This review may contain spoilers
Flawed and messy, but not bad
MarkOhm’s debut series surprised me in several ways, both positive and negative. Generally I enjoyed it, mostly due to good performances of the main couple and some of the supporting cast, while the plot, writing and editing were the show’s weakest parts.
Let’s start with what was surprising and disappointing at the same time: plot and writing. "Classic" BL plot is simple: main characters meet, fall for each other, overcome whatever obstacles prevent them from becoming a couple and become a couple; at this point show either ends or main characters do something unrelated to their relationship. Diversions from this formula are welcomed, but often appear to be not thought through sufficiently. This seems to be the case with STGD, as its main plot follows a zig-zag pattern of progressing and backtracking:
-> Sant and Jay have a history when we meet them, which is an interesting addition to the standard formula; initially their past seems like something they can get over and start fresh – especially that Jay seems eager to continue where they stopped,
-> four episodes in we’re told it was all Jay’s ploy to get revenge on Sant for breaking Jay’s heart; what normally would be a major plot twist, gets disproven almost immediately and entirely forgotten in the next episode,
-> Captain shows up and becomes Jay rival, Jay declares that he won’t give in and proceeds to do … nothing (or almost nothing) to win Sant over; later Captain backs off and even helps Sant and Jay meet; to this day I don’t know whether Captain was actually interested in Sant or merely pretending – in order to get Jay motivated to move on from his other past experiences (the show hints at both these options as true, which confused me),
-> Sant and Jay reunite, but do not become a couple until late in ep. 8 for no clear reason (nothing prevents them from becoming a thing at the end of ep. 6) – instead almost the entire cast relocates to the country to solve Sant’s family issues.
On one hand – this is all very different from the "classic" approach to writing a BL story (the surprise I mentioned); on the other hand – it’s messy and makes very little sense (the let-down I mentioned).
With so much going on in the main plot one could think that STGD has its episodes densely packed with story development, meaningful dialogues and emotional scenes, right? Wrong. Lack of content from the main plot forced the writers to use filler – and a lot of it. The entire Gug-Yada-Baipor "storyline" (if one can call it that way) is filler, as it serves no other purpose. It gets pointless early on, but despite of that drags for most of the show – leading nowhere.
Both Jay and Sant have family issues, written, presented and solved skillfully (Jay) or poorly (Sant), but utterly unrelated to the main plot – hence suspected of being more filler. Jay’s mom, Sant’s mom nor his grandparents were never a hindrance for the main characters to become a couple and those "family issues" storylines don’t really help the main characters to deepen their relationship – although they do help to flesh out Jay and Sant, giving them both some background and complexity (Jay in particular).
I’ll mention this only very briefly, but the writing and choice of topics the show decided to address resulted in STGD’s tone being all over the place. At first glance it’s a rom-com, funny but not goofy nor silly (and not fluffy either). Already in ep. 2 tone changes for several scenes, as Sant’s traumatic past haunts him; this becomes more frequent in later episodes, with plenty of sad or serious scenes played entirely straight . The effect may not be to everyone’s liking: a generally comedic show interspersed with many sobering moments, starkly contrasting with the lighthearted tone. While this is not a major complaint, I do believe these tonal issues could have been solved better, in a more nuanced way, allowing for a better flow of the show.
STGD feels messy for one more reason: editing. While it’s okay for a good portion of the show’s running time, there are multiple examples of baffling editing choices which make an episode or part of it less coherent and disjointed. Strangely enough this is not (as one could expect) due to flashbacks, which are visibly distinct from "present day" content, but due to other show elements, like product placement scenes (only some of which were mercifully located at the end of episode or post credits) or the show’s writing. Take ep. 7, which starts in Bangkok, but relocates to Suphan with almost no warning, and ep. 8, most of which take place in Suphan, only to very abruptly get back to Bangkok; there’s a hard cut after a romantic scene with Jay and Sant and – all of the sudden – we’re back in the capital. Or ep. 9: halfway through it Sant and Jay wake up, realize they made love while drunk, talk it out, go either to sleep or to make more love (this is unclear due to writing, editing and subs), scene cuts to Jay’s dream about Jeng, Jay wakes up and (again, due to editing, writing and subs) it’s unclear whether this is a continuation of the scene from before or a new scene taking place on a different day. There are other examples of scenes which – at best – seem loosely connected to each other; all that makes STGD look messy, rushed and unfinished.
