Spare Me Your Mercy

WATCH IT

This is the 2nd mystery types of BL drama I liked so much ( Of course first is Triage ) . Honestly this series is so good . I am so happy that I have found this masterpiece . I am not going to spoil anything . My review is simple .

Acting - Top tier .
Story - Excellent .
Cinematography - Outstanding .
Music - The intro music is so good .
Visuals - Eye candy

Just watch it , no regrets . Aside from the mystery and story , the chemistry between the two male leads is fire . The tension is tensioning . You will know how good this drama is after watching just an episode .

Edit - Last 15 minutes of ep 8 , dear this is one of the best acting performance I have ever watched in my life , Hands Down .

Read More

Guilty or Not Guilty !?

The main plot of this drama centres around Euthanasia. Euthanasia becomes the unsettling heart of a moral dilemma that challenges both of the characters Kan and Wasan's values. What begins as a search for answers soon turns into a personal battle as Wasan, a police officer is introduced to confront the reality of mercy killings and whether or not they can be justified. His growing closeness with Dr. Kan adds an intriguing layer of complexity, blurring the lines between love, duty and the harsh realities of death.

For me, this drama wasn't about uncovering the truth or catching the killer but about exploring the human cost of decisions that challenge life itself!

Tor and JJ delivered flawless performances. Tor's portrayal as Dr. Kantaphat was PERFECT! He brought a compassionate yet a chilling presence, the enigmatic doctor whose motives and choices remain shrouded in the mystery. At the same time, JJ as Wasan was subtle yet powerful. The turmoil and inner conflicts of a man torn between his duty and his feelings for Kan were delivered beautifully by him.
Both of them navigated the complexity of their roles really well making the ethical questions feel personal and real. The acting in the last episode was FLAWLESS especially Tor's.
The chemistry between them was so palpable! The tension, those gazes, the unspoken desire!! Their love story was not the main focus, I like how it was kept minimal but enough! The pace does bother me a bit, but considering the 8 episode run time, it can be managed.

While the emotional depth and acting were undeniably strong, it isn't without flaws. There were moments where characters just decided to overlook logic and reasons. And also I felt lapses in the police investigations distracting me from an otherwise gripping narrative. While as a viewer I understand it is to push the plot forward, but those unnecessary blind spots in the investigation sort of bothered me.

Overall, the balance between love, guilt and moral dilemmas makes this a good watch from start to finish despite its minor flaws. Recommended if you liked medical thrillers ( I would categorise it as thriller xD) and a bit of moral complexity, this is worth checking out.

Read More

Morality and legality do not always go hand in hand.

Surprisingly coherent storytelling that does not go into preachy territories - truly presenting different perspectives on a complex subject of euthanasia. What's even more amazing is the satisfying ending that makes perfect sense. No, it's not a sarcasm. Ending that I find to be the perfect for both the characters themselves and the themes the show presents. Euthanasia is not a simple topic to discuss since it involves so many conflicting moral and legal aspects.

Is euthanasia the same as murder? If not, what makes it different? When it's a valid option, and can it even be a valid option for any patient? Should politicians have the right to decide when and how we die? Whose suffering should take priority - patients' or their families? If the family is not ready to part with their loved one, should they have any say in deciding if euthanasia should be performed? How to determine if the patient is capable to make that decision themselves? So many questions, no concrete answers. And that's the beauty of this drama.

While the dialogue heavy moments shined the most, the crime aspect could have been improved. Did it bother me how bad the investigation was? At times, yes. But at the end of the day, it was not a crime detective drama, it was a psychological thriller heavy on drama. Realistically speaking, many things did not make sense, but also realistically speaking, I did not care.

Similarly, the romance came out of nowhere and many times I laughed about the validity of leads feelings. And yet, it still hits hard when it needs to. Maybe if the drama was longer, so they had more time to present the relationship in a more evenly paced way... I guess they did what they could with the time they had.

For the performance, Tor in the last episode? On fire with his acting skills. I had to rewatch a certain scene 3 times because I loved his delivery so much. I do not think there was a weak link in the cast - everyone executed their characters in a perfect manner. Yes, I talk to JJ through screen a few times to "put his eyebrow down", but at some point I just started to see it as his charming point. Maybe I was brainwashed? Still, a heavy subject like euthanasia requires skills to present it in a respectful way, and I do think Spare Me Your Mercy achieved just that.

