tbh. I never imagined this series would be THAT good. I knew it wouldn‘t be a bad series but the plot is freaking…
I’m so pleasantly surprised by the leads and this series tbh. It’s been consistently good. I’ve felt all the way through like the series is in capable hands — both in the acting and the storytelling. Their chemistry is so good and not just because the actors have chemistry but because the characters have chemistry. I also am appreciative that we had stakes and drama without it being ‘too much’ or pointless.
I’m someone who can watch a series with two characters in one room and the story is only about them discovering their feelings for each other. I believe you can make a ‘story’ out of anything, so long as those stories are engaging and well explored. Part of that is to do with chemistry, believability, execution, a sense of direction and conclusion, emoting and resonance. This series has all these factors.
There were so many things that I really really liked about this episode. I feel like a teacher marking homework and getting excited because the kids are meeting their lesson objectives.
Showing their working out ✔️ Providing examples and evaluation ✔️ ✔️ Linking back to prior knowledge ✔️✔️✔️
Seriously, I have to give props. The scene with Meena running to get help, wasting no time and communicating effectively, making sure her words are straight to the point— no faffing about. *snaps for Meena*
I also have to give credit for how they show us and not just tell us about that whole dynamic the kids and grandchild has with the father. I completely buy that Rak, his sister and Meena are traumatised by the father. The sister only had a few minutes air time after showing up for the first time in this episode but because all three are on the same page with their depiction of the trauma, she manages to sell it so well. She sells it because it’s reinforced by Meena’s scared and worried looks towards her and my most favourite device used this episode; it was reinforced by that split second flashback Rak had of Mut covered in blood. It was such a powerful and succinctly emotive way to say so much about the PTSD Rak is feeling, brought on by being traumatised by his father. It made their situation not feel trivial, like is often the case in BLs that don’t properly portray the weight of a situation/circumstance.
Finally, using the torn contract as a freeing device for Mut at the best possible time and I mean THE BEST POSSIBLE TIME. Rarely in BLs do we get plot lines and devices that feel like they had intent and a sense of well thought out direction. They knew where they were going with it and they got there.
They actually managed to resolve this much better than I anticipated. They managed to wrap up the dad issue and the looming contract issue all in one fell swoop. It’s a low bar (in terms of BLs sabotaging themselves) but I’m kinda impressed since they managed to give each thing enough of a good/believable resolution.
It’s wholly believable that Rak finally seeing his father for the pathetic man he is, was enough to disarm his threats and take away his power over Rak. It’s wholly believable that Rak ripping up that contract and seeing that Mut didn’t leave him was enough of a catalyst to take their relationship to where it finally needed to go in Rak recognising he didn’t want to lose Mut, without it having to go the angsty-breakup route for him to realise it. Just the cousin thing that I’ll need to make my peace with as it seems I won’t be getting my questions answered.
I personally think this has been one of the most consistent Thai BLs this year. It didn’t drop in quality or change for the worse from beginning to (almost) finish. Dear God, I hope the finale is good. 🙏
This drama is an amalgamation of all the tropes and outcomes that grind my gears. Even more so when a story like this is in the hands of creatives who are just not as adept at handling such a story successfully.
• The majority of the characters are vile (this could be an unreliable narrator device being used but if any of it turns out to be the reality, it’s going to be extremely difficult to properly redeem these characters).
• Why do they always go so far in making characters despicable if they know they’ll need them to be seen in a positive light later on? I’m sorry but most k-drama directors and writers have not mastered the skill of well executed grey characters yet.
• Is it just me or are k-dramas and c-dramas adopting the bleakness and disaster pile on of Japanese dramas?? It’s not enough to have the ML lose the thing he was most passionate about, but to his younger brother of all people, as his parents immediately put him as a stand in for the ML; but then to pile on that, he also loses his ‘first love’ to that same brother. It’s an unnecessary hurdle to put on the brother character considering (whether they are able to or not), they’ll expect us to root for the brother later on. The problem is that a lot of these sorts of plots rely on audience amnesia. Sure they make things out to be misunderstandings but they always forget the things that still happened — that the audience saw these things happen.
• All of this is bad enough but you just KNOW, that they will contort the story line at the end to show that actually, the FL was the ‘first love’ all along.
I’m so tired. I don’t like complaining but I’m so eternally tired of this unsatisfying-ness of Asian dramas. I sincerely hope (truly with all my heart) that the viewers who are currently enjoying this will continue to enjoy it. I want that for you.
*sigh* the mystery reveal is such a huge let down. It feels more like they’re trying to capitalise off the Naga trend as opposed to it making sense as part of the series. I guess all that’s left to enjoy is the aesthetics. 😩
The Unexpected Marriage. It might not be to everyone’s tastes but I have found it hard to get into Chinese costume dramas. I don’t know why this is because I love Chinese period and costume based movies.
