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Flawed, but I Oddly Enjoy...?
Maybe I'm the anomaly here (to my surprise) to see this series was not taken well by the vast majority of watchers. Surprisingly, I think I liked it? Now, did I like it in the sense that it's going to make top 10 of 2026? Highly unlikely. But I enjoyed it in a "this is sloppy and stupid, omg, I love it" kind of way. Now, it wasn't nearly as brazen and racy as the first season was, in which case diminishes the brand of Only Friends being the daring, everybody-kisses-everybody series, but in some peculiar turn of events, this worked for me.Let's Dive In.
I liked that each of our leading couples had their own dynamic. I enjoyed Arnold and Tua's story the most, but that's because I'm a friends-to-lovers buff, otherwise that crown would've gone to the brilliant AouBoom. Truly so nice seeing them like this. We go a slight taste of this darker, more erotic theme of them in Perfect10Liners, and here, we get to see a much more complex attitude from them. Executed very nicely by the way. Joss and Gawin, for the love of straight, it's hard for me to play into their roles, only completely shadowed by my love of their trope. It also feel like they were playing racier versions of their own selves, at least for Joss that's the vibes I got. But I won't complain too hard, I got too see shirtless Joss, so *shrugs*.
And I can't forget the lovely Mix and Earth, of course. Not my favorite roles I've seen them in, but they do chemistry well. I'm not a fan of exes-to-lovers as much as I'd like to be, also way too much cat and mouse chasing for my own liking, but I still appreciated seeing them on my screen again doing something much somber and risqué. Mix being slightly evil in the beginning was also nice to see.
I think where this series slightly suffers is it's cowardice way of almost-kisses or totally eradicating the reason why people loved the first season: everybody was kissing everybody! It makes no sense that Jack and Raffy don't kiss, it makes no sense that Dean and Pod's character don't kiss, it don't make sense that Tua and Boston don't kiss, and don't even get me started on Pete and Rome. Urgh. If this was the real season one flare, Pete would've been riding the fuck out of Rome's dick with a dejected Raffy looking from a distance.
I also think it got slightly boring. Also those random confessional scene were... a choice!
Ratings:
Story: 8/10 - mostly entertaining. They should've really gone for it, but oh well.
Acting: 9/10 - good! I think Boom and Mix are the stand outs for me.
Music: 4/10 - I've been noticing more English music in GMMTV productions, and I don't know it's starting to pinch a nerve.
Recommendation Value: 6.5/10 - Maybe? There a story here, and it's fun for the most part. Don't knock it till you try it kind of ordeal.
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The only thing we can 'Dream On' about is that this were better
I'm annoyed with how disappointed I am because1. We know that most sequels don't exactly live up to their shared stories
2. We should never really have much expectations, ever
Sometimes, you watch a drama and go 'why do I even bother?' because it's just that bad. I could say that Dream On had no depth, no good character development, no nuanced writing of any relevance, but why bother? What does it matter when they didn't have a decent plot or characters from the get go?
Because drama that goes down between six guys on the set of Romeo and Romeo because all of them clearly like just one person but force themselves to pretend they like others is not exactly a watchable plot with characters you can root for.
Let's just rehash this couple by couple in no particular order (except for the amount I liked/tolerated them)
Arnold and Tua
I believe they were supposed to be the 'steady pairing' - the couple who is kind of always into each other, has a ton of cute moments and one smidgen of drama that is not actually worth crying over (I made up that last part but it happened!)
Tua has forever been in love with Arnold - Arnold has a policy to never date friends and against all odds, they date. But that one smidgen of drama? It comes in the form of Dean, Tua's friend and Arnold's co-star in that play. Dean has this idea to create 'ship content' with Arnold (more on that later) but things start to get kind of real and a photo of them indulging in an angle kiss goes viral. That causes some distress but they make up so quick I began to wonder why break up?
Because they're that couple! Strong, dedicated and so boring. They were so bland as a couple and as individuals that remove them from the plot and it wouldn't really make a difference - which speaks both to how badly and boringly written these two characters were, but also how messily and terribly the other characters were written. I didn't enjoy this pairing much (didn't help that their last work was the Sniffle Story) because either have them be more involved or do not have them at all!
Dean and Jack
Before I start, please repeat after me - Jack is the worst!