Having written all of the above I should explain why I enjoyed the show – despite its many flaws. As I mentioned at the start, the decisive factor are good performances, first and foremost by Mark and Ohm.
I believe Mark to be one of the most talented young actors in Thai BLs, when it comes to versatility second only to "War" Wanarat Ratsameerat, and I enjoyed most of his work – including in STGD. Mark’s Jay is quirky, funny and sexy, but also deeply wounded, vulnerable , split and hiding a lot of doubt and sadness. Mark does in STGD what I appreciate most: elevating a character he’s portraying, like in two painful moments of self-awareness in ep. 7 and 10 or interacting with Ohm’s character and breathing life into Jay.
While Ohm’s credentials are not as impressive as his on-screen partner, he nevertheless does a good job as the sassy, funny and somewhat chaotic Sant. I equally liked the softer, calmer, more collected side he displayed at times, especially in later episodes.
Mark and Ohm work together really well – I don’t recall any scenes with them being the main focus or only characters present that I disliked; I enjoyed most of them for the interaction, comedy, banter and cuteness. The chemistry and dynamic are there – a little polish and MarkOhm will be able to handle more than rom-coms.
Out of the supporting cast one deserves praise: "Honey" Passorn Leowrakwong, who portrayed Jay’s mother. The veteran actress shows what experience, competence and talent can do, giving a small, but important performance. While comedic at first, it turns heartwarming and later almost heartbreaking. Despite of appearing in only a handful of scenes, her character is still better defined – thanks to writing and Honey’s performance – than Yada, Captain and Gug, all of whom are supporting characters (formally more important than Jay’s mom, but nevertheless bland and one-dimensional).
As a BL (and that how I judge it) STGD doesn’t fail, it ticks the most important boxes, lacking where most BL do – in the writing department. Not a bad show, STGD deserves revisiting – which I’ll do, maybe not in its entirety, but I will. For the solid work of MarkOhm and Honey, for the laughs and tears, kisses and banter – I will.
Let’s start with what was surprising and disappointing at the same time: plot and writing. "Classic" BL plot is simple: main characters meet, fall for each other, overcome whatever obstacles prevent them from becoming a couple and become a couple; at this point show either ends or main characters do something unrelated to their relationship. Diversions from this formula are welcomed, but often appear to be not thought through sufficiently. This seems to be the case with STGD, as its main plot follows a zig-zag pattern of progressing and backtracking:
-> Sant and Jay have a history when we meet them, which is an interesting addition to the standard formula; initially their past seems like something they can get over and start fresh – especially that Jay seems eager to continue where they stopped,
-> four episodes in we’re told it was all Jay’s ploy to get revenge on Sant for breaking Jay’s heart; what normally would be a major plot twist, gets disproven almost immediately and entirely forgotten in the next episode,
-> Captain shows up and becomes Jay rival, Jay declares that he won’t give in and proceeds to do … nothing (or almost nothing) to win Sant over; later Captain backs off and even helps Sant and Jay meet; to this day I don’t know whether Captain was actually interested in Sant or merely pretending – in order to get Jay motivated to move on from his other past experiences (the show hints at both these options as true, which confused me),
-> Sant and Jay reunite, but do not become a couple until late in ep. 8 for no clear reason (nothing prevents them from becoming a thing at the end of ep. 6) – instead almost the entire cast relocates to the country to solve Sant’s family issues.
On one hand – this is all very different from the "classic" approach to writing a BL story (the surprise I mentioned); on the other hand – it’s messy and makes very little sense (the let-down I mentioned).
With so much going on in the main plot one could think that STGD has its episodes densely packed with story development, meaningful dialogues and emotional scenes, right? Wrong. Lack of content from the main plot forced the writers to use filler – and a lot of it. The entire Gug-Yada-Baipor "storyline" (if one can call it that way) is filler, as it serves no other purpose. It gets pointless early on, but despite of that drags for most of the show – leading nowhere.
