Only Friends: Dream On

don't waste your time

romeraffy 🫶🏻
MY FAVORITES. Honestly, instead of dragging out the jackdean storyline for the whole series, they should’ve developed these characters more. Because one moment Raffy says he doesn’t love him, and the next he’s going after him? What got into him (It’s been clear for a long time that Jack’s a jerk.)
They acted really well—it was a total pleasure to watch. And even though I'm more into fluff, I really liked their chemistry.
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arnoldtua 50/50?
I don’t even know how to feel about them. Because knowing that the actor is homophobic and watching the character he plays fall for another guy is a little weird, you have to admit. Although, in my opinion, they have the healthiest relationship compared to the others.
But Arnold kept me going so I didn’t give up on the whole thing as early as episode 3.
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jackdean 0/10
THEIR STORY WAS SO FORCED. I generally hate the second chance trope, so Dean and Jack lost points right away. Honestly, it would’ve been better if they’d just left them as friends at the end, I swear.
I’ve seen that a lot of people love these actors, but my first impression… well, just no.
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They stopped showing Boston so suddenly. Or maybe I wasn’t paying attention—I only happened to catch a glimpse of his face in one episode, because before that I thought he’d just disappeared. But they kind of phased him out really awkwardly; the show just didn’t feel right without him.
Almost the entire plot was initially centered on how Dean thinks he’s the best person in the world, and then how sad he is because his boyfriend dumped him. But for what? Just stfu. There are two other couples, after all. It’s just boring. Plus, it’s way too drawn out.
I honestly thought this would be like second season, or at least something similar to the first part, but the only similarity was that they showed the main characters from 1st part for just a few seconds at the beginning.
Also, maybe someone else noticed how a certain object is in one shot but missing in the next. I can only recall one specific scene right now where Rome was standing with headphones around his neck, and a second later he sat down, and they were completely gone.
If, as they say, there are hints of a third season, I won’t be watching it, because I suspect it’ll be even worse.

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It had it's moments

Disclaimer

What I am writing here are my views and thoughts about this series. Some of you may not like it. That does not give you the right to try to come at me with your opinions on why this series should get a higher or lower score and why it is better/worse than I think it is. You have your own opinions, and I have mine. Kindly respect that.

I felt like if I was waiting forever for this series from when it was first announced. And I had high hopes for it as i thoroughly enjoyed the thai parent story 'Only Friends' for the drama and the messiness that it served to us viewers on a weekly basis. And this series did start off in the same way, with me enjoying Dean, Rome and Raffy to the fullest as these respective actors truly brought their role to life on the screen.

I felt that after the series progressed, the messiness was still there but was not as strong as I would have liked it to be. I felt that their issues were handled quickly, making me feel like if I was watching the other BL dramas with the way that they handled their issues. I am a fan of Earth/ Mixx with a small crush on Joss/Gawin and I will tell you here that the star main couple who stole the scenes every time that they were on was Aou/ Boom. They did a terrific job and was one of the main reasons why I wanted to continue watching this series.

It was nice catching up with some of the previous characters from 'Only Friends', especially Boston, as it seems that he has turned over a new leaf and is no longer the bitch who we know and loved from the first season. And I felt that the person who was really the bad person for this season wasn't really dealt with to my liking. Yes, the situation was dealt with, but the person should have suffered more. All in all, it was a good watch that needed to be more messy like it's previous one.

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Only Friends: Dream On — 1/10 😭

Honestly, I really wanted to like this series, especially because I had high expectations going in, but unfortunately it just did NOT work for me. 😭 The story felt messy and confusing, and instead of making me excited to see what would happen next, I often found myself wondering what was even going on.

The biggest problem for me was the plot. It had so much potential, but the execution just wasn’t there. A lot of things felt rushed or underdeveloped, and some of the storylines didn’t feel like they were going anywhere. I wanted more depth from the characters and their relationships, but instead, I felt disconnected from most of them.

The pacing also made it difficult to stay invested. There were moments that could have been really interesting or emotional, but they didn’t hit the way they should have. I kept waiting for the story to finally become more engaging, but unfortunately, it never really got there for me.

And compared to the original Only Friends, this one just didn’t give me the same excitement. 😭 I know every series doesn’t have to be the same, but I was expecting something that would make me feel strongly about the characters, and instead I mostly felt frustrated and bored.

The actors did what they could, and there were definitely some good individual moments, but the writing and overall execution made it hard for me to fully enjoy their performances. Even the chemistry didn’t feel strong enough to carry the weaker parts of the story.

Overall, Only Friends: Dream On gets a 1/10 from me. 😭 I really tried to give it a chance, but the plot, pacing, character development, and execution just weren’t working for me. It had potential, but unfortunately, potential alone isn’t enough.