Now let's go. I'd argue that these two got the most screentime, which genuinely upset me, not only because Jack was one of the worst characters in the series but also because of how terrible they were to almost everyone, including each other!
There's a lot going on here, and this is just an abstract but Jack and Dean are exes who broke up because Jack believes that Dean is a player who will eventually cheat on him. They're working together on a play and somehow end up in an on/off, FWB to couple relationship (complicated, I know) but throughout it all, Jack is just a complete jerk. Not just to his boyfriend, but almost everybody. I could actually write a paper on how badly written Jack is. Anyway, they have constant arguments working together, fueled even further by the presence of Raffy, Dean's rival in everything, including love.
The constant jealousy and arguments only get worse when Dean has the idea to shoot content with Arnold to promote the play, and that faux-kiss happens. And obviously Jack is super chill and that's that (ha-ha)
Their part of the story obviously has a lot going on, even aside from the petulant relationship troubles. They take about things like addiction, financial troubles, infidelity, trust - but they don't really talk about it. It's mentioned in passing and immediately forgotten to talk about relationship issues that do not exist. It's like they wanted to say something but were worried for some inapparent reason.
And we've already established that Jack is a jerk (the awfulness must truly be witnessed to understand) but Dean is actually a decent person. A good friend, smart and tenacious but when he's around Jack he turns into this monstrous person I really hated. This pairing actually angered me so much, I just - ugh.
Raffy and Rome
My favourite pairing, why? Because they had the most potential.
Raffy - in love with Jack, would do anything to get him, might be in love with Rome but won't accept it.
Rome - in love with Raffy, hated his step-brother Jack and will do everything to ensure those two don't end up together
These two start off as a quintessential FWB, annoyance to lovers pairing but I quite liked the way their story progressed. Despite being an integral part of the mess, it felt like they never really moved away from each other. Yes, they argued and fought, but somehow always kept looking for each other. Maybe it's the fact that they actually looked like they liked each other, but with a few tweaks, their story would've been one to rival even those from S1.
And even as individuals, brilliant characters. Not perfect but they actually had character growth. Compared to the other characters who didn't move an inch (personality or face wise) these two were aces better.
A story that was supposed to be messy, hard hitting and thought provoking like S1 turned out to be almost nothing. Don't get me wrong, this was MESSY. I haven't even covered so many of the things that happened in this series - embezzlement, the return of Boston, cameos from Only Friends, it had it all but it mostly felt like a hollow shell. Characters sometimes refused to interact outside their set pairings, and when they did it was mostly to fight. That was one of the biggest problems with this series, it felt like I was watching the love story of three different couples who rarely interacted with those around them.
Nothing worked beyond a certain point and we owe it all to the writers and makers who weren't willing to actually go anywhere with the story. The same drama was spun around hundreds of times, characters moved one step forward to take ten steps back, basically ending the story exactly as it started. Even the actors (who I know are brilliant performers) couldn't move their facial muscles to save this lackluster story.
If you've stuck it out until here - go you! It could not have been easy to read my rather incoherent rant (almost done I promise). I don't think I was the target audience for this series. Yes, I love flawed and messy people being themselves but there's a certain amount I can tolerate of people making the same bad decisions over and over again, and standing by that decision lol. If you're looking for a genuine messy bunch and a bunch of messy relationships, go for it. But don't say my rant didn't warn you ;)
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Missing the Forest for the Trees
God, was this a disaster of epic proportions (and not in an entertaining way)!If I had to summarize its problems in just one sentence, I would say that they went for what was obvious and advantageous rather than what was challenging.
S1 of Only Friends was messy (intentionally), but there was more to it than that. It didn't just point the camera at its possessive, broken protagonist hitting on someone and then shove a cheeky third party in the picture. Through its leads and their problems and mistakes (romantic and not), they thoughtfully weaved a narrative about second chances. How you can't always tell whether they were deserved or not. How some people change, and some never change. Time is what reveals it.
Only Friends: Dream On seemed to look at the success of Only Friends and miss the core of it: This is about hook-ups and flirting in front of a crowd! It wanted the messiness without challenging views or casting any of its actors in a bad light as their characters. Likely because of changes in the crew and the creators wanting to make sure their fixed pairs didn't appear blurred, if you ask me. Which, if you're making a second season of Only Friends, should not be one of your priorities!
