Sugar

I love how they continue the red and blue symbolism.
But I especially love how they portrayed the aquarium scene.
It contrasts the underwater kiss scene in ITSAY, almost as if they're kissing in front of a reflection of themselves in the past. Instead of being in that water, they are looking beyond it, and just enjoying each other's company as a couple.
What a beautiful start, as much as it's anticipated that the coming episodes will be a whirlwind. There's a lot of foreshadowing to what might occur, but I feel like the title of this series has to do with the issue in that Oh-Aew and Teh might struggle to find time together. With Teh giddy about his dream career, Oh-Aew is the opposite and we know from the teaser he wants to change some things. Each of their journeys perfectly represent how real it is that sometimes what you seek in life might not be how it's cracked up to be.
Very excited for how it'll all unfold.

Each episode has just gotten more and more intense! Wow it's all coming down to two more episodes.

Wow things are REALLY starting to pick up! These last few episodes are without a doubt going to be the most intense, edge-of-your-seat and I cannot wait! Can't believe we are coming to the last episodes now, every episode has gotten more and more interesting.
NOW, now it's starting to connect as to why they showed us the part with Tan holding Bun at gunpoint on the edge of that cliff. That part has such a stark contrast compared to how it was shown in the trailer. Well done on that, haha!
I'm sure a lot of people have this similar feeling, but it's obvious that cliff scene was a stunt coordinated by Tan, Bun and Inspector M.
And with the teaser for next week, it's definitely suspicious. I'm about 90% sure now, that both Rungtiwa and Oat are behind the killing of Jane. Without a doubt Pued was killed by Oat. Oat would have access to his medical documents to be aware of Pued's condition.
Man oh man the teaser also showed That maybe meeting a gravely demise... but I'm starting to warm up to the poor guy, so here's hoping he lives.
This might be a bit of a reach, but I feel like Oat is related to the congressman (maybe a son?) and is pretending to act like a medical examiner/doctor to be extra eyes for both the congressman and the commander. Not only that, but he's also the provider of the drug, courtesy of the hospital he "works" in. I mean shoot, if that's the case it'd make sense because that would connect him to the killing of Pued AND the seemingly unlimited amount of the drug. Oat's been suspiciously quiet throughout the series, so...
All in all things are stirring up into chaos and I am loving it!

Reading all the theories and watching the latest MV has sparked a theory I have in mind.
Although there could be a possibility that Yeon Woo could kidnap Yoo Han, the items he buys purposefully have a double meaning, maybe to make us THINK that's what he's going to do; watch Yoo Han with the camera, change his phone so people won't track him/contact him, and then the noose to kill Yoo Han. But this show, holds a lot of double meanings/symbols that could steer us away from something else. It is a mystery show, after all.
So then, what if he's buying a camera to monitor himself? What if he's buying a new phone so he won't find reason to contact Yoo Han? What if he's learning to tie a noose to use on himself?
The question is, why? Because all of the media, all of the rumours spread around, bullying, hatred that say monos are monsters makes Yeon Woo fear for himself.
The thing is, TV media we consume can be dramatized and/or exaggerated for the sake of invoking fear, such as the praying mantis documentary Yeon Woo comes across that talks about cannibalism. We see how the aunt mentions to Yeon Woo that he should essentially take what is being said on TV with a grain of salt. But because he's basically alone, with no one else other than his probe and his aunt, that gives him a lot of time to be trapped in his own headspace. As the quote goes, "we often suffer more from our imaginations than in real life". Hence the reason why in the MV, it shows Yeon Woo in the hospital, because he attempted suicide.
I read a post where it mentions how the idea of monos and probes (monos specifically) ties into LGBT and how some people view the community as "monsters". Both Yoo Han and Yeon Woo are "different", being judged for their "differences". Media has been used to feed into stereotypes and dramatize, much like what we see in the show. Color Rush has a clever and deep way of portraying how judgemental society is, whether it's from a "he said she said" scenario or how someone was raised.
The possibility of this not ending well is there, but I feel like (and I'm hoping) this will go the route of Yeon Woo finding his inner strength, aided by Yoo Han's guidance that "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder".

Ah that makes sense, thank you!