Very disappointing. I wanted to love it, but I just couldn’t. 😭

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This is no Season 2

I was so excited for this show, OF being one of my fav show and AouBoom my fav ship. First ep got me crazy, but then it kept going down and down until I had to survive through the hell of last ep.

S1 was a bunch of lost kids acting on impulse and ending up hurting themselves. This show on the other hand, presents a bunch of lost kids overthinking, scheming against each other and ending up hurting everyone. It has nothing of the refreshing spontaneous messiness of s1. Only Rome did follow that vibe but it didn’t save the show.

The writing is clearly lacking. Having three couples in parallel usually creates a good show dynamic. But in this, the storylines often mirror each other (for example, fighting and getting back on good terms happen almost at the same time in the three storylines) which completely misses the point of having 3couples and just makes the whole thing repetitive, and thus boring.

The whole show includes very weak/cliché plot ideas (video leaking used twice (and being a reused of the leaked recording of S1), useless filling idea, the RomeRaffy interview in the last ep,...). I kept asking myself “WHY?” . I'm not saying everything should have a purpose, but when it's half of the episod, there's a problem.

But most importantly imo, is that this show is an apology to redflag behaviours. Yeah, I know, Season 1 is full of red flag behaviours and that’s why we love it. BUT they are being called out for it and hit by karma. Here, they are all forgiven or even rewarded: For example, asking someone out using social pressure, Tua being the worst “friend” ever but still got Dean (who’d done nothing wrong) to apologise to him, Pete stealing half of the play budget and still being around and well afterward, like nothing happened,.... Anyway, you’ve got my point. I’m not necessarily watching shows for the morality but those kind of sneaky redflag apology is really not to my liking. I want karma to hit the bitches.

Final beef with the writing is... I don’t have anything against no cross-pair kissing. That’s a choice (a bad one imo, but still a choice). But then DON’T SET IT UP LIKE IT’S GONNA HAPPEN. Every time, the whole plot would have made more sense if the kiss had happen. Do it so that your script makes sense or change your script. Don’t just go halfway.

Now a quick word on each couple:

JackDean : The trope is not what I usually like but EarthMix chemistry and Mix’s INSANE acting skills makes it totally worth the watch. Also they are the only couple going through actual character growth (although sadly not really well pictured), so that’s also good point for them. But IMO there are too many underused potential in their storyline.

RomeRaffy : They gave one of my fav tropes to my fav ship and still managed to get me bored at some point. I guess that can count as a skill. But how was impressed at how Boom has improved his acting so fucking much. I love him to death. I could spend hours praising that guy so better I stop here.

Arnold/Tua : I can’t say much cause I didn’t watch enough. JG’s acting skills are weak and cringe the hell out of me. But from what I saw, half of their scenes are useless fillers and Tua is the worst character of the whole serie. This guy shouldn’t even have a happy ending before serious character growth.

Boston : who ? Cause that was no Boston. Not even a more mature version of Boston. It feels like they needed someone to have some talk with Tua and they wanted to bring back all the characters from S1, just for the show, so they picked Boston.


Overall, EarthMix and AouBoom did their ultimate best considering the lousy writing their were given.

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More Emotional, Hotter bodies, Fewer hookups

Season 2 of “Only Friends” gives us more plot, like real plot (and not just face cards and shirtless hot bodies), but less sexiness compared to the first season. Is that a good or bad thing, that depends on what you are looking for.

“Dream On” has an excellent cast who can act (well, most of them). It explores more emotions, friendships and relationships, and fewer non-fixed pairing hookups. This is actually quite disappointing because you know who is going to end up with who, and there are no surprises, even with the appearance of shit stirrer, Boston. The lack of Boston and the chaos he brings are an injustice to those of us who like him very much in season 1. He’s a shit stirrer for sure, but at least he never tries to hide who he truly is.

Acting wise, Mix is my MVP. His character is chaotic, but real, charming but layered. Mix performed really well showing Dean’s changing emotions, even with subtle facial expressions. Despite Joss being so smoking hot, I have to say his acting is the worst of the 6 main leads. Granted, he was so much better than in “My Golden Blood”, but his frowning continues to make frequent appearances. Having said that, each pairing has excellent chemistry thus, even if the acting is not up to par, you can clearly see the actors know each other well and enjoy working together. When romance is front and center, having great chemistry is important to demonstrate all the sexual tension, jealousy, longing and seduction.

The pairings:

Dean + Jack
Dean deserves someone way better than the uber manipulative and selfish Jack. I was rooting for Dean to not end up with Jack in the end. Jack always has an upper hand in their relationship, when things are going well or not. Additionally, I get annoyed with Jack pushing up his glasses every few seconds. I know I am not going to get the ending that I want with this pair, but that’s OK. In life, there are lovers just like them.

