Yes that funeral was a mess (both sad and laughable) but at this point in the series I'm only here for the Thanu…
The funeral was a train wreck and I just put it in a capsule and set it aside so I can enjoy the rest of the episode. And Thanu/Wayu was magnificent!!!
So this is where I take what came before and stick it in a compartment so that I can judge the rest on its own…
Now onto Thanu and Wayu's trip!
Is Wayu really sporting a T-shirt that says "Life goes on" and Thanu one that says "Love goes on"? WOW! Whoever came up with that is tacky AF.
OMFG! They zoomed in on the message on Thanu's t-shirt for the transition! Man, the director!!! Why! The shirts are a wild crime. Too soon, too on the nose, too much camera focus.
I was in love with the idea of Thanu and Wayu wearing couple T's when JayDeeJay and I saw them weeks ago. She instantly hated them and I was a lot more neutral. I adored the colors and I honestly didn't recall what the messages on the shirts were. The font was stooopid, but at least it wasn't comic sans.
But back then I didn't know they were going to be wearing those little nightmares following Pha's death. The sustained camera close up on Thanu's shirt that formed the scene transition was just the last nail in their coffins. Oh wait. Bad turn of phrase.
That being said, Wayu was adorable with his "These aren't couple T's. They're different. Hurry up we'll be late". We see you blushing, Wayu.
The resort was lovely. The view was gorgeous. This was easily the best setting in either season. It was as romantic as it was refreshing. Loved the architecture.
And I actually liked that they got two rooms. I would have felt one room was too forward of Thanu. At least initially. (Another reason I thought "Only for one night" was a stupid idea if you plan on trying to get a shy virgin to open up... Figuratively?) For boyfriends who aren't sleeping together yet, one of whom is very prim, separate rooms made perfect sense.
Also, loved the bath. Very mood. I loved the room. I want a trip to the sea now. I may have to poke my Hubby.
Look! Thanu's here! Okay Mr. "My Plan Is Only To Spend Time With You". What are you up to?
Oh!
Oh shit! Oh fuck! Okay, here comes the necklace! I wasn't ready for it! But We're getting the necklace! Oh my babies! So much for "Your plan is no plan". Thanu's plan was to drop a GD bomb! Just give him his FUCKING NECKLACE I NEED THIS YOU ENORMOUS MOTHERFUCKER THANU GIVE ME NEeeeCKLAAAAACE!!!!
Hahahahaha! Stop. I can't even watch it now. I need to pause to control my feelings. I am so emotionally overwhelmed right now. Part of me is "Finally the NECKLACE!" And part of me is "Thanu, you a sneaky bitch!" and part of me is "Pha! *Sob*"
And a part of me is "Oh. Hello diffuse lighting. Damn. I thought I'd seen the last of you. Stupid me"
(Hit play again.) Watching necklace droooopppp... YEESSS! YESYESYES!!!
(breathe)
Okay this scene is beautiful and it made me smile. And maybe tear up just a bit. It was perfect and I will watch it over and over.
"Do you know what the wind means to the bow..." Aaaannnd then Thanu demonstrates why he's a terrible archer. A fundamental misunderstanding of the physics involved in archery. Romantic, but honey, the wind is a parameter you account for, not the driving force. But sure. Wayu is the wind beneath your...arrow? OMFG. I need time to process.
And Thanu darling, "I'm yours now"?
Now?
NOW?
Boy, you've been his all along! He 'bout had you at hello!
And those were vows if I ever heard any. You're married now? Excellent! Now Thanu, go make Wayu pregnant already! (Just joking. That can wait.)
The KISS! I loved the kiss! I am shook. Shooketh, even! My foundations have cracks and fill this in with something witty, My mind is GONE!
This kiss might not be what people wanted after Wayu received basically a pointy engagement ring. But by Wayu's metric, it was lovely and earnest. Wayu even turned his face up into the kiss. The kiss was solid, long contact and he smiled afterward in a very happy, very sweet way. Then he looked at Thanu's mouth afterwards. Which is ALWAYS a signal for "I liked that. Do it again".
I think Wayu was nicely emotive. Still a bit awkward. But c'mon. This kid has been kissed all of two times before this. (On the lips, that is.) Wayu is definitely moving forward in his comfort with intimacy.
Once they're outside, things liven up even more!!! The table jetties are so cute! I loved the couple photos there. What an amazing view! I need to find out the location this was shot at. You can tell this is where Bas started to fry like an egg, though. And man, that got bad for him. I saw the after photos on this shoot. Lobster does not even come close.
The water scene was so adorable. I think that was the first time I've ever seen Wayu play and it was a good look. Like many other things Wayu does, it had a strange sort of innocence to it.
Wayu not liking someone watching him eat is also very, very on brand. I get you bro, not my favorite thing either.
Now back to Kit and Mark.
And Kit... Oh fuck. I was so worried this was a package from Pha. Some creepy bequeathment. Shit! That almost took years off my life.
Apparently they've just taken up mutual crafting for each other. That's hilarious. And so weirdly them. Okay, So Mark knits and Kit makes bracelets. I love it!!! Go make up already. Fuse your gifts and start up a cottage industry where you sell these weird, bohemian scarves with name beads knitted into them.
I did really like this scene for Kit's recognition of Mark's dedication to their relationship. I also loved Kit including their couple name in the bracelets he made. Kit's penchant for couples' wear is adorable. First the watches, now bracelets. Kit has a thing about wrists. Mark, go buy some handcuffs, honey.
But we're episode 10. No one needs complain Wayu is too reticent when Kit's got the whole cohabitation and kissing and sleeping in the same bed down and STILL can't get his shit together.
Still, MarKit felt sweet and right and very positive. I hope the last of Kit's hang-ups work themselves out soon. It was super crappy that your best friend suddenly dying wasn't enough to make you reach out to your lover.
Back at the beach...
And of course, feeding your lover becomes a vehicle for brand endorsements. Gotta get those in. One of the things I love about BL's is the hilariously blatant product placement. I adore it. It makes me giggle every time. I would genuinely miss it if it were not there.
Feeding Wayu the snack and then eating the same piece, after him!!! OMFG! THANU!!!
Awww! Wayu putting his head on Thanu's lap! So perfect!! Wow! And very carefree and sensual of Wayu! Could it be he's finally really feeling comfortable? Oh hell yeah! You go, my little Demi queer!
Haha! Thanu was shocked for one instant and then he had the MOST besotted look. That one expression said everything. It was so good!
So sudden and cute--Thanu ate from the same seaweed wafer while Wayu had it in his mouth!!! If this is the Taokaenoi version of the Poki game, I am down!
Very sweet. Though Wayu, hon, that's perilously close to Thanu's dick. Just letting you know.
Also, Wayu chewing the Taokaenoi seaweed is the best thing in the fucking world. Rewind and watch it again. Then again. They should show a clip of that as a universal panacea. Might have amazing curative properties.
But wait!
Oh NO! Necklace is gone! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! NECKLAAAACE! Poor Wayu! He looks so devastated! So Ruined! (More ruined than during the heinous crime of a funeral I can't ever speak of again)
Nighttime and still no NECKLACE! And... And wow. Bas is dangerously sunburnt in this shot. Like that child needs dosed with some Tylenol 3 and laid down with some cooling packs.
I am guessing the necklace is in the water. I'm hoping, anyway. Still waiting to find out. Poor Wayu wants and needs his necklace! You can't deprive Bae of his NECKLACE!
And Yes! Thanu is in the water! The man has an idea! YesYesYes! He has it! Thanu is a hero! A wet, wet, sexy hero!
Who apparently wanted to pull his lover in with him. (JayDeeJay and I of course did NOT try to spot Wayu's nipples through his soaked shirt when he got pulled into the water. No sir we did not. No.)
WAIT! WAIT, OH FUCK! WTF!!! OH DAYUM! Oh that kiss! That Fucking kiss! WHAT WAS THAT!!! That was the best kiss of the entire show, either season! That blew anyone else' kiss out of the water! There have been no Gen Y kisses like this before!!! (Not even between Tong and the brat swimmer) Woot! That Kiss was the hottest, sweetest kiss! Wayu USED HIS TONGUE. There was Wayu tongue!
Shook does not cover it. I need a new word now. Shook has been surpassed. This little Vesper Martini is shaken AND stirred.
I just went in and rewatched the kiss on my big screen TV. 62 inches of Wayu's little, pink, motherfucking tongue!!!! I am mesmerized. I also had to stop and give my husband some context
And they #LetBrownBeBrown! They didn't wash out Thanu's real skin color! He was a darker baby!!!! Yay!!!!! I love his natural skin tones and I always hate when they wash out his color in post production to make him paler.
That kiss was worth the whole ball of bullshit that was the funeral day. Last week I worried that the trip to the beach would ruin the episode. The trip to the beach is what gave it warmth! And Bam! Wayu knows what his tongue is for now!!!! WootWooot!
