So I just watched Ep 8, and I happened to notice that in 23;hours, the Ep has already had a half million views. GMM is gonna be very happy with this one. (I wonder how many people in Thailand watched the digital broadcast last night......)
The plot is definitely the reason to watch this series. It is also well-produced, with some nice camera work and good pacing. But for me it was fascinating in a historical sense (and the subtle political analogies to modern-day conditions in the Philippines.) I recommend DON'T read spoilers about how the series ends......when the end comes it is worth being surprised.
Level Up Edition is a re-cut of the First Season, with a bit of new footage. In theory, it makes up for some of the unevenness introduced by the fact that the First Season was produced during the pandemic lockdown, with associated technical challenges.
This series is showing some promise. Technically, it's a little rough (sound variations). But the plot is interesting. It is clearly going to address issues in Filipino society that a lot of other BL series (situated in the Manila upper/middle class) don't talk about. In that sense, it gives me the feeling of being much more realistic. (Though I am not a Filipino and can only observe from outside.) But at least I am not looking at this one thinking "well this is a nice fairytale land they've constructed...."
I liked the song performed by John Padilla in the second episode. And that is a good thing, because Andre, the character he plays, is such an obnoxious little sh** that I would be seriously tempted to hate the actor. I am really curious to see how that character develops as the series goes on. (Maybe I'll hate him a bit less when he develops a romantic interest.....)
Hey. a question, if anyone knows: Why the choice of a Visayan-language word for the title (Padayon)? Is the locale supposedly somewhere in the Visayas?
Anyone know about the movie? Is it just an extended version? Or is it more?
The movie is basically a tightened, edited version of the series. Having watched both, I enjoyed the movie considerably more. Thought it was more coherent and focused better on the exposition of the two characters.
I have to respectfully disagree with the previous poster about whether it makes sense to watch the movie. I just watched it, after having watched the series about 6 weeks ago. I thought the movie was a significant improvement over the series. (Dunno if they really took some scenes out, or not, but the movie is compact and IMHO tells the story in a better, more coherent fashion.) Will write a review with more thoughts.
I maybe should have waited until this was done and they had time/energy to add proper subs to all episodes.
That's what I've decided to do. It's not worth the psychological energy to get anxious about waiting for each episode and see if you can find subtitles.
The sunrise scene was glorious, both in its composition and in the expressions of the actors. I don't think I have ever before in my life got teary over a cigarette lighter!
Yes. The first episode or actually the first couple of episodes don't shine a good light on Teh but you have to…
It's a very interesting (and mutually respectful!) conversation that you guys have had. I have to say I much more agree with Xerophytes. Though I started out not liking Teh at all during the first couple of episodes, I came around to feeling sympathy and affection for him. Teh's life is not an easy one -- It is not easy when you are so bound and lashed by the forces of family and societal pressure that you take your warmest, deepest, and most human side, force it into a tiny box, and bury it so deep inside that you cannot even begin to contemplate it yourself. (Fair disclosure: I have been there, and done that.) Teh was striving -- he had always to strive -- to be a good boy like his brother. To live up to his family's expectations, including those of his deceased father. To be the man they wanted, not the man he was, inside.
My empathy for Teh was intensified when I went back for a second watching. Knowing, the second time around, what Teh was, what he was going through, and what would happen, made me like that first episode a LOT more, and see parts of it that I had totally missed. One example: The time sequence became more clear to me -- Teh thinking of Oh and weeping in the audition happened a couple of weeks BEFORE they made up, on the beach, and became friends again. Which means that Teh was for five whole years burying very strong feelings about Oh -- and that is what Teh was -- a person who buried his feelings, deep. He must have been thinking about it, regretting that rivalry had come to dominate their relations, but never bringing himself to push "send." And yes, the rivalry and the lack of communication was mostly Teh's fault, but Oh certainly stiffened his back just as well and got into "rival" mode easily. Even at the end, he was in "rival" mode -- refusing to take Teh's gift of a university place, and insisting he would damn well earn his own place!
So in the audition, what was happening -- Teh was thinking of Oh, and why? Those buried feelings had stirred.....and so spontaneously in the audition, Teh thought of Oh.......and knowing he had made his own success, he wanted that success for Oh, too. Rivals no longer. Watch his eyes well up.
All of that said, by the end of the series it is Oh who has totally won my heart. Why? Because he knows all of Teh's problems and imperfections, knows that life will not be easy (listen to what he says at the end.) But he also has grown during the series....grown to know what is in his own heart -- that he loves Teh and will do his best to embrace him despite his imperfections. PP Krit's acting in that last scene is just awesome. Watch his face when he asks the most natural and most important question in the world "what does that mean for you and me?" And Teh is STILL incapable of allowing his feelings out, and answering. But by now, Oh knows. He doesn't have to hear it; he sees what Teh has done to sacrifice his own future for him. So Oh just gives him a look of love, and acknowledges he understands "Mmmm." Oh silently accepts Teh, with all his foibles, and then makes his final plea "don't ghost me ever again....I cannot bear to be without you." At that point, all I want to do is wrap my arms around Oh and tell him "It's all right. You are loved. It's going to be all right."
