Feardorcha

I mean, the story was always heading where it was heading, with the leads falling in love and HEA, but the detours have been so discordant and just crammed in like an afterthought. The hospital scholarship conflict was almost more than the series could handle, not sure why they thought loan sharks, legacy destruction, and interfamilial resentments were doable here.

If they needed to fill run-time, I'm sure few of us would've objected to more Dr. Plakao. He's Yak's therapist, he's running a sexscapades costume shop, he's an asexual psychiatrist who counsels couples; there's a lot to work with there.

Thai BL has a horrendous quantity over quality issue. Which is understandable, seeing as how the industry generates money through ships and concerts and fan meets and related merchandise, and the point of these series is not to tell a story but to sell a CP. That isn't true of everyone who works in the industry, obviously (there are very talented people both in front of and behind the cameras) but no one wants to rock the boat, especially GMMTV. I think some of their ships are more discerning about the projects they'll accept, which is why GMMTV even has a handful of very good BL works under their banner.

The problem with this series is that it can't handle serious material and shouldn't have tried. They had solid episodes of romantic fluff and harmless shenanigans and it was working, working just fine; should've left it at that and not aimed for airs above its station.

I have made no mistakes. I am more than familiar enough with GMMTV's revenue model, and Thailand's BL industry on the whole, to be perfectly aware that a good story is never the point. Hell, a story is often barely the point. The industry's entire model is to cater to the fluffy, essentially heteronormative fantasies of young girls and women, and provide escapism for older women trapped in frustratingly Patriarchal societies that stifle feminine agency (though, arguably, the latter has fallen by the wayside over the years).

My point is, even bad stories can be told well, and GMMTV has managed to inject cohesive narrative into some of their most meandering properties while still serving up pretty boys getting romantic. This series provided the perfect template for it but it feels like there was an argument between the writers and producers about it. I'm not sure who was on which side but everything about this episode suggests there were those who wanted to tell an emotional story about family and those who just wanted to hurry up and get back to shirtless boys kissing. They should've just picked a lane.

And it's so unnecessarily contrived. There were ways to tell these aspects that would still hold true to the overall nature of the series.

Perhaps the loan shark got fed up waiting and abducted Yei, and demanded Yak pay off the debt or else get Yei back in pieces through the mail. With it being the first Yak and Cher are hearing of the financial disaster they're in, they both handle it poorly. It's been hinted Cher has a Past (capital 'P'); maybe his desperation to get Yei back has him make a reckless choice that puts him in danger, but he's rescued just in the nick of time by Wandee, who tells him to calm down and think rationally, and Cher snaps back that it's easy for Wandee to say, as he's not even technically Yak's boyfriend so it's not like he's invested in this family. That could be Wandee's trigger to think about his own nonsense with Yak, and rather than it be some dull revelation about poor parenting models, Wandee reflects on all the times he's gushed over how good Yak treats him and how good Yak makes him feel and other variations on "me, me, me", and he realizes he has to make his love and devotion unequivocally clear. Maybe part of that revelation is Yak partially shutting down on Wandee because, while crying on his shoulder after an argument with Yei is perfectly reasonable, expecting Wandee to hang around for this loan shark thug shite is maybe too much too soon. All the while, Yak is trying to come to grips with how much he's allowed Yei being his big brother and his idol to blind him and excuse him of direct responsibility. So, he decides to set-up a big match and throw it to get fast cash.

And because Yak is Yak, he informs the whole gym family and their Father, and there's a huge argument about it, but no one agrees on how to solve the problem, and Yak loses his temper and says the gym belongs to him and Yei, and in Yei's absence, he's in charge and they'll do what he says. Perhaps the Stepmother overhears this bust-up, and goes to Father to offer help, and he tells her to butt-out because these are not her sons. Which is a cruel thing to say, yes, but it would add texture to the backstory of how his grief, particularly his fear of that grief, led him to make such poor choices in the wake of his wife's death. I could totally buy that he's become so singularly focused on protecting his wife's legacy that he would speak such harsh words without realizing what he said (also, he's a bit of an asshole).

But, Stepmother is a smart, sensible woman who has grown accustomed to putting up with these idiots, and she goes to Yak (who seems to be the only one in this family who spares her any sincere affection, I swear) and gives him the land deed. She tells him to use the money to pay off the loan shark and get Yei back, and once the brothers are reunited, she knows that, together, they will find a way to settle the mess with the bank and keep the gym. And when Yei does get rescued, she doesn't even expect gratitude. Perhaps Yei tries to thank her but years of resentment and shame get in the way, and all she does is smile warmly at him and pass him a tray of food to take to the family table. He does so, with a grateful smile. Ultimately, they all decide to set-up that big match and risk it all on Yak winning, and that plot point carries us through to the end of the series, with Grandmother Wandee showing up at some point to slap the loan shark across the mouth. I have no idea how that last part would come about but it would be hilarious to see.