How am I meant to return to my life knowing what that kiss looked like? How and I meant to ever think of anything el... Oh! My hubby brought pizza. Nice!
Onto Pok, in the land of "IDNEFK"! You are such a creeper Pok! Dude, don't wait in the dark and come out at someone when they are taking out the fucking trash at night! There are words for people who do shit like that, man!
Not. Cool.
And sure. I bet you DO want to talk to Tong, But you never respect Tong's boundaries. How 'bout you try that on for once?
Slksdfgdygfklbdf!!! Pok when the fuck are you going to stop making this about your training? You are an asshole. Just. No. I do not like you anymore. Not that I liked you much to begin with but I had slim hope for you. You've crushed it.
Anyway, Pok, too late for your lame apology which no one should believe because you can't even respect Tong's desire for some distance. Mr. "Sure I'm Sorry, but you don't get a choice in whether you forgive me".
Yes, Tong. He is trying to blame you for his inability to focus instead of getting HIS SHIT STRAIGHT in his own head, through his own efforts. He wants you to forgive him so Pok can hop off and do his swimming trials without your pesky rejection niggling at him.
UGH! This scene is nauseating. Tong is actually going to buy into this twisted narrative.
Which is sad. Because anytime I see a person/character return to an unhealthy situation because they've been worn down or manipulated, I can't help but wish for a better solution for them. IMHO Pok it too toxic and selfish for Tong. Really for anyone.
Waiting for the competition to be over won't change that. Pok is still going to only prioritize his own sense of accomplishment over the health of the relationship. He's shown this more than once, just this fucking episode. He's always going to prioritize his accomplishments over the well being of his partner. We have seen exactly zero evidence that this isn't the case. Hell, the asshole can't even take no for an answer. This episode his behaviors have been right next door to what stalking looks like.
Fuck that shit. Tong I'm telling you, man. Kalae. He would treat you right. And I mean...those lips.
Anyway...
Thankfully now I can relax, unwind and let that go. I don't hate the scene on the technical merits. It wasn't badly acted or even badly written. And it wasn't unrealistic at all. I just hate that they're going to roll with that whole disgusting BL trope where a victim goes back to their abuser and it's not sad and tragic, it's fucking cute somehow.
Back in the sane land of Wayu and Thanu... Wait. What the fuck is that noise? It sound like a duck being kicked.
Awww Wayu. Sweetheart. Just tell him. I know it's a lot. But you can do it.
Thanu, honey. He's trying to game you into letting him sleep there because he's scared of the local fauna. You're missing it.
Or are you? Is Thanu perhaps trying to force Wayu to articulate his needs? Oh wow. Sneaky. Bravo.
Wayu did it! Awwwww! He looked like he was either going to burst into tears or pee himself, but he asked! He actually let the words out of his mouth! I love that.
Beautiful place to end the episode! I am in love with that ending.
And I am absolutely going to lose what's left of my mind, waiting for next week.
This episode was wild. And I will never quite forgive the director and writer for that funeral day. It was vile. But once I sorted out that there were two timelines and I picked the kinder one where people weren't out of character, it was easier to just take the capsule of the funeral day and seal it away from what was otherwise a REALLY enjoyable episode. Even with Pok being Pok and Phai growing into his boots as a manipulative apologist, it worked. It had flow.
Just...man, 86 the funeral day.
And I hope everyone else can do that. This episode had the best and the worst moments in the entirety of Gen Y's storyline to date.
But I don't regret any of the 4 complete watch throughs I've experienced, and now I get to go rewatch all my favorite individual scenes. And do fanart. And drive my husband and my friends mad by gushing about THE FUCKING NECKLACE!!!!
OMG! The necklace. (And Wayu's pink tongue. That KISS! WOW. I did not foresee the kiss being so well done!)
Oh man. Here it is! And it's been a fucking ride!! This has to come in three pieces. It's War and Peace length.…
So this is where I take what came before and stick it in a compartment so that I can judge the rest on its own merits.
I hated the first 15 minutes of this episode and that is where the core of my responses went. If I objectively look at the rest, some of it was very apropos for this universe, unsavory as it was, and the rest I absolutely loved. So 70% of the episode was good shit.
But enjoying the rest of the episode requires the watcher to fix something the show creators/editors fucked up. Not ideal, but worth it, I think. It comes down to a paradox problem. Two timelines can't exist at once, and yet two are present.
If we take into account Gen Y's history with time problems, this isn't a surprise. This happens several times in season 1, in fact. Where different characters perceive time in different ways, or even differently than they themselves marked it previously. Time has always been the primary plot hole in Gen Y.
So we have this paradox. According to Wayu, Thanu, and Mark and Kit, Pha died yesterday. According to the Juniors, and the overall tenor of behaviors and flow of plot, time has passed and those who loved Pha are beginning to heal. Both can't be true, and I know which I feel makes more sense. But the only way to resolve this is to decide which timeline to run with.
For the purposes of this review, I am running with the timeline where some healing time has taken place. There's no smooth way to make this choice. Either reality and you have evidence regarding the other timeline to ignore. But it is what it is.
So Everyone who wasn't friends with Pha is excited about passing the semester. According to usual Thai college terms, they get a couple of weeks break before the new semester starts in mid October. Plenty of time for fun. I'd be jumping around and flinging papers too, if I were Jack and Jill.
For everyone who lost Pha, an undetermined amount of time has passed and they're doing well as can be--which is what we expect.
And hey! There's Thanu waiting on Wayu. It's cute. It's sweet and... Wayu! You were checking Thanu out! Wow! That's...new.
I like! I can get behind that. (Kind of like Wayu did.)
After being so kind as to help us figure the timeline out, the juniors discuss Mookata. Which is a very bad stab at phonetic Romanization on the translator's part, again. We've seen that problem before. The actual Romanized translation is Mu kratha. Which means 'pan pork' in Thai (mu is 'pig' or 'pork' and kratha is 'pan' or 'skillet'). Mu kratha resembles a combination of a Korean barbecue and a Chinese hot pot. It is glorious food of the gods. There is a reason the juniors are excited.
Now I'm dropped into the first meeting of Pok and TOng. Holy shit, Pok! WAITWAITWAIT! You motherfucker!
You want Tong to forgive you so you don't feel upset during your swimming trials? Fuck you! Kalae can have Tong! Poor Alice will have to find another boy. She's a hottie and doubtless can do it. From now on it's Kalae/Tong forever. I will steer this damn ship!
On a more practical level, I need a scene where someone talks some sense into Pok. Like. Soon.
Pok, I was beginning to think you actually understood your mistakes. I was just starting to think you had what it took to grow past your selfish impulses and be good for Tong and yourself. Ha! Jokes on me! "You need to talk to me so I am not all upset when I go to swim trials?"
How about "I would appreciate it if you would talk to me because I know I hurt you and I owe you a proper apology and proof that I am trying to get my shit together. But if you really can't see your way to listening, I totally understand."? Because that's how non-assholes communicate.
I loved that Tong is just "Um no. Been there, beat my head against that wall. Bye bitch." And the casual saunter was beautiful. If only he had skipped out on the moonlight Mu kratha he could have avoided Phai.
Where next? Oh yes. Wayu, you are a beautiful prince. I love your look this ep. Very sweet and pretty. Your color hasn't been this healthy the whole season. I love that Thanu wants you in your favorite; pink. I think it's a good choice too!
All of you rolling your eyes at me, STFU. He looks good in pink!
Also, Thanu, bro--you went so far as to orchestrate this gig and then sort of pressure flirted Wayu into it. So... After all that, did you really decide to take Wayu out to the beach for ONLY ONE DAY! Dayum! Shell it out, my brother! You have been patient, gracious, kind, and sweetly dedicated in your pursuit of the wild and reclusive Wayu bunny. Now that you're close to bagging your game, don't lose him because you rushed the closure. Why only set this up for one night???
Pfft. Amateur.
Now onto Mark and Kit. I CALLED IT, BITCHES! HAHAHAHAH!
*Ahem*
What I mean (in a very civilized tone) is that a couple weeks back I said that Kit and Mark weren't rushing towards a resolution because if there was a season 3, they wouldn't be in it except perhaps piecemeal. I told JayDeeJay that I suspected strongly it was because they would have Mark fix this shit by going to America with Kit. And Tada!
Look, it was logic. Kimmon isn't going to have as much time to devote to a Gen Y season 3 end of this year. And neither perhaps will Copter. Provided we even get one. (And I have reason to believe we may not, after all)
On a character level, Kit just doesn't always have the tools to dig his way out of the kinds of emotional situations he gets himself into. It was always going to be Mark that solved this. I'd have dumped Kit square, were it me. But whether Kit is good for Mark or not, Mark wants his little hedgehog. And whatever Kit's faults, he loves Mark right back. So I guess it might happen in America. Just like I suspected. Heh.
