Firstly, I see a lot of hate for Ming, however as someone who enjoys toxicity in shows being done well, I enjoyed his character development and that he actually did truly bad, selfish things that would make the viewers uncomfortable but wanted to repent for his evil acts without doing a complete 180 in to a pure, unrecognisable personality. Although there were some plot gaps, Tong and Ming's family's being a caricature of a villain, characters being forgiven too easily and Joe making some questionnable decisions, the whole show captivated me from beginning to end. I really enjoyed the love that the old Joe received from everyone around him and earned after coming back in another body just by being himself and a good, but still flawed person. Poom did such an amazing job acting, I felt his every emotion, as well as his chemistry with Up. I kind of just wished to know a little bit more about the life of the Joe whose body was taken over by our Joe. Did his soul die? Did he go into another body? What was his life like as a model? Apart from Tharn, were there other people in his life that missed him?
I think the story and the whole production of this is worth watching if you want to immerse yourself into something less light hearted. Or just watch it for Poom, that's good too.
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beautiful
i dropped it and picked it back up because of the ml.i got so drawn in that I binged it. i couldn’t stop watching it.
i gave it a 8.5 ratings because the storyline had holes for me.
it was a bit confusing at times with the constant flip flopping
i loved the actors. the ml have so much chemistry and joe is so beautiful. his acting is beautiful! it was so very much believable
the only thing that annoyed me was his constant “ming. ming. ming…” i heard him in my dreams lol
i liked ming but his acting is not even close to the guy who plays joe. still good and very handsome. i loved how his character turned everything around in the end
i really loved joes mom. such a sweet lady. again, the chemistry between her and joe was so good, him being her son was very believable!
the comedy parts where rare but funny
in the very last scene I was waiting for a sneeze to finish the show but all I got was “ming. ming. ming” 😂
i wish they would have elaborated on the second couple more. it felt like they threw it in there last minute and just left it. all in all I loved it and wished for more
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This review may contain spoilers
Plot line makes me stick through ups and downs of My Stand-In
This series hasn't come out entirely as such I'll updating my review once all 12 episodes are out. I've watched it till Episode 6 and the plot is honestly interesting but the acting skills of most of the characters make it an average.I love Poom, he is doing great. His mannerism as a stunt man gives the story a lot of dimension cause otherwise it's a shitshow in my opinion seeing as the other characters have no originality. Up and the dude playing Tong are the most annoying beings, demons if I may, in this fantasy world. May is clueless. Wut is great supporting character, love that for Joe. Let's see where it goes from here.
I do like the plot. Not gonna lie, it's peaked my interest to see how the new Joe deals with life with having the insight of people in his life from before the accident. I want him not to fall for the crap again. I want him to be successful. And though the "ship" crap is gonna go on forever, if the dude is toxic, he is toxic, I don't wanna hear nothing.
The nice guy needs to pull up his big boy pants and move on. But this is a work of fiction, and not real life so of course there are going to be people shipping Joe and Ming. But I'm completely against Joe ending up with Ming (Up) or Sol (Porche) for that matter.
Ming deserves the hot and cold behaviour Tong shows him. I have no sympathy for his a$$.
⚠️ Side Note: The way Poom says Minggg with that loving and elongated baby tone, I'm sitting over here listening to everything he says with a "Yes, Sir" attitude cause who wouldn't. The love just seeps out of him and damn, my name ain't Ming but I'm ready Poom. I'm ready.
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What is reincarnation? According to its definition, reincarnation is the belief that the individual essence of people begins a new life in a different body or physical form after biological death. That is, it is the belief that, after dying, each of us will begin a new life in a new body.
Of course, in both film and television, this idea, this belief, has been explored from all angles: horror, comedy, suspense and also romance.
When we talk about reincarnation, this possibility of living a new life in a new body after death, is presented to the stuntman named Joe (Poom Phuripan Sapsangsawat - 'Bake Me Please', 2023; 'Saneha Stories Season 4: Saiyai Saneha', 2022), who, after a fatal accident, in a trick of fate, suddenly comes back to life but in the body of another person of the same name who had suffered an accident on the same day.