Overall, a great watch. Both entertaining and inviting some reflection to form our own stance on the subject. It knew when to bring back lighter tone and some cute romance, and when to get serious when the scenes needed.

Read More

How To Get Away With Murder...?

The police finally got the bad guy, but at what cost? AT WHAT COST? Also, I hate flowers. If it wasn't for those damn effing flowers, I wouldn't be sobbing into my Christmas wine. That being said, my bags are pack, imma meet y'all in hell, cuz I know I'm not the only one who wanted him to get away with murder, then get the guy as well. I even made a list in my head on what he could do/say to get away with it. And, that 'I Love You' at the end was just cruel. Merry Effing Christmas I guess.

Listen, the moment we found out the doctor was guilty I knew we weren't going to have a happy ending, but I still held on hope. I would call myself stupid for having hope, but not while Police man Thiu was literally suspicious of Dr. Kan but still moved into his house, and ended up falling in love with him. Poor dude played himself so bad. But at what cost? Giving us five seconds of happiness only to take it away with that heart-wrenching confessing scene! Tor and JJ, the two main leads, did so well, I felt every emotion and cried when they did. I kept screaming, 'Child, will you keep quiet?' the more the doctor talked. Like, stop confessing dammit!! Then of course, I foolishly waited for Thiu to stop the car and take off those cuff, even though I knew... WHHYYYYY?

We need a second season where that one female doctor, his accomplice, breaks him out of jail and Thiu decides the law sucks and they move away to start a garden business somewhere in a remote village in the coast or something. Cuz this ending hurts so much.

I had a lot of questions throughout this drama. Was Dr Kan wrong for what he did even though the patients asked him? Was the law wrong for not legalising it like the doctor said? Yes, we can argue that taking someone's life no matter how you dress it up, is wrong, but with the amount of pain those people were in, and knowing they won't survive anyway, was it still wrong? In the end, the doctor did cross over that line that kept him in the morally grey area, cuz of what he did to that one pharmacist boy toy. This drama was very thought provoking when it came to the topic of Euthanasia, and the beliefs of the characters. I kept wondering between the law, Dr Kan, and the dying patients who was right? On the side of the law, they only saw right and wrong, Dr Kan saw it as showing mercy as a doctor and putting an end to a suffering/disease nothing could cure, and the patients saw it as a way to end their endless pain, and for some, unburden their families. No matter how I thought about it, I'm still not sure what side was right and which, was wrong. This drama tiptoed the line between wrong and right so well, at one point, the line became a circle.

Anyway, this drama was short, but amazing! And although I wanted the doctor to get away with it, cuz those people asked him too, in the end, for what he did to that boy toy doctor, I ran out of excuses as to why he should be set free. Still, I'm sure if given a few more days, I can find some reasons to justify his actions... cuz, he gave himself up, so in the end, was he truly that bad?

What's funny about me wanting him to be innocent is, I spent the first two episodes convinced the doctor is guilty and should be arrested and sent to Azkaban or something. Then halfway through episode 3 I started finding excuses as to why he's super-innocent and should be given the 'most merciful, goodest person award.' I need help, dramas are screwing up my morals. No, really, this was my reaction for the first three episodes.

First episode:
ME: OMG, that hawt doctor is suspicious, he did it!
Second episode:
ME: Yep, the doctor did it, he did it, he did it, arrest him! Throw him into a dark jail.
Third episode:
Doc Kan: Yes, I did it. I super did it. I am very guilty. I done did it.
ME: Whhhhhaaaaatttt? I'm shocked. But I thought...wow, you really did it?
*Doctor Kan shows up in that brown outfit on this birthday, him and Thiu being all lovey dovey*
ME: I mean... everyone gotta die someday, imirite? I say the doc is innocent, he's a saint.

Anyway, long story short, great drama and amazing actors. Their portrayed brought the story alive, and I'll recommend it to anyone who enjoy a good drama. I am looking forward to more from the cast, especially Tor and JJ, they did such an awesome job in their roles. One of the best dramas that came out this year. Go watch it if you haven't already.