Oh! This brings me to the "FUCK PHAI" moment in the episode.
Over the last two seasons I have felt a lot of different ways about Phai. Never has any one character had me changing my opinion from week to week so consistently. At first he was boring to me. Then he was selfless, but still kind of uninteresting. He had zero expressions and he had no chemistry with Thanu. You know, most of the core complaints people make about Wayu.
But then I thought toward the beginning of the season, this kid isn't really boring anymore. Hehas some smarts. And some spunk. Then I thought Phai was sweet. Cute. Still fucking up with his covering for Saendee, but we can all forgive a little misplaced loyalty, right?
But shortly after that I started to see a problem in his apologist behaviors. And then I started to see Phai exhibit some grey moral ideas himself that I mentioned. I began to worry the reason he was such a staunch Saendee supporter wasn't just loyalty. Maybe he was a bit dark himself. And boy, was he dark at that moonlight Mu kratha.
I voiced my reservations last week about Phai getting involved in Pok and Tong's situation considering how he was very against Saendee getting involved in the whole Phai/Thanu/Wayu situation. Hypocrite much?
This episode, at that dinner, Phai was condescending, intrusive and manipulative. First Phai, none of this shit between Pok and Tong is any of your business and you have entirely undermined your own arguments against Saendee's behaviors with your own actions.
You're telling Tong you hope he can relax with friends and then you lay into his shit? How was any of that meant to help him relax among his friends?
You tell Tong he needs to come to terms with not being the one who should work shit out for Pok. But YOU ARE LITERALLY WORKING SHIT OUT FOR POK!
If you'd have pinned me with that whole "Don't you think it's time to clarify things?" bullshit, I'd have clarified right then and there. Maybe starting with a good sampling of Pok's greatest hits as an abusive friend/lover. Tong has been clear with Pok. I certainly never misunderstood his intent.
And If anyone needed or was entitled to talk to Tong that way it was Kalae--the friend who's actually been there helping Tong along the way. And Kalae would be great at it because Kalae has been living on his own in an apartment taking care of himself AND going to school and getting good enough grades to make it to college, with NO adult supervision, since he went to high school. That's canon straight out of first season. So he's been doing "grown up" for a long time. Vs Phai, who spends all his time bouncing back and forth between being Saendee's apologist or Pok's.
This whole scene doesn't read like Phai helping Tong. It reads like Phai helping Pok. And after what Phai talked about last week with Saendee, about getting involved to help Pok out, I have absolutely no doubt that's what this was. This wasn't even a little about what Tong actually needed. So now two of you are more concerned with Pok's needs than Tong's. Phai and Pok.
So Phai needs to step back. He's prying into matters on the behalf of the guy acting like a selfish, entitled bully. He's engaging in a very unwholesome game of pushing someone by carefully poking at their weak spots in order to create outcomes he thinks are what's best for his friend. Sound familiar? Yeah, because it's Saendee's playbook.
Being a good friend means you help a friend with advice only when that friend ASKS you for advice. The rest of the time you butt out. And neither Pok nor Tong have brought this to Phai. Not even to so much as complain about it. So technically it's none of Phai's business. And let's not forget that nothing Phai had to say took into account Pok's cruelty, And nothing he COULD say would ever justify it.
Besides which, who said Tong even needed this talk? But if he did, literally ANYONE of the Juniors would have been a better choice than Phai.
Tong honey, you deserve better. (Psst. Kalae is hot and hasn't cinched it with Alice yet. And uh, he made the off hand comment about how cute Wayu was. He might like guys too.)
I can't say I hated this scene. I never hate a scene where people are in character. I mean, I suspected this might be how Phai was evolving. Which is sad, because I had grown to like him. And certainly this was in character for Tong, who at times can internalize other peoples' judgments to an unhealthy degree. But yes, this was the "apropos but very unpalatable" moment I mentioned in the beginning. In fact, the whole scene leaves a very nasty taste in my mouth.
Oh man. Here it is! And it's been a fucking ride!! This has to come in three pieces. It's War and Peace length. It's huge and incoherent and emotional and.. And guys, never again. I can't do this. I wrote almost non stop for 16 hours yesterday and spent a couple hours today just editing to try to shave it down. I am so exhausted I can't even really be embarrassed that at some points in this, I just devolve to keyboard smashing.
So tired.
Next week you are getting one sentence from me. I am so done with my keyboard we've decided on a trial separation to see other interface devices. Maybe go to couple's counseling.
And this one was so hard to do! So hard. It was hard to balance my critical observations with my gut responses. I had way too many of both. These always start out as reviews and eventually melt into just reaction posts and it's always longer than I want. But this went LONG.
I should start by saying I loved some parts of this episode. And those parts were possibly some of the best scenes of either season. I mean it. I adored parts of this. But I also really hated a couple scenes and was saddened or frustrated but ultimately unsurprised by the others. Those last ones I actually felt fit the show. They were just unpleasant on the palate.
Overall I feel ambivalent about summing up the episode unless I break it into two parts--the day of the funeral, and then everything that came after.
I told JayDeeJay last week that if I had all that happy "moving on" to handle in the same episode where a character is being mourned, I would start with a scene where Mark and Kit talk about Mark being there for Kit at the funeral. It would transition to the funeral and then I'd sum up the laying to rest and mourning of Pha in a long montage with sad but eventually somewhat hopeful music. The funeral would be artfully handled, gently rolling through each character with due demonstration of their grief and even sharing of that grief with each other. And damn sure bet you it would be raining. Endless Buckets. Followed by numerous transitioning shots of Wayu and Kit struggling with grief over a period of time in their day-to-day lives, supported by the people who love them most. 15 minutes of this stuff and by the end, every fucking one of you would be crying and begging me for mercy.
When the montage ended the plot could move onto establishing scenes where Kit and Wayu respectively were still touched by grief but obviously ready to start looking forward to a bright future.
That's not what we got.
This episode about gave me an aneurysm, 10 seconds in. Mark, of all people, is shown in the shower and then naked in a towel, the camera slowly scrolling up his body. Finally we see him getting dressed sfdjklasdfjklsdfajkl;!!! WTF was the point of that!!!
Mark barely knew Pha so explain to me what that added to the coming funeral scene. Don't get me wrong, Kimmon is adorable. But I expected Wayu tearfully getting ready. Maybe with Mark helping fortify Wayu, doing the stalwart friend routine that Mark has always been so iconic at. Or I expected maybe Kit stiff-upper-lipping it as he cinched his tie in the mirror--all the while doing that 'on-the-verge-of-tears' thing that Bas, Copter and Bonus all do so well. Hell, I'd have done with Thanu checking himself over one last time before going to pick Wayu up!
But Mark!! We got sexy-angst with the person who was least invested in Pha?! Then the funeral?
Gaaaaaaah!
The funeral itself was...otherworldly, and not in a good way. First, I was intrigued by the lack of older family at the funeral. No parents. No aunties. No uncles. No grandparents or teachers or anything. Just a small handful of college age mourners. And I mean SMALL. I... don't even know what that says about Pha.
And then I was struck by the poised way everyone was holding their opened umbrellas. Because hello, IT WASN'T FUCKING RAINING! Bitches, those are NOT decoration!
Yes, I get it. There's a visual trope in storytelling involving funerals. The thing about umbrellas in funerals though, is that THEY ARE THERE TO KEEP YOU DRY!!! You know, because the sky is fucking opening up! We can all agree there is something reassuring in this overused metaphor for weeping. There's something cathartic about nature mirroring your hurt when you bury a loved one. What isn't cathartic? Lots of open umbrellas all cocked at exactly the same angle and not a drop of rain in sight.
In fact, it's kind of creepy. Like children play acting a funeral without really understanding how one works. Or why.
By the way, I'm going to do a lot of yelling in capslock. Please forgive me.
Or don't.
Then Kit moves into scene with his single red rose and spills out some variation of Rest in Peace. Not to put too fine a point on it, Kit, but... No best friend Eulogy? Who better than Kit to stand up and speak for the deceased? At least Kit looked weary and very sad and I thought "Okay, now this whole funeral thing starts coming together".
Newp.
So I asked myself where Mark was, and yup there's Mark, playing creeper way, way in the back, far behind any of the mourner's seating. Man, he handled those sunglasses like a pro. Right out of Horatio Caine's playbook. The uninitiated wouldn't have known Mark wasn't there to kill someone. Seriously. It had THAT vibe.
But then we get more Kit trying to suppress his grief and I'm like Yeah! Here it is! Fuck Creeper Mark! That is a bonafide Kit lip wibble™! FINALLY! My fucking FEELS! GIVE IT TOOO MEEEEEEE KIT.
Newp.
Just...let that go. It *never* comes together.
The scene cuts to a sad but dry-eyed Wayu. And I think surely my sweet baby is still ready to pour out his heart and show the other mourners how it's done?