I might be jinxing this by commenting and speaking this early, but I’m absolutely loving this so far. For the first time in ever, I’m watching two ongoing C-Dramas and one of them is a costume drama — And I’m enjoying both of them. It must be snowing in August. 😅
I checked it with zero expectations and didn’t even know it was coming. 4 episodes in and I am sitting basking…
Same. I’m also pleasantly surprised. I love the leads and how their relationship is set out and is being played out. There’s also something about this one that feels more mature overall. How the workplace is shot and portrayed feels a bit more realistic in terms of the everyday 9-5 systematic feel. It’s giving me The Fearless office vibes, that’s probably why I like it. It’s already a high 8 for me so far. If it continues this way to the end, I’m tempted to rate it a 9/10.
P.S. the FL’s parents might be my favourite parental love as well as parent couple portrayal. Usually you love the parents in a drama because they support their child so well but I seriously am falling for how much I like the parents as individual people/characters and I love them as a couple. Their relationship is so down to earth, loving and full of chemistry.
1 
I’m someone who can watch a series with two characters in one room and the story is only about them discovering their feelings for each other. I believe you can make a ‘story’ out of anything, so long as those stories are engaging and well explored. Part of that is to do with chemistry, believability, execution, a sense of direction and conclusion, emoting and resonance. This series has all these factors.
Showing their working out ✔️
Providing examples and evaluation ✔️ ✔️
Linking back to prior knowledge ✔️✔️✔️
Seriously, I have to give props. The scene with Meena running to get help, wasting no time and communicating effectively, making sure her words are straight to the point— no faffing about. *snaps for Meena*
I also have to give credit for how they show us and not just tell us about that whole dynamic the kids and grandchild has with the father. I completely buy that Rak, his sister and Meena are traumatised by the father. The sister only had a few minutes air time after showing up for the first time in this episode but because all three are on the same page with their depiction of the trauma, she manages to sell it so well. She sells it because it’s reinforced by Meena’s scared and worried looks towards her and my most favourite device used this episode; it was reinforced by that split second flashback Rak had of Mut covered in blood. It was such a powerful and succinctly emotive way to say so much about the PTSD Rak is feeling, brought on by being traumatised by his father. It made their situation not feel trivial, like is often the case in BLs that don’t properly portray the weight of a situation/circumstance.
Finally, using the torn contract as a freeing device for Mut at the best possible time and I mean THE BEST POSSIBLE TIME. Rarely in BLs do we get plot lines and devices that feel like they had intent and a sense of well thought out direction. They knew where they were going with it and they got there.
It’s wholly believable that Rak finally seeing his father for the pathetic man he is, was enough to disarm his threats and take away his power over Rak. It’s wholly believable that Rak ripping up that contract and seeing that Mut didn’t leave him was enough of a catalyst to take their relationship to where it finally needed to go in Rak recognising he didn’t want to lose Mut, without it having to go the angsty-breakup route for him to realise it. Just the cousin thing that I’ll need to make my peace with as it seems I won’t be getting my questions answered.
I personally think this has been one of the most consistent Thai BLs this year. It didn’t drop in quality or change for the worse from beginning to (almost) finish. Dear God, I hope the finale is good. 🙏
• The majority of the characters are vile (this could be an unreliable narrator device being used but if any of it turns out to be the reality, it’s going to be extremely difficult to properly redeem these characters).
• Why do they always go so far in making characters despicable if they know they’ll need them to be seen in a positive light later on? I’m sorry but most k-drama directors and writers have not mastered the skill of well executed grey characters yet.
• Is it just me or are k-dramas and c-dramas adopting the bleakness and disaster pile on of Japanese dramas?? It’s not enough to have the ML lose the thing he was most passionate about, but to his younger brother of all people, as his parents immediately put him as a stand in for the ML; but then to pile on that, he also loses his ‘first love’ to that same brother. It’s an unnecessary hurdle to put on the brother character considering (whether they are able to or not), they’ll expect us to root for the brother later on. The problem is that a lot of these sorts of plots rely on audience amnesia. Sure they make things out to be misunderstandings but they always forget the things that still happened — that the audience saw these things happen.
• All of this is bad enough but you just KNOW, that they will contort the story line at the end to show that actually, the FL was the ‘first love’ all along.
I’m so tired. I don’t like complaining but I’m so eternally tired of this unsatisfying-ness of Asian dramas. I sincerely hope (truly with all my heart) that the viewers who are currently enjoying this will continue to enjoy it. I want that for you.
P.S. the FL’s parents might be my favourite parental love as well as parent couple portrayal. Usually you love the parents in a drama because they support their child so well but I seriously am falling for how much I like the parents as individual people/characters and I love them as a couple. Their relationship is so down to earth, loving and full of chemistry.