Triage

Proceed with caution

I went into this show right after finishing Manner of Death. Now, that was probably all on me. I expected something at par, or maybe just slightly worse off, than MoD.

The premise was very interesting. I managed to watch about 10/13 episodes in one day, even while working. Around episode 6-7 though, is when I realised that I'd lost interest enough to start looking for logic in a lot of things the characters were doing. That came to head during the last 3 episodes, where I was honestly left wondering how I made it this far into the show, and why I was continuing to watch the show still.

The actors did a brilliant job, don't get me wrong. But, somewhere along the way, the plot started to slip enough for me to snap out of my "it's a story, it's not supposed to make sense" mindset and start actively wondering how or why this show has been recommended to me multiple times.

P.S: That MaxTul cameo? I knew it was coming and I squealed with happiness anyway. That was the absolute highlight of this entire show, for me. Which, sadly, tells you enough about how quickly this show lost me.

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if you liked Manner of Death you will love this show

As soon as I heard that Dr. Sammon was behind Triage I was more than eager to watch it. I was super excited that we finally get a BL that isn't another engineer/medical student university drama, but a medical/fantasy drama. I know that we got quite a few shows and movies about time loops, but it's the very first time for a BL. Let me break down my review in two parts: The Good and The Bad.

The Good:
- The Acting. Tae and Tee both are able to carry not only their ship but also the show. From subtle to grant emotions. They did a good job portraying the characters. Also the supporting cast did well. Great casting.

- The built-up and the relationshp between Tin and Tol. We follow Tin most of the time and his POV, he only know about Tol what he knows. And I loved how we not only saw Tol opening up over time, we saw Tin opening up as well. At first, Tol was nothing but a drunk university student to him who he must safe for some reason, but over time he learns that Tol isn't what he initially thought he was. To see how them growing from distant aquaintances to close friends to lovers was amazing and well done. Also something I appreciated was that instead of judging and scowling Tol for his fuck-ups, he tried to give him advice and talk to him about it and that led to his big development in character. He didn't help Rit because Tin forced him, but he genuinely changed and understood that he had to make up for his mistakes. And Tin who grew more and more open and kind because of Tol (highlighted more in the last episodes). And to see them both struggle so much to save their loved one and the people they care about, especially Tin who had to go through the pain of losing Tol multiple times, was so heartwrenching but so worth it.

- Apparently not everyone is a fan of the POV switch, but I thought it was great. Within three episode we slowly shift from Tin's to Tol's POV. We start in episode 8 while we are still following Tin, we begin to see more of Tol's inner struggles. In episode 9 we are mostly with Tol, since Tin got stabbed and is unconscious for like half the episode. After everything Tin did, after everything he's been through the last nine episodes, it was only fair for Tol now to do the work. He had to fight for Tin now, also it drew some nice parallels to Tin's earlier attempts and it sort of redeemed Tin's creepy stalker-ish behavior in the early episodes.

- In episode 4 we got that scene with Tin almost half-asleep trying to stay awake having an encounter with Tol. We never got an explanation to how or why that happened. Only in episode 11 we see how things went down and because of this, this scene skyrocketed upwards on my top 10 triage moments list. To watch Tol realise what Tin had went through just to save him and for him to go to him and hug him and giving him some more hope was really satisfying to watch. And it also explained why Tol was so physical with him (the hug and the hand to heart), which was so vastly different from how distant he was back in the first episodes.

- Another thing that speaks for Tol was how he handled things once he found out the true reason Mai has been daiting him. It was exactly how I wished he would react. He wasn't upset or angry or threw a tantrum. He was understanding and offered help and even told her that they could be friends. Really highlighted the growth he had over the last couple of episodes. Episode 1 Tol would never.

- The side characters were great. Toi, Fang, Gap, and Sing were all really a great add not only to lighten the mood but also to talk some sense into Tin once in a while. Also the few scenes we got from Gap and Sing here and there were fun to watch.
- Rit was a great character and my heart broke for him so many times. The little crumps we got from him and Sing were so sweet and heartwarming.

- Each character served a purpose. May it be a minor or major one, but they all were there for a reason and I know that this sounds weird to point out and give credit for, but after watching too many BLs where there is this comically large cast with too many characters that are all there for no other reason than to add more faces to the show, I can not not point it out.

