FreshKicks

Agreed 100%. It's just funny that people blur the lines between him and his character in "Not Me".

We're allowed to speculate about the integrity of everyone in the series (which after today's episode even includes Black) but whoa, not Dan. A week or so ago I was practically run off this page with torches and pitchforks when I dared to wonder if he might secretly be working for Tawi.

It's very silly.

LOL the Dan Fans are so extra on here.

Heavy spoilers below, with the disclaimer that I base these on an unsubbed version.

1. Luke and Calix actually knew each other when younger and were very close, but were somehow separated.
2. There's a flashback scene to when they were kids. Luke's "nerd" makeup is ... and I say this endearingly ... a hoot.
3. No kiss between Luke and Calix ... just held hands.
4. Juanmig drops dead.

I didn't see that Luke and Calix twist coming, so kudos for that.

No English subs yet but from what I can tell .. (big spoilers on the finale below)

If they intend to end the series happily then maybe there will be a time jump in Episode 8, because you're right, it would be unrealistic to have everything tidied up too quickly.

Well, tbh my problem here is I'd forgotten that Vee had been the one to start things with Dome by flirting, and, for the record, nowhere have I said that I demand perfect characters in BL. (In fact, you and I were commenting over on another page where I specifically said that I liked that the series featured such flawed characters.)

I will have to go back and rewatch those early scenes with Vee and Dome. For me there are degrees of flirting. There's flirting with intent to steal and flirting done from what you think is a safe distance -- flirting for fun, if you will, which in Vee's case might have turned into another example of "play with fire and you might get burned". Dome being in a relationship with Vee's sister might have made Vee feel there was little risk in carrying on a bit.

In your other comment below you say that Vee doesn't appear to be bothered by the situation he's caused. I think the most recent two episodes have shown vivid proof of the opposite. The boy is coming apart. So maybe I was too ready to say that Dome was the villain because he isn't reacting in such an obvious way.

But, like I said, I don't remember exactly how this all started so I'll have to go see.

Yes, "Secret Crush" ... since it's got low ratings I guess it's safe to visit the page so at least I can remember the name lol

At the beginning of the episode I was confused because like you said -- they did a flashback to the previous episode, and then I think there was another one to the episode before that, and I thought maybe I'd mistakenly started to rewatch an earlier episode instead of the new one. I actually stopped the video to check!

If the series is getting good viewing numbers then I will believe that they're stretching out the ending on purpose. GagaOOLala is bravely putting the stake in the ground that the next episode is the finale, but I bet even they don't know when it will end.

When I think of Ice what first comes to mind is that scene in Part 1 where he is sitting shirtless on King's couch, supposedly having his body drawn despite the arm of the couch blocking most of it from King's view. Back then when you pointed out that he was 14 I thought maybe the frightened look on "Ice's" face wasn't acting. What were the kid's parents thinking, letting him audition for that role (and then letting him take it)?

As for Nont -- when he first appeared in this episode, dragging his sorry ass down the hall, I actually laughed out loud. Back for more abuse! Now that he's gotten his little taste of Kaitoon Heaven he's going to be extra devastated when Kaitoon gets back together with loony-bird Valen.

I haven't disliked the series as much as you, and I've actually admired the audacious way it presents flawed characters. I will admire it even more if (a) they don't try to stretch this saga into a Part 3, (b) Valen and Kaitoon are still broken up at the end, and (c) the script finds a believable way to reunite King and Pete. (That's the least likely of the three but the ironic outcome of the two couples would be fun.)

Based on the usual formula the next-to-last episode of a drama will have a desolate and hopeless feeling to it, leading up to a finale where things miraculously get better.

I think Kaitoon's dalliance with Non and Valen's desperate bid to get a girlfriend are a sign of their emotional immaturity.

I also think they'll be together again at the end ... UNLESS!! ... Unless this production company is going to do a Season 3.

