Glorple

FINALLY A CRAZY TENSE CRIME GL!!!!!!

I have to admit that despite being a lesbian I can't get into gls. I think gls are still developing, so seeing a series of this quality (among many recent others) is always great. This series is a nice change of pace from your standard, almost telenovela-like gls. I also *love* crime thrillers so I have a bias and a much higher tolerance for shows like these. From the trailer, I was skeptical of the prison setting but man does it create a super tense environment!

The show does a good job hooking the viewer in. It immediately starts with tense scenes and once you finish one of the earlier episodes, you're left craving that adrenaline you felt. Kae's actor, Kemisara Paladesh, does a great job in the first episode emoting too positively, like someone on the verge of insanity. Fits the character. The production quality, lighting and surroundings are well done and I'd like to give a moment of appreciation to the team behind that. It's something that stays consistent in the show and keeps people watching. They do end credit transitions too well, my favourite being when the camera zoomed out while Claire was grieving and the credits started rolling. From the 3Ds gang, Dao draws me in the most, even if she takes the backseat in later episodes. Bell is painfully innocent throughout the show which might seem like a harsh contrast to the general tone, especially when Claire and Bell get together and have their honeymoon phases. She is the main lead but I like other characters way more than her, such as Kae and Claire. Episode 2 had quite the nuance in my opinion and revealed the lore and gave depth to many characters. Made me sympathise with Dao and Top while not agreeing with certain actions of theirs. Speaking of Top, my interest in his character started to die down in the middle episodes. I was starting to get bored of him but episode 6 revived that interest in him after an extremely entertaining drunk performance of the character done by Pond Ponlawit Ketprapakorn alongside great camera work. I like Claire's case as well because I love a good sibling relationship, even if at the end you're like "damn, so she didn't have to do all that". Episode 4 and 5 were mostly romance episodes so it's good for romance-focused viewers but I'd understand if story/action-focused viewers may find it boring. I loved the imagined wedding scene between Claire and Bell, seeing scenes like that makes me happy without fail because same sex marriage (let alone being queer) is not legal where I am, so it means a lot, especially during a time where hope for it being legalised is there in the light of Thailand legalising it. Some people might say that I'm making it too political but I think I'm extracting all the meaning I can out of it. Not to mention how beautifully it was filmed and done! Their relationship is well done and makes me smile without fail whenever they're being romantic. If they ever had a major argument, my heart wouldn't be able to handle it. 2 major deaths also happen in the same episode, episode 3, which is also surprisingly early. Honestly, 3 episodes later, I completely forgot about those people. I was just reminded when I was reading back my Episode-by-Episode review to compile it into this shorter summary. Maybe their deaths could've had a bigger impact but I'm not sure how the show would do that. It does hit in the moment, so be prepared to at the very least get depressed over their deaths. The small acknowledgement of both deceased characters in the last episode was nice too. Episode 6 is my favourite. If you had to demonstrate what this show is about, this episode would be a good choice. It has everything, from Claire threatening people (my fav being her cutting Kae after she acted carelessly), Kae being officially evil, Bell getting beaten up, Top going crazy over Bell's case to Claire's back story. You name the main developments of previous episodes and this episode has the results of it. Kae stands out the most and I love her despite her being a pretty bad person. She is just so interesting, I want to study her brain. Episode 7 was the most sentimental episode, I dare say it's even more than episode 3 where 2 deaths happened. Here, the characters I actually like and have watched develop have bad things happen to them, it brings out a far more emotional response than the deaths of characters we've barely seen. If I wasn't watching it in a room with other people, trust me, I'd be sobbing.
Honestly, as much as I love this show, I have to admit that a few things felt rushed. I've watched other Thai shows before and I'm used to them being max 13 episodes, so I was surprised to see this one with only 8! So I'm not surprised some things felt rushed because I definitely expected it. I feel like just one more episode would've helped flesh out Top, Kae and the 3Ds more. For starters, Top felt very nuanced to me and out of all "villains" I sympathised the most with him. Honestly Bell's case still has me internally debating my morals. Top should go to jail for supplying the drugs but he didn't plan on stuffing the drugs into Bell's bag. I also took pity on him because his father is horrible and he just felt so... lonely? I also feel bad for anyone with a drug/drinking addiction even if they don't try to get out of those situations. It felt like he was boiled down to a bad rich guy by the end. I think the show antagonised characters too quickly and in the case of the 3Ds, redeemed them too quickly. I understand Dao stepping down because she's got a whole kid but Didi? I get that maybe Dao convinced her and Duen to stop being violent after the 3 years but before that time skip it felt odd for her to suddenly be so nice. I was surprised to see her rushing alongside Bell and being concerned for her. As far as I remember, they never really made up. In my head, their rivalry was calm but if something bad happened to Bell she wouldn't have a reason to care really and might even make a mocking comment about it. Like I get that Bell is dying, but why was it framed like Didi and her were old friends? Maybe I misinterpreted something about their relationship. Part of me also felt bad for Kae (specifically when she got beat up by the people she was supposed to be collecting debts from which is ironic lol) but she's the shows main villain. I think they could've had Kae be more evil or give more screen time and expand on her business and how it affected so many other prisoners negatively. It was satisfying to see her get beat up by Claire one last time but even I was like damn she's gonna die calm down Claire. The scene where she rooms with a rude inmate that made her clip her nails and was just bossing her around felt like very stereotypical villain consequences, like something I was supposed to go "you deserve that haha" to but I just didn't feel anything. I enjoyed her switch in personality and all the bad stuff she did because it made her so interesting, too bad it was a short period. I also wanted her goals to be spelled out so bad; was she sick of being bullied at prison? Was she going to try and get Bell "back"? Was it both? But at the end of the day, it was something along the lines of greed and selfishness I guess.
Overall, a show I don't regret watching. I might not rewatch it much but that's because it's very story and at times emotionally heavy. It's a serious show and I think my mental health would be fried if I went through that again, which is a testament as to how it really gets through to the viewer! The actors are great and even if it's quite short it still supplies the main plots very well. I can tell that the team behind this show put so much effort in so send some love to them as well :)

