Plot Is Sometimes Bonkers But Performances On Point
There are many warranted and unwarranted criticisms here on Reloved's MDL page and if you're looking to figure out whether or not to watch, hopefully the preponderance of the evidence will help you decide. I truly enjoyed the small story they told, even if the narrative itself was sometimes outlandish and uneven. I would highly recommend it for its performances and its commitment to showing a segment of queer life not often represented on screen.
First and foremost, kudos to the writers and production team for giving a glimpse of queer love that mirrors more the daily lived experience of many queer men outside of the falling in love arc. We rarely if ever see gay men raising children, trying and sometimes failing to "launch" adult lives, all while the giant roulette wheel of life throws unexpected triumphs and tragedies in willy nilly. We sometimes forget that life truly is luck- both good and bad- and life will throw both at us whether we deserve the type we get or not.
Far too often queer representation wallows in the (very real) tragedies and neglects to tell other stories. P'Than has loving, solidly middle-class parents who embrace the totality of who he is, as well as embracing (without forced villainy for conflict's sake) the truth of people and their situations. They respond to life and their children's lives as thinking, rational adults and are supportive. These are not parents who neglect grandchildren simply because they are unhappy about the choices and mistakes the adult's who made them have committed. They reflect the kind of parent I hope I am to my queer child.
I will thoroughly concede that the "mystery" behind why our MLs broke up in the past drags on for far too many episodes. However, I understand Akin's commitment to that secret. He is not keeping this secret simply for himself or to exacerbate the story's conflict. In fact, to break the promise he made to Meya and reveal the secret would have long-lasting and potentially detrimental consequences for not only Meya, but for Mawin as well. He is silent because he has chosen to be a father. Though not explicitly stated in the script, the performance attests to the internal conflict Akin feels. He wants to be done with the secrecy for his own selfish reason, but that is balanced heavily by the commitment he made to be in Mawin's life. To reveal the mystery is to potentially put Mawin at risk emotionally and psychologically. Perhaps this was too underwritten to be made clear to the audience, but I certainly saw that tension in his arc. As a single mother I may have overly-identified with the need to put your own wants and desires on the back burner and make choices for your child that protect his emotional and psychological well-being. But the production team certainly laid out that internal conflict within the five axis of film, whether it was in the juxtaposition of scene and flashback, or the way the camera stayed with Akin as the conflict played out on his face when looking at Mawin and P'Than.
And the Don situation. While others find it a weakness of the series, I find it is one of its strengths and reinforces the team's commitment to tell a "real story." Sometimes, no matter how hard we commit to growth and understanding, the aforementioned roulette wheel lands on a number you didn't deserve. You can do everything right- every choice, every introspection, grab every opportunity to be a better version of yourself- and still be dealt an illogical and cruel blow by life. This isn't just reflected in Don's arc, but in the gym's struggle are as well. This too is often neglected on screen and is a shame. Sometimes I'm tired of the happy ending because who hasn't at some point sat at night and lamented, "I've done everything right- so why does so much of my life feel unfair?".
So with all of its weaknesses, why did I love it? Authenticity. In the midst of the sometimes outlandish script, the actors made me care deeply about the characters and forgive the plot's shortcomings. The authenticity of performance, the glimpse into a segment of the queer community not often represented, and the obvious love of the production staff to tell this story won out over the flaws. Yes, so many of us turn to dramas for escapism, but sometimes that escapism- ironically- has the opposite effect; it makes us lament the unfairness that life sometimes throws our way. In its bid for authenticity, this drama dared to show that we are not always in control of the outcomes in our lives. Sometimes there is a car accident. Sometimes one success doesn't automatically breed another and we fail even though we did everything "right." Sometimes we have to make choices against our own self-interest because the roles we chose to assume have to take precedence. It was very comforting to see a drama that dared to say, "the happy ending doesn't always come in the package you expect or even at all- and it's not always your fault."
First and foremost, kudos to the writers and production team for giving a glimpse of queer love that mirrors more the daily lived experience of many queer men outside of the falling in love arc. We rarely if ever see gay men raising children, trying and sometimes failing to "launch" adult lives, all while the giant roulette wheel of life throws unexpected triumphs and tragedies in willy nilly. We sometimes forget that life truly is luck- both good and bad- and life will throw both at us whether we deserve the type we get or not.
Far too often queer representation wallows in the (very real) tragedies and neglects to tell other stories. P'Than has loving, solidly middle-class parents who embrace the totality of who he is, as well as embracing (without forced villainy for conflict's sake) the truth of people and their situations. They respond to life and their children's lives as thinking, rational adults and are supportive. These are not parents who neglect grandchildren simply because they are unhappy about the choices and mistakes the adult's who made them have committed. They reflect the kind of parent I hope I am to my queer child.
I will thoroughly concede that the "mystery" behind why our MLs broke up in the past drags on for far too many episodes. However, I understand Akin's commitment to that secret. He is not keeping this secret simply for himself or to exacerbate the story's conflict. In fact, to break the promise he made to Meya and reveal the secret would have long-lasting and potentially detrimental consequences for not only Meya, but for Mawin as well. He is silent because he has chosen to be a father. Though not explicitly stated in the script, the performance attests to the internal conflict Akin feels. He wants to be done with the secrecy for his own selfish reason, but that is balanced heavily by the commitment he made to be in Mawin's life. To reveal the mystery is to potentially put Mawin at risk emotionally and psychologically. Perhaps this was too underwritten to be made clear to the audience, but I certainly saw that tension in his arc. As a single mother I may have overly-identified with the need to put your own wants and desires on the back burner and make choices for your child that protect his emotional and psychological well-being. But the production team certainly laid out that internal conflict within the five axis of film, whether it was in the juxtaposition of scene and flashback, or the way the camera stayed with Akin as the conflict played out on his face when looking at Mawin and P'Than.
And the Don situation. While others find it a weakness of the series, I find it is one of its strengths and reinforces the team's commitment to tell a "real story." Sometimes, no matter how hard we commit to growth and understanding, the aforementioned roulette wheel lands on a number you didn't deserve. You can do everything right- every choice, every introspection, grab every opportunity to be a better version of yourself- and still be dealt an illogical and cruel blow by life. This isn't just reflected in Don's arc, but in the gym's struggle are as well. This too is often neglected on screen and is a shame. Sometimes I'm tired of the happy ending because who hasn't at some point sat at night and lamented, "I've done everything right- so why does so much of my life feel unfair?".
So with all of its weaknesses, why did I love it? Authenticity. In the midst of the sometimes outlandish script, the actors made me care deeply about the characters and forgive the plot's shortcomings. The authenticity of performance, the glimpse into a segment of the queer community not often represented, and the obvious love of the production staff to tell this story won out over the flaws. Yes, so many of us turn to dramas for escapism, but sometimes that escapism- ironically- has the opposite effect; it makes us lament the unfairness that life sometimes throws our way. In its bid for authenticity, this drama dared to show that we are not always in control of the outcomes in our lives. Sometimes there is a car accident. Sometimes one success doesn't automatically breed another and we fail even though we did everything "right." Sometimes we have to make choices against our own self-interest because the roles we chose to assume have to take precedence. It was very comforting to see a drama that dared to say, "the happy ending doesn't always come in the package you expect or even at all- and it's not always your fault."
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