s a lot of nuance here.

I’ll start with the good parts. First of all, the idea of the story isn't cliche. Love between boss and bodyguard, it's like fresh air. The second one is the main character's acting: it's stunning, I believed in it and don't have any pretension to them at all. The last is the storytelling. I thought it has a good content. There were a lot of happenings, locations, which constantly changed and kept in tension. So I wasn’t bored watching it.

So, now about the nuances I mentioned at the beginning. Palm has a very strange relationship with his parents. Their reactions to each other are not natural. Palm so easily swallowed mom’s egoism. " I’m sorry I left you" - I’d be crying in there. Characters are not completely disclosed. It’s about Ben and Chopper. Their relationship was very flat. They lacked time and more intimate conversations. And a huge claim to the filming of fights. Sorry, but it feels like the work of another shooting team. Was it not possible to put the sound on top of an implausible slap?

In the end, I want to say I probably expected a lot from the series, but I didn’t get it. I liked the sea views, the beach and etc. Such a beautiful picture, but not enough attention to details. And I think it applies to many Thai series. But with that kind of experience, why not get better?

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Different than I expected

I'm not sure why I never chose to watch this even if this series has been in my list for a long time and I'm a big Narawin. I wanted something emotional so I decided to choose this one and from the description itself it did sound like an emotional series soooo. I have to say tha after watching this series it might've become on of those "comfort series without comfort". I really feel bad about missing out this fucking banger and poor homophobes, they don't get to see masterpieces like these very often.

It was soooo weird watching this as an 18 yeasr old and Phuwin playing 18 years old, since's he's obviously 19-20 years old. He looked way to mature playing a 18 year old. I had to laugh a bit because in the very first scene Phuwin REALLY reminds me of Wilhelm from the Swedish BL Young Royals.

I understand Nuengdiao's mom might've been in shock from her husband dying and very overprotective. She genuinely seems like a sweet woman but one small thing after he died irritated me. She was so fucking stern. I was really surprised when Nueng came out to her and she just casually accepted it. I was totally wrong about Nueng's mom. Palm's dad irritated me actually and I disliked him worse than Nueng's mom. He kept leaving his own kid out of everything even if Nueng clearly said certain things were okay, like driving to school with him. Only later on, of course, I started to get his dad more and more.

The difference between Palm and Nuengdiao being treated is super big, and through the whole series they really highlight this, till the last scene. Nueng is clearly always seen as the 'rich kid' who people hate on because he has money. They try to scam him or are simply jealous. At the whole school it didn't make a lot of sense to me, but it was mentioned Nueng was bullied before aswell, it wasn't new. I don't understand why his mom or the principal never did something about it, but you can clearly notice the bullying being after class so no teachers would notice.

I'm gonna be sooo honest, I forgot about ChimonPerth. And I have to admit, I secretly kinda shipping Nueng and Ben... SHHH. They were kinda cute together and I'm gonna be honest, I feel bad for Ben. Ben clearly had feelings for Nueng since the beginning and you can see the conflict in emotions Nueng has between choosing. He clearly has an eye for Palm butttt he does not refuse Ben specifically. I might feel even worse for Chopper though because bro is genuinely in an unrequited love situation. Poor Ben and Chopper bro.

Respectfully I do NOT like Nuengdiao. I know some people might not like this but hear me out. I grew up extremely poor and kept REALLY understanding Palm's side of the story but because of that I wasn't really looking at Nueng wth a neutral eye. I also didn't like how he kept causing all of the fights and how he broke up w my poor Palm. I get that Nuang has clear depression but I get depression from seeing another fucking fight on my screen.

A bit technical, I'm in fucking love with the colour grading and effects they've used through the whole show. AND I am for sure trying out Roti Sai Mai lmaoo. Actually originally I thought they were talking about Surinamese roti with cotton candy and I was like "huh who would do that?" and then realised they were talking about Roti Sai Mai.

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A Love that Refuses to Let Go

I just want to start that I'm a ppw fan so this review might be bias lmfao . I've already watched all their shows but decided to make this show as my last show to watched cuz I've heard that this was angst and have a great storyline . And IT DID NOT DISSAPOINT me .

I really loved the casting so far and I've seen some reviews saying some parts are illogical like the whole bodyguard and Nueng should be home schooled and etc . While I do agree that some parts aren't realistic but it still did not takeaway on how incredibly balance and the script is also really well written . Some of the scenes really reminds me of CMBYN for the beach part and I really did appreciate that since it's my first BL movie .

As for the main characters such as Neung and Palm . I feel like not everyone can get or some might misunderstood Neung character not knowing the fact that he was still a teen in this show and is being early exposed to danger and responsibility where not anyone can calmly handled it at that age while also noting the fact that his loved ones can also be hurt . That type of burden and feeling can cause heavy anxiety and fear to anyone honestly. I've seen some labeling him as a yellow flag. Idk what to say about that since he did drugged Palm without his consent and as a Pharmacy student that did kinda triggered me 💀

For Palm ehheheh I feel in love with his character like besides of his dreamy visuals , his personality is whole green forest and I love how his so calm , understanding and patient when it comes to Nueng and I love how he can do anything for him while also showing assurance that his doing it willingly . and the way he said to Neung "you're my life" ghadd I feel in love 1000x more . The only downside was the mother part , it did kinda disappoint me but I did understand how he must be feeling really overwhelmed and troubled at that time . I do understand how he dedicated his life for Neung since realistically he wouldn't exist if it weren't for Neung family saving him . Tbh his character really did made my standards 10x higher 😫 . I could write a whole book for this mann 😔

Lastly as for the music, sorry lmfaoo I really am not a fan of it 😭 it's like those songs that makes the scene kinda weird to the point I had to mute it. Personally there only a few scene that fits it and one of those when they were dancing while Palm was drugged. Wish they could've pick better songs or I don't really mind if it were to be a Thai songs cuz the scene and lyrics of the song don't really reciprocate.