The LGBT+ themed romantic drama 'My Stand-In' (ตัวนาย ตัวแทน/Tua Nai Tua Thaen) revolves around Joe's new life after his reincarnation. When he wakes up, Joe finds himself immersed in what seems to be the same world he has just left, with the same people around him and the same destiny as before, since both his professional career and personal life remain identical: he is the substitute by the young and famous actor Tong (Mek Jirakit Thawornwong - 'Star and Sky: Sky in Your Heart', 'Star and Sky: Star in My Mind', both 2022; 'Kiss Me Again, 2018').
With the possibility of accessing the memories and knowledge of his past life, Joe meets Ming again (Up Poompat Iam-samang - 'Lovely Writer', 2021; 'Club Sapan Fine Season 2', 2022), with whom he had a relationship. deep relationship in the afterlife. Joe will remember that his death is the result of an accident during filming that took place after discovering that Ming has always considered him as his second choice. After learning this painful truth, Joe is forced to work on a film set abroad where tragedy occurs.
However, in this life, Ming wants Joe to return to his side like before and Joe doesn't know why, because the relationship they both had was always toxic and suffocating. Ming, who has retained all his memories of old Joe, tries to find the truth about his new life to finally offer him the explanation he was never able to give him.
Now, in a new existence full of uncertainties, Joe will have the opportunity to reflect on himself and his place in the world, which has never been free of the shadow of being a stuntman.
Will Joe escape his tragic destiny as a substitute? Will Ming manage to rekindle the love between the two through a plan as crazy as it is imaginative? Can Ming redeem himself for the suffering caused to Joe in the afterlife through repentance and rectification? Will the relationship between the two have, like Joe with his reincarnation, a second chance?
From directors Khom Kongkiat Khomsiri ('KinnPorsche', 2022, 'The Promise', 2023) and Pepzi Banchorn Vorasataree ('Dark Blue Kiss', 2019, 'KinnPorsche'), the series 'My Stand-In' is the Thai adaptation from the popular novel "Professional Body Double" (职业替身), by Chinese writer Shui Qian Cheng.
If someone asked me: what is so special about the series?, I would answer:
- The captivating story of romance, fantasy, mystery and the power of love throughout lives.
- The idea of twists of fate and the possibility of second chances.
- Revitalizing the theme of reincarnation not only in the concept that the protagonist reincarnates, but also that he can access the memories and knowledge of his past lives. This helps in character and story development.
- Reincarnation as a concept or idea that, after death, we can return and get a second chance, takes the vertigo away from the finitude of human life.
- Addressing an attractive and complex topic such as reincarnation, which oscillates between the fun suggestions of the fantastic imagination and the sacredness of Eastern religions.
- Be adapted from a novel of the danmei genre which in turn is based on the "scum gong/crematorium" dynamic, in which gong is a term used to identify the seme, and crematorium means "crying for the lover who is gone ". In this perspective, when the gong/seme realizes his mistakes too late and has to make an effort to recover the person he loves, that is, his shou/uke, at any cost.
The series is just beginning. We will have to closely follow Joe, Ming and Tong, characters who have captured all our attention.
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Love at its finest
Do you know that feeling you get when you have just finished a really good book or series and you are just left feeling empty, like there is a void that needs to be filled, and only the memories you have created over the last few hours can soothe the emptiness inside? This is how I feel right now.The redemption arc written for Ming is the best one I have ever witnessed in any BL. I love how they did not make him turn over a new leaf out of being sorry but instead made him suffer through love and feel its merciless assault on the soul. They gave his character a rebirth through hard grief. I call it hard grief because knowing someone died and seeing a body is one thing, but not knowing if someone is dead or alive and no body to see, well that is hell on earth.
Watching Joe mourn his old self was so moving in a way I have never considered. I saw a quote that says "Many people die at 25 but are buried at 70." This quote came to mind because here Joe is mourning the loss of his body and old self, but still having a second chance. There are people who have lost themselves for whatever reason and are not really living; they are surviving for the sake of various reasons. My point is when you are lucky enough to get a second chance do not let it slip away, and if you do not get one then make one because you will only be in this life, this moment in this space only once.
