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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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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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?
What a rollercoaster of emotions
Can i just say MSI was amazing! Highly recommend this to anyone who loves to go through all the emotions when watching a drama. Shout out to the actor Poom Phuripan who played joe, he was absolutely amazing, he is an actor who can act with his eyes, and his acting was so natural. I really felt like he was Joe. He also is absolutely gorgeous! (To be honest i think all the cast are handsome) All the actors i feel were really well casted, the villains were villains, youll shout through the screens at them 🤣 (i wont spoil who the bad boys are) Make sure to watch this!Was this review helpful to you?
Great Character Development
I'll start by prefacing this by the fact that I live in the west and I'm not a 23-year old. My kids could be in college now, so I understand the complexity of human emotions and why things were the way they were in this drama.For me, this drama was perfect. First part gave us the foundation to build upon. Second part allowed us to see Ming's character development. I adored the chemistry between the lead actors. And Up's acting skills are superb here. If you watch him in Lovely Writer, you'll get what I'm saying. That man is great playing a bottom, but playing a top he is unbelievable. He is not what you would call classically handsome, but with the quality of acting he gave us in this drama, you absolutely do not care about his looks. If you hate his character, it means as an actor he’s done his job well.
I'll probably rewatch in the future. Because I had way too many feels after I finished.
If you're into simple BLs with flat, green flag love interest, then this is not for you. If you're looking for a serious drama with complex, a little morally gray characters with their own faults and want to see proper character ARCs and don't get your panties twisted in a bunch, then this is for you.
I appreciated the writing. One of the better BL's out there. I do think they could have done better job with some of the intimate scenes. But obviously they did not really want to concentrate on that and the chemistry was there regardless.
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Up and Poom's portrayal of a toxic relationship is worth watching. The script is pretty bad.
1.I recommend this drama, specifically for Up and Poom's scenes together. Although there are some regrets, it's still quite good. For BL scenes in 2024, I give it a perfect score of 10. This is also why I rated the drama 10.Up and Ming’s emotional development isn’t clearly portrayed, leading to a situation where, although their characters are solid and the NC scenes are beautiful, their emotional connection isn’t well established. This is not Up and Poom’s fault but rather a result of the director’s lack of professionalism. The director didn’t focus on properly shooting the BL elements or the main storyline. Instead, they mishandled two actors with great chemistry, treating each scene like a rush job. They wasted resources on boring, clichéd scenes and various filler content, which seemed aimed more at enhancing their personal portfolio than doing justice to this major IP.This is also a major reason for the subsequent negative reviews. The lack of clarity in the relationship between the two characters is a significant issue. The screenwriter failed to properly explore the strengths of the original novel and instead added various nonsensical plotlines. The transformation of Ming and the reasons behind it were not depicted, while a lot of focus was placed on clichéd and illogical conversations between Ming and the Master. Even Joe's lines about not knowing the meaning of his life without Ming made him appear foolish, pitiful, and inconsistent with his age. These issues are not related to the actors but stem from the incompetence of the adaptation. (I don't recommend the original novel, but at least it clearly explained the characters' personalities and emotions.)
2.Visual Appeal: Up and Poom are both perfect scores. Poom’s physique deserves extra credit.
3.Acting: Poom remains fully immersed in his role, and his action scenes are really impressive. Although Up often seems to coast, his natural charisma and the alignment with the character of Ming are worth a perfect score of 10 for the surprise factor. The areas where I deduct points are due to script issues and the fact that some scenes from the original Ming were not included in the drama.
4.Plot: The NC (intimate) scenes between Up and Poom and their interactions are excellent, as are the parts based on the original work. However, everything outside their storyline is lacking, especially the additional scenes added by the screenwriter, such as the kidnapping plot and various unnecessary family drama scenes. These additions are excessive, clichéd, and drawn out.
5.Biggest Regret: The drama fails to adapt the original novel from 12 years ago properly. The director and screenwriter have missed the mark. Ming and Joe's interactions are very limited, and the few scenes they have are repeated throughout the 12 episodes. The director and screenwriter focused on creating drama instead of upholding professional standards. They clearly had the ability to create a good BL drama but chose to waste investors' money. (This was particularly evident at the fan meeting during the My Stand-In world tour, where it was clear they had the ability but chose not to utilize it. I’ve summarized the reasons below for reference.)
To clarify, I'm not a fan of the original novel and didn't find it particularly great. However, comparing the adaptation to the 12-year-old novel, the outcome is disappointing. Nonetheless, I still give it a 10 because it has its merits when compared to other BL dramas of 2024. Although the show didn't turn out well overall, the standout scenes are deserving of recognition.