The Bad:
- While I really liked the POV shift from Tin to Tol and the changes that in storyline and character was interesting, I wasn't a fan of the sudden GapSing relationship. I am aware that as a side couple you just don't have much screen time, but we spent nine episodes watching them going from "he hates me" to "they begin to appreciate each other" to suddenly see them cuddling and in an established relationship. Many people on Tumblr shared their theories and why they haven't been dating before and what changed (Tin) but I would've liked an in-world/canon explanation. Or at least a better pay-off. I didn't watch these two bickering and fighting for episode after episode just to see them cuddle in the last two.

- Tol's friends were a real pain in the ass. Same as Gap and Sing there was no no pay-off. They were shown to be reckless, manipulative, and mean and they would do whatever suited them best. And instead of cutting ties with them or idk telling them to quit being such assholes... nothing happened. Rit is now back in their group and working on the project again. That was everything we got. Quite a let down. I hoped that Art would get a grip and stop hanging out with them and only hanging out with Rit and Tol instead.

- Stories that involve any fuckery with the time are careful to handle, since it's so easy to mess up. And while the show didn't mess up in that sense, there were a few established worlbuilding "rules" that did confuse me. In one of the later episodes it's established that kisses can make you remember the past loops. We don't know why. Is it true love? Or does it only work when the person who knows about the loops is kissing someone? Does it still work when Tin kisses other people? Like Sing or Dear? It's never explained, we just have to accept it. Same goes for the notebook. Once a loop ends, everything is set back to how things were at the time Tin wakes up, but for some reason whatever he writes in that notebook stays. I mean, okay, sure. An explanation from Jinta would've been nice ("Here, I'll give you this notebook to help you keep track of things, it isn't effected by the time loops so don't worry about your do-to list disappearing." or idk).

- I know that I said every character served a purpose and I won't backtrack on that, because Dr. Doi did serve a purpose. Just his role in the finale was... a lot. He held Sing and Gap hostage, shot Sing, ran to Dr. Sak and the others to keep Tol and Tin hostage, then tried to kill Tin and ends up in a mental facility because we went crazy. That's a lot.

- The "I'm gone but I'll be back"-ending that I am slowly getting fed up with. I can't tell you how much I am annoyed with that trope. After Doi injects some poison into Tin to kill him, he's in a coma for weeks, we get a montage of Tol visiting him in the hospital, writing diary entries in Tin's notebook for him. Then Tol eventually continues living his life until he meets Tin in the clock tower again. At first Tin pretends that he doesn't remember him, but then drops the "I heard kissing someone can bring back memories" line, which obviously means that he can remember. They kiss. Happy end. The quick "we are seperated for weeks/months/years in a montage but we meet again after weeks/months/years and are now happy together". It's perfect if you don't want any emotional impact. Breaking up/seperating the couple for like ten minutes of screen time (no matter how long it is in their world) has rarely made me cry. At least put him in a coma for half the episode/an entire episode to actually make me notice that he's not part of Tol's life and missing out on things, etc.

- Jinta was such a crucial part of the plot, without him there would be no plot. But while the others had their montages and happy endings, Jinta was never to be seen again. No last goodbye or him watching them from afar and smiling to himself for his plan to work out or idk. I wish we would've gotten one last scene. Also, I still don't quite understand why he did what he did. Like, why would he chose to intervene with fate and make Tin safe Tol? I read a few theories of people saying that he actually wanted to safe Rit because he would make some great invention in the future or something. But, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but we never find out why it's so important for Jinta that Tol survives.

- This will probably be an unpopular opinion but I wish that Tin wasn't able to remember what happened. I can see why people find that happy ending perfect, because it is perfect. But I guess I needed a little more... emotional damage? Like they really got that happy ever after ending with everything and all. Dr. Sak was caught, Mai got her mom into a new hospital with new meds, Sing and Gap are together, Rit is back with his former friends and working on the project, Tin is able to remember everything same as Tol and they are happy and together... The whole difficulty of The Last Loop was that Tin was not able to remember anything. It was a sacrifise that Tol chose to make for his and Tin's happy ending. I'm not saying that he shouldn't remember anything at all, you can still hin at him slowly win back his memory by giving him the magic notebook and let him be like "I think I might remember a few bits and pieces but not much". I just think that it would've been more impactful.