Uh... Surprisingly, Newp.
To be fair, maybe he and Kit cried themselves out already. Some people do that and are numb by the funeral.
I didn't get to follow that thought, as I was immediately struck by Pha's teeny, tiny casket. Did they chop Pha up in pieces? Because that casket wasn't Long or wide enough for Wayu, let alone the recently deceased moose of a man known as Pha. My best guess is it was fit for a woman of about 5'4". I guess they dismembered him and piled him inside, economy style?
Wayu looked heavyhearted but still composed. Okay, so he's got this. He's trying to be strong. You could still feel the earnest emotions, even though it was surprising he was holding it together.
But uh, Philosopher Thanu, you can pontificate later, honey. Shhhhh. Right now people are busy being sad.
Though I get that you're there for Wayu in sensitive and yet supportive ways that are both gentlemanly and respectf... WHY ARE YOU PUTTING FUCKING MOVES ON WAYU AT PHA'S FUNERAL!
Brrrroooooooo! WTF dude! You won. Your competition is Reset Character, currently stowed away in a (tiny) box. Pump your fucking brakes!
Wayu, I get that this shit is overwhelming and Thanu, yes, is flirting. But don't smile at Thanu. Please lightly punch him in the shoulder as a reminder to have a fucking sense of occasion.
Damn.
Thank fuck we cut back to goth Mary Poppins... er, I mean Kit. Someone explain to me why Kit is sitting off to the side, alone, like some Typhoid widow?
And, Mark! You are maybe 40 yards from Kit. Don't text him like some weirdo. WALK. THE. FUCK. OVER. And Kit, Why the hell do you have your phone on during a funeral? Did I fall and hit my head and wake up in a universe where people don't turn off their devices for funerary services? In the amount of time it took for Mark to send the text, for Kit to fish out his phone, bring up the app and read it, MARK COULD HAVE BEEN STANDING RIGHT THERE!!!
"I will cherish every moment with Mark" my sweet ass! You don't have any moments with Mark. You are literally staring at him over the green, so close that with a decent throwing arm you could have killed him with your cell phone. Stand up, walk over, and motherfucking PDA him!!!
*ahem*
9 minutes in and I already almost had a stroke at least 3 times.
My super sad musical montage would have been a much better way to handle Pha's death. Thank You sweet baby angels that watch over dead BL characters, at least the funeral was over.
At his point I was down for some nice, normal, death-related melancholy. I needed it, to be perfectly honest. After Kit's isolation from anyone and Wayu's lack of tears and Thanu's inappropriate enthusiasm for his romantic future and Mark's...whatever that was, I was in need of some honest time spent mourning Pha. The story needed it.
So it was a shitty funeral. Okay. It happens. It wasn't the end of the world. This could still transition into some good, solid grief and we could all get our feels on before Wayu runs off to the beach at the end of the episode. Right? RIGHT?!!!
Thanu has driven Wayu home from the funeral and Wayu is asleep (So adorable) and the music is slow-sad but cute and I'm thinking YES! Poor Wayu is understandably exhausted. Mourning does that! It's going to have caught up with Wayu and he'll be suddenly overcome. And Thanu will do the good lover thing and console him but we'll get some honest grief over Pha. Bas will finally let those dependable little floodgates open so Wayu can be sad for the person he used to love and still very much cared for. I WILL GET MY FEEeeeelllzzz!
Newp.
Wayu drops a time stamp. He states he has to study because he has finals tomorrow. And I thought, okay. Sometimes people need to bury grief behind work. Maybe even Thanu will come up and help Wayu study and it will be sweet but very sad. But no.
And If not for that timestamp, the episode could have worked with a short "Hey, X time has passed" somewhere in the context. Then the "after the funeral" it wouldn't have had the skin clawing sense of OH NO YOU FUCKING DIDN'T that resulted, up until I realized there was an inconsistency in timeline.
Instead, we roll right into Kit's night and FUCK ME! WTF IS THIS SHIT WITH KIT AND MARK! Wow! Mark and Kit flirting is actually making me uncomfortable. I am NOT comfortable. Let me get a picture with my phone. Yep! This is me looking uncomfortable.
I thought Kit at least would be quiet, maybe cry alone, steeped in the dark emo tea of having spent the day burying his best friend. I figured at most Mark would deliver food and leave it at the door with a note to make sure Kit was taken care of.
Newp.
Like, ya'll took off the black suits and suddenly fuck Pha. He didn't just die. It's all good. It's a party. Everything is roses and kittens and Lindt chocolate (Fuck that Godiva shit). The musical editors closed the scene with that derp comedy music and I think I need a ticket to Thailand. Does anyone know how to get a tazer past Airport security?
I couldn't be mad about Wayu choosing to study. It wasn't what I was hoping for but from a personal standpoint, if the choice is laying awake and dwelling all night on your lost one or burying your brain in some work, I'd chose work every time.
But then there's Thanu. Pha isn't even 24 hours in the ground and Thanu is planning a trip?! jklfjkl;sdjkl;asdjkl! I cannot process Thanu asking Wayu to a resort the night they bury Pha. I cannot fucking compute!
You know damn well Thanu would normally be a gentleman about Wayu needing to mourn. That is the Thanu we know. Instead, Thanu is all like "C'mon. Lemme take you away to the resort to make you feel less sad." And sure, that sounds reasonable. But it felt like what Thanu was actually thinking was "Pha dead. Wayu, lemme smash".
Thanu, baby... I get that you want to take your very bereaved and exhausted Bae away from the drama. Wayu frankly deserves it. He has spent that last, oh, 18 months going through one hell or another. BUT I'M NOT SURE THE NIGHT YOU ALL TUCK PHA IN FOR HIS DIRT NAP IS THE FUCKING RIGHT TIME TO DO IT!!!
At least poor Wayu wasn't jumping at the chance for a vacation. At least he was hesitant to agree.
The scene with Jack and Koh was a waste and could have been used to pad out some transitional grieving time instead. This scene I AM pretty salty about because nothing was done with this scene except more of Jack and Koh playing Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. This episode was too important for that kind of waste. Had their interaction been meaningful, sure. Bring it on. But it wasn't.
I need a minute. Give me a second with my kitties and my black currant tea and some salad because frankly this show has been hell on my diet.
I am just making the call. Time happened here. It had to. I take no arguments otherwise. If you don't like it, suck it. Yes, the segue is still stupid but I am just refusing the impossible reality of flirty Mark/Kit, and Thanu going all opportunistic event planning THE SAME NIGHT THEY BURY PHA!
To be fair, I think had the funeral been full of the emotions we needed, the lack of transition would have felt less awful. It wouldn't have been great and I still would have bitched up a storm, but overall I think what felt missing was maybe less about time and more about emotional due.
JayDeeJay has a post in the Discussion above with links. You have to have a VIP account and use a VPN that works…
I've only ever used one VPN and so I'm not really good for recommending based on anything but that. But I use Surf Shark. Can't tell you the quality of the others, though.
Y'all. I am so far gone. I was laughing and crying at the same time for like most of the episode.Best parts about…
I agree totally with your displeasure with the timeline. I was deeply uncomfortable with the abrupt return to status quo as my ranting at you indicated. Man I lost my shit a dozen times! It was all so sudden.
But then later I had to stop and wonder if that was why they chose for Pha to be Christian. They load in a Crucifix image and then the funeral is clearly Western in style. And that stuck in the back of my head because most Thai are Buddhist. And while Christianity has absolutely no hard rules about how long you have to grieve, Buddhism in Thailand does. Regardless of what type of Buddhist you are, there is a 100 day period of mourning.
If Pha were Buddhist this would mean 100 days of mourning where Pha's soul would be thought to linger and those who mourned him would be expected to conduct themselves attentively, in such a way that Pha could find peace and move onto his next incarnation. Not so with a Christian character where, at least perhaps from a Thai cultural perspective, people move on immediately because the soul is already in heaven. Which perhaps enabled the writers to jump shit forward after Pha's burial like it was shot out of a cartoon canon--without making Buddhist Thai viewers uncomfortable.
But regardless of cultural padding they may or may not have taken into consideration, everyone who was meant to grieve for Pha went to that weird funeral and then immediately put it all behind them and it was really NOT good. And if not for that one time stamp of Wayu stating the exams were the next day, they could have just added a contextual marker to indicate time moved forward several weeks and then everything that came after would have felt more natural. More in character.
Okay, breaking this episode into a review is going to be very, very hard. There were great things and not so great things. And I did SO. MUCH. RANTING. Jaydeejay was prolly grabbing a crucifix and praying because my head was Linda Blair spinning at times.
But honestly, I am torn between doing a review and just posting my initial reactions. It will be hard to blend the two. It's going to take me a few hours to reach a comfort zone where I can sort through what reactions were spot on and what review bits are pertinent.