Merry Christmas.

Read More

unique premise with a great start

Overall: I appreciated the premise and production value; however, I thought there could have been improvements with the plots/characters. Adapted from the book Euthanasia: Spare Me Your Mercy by Sammon which I haven't read and I reviewed this series on its own merits. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired uncut on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/spare-me-your-mercy-episode-1-1e3q3w4ts14?lang=en_us and cut on One31 YouTube channel (not in Japan, Korea, Taiwan or Thailand) https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXopbKxiivxrgJk-EvQLFVdakJlFviiix&si=aaqj7i0CX2sAeIVP - the first episode cut version was about 1 minute shorter than the uncut version. Later aired on Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/41050c-spare-me-your-mercy

Content Warnings: there were several major ones in the first episode and in subsequent episodes, but I kept this review spoiler free

What I Liked
- unique premise
- mystery element
- countryside setting
- discussed the ethics of someone making choices about their life, including at the end of their life
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the first scene as a character set up/voice over exposition dump, subsequent exposition dumps
- stupid characters/actions that felt "because the writer said so"
- reveals happened too early
- chemistry felt hot/cold, wasn't sold on the romance aspect
- the open ending

Read More

A drama wrapped as BL

This was a very unusual series. The "BL" aspect of this drama was NOT the focus of the series. So we were "robbed" of the romance aspect of this series. Maybe an episode more would have helped, maybe it's not as detailed in the novel too and it's close to it, I have no clue. What we got was a drama about euthanasia which is one of social questions the world has to solve. Only in a few countries this is legal, in most countries it's not and I feel in Asia it's a taboo.

The production value was outstanding, camera work, lighting and of course the music was top notch. Also the acting was strong. I liked the feeling that Mr. Policeman never trusted Dr. completly. The part with Mr. Pharmacy was a bit odd and did not really fit this series. I thought without him, the series would have been as good as it was. Of course it was shocking to see his relationsship revealed but I'm not sold on him murdering his love-interest. And to not have a happy end, was the right choice.

All the not so good story-aspects can be overlocked, but so it's not a 10 for me. It lacked in the romance aspect, some things didn't make much sense, but to have this social question asked in a drama is very important. To bring awareness to the public is important. For this reason alone, I recommand anyone to binch-watch this series.

Read More

When you want to kill two birds with one stone and end up hurting yourself.

The problem isn't the actual controversial subject of the show.
Of course this will cause reactions and objections.
That is why it is controversial worldwide.
When you attempt to deal with such a serious subject (and there is none more serious than human life itself) you must build a very strong and solid foundation with a clear objective and absolute seriousness in dealing with it.
The main problem with the series is that they never managed to live up to the seriousness of the subject, and furthermore successfully stick the BL theme to it.
On the one hand there is a suspicion of seriousness and at the same time the protagonists are for the most part suspicious of each other rather than in love.
To such an extent that it is humanly impossible to believe the romantic part of the story or be driven to thoughts about the main subject.
They are two rivals, with different beliefs in such fundamental principles and values ​​that in the end, the supposedly romantic part of their story, diminishes the seriousness of the matter and their relationship becomes unbelievable.
When you want to deal with such a topic, you must know very well what exactly you want to say and what to achieve.

Read More

Killing people is okay? Right? Right? Anyone? Only with KCl though?

This is absolutely a stand alone review of the show without reading the book.

𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭
The idea of grappling euthanasia in Spare Me Your Mercy is an unique concept, but the execution fails to present a concise, well thought out perspective into the multiple perspectives and ethics that go into euthanasia. The show started out with patients receiving palliative care for terminal illness. We see bits and pieces of frustration and pain they feel from this incurable state they're in. What is highlighted mostly is frustration and sadness their loved ones are feeling from watching them be in pain (this is normal and important), but when tackling ending one's life, there has got to be a deeper look into the patient's course of journey to making the decision. The way this was laid out only showed us patients being in such immense pain that they were asking for death. A doctor can listen to that and not come to the conclusion of "oh this calls for potassium chloride". To the patient, a doctor is like a God. Dr. Kan is almost like a God in the sense that he does give death. I think that adds to his delusion that he is doing the right thing. I know for a fact that this man skipped all of the medical ethics classes in med school. It must've slipped through the cracks. Euthanasia is controversial, mainly because it deals with ending human life legally. For euthanasia to be successful, countries have stringent system of safeguards in place to review ethics of reasoning behind ending a patient's life. It's not a one man decision. Euthanasia can only be given to those who can give informed consent. In Dr. Kan's case, that's not how it goes at all. He takes it upon himself to make the final decision because he is feeling bad. It's like seeing a man remedy his own guilt through making the decision of killing someone. It's never for the patient for him even if he likes to tell himself that. What makes this exploration into this topic more worse is by not having someone sane who understands ethics behind euthanasia. There is no balance of perspectives/opinion. It's not a tug of war between what's right or wrong, but a man doing whatever the hell he wants because he's a coward who can't process guilt of seeing patients die. We see a glimpse of Kan walking into a room where his mom is bleeding out from self harm. That trauma is not reflected upon in any scenes where he's also dealing with seeing patients die. I don't see Kan's real motivation into killing people except for his own satisfaction.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐭 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫
Boss was freaky, kinky, and cute. I really liked this guy. He knew what he is and owned up to it. The conversation with Dr. Kan during apartment confrontation scene was the only scene where we have a character questioning Kan's code of ethics when it comes to euthanasia. If what Boss is committing is murder, then what can we call what Kan is doing? Is it not the same? Even after this conversation, Kan is easily convinced to kill Boss. If Kan's intentions were just saving his patients, then how is killing Boss ( a person who is not a terminal patient) justifiable? Boss should've been a real rat even if he worshiped Kan for what he was doing. It's sad that he wasn't so involved in the story. He appears in the last few episodes which takes away from other conversations this show could've explored.

𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞
What is going on in that police station? Are we even allowed to open cases 50 different times every 5 minutes? This was my comedic relief. All of these uncles going "exactlyyyy" and then closing the case prematurely only to be freaking clowns who open it back up again. Captain Tew, I think it's time to transfer out. What a bootleg police station. It's also detrimental to your relationship with Dr. Kan that you doubt at least once every episode only to get back to him. It's like watching a stressful ping pong game.

Some police guy: Something suspicious happened!
Captain Tew: you don't say, it's probably Kan isn't it?
Later that day...
Captain Tew: hey I got something to talk to you about
Dr. Kan: *distraction activated* I made a new dish just for you! What do you wanna talk about?
Captain Tew: Oh for me?... (internal monologue: he can't be the one, he made me a meal)

Above is how this captain probably thinks. It's almost like we should take him off the case cause he's literally connected with a suspect.

Moving on, ms. nurse, what's happening here? How was she so easily convinced to keep killing people? It felt like she was enjoying it and sharing that enjoyment with Dr. Kan. She showed neither empathy nor understanding as to what euthanasia means for patients. She saw what happened with her husband, but after that, her psychopathy just went off the rails. It was an interesting dynamic to see. It's very different from what Boss was trying to do.

"𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲" & 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠
They're both good actors. As a person who liked them back in 9x9 and in their multiple other projects, this fell short in terms of their chemistry. There was absolutely no romance that translated across to the audience. It felt like watching two bros who have no romantic feeling for each other. It felt really forced. It's bad when I think Dr. Kan has more chemistry with Boss than his actual love interest. That's not how it should look to us. Since they were lacking in the chemistry department, I would think they would use the time in the episodes to actually explore the development of their relationship. It felt unrealistic cause I couldn't tell how deep their relationship went.

The ending left you with a feeling of "meh". Why did he get a two story house for one storage safe? He has that big house that he shares with no one to keep that safe in. Dr.Kan has the means to advocate for hospice care for patients along with advocacy for euthanasia if that is what he believes in. The things he does is so counterproductive. What made this story so unpalatable is that the whole story somehow felt like convincing the audience that what Dr. Kan did was right. There was no room for doubt or anger towards him. You're set up to feel bad for him when that shouldn't be the case. I feel like this show advocates for one side too much.

At the end of the day, they tried. It was an interesting topic with interesting character not executed well.

Read More

"The law doesn't have heart."