When Ming let go of Joe, but could not stand it for even a second and ran to him, wrapping his arms around him; refusing to let him go. Now, that is romance, heartbreak and love all at once. Writing this now, one couple comes to mind and it is Lu Feng and Xiao Chen from A Round Trip To Love. Those two were "desperate love" personified. I always say that for me Chinese BLs and writing are above the rest, well tonight, Thailand hit the same level for me. I have only ever experienced this type of portrayal of desperation and love from a Chinese BL. Well done Thailand.
Ming waited at home cooking for Joe for two years; fulfilling Joe's dream as if calling him home is one incredible act of love.
I am still amazed at how well Ming's character was written to sway the audience (me) so well. I went from hating him to rejoicing in his torment, to feeling my gut move with grief, to finally loving him. The fact that his character alone told a whole love story is just writing at its best.
Joe is a fool for love. The way he folded so quickly when Ming started to make it up to him lol. What I truly love though is that apology Ming gave him. I think it says a lot that even though all was basically settled they saw it important for that apology to take place. That scene in itself is a 10. I think oftentimes people forgive and move on and words cannot change anything, but those three words, "I am sorry" can shift so much in a person wronged and even in the one doing the apology. Apologies are best given in this life because the next life perhaps is not so accommodating or does not even exist, so apologise in the life you are sure of.
I kept putting off watching this series for months. I would come in here frequently and say I am going to start this series but for whatever reason never got around to it. Here I am now on the eve of 2025 completing it and giving it a 10. Closing off a year that for me was full of successes academically and occupationally. I will not forget this one anytime soon. My Stand-In: Uncut 10/10 one of my favourite and proudest 10. This is how you close off the 2024 BL season in style.
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What a loop of meh
This concept was so intriguing at the beginning, it's a bit nuts how little I started to care about anyone until I had a break and eventually just decided to drop.Awful characters, repetitive betrayals and arguments.
I think another thing that put me off was the sudden physical relationship, it just didn't hit. Especially after he'd switched bodies, slowburn would of hit so much more.
Instead the kissing scenes started feeling routine, like oh here another ep another kiss or bed scene, but like I didn't find it hot at all, just meh.
I love Ming's actor, loved him in lovely writer, he was the main reason along with a bit or curiosity why I watched as much as I did.
But wow I just don't care anymore.
For me it wasn't a good drama, I felt like they missed opportunity's to do interesting things with the plot, what they did was repetitive, the opening song was dreadful, the love and relationship is toxic.
I'm no stranger to toxic, if it's compelling and interesting I'll try but this just played out bad.
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My Stand-in was the last BL I've watched
As a new BL fan (2024), curiosity of the genre was on peak. I watched so many popular and underrated series/movies within the first 4 months of 2024. I who loved to keep track, could no longer update my watchlist but it was only My Stand-in that put a stop on my tiring routine. It was so unique that I watched the whole 12 episodes 10 times already. The directors did a great job in storytelling and the cinematography was excellent. And the most important thing was the casts. I totally fell in love with Ming and Joe, and Uppoompat and Poom acting. In the end, I became a Toobtub (UpPoom's fandom name) I became a fan of these internationalactors for the first time in my life. The impact of the series in my life was indescribable and I could not let go of it. Hope you will love and support My Stand In too and the upcoming projects of the two main actorsWas this review helpful to you?
The Show That Hooked Me So Much To Binge Watch in One Night and Rewatch The following days
This show is just so good that I finished it in one night and had to rewatch it in the same week because I couldn't get over it. First of all, Poom is so good at acting and his emotions are very well displayed. Not only that, Up plays Ming in a perfect way, with no overacting. His glances and nods are just enough for some scenes, there was a scene where I had to rewind just to see how Ming's motions were shown in a slow motion and Up's charisma is just perfect. I have read the novel up to half but not all yet, but I would definitely say these two actors are just out of the novel. Also, I like that the series is not as toxic as the novel and I can actually see the love between them without questioning with any doubts. The director is very good and I can see the details of just music, beats, slow motion, actor's face expression (whose to show when). This is by far the best Thai BL series! Kudos to the team!Was this review helpful to you?
