07222023

I’m glad the series got a high rating because it deserves it, to an extent. I only checked this out because I loved Peak’s performance in My Only 12% and was so excited to discover that he’s the lead of his own BL! Boy can act; actually, the whole cast didn’t disappoint in that domain. I’ll start with what I liked about the series, then why I wouldn’t rewatch it.

Pros:
- Eye candies EVERYWHERE. The men are handsome. The women are beautiful. The gays are gays!
- Very bingeable: If I weren’t so tired from a long day of work, I would have finished the series in a day, not two. The series is easy on the eyes and easy to follow (for the most part).
- The music is AMAZING. They mostly utilize two songs, but the two songs never got annoying or old. Actor Act also has one hell of a voice!
- I didn’t expect comedy gold when I walked into this series, but they were random but brilliant; they weren’t excessive, but smartly sprinkled throughout the series. They caught me off guard, and I spat out my coffee multiple times, yet I enjoyed every bit of it. Not so much the spitting and cleaning, but the funny moments were great!
- The characters and power dynamics. This series recognized that both men and women can be powerful figures in different ways, and no one character is completely useless. A lot of the women in the series were respected and fair opponents for the men. Saenkaew and Songsawat’s relationship, for one, was refreshing.
- Perth Veerinsara, the actress who played Pin, did a PHENOMENAL job. Not only did the actress play her part, but the character, Pin, was also both endearing and beautiful. Pin is a mature and sweet girl who doesn’t rely on her cuteness or prettiness to have things her way. And when everyone is against her, she understands and acknowledges that she had to be the one in the wrong, because why else would everyone, who’s also smart and intelligent, not take her side? Pin had the best growth.
- Good or bad guys, I enjoyed every one of them. I’m team Prince Kamfa and Khamsu. Kamfa, Saenkraew’s father, is a badass. I applaud him for sticking to his guns and making sure things work out the way he planned despite sabotage. Kamfa might be a villain to some, but he’s always put his people first, and I respect that. Although he knew what true love looked like, he tried to change his son because he believed all homos go to hell, and for that, I can’t fault him. Khamsu, too, had great qualities. He was very loyal to Kamfa and tried his best to keep the peace between the father-son duo when he could.
- Unpopular opinion, but I enjoyed Prince Inthra, Saenkaew’s uncle, a lot. The guy might be a coward, greedy, gambler, and a traitor to his family, but he was hilarious and a good husband to his wife. Hence, why her avenging him was even more satisfying.
- The villains kept me on my toes. Every time they found out something, true or not, it's always interesting to see what they do with those informations.
- The chemistry all around was great. The actors and actresses really embodied their characters.