So....my final comment......I live in fear of Part 2. I am afraid it will not live up to the very high bar (for drama, for cinematography, for music, for pure feeling) that Part 1 has set. But I will stuff that fear into a little box, and just hope for the best......
This documentary was really an excellent complement to the series. It brings to life all of the professionalism and hard work that goes on -- both in front of the cameras, and behind. Producing such a moving work of cinematic art requires an incredible emotional engagement......at one point, in a really spontaneous moment, even the director is in tears, watching the actors......and at another point he's hugging the stars to help them keep it all together.
And the human difficulties -- PP has phobias; he doesn't like being in the sea, and he has to really steel himself to do the underwater scene. But he does it. (And what a result he/they achieved.....that scene was sooo beautiful.) Khun, who plays Bas, had never in his life done an emotional scene before. Watching the cast talk about these challenges brings home what challenges they faced, in making the project real.
There is just one thing that the documentary totally left out, which made me burst into unstoppable tears.......the very last moment of the series, after Teh and Oh become boyfriends, and on the screen appears the final bit of Chinese script: "Love." Did anybody else totally lose it, when that appeared?
The first episode didn't impress me that much, should I keep going?
The thing about the first episode is that the viewer (me, a few days ago) doesn't know what to watch for. It seems a bit disorganized with these scenes from the past life of the boys Teh and Oh, and then Teh doing some sort of university acting test and it kinda jumps around. That non-linear storytelling is not a feature of later episodes.
But omigod, now that I've been through the whole story and have gone back and rewatched ep 1 I would say it is a masterpiece. The cinematography -- use of colors, framing of shots, beautiful use of Phuket scenery (which only gets better as the series goes on)......it's all fantastic. And then the performances......wow. I was not a big fan of Teh -- in fact they both had asshole tendencies displayed in ep. 1. Only on re-watch can you really see Billkin's superb acting -- his capture of the internal struggle that already had Teh locked into an emotional prison. It all plays out on Billkin's face. If you don't know what you're looking at, that is so easy to miss.....
And.....spoiler alert......note that the scene where Teh dedicates his audition performance to Oh, with tears brimming in his eyes -- that scene actually came several weeks BEFORE they "buried the hatchet" and became friends again. What that says: for five long years Teh kept Oh in his heart, so strongly that it came bubbling out in his university auditions. All those suppressed feelings. He WANTED to make up and be friends, but "couldn't push send." And THEN, a few weeks later, when the reconciliation finally happens Teh still cannot bring himself to tell Oh how important he is. When Oh says "we can be friends but maybe not best friends" look at Teh's face!!!!! He is crippled by fear. Five long years, and he can't bring himself to say "but I missed you so much." Instead he says "yeah sure, whatever you want." Pushing the love down.....hiding it inside. D'you think that might be relatable for a few ppl in the audience? Just a few.......
And then immediately he begins the series of good works to try to help Oh. He cannot bring himself to tell Oh he likes him that much, but he starts helping him.....over and over again. Works of love that neither of them recognize -- oh, but on rewatch we recognize them. Instantly you realize how completely relatable Teh really is. And it culminates later, with the cut-up workbook that Teh cannot use to get his own life back on track, because he cut it to pieces to try to help Oh. All the good works turn to sand, that flowed through Teh's hands. And the love remains but still can't be admitted. It is completely, and utterly tragic.
Rewatching Ep 1 will make that all now crystal clear.....now you know what is coming -- the hurt that Teh's fear and self-suppression will do later, to almost everyone -- Oh, Bas, Tarn, his mother and of course Teh himself whose life is derailed and who is nearly broken by it -- all that pain begins squarely in Ep1 Far more are the tears I shed on rewatch, knowing what is to come.
I wanted to watch it on LineTV but there's not subtitles, does someone know where I could watch it ?
If you want to reward the artists who produced this masterpiece (and incentivise production of more masterpieces), watch at least a couple of the episodes on Vimeo. You get a helluva lot better HD signal and the visuals look wonderful. Unfortunately, the pricing policy (pay per episode with no package rate) is offputting. But give them at least a bit of love, and see a real quality stream.
I liked the song performed by John Padilla in the second episode. And that is a good thing, because Andre, the character he plays, is such an obnoxious little sh** that I would be seriously tempted to hate the actor. I am really curious to see how that character develops as the series goes on. (Maybe I'll hate him a bit less when he develops a romantic interest.....)
Hey. a question, if anyone knows: Why the choice of a Visayan-language word for the title (Padayon)? Is the locale supposedly somewhere in the Visayas?