I would attribute this praise to Up, Poom, the original novel's author, and the producer who cast Up and Poom, rather than the so-called team effort promoted by the creators. The notable parts of the drama are the original plot and the performances of Up and Poom, not the expensive and extraneous additions made by the screenwriter and director.
The director and screenwriter, driven by their own desire to create drama, selfishly used investors' money to enhance their resumes, neglecting the basic professional ethics required to tell this BL story well. The resulting show is disappointing, as the focus was more on creating drama rather than thoughtfully adapting the original work.
The Thai fan meeting skit proved that the director had the capability to produce a good show, which is even more frustrating. If she felt that shooting a BL drama was beneath her, she could have chosen to work on her preferred genres, such as traditional family dramas or large-scale productions, rather than wasting the opportunity by adding unnecessary elements to a BL story.
In contrast, while Up also practices and explores audience engagement through various platforms like TikTok, daily updates, and YouTube, he does so without making claims of enhancing the team's reputation or consuming others' resources.
Up and Poom did a great job portraying Ming and Joe in the story. These scenes have become popular among the fans of the original novel, but if it weren’t for the director and screenwriter’s self-serving additions, this CP could have gained even more popularity. Therefore, I recommend watching this drama because the main CP's acting and visuals are quite beautiful. Since it’s available online, you can just skip the unnecessary additions made by the director and screenwriter, as seen in reaction videos by YouTubers.
However, I want to tell the investors to be cautious with directors and screenwriters who, despite having a 12-year-old original novel and a large fan base, fail to clarify the main storyline and use the investor’s money for their own directorial practice.
Although the main storyline was not well-executed in the drama, the follow-up work by Up and Poom has somewhat made up for the shortcomings (I highly recommend watching their interviews after finishing the drama; they are very interesting). Therefore, after watching the drama, watching Up and Poom’s short videos will provide an additional enjoyable experience. (The drama itself has removed and distorted many important scenes from the original novel, especially in the latter half, leading to a logical inconsistency. I’m not saying the original novel is perfect, but this adaptation fell short compared to the 12-year-old original, which was unexpected.)
Some may say that Up and Poom’s performances benefited from the director’s guidance, but if the director was so skilled at coaching actors, why are only Up and Poom’s scenes impressive? Poom’s expressive eyes and Up’s alignment with Ming’s character created the only compelling tension in the drama. The additional scenes added by the screenwriter and director that were unrelated to the main storyline are very clichéd and boring. Many outstanding main storyline scenes were also cut. It’s unfortunate for the investors to have encountered such a director and screenwriter who lack professionalism.
The original novel contains many scenes between the two characters. If the drama had been filmed with attention to detail, it wouldn’t have ended up like this, and Ming’s character would have gained more fans. Joe’s actions wouldn’t have been so hard to understand for many international fans. As the director repeatedly emphasized, she proudly boasted about how dramatic and roller-coaster-like her adaptation was, believing that constant dramatization was more important than presenting the main storyline well.
It’s quite annoying that she constantly emphasized the dramatic aspects, which shows she doesn’t understand the novel and doesn’t respect it, being very superficial. She proudly boasts about the drama’s intensity, describing it as a roller coaster. No wonder, after episode 9, the adaptation included the distasteful scene of Joe willingly being kidnapped. Some comments have said the screenwriter did a good job with the adaptation, but that’s incorrect; the highlights are all from the original novel, and the adapted parts are widely criticized online. The editor didn’t understand the essence of the drama. Most of the selected scenes from the original were also wrong. The essence of the novel was completely missed, making it a mere formality. The praised scenes and dialogues are all from the original novel, so please don’t misattribute the praise. The glory for the plot belongs to the original author; the director and screenwriter don’t deserve any credit.
acting: For the first time, someone has portrayed the role of a gentle yet resolute, love-struck uke. He shows restraint in front of his younger lover but breaks down when alone. He is gentle and resilient, conveying deep emotions time and again through his captivating and nuanced eye acting. Thank you, Poom Phuripan, for this performance. It’s the first time in BL history that this type of character has been brought to life.
Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that Poom’s looks have greatly surpassed the handsome portrayal in the original book, thanks to the casting director. He shines with a sunny disposition, and his smile is as captivating as a warm spring sun. More importantly, his perfectly sculpted physique, the result of long-term training, truly deserves a place in BL history. The numerous close-ups in the show are definitely worth revisiting. Thank you, Poom! And regarding Poom’s action scenes, they are beautifully executed and concise; it’s incredible that he has never studied martial arts.