The end of episode 6 where Tan and Bun are buying flowers made me scratch my head at the remark with Tan not telling Bun what the meaning of a pink lily is. So according to some quick searches, a lily symbolizes purity and fertility. Pink lilies symbolize femininity and love.
Cacti (the gift from Tan) are known to symbolize things like strength, persistence and endurance. Which kinda ties into Bun and his persistence to solve the case. It also can symbolize motherly love.
So far a lot of the flowers/plants in this show symbolically revolve around femininity and/or women, which is pretty interesting since a lot of the stuff in the show is considered controversial (like abortion and sex work).

As a fan of the whole Crime/Mystery genre, this show is blowing me away. With the addition of Max and Tul in a more mature genre, their acting seems much more comfortable and they really are soaking into their characters. I'm genuinely enjoying how this mystery isn't cut-and-dry; there's a lot of holes missing that leaves the audience questioning who's involved in the murder. I'll be honest and say after watching episode 5 I don't trust anyone in this show, haha! Which I guess can be a good thing in that it leaves you on edge and not knowing what the character/s is/are really like. As soon as the journalist told Bun and Tan about his past, immediately you have a sense that he's going to meet his gravely demise and holy moly did it happen pretty fast. Now that Bun found the SD Card/USB in the journalist's stomach we can assume he's going to uncover the findings and become even more of a target.
At first I thought Tan was part of an unsuspected cover-up, but now I feel like Tan has an idea of how Jane ended up dead and is working behind the scenes, using his teacher job as a facade for what he's really doing. And of course Bun is suspicious of him too. Tan meeting up with Pued at the end of episode 4 suggests there's a lot of underground work, and he's being genuine in that he wants to help Bun as well, but for what reason? Because he's falling madly in love with him? Because he's trying to gain Bun's trust? Only the next episodes will tell haha! Either way, what he's doing is also risking him as a target.
The budding romance between Tan and Bun is also a treat as well, and is also a nice addition from all this chaos happening around them. I'm enjoying how mature their gradual romance is building up as. I see some people aren't a huge fan of it and that's understandable. I personally like this slow build-up since it kind of adds onto them not really knowing each other and constantly having a third eye on their backs.
The interactions between Tat and Sorawit are also turning into comical moments of the show which are enjoyable. But at the same time, if I was his older brother I'd be dragging him to safety because Tat means danger! Poor kid is just trying to be nice to people, but I'm definitely worried he's being too nice for his own good.
All in all I'm enjoying this drama so far and knowing more chaos is around the corner has me excited for more!

Truly a masterful series. Wow, what a ride! Easily the best series to come out in 2020. Looking forward to the next release in March 2021. Huge props to everyone that worked on creating this work of art!

Furthermore this kinda ties in to how I feel with the latest trailer drop. I agree with those saying Aew hasn't fully moved on. He could be doing two things with Bas. A. he's using Bas to try and convince himself to move on from Teh or b. he's teaming up with Bas to convince Teh to say how he truly feels for Aew (I'm thinking the latter, because in previous episodes Teh mentioned how Aew should be more observant).
They wouldn't show us a trailer that gives off the idea that Bas and Aew would end up together and then dip. These images and trailer drops are sneaky for a reason. :)

I just wanna say, because I've been seeing some people online saying they now hate Teh/Aew because of what they've done/are doing (in other words, villainizing them), that they need to understand both characters more. They need to understand that these characters are young teens. Hormones are running wild. Is what they are doing, and what they have done, wrong? Of course. Playing with people's emotions is wrong. Using people for selfish benefits is wrong. However, both characters didn't have room to grow, to understand themselves. At that age, when someone does something to hurt you, you tend to think of two things: revenge, or jealousy. They're running on impulsive actions, which we see the consequences to their actions. People make mistakes, sometimes irreversible, in order to grow as a person. Teh is going through with figuring out his sexuality, and it is not always a smooth road, but a bumpy pathway with twists and turns. Aew got rejected by Teh, so he's searching for somewhere to belong or be himself without having to be secretive.
So in summary, it's understandable to dislike Teh and Aew for their actions, but they're not evil characters. They're going through a loooooot in their lives that make them who they are. There's plenty of room for growth, which, if there's a possibility for another season if episode 5 concludes with an open ending, then we will likely see them grow as adults, and perhaps rekindle.

Agreed! Hands down one of the best executed scenes ever. Even though it still hones in on femininity and gender roles, it's so much different and executes the frustration so well.