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Wasted potential in the pursuit of romance

I want to start this off by saying that I actually enjoyed this show a lot at the start! Till episode 10, I was looking forward to every episode release and absolutely loved the tension. It's the kind of feeling you look forward to when watching a psychological thriller, which is why this show did so well, but its refusal to diverge from the romance genre ultimately leads to its downfall. If you've watched the trailer, checked the tags, or even just sensed it from the show: the main couple is endgame and they have a happy ending. Would this be a problem if Fan Xiao, the love interest, was normal or even bad but redeemable? No. Fan Xiao is such a horrible person and anyone who's watched the show can agree. Not only does he manipulate You Shulang and those around him, but he even harms his "lover" directly by molesting him (which is acknowledged by the show). So with all this, it's safe to say that he isn't redeemable within the time period of the show. He doesn't even serve time for his literal crimes yet he still ends up happily with You Shulang. It's such a shame because the most enjoyable parts were when Fan Xiao would do horrible/controlling things and You Shulang would confront him. The show way more enjoyable when You Shulang was, despite counter efforts by Fan Xiao, mostly independent and stood up to him. In my opinion, their rivalry, arguments and all the negative aspects of their relationship stood out the most. It's also why episode 8 and 10 are my favourites because it shows how relentlessly evil Fan Xiao is and how resistive You Shulang is to controlling people like him. To make them endgame, and happily so, is such a disappointing decision because majority of this show displays why they shouldn't end up together. What seemed like a cautionary tale about abusive people like Fan Xiao turns into a romanticisation of it. When they hinted at a possible spark of romance between these two once again, I lost all motivation to continue watching. It hurts because I already invested so much time into this show. The romance was the final nail in the coffin, though, because the weird, and frankly depressing situation You Shulang was in post-episode 10 started to drag on. I was fine with it in episode 11 because I thought they're just demonstrating the aftermath of their fallout, but it was the same in the next episode and the way Shulang got out of the situation was also confusing. The boredom really hit when You Shulang said, for like the fifth time or something: "I can see our ending already. If you don't drive me to my death, I'll drive you to yours". I don't remember the exact words but it was like that. This guy gets reduced to a all bark, no bite character and it was making me lose my mind. Are you going to kill him or no? Not to mention that in those episodes he was just hopelessly sad the whole time and everything was so depressing and I was begging for something to happen.
They set up a bunch of interesting plotlines that would serve as possible exits for You Shulang yet it went nowhere. Like that other rich guy, I think he was asexual (?) which he let us know twice so we'd understand he's not a creep like Fan Xiao, who had some beef with Fan Xiao and was offering to date You Shulang so that Fan Xiao would leave him alone. And then we have Fan Xiao's brother who offered a far more interesting path of leaking company secrets to get him arrested for good. The rich guy was pretty much discarded and the brother doesn't even matter that much, he just put the idea of leaking company secrets into Shulang's head. Speaking of leaking company secrets, the way they separated in ~episode 12 is a little odd. They spent the previous episodes giving us hope that Fan Xiao was on the verge of changing but then he'd do something bad again and it solidifies in the viewer's head that this man cannot change or be redeemed. Then in episode 12 he's suddenly ready to turn his company in and supposedly realises his wrongdoings?? Maybe I was inflicted with blindness halfway through this show but nowhere was it indicated that Fan Xiao was even capable of doing the right thing, let alone doing something that would separate him and You Shulang. It also sucks that You Shulang didn't get out of Fan Xiao's grasp on his own, he was struggling to send the incriminating files to the authorities/news and Fan Xiao (oddly) sent it himself during an uncomfortable make out scene. AND THEY DO ALL THIS JUST FOR HIM TO NOT BE IN JAIL ANYWAY!!!! Just cause he's lost his company and is poor (or middle class?) doesn't mean his controlling behaviour changes. He doesn't truly face consequences for his horrible actions towards You Shulang.
Going back to the start, I want to bring up Lu Zhen, You Shulang's ex. His character was disposed of pretty quick as well, but I think everyone watching saw that coming. Despite being what I'd call a "disposable" character, he had quite the screen time. In the first and maybe second episode, I was still not sure if You Shulang or Lu Zhen was Fan Xiao's love interest, that's how strong his presence was. I knew he was there to help expose Fan Xiao, but I think the show would've benefited seeing less from him, especially after he broke up with You Shulang. He was by far the most normal person there and I thought that the show was a bit harsh on him because after the break up he was just miserable all the time, I could tell they were keeping him in the picture specifically for the Fan Xiao expose moment. He also had a weird side plot where he took up a job that required him to have sex with a female client despite the fact that he's gay. I thought he was a model and it's not like it was ever implied that he'd done this before, especially since it would count as cheating since he was dating Shulang during these modelling gigs. Everyone around him treated it as if it was entirely his mistake but I can't see what he did wrong because to me it looked like he took a regular modelling job for a female client and then was suddenly told that he has to have sex with her. Did he not just get tricked into prostitution or am I insane? It sucked to see You Shulang help him get out of the situation by humiliating the poor guy in front of the client because You Shulang's supposed to be the nice guy. You could say it was a necessary act but You Shulang 100% believed that Lu Zhen was in the wrong when it didn't even seem like it. I could be mistaken, but it felt like us viewers were not supposed to be on Lu Zhen's side. I couldn't wrap my head around why getting seemingly tricked into prostitution "proved" that Lu Zhen is a young and inexperienced person.
My favourite character is Bai Ting. I know there's barely any characters that matter besides our two main leads, and even less so female characters (there's literally just two I can think of), but I appreciate that the female side characters weren't entirely shallow. This show achieved equality by making ALL side characters (maybe besides Bai Ting) give us nothing. Fan Xiao's best friend felt like a gold digger the way he was glazing that man non-stop; it felt like he was hanging out with a dictator the way he would immediately take back any SLIGHT criticism/teasing of Fan Xiao. Fan Xiao's brothers/family had potential but they shut that down quick with the downfall of the company. I was happy to see Bai Ting come back because I thought I was going crazy when Fan Xiao implied that he killed her and You Shulang very much under-reacted. He freaked out a little bit before going back to the usual "I used to love you but now I see your true colours, etc, etc.". It was nice to see someone sound of mind after the departure of Lu Zhen and in the midst of my least favourite arc. She really interested me.
The good parts of this show were not just the well-done tension of toxicity akin to that of a psychological thriller, but the acting too. While the acting in the initial episodes were fine, I think it improved in the later episodes which is funny because shows usually aren't filmed in order. Maybe it was because later on it's more emotionally charged which is what the actors excel in. The chemistry between You Shulang and Fan Xiao during their first relationship phase was really good! The sexual tension, romantic tension and regular flirting was crazy to see. It made you feel guilty for enjoying them being together. Individually, Hao Yi Ran's performance of You Shulang was my favourite. You Shulang in general is a likable character, so seeing him played well is satisfying. The acting never felt stiff or weird, even during extreme scenes where You Shulang would be yelling or crying. Yun Qi's portrayal of Fan Xiao wasn't bad either, but I think there was an order to be as poker-faced as possible. While the smugness of it all is in line with Fan Xiao's character, it somewhat backfires during emotional scenes. I'd say the fault here is a mix of writing and acting, but Fan Xiao would think "I actually love You Shulang" and his face would be very neutral/serious, and the fact that he doesn't do much in favour of You Shulang adds to the disbelief of that statement. I can tell that he's a good actor but unfortunately Fan Xiao is certainly *a* character to play so I don't blame him at all. Then there's the obvious high budget which helped immerse ourselves as the backgrounds, OST and editing were good as well. The makeup was a bit flash-bangingly white though lol.
I wasn't going to mention the adoption thing because it happens at the end and I can't really care for the last episodes but I think it was solely a move to keep You Shulang tied to Fan Xiao in some way. It's ironic how even after their break up (for real this time), Fan Xiao was still meddling with You Shulang's life by essentially making him adopt a kid. It felt pretty pointless and also felt like a move to personally frustrate me because in what world is Fan Xiao a good father? I apologise to the writers, directors and producers for ever doing them wrong. Maybe the true psychological thriller was feeling yourself lose interest in a show you so desperately wanted to believe in.
Overall, would be a decent show if it wasn't so dedicated to being a romance. If it was a thriller, I'd enjoy it so much. There's nothing wrong with displaying a toxic couple, but to act like the abuser is instantly redeemable is something. Besides that, some characters/episodes were weak and the constant suffering of some with no change bored me. I tried to like this show and re-live the thrill and anticipation of what's next but I simply couldn't by episode 13. I guess, to me, it's wasted potential.

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The plot had potential, the characters don't.