To reiterate, Poom’s beautifully defined muscles and striking facial features in My Stand-In shine under the atmospheric lighting, exuding an Adonis-like beauty. His emotional changes towards Ming are both delicate and touching. He also portrayed Ming with a maturity beyond his years, showing indulgence and hopeless love. Some comments say he is foolish, but you can’t blame Joe for that. In the original novel, Joe's forgiveness of Ming was a lengthy process. Ming is different three years later than he was three years ago, but the drama spent all its time on the "dramatic" elements that the director found impressive. The director and screenwriter removed these crucial scenes from the original where Ming’s character development was significant. The original novel also provided a clear process for why Joe returns to this relationship, but this was also eliminated by the director and screenwriter.
Up’s portrayal of Ming is both successful and flawed. However, the failure of Ming’s character is primarily due to the director and screenwriter, not Up himself. With the script written this way, what could he have done? So, the regret of Ming in the adaptation feels insincere, like the sweet spot before the next round of mistreatment. Up is certainly capable of such nuanced performances. The adaptation removed various ways Ming expresses his love for Joe in the original novel, while the director and screenwriter added numerous clichéd and boring "dramatic" family scenes and kidnapping plots, leaving no time to develop Ming’s character or properly shoot the confrontational scenes between Ming and Joe. This led many to perceive Joe as foolish and Ming as a narcissist, making their relationship appear abusive by the end. The emotional transitions are abrupt, and Up never had the opportunity to portray Ming’s deep love for Joe.
In the original novel, Joe is a person with strong opinions, not a passive do-gooder. He isn’t forced to fall in love with Ming again; Tong, who was punished in the original novel, is frustratingly present in the adaptation’s sudden, chaotic pairing. The director and screenwriter added a clichéd "family reunion" scene, which was their own outdated plot. In the novel, Ming reacts to Tong’s shamelessness after Joe’s first death and does not allow Tong to bully Joe, a crucial part of the original storyline. The adaptation changed it to Ming watching Tong bully Joe, making Joe suffer as Tong’s replacement.
Additionally, Ming discovers that Joe 2.0 is actually Joe 1.0 on his own, not through any sorcerer. Joe 2.0 is no longer a replacement but a young actor. The important confrontation scene between Joe 2.0 and Ming upon discovering Joe 1.0’s body was poorly adapted. The scene where Ming tricks Joe into returning to the house and solves the mystery, a crucial scene in the novel, was cut down to just three minutes, interrupted by Sol.
Due to these numerous adaptation errors, many viewers can only see Ming’s toxicity and his exploitation of Joe rather than his love. This has reduced what should have been a complex and profound character to something superficial, childish, hypocritical, and fragile.
Finally, while the NC scenes in the drama are visually stunning, they often come across as unrealistic, especially the ridiculous sneeze scene, which turns Ming from the beastly character in the original novel into a “6-second man.” Some comments question why Joe can't overpower Ming, but the original novel explains that Ming’s martial prowess is superior to Joe's. However, the director’s desire to create a “cute” fight scene with Up and Sol made it hard for any viewer to believe Ming's superior strength. This issue lies with the director and screenwriter, not with the original novel or Up and Poom. (If Up and Poom collaborate again, I hope the NC scenes can be made more realistic.)
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Weak in the Knees for Ming?! My My Stand-In Review
First off, the music no shade, but it just wasn’t for me. The intro especially didn’t click, though some tracks were okay. I think the style just didn’t match my taste, but that doesn’t mean it was bad overall.(I don't judge shows off music so it's not included in my rating)The story is where this series shines. I’d give it a 10 because it hooked me in the first 15 minutes (which is rare for me). That shows how well-paced and engaging it was right from the start. If I had one gripe, it’s that Joe never got his “lick back.” Tong definitely got off too easy after all the mess he caused, and Ming while he could’ve been forgiven but still should’ve faced some direct consequence too like sure he was distraught after but that was not enough for me. That would’ve added an extra layer of justice and realism. But despite that, the plot had me locked in. I literally binged it in one night, which says a lot about how addictive it was.
Now Joe and Ming’s dynamic Joe frustrated me because he didn’t learn after the first death. He fell for Ming way to fast you would think he would start using his brain go about stuff different but honestly can't blame him the second life was even worse than the first but still, he was weak in the knees for Ming (LIKE STAND UPPPPPP). But looking deeper, Joe was lonely and wanted to give his love fully to someone. Ming wanted to be loved fully and unconditionally he craved loved but his feelings leaned more toward obsession. He was fixated on Joe, wanted him completely, and even without the “back activities,” you could tell he genuinely loved him. I do believe Ming truly loved Joe, but his unresolved attachment to Tong messed up everything. The “stupid” thing he did after Tong’s call really looked like a breaking point. It wasn’t calculated cruelty it was him snapping under pressure, consumed by jealousy and fear of losing Joe. That doesn’t excuse his actions, but it does show how fragile and unstable he was in that moment. . That doesn’t excuse him, but it shows how fragile he was. He wasn’t just a villain by the end, Ming did redeem himself in a lot of ways. You could see moments of sweetness and regret that made it hard to paint him as purely bad. He was messy, broken, and obsessed but also human.