Predictable and safe. That's what it was.
Without intending to, they made one of their leads into a painfully oblivious villain, dragging others down and going back on his word, all the while bemoaning slights against him as if they were daggers to the heart. Meanwhile, viewers were meant to sympathize.
I could not find a deeper meaning here, no matter how hard I racked my brain, probably because there wasn't one from the start. If it was supposed to be "wanting someone you shouldn't," based on the conclusion, the drama seemed to disagree with its own messaging.
And what was originally a unique storytelling device: interview-like segments interspersed throughout to get a read on the characters' thoughts, became characters performing for the camera, and ended up feeling like an exaggerated, dragged-out wink and nod to the audience as if to say, "See what we did! It's just like you remember! Aren't we cool?"
Fitting for a story centered around a stage play to feel like bad theatre.
I'm disappointed and in the mood to go rewatch the original Only Friends.
Side Note: Rome and Raffy and Dean were the saving graces of this drama.
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I DIDN'T KNOW ONLY FRIENDS DREAM ON WOULD BE THIS GOOD!
I love how deeply layered and emotionally complex its characters are no one feels one dimensional and every decision is driven by messy human motivations that unfold with striking realism. The series is elevated by its beautifully crafted music score which perfectly underscores each emotional beat while the thoughtful use of color and precise timing in its scenes create an atmosphere that feels both intimate and intense. On top of that, the actors deliver incredibly nuanced performances, bringing raw vulnerability and chemistry that make every interaction feel authentic.Was this review helpful to you?
absolute cinema.
Y'ALL MUST BETTER WATCH IT, EVERYTHING IS SO PERFECT OH MYYY 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭I'M SCREAMING, I'LL MISS THEM SM THO!
ONE OF MY FAV BL BTW, AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE CAST? NAHH. IT'S JUST TO GOOD TO BE REAL FR!!!!!!
I absolutely recommend to watch it so yup! If you didn't since now go and watch it lol
watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it watch it
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This review may contain spoilers
I'M OBSESSED WITH ARNOLDTUA KSKSHSJSJSJS
I AM absolutely losing my mind over JossGawin as ArnoldTua in Only Friends: Dream On. Their chemistry is INSANE 😭❤️🔥 in the best way possible, like you can literally feel the tension, the history, and the emotions in every single scene they share. It's not just about romance, there's longing, confusion, comfort, and that messy best-friends-to-lovers energy, situationship and friendzone label that hits you right in the heart. Joss plays Arnold with this golden-retriever vibe that is so warm, hardworking, and unintentionally affectionate, while Gawin delivers Tua with so much quiet intensity and vulnerability. YOU CAN FEEL HOW DEEPLY HE CARES EVEN WHEN HE SAYS NOTHING OH MY GODD. And when they look at each other? JUST FEEL SO RIGHT! the eye contact alone deserves an award ISTG!!! 😭🙌. Their performances feel natural, effortless, and emotionally charged, making ArnoldTua one of the most compelling dynamics. I genuinely believe JossGawin understood their characters perfectly(Actually, no, Joss was just a little confused about Arnold's character LMAO 😭 A's does have character development but it's moving at a snail's pace xixixixi), and they bring so much depth and authenticity that every small interaction feels meaningful. If you love slow-burn tension, emotional storytelling, and chemistry that makes your heart race, this pairing is absolutely worth watching I guarantee they are the most sweet pair on the show!!. I'm so excited to see how their relationship grows because the potential here is HUGE, and honestly, ArnoldTua already has me completely hooked and emotionally invested HSJAKSJAKAK 😖🙌❤️🔥Was this review helpful to you?
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A sequel with a personality of its own
The finale was great, maybe not completely flawless, but the wrap-up for every couple hit the right notes.JackDean: Their reunion left me feeling conflicted, particularly regarding Jack’s reaction to Great, but that tension is exactly what made their ending stand out. You can interpret it in two different ways: either Jack has finally matured and will fiercely defend his relationship with Dean against any future threats, OR the two of them are tragically trapped in an endless, repetitive cycle of breaking up and making up.