TW: SA, r*pe

After a almost year long break from bl, I picked up this series cause of a tweet with a still frame from this show. The plot summary seemed eh but I had hope that the couple would be worth it and that the snake plot would be interesting enough for me to keep watching for 24 episodes. Boy was I wrong!

From the start Chi Cheng irked me, it was established that he was some tough gangster from a rich family - pretty edgy but could make for a great, or at the very least, entertaining plot. Da Wei and Chi Chengs relationship is terrifyingly toxic, especially from the start. Honestly I didn't mind Da Wei getting roughed up by Chi Cheng at the start, before the whole revenge thing started, since Da Wei was troubling him (recording yourself pickpocketing other people? Really?) and also cause I'd get why a rich gangster boy like Chi Cheng would get ticked off easily. But then Da Wei finds out Chi Cheng is "dating" Da Weis ex gf (Yue Yue) and Da Wei starts trying to seduce him. First, I'd like to say how shallow Yue Yues character is. I suppose it's common in most romances, especially bl, that when there's a bad ex almost 100% expect them to be just that. They're bad for the sake of it and exist for the viewer to hate on while also pushing them to want the leads to get together to spite the ex. I feel like they could've fleshed out Yue Yues character a bit, a gold digger girlfriend isn't particularly new or special, and she only serves as motivation for Da Wei to keep trying to "seduce" Chi Cheng. Notice how I put seduce in speech marks because honestly no guy ever needs to try and seduce that man. It's implied and, might as well be proven with how he's treated Da Wei, that this man FORCES HIMSELF ON PEOPLE!!! HE'S JUST A STRAIGHT UP R*PIST I'M NOT EXAGGERATING. I'm gonna rant about this pos for a bit but when they start meeting regularly with no animosity between them Chi Cheng wastes no time harassing Da Wei. I'm not even joking Chi Cheng kept aggressively feeling this man up when he clearly didn't like it and wanted him to stop (literally yelling at him to and fighting his way out). The first time they have s*x, episode 10-11, it's because Chi Cheng THREATENED DA WEIS FRIEND, XIAO SHUAI, WITH R*PE. Literally came up to the roof of Xiao Shuais clinic and told him, despite already dating Da Wei at the time, that if Da Wei didn't have s*x with him within a set date, he would "force himself" on Xiao Shuai. I WOULD KILL SOMEONE, LET ALONE CONTINUE DATING THEM, IF THEY EVER SAID THAT TO MY BEST FRIEND? Even before this, a guy Chi Cheng was beefing with (over snakes I think) was begging for his life in front of other gang members. Chi Cheng asked the gang members what they thought of the guy and they said they like him. SO CHI CHENG LEFT THE ROOM AND LET THOSE GANGSTERS GANG R*PE THE POOR GUY? And after that, in a conversation with his gang assistant or whatever, the assistant asks why he didn't just force himself onto Da Wei by now. And this bastard Chi Cheng said that he can't bring himself to force himself onto Da Wei. YOU SHOULD NEVER EVER FORCE YOURSELF ON ANYONE WHAT??? I tried to ignore the harassment and creepy perverted stuff Chi Cheng said at first cause I assumed, or hoped, it was iffy translation. It probably isn't. I cannot state how the whole thing of Chi Cheng is that he forces himself onto men and how that's treated as normal, and in the case of Da Wei resisting, even comedic. Maybe its because you're expected to see any crime, any horridness, that a gangster does as normal. This is honestly a big problem in bl, so much so that with my experience in this genre, I wasn't even surprised. This character is taken to the extreme though because they acknowledge he forces himself onto guys and is depicted non consensually touching Da Wei in all ways. Even when they have s*x, it feels awful because Da Wei was pressured into doing it after Chi Cheng threatened his best friend. The only thing I appreciate is that for possibly the first time ever, Da Wei kissed first and started it, though I doubt it'd change much if he didn't. Da Wei irritates me as well, mostly because of his whole seduction thing. Revenge-seducing your exs current man is certainly an idea, but even looking past that he executes it not so well. Frankly his plan wouldn't have worked if Chi Cheng wasn't a pervert that got his thrill from harassing and r*ping men. For a guy who dated someone for ~3 years he sure doesn't know how attraction works. And don't tell me it's because he dated a girl and that gay relationships are different in regards to this. Da Weis made sure we all think that. Chi Cheng made it clear that he was interested, s*xually for the most part, in Da Wei. What I don't understand is why Da Wei would continue to do things to further advance their relationship when he clearly wasn't comfortable with any kind of s*xual acts with Chi Cheng. If someone kept forcing themselves on me I would try to create distance both physically and emotionally. Surely getting revenge on Yue Yue isn't worth being potentially r*ped for, right? Honestly he had Chi Cheng wrapped around his finger and didn't have to try to act smart or appeal to Chi Chengs other interests, though it was pretty funny to see him act like an academic on his date with Chi Cheng, like what are you doing bro? I understand the silly scheming is to be entertaining but it felt a bit immature compared to what happens in the show but maybe that's cause I expected a more serious plot. But even after they have s*x, when Chi Chengs harassment and uncalled touches are repackaged as consensual and attractive, I can't help but feel that Da Wei is uncomfortable. Maybe it's the acting of his or aggressive nature of Chi Cheng but it still felt like he was being harassed by Chi Cheng, just that he gave up and accepted his fate which made me upset, poor guy :( I also thought for a guy having s*x for the first time with another guy, Da Wei would need more help or even instructions but he jumped right into it. He was also having trouble walking after that, I'm not an expert on s*x especially man-to-man, so maybe it's expected because behind can be more sensitive, but I hope Chi Cheng went easy at the very least because with his aggressiveness he could've caused unnecessary pain to Da Wei which isn't the healthiest but this whole show is a red flag thanks to Chi Cheng so it's a small thing.