A new story that is not repeated or widely spread in the drama of BL
Drama Review: A Unique Story with Emotional Depth but Some Execution FlawsThis drama offers a refreshing and original storyline that avoids repetition. The cinematography stands out, with smooth transitions and carefully composed shots. I also appreciated the casting choices—many actors fit their roles well. However, the storytelling suffers from some clarity issues, particularly regarding Joe's dual character.
Instead of showing the “other side” of the protagonist only through mirror reflections and then revealing him suddenly as the husband, the director could have introduced this version more directly. This choice created confusion at times. Still, the episode length was just right—engaging without feeling too long or boring.
One drawback is that several supporting characters didn’t get the screen time or development they deserved until the very end. Characters like Secretary Jim, Mike, Sol, the prep-department Joe, and Joe’s makeup artist friend were all underutilized. On the other hand, Tong’s role was so well-acted that it was easy to believe this was his real personality. Ming also delivered a powerful performance, evolving from a character the audience might dislike to someone they eventually understand and sympathize with. His transformation highlighted the meaning of true love and emotional growth.
The portrayal of Joe’s character journey—from past to present—was one of the strongest aspects of the series. Despite inhabiting a body unrelated to him by blood, he showed deep love and support for the mother figure in his life, treating her as his own.
Three scenes stood out as emotionally impactful:
1. When Joe realized why Ming truly loved him.
2. When Joe woke up from the coma.
3. When Ming discovered what had happened to Joe, showing how he coped with the loss of someone he loved.
The brotherly bond between Sol, Woo, and Joe was beautifully portrayed, offering moments of warmth and support.
That said, there were some implausible scenes. For example, the idea of hiding a house key under a plant for three years felt unrealistic. Likewise, the series lacked consistency in portraying physical injuries: Joe and Sol recovered from beatings almost instantly, and a punch to Min Young’s nose left no visible mark—despite what would be expected in real life.
Despite its flaws, I truly enjoyed this drama and am thankful to everyone who worked on it. The emotional journey and character development made it worthwhile to watch.
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You know what? I liked it.
So, it's like this. Ming starts a relationship with the stand-in (and stunt person) of his crush, a major superstar named Tong. The stand-in, Joe, doesn't know this until later, and of course, it breaks his heart. Joe is so into Ming, and Ming likes him, but he's cold about it. I think it's because Ming doesn't understand his own feelings yet 'cause he's clinging to his feelings about Tong (who is his sister's boyfriend).At one point, Tong asks Ming to prevent Joe from coming to a press conference because Joe is getting ready to be elevated from stand-in to male lead in a major movie. The movie from which Tong had been fired because he's an arrogant douchebag. This is a sticking point for other viewers (at least from reviews I read) because Ming kidnaps Joe and prevents him from attending the press conference. But he doesn't do it for Tong. Ming is super jealous of Joe's friend, an idol named Sol. When Ming finds out Sol will be in the movie, that's when he agrees to keep Joe from the press conference.
He knocks out Joe, kidnaps him, and chains him up. Again, he is not helping Tong (later he confesses to Joe why he kidnapped him, but it's easy to figure out without him admitting it). Ming is dominant, possessive, and jealous. He changes somewhat later on, but he is still dominant. He is not a kind person EXCEPT to Joe. For Joe, he does all sorts of things that he wouldn't do for any other human being. (Like buy couples' mugs because Joe is so excited about all the couple things.)
Ming tells Joe that he will invest in any movie he wants and elevate him to stardom (because Ming is rich as hell). Joe, of course, has principles and wants to earn his rise into stardom. (As an aside, I don't understand why you can't be principled and let your boyfriend spend his money to give you your dreams, but okay, make it difficult, I guess.)
Is Ming selfish? Yes. Does he do the wrong thing because he's never really been in love and he's letting fear drive his actions? Also, yes. He can have anything he wants, so why wouldn't he think he can have Joe? Is he thinking about Joe's feelings? Sorta. He does things because it pleases Joe and he likes making Joe happy, but he also doesn't consider how his actions (his often blunt comments) hurt Joe.
Joe has already broken up with Ming because he knows he was a stand-in, and now with the kidnapping and the ban from the industry because he missed the press conference and put everyone in a bind, he decides to take a shady job with an unlicensed movie company.