I'd forgotten all about June and Bill! But their story might have reached its end when Bill ran off with that girl. Toy was interested in June but that went nowhere. They probably should have cut that storyline completely.

I think I see what you mean now. I hadn't thought about how young Kilen was when this big responsibility was put upon him, and as a kid what could he do but smile and go along with his elders.

I hope that later in the series when the two guys are finally over most of the bumps in the road there will be acknowledgement and apologies given from both sides, and forgiveness.

In the second scene where the prince is hiding under the table, I'm almost certain that he wasn't expected to bang his head so hard while trying to crawl out. Mikey's mom can hardly contain her laughter.

While I sometimes think that this director never asks for more than one take, which isn't a good thing, I'm glad they left that in. Priceless.

Seriously, what's so great about Dome?

Vee, if he would cheat on your sister and then dump her to date you then he's not a good risk. And as viewers we haven't seen anything in his personality that would warrant anyone's interest.

Yes! I was thinking to myself that I was finally able to see the emotional bond between Fah and Torn.

Amen to that.

They lost me on the "bad coach" when said bad coach was somehow allowed to keep coaching. It's the biggest lapse in the writing that I can find. A coach who cheats would be barred from coaching again, period.

That's because it's hard to argue with perfection! :)

Now that they've got "the big game" out of the way I hope they'll keep focusing on the relationships and the life situations that present the challenges.

This is just an amazing series. The rating here is criminally low. I'm afraid to go over to the "Secret Admirer" page out of the fear that it's scoring higher lol.

This is an excellent analysis. The one thing I disagree with is that Kilen was acting aloof so that Kuea would be able to find space to grow. Based on what we've seen so far, at least, Kilen was just disappointed in what he saw in Kuea and was carrying on with the engagement out of a sense of obligation.

And his way of keeping a distance was to say cruel things. I don't find that defensible in the least, no matter how much Kuea may need to grow up. It bothers me if people look for ways to excuse it. Maybe if the abuse had been physical instead of emotional we'd be on the same page.

This is why I would like to see more back story. For me, if Kilen is to become a sympathetic ML then I will need to see a good reason why he acted like a total ass. The things he said to Kuea went far beyond him being wary and wanting to give him space. He was being intentionally mean. That "Annabelle" comment was the equivalent of a death blow, but I'm sure it left Kilen himself feeling quite satisfied.

The first part of Episode 2 was a little draggy but the second part delivered ... boy did it deliver.

I hope they will fill in some back story on how Lian Kilen went from being such a sweet and outgoing kid to the iceberg he is as an adult. I wanted him to suffer longer and show more regret over how he treated the "faux" Kuea, because in a way it seems a little shallow for a warm-up to happen only after Kilen realizes he can have a hot fiance.

During the car ride home we see how deeply hurt Kuea is. That kind of despair gets built up over time. Kilen did some real damage to a dear childhood friend, and it makes a mockery of his promise to the grandfather. What good is it to adhere to the letter of the promise and get married to a person you dislike, if all you want to do is emotionally abuse them? How cruel it is to insist that the person live with you in a lifetime bond!

I'm sure some viewers think that Kilen's post-breakup pursuit of Kuea is noble. It's not. It's because he has a warped view of the promise he made to the grandfather and considers Kuea to be a piece of property.

I'm certain that the grandfather wanted Kilen to make the promise only because he believed that Kilen loved his grandson. As soon as Kilen knew that he no longer felt any love, *he* should have been the one to break the engagement.

I hope the next few episodes will be about Kilen's own reckoning. He needs to be called to account. If "Cutie Pie" follows the standard route of the "arranged marriage" trope, featuring a series of chivalrous and romantic acts to make the audience coo and sigh, then it will be missing an opportunity to be memorable for more reasons than its big budget.

Probably because idols set an example and their image is reflective of the company that sponsors them. If he was drinking and smoking at age 12 then wanting him to stop isn't hypocritical, it's common sense. It does make me wonder what kind of people raised him, though.