This means that ITSAY cemented change (at least, hopefully). I'm in the same boat, except I'm still enjoying Cherry Magic for its wholesome quirkiness, hah! But really, moving forward, I hope other production companies watch this show and see that things should change moving forward, not fall back into the usual annoying tropes. They have an opportunity to represent a marginalized group, the least they could do is change things up for the better.

Man oh man was episode 4 a roller coaster of a ride. Another beautiful episode, compact with emotional turmoil from everybody. I want to break down some parts that really stuck out this episode for me and how it could predict the ending.
-Aew's shirt: "Things I'll never say."
Pure blue, it's Teh's colour. Aew has fallen deep for Teh at this point. We all know that so many parts are symbols, some foreshadowing what'll happen next. "Things I'll never say" describes both Teh and Aew's "secret". The words are engulfed in the colour blue, and when they finally kiss, where is it? Underwater, engulfed in blue, away from outwardly judgemental eyes. Teh's emotions are moody, confused, all over the place. He's still afraid to be with Aew because of familial and societal pressure.
-"We're no longer friends anymore."
So then what does that make them? Enemies? Nobodies? Rivals again? They appear to be back again with their rivalry, shown in the last few minutes. But the feelings are still there. Aew could've gone the route of trying to reclaim his crush on Bas, but he didn't. He closed off with everyone, and when Bas approached him to console, he leaves him. In Teh's case, he's going through the stage of denial. He tries to grasp onto those feelings with Tarn again, but they fall flat. Also might I add, I'm amazed with Tarn's character - her character is amazing in general, but she really stuck out this episode. Teh was clinging onto the idea that it has to be "normal" because he's competing with his brother, trying to please his mother. Yet in the last part of the episode, he's fighting with himself. What does he want for him? He doesn't know. He's not even sure of the state he's in for Aew now that he told him they're not friends.
-the repeating red and blue symbolism
We see the colours flip-flop between red, blue, blue, red again, so on. Near the middle, Teh's shirt is blue with reddish hibiscus. When Tarn asks him to colour the hibiscus for her, he chooses red. At the end when he goes to war with Aew on Instagram, one of the images have red papers on the wall. Despite trying to tell himself he sees Aew as a "friend", his heart is telling him another story. For Aew's case, he goes from red to blue. Then after the beach scene, he goes back to red. Both of them are battling their inner feelings, that we as an audience can only see from colour symbolism.
-Aew trying on the bra
Red like anger. This hit me the most. Krit did a phenomenal job with this scene. That sliver of confidence, trying it on, quietly telling himself "I can be myself regardless". But then reality hits him after posting that image, the close-minded views that it's seen as not "normal". Deleting the photo, taking the bra off, sinking to the floor in defeat. That very scene describes so much in only a few minutes. How in most of the world, LGBTQ+ can't take small steps, but rather a huge leap, in order to be accepted by society, family, friends, etc. Boy did I feel this hard for Aew, he perfectly described the frustrations from us with powerful movements.
What could all this mean as the final episode is upon us?
I'm with most people saying it's now likely an open ending. The crew mentioned how this ending might not satisfy everyone. I'll take it, though, it's better than pure sadness, hah! The thing is though, usually with most series, the third-last, second-to-last episodes tend to be the most heavy, transitioning to a much happier, final episode. Now, this isn't always the case for every show/movie. ITSAY has switched the flow up in the most beautiful, poetic way, so who knows how they'll come to a final conclusion. I can't believe we may have to say goodbye to one of, if not the best LGBT series ever made. Whatever happens, this show is a real eye-opener.

Wow, this theory has such a unique take, yet it makes sense! Fire, red, symbolizes passion, lust, anger, control. What's interesting is the scene where they show the two fish in the tank, and one of them is red which of course symbolizes Aew but the red is encased in water. One thing that makes this show stand out the most, other than the symbolism, acting, music, etc., is how realistic it is. Reality can be harsh sometimes; how both Teh and Aew manage their realities juxtaposes one another. I like the take on water as well. The scene where Teh is at the beach, contemplating his feelings matches what you say about water; chaotic, confused, a mix of moods. There is hope that something good will come out of the whirlwind mess we're about to witness in the next episode or two, but as you said, that's life, and if they're going the realistic route they likely won't be together in the end, but there might be a possibility that they'll rekindle their lost love.

I agree, this ending sounds more plausible with everything building up.