And it's going to be SO. DAMN. LONG.
I'll do my best and try to get it up by midnight. I both loved and hated this episode in turns. So we'll see what I patch together as a review.
I've seen everything Bas Suradet has acted in that I could get access to. And his Wayu is my favorite role. I…
He's my favorite too, hon. Bas is a gifted actor and a delightful person. I've gotten onto his Twitch gaming channel and talked at him during GTAO livestreams before. He's sweet.
And a lot of people love Thanu/Wayu and/or Dun/Bas. You are definitely not alone in that. And feel free to post more often if the mood strikes. It makes me really happy to read posts supporting them.
I noticed you don't like Pha. I have my own reasons for having misgivings about the character. But I'd love to hear yours.
i must be silly.. still giving chance and hoping hoping hoping for JackKoh SandeePhai.. T.T
I think you'll get it. I HOPE you'll get it. I didn't care for JackKoh initially because I don't care for arrogant men and Koh was just over the top. But after seeing Jaime in My Mate Match and after seeing last episode where Koh was looking at Jack kind of softly--I'm in. I can't wait to see them get together.
Is Wayu really sporting a T-shirt that says "Life goes on" and Thanu one that says "Love goes on"? WOW! Whoever came up with that is tacky AF.
OMFG! They zoomed in on the message on Thanu's t-shirt for the transition! Man, the director!!! Why! The shirts are a wild crime. Too soon, too on the nose, too much camera focus.
I was in love with the idea of Thanu and Wayu wearing couple T's when JayDeeJay and I saw them weeks ago. She instantly hated them and I was a lot more neutral. I adored the colors and I honestly didn't recall what the messages on the shirts were. The font was stooopid, but at least it wasn't comic sans.
But back then I didn't know they were going to be wearing those little nightmares following Pha's death. The sustained camera close up on Thanu's shirt that formed the scene transition was just the last nail in their coffins. Oh wait. Bad turn of phrase.
That being said, Wayu was adorable with his "These aren't couple T's. They're different. Hurry up we'll be late". We see you blushing, Wayu.
The resort was lovely. The view was gorgeous. This was easily the best setting in either season. It was as romantic as it was refreshing. Loved the architecture.
And I actually liked that they got two rooms. I would have felt one room was too forward of Thanu. At least initially. (Another reason I thought "Only for one night" was a stupid idea if you plan on trying to get a shy virgin to open up... Figuratively?) For boyfriends who aren't sleeping together yet, one of whom is very prim, separate rooms made perfect sense.
Also, loved the bath. Very mood. I loved the room. I want a trip to the sea now. I may have to poke my Hubby.
Look! Thanu's here! Okay Mr. "My Plan Is Only To Spend Time With You". What are you up to?
Oh!
Oh shit! Oh fuck! Okay, here comes the necklace! I wasn't ready for it! But We're getting the necklace! Oh my babies! So much for "Your plan is no plan". Thanu's plan was to drop a GD bomb! Just give him his FUCKING NECKLACE I NEED THIS YOU ENORMOUS MOTHERFUCKER THANU GIVE ME NEeeeCKLAAAAACE!!!!
Hahahahaha! Stop. I can't even watch it now. I need to pause to control my feelings. I am so emotionally overwhelmed right now. Part of me is "Finally the NECKLACE!" And part of me is "Thanu, you a sneaky bitch!" and part of me is "Pha! *Sob*"
And a part of me is "Oh. Hello diffuse lighting. Damn. I thought I'd seen the last of you. Stupid me"
(Hit play again.) Watching necklace droooopppp... YEESSS! YESYESYES!!!
(breathe)
Okay this scene is beautiful and it made me smile. And maybe tear up just a bit. It was perfect and I will watch it over and over.
"Do you know what the wind means to the bow..." Aaaannnd then Thanu demonstrates why he's a terrible archer. A fundamental misunderstanding of the physics involved in archery. Romantic, but honey, the wind is a parameter you account for, not the driving force. But sure. Wayu is the wind beneath your...arrow? OMFG. I need time to process.
And Thanu darling, "I'm yours now"?
Now?
NOW?
Boy, you've been his all along! He 'bout had you at hello!
And those were vows if I ever heard any. You're married now? Excellent! Now Thanu, go make Wayu pregnant already! (Just joking. That can wait.)
The KISS! I loved the kiss! I am shook. Shooketh, even! My foundations have cracks and fill this in with something witty, My mind is GONE!
This kiss might not be what people wanted after Wayu received basically a pointy engagement ring. But by Wayu's metric, it was lovely and earnest. Wayu even turned his face up into the kiss. The kiss was solid, long contact and he smiled afterward in a very happy, very sweet way. Then he looked at Thanu's mouth afterwards. Which is ALWAYS a signal for "I liked that. Do it again".
I think Wayu was nicely emotive. Still a bit awkward. But c'mon. This kid has been kissed all of two times before this. (On the lips, that is.) Wayu is definitely moving forward in his comfort with intimacy.
Once they're outside, things liven up even more!!! The table jetties are so cute! I loved the couple photos there. What an amazing view! I need to find out the location this was shot at. You can tell this is where Bas started to fry like an egg, though. And man, that got bad for him. I saw the after photos on this shoot. Lobster does not even come close.
The water scene was so adorable. I think that was the first time I've ever seen Wayu play and it was a good look. Like many other things Wayu does, it had a strange sort of innocence to it.
Wayu not liking someone watching him eat is also very, very on brand. I get you bro, not my favorite thing either.
Now back to Kit and Mark.
And Kit... Oh fuck. I was so worried this was a package from Pha. Some creepy bequeathment. Shit! That almost took years off my life.
Apparently they've just taken up mutual crafting for each other. That's hilarious. And so weirdly them. Okay, So Mark knits and Kit makes bracelets. I love it!!! Go make up already. Fuse your gifts and start up a cottage industry where you sell these weird, bohemian scarves with name beads knitted into them.
I did really like this scene for Kit's recognition of Mark's dedication to their relationship. I also loved Kit including their couple name in the bracelets he made. Kit's penchant for couples' wear is adorable. First the watches, now bracelets. Kit has a thing about wrists. Mark, go buy some handcuffs, honey.
But we're episode 10. No one needs complain Wayu is too reticent when Kit's got the whole cohabitation and kissing and sleeping in the same bed down and STILL can't get his shit together.
Still, MarKit felt sweet and right and very positive. I hope the last of Kit's hang-ups work themselves out soon. It was super crappy that your best friend suddenly dying wasn't enough to make you reach out to your lover.
Back at the beach...
And of course, feeding your lover becomes a vehicle for brand endorsements. Gotta get those in. One of the things I love about BL's is the hilariously blatant product placement. I adore it. It makes me giggle every time. I would genuinely miss it if it were not there.
Feeding Wayu the snack and then eating the same piece, after him!!! OMFG! THANU!!!
Awww! Wayu putting his head on Thanu's lap! So perfect!! Wow! And very carefree and sensual of Wayu! Could it be he's finally really feeling comfortable? Oh hell yeah! You go, my little Demi queer!
Haha! Thanu was shocked for one instant and then he had the MOST besotted look. That one expression said everything. It was so good!
So sudden and cute--Thanu ate from the same seaweed wafer while Wayu had it in his mouth!!! If this is the Taokaenoi version of the Poki game, I am down!
Very sweet. Though Wayu, hon, that's perilously close to Thanu's dick. Just letting you know.
Also, Wayu chewing the Taokaenoi seaweed is the best thing in the fucking world. Rewind and watch it again. Then again. They should show a clip of that as a universal panacea. Might have amazing curative properties.
But wait!
Oh NO! Necklace is gone! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! NECKLAAAACE! Poor Wayu! He looks so devastated! So Ruined! (More ruined than during the heinous crime of a funeral I can't ever speak of again)
Nighttime and still no NECKLACE! And... And wow. Bas is dangerously sunburnt in this shot. Like that child needs dosed with some Tylenol 3 and laid down with some cooling packs.
I am guessing the necklace is in the water. I'm hoping, anyway. Still waiting to find out. Poor Wayu wants and needs his necklace! You can't deprive Bae of his NECKLACE!
And Yes! Thanu is in the water! The man has an idea! YesYesYes! He has it! Thanu is a hero! A wet, wet, sexy hero!
Who apparently wanted to pull his lover in with him. (JayDeeJay and I of course did NOT try to spot Wayu's nipples through his soaked shirt when he got pulled into the water. No sir we did not. No.)
WAIT! WAIT, OH FUCK! WTF!!! OH DAYUM! Oh that kiss! That Fucking kiss! WHAT WAS THAT!!! That was the best kiss of the entire show, either season! That blew anyone else' kiss out of the water! There have been no Gen Y kisses like this before!!! (Not even between Tong and the brat swimmer) Woot! That Kiss was the hottest, sweetest kiss! Wayu USED HIS TONGUE. There was Wayu tongue!
