For me, the absolute best of these two-parters so far.
The writing is insightful and restrained and the performances are pitch-perfect. The sex is realistic without being over the top, and sorry folks but I think it's an essential element to the story. Sex is what Kaeng has come to substitute for real intimacy, and as such a person his performance in bed is one of his greatest sources of self-esteem. His dwindling ability to use it to keep Puth at his side will be a big factor in the emotional crisis that he's about to descend into.
By the end of Part 1 you can already sense how Puth's slow withdrawal from their 'arrangement' is knocking Kaeng off-balance. I felt so bad for Kaeng when he showed up wearing the eyeglasses, as though he really thought that such a superficial detail would be all it took to keep Puth from abandoning him.
It made me wonder: was the invitation to the movies real, or was it a test -- another sign of Kaeng's growing desperation? Looking at what Kaeng and Puth have in each other I tend to doubt they've ever really gone to see a movie together, or had a civilized sit-down dinner, or even engaged in a real conversation -- one that wasn't just a form of foreplay to get them back in bed again.
I'm pretty sure Ryan Ren has two tattoos in his neck region. In the series, one of them does seem to be covered with makeup while the other has the bandage on it.
I checked back with Chuang 2019 and saw that during a performance he had the bandage on the LEFT side of his neck. (In the series the bandage is on the right side.) In a pic that I found of him online where there's no bandage on the left side, you can see a tattoo of Chinese symbols in a horizontal line leading down from his ear.
That's the tattoo that actually did get covered with makeup during the series. Somewhere around Episode 11 there's a close-up side of the left side of his head and you can see the makeup in a line that is covering that tattoo.
Meanwhile, what we see in the series is a bandage on the RIGHT side of his neck, lower down and partially touching his shoulder. That one might have been too difficult to cover with makeup since the makeup would wear off as they did all the different takes of the scenes. Clothing would rub against it and eventually the tattoo would show.
I was struck by how Yong Jie says, in the final episode, that his real personality disappeared a long time ago.…
For me he's the most interesting character in the series, and perhaps the most realistically depicted. I don't know if this is an indication of the screenwriter's gift or just an accident, but it says something that for all his behavior issues I still cared about him.
I was very moved when he stood on the ledge and begged Xing Si not to abandon him. I could imagine how pushed to the brink someone like him would have to be in order to have such a breakdown. I could also feel how alone he felt in the world, for reasons that went far back into his childhood or were evidence that his brain was wired differently, and were no fault of his own.
Once we got to the scene where Li Chen and Mu Ren argue about penis size I thought it was unlikely that the screenwriter…
One would hope the question would come up within the moment. But you're right, the whole point in the series was to make it clear who was who and to attach labels.
Why do you say so? In the photo of new season there are both the actors.https://i.mydramalist.com/jgd3b_3f.jpg
I was hoping that even though Hao Ting and Yu Xi Gu weren't at the wedding in person, that there would be a passing reference to both guys.
I probably thought about it too much, but I was also worried that Hao Ting wouldn't be mentioned at all, or would be mentioned in a way that made it unclear whether he's still alive. Some people interpreted the last episode of MODC as Hao Ting saying his goodbyes to his friends and preparing to go on one final mountain excursion to commit suicide.
So, I'm glad he was mentioned in a way that wasn't sad or regretful.
I wonder if the people behind this arc have ever met a real gay person before writing this story. Close to You,…
Once we got to the scene where Li Chen and Mu Ren argue about penis size I thought it was unlikely that the screenwriter had ever spent time with actual gay men.
They do a good job of giving each of the boys a distinct personality. Even with the number of couples it's easy to remember who's who. The script is lively and the friendships seem real.
"Bitter the better" ... lmao. That's actually a great quip!
5 
6 
2 
The writing is insightful and restrained and the performances are pitch-perfect. The sex is realistic without being over the top, and sorry folks but I think it's an essential element to the story. Sex is what Kaeng has come to substitute for real intimacy, and as such a person his performance in bed is one of his greatest sources of self-esteem. His dwindling ability to use it to keep Puth at his side will be a big factor in the emotional crisis that he's about to descend into.
By the end of Part 1 you can already sense how Puth's slow withdrawal from their 'arrangement' is knocking Kaeng off-balance. I felt so bad for Kaeng when he showed up wearing the eyeglasses, as though he really thought that such a superficial detail would be all it took to keep Puth from abandoning him.
It made me wonder: was the invitation to the movies real, or was it a test -- another sign of Kaeng's growing desperation? Looking at what Kaeng and Puth have in each other I tend to doubt they've ever really gone to see a movie together, or had a civilized sit-down dinner, or even engaged in a real conversation -- one that wasn't just a form of foreplay to get them back in bed again.
I checked back with Chuang 2019 and saw that during a performance he had the bandage on the LEFT side of his neck. (In the series the bandage is on the right side.) In a pic that I found of him online where there's no bandage on the left side, you can see a tattoo of Chinese symbols in a horizontal line leading down from his ear.
That's the tattoo that actually did get covered with makeup during the series. Somewhere around Episode 11 there's a close-up side of the left side of his head and you can see the makeup in a line that is covering that tattoo.
Meanwhile, what we see in the series is a bandage on the RIGHT side of his neck, lower down and partially touching his shoulder. That one might have been too difficult to cover with makeup since the makeup would wear off as they did all the different takes of the scenes. Clothing would rub against it and eventually the tattoo would show.
I was very moved when he stood on the ledge and begged Xing Si not to abandon him. I could imagine how pushed to the brink someone like him would have to be in order to have such a breakdown. I could also feel how alone he felt in the world, for reasons that went far back into his childhood or were evidence that his brain was wired differently, and were no fault of his own.
I probably thought about it too much, but I was also worried that Hao Ting wouldn't be mentioned at all, or would be mentioned in a way that made it unclear whether he's still alive. Some people interpreted the last episode of MODC as Hao Ting saying his goodbyes to his friends and preparing to go on one final mountain excursion to commit suicide.
So, I'm glad he was mentioned in a way that wasn't sad or regretful.
Since they mention Hao Ting and only Hao Ting, I guess it's more unlikely there will be a MODC sequel that resurrects Yu Xi Gu.
They do a good job of giving each of the boys a distinct personality. Even with the number of couples it's easy to remember who's who. The script is lively and the friendships seem real.
"Bitter the better" ... lmao. That's actually a great quip!
Did he delete it out of jealousy? Or was he thinking he would protect them from their own carelessness?
I'd like to know, but at the same time I kinda like that I can't.