BadPenny

This plot is dragging because it's wearing cement shoes, just waiting for someone to throw it over a pier.

*Claps*

I'm glad we could help!

And while I can be condescending when I really feel someone is being antagonistic--which of course is no excuse for my bad behavior--but I generally try to respect earnest dialogs. Not the least of which is because they are rare and precious things. LOL!

Honestly, I wanted to love the show because when I first came to learn about it I was hoping for an arranged marriage BL that kind of hit all the warm romance tropes. I assumed maybe the show would start with the marriage between a colder corporate type joined to someone he initially resented maybe. And his spouse was perhaps a bit naive but well-intentioned and musical and he would eventually unwrap the softer side of his partner as they grew to know each other. And maybe, as they grew closer they'd face external challenges to their new bond.

But maybe that was a bit silly of me to expect. At any rate, I'm going to have to wait and hope for another arranged marriage BL.

I am glad you asked this question and I am taking for granted that it was earnest in nature.

There are several elements in the show that immediately caught my eye and while many of them are categorically not good on their own, when combined meet the general guidelines for either toxic behavioral patterns or a toxic personality.

And keep in mind, this is a problem that is layered from episode to episode. Not the same toxic behaviors exhibited all throughout. As time when on, Lian didn't become less toxic, it just changed forms as he guided Kuea through to a position of being more directly under his power.

Lian goes to lengths to control Kuea using insults, manipulation and other techniques including some subtle gaslighting--which generally cause a person to question their perceptions. After Kuea is forced to move in with him (and that forcing of Kuea is in itself a problematical behavior) Kuea is often confused by contradictory patterns in Lian's behavior that leave him unsure of his footing and definitely off balance. This is a common tactic of dominating partners in toxic relationships. He also craftily uses misdirection to avoid apologizing for his actions. Either by trying to validate them with really halfassed excuses that lay the blame on Kuea, or he does shit like kissing Kuea instead of saying "I made a miscalculation. I am sorry." Also you have the social hierarchy at play with regards to age in Thai culture and Lian uses that to his advantage. He also regularly invade Kuea's personal space in antagonistic ways, early on, as well as invading zones in homes that are meant to be Kuea's sanctuary, all as additional means to disarm Kuea and habituate him to the idea that Lian has free reign. He also uses affection, or rather lack of it, in a cost/reward system to force Kuea to behave in a way he wants. That's not cool. And it places within Kuea the idea that love is conditional. That he has to behave in order to be loved, something he already struggled with as an idea.

And there's a lot more. Really, I could go episode by episode to give you specific incidents of it even. But honestly I don't want to torture myself doing that.

There's so many layers of unhealthy power dynamics, control, manipulation and other really toxic behaviors to create a pattern of it that is startling. And the more Lian engaged these tactics the more childish Kuea beacuase, almost instinctually, he was responding to the barrage of behaviors that robbed him of his agency. To quote the best poet of our time, Dessa, "Do anything long enough and the body gets used to it". Psychological habituation to toxic and/or abusive behavior patterns is a thing. And so I have a very low opinion of a show that people argue is "lighthearted comedy". I've seen lighthearted comedy. This ain't it.

As Kuea falls prey to these behaviors we see standard victim responses. He gives up his hobbies, he stops going places he usually goes and his routine changes to fit Lian's desires. Kuea transforms into who Lian wants instead of being the indedependant person he was in episode 1.

So there's a lot of evidence. If people disagree, fine. But for a lot of us, it's written in clear signs. Had they filmed Cutie Pie to portray Lian's acts of sabotage to Kuea's sense of identity and self as bad things, as the wrong actions they were, then many of us would have going "Okay, the toxicity has been presented as a bad thing and now all we need to see is Lian learn he was wrong, make reparation and give Kuea the time to heal and reflect. And it's a complete transformation and redemption." But nope. All the creepy is meant to be cute and romantic. But oh boy, it's very not.

ROFL! I adored this. You nailed it perfectly. And with such character!

I guarantee it's age-play kink exploration. I mean, they've done everything BUT give him a diaper and a binky. And I don't know if by then Kuea won't be too far into the role to be legit able to sign for anything. At the rate he's regressing he's going to hit 4 years old by the end of the season.

I wonder if you're right. Kind of like Adele. Her song writing inspiration is better when shit is going bad in her life.

LOL! That's fair. I am hate watching it, so fuck...who am I to judge?

And sorry I took so long to get you back on this. Migraine day.

I wasn't even concerned with the hype. Trashy shit gets hyped all the time. I only started watching Cutie Pie to see if there was coherent plot, characters I could get behind and a healthy relationship to build. I could tell by the end of episode 2 that none of that was ever going to manifest in this drama.

If people still want to like it, fine. But as you said, some of us need more than some lame fan service.

Go you! Continue to leave feedback. That's what this place is for, despite some people who seem confused about that. This isn't a fan page. It's a comments section for critiques. Fire away.

Thank you so much! I am very glad you enjoyed my review.

And I will pick up Star In My Mind. I was wondering if that one was good. Thanks for the reccomendation!

It's rated 18+ because of the kinds of kissing and the way in which bodies are touched. There seems to be a Thai guideline where touching and kissing of a particular calibre crosses into a higher rating.

One never knows, Mike. And to throw out an assumption about your age, correct or not, is a sure sign you struck a blow they don't know how to answer so they resort to lame shit like "my relationship is probably older than you are, so obviously I know what I'm talking about".

So how about this, I find Cutie Pie toxic as fuck and I'm going to be celebrating my 32th anniversary of my current relationship, this October. Not to mention the years where we were close friends before that. Usi's bullshit ageist rhetoric aside, length of long term relationship has no bearing on whether one is able to spot toxicity in a RL relationship or a TV show. As evidenced by their inability to see it in Cutie Pie.

Nor is a person's age any guarantee that their lingterm relationship is not toxic. Generally, if you can't spot toxicity in fiction when it's right in front of your nose, there's no way I'm going to believe you can reliably spot it in real life.

That same director is doing fine with other projects right now. Though I agree he's not the person to handle this plot. But there is a lot of evidence that indicates what was wrong with Gen Y 2 was a combination of Junior terminating his contract with Star Hunter and an anonymous director pinch hitting while the official director for Gen Y 2 filmed La Cuisine.

It's been...weird. But thank you! LOL.

I don't squeal at man titties unless they come equipped with the rest of the package, like with max Nattapol. Sorry. I don't make the rules.

Haha!

I'll be disappointed, but okay in the end. I like Mile, but he's not even on my top 10. So if I have to unfollow him because of his politics it will be sad, but it won't be the end of the earth.

In my head I refer to them as Kinn's poodles.

This is a really good analysis contrasting the book with the drama.