Not everything is resolved, not every relationship is repaired, but it calls back to other minor glimpses we've had of the supporting characters and their stories, and it doesn't all end tied up in a pretty bow because that isn't the point. The point is these people breaking apart and joining together in the face of a major obstacle, and their self-perceptions and interpersonal relationships shifting as a result. It isn't about closure, it's about adjustment, about the necessary pain of change to shift dynamics and push everyone forward.

Oh it's still lazy storytelling but it makes more sense in the context of the last nine episodes.

These characters are obnoxious. The way they interact is annoying. The story is insipid. The script is terrible. That flat red tie with that textured burgundy suit was a crime. It's all just unnecessarily awful. I wasn't expecting anything spectacular after "Big Dragon" but I was expecting...something.

And, holy hell, are Mos and Bank miscast here. It is hilarious that anyone, anywhere, for any reason, would believe these two could sell chaste romantic intimacy. Bank has "fuck me harder" face and I think Mos's brain literally plunges southward whenever they're in the same room together. It's not their fault but if you're wanting a believably virginal innocent and a horny but disciplined daddy, you do not cast two people who are the living embodiment of smoldering sexual tension. Granted, Mos gives big service top energy but that's just Mos; I don't think that's what's intended for the character of Sun, so it makes it all that much more ridiculous to watch.

MosBank are just not able to play against their own dynamic, and that dynamic was the only element that worked in "Big Dragon". These two would've been perfect for the original source material of this series, making all the changes and near-complete excision of overt lust and sex that much more perplexing.

What 11th-hour malarkey. Actual story is so far beyond the capability of this series that we've spent interminable episodes faffing about with a pointless "hurdle" in the YakWandee relationship but we get slightly under 47 minutes to introduce, process, and resolve enormous issues regarding trust, obligation, death, resentment, duty, forgiveness, overprotectiveness, guilt, leadership, honour, letting go, moving on, family, legacy, and questionable financial management in dire times.

This episode was insulting. None of the "pay-off" in this episode was earned, nor did it feel authentic. It was a shallow, emotionally manipulative episode that substituted tears and shouting for actual pathos because the series did none of the groundwork necessary for such a hefty collection of story and character arcs to have sincere closure.

I can practically feel how much the scriptwriters don't want to be arsed with any storyline that isn't Yak and Wandee snogging or preparing to snog. Which, fine, but then just give us eight solid episodes of that and call it a day. Don't begrudgingly dump at least six episodes worth of material into one half-baked episode and substitute a swelling score for meaning. Frankly, Yei and his story alone deserved better than this nonsense.

I am so frustrated with this series.

Fingers crossed that there is either no romance, or it's so negligible it can be skipped entirely with the handy FFW button.

He really showed up to that modelling shoot looking like he mugged a terrible Beatles cosplayer.

That competition scene was something else. If we hadn't watched him practicing on poor JJ, I wouldn't be convinced Plawan had ever seen a kitchen nevermind knew how to use one. Could skip the whole sell-the-restaurant plan by just leaving him unsupervised for five minutes; he'll have that placed burned down faster than the claims adjustor can park the car.

So the person guarding the food didn't see or hear them take all those bags of EuroCakes and swaddle them in fabric? That had to have been either the slowest or loudest theft, depending on how they did it, but I'm guessing the food guard was also maybe blind. And was there a reason the bus couldn't drive them up to the camp entrance? I thought perhaps that road was only for deliveries and emergency access but apparently not, so why road?

Does it matter? No. But those elements actually held my attention, at least. Except for the "School Rangers: The Outdoorsying" parts, this episode was dull. This whole series feels weirdly draggy and undercooked, despite it moving at the same story pace as the JBL. I am trying to make it to the new material but this series is so bad that I may give up and just read the manga.

I am so annoyed with Thanwa. Everything else aside, it's obvious he doesn't want to be with Max, full-stop. Even if Max is a jerk, it's still shitty of Thanwa to lead him on and pretend there's a chance. Sure, Thanwa, move out of the house, but you can also do that and just be single. Are you allergic to living alone or are you literally just using Max for a place to crash? Either way, you're coming off as a complete loser.

Seriously, what has Lee Long Shi done that he keeps getting punished like this? What powerful Thai entertainment executive has he so wronged to keep getting saddled with awful scripts and/or characters?