And bringing that up, I'd like to talk about the second couple, Xiao Shuai and Guo Cheng Yu. They were honestly a nice breather from the toxicity that is Chi Cheng. The issue is that thanks to him, the bar is so low that a fellow gangster like Guo Cheng Yu not laying his hands inappropriately and without consent makes him perfect.
I didn't like how he kept pestering Xiao Shuai even after eating a slap from him. He's always stalking this man, seen sitting somewhere behind him at a bar or anywhere else he goes honestly. I know it's all "aww he's keeping an eye on his crush even when the crush feels like he doesn't care about him" or that he's rich and well connected and it's normal for people like that to stalk their interests. Just text or call this guy when he clearly misses you or leave him alone entirely after that slap. But other than that I actually found them cute despite the slow burn compared to the other couple, my fav scene being when Xiao Shuai was drunk out of his mind over a horrible ex and contrary to what I expected Guo Cheng Yu took him back to his place and handled the drunkeness really well! He didn't try to correct or argue or take advantage of a drunk Xiao Shuai and instead adjusted to whatever reality Xiao Shuai was experiencing. I like how Guo Cheng Yu, albeit after he figured out Xiao Shuai liked him, never pushed it and at worst he'd do some cringy flirting. Chi Cheng take notes.
The weird thing about Guo Cheng Yu though is that at the start I think he "traded" a visibly scared boyfriend to Chi Cheng over some snake fighting bet. I'd rather die than meet a Chi Cheng in real life let alone be traded to one. How do you even trade a person without it being trafficking?

The doctor Xiao Shuai is the only nice one besides some creepy comments he made about Da Wei cause he was shirtless. It was right after Da Wei found out Xiao Shuais gay but its pretty narrow minded to assume that a gay man's gonna get seduced or suddenly become attracted to another guy, let alone his best friend, just cause he was shirtless/showed some skin. If someone I had a strictly platonic relationship with took their shirt off I wouldn't really care. But that's all I have to say about the characters.

Now, the plot. To me it felt like it ended at episode 9 and from there it was petty, boring stuff. I do tend to like bls that focus more on plot than romance so forgive me but I did find the snake thing pretty interesting. I also liked the gang-ish aspect of Chi Cheng and Guo Cheng Yu when it came to snakes; I love some good dangerous and mysterious characters. That side that felt completely forgotten later on.
I liked the father's involvement in it especially because its simply someone Chi Cheng cannot afford to beat, and the fathers motivations, the need to put extreme pressure on a guy like his son, are somewhat interesting as well. The snake gangs were so cool honestly, I liked that snake den of Chi Chengs and the snake fight scene. Too bad that in a 24-episode show, that ends at episode 9. I was a bit confused with the snake trade, specifically how all sides were handling snake breeding, transportation and losses (snake deaths). Pair that with potential misunderstanding via translation and you've got me puzzled. I was so hyped to see what Da Weis money-making, Chi Cheng-attention-grabbing plan with snake breeding was but I couldn't wrap my head around it all. I was also confused with what and how Guo Cheng Yu planned to do what he wanted with Chi Chengs stolen snakes. I also couldn't make out how Da Wei would help Chi Cheng snake-wise and kept cursing him out when he decided to go into an active fight zone to pick up the post-crash, unsecured snake boxes for safe keeping. Honestly I was hoping he'd make an effort to hide his face/identity, doing all that so Chi Cheng wouldn't see him, cause maybe its my bad but I expected Chi Cheng to get mad at him for getting himself into all of that, especially when he's been shown as a gangster type who intimidates people even when he's worried about them.
I did stop watching at episode 14, but I skimmed through the rest of the eps and read a summary for each of them to see if anything plot relevant or interesting happens since I was losing interest and patience with Chi Chengs r*pey behaviour. It seems that Da Wei gets kidnapped possibly by Chi Chengs dad but it happens so later on I couldn't care to watch more fluff and more ex beef (Wang shuo) just to get to that. I know Da Weis mother dies (she also told Chi Cheng to not warn Da Wei of her cancer, because why wouldn't she?) which I expected since she's an older parental figure, single mom, extremely kind, rural and broke: all standard requirements to be The Family Member That Dies in bls and other shows. Reading that solidified in my head that I'm not finishing this show; for me to go through eventless s*xual teasing and general fluff - the thing I feared would happen once I finished episode 9 - just to be hit with another extremely common trope you'd see from miles away is a bit insulting.