Oh my heart!
Truly loved this! I fell in love with the story of what’s happening, how it’s told and everything else’s in between. This is everything I expected it to be from start to end! It's quite intense and fast-paced from the start. It kept my interest and had me on the edge of my seat.

I enjoyed this even with the emotional damage I experienced. I would recommend this to anyone who’s into both genres thriller and romance
I wasn’t sure how Wasan and Kan would work things out. Things look rather complex at the start of this story and the characters seem to be thrown into one impossible situation after another throughout the time. This show had plenty of suspense to keep things moving along and there were quite a few times that I was worried about the safety of some of my favorite characters.

The ending is...
The most perfect ending for an amazing series, even though I'm still sad & emotionally destroyed by it.
Let me know what you think!

It is truly an amazing story that keeps you intrigued the entire time!

Read More

Gritty storytelling, with flawed characters that you can't but love

Should I have the right to decide whether I want to live on or not? Is my sovereignty over my own body and mind beyond the scope of the state and its law?

BL needle score: 6 - Moderate BL-ness, with sizzling chemistry but higher focus on suspense

This show raises critical and important questions about the moral and legal debate around euthanasia....and does it well. While it is a BL drama, it focuses more on the narrative and theme rather than only on the characters and their romantic developments.

It has Dr. Kan as one of the protagonists, a palliative care doctor who strongly believes in euthanasia, albeit with clear and mindful consent from the person...coming from his experience of seeing his mother suffer intense days and nights of pain due to cervical cancer, he feels people should have the right and resources to help them decide about their own lives, how much suffering is enough, and end it with dignity, if and when they so desire. The other main protagonist is Thiu, a police officer with integrity, who suffers from guilt and angst, for not having been there for his mom, and not being able to meet her at her deathbed. As Kan helps terminal patients find a peaceful end, with their expressed consent, Thiu struggles to untangle the mess that this trail of euthanasia, and his own angst around his mother's death, creates. There are a few other important characters who all help build this compelling tale that explores the theme of euthanasia, and raises important questions about our thinking, convictions, and views around life, death, family, body sovereignty and legality.

I love how this show has almost zero flab or unnecessary sub-plots......aided by a gritty storytelling about flawed characters, that you can't but love, despite their failings...this is just the kind of shows that I dig. This has to be one of the best BL dramas from Thailand that I have watched in the recent times. Go watch.

Review first posted on December 1, and edited after finale on December 25, 2024

Read More

Suspicious minds: nail-biting suspense and doomed romance

🎶we can't go on together with suspicious minds
and we can't build our dreams on suspicious minds🎶

This was much darker and more serious than I expected, even taking into account the heavy subject matter. BL shows usually have more comic levity and heart-warming moments, not suspense dialled up to the max.
But if I'm honest, it was that suspense that kept me watching when the mystery and romance fizzled out.

The first half had a nice dangerous vibe with a whodunit mystery and the two protagonists caught in a loop between suspicion and attraction. I loved dr Kan in the first couple episodes. He came off as seductive and dangerous - a mysterious homme fatale playing with the vulnerable policeman's feelings. Tew, on the other hand, seemed to be fighting a losing battle between his suspicious mind and other parts of his anatomy;) I thought it was a rather delicious dynamic, even if the two actors didn't have that much chemistry with each other. I wish they stayed like that till the end. Instead, in the blink of an eye, they became all loving and domestic (at least on the surface), which was hard to buy with no proper build-up.

I have mixed feelings about the way the topic of euthanasia was explored in this series. I woud've preferred a bigger focus on idividual cases and better balance of differing voices in the story. Tew was not the person who took daily care of his sick and dying mother, his sister was, yet she wasn't given a voice. But overall, the series did a good job showing the complexity of the subject and had some thought-provoking scenes. I'm not going to discuss the plot to avoid spoilers, but imo they made a wrong judgment call with how they resolved Boss's arc. It pushed the story in a direction I didn't care for and killed any goodwill I had towards dr Kan. Of course, this might've been by design, to make us question where the uncrossable line lies, but it just further soured me towards the romance.

The production values and acting were pretty good. Also, no blatant stupidity about police and hospital procedures in the script which was refreshing. Overall, it's definitely worth watching, just not for romance.

Read More