Shook does not cover it. I need a new word now. Shook has been surpassed. This little Vesper Martini is shaken AND stirred.
I just went in and rewatched the kiss on my big screen TV. 62 inches of Wayu's little, pink, motherfucking tongue!!!! I am mesmerized. I also had to stop and give my husband some context
And they #LetBrownBeBrown! They didn't wash out Thanu's real skin color! He was a darker baby!!!! Yay!!!!! I love his natural skin tones and I always hate when they wash out his color in post production to make him paler.
That kiss was worth the whole ball of bullshit that was the funeral day. Last week I worried that the trip to the beach would ruin the episode. The trip to the beach is what gave it warmth! And Bam! Wayu knows what his tongue is for now!!!! WootWooot!
How am I meant to return to my life knowing what that kiss looked like? How and I meant to ever think of anything el... Oh! My hubby brought pizza. Nice!
Onto Pok, in the land of "IDNEFK"! You are such a creeper Pok! Dude, don't wait in the dark and come out at someone when they are taking out the fucking trash at night! There are words for people who do shit like that, man!
Not. Cool.
And sure. I bet you DO want to talk to Tong, But you never respect Tong's boundaries. How 'bout you try that on for once?
Slksdfgdygfklbdf!!! Pok when the fuck are you going to stop making this about your training? You are an asshole. Just. No. I do not like you anymore. Not that I liked you much to begin with but I had slim hope for you. You've crushed it.
Anyway, Pok, too late for your lame apology which no one should believe because you can't even respect Tong's desire for some distance. Mr. "Sure I'm Sorry, but you don't get a choice in whether you forgive me".
Yes, Tong. He is trying to blame you for his inability to focus instead of getting HIS SHIT STRAIGHT in his own head, through his own efforts. He wants you to forgive him so Pok can hop off and do his swimming trials without your pesky rejection niggling at him.
UGH! This scene is nauseating. Tong is actually going to buy into this twisted narrative.
Which is sad. Because anytime I see a person/character return to an unhealthy situation because they've been worn down or manipulated, I can't help but wish for a better solution for them. IMHO Pok it too toxic and selfish for Tong. Really for anyone.
Waiting for the competition to be over won't change that. Pok is still going to only prioritize his own sense of accomplishment over the health of the relationship. He's shown this more than once, just this fucking episode. He's always going to prioritize his accomplishments over the well being of his partner. We have seen exactly zero evidence that this isn't the case. Hell, the asshole can't even take no for an answer. This episode his behaviors have been right next door to what stalking looks like.
Fuck that shit. Tong I'm telling you, man. Kalae. He would treat you right. And I mean...those lips.
Anyway...
Thankfully now I can relax, unwind and let that go. I don't hate the scene on the technical merits. It wasn't badly acted or even badly written. And it wasn't unrealistic at all. I just hate that they're going to roll with that whole disgusting BL trope where a victim goes back to their abuser and it's not sad and tragic, it's fucking cute somehow.
Back in the sane land of Wayu and Thanu... Wait. What the fuck is that noise? It sound like a duck being kicked.
Awww Wayu. Sweetheart. Just tell him. I know it's a lot. But you can do it.
Thanu, honey. He's trying to game you into letting him sleep there because he's scared of the local fauna. You're missing it.
Or are you? Is Thanu perhaps trying to force Wayu to articulate his needs? Oh wow. Sneaky. Bravo.
Wayu did it! Awwwww! He looked like he was either going to burst into tears or pee himself, but he asked! He actually let the words out of his mouth! I love that.
Beautiful place to end the episode! I am in love with that ending.
And I am absolutely going to lose what's left of my mind, waiting for next week.
This episode was wild. And I will never quite forgive the director and writer for that funeral day. It was vile. But once I sorted out that there were two timelines and I picked the kinder one where people weren't out of character, it was easier to just take the capsule of the funeral day and seal it away from what was otherwise a REALLY enjoyable episode. Even with Pok being Pok and Phai growing into his boots as a manipulative apologist, it worked. It had flow.
Just...man, 86 the funeral day.
And I hope everyone else can do that. This episode had the best and the worst moments in the entirety of Gen Y's storyline to date.
But I don't regret any of the 4 complete watch throughs I've experienced, and now I get to go rewatch all my favorite individual scenes. And do fanart. And drive my husband and my friends mad by gushing about THE FUCKING NECKLACE!!!!
OMG! The necklace. (And Wayu's pink tongue. That KISS! WOW. I did not foresee the kiss being so well done!)
I hated the first 15 minutes of this episode and that is where the core of my responses went. If I objectively look at the rest, some of it was very apropos for this universe, unsavory as it was, and the rest I absolutely loved. So 70% of the episode was good shit.
But enjoying the rest of the episode requires the watcher to fix something the show creators/editors fucked up. Not ideal, but worth it, I think. It comes down to a paradox problem. Two timelines can't exist at once, and yet two are present.
If we take into account Gen Y's history with time problems, this isn't a surprise. This happens several times in season 1, in fact. Where different characters perceive time in different ways, or even differently than they themselves marked it previously. Time has always been the primary plot hole in Gen Y.
So we have this paradox. According to Wayu, Thanu, and Mark and Kit, Pha died yesterday. According to the Juniors, and the overall tenor of behaviors and flow of plot, time has passed and those who loved Pha are beginning to heal. Both can't be true, and I know which I feel makes more sense. But the only way to resolve this is to decide which timeline to run with.
For the purposes of this review, I am running with the timeline where some healing time has taken place. There's no smooth way to make this choice. Either reality and you have evidence regarding the other timeline to ignore. But it is what it is.
So Everyone who wasn't friends with Pha is excited about passing the semester. According to usual Thai college terms, they get a couple of weeks break before the new semester starts in mid October. Plenty of time for fun. I'd be jumping around and flinging papers too, if I were Jack and Jill.
For everyone who lost Pha, an undetermined amount of time has passed and they're doing well as can be--which is what we expect.
And hey! There's Thanu waiting on Wayu. It's cute. It's sweet and... Wayu! You were checking Thanu out! Wow! That's...new.
I like! I can get behind that. (Kind of like Wayu did.)
After being so kind as to help us figure the timeline out, the juniors discuss Mookata. Which is a very bad stab at phonetic Romanization on the translator's part, again. We've seen that problem before. The actual Romanized translation is Mu kratha. Which means 'pan pork' in Thai (mu is 'pig' or 'pork' and kratha is 'pan' or 'skillet'). Mu kratha resembles a combination of a Korean barbecue and a Chinese hot pot. It is glorious food of the gods. There is a reason the juniors are excited.
Now I'm dropped into the first meeting of Pok and TOng. Holy shit, Pok! WAITWAITWAIT! You motherfucker!
You want Tong to forgive you so you don't feel upset during your swimming trials? Fuck you! Kalae can have Tong! Poor Alice will have to find another boy. She's a hottie and doubtless can do it. From now on it's Kalae/Tong forever. I will steer this damn ship!
On a more practical level, I need a scene where someone talks some sense into Pok. Like. Soon.
Pok, I was beginning to think you actually understood your mistakes. I was just starting to think you had what it took to grow past your selfish impulses and be good for Tong and yourself. Ha! Jokes on me! "You need to talk to me so I am not all upset when I go to swim trials?"
How about "I would appreciate it if you would talk to me because I know I hurt you and I owe you a proper apology and proof that I am trying to get my shit together. But if you really can't see your way to listening, I totally understand."? Because that's how non-assholes communicate.
I loved that Tong is just "Um no. Been there, beat my head against that wall. Bye bitch." And the casual saunter was beautiful. If only he had skipped out on the moonlight Mu kratha he could have avoided Phai.
Where next? Oh yes. Wayu, you are a beautiful prince. I love your look this ep. Very sweet and pretty. Your color hasn't been this healthy the whole season. I love that Thanu wants you in your favorite; pink. I think it's a good choice too!
All of you rolling your eyes at me, STFU. He looks good in pink!
Also, Thanu, bro--you went so far as to orchestrate this gig and then sort of pressure flirted Wayu into it. So... After all that, did you really decide to take Wayu out to the beach for ONLY ONE DAY! Dayum! Shell it out, my brother! You have been patient, gracious, kind, and sweetly dedicated in your pursuit of the wild and reclusive Wayu bunny. Now that you're close to bagging your game, don't lose him because you rushed the closure. Why only set this up for one night???
Pfft. Amateur.
Now onto Mark and Kit. I CALLED IT, BITCHES! HAHAHAHAH!
*Ahem*
What I mean (in a very civilized tone) is that a couple weeks back I said that Kit and Mark weren't rushing towards a resolution because if there was a season 3, they wouldn't be in it except perhaps piecemeal. I told JayDeeJay that I suspected strongly it was because they would have Mark fix this shit by going to America with Kit. And Tada!