I wish the dad took on a bigger role throughout the whole show, like the villain Yue Yue was made to be, but his reckless act of stealing his sons prized possessions, live animals, and the consequent death of them didn't even feel that bad. This whole gang thing was set up around snakes, its basically the thing Chi Cheng lives for, and for there to be no real consequences for the father and for everyone to move on hurts my soul. Chi Chengs most interesting trait was his ability to handle snakes and the shady stuff surrounding that type of work, but it really didn't get as developed as it should've been. One thing I will say though is that that fight scene at the snake van crash site was amazing, no doubt thanks to the budget and wonderful choreographers. Too bad we don't see that often or again.
I also quit watching once Wang Shuo, Chi Chengs ex, entered the picture. I thought the big beef between the main couple would be that Da Wei had ulterior movies when approaching Chi Cheng, even if I didn't think it mattered at all at this point because Chi Cheng outweighs any bad by Da Wei and also that Da Wei clearly loves him otherwise he wouldn't have gone as far as he did and be open to continue dating even after confessing his secret, but surprisingly it was yet another ex, just Chi Chengs ex instead.
I was thinking about how we started with a potentially super interesting plot surrounding snake gangs just for the base plot in the middle eps to be some petty ex drama and everyone and their mother getting mad about each others past relationships. Then apparently at the end Chi Cheng gets detained for tax evasion (he should be detained for much more) and Da Wei spends and devotes everything to getting his guy out of jail. Where was this kidnapping and tax evasion plot when I was dying of boredom for 5 eps straight post episode 9?

Anyway, didn't enjoy the show plot or relationship wise and I wouldn't recommend it. Chi Chengs actor would do a good job playing an evil, criminal character that isn't romanticised. Da Wei should've taken all of Chi Chengs money and run off with his mother. Xiao Shuai and Guo Cheng Yu should get their own lighthearted bl show.

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I can't believe what I just watched, in the best way possible

I will say for unaware readers, this show is more on the psychological thriller side and has a mild dose of violence, self harm, definitely abuse, and SA. I can't list all the warnings so do be aware of the severe parts of the show if you are sensitive!

I just finished watching this show. I usually write my reviews right after watching them, but I'm not even sure how to go about explaining this. This show freaked me out, made me hate characters so strongly, gave me a feeling of hopelessness and exasperation, you name it. I say all this but I truly do mean it in a good way because that's exactly what the show sets out to do! I did know what I was in for because I watched a video discussing this show among others but I'm still taken aback. Okay, I've gotta start somewhere with this review.