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A gem of BL medical series

I LOVE the show, and while I am not a big fan of Tae and Tee - the main leads, I ended up binge watching this over the course of three days.

The goods
1. Acting were on point - especially the drama scene
2. Medical scene were well executed with knowledgs tid bits for viewers
3. Even the loops wers shot in different angles to make the show interesting
4. No cliche about family and all - though i hope a little more acceptance

The bads
1. Deviation from the book were a bit unnecessary. I would rather see more about the life ML post the rescue
2. Some characters were introduced a bit unneccessarily - i would rather that time is placed a bit more on romance.

Not the show i would rewatch repeatedly but i will miss a lot

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So damn stressful, yet so damn good... *W SPOILERS*

This BL is so good, but the whole time I was stressed. I have never really enjoyed time loops because they have always freaked me out irl. So I didn't expect to enjoy this BL at all, but shockingly, I did. Though I was on edge a lot of the time, it was still a good watch.

Putting the rewatch value pretty low because I feel like this is a one time rush, and I don't think I could stand to watch it again, because how stressful it was.

I do wish the ending was a bit better? It was interesting, the ending, but I feel like it doesn't make much sense. I was kinda hoping that Tin and Tol had a better happy ending. I feel like the whole "almost" death thing after the huge scene at the end was kind of dumb, I was wishing it was just went less overboard. But that is bias of me because I usually prefer to watch more soft BL's.

I am still glad both of them survived in the end, which I was not expecting. I was waiting for a huge plot twist in the end, where one of them or both of them ended up dying, but pleasantly I was surprised.

Story was good, ending maybe not so much. Still would recommend it though.

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Lots to like. A few quibbles.

There is a lot to like in this as another reviewer has pointed out (Theophilus Silas). Clever writing so that character stories interact between loops. Intellectually engaging. Pacing is generally good through the first half with just a few moments of scene stretching to inflate emotional impact (a pet peeve of mine in Thai dramas). However, in the last episodes, things get a little unsure, scenes that don't add much to the story and seem to just run out the clock. The mental stimulation solows down and I found myself looking for meaningful bits, and being a bit disappointed. Its mainly just "holding your breath" waiting for the final reveal. Also, a bit more scene stretching which, for me, gets a bit tiresome. Probably the most irritating is nobody calling the police in the last episode. Ever. In the day of ubiquitous smart phones, having named characters not call emergency services is just too much, especially when the scenes are stretched, and viewers begin to expect something to happen. A lot of standing around staring at each other. Better editing would have avoided that. I think the same material could be edited down for a (longish) movie, and it would be dynamite.

Even so, a clever and interesting BL. If you have recently lost a loved one, this could be a very emotional watch. I cried quite a bit. I don't know if I have the energy to do a re-watch. Time will tell.

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Why should you watch this ?

As someone who doesn't write reviews, I am surprised that I'm writing this. This show has got to be one of the best in its genre, I absolutely loved every minute of it. It kept me on my seat every episode and it did not disappoint. I went into this series expecting nothing, a good medical drama, and LGBTQ+? too good to be true. I was NOT disappointed. I loved everything about this show and trust me, it's a must-watch.
The casting is perfect, and the main leads ?? perfect. I loved their chemistry. The cast, could not have found a more perfect cast than this. The storyline is pure gold and might I say cinematic, Id like to think that they absolutely killed it with the acting, just amazing.

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Very Special BL

**Brief Synopsis**
B (Student): Tol
T (Doctor)

Beginning: T is an ER doctor and is living a normal life until B comes to his ER after a horrible accident. T tries to save him and fails and for some reason he finds himself reliving that day again. An angel appears and tells him that he has to save B's life im order for the cycle to end. At first T is confused as to how to save him when he could only return to a few hours before B is bought in and by that time it's too late. But then the angel lets him know he could choose to go back in time further, which is something he chooses to do. B and T's relationship start off rought because T tries to warn B he is about to die but B doesn't believe him. This frustrates T to no end.