Rome + Raffy
Something about playing Rome that makes Aou super sexy in this drama. I have never found him attractive until now. From the first moment Rome tries to seduce Raffy, to him being a dedicated non-backup, Rome has my heart. Similar to Dean, I also think Rome deserves someone better than that spoiled child. I don’t think Raffy grovels and suffers enough towards the end to deserve Rome.

Tua + Arnold
At least we get a cute and sweet pairing, after two toxic relationships. Their friends-to-lovers journey is a breath of fresh air especially when they both really seem like great guys. But this pair also has the weakest acting amongst the 6 main leads. Also, what is up with Tua’s stylist? How can a costume designer wear ugly shorts, white socks and black shoes all the time?

“Dream On” also tries to bring back characters from season 1 for different guest appearances. They are welcoming, though don’t always make sense and at times under-utilized. I realize I actually don’t miss most of them. With the ending of Season 2, doesn’t it mean Season 3 is in the works? Is GMMTV going to bring all the ships into this “Only Friends” series?

*edit*
I thought about my rating and lowered it to a solid 8.0 instead of 8.25. My love of Mix’s acting, Aou, the all-around somewhat decent acting and sexy hot bodies from Earth and Joss prompted me to give “Only Friends: Dream On” an 8. I am stingier and more critical than 3 years ago.


Completed: 5/16/2026 Review #688

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What happened???

I don't know if it was the wait for this or the fact that I rewatched the first one a week before I started this but I couldn't be more underwhelmed if I tried. Again AouBoom's chemistry saved yet another show. For Christ sake GMM can you give these 2 their own show already!!!! Mix was amazing as well and it was fun to see him doing something different but the highlights were the cameos by the first series cast. I expected this to be a beautiful chaotic mess like the first one and instead got a lame attempt at angst. I watch 90% of the last 2 episodes at 2x speed only slowing it down for AouBoom's parts. Maybe it's my fault for expecting more from a sequel when I should have know better. I'm sure if you watch this one first with no expectations it's probably pretty good but after watching the train wrecks made by Ray, Boston & Boeing this one just couldn't hold up.

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Were you hoping for Only Friends 2? Dream On..

It pains me to say that this was so bland that calling it a watered down version of Only Friends would be overly generous. Only Friends was not exactly a masterpiece in storytelling but its appeal was that it was fun and messy and wasn't afraid to make the characters incredibly flawed and unlikable, to the point of being almost irredeemable. Every character in this was almost messing up but not really, almost cheating but not really, almost blackmailing but not really.
Where I am from we have a saying that goes "too much oil and no pancakes at all" and I feel it summarises this series perfectly.

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Only Friends But Without Its Soul

I wanna preface this by saying 3 things:

1 - I enjoyed season 1. It was messy and convoluted and, yes it did have some issues (the series' treatment of Boston and how it portrayed Cheum as some sort of saint) but it was fun to watch.
2 - I like the cast. I knew all main actors from previous work they've done and I think they have enough skill to carry a series like Only Friends.
3 - There's nothing inherently wrong with producing a mediocre series.

This being said Only Friends: Dream On sucks.

First and foremost because it lied to us. The teaser and the trailer and the very fact it carries on the name "Only Friends" all indicated the same messiness, complicated relationships, multiple character love connections, dark themes and overall vibe as the 1st season. None of this was proven true.

The relationships seem at first to be complicated but when you look into it, and especially as the drama progresses, you can tell the issues between the characters are either silly (like the not-kiss kiss drama), repetitive (like Rome and Raffy running into the same unaddressed problem multiple times and nothing coming out of it) or just rushed through (like Pete's entire thing about the video and the money). Not only that but the characters, even when jutified in their issues, are explored in such a shallow manner that you can't even properly connect with them, let alone find them relatable. And this happens even with season 1 characters who ABSOLUTETY DID NOT face this issue before. It feels like they were just brought in for hype and then entirely butchered before our eyes (especially Boston).

Then, as if not enough, the relationships are shallower than baby pool water, without GMMTV actually having the guts, in a series like this, to make ANYONE even kiss outside of their company assigned couple (which is a whole other issue, with them panning to the weirdos who think their favs should be locked from the outside world so they can only interact with each other and feed the fantasy that they have in mind because these people don't even consider them humans, just dolls that should play the part for their entertainment):

1 - Arnold and Tua could've had a good development exploring the consequences of falling in love with a friend and how the dynamic change might be awkward or cause confusion and you might need a period to adapt to it or even not be able to adapt at all. Instead all we got was a mild conflict and skipping ahead to wanting to spend their entire lives together #LoveWins.