Acting was a full 10. Up and Poom delivered AMAZINGLY, they had me crying, angry, laughing and emotional right along with them. That’s good acting you can’t fake that kind of impact. Even Tong’s actor deserves major credit: I hated his character, but I still felt a little sorry for him at the end. That balance proves he played the role perfectly. Everyone did amazine honestly Everyone.
Overall, this show is a 10 for me. The acting, the emotional weight, the storytelling it all worked. It’s messy, emotional, and intense, but that’s exactly why it hit so hard.
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Come discover the magic of Poom/Up
BL Mystery Action with Poom & Up (and I ship them) ヽ(♡‿♡)ノPLOT: Joe, a stuntman, is Tong's stand-in, performing all his action scenes (and more). He begins an strange relationship with Ming (the young heir to a large group), Tong's future brother-in-law (and clearly also in love with Tong). But he painfully realizes he's just a stand-in for Ming. Ming, incited by Tong, causes an incident that leads to Joe losing his contracts. Joe leaves with a foreign stunt team and dies in an accident. He wakes up in the body of another Joe, who also has connections to the film industry.
+++ Poom and Up are fabulous actors, full of nuance and micro-expressions. Their chemistry is fantastic, and I've become a die-hard fan of this pairing :)
+++ The story is coherent (if you accept the soul transfer :))
+++ The direction is efficient and well-paced; the sets, costumes, props, etc., are all up to the project's standards. The action scenes are convincing and well-executed.
### Sol, played by Porsche, is not convincing (acting skills, costumes, lack of charisma), and he's not the one I'd get a SLS from :)
### The role of the agencies, producers, etc., is unclear. I know there's a lot of power, influence, and money involved in these circles, but here, it's particularly confusing. Joe's agency, especially, is completely useless!!
### I regret that Tong remains unpunished for what he did. He's a nasty piece of work, but he's forgiven everything because he's going to have a child :( :(
=> Almost a masterpiece (a few flaws) thanks to the magic of Poom-Up (´♡‿♡`) (´♡‿♡`)
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BL Mystère Action avec Poom & Up (and I ship them) ヽ(♡‿♡)ノ
PLOT: Joe, cascadeur, est la doublure de Tong dont il assure ttes les scènes d'action. Il entame 1 liaison avec Ming (jeune héritier d'1 gros gpe), futur beau-frère frère de Tong (et visiblement aussi amoureux de Tong). Mais il prend douloureusement conscience qu'il n'est qu'un remplaçant pour Ming. Ming, incité par Tong, provoque 1 incident qui fait perdre ses contrats à Joe. Celui-ci part avec 1 équipe étrangère faire des cascades et meurt ds 1 accident. Il se réveille ds le corps d'1 autre Joe, ayant aussi des liens avec les cercles de tournage.
+++ Poom et Up sont des acteurs fabuleux, tout en nuances et micro-expressions. Leur alchimie est fantastique et je suis devenue une die-hard fan de ce couple :)
+++ Story cohérente (si on accepte le transfert d'âme :)
+++ Réalis° efficace, rythmée, les décors / costumes / accessoires / etc. sont à la hauteur du projet. Les scènes d'action sont convaincantes et bien travaillées.
### Sol, joué par Porsche, n'est pas convaincant (acting skills, costumes, manque de charisme) et ce n'est pas avec lui que j'aurai un SLS :)
### Le fctt des agences, producteurs, etc. n'est pas clair. Je sais qu'il y a bcp d'enjeu de pouvoir, d'influence, de finance, ... dans ces cercles-là, mais ici, c'est particulièrement confus. L'agence de Joe, en particulier, ne sert à rien !!