Overall this show is great watch, this type of BL is a rear gem. Tbh hope people get to talk about it often especially with the international fans since it's a famous show in Thailand. This show deserves a worldwide recognition but even without that, it still doesn't take away that this a incredibly well-written show 🥹🫶

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Not Letting This Go

🎥1st EPISODE
First episode starting off strong. It's nothing spectacular but enough to keep you waiting for the next episode.

🫶What I loved:
- the chemistry between the leads
- the color grading (this is very subjective)
- the casting
- the ost

👍What I liked:
- the story pacing, not too fast but not too slow
- the dialogues

✍️What needs to be improved:
- the proximity between the two leads, it's okay but it can be more natural

All in all, I can't wait for the next episodes and I am hoping they can maintain the quality all throughout the series– if not, I hope it's in the getting better alley.


🎥2nd EPISODE
This was so good, far better than the first episode (not a fair fight, may I just say).

🫶What I loved:
- the cute moments from the leads
- they act more natural here
- nueng's smile
- the exchanging of dialogues
-the script

👍What I liked:
- that fight scene of palm (kinda loved it actually)
- their little gay panics

✍️What needs to be improved:
- the next ep schedule, i need it now

Thee best episode so far, and I know I'll be saying this more often for the following ones, but this is the truth for now. Again, anticipating for the 3rd episode already.


🎥3rd EPISODE
The classism is classism-ing and I am so here for it. I hate Ben will all my guts and organs.

🫶What I loved:
- the social class discrimination done subtly right
- when palm punched phum
- the scene by the pond
- palm's imagination
- the hate i had for ben
- the shooting range scene

👍What I liked:
- that palmnueng pool scene (almost loved it if it wasn't for the painful dialogue)

✍️What needs to be improved:
- the next ep schedule, i need it now pt.2

As much as I still love the previous episode, I can't help but be in awe with this episode. It showed how much far can Palm go if he sees Nueng in pain. Though the only reason I kinda disliked this episode from the previous one was because of Ben always butting in anytime. Overall, another episode slayed by Jojo's team, PondPhuwin, and the rest of the supporting casts. I can't wait for the next episode.

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It was mid

I was attracted to this series because of Pond🤭🤚🏽
This is my first series of Phuwin and Pond. I honestly loved their chemistry in the drama. The fact that Phuwin and Pond are already really great actors at a young age is very promising❤️
I just felt that at some point, the story wasn't following the plot line anymore. I felt that there were some scenes that were added that was quite unnecessary, like the death of Palm's mother. Also I disliked the unnecessary drama that was added just to prolong the series, like palm promising not leave kongdiao but still ending up leaving and coming back again and all that dramatic stuff. It was really unnecessary.
I loved the OST tho. I'm looking forward to Phuwin and Pond's other new future projects❤️

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People are too harsh on this show/ stop comparing it to kinnporsche!!!

Ok so I’m not gonna sit here and say that Never let me go is an amazing show that you need to watch. But the reviews are not doing the show the Justice that I think it deserves so let me share a pretty neutral take. Not to harsh but not sugar coated.

Let’s start with the good:
-pondphuwin chemistry never feels forced, very good.
-the times in the show where it’s supposed to be emotional, really does a good evoking it.
-palm and nueng’s relationship is not perfect and is even problematic at the beginning, but the way it progresses later on is very natural and doesn’t feel rushed or sudden.
-basically the whole island arc deepened the characters which makes you feel more connected with them when the conflicts happen near the end.
-episode 9 is amazing and single-handedly brings this show up one rating
-side couple is very cute and loveable

Ok now what makes this show not the best:
-plot holes: why is palm like freakishly strong and can fight and shoot a gun if he’s a fisherman living away from the city??
-nuengs uncle could’ve been caught and stopped so easily even though they were tryna pretend he was rlly powerful
-weak and predictable antagonist (I thought maybe there’d be a twist cuz it was laughably predictable.. but no)
-nueng and palm are both annoying sometimes and don’t get each other. When palm pulled that running away stunt after nueng did it it just felt so out of place and unnecessary. (Unlike when nueng did it)
-Ben and chopper relationship rushed and not enough screen time.
-ending was very very predictable

Btw: GUYS!! palm being a body guard for nueng makes sense.. he needs someone his own age to actually attend the school plus palm kinda owes his family his life. Also, I think palms mom wanted nueng to have a friend more than anything and that’s kinda apparent when she’s pushing for palm to joint nueng with his activities: him being a bodyguard is just a perk. (But I do agree that nueng being so badly bullied in that school is incredibly unrealistic)

Also sorry but I have to give a little section to episode 9: because the emotions in that episode felt so real and were so realistic and it actually made me tear up a little. I was surprised because the acting throughout the show was very average but it was like all of a sudden they bumped it up for this one episode. So yeah that’s all I have to say on that.

SO:

Never let me go is a good show. Not amazing, but certainly not bad at all. They successfully created an entertaining and emotional show, that fell flat due to plot holes and rushed story telling. I wholeheartedly believe that if the writers had more run time, and more time to improve the script, the show would be amazing.

Please don’t be to harsh on it, all the actors did amazing and the show was a genuinely entertaining watch!!! Unnecessary hate in these reviews!

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