2 - Rome and Raffy could've had such an interesting exploration of how your family and your relationship with them affects the way you perceive love, want love, experience love and even believe yourself to deserve it. I'll still give them the point that their relationship was the best development and that Aou and Boom pulled some massive weight to try and make it work but their skills are almost entirely wasted on that script. Justice for my babies, please.

3 - I don't even know where to begin with JackDean because it was so utterly boring and atrocious but I think if there's one thing to be said is that they had a good opportunity to explore the fact that love itself isn't enough to make a relationship work and that, sometimes, even if 2 ppl love each other, they'll never make a good match and instead it was just like "you should always fight for love, no matter how toxic it is" #FéNasMalucas.

And that's not even getting me started on how they skipped over domestic violence and totally used it as just a plot device or how Jack's alcoholism AND EVEN RAY'S (which had previously been addressed in a meaningful way) were both treated like a character accessory that is nothing but a silly personality quirk. As someone who's watched more than one close relative struggle with it, I cannot tell you how disgusted I am in words that are anything but a string of swears.

But, last but not least, because this wasn't bad enough already, they had to make the script a mess (which, truly, is the only real kind of mess we get in this series) that makes no damn sense and where everything that happens just happens so that the series can get the characters to a specific purpose. No rhyme or reason.

It just overall feels rushed and lazy and ridding off of the hype of season 1. Not even the actors, no matter how much they tried, could save it. And it's honestly a shame.

So what do I take? Boston and Nick getting their closure, which was only good because Mark Pakin himself wrote the dialogue for that (and the RomeRaffy sex scenes that AouBoom put their entire p**** into). That's it.

Needless to say I don't recommend it and I hope I never have to watch it again (and yes that includes that stupid cliffhanger they left with Great at the end, please someone save him from this monstrocity).

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I enjoyed it for what it is

I feel like a lot of people are judging this series based on the expectations they had in their head, instead of what the show actually is. And like… I get it, I was frustrated with some things too. I do wish they had taken more risks with the couples, especially if they were gonna lean into that whole “Only Friends” vibe.

But honestly? I enjoyed it for what it is. It’s overall pretty fun to watch. I have to admit, Dean and Jack were the least interesting to me at first, but the last few episodes??? they kinda grew on me 😭 I lowkey hoped the show would be bold enough to not keep them together, or maybe have them find each other again later when they’re more mature.

I stayed for Rome and Raffy, but I really wish we got more depth from them as characters. Actually, I feel like that’s true for all the characters...we needed a bit more exploration overall. The first season definitely isn’t perfect, and yeah there were moments of frustration, sadness, and even disappointment… but at least I could understand the characters. Here, I get them, but I don’t feel as connected.

That being said, I still had fun watching it!!

P.S. Tua and Arnold were cute, but they just didn’t do it for me overall. Like I like them, I’m happy for them… I just don’t care that much 😭

P.P.S. huge props to all the actors and the crew!! you can really see the effort that went into this. It’s not my fave of the year, but I genuinely enjoyed it, and I could see the improvement in some performances and how others absolutely shined 😊

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A Polite Version of Rudeness

The continuation of the series didn't captivate me the way the first season did. Season 1 was bold, full of twists and turns. Something was always happening, someone was always breaking someone else's heart — and ours as viewers too. Couples cheated on each other, and the on-screen ships kept getting mixed up.

In the second part, it felt like the creators lost the courage to shake things up with the ships and couples. Beyond the established pairings, there was barely any interaction. Even the kiss that was supposed to be a betrayal wasn't really a kiss.

A bit of a disappointment, especially after such a strong and shocking first season. I was honestly hoping they'd break my heart again like they did in Season 1 and put the characters through some emotional chaos. Even Boston showed remorse, which actually worked well as a contrast and an unexpected twist.

The couples may have done a good job, but there wasn't much happening in the script and not much for the actors to play with. Rome and Raffy's constant breaking up and getting back together became repetitive, Jack and Dean's relationship could have been developed much better, and as for Arnold and Tua, I have the feeling that Gawin's performance was only average.

But my biggest issue isn't with the cast — it's with the writers.

I'm waiting for Season 3 and hoping for more of the fire that Season 1 had!

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The dialogues were written by chatgpt and the actors were underpaid.

I cant even bother to talk about how they just killed the essence of only friends, not even letting people kiss outside of their popular ships. When did we get so conservative lol. Also what were the actors doing in front of the camera, i can name only 3-4 people who could actually act in this series, best being Mix's character Dean. The dialogues are so plain it genuinely bores you. There's no spice or hair pulling level frustration portrayed as well. Everything is just....happening and its not that serious. I cant take the craahout of these people seriously neither can defend their acting. Storylone had great potential but I'd suggest giving the director a helping hand jn direction like they did in the first season because somethjng is clearly no sitting right with this one. Anyways overall i love Dean and Raffy.

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