Let's rewind to the start! If you made me watch half of the show, I would've never suspected Jaemin of doing... all that. I did watch someone discuss this but I wasn't sure who exactly was the love interest and who were the evil ones. Knowing that there were 3 "love interests" and that 2 of them were horrible people had me suspecting everyone. Until Suhyeon came along, I wouldn't have been surprised if Seonghyeon turned out to be the controlling one because his flaws (clingy, pushy, stubborn) were evident earlier than Jaemin's. For that, I sincerely apologise to Seonghyeon. Da On is interesting too, I mean, he's the main character, of course he is. I saw people point out a flaw of Da On and even say that they think the show did too much with it; the flaw being his inability to be clear and stand up for himself. I'd say that this flaw has only been observed by viewers whenever Da On was in a scene with Suhyeon. At the start he didn't really have a reason to go against Jaemin, and he only just met his coworker (who he HAS been rude with). I didn't think of this flaw as an issue for the show, honestly I don't really consider it a flaw of Da On either. My thoughts on this issue parallel another feeling/thought I had about the relationships. If I ever have these kind of relationships, or if I ever meet (God forbid) people like that in my life, I'd probably be helpless and wouldn't be able to do much. Obviously it depends on the person, how much control they have of their life, their trust in police, their views of love and its boundaries, etc. But in my case I would be able to do even lesser than Da On against those evil men. With Jaemin, there's a strong attachment and years of relationship as well as mental debt. Suhyeon is likewise insane but he's dangerous, violent, and most of all, powerful (rich, big company, the boss). No one can convince me that they wouldn't hesitate or struggle a bit when going against these people, especially Suhyeon who does NOT stop to think whenever he has a violent urge (which actually makes Jaemin scarier because he DOES think out his violent acts before he does it). In fact, I thought Da On was really strong at the start for saying no and going against Suhyeon's orders even when that bastard had him against the wall by his collar after breaking a vase. He continued to say no to some of Suhyeon's orders after that as well. It's kind of hard to do that when someone who can and will kill you is attacking you. I'd also like to thank the show for depicting the abuses as they are, and more so for making the love interest the normal coworker and not Suhyeon, even if that's the whole point of the plot. I guess I've seen too many "love interests" do horrible things and have their shows treat it normally. But wow, I tend to put myself in the main characters shoes when thinking about a show and nothing has made me realise how done I'd be in such a situation. It makes you realise the severity of what the character is going through. This was unintended for sure but I felt my resolve to stay away from toxic and abusive people strengthen just thinking about it. I hope it had the same effect on people who actually need it. The only frustrating thing/flaw of Da On in my eyes would be him constantly walking away WHEN TALKING ABOUT IT JUST A LITTLE MORE WOULD HELP GREATLY!!! So many characters do this during arguments so I'm used to it. I was also confused during that period where he was pushing Seonghyeon away after Suhyeon pretty much threatened (and dare I say even SA'd him with a forceful make out thing) Da On. It felt like a switched flipped inside him which I first assumed was him acting rude and cold for both his and Seonghyeon's safety from Suhyeon but with what he and his sister said, it gives the impression that it's normal for him to think that? They were like "oh yeah he does that a lot and acts like he isn't good enough (something like that) for your love". If it's a normal train of thought it sure happened suddenly. Maybe Suhyeon's outburst triggered something for him to act like that.
Speaking of Suhyeon, even now, I hate him a lot. It might even be more or equal to the hate I have for Jaemin. The thing that made Jaemin bearable is that he was never really directly violent with Da On (save for the finale obviously) and also that he mostly disappeared or played a very weak role in the middle. Actually he only went insane towards the end and had the viewers attention then. With Suhyeon, he was persistent and Da On didn't even like him. I also think that any likeability is gone when you start getting unreasonably violent with someone you love and essentially become a domestic abuser. I don't think the show was trying to redeem him at the end, I myself was surprised he agreed to quit harassing Da On on his own will, so I hope that isn't the case. That scene did hit my heart though because it made me realise that years and years of bonding with both Jaemin and Suhyeon was gone just like that. That guy shouldn't be in a relationship until he can keep his anger under control. I know the show makes Jaemin the bigger villain but in my opinion both of them are equally bad in their own ways. It's interesting to note that during the ring flashback scene, it looked like Da On was pressured into saying yes to Suhyeon. I know that their relationship in uni was supposed to be almost completely healthy/normal but seeing how Suhyeon treats him now brought back that feeling of frustration and anger when I saw him once again forcefully push Da On against a wall - the same behaviour, just in the past. I don't know if it was on purpose but it felt like a pattern of behaviour, like that push and other forceful behaviour done in the flashbacks was planting the seeds for what would happen later on. I'm also unclear on whether or not these two had sex after that Seonghyeon-Suhyeon confrontation in front of Da On's apartment. That make out scene was already uncomfortable and definitely pressured at the very least, so my heart stopped when I saw Suhyeon wake up kind of shirtless and in new clothes in Da On's bed. That is so concerning I pray for Da On's sake that isn't the case cause that adds to the horridness these men subject him to. I wish the show cleared that up but maybe I'm just stupid and it's very clearly implied they did sleep together. I'm also questioning why Da On wasn't clear that what Suhyeon was doing wasn't related to a love for Jaemin but for him instead (though I'd argue an obsession) especially after Suhyeon started making out with him in his apartment?? Why would he make out with you if he's trying to get Jaemin back or spite him? Maybe Suhyeon used sexual assault as a weapon before but its not like the viewer would know that. Either way, Suhyeon can go to hell and back and I can't find it in my heart to be happy that he did the bare minimum and stopped stalking and harassing Da On. He's lucky there's a bigger evil because the things I would've said wouldn't even be in the review right now; physical domestic abuse is a bit more alien to me thankfully so I'm not used to it and haven't heard many excuses for it, my tolerance is a bit low.
