This review may contain spoilers
Awesome debut
Some history first: originally OhmLeng were cast as leads for this miniseries; when that ship sunk, SurfJava were cast instead – and seized their opportunity fully. Another small reminder: this was shot before "Head 2 Head" (Surf mentioned it in a H2H special), making this a debut for the ship as well as a debut for Surf in a GMMTV production.
The script relies heavily on well-known plot points and elements of monomyth, but it does so in a very competent way. What we get is a "classic" enemies-to-lovers story featuring betrayal, redemption, forgiveness and a happy end. You’ve probably seen some of that (or all of that) before, but stories like this are timeless and don’t get old nor stale. The writing is concise, smart and focuses on the main character – Tum. This choice (like in MuTeLuv: "Hi" by My Luck) was correct, as with just 4 episodes it would be too difficult to properly script and present two mains. "Love Me if You Swear" is a proper rom-com, with the comedy staying above a certain level of maturity – which I was very thankful for.
Surf does an amazing job here and feels far more comfortable with the material than he was in H2H – which might be due to the generally lighter and more comedic tone of this show. He’s got a firm grip on the role and makes Tum a likeable, relatable character: not the brightest, but smart, honest and brave enough to realize he made some wrong (and silly) choices, recognize what really matters and pursue Oh like his life depended on it. Surf’s engagement in the role makes all of that believable, elevating the character – which is something I love to see. Furthermore, Surf infused his character with calm, quiet warmth - something I did not expect and was surprised by. Java – for the third or maybe even fourth time (since "A Boss and a Babe") – portrayed an outsider, witty and almost annoyingly independent, bit of a jerk, actually. Much like with H2H’s Van, there’s more to Oh than that – a shy, quiet, thoughtful person, hesitant to open up. Java’s perfect for a role like that: superficially nonchalant, with a mocking smile and mischievous eyes that can turn calm and sad when you’re not looking. And again – like in H2H – Java got to deliver some of the most serious lines in the show, explaining why Oh prayed in the shrine; for me the story of Oh’s grandma stroke almost too close to home.
You have two young, hot, horny guys in a motel room, sitting on the floor next to a bed they just used, talking about the importance of family, what friendship is about and how love works. They don’t use any big words, there’s no pathos and it all sounds as if someone IRL was telling you all this. That’s not the show’s funniest nor most enjoyable scene, but the show’s most important scene – and it works so well because of Surf and Java. The chemistry is there not just in cute or steamy scenes; first and foremost it’s there in heavier scenes – that’s a rare gift and reason enough to keep Java and Surf together. They already showed that they can carry a show on their own.
The script relies heavily on well-known plot points and elements of monomyth, but it does so in a very competent way. What we get is a "classic" enemies-to-lovers story featuring betrayal, redemption, forgiveness and a happy end. You’ve probably seen some of that (or all of that) before, but stories like this are timeless and don’t get old nor stale. The writing is concise, smart and focuses on the main character – Tum. This choice (like in MuTeLuv: "Hi" by My Luck) was correct, as with just 4 episodes it would be too difficult to properly script and present two mains. "Love Me if You Swear" is a proper rom-com, with the comedy staying above a certain level of maturity – which I was very thankful for.
Surf does an amazing job here and feels far more comfortable with the material than he was in H2H – which might be due to the generally lighter and more comedic tone of this show. He’s got a firm grip on the role and makes Tum a likeable, relatable character: not the brightest, but smart, honest and brave enough to realize he made some wrong (and silly) choices, recognize what really matters and pursue Oh like his life depended on it. Surf’s engagement in the role makes all of that believable, elevating the character – which is something I love to see. Furthermore, Surf infused his character with calm, quiet warmth - something I did not expect and was surprised by. Java – for the third or maybe even fourth time (since "A Boss and a Babe") – portrayed an outsider, witty and almost annoyingly independent, bit of a jerk, actually. Much like with H2H’s Van, there’s more to Oh than that – a shy, quiet, thoughtful person, hesitant to open up. Java’s perfect for a role like that: superficially nonchalant, with a mocking smile and mischievous eyes that can turn calm and sad when you’re not looking. And again – like in H2H – Java got to deliver some of the most serious lines in the show, explaining why Oh prayed in the shrine; for me the story of Oh’s grandma stroke almost too close to home.
You have two young, hot, horny guys in a motel room, sitting on the floor next to a bed they just used, talking about the importance of family, what friendship is about and how love works. They don’t use any big words, there’s no pathos and it all sounds as if someone IRL was telling you all this. That’s not the show’s funniest nor most enjoyable scene, but the show’s most important scene – and it works so well because of Surf and Java. The chemistry is there not just in cute or steamy scenes; first and foremost it’s there in heavier scenes – that’s a rare gift and reason enough to keep Java and Surf together. They already showed that they can carry a show on their own.
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