Ming, meanwhile, refuses to break up with Joe and continues on as though they will be together. Joe goes off to the shady production and is yeeted off a cliff and dies.
He wakes up two years later in the body of a man named Joe (who is also gay and was a model, so he has connections to the entertainment industry). Long story short, he ends up in the same company he worked for before, doing stunt work, and eventually is tapped to be Tong's stand-in. Believe me, he's like WTF am I doing? This is life number one all over again, and of course, he runs into Ming.
Joe is very determined to stay away from Ming even though he still loves him. He won't admit it, but he does. Ming seems to recognize him right away even though he can't pinpoint why he likes new Joe. Ming has also entered the entertainment industry (later, we find out it's because he was hoping if his image was out there Joe would see it and come home ... awwww!). He is drawn to new Joe and keeps arranging opportunities to meet him. Eventually, to save new Joe's mother from health problems and debt, he agrees to a paramour contract with Ming.
Joe thinks that Ming just wants him as a toy. He's jaded about Ming because he still believes he was a stand-in. But here's the twist: The whole reason that Ming fell in love with Tong was a scene in his blockbuster movie where he fought off enemies. All you see is Tong's back as he fights and THAT's what got Ming's attention. Turns out (you knew this was coming, right? I did, too) the back he saw in the movie belonged to Joe. Because Joe did that scene uncredited and Tong (because he's a douchebag) told everyone he did his own stunts.
Yes, that's right. Ming was crushing on Joe the whole time and didn't know it because he assumed Tong was the actor in the scene. The reason he looked at Joe's back and thought, yeah, I want that, is because it was the actual back of the actual person he actually liked. (That makes Tong the stand-in for Joe.) When he finds out the truth, he is crushed and there's an amazing scene where he just emotionally melts down and hugs new Joe (during a movie shoot) and apologizes over and over.
During the two years that old Joe had disappeared, Ming suffered. He came to the realization that he loved Joe too late so he preserved everything they had together. The shitty house, the broken couple mugs, the idea of cooking dinner and leaving the lights on so Joe could come home to someone, and even taking a job in the same industry.
Ming deserved to suffer. If he didn't suffer, we couldn't forgive him for being such an asshole before. (On a personal note, most people who say something or someone is "dark" is almost always "light gray" to me. I have a high threshold for dark, I guess. And I think Ming was just a flawed human who did try to better himself to be more worthy of Joe.)
Other viewers have mentioned that the ending is almost too sweet and it is. And I want that. We have suffered, people. We want fluffy cotton candy endings for everyone. Everyone gets someone to love and I am not mad about that. I don't like that Tong gets redemption in the end because I think he's trash. I think he should be thrown in the garbage and the garbage should be set on fire. But he gets forgiven. Blech.
I liked it. I'll probably watch it again.
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I'd love to see this couple in another setting again!
The acting is amazing! Really good- no cringe moment. NC is super good too!I love the storyline, really special where we dive into the role of a "stand in". this alone gives freshness to the BL industry. It really got me hooked, especially for 1st half of the show. It gets somewhat complicated/dramatic halfway through, but- the ending is SO satisfactory, that it's worth it
I especially like the last scene, it kinda gives us what we expect more of, but with twist of humour. I had a really good laugh at last scene yet feeling so warm and happy.
I really love Up's acting here. I've watched him in Lovely Writer which I love as well, and I'm glad to see him back and hope to see him in more BL.
The chemistry is really good, kiss scenes are good, and action scenes are good too. Loose ends are tied- it feels really nicely wrapped
I also love the overall pacing and vibe of the show. It feels really classy, well done and professional- not "on budget amateur" vibe that we sometimes get from BL .
I am really satisfied with this BL- been a while since I am this impressed since Last Twilight!
My little wish is to see this couple again- but this time round, lets make it less dramatic for them, I just want to see a lovey dove sweet BL story for them :)
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This review may contain spoilers
Why you should or shouldn’t watch this series
I would that the story got me confusing after the accident that Joe had when he was notified about Ming’s personal feelings about his boyfriend then Joe got into an accident where he fell off the cliff and two years later, he came back and someone else’s body and his face would change here and there on the screen sometimes which Seemed really confusing to me as a viewer or watcher Of the seriesWas this review helpful to you?