I think they did a good job balancing Seonghyeon and Da On's relationship because it let me breathe in between all the grim events. I like that he's also flawed, like doing too much and clinging, but definitely not to the extent that our 2 satanic hellspawns are. There isn't much to say about him because he's a pretty normal love interest all things considered. Bless his persistence when there's an argument because where Da On walks away, he chases him and makes sure that there isn't something left unsaid or misunderstood. Except for that hickey thing, I was screaming at my screen for Da On to just say that Jaemin assaulted/forced himself onto him and that's why he has that. I understand why people would want to keep such a thing private but he was ready to clear the air in Seonghyeon's apartment until Seonghyeon cut him off and was like "no need to explain, I get how it is", and he just gave up trying to explain a very explainable thing? I was surprised to see Seonghyeon say and cut Da On off continously like that, like that's my communication king right there what happened? But I understand he was deeply hurt :( also shout out to Seonghyeon's actor (Cha Sun Hyung) for having a ridiculously contagious smile for a character like Seonghyeon who would definitely have a feature like that!
Now, Jaemin. Despite being what I'd say the main antagonist, I don't have that much to say about him, at least compared to Suhyeon. The reveal that he knew Da On before their first official meeting was crazy, it makes so much sense and implies stalking on an insane scale. Crazy how different it is when a similar reveal was done with Seonghyeon, made me love the couple even more. Jaemin is the kind of obsessed, violent and severely mentally ill character you'd see in mangas, manhwas, animes, movies, any fictional setting. Which is why it was so unsettling seeing it being depicted a bit realistically (at least before the finale). He didn't even need to be crazy rich like Suhyeon, just financially stable; he would pay strangers some money to interfere with Da On's life. If you asked multiple people on the street to do that, with the money in hand, someone's guaranteed to accept. Crazy how he makes Suhyeon look sane. I loved when even after going through the disgustingly manipulative theatrics of stabbing himself 2 or 3 times in the arm in front of Da On to guilt trip him, he's left alone at the hospital with a note rejecting him. I love when Da On does stuff like that, I was proud. I did find it crazy when he kidnapped and then tried to kill both himself and Da On (that's where my fictional point comes in) but I think that's because he was simply MIA for a good chunk of the show and he was completely normal at the start so I wouldn't really count that either. The thing that separated him and Suhyeon was the strategy of violence which Suhyeon didn't employ, it was all violence and no strategy with him. To be fair I did suspect that Jaemin was gonna do something extreme when his lack of presence and strong role was becoming a bit too obvious. I still didn't expect that insane kidnapping scene, I was at a loss of words there. This man was really dressed like a dang groom or something and taking photos of a powerless, tied up Da On like it wasn't the grossest thing ever. Let alone THE MURDER ATTEMPTS!!! I feel guilty saying this but I kind of loved it when he went no filter crazy in the police station, laughing in Suhyeon's face and going "you'll never know why I did that contract". Hell, I started laughing with him cause his mental state is unbelievably cooked LMAO.
I also have to disagree with the reason for Suhyeon leaving Da On alone. It's not that you couldn't protect him, you kind of already did by kicking Jaemin at the last second and consequently knocking him out when he was about to finally stab Da On, but more so that you were horribly abusive. The amount of times he grabbed Da On's jaw like that made my own jaw hurt. Not only that, but he constantly belittled Da On (he even did that in one of the uni flashbacks!). My view of how the show handled Suhyeon is ever so slightly iffy because it felt like in the build-up of Jaemin his wrongs mattered less, but I'm glad that his violence was shown as something negative and his anger issues as a problem.
Overall, I cared and engaged with the main character a lot, constantly wondering what he did to deserve two of the most evil men on this Earth being obsessed with him. The tension really gave off thriller vibes which I have been missing a lot recently and I enjoyed Jaemin even if he doesn't have a strong role until the very end. I liked when Seonghyeon and Da On would come to an understanding after an argument, very satisfying. The abuse is negatively portrayed and when it comes to a more realistic domestic abuse case like Suhyeon, it could help people reflect on their own similar relationships and maybe give them a push to get out of such a thing, or it could be a valuable cautionary tale for those who are new to relationships. For the rewatch rating, it might be a bit lower than expected but that's because this show is pretty heavy with its mistreatment and abuse aspects so it might be hard to sit through all that again. Still, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who have a love for psychological thrillers like I do but still want something slightly calm (thanks to the normal romance).

