Us: Uncut Version

Chemistry, compassion, and nuance

Us is a refreshingly intelligent story brought to life by exciting new couple paring, Emi / Bonnie. What sets Us apart in a lakhorn styled, angst heavy genre is the nuance and rare common sense of a script that avoids melodramatic predictability and employs familiar romantic tropes with a fresh perspective.

A grieving Pam (Emi Thasorn Klinnium) is pulled into a revenge plot with Nene (Mim Rattanawadee Wongthong), a mysterious manipulator with an underlying vulnerability, until she finds herself in growing sympathy with the brother and sister who are supposed to be her targets, Kawi (Sing Harit Cheewagaroon) and Dokrak (Bonnie Pattraphus Borattasuwan), to whom Emi is particularly drawn.

A compelling attraction develops from the initially casual friendship between Pam and Dokrak and the actors portraying the characters engage us in both the awkward tension and growing excitement unfolding between the pair. I find it difficult to explicitly define "chemistry" between actors in a romantic pairing - to me, it's a 'you'll know it when you see it' thing - and we absolutely see it with Emi and Bonnie. It's clear there is real trust and affection between the two leads, and that allows them to be vulnerable with each other in exploring their characters' magnetic attraction and the obstacles that face them.

Experienced actor Emi Thasorn fully inhabits the role of Pam, allowing us to see her character's emotions and conflicts in transparent expressions, deeply intimate gazes, and gradually evolving tenderness with Dokrak. Emi's acting skill particularly shines in a dinner scene with Rak's family, where Pam's fleeting micro-expressions had more "dialog" than all other actors combined. Seriously, it should be used in acting classes as a model for "this is how you tell a story without words."

Newcomer to the industry, Bonnie Pattraphus, is initially as awkward and self conscious as one might expect an inexperienced actor to be, but wisely follows her co-lead, relaxing into her part, opening her body language, and letting a deeper, more complex character emerge. The development of both actor and character was a joy to watch.

The series has a strong core ensemble supporting cast, each one developed as a fully fleshed personality, a rarity in a genre where secondary characters are often one-dimensional, limited purpose sidekicks:
• experienced Thai GL/BL actor View Benyapa Jeenprasom as Oat, whose character serves as both a catalyst for the revelation of character backstories and one half of the 2nd romantic pair;
• Nene, the wanna-be devious plotter with an aching fragility, and the other half of the 2nd pair;
• Kawi, the protective older brother trying to live with the crushing burden of the life that's expected of him and looks nothing like the one he would have chosen;
• the teasing, affectionate coffee house gang;
• Titang, whose presence in Pam's life shows family is who you choose it to be;
• the self-serving, controlling Khem, a narcissistic and casually cruel villain;
• and industry veteran Nid Sansanee Wattananukul, who plays Emi's grandmother, a source of unconditional love and good humor that contrasts sharply with the cold and violent family crucible that damaged Kawi, Dokrak, and Nene in the past and still threatens their future

Instead of the typical GL redemption parade where hellish psychopaths are given a shiny, sappy, tearful final episode pass for inexcusably wretched behavior, Us offers redemption for the characters who deserve it and realistic comeuppance for those who don't.

Among GL story lines, Us stands out for its realistic normalcy. Instead of the typical entanglement of contrived misunderstandings, bad faith subterfuge, and careless plot holes that proliferate because creators can't be arsed to think their way through a dilemma, the Us trio of scriptwriters give room for the characters to develop and grow, make and admit mistakes, face their fears, and come together in a compassionate exploration of trust, friendship, healing, forgiveness, found family, and lasting passion.

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I didn't feel anything from start to finish... the series lacks personality

The story has a good foundation, but the problem, in my opinion, is mainly the protagonists. They're so generic they could be supporting characters or extras. They don't have a strong personality or any major moments, and that wouldn't be a problem... But it is, because being a series, viewers need to be anxious for the next episodes, sigh, scream, laugh, get emotional, but none of that happens. It was extremely difficult for me to finish this GL, I had to put it on 1.5 (something I practically never do, I hate having to subject myself to that), because the plot simply didn't move you, and the protagonists don't captivate you or evoke any kind of emotion. I kept waiting for the moment when I would feel something, but that moment never came. Even the kiss and their first time didn't move me at all, because the romance is so poorly developed (basically, they meet three times, say a few sentences, and are already "in love"), so I didn't even have time to get to know them properly or root for them. The scenes with the toothbrush made me so embarrassed that I almost gave up watching.

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