Middle: At first T thought the reason for B's death is drunk driving but after B does again, this time with no alcohol in his blood, he knew that something was up. He decides this time he needs to get closer to B. He decides to dress up, approach B and try to learn more at his side, he even become B's tutor. In order to save B, he become closer to his friends as well, even saving two of them. He soon discovers that B actually had a heart issue which explain some of this death. As they grew closer, more details sorrounding the hospital T works at start of surface. It is revealed that the hospital had a doctor who was doing illegal organ trafficking business and B's girlfriend at that time had a mother who was also a victim and some of B's friends have been victimized by this business. To keep B alive, T has no choice but to investigate this problem. In his investigation, he also discovers B's girlfriend is only dating B because he could help her mother and she actually had another boyfriend. This leads to B breaking up with her. With each loop, B and T gets closer and finally they kiss.

End: Before they could have their happy ending, B and T decides to attend a conference that might help them in their investigation. But in a shocking turn of events, T is shot and dies. Stricken by grief, B doesn't know what to do until he remembers T telling him about the angel. He goes to find the angel who agrees to give him a chance to bring T back as long as he makes him fall in love with him in 5 days. With no choice, B agrees but making T like him in 5 days is not easy. However B realizes that if he could solve all the problems T had been trying to solve and do the right thing, he could still succeed. He eventually do and passes the test and the series ends with T coming back and then kissing.

**My Opinion**

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT
- Very nice writing. Although there are a lot of cliche and predictable plot points (such as hospital being front for organ trafficking or the girlfriend of ML betraying him so he had a reason to break up with her, etc), they are put together in an interesting way that keep in interested. The concept is very interesting and well executed, done in a way that doesn't make things over complicated.
- Very nice and likable characters. T was calm and collected but had his own trauma and flaws. B was adorable at the end and truly care of T. Although there aren't many intimate scenes, they show their affection through action and grief. The characters do have chemistry and seeing them together is really satisfying.
- I love the idea that B get to experience the loop at the end.

WHAT I DIDNT LIKE ABOUT IT
- The ending was too short. I would have liked to see them together because getting there has been very difficult.
- The plot can get a little plain. There were some plot twists that surprised me but overall, the mystery is predictable and cliche, and seen multiple times before.
- The acting can get a little...unnatural in scenes where the actors have to display strong emotions. For example anger and grief aren't exactly that well displayed. In general the acting is fine and there aren't many cringey scenes.

**Conclusion**
Interesting ground hog day type of BL that should be watched.

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A LOT BETTER THAN “MANNER OF DEATH”

TRIAGE
A LOT BETTER THAN “MANNER OF DEATH”

Very interesting and intriguing story. Started really good, but middle part somehow dragged because of many repetitions. But it again picked up when the “burden of the loops” was transferred to TOL.

The FINALE was quite a disappointed as there are many laughable scenes at the first half. It picked up on the second half but then it came to a screeching halt. I guess we missed the old TIN at the last two episodes, and that very last scene didn’t give us enough of him.

Acting is generally good, esp TOL (actor: TEE) and KINTA (actor: MORRIS K.). On the other hand, TIN’s (actor: TAE) facial expressions, mouth movements and always raising of an eyebrow when reacting – are sometimes putting off. Supporting actors are good, except for GAP (actor: AOB) who has only one facial expression. that irritated look. Also mediocre (almost ham) acting are MAI (actress: AOM) and DOI (actor: BOAT). ART (actor: MILD) is given the usual, stereotypical role of the funny classmate; poor him, he never graduated from it.

Directing is okay, but there are many melodramatic and laughable moments (like TOL jumping like a kid after the saved a patient when he pretended to be doctor) and later kissing TIN right then and there at the E.R. – with face mask on!).

Story has loopholes but can be forgiven since this is a fantasy series anyway. It’s a lot better than MANNER OF DEATH (from same director/writer) which has lots of head scratching scenes. Only MAXTUL saved that one from being a forgettable mess.

8.5 / 10

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unfortunately not the best

usually, series reveal themselves in their endings, yes, the ending wasn't bad, but it prevents it from being the best. the series could have been the best bl series ever until episode 10. then, instead of the wonderful loops tin had created until episode 10, it was ridiculous that they escaped with a ridiculous loop set up by tol.

the scene that made me cry was when dr. sing had to perform open heart massage on his best friend. and the fact that he couldn't stop was even more devastating.

they didn't necessarily need a happy ending, but it was a truly beautiful and not best bl series but memorable one.

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