### Je regrette que Tong reste impuni pour ce qu'il a fait. C'est un sale type, mais tt lui est pardonné parce qu'il va avoir un enfant :( :(
=> Presqu'un masterpiece (qq flaws) grâce à la magie Poom-Up (´♡‿♡`) (´♡‿♡`)
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WATCH IT, DON'T BELIEVE THE COMMENTS
I binged watch this 12 episode series of My Stand-in today. Seriously speaking, why did I just watched it today? It's frustrating me so much, because of how good it is!The plot revolves around Joe, a stuntman for a famous actor named Tong. In the set, Joe met Ming, brother in law of Tong who is secretly in love with him. Joe got interested on him and Ming found resemblance of Tong in Joe so he got attached to him. They got into a situationship. When Joe became promoted to a main lead of a movie with his friend Sol (Kpop Idol), Ming got jelous, and locked up Joe. Since Joe cannot attend the press conference of the movie, he was removed from it and got banned from any companies. In need of job, he got the job of being a stuntman in an infamous company who is famous for using cheap materials and not caring and compensating the talents who are undergoing accidents. During the shoot, he needs to do stunts while riding a motorcycle in a mountain. Since the harness is cheap, it broke easily, causing Joe to fall the mountain.
When he woke up, he is already in a body of another person, also named Joe. There he met again Ming and the other colleagues from his old body, which basically where the plot revolved around.
The plot is so good and unique! I love it so much because of the fact that it raises awareness towards the reality of behind the scenes of the films we are watching. Towards those extras and stuntmans who are doing most of the work instead of those actors and actresses who are getting the limelight.
This made me crazy, stressed, and obsessed just like Ming, lmao. If you don't like red flag main characters, then this is definitely not for you, because Ming's character is really hateful. There are so many things happening, most especially towards the ending. I'm like "Joe literally just went out of the hospital! Why are you kidnapping him again?"
This series made me anticipate each and every scenes of it. The way I cannot pursue myself to stop watching, that is why I literally binged watch it for a day.
The casts are all so good! The main characters delivered and served the best out of all casts, which made them deserving of being the main roles of this series. This series is just so good because of the chemistry of them both. The way they let out those emotions and script, it was truly satisfying. Addition to that, those NC scenes are to die for.
I'm so frustrated for watching it just now because I am literally satisfied on everything in this series. I love it so much and I would recommend this to other watchers. Hands down to everyone behind The Stand-in!
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How about friendships or family?
Is it the person or their back you fall in love with?
And who is truly a stand in? Arn't we all just standing in for someone whenever we are in the wrong place?
It is also a drama that will make you want to google a bunch of stuff like inhairitance laws and copyright.
The second male lead is really cute, not as good a singer as they seem to try to make us believe but deffenetly the type of character that steals the show with just one scene.
While there are a lot of attempts to make the viewers forgive and fall for the rich male lead and his family. I aint falling for it, actually it had me rather annoyed instead. Making me want to say, oh for just admit that the guy is trash, and that sometimes people fall for toxic waste dumps and move on with tha plot instead of covering us with flowers and perfume...
The logic in this is lacking and the cringe towards the end is the type that had me hiding behind my hand with one eye showing.
An okay watch, entertaining most of the time.
Ps the intamacy scenes and side characters where really well made.
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This review may contain spoilers
I fell in love
Part WITHOUT spoilersI enjoyed every second of this series. I couldn't believe I found a Thai bl without a bunch of side couples and drawn out dialogues between irrelevant characters. The plot was PLOTTING, and acting was on such a high level, especially Ming. Even support characters like Wut and others were enjoyable to watch and contributed to the plot. It's rare to find series with thought out plot AND character development. I loved how the story was from Joe's POV, this is what lacked for me in Love Mechanics. In comparison of 2 stories of toxic relationships, My stand -in did it right, allowing us to form our own perception of Ming's character, not sugar coating his behavior with sob stories and his dialogues with support characters. This series let the story unveil Ming's reasons behind his actions and only in the last episodes showed us his struggles.
Even production was beautiful, and all this on the background of filming set was so refreshing to watch. Another thing, main leads had a strong chemistry and authentic tension, all NC scenes were beautiful. Heck, there was even humour and funny moments, this show was perfect.
SPOILERS ahead
I deducted 0.5 points from the story as it lacked the backstory of Ming's character, especially his love for Thong. It's evident that Ming is an obsessive and possessive man, but it wasn't clear how Ming still couldn't get over Thong even after 4 years of studying in USA. And revealing later on that he fell in love with Thong's charisma in fencing scene (his back actually) did a disservice to his character. I get that a teenager could fall in love at first sight with a cool fighting scene and idolize the actor later on, but him breaking into tears and drinking himself to oblivion just because Thong proposed to his sister, while Ming himself was living together with Joe and even bought couple mugs made zero sense. It would make more sense if how Thong was low-key flirting with Ming, making his heart flutter, hence making him misunderstand, but Thong was portrayed as a heterosexual character, not even bisexual, so it wasn't clear what Ming was hoping for.. That's my only beef with the series. Overall, I fell in love with Ming's character and his way of hurting other's with his words. Finally a toxic, red flag character done right.
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