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Great start already!

This show is still releasing but it's pretty good. Honestly the acting can be stiff at times or maybe the camera lingers for too long especially during the earlier scenes where Thup would look at Singha with some kind of admirable expression after something romantic happens. I can't really explain it well but if you watch the show you'd get it because I don't think I should be noticing the camera lingering for 1 second longer than it should. It's still enjoyable though and the effects of the corpses and gored ghosts are done so well! You'd usually expect a horror shows weak point to be inaccurate CGI or makeup but this show doesn't have that problem. I'm still on episode 7 but when I think back on it, the case is moving quite slow. Could be a problem for story-focused viewers but the ghost scares and romance stuff has kept me well entertained. What frustrated me the most was Thup's character because of how little use he had at the start and there's still traces of this flaw in later episodes. Other than us seeing the ghosts with him, case-wise he wasn't doing much. Singha would make/allow him to follow him around the victims houses and police station but Thup would just end up standing there awkwardly in the background like this🧍. It was made even more apparent when King was introduced and started beefing with Thup, clearly disliking his presence and I can't even blame him because jealous ex behaviour aside, WHY is this guy here? I like when his character is in use though, e.g. When the ghost told him where the inheritance documents were so that he could give them to her father and, more recently, when the ghost told him to check the evidence storage room to save that guys life. Plus his spiritual knowledge being put to use with the role designation of "spiritual consultant" was nice to see too! Sey and Darin's actors (Michael Kiettisak Vatanavitsakul and TopTen Supakorn Saokhor) act so well that even though I wasn't too fond of their characters relationship, I still ended up loving them. They bring so much charm to their characters. I would recommend this show for sure, I get so bored easily nowadays so if a show can hold me for this long then you know it's, at the very least, extremely entertaining!

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