That's true, it's an interesting contrast. We're seeing Teh go through the confusion stage, and from the trailer for episode 4 from translations, Aew is asking what "us" is (as in, where do we go from here?). So yes, I don't believe he's going to quit on Aew either, but I feel like Aew's patience is running dry. The depth with these characters is insane! There's a lot to unpack with their personalities, and yes, these last two episodes are gonna be a lot to take in.

This series is jam-packed with metaphors and symbolism sometimes it's hard to spot them all, hah! That's right though, the fight scene is a definite highlight especially with Teh fighting behind the curtain. A lot of the Chinese characters they repeat are intimate, secret, and male protagonist, which then shows Aew asking Teh if it's alright if there's two male protagonists.
(Oh man... MODC, still not over that ending!) That's an interesting take... hmmm... I hope you're right on that, hah! I read somewhere that there might be more to this story than just the five episodes (be it a new series or a special episode) so if that's the case, then it sounds like a happy ending isn't as slim of a possibility as we might think!

I had to go back and rewatch that part to jog my memory but that's true! In the first episode it does kind of foreshadow what will happen, especially in the scene where Teh listens to the OST track. I wonder if they will show the sunset again, but with Teh or Aew looking out at it in the same shot. It seems like we'll be getting a messy episode, or both of them will be messy, but we shall see if they show it again!

Just caught up with the series... 3 episodes so far and I can say proudly it is one of the best series I've ever watched. Without a doubt. It made me want to create an account and talk about it, hah! The attention to detail, the teenaged self-discovery phase, at times I felt like I was in Teh's shoes, sometimes Aew's as well. The music is beautiful and really adds onto the scenes. The repeating symbolism blows me away. From the blue and red colours, to Aew listening to Teh's advice and being more observant. Even the coconut scenes share symbolism. Also, after a quick search, hibiscus flowers symbolize youth, and if given to you, it means that that person is recognizing your beauty. It also has an interesting meaning in China, in that it symbolizes wealth, glory and fame.
Now, to put in my two cents after reading up some theories, I also agree with some that are saying a death in this series would be way off with how the story is developing. Killing off a character doesn't make any sense. So here's what I believe will happen. Starting with how they play with light.
We see in one scene, Aew is in brilliant bright light, contrasting Teh, who's covered in a much darker tone. People point to this as the probability that Teh will be killed off, which again, is absolutely ridiculous. I'm not sure if somebody has already brought this up, but I believe this symbolizes their own self-discovery. Aew is firm with his feelings, he sees a more "brighter" future. Teh on the other hand is wearing darker clothing (which, this might be a stretch, but he's wearing a darker shade of red, and since red symbolizes loyalty, this could foreshadow something in episode 4). This signifies how he doesn't understand himself; he's trapped in this much darker part of life, and how it affects him is more prominent in the last few minutes of episode 3. In the scene where they're sitting by the seaside, it's cloudy, right? I feel this foreshadows a clouded judgement. So why is it both of them in this darker, cloudy scene, when in the previous scene it was only Teh? It might foreshadow the "cloudy" judgment that they'll receive from the other parties. Their friends. Their family. The dog... haha kidding, that's already been shown. But anyway, they both don't see the sunset because they're not ready to tell it, either from Teh or Aew (although it seems likely Teh will be the one to tell the sunset). They have to face the darker side of life first, which obviously we can see things won't be cupcakes and rainbows. Maybe it'll be Teh with "clouded judgement"; he's confused about his feelings, unsure if it's lust or love.
Now, with everything happening and what we might see in the coming episodes, I agree that it will be a sad ending, but not in the death way. Teh is just discovering himself, and figuring out you're not straight can be a lengthy process, dealing with so many emotions at once. He thought he was set in stone with Tarn, and now he's faced with the fact that he's falling for his best friend. I feel the "sad" ending will involve Teh remaining in that dark place from the scene I mentioned earlier. He won't go to the next step with Aew, instead telling the sunset. Why? Because he has nobody else to tell.
As for the plane ticket, since it's also a detail that's repeated throughout, I feel like there will be two probabilities: either a. his brother dies, so in order to fill in as the "proud son" he'll go to Japan and take his place or b. he'll just leave all his friends behind, including Aew, in order to "start fresh", and maybe before he leaves, he'll go to the beach to tell the sunset.
So while a happy ending seems slim, I doubt that they'll kill off one of the mains, because doing so disrupts the flow of the story that it's been building up more and more. I'm leaning more towards an open ending. Who knows though, I'm in the same boat hoping that they get to be together in the end. :)