Cons:
- Timing. The storyline’s timeline was a mess, though evidently, it spans within two years. The series starts in 1963. In the beginning, we learn that the people of Chansaeng had six months before it was lost to the Republic of Nanta. However, since Nanta’s hardass General Kalong is keen on murdering Royalties, repossessing their properties, and redistributing them to the nation, princes had to band together to protect their wealth, so Saenkaew and Pin’s fathers arranged a marriage for them to later on transfer Saenkaew’s family assets safely and legally from Pin back to Saenkaew’s family. In return, the dowry will be more than what Pin’s father and stepmother owe to creditors. While spending some time in Bangkok, Saenkaew said that in the next six months, Chansaeng will be lost, so it’s unclear how long he’s been in Bangkok, although it seemed at least a month had passed. After his father finished selling their properties and items, he joined Saenkaew and the others in Bangkok and moved the marriage to an earlier date. After the wedding, when they were in Chiang Mai, we see that it’s been six months because Chansaeng had been handed over to Nanta. Shortly after six months, Saenkaew runs away with Sasin, and we’re given a one-year leap. However, it didn’t feel like one year had passed because in the letter Saenkaew wrote to Pin, he expressed being sad about the news of her father’s passing; however, her father would have already passed before the one year passed, so why bother mentioning that? Especially after witnessing her money-hungry father say she was worthless to him. At certain points, it seemed like one episode was 1-2 days, so it was very slow-burning.
- There were audio issues now and then and choppy cuts. For the music, they either start or end abruptly. It’s like no one’s ever heard of ‘fade in’ ‘fade out’...
- I want to root for Saenkaew and Sasin’s love, but I couldn’t because they were way too selfish with it. Because they’re the main characters, we and the supporting characters have to prioritize their happiness; however, I can’t root for a cousin stealing another cousin’s fiancé. Especially when Sasin was always extremely upset on Pin’s behalf regarding Saenkaew and Songsawat. Sasin went from being Pin’s protective older cousin to dismissing her feelings, needs, and existence with one switch of hearing the truth from Saenkaew. Pin expressed to Sasin over and over again that she loved Saenkaew, but the moment Saenkaew said he didn’t want to marry Pin, Sasin jumped ship and was more than ready to make sure they didn’t get married, including stealing Saenkaew from Pin.
- No one sided with Pin except the parents, who wanted something else. I thought Sanya would have her back, but he immediately backed Sasin and even said Sasin didn’t do anything wrong. Did he have a crush on Pin or Sasin? I thought at least one person would side with Pin, but no, instead, Sasin constantly threw it in her face that Saenkaew loves him and him Saenkaew. If my cousin ever came between my relationship, even if I have no feelings for my fiancé, I’d rather she not until we’ve got things situated. But alas, Pin is forced to be the bad guy, the bigger person who has to accept her cousin and fiancé. I’m even more mad that Grandma Sridara easily accepted their relationship and didn’t see that it was infidelity or adultery since Saenkaew and Pin are legally married.
- Sasin is charismatic, but his continuous misunderstanding of Saenkaew was irritating. There was no evidence of Saenkaew ‘breaking’ into his place to ‘steal’, so labelling Saenkaew a thief on multiple occasions was annoying. Sasin was a headstrong guy willing to do anything, but took a hard backseat the second he couldn’t be around Saenkaew. He and Saenkaew running away was a common theme. I don’t know why they didn’t just try to solve their problems instead of always running away from and with them.
- Saenkaew. Either. Cries. Or. Is. Teary. Eyed. In. Every. Scene.
- Why in the altercation with Pin’s dad did the trio not seize his gun??? Sasin comes in, hits the gun out of Prince Bodin’s hand, then goes straight to Saenkaew. When they disarmed him again, they didn’t think to grab the gun and decided to make a run for it. If Duangkamol didn’t stab Prince Bodin, he would have easily shot one of them. Saenkaew and Sasin prove again that they don’t care for Pin when they know her crazy dad was after them, but jumped on the train without caring about her safety.
- Who was the first guy who wrote Saenkaew a love letter?
- What happened to the uncle’s spy? The family never tried to solve that mystery.
- Except for Inthra’s wife, did anyone else care that a prince was murdered in cold blood and mysteriously disappeared? What happened to Inthra’s body? Did Bodin come back to take and hide it? Did Duangkamol wander the streets looking for her husband because she didn’t know what happened to her husband’s body?
- Uh what happened to hardcore Gen. Kalong? He started acting like a wounded puppy in front of Kamfa towards the end. I mean, Kamfa is a savage, but come on!
- Did Saenkaew and Pin ever get a divorce? Who’s running the timber business if not Saenkaew and Pin?
- I wish we saw Saenkaew be more hands-on with others, especially as a prince and businessman. He was always all about his happiness and romance that I started to wonder if he had any other thoughts or ambitions.
- The ending. Everyone who wouldn’t have accepted their relationship was killed off, and those who lived were forced to accept their relationship, but I don’t believe Saenkaew and Sasin’s love deserved a happy ending just yet. Something is missing, and it’s not lust.

All in all, I wouldn’t rewatch the whole series again, but I do recommend everyone watch it.