What the hell was that scene?

See, Joe, that's what your dumbass gets.

The series is making a grave mistake assuming I'm anything other than indifferent about what happens to Joe, or if he and Ming stay together. Ming is a domineering narcissist in a family of manipulative sociopaths, and Joe's spine is made of lubricated water. His inability to walk away from Ming cost him one life, and if he's going to be stupid in the same way all over again, seems only fair that stupidity cost him the second one too. Obviously it won't but still, I rolled my eyes through this whole episode. It was trying so hard to make me care.

And are they honestly trying to make us feel bad for Tong? I don't give a shite that he's going to be a father, the dude's a monster. Kid's better off without him, let's go ahead and put a bullet in Tong too. That would take care of his money woes, I'm positive he's got enough life insurance to cover his debts if the loanshark goes after the wife, and a movie star being brutally murdered right after a cinematic release would certainly drive up ticket sales. Win-win for everyone. Well, except for Tong, but he doesn't deserve to win.

This is definitely MeenPing's best series yet but that bar is so low it's subterranean. Still, it's nice seeing Meen get better material, even if Ping still makes acting look incredibly hard. I'm beginning to think most of that is just the unfortunate shape of his face. The boy has the most vacuous eyes, like his elevator doesn't go all the way to the top.

Boss Tos is so laughable. I thought sports gambling was just some sideline in his illegal empire but, no, he really is just running an off-license betting ring on basketball games played by high school dropouts but rolling around with a gun and hoes like he's Thailand's answer to Tony Montana. Go commit real crime, you poseur.

I wish we were spending more time with Ryu and Q. They are both more interesting than Zen, their relationship is far more complex and engaging, and I much prefer their story to the dull domesticity of Zen, Atom, and Grandmother.

Also, where did all the butts go?

Do not get me started on trans representation in Thai works. I will rage so long and so hard and so vociferously in every language I speak, and it will all be heavily laced with cussing and disappointment. Thailand has Jennie Panhan RIGHT THERE: she's talented, smart, gorgeous, authentic; why are there still so many Thai productions fucking it up? "Only Friends" did a decent job of telling a trans character's story but it felt, and still feels, like that series was well ahead of the country itself in depictions of transpeople.

Please, do try MoD again. Grit your teeth through the parts you hate, as I do think you'll enjoy the rest of it.

I shall be frank: it's dumb. It is. But it's sexy toxic fun dumb. I have spent my entire watch rooting for all the worst aspects: the sociopathic Top, the spineless Bottom, the I-Swear-to-God-Tong-Murdered-Someone-Once.

It's a good deal of fun, and you do mostly want these characters to be happy. It's just that your definition of what "happy" means may vary.

Anyway, scroll long and deep to find my episodic comments. I think you and I may absolutely sync on this one.

Out of curiosity, are you watching "My Stand-In"? I haven't seen you on the boards but I feel like, surely, you'd have views on that one. I'd like to hear your opinion.

Fair, and I get what you mean. For myself, though, I give a lot of leeway to Thai acting. They, like everyone else, have a performance style that is connected to and informed by their sociocultural artistic history. While I preference the more naturalistic modern styles of Korean and Indonesian cinema, and I don't enjoy the Thai broad style as much as I do, say, Kabuki-influenced Japanese or Kathakali-derived Indian forms, I do understand the Thai model and can orientate myself within it. So, I give kudos to Thai productions that bravely tackle engaging/complex/exploratory plots and themes, even if those productions have other shortcomings. None of the works I mentioned are perfect but I appreciate the presence of actual plot and plot-significant stakes that expand beyond "pretty boys in lust/love".

I hope you consider giving MoD another chance. Yes, there are aspects of silliness throughout, but it is, overall, a good story with an engaging mystery and compelling characters, even if the collective production itself wasn't quite up to snuff. Afterall, if we don't support the better content, can we really expect to be given the best content?

No sex in this episode. Shame.

I think the formula is for every twelve abysmal series, we'll get one solid good one. I don't think we've hit the quota yet.

Thailand doesn't have to concern itself with producing quality work. Their BL industry churns out complete shlock because they know their primary audience will squeal in delight so long as there are pretty boys and it's "cute" or "fluffy". It's so frustrating. There is real talent in front of and behind the cameras, as well as engaging stories to be told, which we've seen in works like AToTS, MoD, Not Me, and DDICfS, but brainless, low-quality glitter is what fills the coffers.

Well, I suppose everyone's got to make a living, especially if those quality works requiring quality budgets are going to get made.