Mate

The most unhinged Chao Planoy adaptation

Disclaimer: I have not read the book this series is based on, or any other Chao Planoy novel. Everything I know about her work is gathered from opinions I’ve read online, and other dramas adapted from other novels of hers, so take this review with a grain of salt.

One thing you often hear about Chao Planoy’s books is that they aren’t, well, good. Her plots rely on the same five or six tropes and two or three character types, and her work is frequently criticized for glamorizing toxic behavior. But most shows set in her GL extended universe (and there have been many: Gap, Blank, My Marvellous Dream Is You, Affair, Apple My Love, Pluto, Us…) seem aware of the problems in her writing and make an effort to soften the rough edges. And most of those efforts have been pretty successful so far—Lady Sam is made into a sympathetic protagonist in Gap, for example, despite being a terrible person on paper.

I’m not sure how faithful Mate the Series is to its source material, but this feels like the unfiltered version of Chao Planoy—Chao Unchained, if you will. Like the showrunners didn’t realize how unhinged the book was, or didn’t know how to make it more palatable, or didn’t care because they were only trying to cash in on the GL craze. I’m leaning towards the showrunners just being incompetent (although this series is a quick and dirty cash-grab, no question), because Mate is real bad, y’all. The dialogue is bad, the editing is bizarre, the music is bewildering (half the time it sounds like Looney Tunes music, and the other half it sounds like the soundtrack of a historical movie set during the French Revolution where one of the lovers dies tragically of cholera), the treatment of heavy topics like PTSD is clumsy, the characters are insufferable (I would murder Great on sight and feel no remorse), the acting is uneven, the love scenes have too much male gaze and lack chemistry…I could go on. This is a show where Genlong’s entire family is forced to flee the country due to her father’s criminal business activity, and not only is he never held accountable for his actions (which, by the way, indirectly lead to Gen and Aoey’s separation for three years!!), he is basically portrayed as a cuddly teddy bear for the remaining episodes. Um, hello, what?

So Mate is a disaster at the trash factory. And yet…it is weirdly compelling, in its way. If nothing else, it made me laugh out loud at least a few times per episode. (It’s childish, but Dr. Thot’s name kills me, I’m sorry.) And every once in a while the script stumbles sideways into some genuinely good drama. There is some great tension after the timeskip between Vengeance Aoey and Sadsack Genlong. Of course, the screenwriters don’t know what to do with it, or how to resolve it in a way that makes sense, so it ends up mostly wasted (although we do get one surprisingly excellent monologue from Aoey, the one about how everything is messed up). The later episodes make me think that Mate would have worked better with a non-chronological plot structure—we probably should have started with Gen and Aoey reuniting after their separation, à la The Secret of Us, and then moved backwards in time from there—although do I think the creators could have handled that well? Absolutely not.

On one hand, I’m thrilled by the recent success of the Thai GL industry, and the explosion of new series being announced. On the other hand, Mate could be a warning sign of things to come, once every entertainment company realizes they can make a quick buck (or baht, as it were) with a shippable couple and some adaptation rights—which is what seems to be happening. I can’t recommend that anyone watch Mate unless your brain is broken like mine and you can appreciate the absurdity of it. However, Grace and Oaey are cute as heck and I wish them all the best. Hopefully this series will be the launching pad they need to achieve bigger and better things.

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A Rollercoaster of Emotions and Missed Opportunities (But A Great Ending)

Trigger Warning: One of the leads, Aoey, is a victim of SA and Cheating

If you’re not a fan of shows where one character repeatedly forgives another despite constant mistreatment, this might not be for you. Aoey endures a lot from Gen, tying into the show’s soulmate theme wherein no one else seems to understand or tolerate them as they do for each other.

The show has some notable flaws. The repetitive conflicts, unresolved issues, and mistakes made the story feel tedious over time. Dialogue often felt awkward and unengaging, which weakened the romanticization of darker themes that the show aimed to explore. Gen’s inability to learn from her mistakes, even after seeking advice, was particularly frustrating and made her character development feel stagnant. Additionally, the editing and coloring didn’t align with the melodramatic, angsty tone the show tried to achieve, making it harder to immerse in the emotional scenes.

Despite these drawbacks, there are several positives. Gen’s actress was stunning and perfectly embodied the role, particularly in the earlier episodes. It would be exciting to see her in a better-written but same premise GL show. The show’s emphasis on the importance of asking for help added meaningful moments, and the emotional childhood flashbacks helped foster empathy for the leads’ relationship. Gen’s protectiveness over Aoey was a charming sight, and the verbal accountability shown by those who influenced Gen’s actions was a refreshing take that stood out in the narrative. Lastly, the show's finale was extremely satisfying.

While watching, a few thoughts came to mind. Both Aoey and Gen clearly needed mental health support. Gen’s toxic perfectionism seemed rooted in unresolved trauma, but the lack of exploration into her backstory was a missed opportunity. Delving into her past would have added depth and made her character more relatable. The sudden addition of sound effects halfway through the series was unintentionally hilarious, disrupting the tone. When Aoey finally learned the truth about Gen leaving her, the moment lacked impact and became underwhelming. The show’s focus on repetitive and dragged out dialogues robbed critical scenes of emotional weight, especially in the final episodes.

However, all of this was made up for with that simple yet impactful and meaningful proposal scene. We rarely get proposal scenes in GLs and I'm so grateful they gave us one. The line "I figured that being just a mate isn't enough." followed by "How about a soulmate?" They absolutely did wonders with these lines. How I wish the rest of their dialogues had this kind of magic in them. Mate's final episode was a breath of fresh air from all the GLs I've watched which was a joy to witness, giving me the positive closure we desperately needed after that stressful ride. They did wonders with the last episode and I was gratefully fan serviced to the max.

Overall, this is a flawed but decent show. While the writing is weak, the performances and chemistry between the actresses are commendable. It has a fulfilling conclusion, so don’t let the negatives dissuade you from giving it a try, as it will definitely give you the feels in one way or another.

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