Look, it was logic. Kimmon isn't going to have as much time to devote to a Gen Y season 3 end of this year. And neither perhaps will Copter. Provided we even get one. (And I have reason to believe we may not, after all)
On a character level, Kit just doesn't always have the tools to dig his way out of the kinds of emotional situations he gets himself into. It was always going to be Mark that solved this. I'd have dumped Kit square, were it me. But whether Kit is good for Mark or not, Mark wants his little hedgehog. And whatever Kit's faults, he loves Mark right back. So I guess it might happen in America. Just like I suspected. Heh.
Oh! This brings me to the "FUCK PHAI" moment in the episode.
Over the last two seasons I have felt a lot of different ways about Phai. Never has any one character had me changing my opinion from week to week so consistently. At first he was boring to me. Then he was selfless, but still kind of uninteresting. He had zero expressions and he had no chemistry with Thanu. You know, most of the core complaints people make about Wayu.
But then I thought toward the beginning of the season, this kid isn't really boring anymore. Hehas some smarts. And some spunk. Then I thought Phai was sweet. Cute. Still fucking up with his covering for Saendee, but we can all forgive a little misplaced loyalty, right?
But shortly after that I started to see a problem in his apologist behaviors. And then I started to see Phai exhibit some grey moral ideas himself that I mentioned. I began to worry the reason he was such a staunch Saendee supporter wasn't just loyalty. Maybe he was a bit dark himself. And boy, was he dark at that moonlight Mu kratha.
I voiced my reservations last week about Phai getting involved in Pok and Tong's situation considering how he was very against Saendee getting involved in the whole Phai/Thanu/Wayu situation. Hypocrite much?
This episode, at that dinner, Phai was condescending, intrusive and manipulative. First Phai, none of this shit between Pok and Tong is any of your business and you have entirely undermined your own arguments against Saendee's behaviors with your own actions.
You're telling Tong you hope he can relax with friends and then you lay into his shit? How was any of that meant to help him relax among his friends?
You tell Tong he needs to come to terms with not being the one who should work shit out for Pok. But YOU ARE LITERALLY WORKING SHIT OUT FOR POK!
If you'd have pinned me with that whole "Don't you think it's time to clarify things?" bullshit, I'd have clarified right then and there. Maybe starting with a good sampling of Pok's greatest hits as an abusive friend/lover. Tong has been clear with Pok. I certainly never misunderstood his intent.
And If anyone needed or was entitled to talk to Tong that way it was Kalae--the friend who's actually been there helping Tong along the way. And Kalae would be great at it because Kalae has been living on his own in an apartment taking care of himself AND going to school and getting good enough grades to make it to college, with NO adult supervision, since he went to high school. That's canon straight out of first season. So he's been doing "grown up" for a long time. Vs Phai, who spends all his time bouncing back and forth between being Saendee's apologist or Pok's.
This whole scene doesn't read like Phai helping Tong. It reads like Phai helping Pok. And after what Phai talked about last week with Saendee, about getting involved to help Pok out, I have absolutely no doubt that's what this was. This wasn't even a little about what Tong actually needed. So now two of you are more concerned with Pok's needs than Tong's. Phai and Pok.
So Phai needs to step back. He's prying into matters on the behalf of the guy acting like a selfish, entitled bully. He's engaging in a very unwholesome game of pushing someone by carefully poking at their weak spots in order to create outcomes he thinks are what's best for his friend. Sound familiar? Yeah, because it's Saendee's playbook.
Being a good friend means you help a friend with advice only when that friend ASKS you for advice. The rest of the time you butt out. And neither Pok nor Tong have brought this to Phai. Not even to so much as complain about it. So technically it's none of Phai's business. And let's not forget that nothing Phai had to say took into account Pok's cruelty, And nothing he COULD say would ever justify it.
Besides which, who said Tong even needed this talk? But if he did, literally ANYONE of the Juniors would have been a better choice than Phai.
Tong honey, you deserve better. (Psst. Kalae is hot and hasn't cinched it with Alice yet. And uh, he made the off hand comment about how cute Wayu was. He might like guys too.)
I can't say I hated this scene. I never hate a scene where people are in character. I mean, I suspected this might be how Phai was evolving. Which is sad, because I had grown to like him. And certainly this was in character for Tong, who at times can internalize other peoples' judgments to an unhealthy degree. But yes, this was the "apropos but very unpalatable" moment I mentioned in the beginning. In fact, the whole scene leaves a very nasty taste in my mouth.
(Continued...)
So tired.
Next week you are getting one sentence from me. I am so done with my keyboard we've decided on a trial separation to see other interface devices. Maybe go to couple's counseling.
And this one was so hard to do! So hard. It was hard to balance my critical observations with my gut responses. I had way too many of both. These always start out as reviews and eventually melt into just reaction posts and it's always longer than I want. But this went LONG.
I should start by saying I loved some parts of this episode. And those parts were possibly some of the best scenes of either season. I mean it. I adored parts of this. But I also really hated a couple scenes and was saddened or frustrated but ultimately unsurprised by the others. Those last ones I actually felt fit the show. They were just unpleasant on the palate.
Overall I feel ambivalent about summing up the episode unless I break it into two parts--the day of the funeral, and then everything that came after.
I told JayDeeJay last week that if I had all that happy "moving on" to handle in the same episode where a character is being mourned, I would start with a scene where Mark and Kit talk about Mark being there for Kit at the funeral. It would transition to the funeral and then I'd sum up the laying to rest and mourning of Pha in a long montage with sad but eventually somewhat hopeful music. The funeral would be artfully handled, gently rolling through each character with due demonstration of their grief and even sharing of that grief with each other. And damn sure bet you it would be raining. Endless Buckets. Followed by numerous transitioning shots of Wayu and Kit struggling with grief over a period of time in their day-to-day lives, supported by the people who love them most. 15 minutes of this stuff and by the end, every fucking one of you would be crying and begging me for mercy.
When the montage ended the plot could move onto establishing scenes where Kit and Wayu respectively were still touched by grief but obviously ready to start looking forward to a bright future.
That's not what we got.
This episode about gave me an aneurysm, 10 seconds in. Mark, of all people, is shown in the shower and then naked in a towel, the camera slowly scrolling up his body. Finally we see him getting dressed sfdjklasdfjklsdfajkl;!!! WTF was the point of that!!!
Mark barely knew Pha so explain to me what that added to the coming funeral scene. Don't get me wrong, Kimmon is adorable. But I expected Wayu tearfully getting ready. Maybe with Mark helping fortify Wayu, doing the stalwart friend routine that Mark has always been so iconic at. Or I expected maybe Kit stiff-upper-lipping it as he cinched his tie in the mirror--all the while doing that 'on-the-verge-of-tears' thing that Bas, Copter and Bonus all do so well. Hell, I'd have done with Thanu checking himself over one last time before going to pick Wayu up!
But Mark!! We got sexy-angst with the person who was least invested in Pha?! Then the funeral?
Gaaaaaaah!
The funeral itself was...otherworldly, and not in a good way. First, I was intrigued by the lack of older family at the funeral. No parents. No aunties. No uncles. No grandparents or teachers or anything. Just a small handful of college age mourners. And I mean SMALL. I... don't even know what that says about Pha.
And then I was struck by the poised way everyone was holding their opened umbrellas. Because hello, IT WASN'T FUCKING RAINING! Bitches, those are NOT decoration!
Yes, I get it. There's a visual trope in storytelling involving funerals. The thing about umbrellas in funerals though, is that THEY ARE THERE TO KEEP YOU DRY!!! You know, because the sky is fucking opening up! We can all agree there is something reassuring in this overused metaphor for weeping. There's something cathartic about nature mirroring your hurt when you bury a loved one. What isn't cathartic? Lots of open umbrellas all cocked at exactly the same angle and not a drop of rain in sight.
In fact, it's kind of creepy. Like children play acting a funeral without really understanding how one works. Or why.
By the way, I'm going to do a lot of yelling in capslock. Please forgive me.
Or don't.
Then Kit moves into scene with his single red rose and spills out some variation of Rest in Peace. Not to put too fine a point on it, Kit, but... No best friend Eulogy? Who better than Kit to stand up and speak for the deceased? At least Kit looked weary and very sad and I thought "Okay, now this whole funeral thing starts coming together".
Newp.
So I asked myself where Mark was, and yup there's Mark, playing creeper way, way in the back, far behind any of the mourner's seating. Man, he handled those sunglasses like a pro. Right out of Horatio Caine's playbook. The uninitiated wouldn't have known Mark wasn't there to kill someone. Seriously. It had THAT vibe.
But then we get more Kit trying to suppress his grief and I'm like Yeah! Here it is! Fuck Creeper Mark! That is a bonafide Kit lip wibble™! FINALLY! My fucking FEELS! GIVE IT TOOO MEEEEEEE KIT.