My empathy for Teh was intensified when I went back for a second watching. Knowing, the second time around, what Teh was, what he was going through, and what would happen, made me like that first episode a LOT more, and see parts of it that I had totally missed. One example: The time sequence became more clear to me -- Teh thinking of Oh and weeping in the audition happened a couple of weeks BEFORE they made up, on the beach, and became friends again. Which means that Teh was for five whole years burying very strong feelings about Oh -- and that is what Teh was -- a person who buried his feelings, deep. He must have been thinking about it, regretting that rivalry had come to dominate their relations, but never bringing himself to push "send." And yes, the rivalry and the lack of communication was mostly Teh's fault, but Oh certainly stiffened his back just as well and got into "rival" mode easily. Even at the end, he was in "rival" mode -- refusing to take Teh's gift of a university place, and insisting he would damn well earn his own place!
So in the audition, what was happening -- Teh was thinking of Oh, and why? Those buried feelings had stirred.....and so spontaneously in the audition, Teh thought of Oh.......and knowing he had made his own success, he wanted that success for Oh, too. Rivals no longer. Watch his eyes well up.
All of that said, by the end of the series it is Oh who has totally won my heart. Why? Because he knows all of Teh's problems and imperfections, knows that life will not be easy (listen to what he says at the end.) But he also has grown during the series....grown to know what is in his own heart -- that he loves Teh and will do his best to embrace him despite his imperfections. PP Krit's acting in that last scene is just awesome. Watch his face when he asks the most natural and most important question in the world "what does that mean for you and me?" And Teh is STILL incapable of allowing his feelings out, and answering. But by now, Oh knows. He doesn't have to hear it; he sees what Teh has done to sacrifice his own future for him. So Oh just gives him a look of love, and acknowledges he understands "Mmmm." Oh silently accepts Teh, with all his foibles, and then makes his final plea "don't ghost me ever again....I cannot bear to be without you." At that point, all I want to do is wrap my arms around Oh and tell him "It's all right. You are loved. It's going to be all right."
So....my final comment......I live in fear of Part 2. I am afraid it will not live up to the very high bar (for drama, for cinematography, for music, for pure feeling) that Part 1 has set. But I will stuff that fear into a little box, and just hope for the best......
And the human difficulties -- PP has phobias; he doesn't like being in the sea, and he has to really steel himself to do the underwater scene. But he does it. (And what a result he/they achieved.....that scene was sooo beautiful.) Khun, who plays Bas, had never in his life done an emotional scene before. Watching the cast talk about these challenges brings home what challenges they faced, in making the project real.
There is just one thing that the documentary totally left out, which made me burst into unstoppable tears.......the very last moment of the series, after Teh and Oh become boyfriends, and on the screen appears the final bit of Chinese script: "Love." Did anybody else totally lose it, when that appeared?
But omigod, now that I've been through the whole story and have gone back and rewatched ep 1 I would say it is a masterpiece. The cinematography -- use of colors, framing of shots, beautiful use of Phuket scenery (which only gets better as the series goes on)......it's all fantastic. And then the performances......wow. I was not a big fan of Teh -- in fact they both had asshole tendencies displayed in ep. 1. Only on re-watch can you really see Billkin's superb acting -- his capture of the internal struggle that already had Teh locked into an emotional prison. It all plays out on Billkin's face. If you don't know what you're looking at, that is so easy to miss.....
And.....spoiler alert......note that the scene where Teh dedicates his audition performance to Oh, with tears brimming in his eyes -- that scene actually came several weeks BEFORE they "buried the hatchet" and became friends again. What that says: for five long years Teh kept Oh in his heart, so strongly that it came bubbling out in his university auditions. All those suppressed feelings. He WANTED to make up and be friends, but "couldn't push send." And THEN, a few weeks later, when the reconciliation finally happens Teh still cannot bring himself to tell Oh how important he is. When Oh says "we can be friends but maybe not best friends" look at Teh's face!!!!! He is crippled by fear. Five long years, and he can't bring himself to say "but I missed you so much." Instead he says "yeah sure, whatever you want." Pushing the love down.....hiding it inside. D'you think that might be relatable for a few ppl in the audience? Just a few.......
And then immediately he begins the series of good works to try to help Oh. He cannot bring himself to tell Oh he likes him that much, but he starts helping him.....over and over again. Works of love that neither of them recognize -- oh, but on rewatch we recognize them. Instantly you realize how completely relatable Teh really is. And it culminates later, with the cut-up workbook that Teh cannot use to get his own life back on track, because he cut it to pieces to try to help Oh. All the good works turn to sand, that flowed through Teh's hands. And the love remains but still can't be admitted. It is completely, and utterly tragic.
Rewatching Ep 1 will make that all now crystal clear.....now you know what is coming -- the hurt that Teh's fear and self-suppression will do later, to almost everyone -- Oh, Bas, Tarn, his mother and of course Teh himself whose life is derailed and who is nearly broken by it -- all that pain begins squarely in Ep1 Far more are the tears I shed on rewatch, knowing what is to come.