ArnoldTua: A tiny part of me craved more drama from their storyline, but ultimately, I adored their gentle and mutually respectful dynamic. They were easily the most balanced pair of the bunch, despite the economic status differences. Even during their worst arguments, neither ever talked down to the other, something I can’t say for the other two couples.
RomeRaffy: This fiery duo started off with a bang but eventually fell into a push and pull routine. Their storyline was a mixed bag for me because I’m still not convinced Rome views Raffy as a true equal. Even after Raffy's personal growth, it feels like Rome’s judgment is always lingering over him. I really wanted to see Raffy fully step into his confidence by the end, but it never quite materialized the way I wished.
Ultimately, all three couples have their flaws, but they are incredibly endearing and easy to cheer for. Honestly, I found their dynamics much more grounded and relatable than the pairings we got in the first season. As for non-couple moments, I adored the friendship between Dean and Tua and I needed more.
Honorable Mentions: A massive shoutout to Timmy for surviving all the chaos. I also really appreciated the brief, beautifully bittersweet moment between Boston and Nick 🥲
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What happened to the mess?
Watching a sequel series, even with totally new characters, always means it will get compared to the first season and I gotta say, this season did not live up to the messiness of season one. Still, the show was very fun to watch, but given how wild season one was, I expected them to up the stakes of the drama, not dial it back. The actors did a great job, but it just felt like it was missing something.Jack (Earth) is writing the play for the senior theatre majors, and everyone expects his boyfriend Dean (Mix) to get the main role; however, now that they're actually ex-boyfriends, Raffy (Boom) plans to take Dean's spot as both the lead in the play and as Jack's boyfriend. Tua (Gawin), the costume designer, convinces his crush Arnold (Joss) to audition too, not thinking of how he'll feel watch his crush kiss someone else. Meanwhile, Raffy can't seem to stop running into his one-night stand Rome (Aou), who ends up working sound for the play. This group of friends (or more than friends) try to put on a play while tensions run high between them.
If this were a show that was not supposed to be a sequel to only friends, I would have rated it higher. The level of drama and mess that this show had didn't feel much higher than a typical friend group college BL. Considering in season one we had cheating, hookups and kisses outside of typical pairings, drugs, etc., this season felt so low stakes in comparison! Also you're telling me that with all of those actors we couldn't get a SINGLE kiss between two non-pairings?? Come on. Even Boston didn't make this show much messier, and he's BOSTON! If they end up doing more seasons, they better up the drama to be on par with season one again, because I felt like I was constantly waiting for the big drama-filled moment to come and it simply never did. I do think the show is still worth watching, and the actors do a great job with these characters, but don't expect the level of drama there was in season one because it's truly not there.
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Should've appreciated season 1 more
I feel like when everyone heard there was going to have Only friends dream on, we were expecting messy SPICY drama, similar to or even better than season 1. I fear they did not live up to my expectations. At first I didn't mind when things werent getting messy but then when boston appeared i knew fs the drama was going to begin and it did not... I thought they were bringing boston in to stir up things.. Only friends dream on had sm potential i felt like they did not want pairings kissing outside of their pair so that also made the series boring sometimes.Enough with the negatives, there were some good aspects that i liked.
1. Earthmix acting was SPECTACULAR. I was obsessed with Mix's acting. He made me feel all the emotions he was feeling, sometimes i couldnt even watch his crying scenes because it was just that good! My favourite scene of his would forever be when he had an argument with jack in the bathroom and immediately had to get dress to go out on stage. CHILLS ran down my spine. Earth's acting as well as wonderful. His character range is insane, he was able to pull off a completely different character than what he's used to, so im very proud of them both. They delivered and carried the series.
Also Ive got to give credit to timmy for keeping that friend group together. He has sm patience.
All the other actors acted okay with what they were given. Would forever love Rome's iconic part of punching Jack too.
The OST is 10/10 gawin DELIVERED.
In essence, i think this season definitely fell short but the acting carried. I still would miss waiting every friday to watch it but im glad it is over tho.