Newp.
Just...let that go. It *never* comes together.
The scene cuts to a sad but dry-eyed Wayu. And I think surely my sweet baby is still ready to pour out his heart and show the other mourners how it's done?
Uh... Surprisingly, Newp.
To be fair, maybe he and Kit cried themselves out already. Some people do that and are numb by the funeral.
I didn't get to follow that thought, as I was immediately struck by Pha's teeny, tiny casket. Did they chop Pha up in pieces? Because that casket wasn't Long or wide enough for Wayu, let alone the recently deceased moose of a man known as Pha. My best guess is it was fit for a woman of about 5'4". I guess they dismembered him and piled him inside, economy style?
Wayu looked heavyhearted but still composed. Okay, so he's got this. He's trying to be strong. You could still feel the earnest emotions, even though it was surprising he was holding it together.
But uh, Philosopher Thanu, you can pontificate later, honey. Shhhhh. Right now people are busy being sad.
Though I get that you're there for Wayu in sensitive and yet supportive ways that are both gentlemanly and respectf... WHY ARE YOU PUTTING FUCKING MOVES ON WAYU AT PHA'S FUNERAL!
Brrrroooooooo! WTF dude! You won. Your competition is Reset Character, currently stowed away in a (tiny) box. Pump your fucking brakes!
Wayu, I get that this shit is overwhelming and Thanu, yes, is flirting. But don't smile at Thanu. Please lightly punch him in the shoulder as a reminder to have a fucking sense of occasion.
Damn.
Thank fuck we cut back to goth Mary Poppins... er, I mean Kit. Someone explain to me why Kit is sitting off to the side, alone, like some Typhoid widow?
And, Mark! You are maybe 40 yards from Kit. Don't text him like some weirdo. WALK. THE. FUCK. OVER. And Kit, Why the hell do you have your phone on during a funeral? Did I fall and hit my head and wake up in a universe where people don't turn off their devices for funerary services? In the amount of time it took for Mark to send the text, for Kit to fish out his phone, bring up the app and read it, MARK COULD HAVE BEEN STANDING RIGHT THERE!!!
"I will cherish every moment with Mark" my sweet ass! You don't have any moments with Mark. You are literally staring at him over the green, so close that with a decent throwing arm you could have killed him with your cell phone. Stand up, walk over, and motherfucking PDA him!!!
*ahem*
9 minutes in and I already almost had a stroke at least 3 times.
My super sad musical montage would have been a much better way to handle Pha's death. Thank You sweet baby angels that watch over dead BL characters, at least the funeral was over.
At his point I was down for some nice, normal, death-related melancholy. I needed it, to be perfectly honest. After Kit's isolation from anyone and Wayu's lack of tears and Thanu's inappropriate enthusiasm for his romantic future and Mark's...whatever that was, I was in need of some honest time spent mourning Pha. The story needed it.
So it was a shitty funeral. Okay. It happens. It wasn't the end of the world. This could still transition into some good, solid grief and we could all get our feels on before Wayu runs off to the beach at the end of the episode. Right? RIGHT?!!!
Thanu has driven Wayu home from the funeral and Wayu is asleep (So adorable) and the music is slow-sad but cute and I'm thinking YES! Poor Wayu is understandably exhausted. Mourning does that! It's going to have caught up with Wayu and he'll be suddenly overcome. And Thanu will do the good lover thing and console him but we'll get some honest grief over Pha. Bas will finally let those dependable little floodgates open so Wayu can be sad for the person he used to love and still very much cared for. I WILL GET MY FEEeeeelllzzz!
Newp.
Wayu drops a time stamp. He states he has to study because he has finals tomorrow. And I thought, okay. Sometimes people need to bury grief behind work. Maybe even Thanu will come up and help Wayu study and it will be sweet but very sad. But no.
And If not for that timestamp, the episode could have worked with a short "Hey, X time has passed" somewhere in the context. Then the "after the funeral" it wouldn't have had the skin clawing sense of OH NO YOU FUCKING DIDN'T that resulted, up until I realized there was an inconsistency in timeline.
Instead, we roll right into Kit's night and FUCK ME! WTF IS THIS SHIT WITH KIT AND MARK! Wow! Mark and Kit flirting is actually making me uncomfortable. I am NOT comfortable. Let me get a picture with my phone. Yep! This is me looking uncomfortable.
I thought Kit at least would be quiet, maybe cry alone, steeped in the dark emo tea of having spent the day burying his best friend. I figured at most Mark would deliver food and leave it at the door with a note to make sure Kit was taken care of.
Newp.
Like, ya'll took off the black suits and suddenly fuck Pha. He didn't just die. It's all good. It's a party. Everything is roses and kittens and Lindt chocolate (Fuck that Godiva shit). The musical editors closed the scene with that derp comedy music and I think I need a ticket to Thailand. Does anyone know how to get a tazer past Airport security?
I couldn't be mad about Wayu choosing to study. It wasn't what I was hoping for but from a personal standpoint, if the choice is laying awake and dwelling all night on your lost one or burying your brain in some work, I'd chose work every time.
But then there's Thanu. Pha isn't even 24 hours in the ground and Thanu is planning a trip?! jklfjkl;sdjkl;asdjkl! I cannot process Thanu asking Wayu to a resort the night they bury Pha. I cannot fucking compute!
You know damn well Thanu would normally be a gentleman about Wayu needing to mourn. That is the Thanu we know. Instead, Thanu is all like "C'mon. Lemme take you away to the resort to make you feel less sad." And sure, that sounds reasonable. But it felt like what Thanu was actually thinking was "Pha dead. Wayu, lemme smash".
Thanu, baby... I get that you want to take your very bereaved and exhausted Bae away from the drama. Wayu frankly deserves it. He has spent that last, oh, 18 months going through one hell or another. BUT I'M NOT SURE THE NIGHT YOU ALL TUCK PHA IN FOR HIS DIRT NAP IS THE FUCKING RIGHT TIME TO DO IT!!!
At least poor Wayu wasn't jumping at the chance for a vacation. At least he was hesitant to agree.
The scene with Jack and Koh was a waste and could have been used to pad out some transitional grieving time instead. This scene I AM pretty salty about because nothing was done with this scene except more of Jack and Koh playing Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. This episode was too important for that kind of waste. Had their interaction been meaningful, sure. Bring it on. But it wasn't.
I need a minute. Give me a second with my kitties and my black currant tea and some salad because frankly this show has been hell on my diet.
I am just making the call. Time happened here. It had to. I take no arguments otherwise. If you don't like it, suck it. Yes, the segue is still stupid but I am just refusing the impossible reality of flirty Mark/Kit, and Thanu going all opportunistic event planning THE SAME NIGHT THEY BURY PHA!
To be fair, I think had the funeral been full of the emotions we needed, the lack of transition would have felt less awful. It wouldn't have been great and I still would have bitched up a storm, but overall I think what felt missing was maybe less about time and more about emotional due.
(Continued...)
But then later I had to stop and wonder if that was why they chose for Pha to be Christian. They load in a Crucifix image and then the funeral is clearly Western in style. And that stuck in the back of my head because most Thai are Buddhist. And while Christianity has absolutely no hard rules about how long you have to grieve, Buddhism in Thailand does. Regardless of what type of Buddhist you are, there is a 100 day period of mourning.
If Pha were Buddhist this would mean 100 days of mourning where Pha's soul would be thought to linger and those who mourned him would be expected to conduct themselves attentively, in such a way that Pha could find peace and move onto his next incarnation. Not so with a Christian character where, at least perhaps from a Thai cultural perspective, people move on immediately because the soul is already in heaven. Which perhaps enabled the writers to jump shit forward after Pha's burial like it was shot out of a cartoon canon--without making Buddhist Thai viewers uncomfortable.
But regardless of cultural padding they may or may not have taken into consideration, everyone who was meant to grieve for Pha went to that weird funeral and then immediately put it all behind them and it was really NOT good. And if not for that one time stamp of Wayu stating the exams were the next day, they could have just added a contextual marker to indicate time moved forward several weeks and then everything that came after would have felt more natural. More in character.
Phai earned the creep title just as much in ep #10 this week, though. Yuck! They really are two of a kind.
But honestly, I am torn between doing a review and just posting my initial reactions. It will be hard to blend the two. It's going to take me a few hours to reach a comfort zone where I can sort through what reactions were spot on and what review bits are pertinent.
And it's going to be SO. DAMN. LONG.
I'll do my best and try to get it up by midnight. I both loved and hated this episode in turns. So we'll see what I patch together as a review.
And a lot of people love Thanu/Wayu and/or Dun/Bas. You are definitely not alone in that. And feel free to post more often if the mood strikes. It makes me really happy to read posts supporting them.
I noticed you don't like Pha. I have my own reasons for having misgivings about the character. But I'd love to hear yours.