Both Jay and Sant have family issues, written, presented and solved skillfully (Jay) or poorly (Sant), but utterly unrelated to the main plot – hence suspected of being more filler. Jay’s mom, Sant’s mom nor his grandparents were never a hindrance for the main characters to become a couple and those "family issues" storylines don’t really help the main characters to deepen their relationship – although they do help to flesh out Jay and Sant, giving them both some background and complexity (Jay in particular).
I’ll mention this only very briefly, but the writing and choice of topics the show decided to address resulted in STGD’s tone being all over the place. At first glance it’s a rom-com, funny but not goofy nor silly (and not fluffy either). Already in ep. 2 tone changes for several scenes, as Sant’s traumatic past haunts him; this becomes more frequent in later episodes, with plenty of sad or serious scenes played entirely straight . The effect may not be to everyone’s liking: a generally comedic show interspersed with many sobering moments, starkly contrasting with the lighthearted tone. While this is not a major complaint, I do believe these tonal issues could have been solved better, in a more nuanced way, allowing for a better flow of the show.
STGD feels messy for one more reason: editing. While it’s okay for a good portion of the show’s running time, there are multiple examples of baffling editing choices which make an episode or part of it less coherent and disjointed. Strangely enough this is not (as one could expect) due to flashbacks, which are visibly distinct from "present day" content, but due to other show elements, like product placement scenes (only some of which were mercifully located at the end of episode or post credits) or the show’s writing. Take ep. 7, which starts in Bangkok, but relocates to Suphan with almost no warning, and ep. 8, most of which take place in Suphan, only to very abruptly get back to Bangkok; there’s a hard cut after a romantic scene with Jay and Sant and – all of the sudden – we’re back in the capital. Or ep. 9: halfway through it Sant and Jay wake up, realize they made love while drunk, talk it out, go either to sleep or to make more love (this is unclear due to writing, editing and subs), scene cuts to Jay’s dream about Jeng, Jay wakes up and (again, due to editing, writing and subs) it’s unclear whether this is a continuation of the scene from before or a new scene taking place on a different day. There are other examples of scenes which – at best – seem loosely connected to each other; all that makes STGD look messy, rushed and unfinished.
Having written all of the above I should explain why I enjoyed the show – despite its many flaws. As I mentioned at the start, the decisive factor are good performances, first and foremost by Mark and Ohm.
I believe Mark to be one of the most talented young actors in Thai BLs, when it comes to versatility second only to "War" Wanarat Ratsameerat, and I enjoyed most of his work – including in STGD. Mark’s Jay is quirky, funny and sexy, but also deeply wounded, vulnerable , split and hiding a lot of doubt and sadness. Mark does in STGD what I appreciate most: elevating a character he’s portraying, like in two painful moments of self-awareness in ep. 7 and 10 or interacting with Ohm’s character and breathing life into Jay.
While Ohm’s credentials are not as impressive as his on-screen partner, he nevertheless does a good job as the sassy, funny and somewhat chaotic Sant. I equally liked the softer, calmer, more collected side he displayed at times, especially in later episodes.
Mark and Ohm work together really well – I don’t recall any scenes with them being the main focus or only characters present that I disliked; I enjoyed most of them for the interaction, comedy, banter and cuteness. The chemistry and dynamic are there – a little polish and MarkOhm will be able to handle more than rom-coms.
Out of the supporting cast one deserves praise: "Honey" Passorn Leowrakwong, who portrayed Jay’s mother. The veteran actress shows what experience, competence and talent can do, giving a small, but important performance. While comedic at first, it turns heartwarming and later almost heartbreaking. Despite of appearing in only a handful of scenes, her character is still better defined – thanks to writing and Honey’s performance – than Yada, Captain and Gug, all of whom are supporting characters (formally more important than Jay’s mom, but nevertheless bland and one-dimensional).
As a BL (and that how I judge it) STGD doesn’t fail, it ticks the most important boxes, lacking where most BL do – in the writing department. Not a bad show, STGD deserves revisiting – which I’ll do, maybe not in its entirety, but I will. For the solid work of MarkOhm and Honey, for the laughs and tears, kisses and banter – I will.
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