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Nothing Burger
The entire series kind of felt like it was the ascent of a roller coaster that never reached the drop. The buildup at the beginning really hooked me and then as the episodes went on it gave the sense that nothing ever actually happened. Once I got to episode 10 it almost felt pointless to finish it off because everything was either predictable or just not worth it watching. In the first season even the final episode had twists and things still kept you sitting up but by episode 5 in this one I was already losing interest.We’d get these over reactions by the characters but then you’d think about what caused the over reaction and it just didn’t add up to the feeling they wanted you to feel. For example in season 1 it made so much sense for Mew to get mad at Top and Boston for what they did and even you as the viewer felt mad with him but the “climax” of the show being a slow dance and an almost kiss made everything feel like a huge outburst for no reason.
The most annoying part of them all was all the fake outs. Why try to constantly build this moment of “omg what will they do???” for absolutely nothing to occur? By the time I got to the halfway point I couldn’t ever feel like I was on the edge of my seat because I knew exactly what was coming. Two characters would get really close and then one would pull back or they’d get interrupted and this HAPPENED every single time. By the third time you sit there with a straight face and just think “yeah they won’t even kiss anyways”. And it’s true. They didn’t.
The beauty of the first season was that I genuinely had no clue what was going to happen next but in this season it all felt like by the time the “climax” happened I knew where we were headed without even having seen the previews. You could already sense what would happen between each couple and each character before you even watched the next episode.
They even made Boston lacklustre. The one character everyone wanted to shake things up ended up being the level headed one that just did nothing at all the entire season? Next time just don’t even add him in.
I will however say that the cast did a great job with the slop they were given. They acted so well and really tried their best but even their great performances could not save the atrocities and snooze fest this entire scriptwriting had . Don’t use the only friends name if you’re not going to commit. If I did not have the expectations I felt I was given at the beginning maybe it would’ve been enjoyable but this was just a miss entirely for me.
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Wrong Title and bland plot
Only Friends: Dream On has two main issues: being tied to Only Friends and having boring characters. While the series boasts a great selection of talented actors, the plot and the characters themselves are lackluster.However, the biggest hurdle is simply existing in the world of Only Friends. OFDO would benefit so much from being called Romeo & Romeo and existing as a standalone story. The appearance of original Only Friends characters every couple of episodes (and specially Boston's involvement in the plot) didn’t add anything to the story; it only served to remind the audience of a more interesting set of characters. I’m not even the biggest Only Friends fan, but you can’t compare the two series when this one can’t even handle showing two characters kissing if they aren't in an established ship.
To top it off, the ending was boring. For a second, I thought the show would do something daring and split Dean and Jack up, but of course, they didn't. It’s a case of wasted potential and a wasted cast
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Worth the try, but I don't know if I would rewatch
So to be brutally honest, I liked the first season better. It lived up to it's name perfectly and delivered exactly what I expected and wanted from something called "Only friends." But we're here to talk about the second season which did disappoint me in some ways, but it was still watchable. (I'll compare these seasons a bit to show what it was missing in my opinion.)To start with the positive things, the acting was pretty good, especially Mix's. It's visible that he's skilled and knows what he's doing in each scene, he was my favorite in this season. The storyline was also decent, but I think it needed way more messines and spiciness just for the pure fact that this is ONLY FRIENDS, not just any bl. I don't expect a lot of drama or spicy scenes in other bls that perhaps don't need it, but to me Only friends is literally built on these things (and other things of course) and that's what makes Only friends "Only friends."
There was drama for sure, but over childish things (more or less) and not the amount I seeked. I've also had this feeling that some of the characters lacked a certain depth unlike the characters in the first season.
But the biggest problem I had with this was the mischaracterization of Boston. Y'all made him come back just to make him a saint? Back in my days he was an iconic walking mess who made the show so much more interesting to the very end, but now he's the best guy around? No thanks. I know GMM cares about pairings so much that they don't let the characters kiss each other or, godw forbid, more, but ruining Boston's character to fit the shitty pairing rule was lame af. It'd be much more interesting if he was allowed to interfere in somebody's relationship the same way he did in the first season. I'd understand it more if he got some character development in the previous season, but doing it now is just dumb.
The ending was good, but why are we scared of letting one couple separate? Earthmix couple could've absolutely go their separate ways and move on but no. Realistic endings never hurt anybody, not everything has to be perfect. So honestly, this would be much better as a separate show. It's not really "Only friends" worthy.
And since we're getting a third season, let's bring the energy of the first season, shall we? Don't ruin it
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