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This review may contain spoilers
That Summer: A Summer That Stretched Too Long
Let me start by saying that I went into this series genuinely excited. It had all the ingredients for a delicious romance: an island setting, summertime vibes, an amnesia arc, a city-boy-to-island-boy character arc, and etc. Unfortunately, the show didn’t go the way I’d hoped.
Starting with the main couple, as someone who really enjoyed Winny and Satang’s chemistry in MSP, I expected their chemistry to be even stronger with them as the leads. To my surprise, I felt none of that chemistry here. On top of that, the writers made Lava quite unlikeable in the early episodes, which made it hard for me to root for the romance and him as a character.
As for the main romance, I understand they were going for a “simple summer love story,” but with ten episodes to fill, it needed more substance. Halfway through, it felt like the plot stopped moving entirely. Instead, we repeatedly watched the characters do everyday activities like teaching, playing on the beach, and so on. While the visuals were defo beautiful, there’s only so much visuals can do. This drama really could've benefitted with having fewer episodes and a tighter screenplay.
Then there’s the palace arc, where the prince’s family was trapped. This could have added some much needed spice or story depth, but because the show insisted on staying in “simple romance” mode, they didn’t explore it at all. All we really learn is that Davin’s family was held hostage and then somehow won in the end. Honestly, the palace arc with another guy trying to take over made no sense. Since he was trying to get rid of the prince, he should’ve asked for proof of the prince’s death or sent a larger group to finish the job. The fact that only Victor and Paolo were sent made zero sense to me. With no deeper explanation or build up, it was hard to take any of it seriously. It felt like a fever dream.
There was also a second amnesia trope which, while completely unnecessary, I was still able to tolerate. However, the way they rushed through that entire arc in just two episodes really weakened the emotional impact of everything that came before it. I genuinely wanted to see more of Prince Davin and the realistic struggles that would come with a relationship marked by such a clear power imbalance, but the show ignored all of that until the very last episode, and by then, it felt far too late to matter. I did not care about the main couple at all by that point.
The second couple actually had more of a storyline, with more well-developed problems and feelings, but their arc still felt rushed. Especially the adoption plot. It came across like the writers suddenly decided, “Hey, let’s add an adoption angle, people will like that,” without thinking it through. It ended up portraying adoption as something easy and casual, which left a bad taste in my mouth.
The supporting characters, while enjoyable, were also quite one dimensional. Tum = Tik-tok obsessed, loves weed & alcohol, likes Kratae. Kratae = Responsible nurse and Tum's crush. Till the end, I never quite understood why they liked each other / what they liked about each other.
PROS
1. Beautiful cinematography
2. Strong production quality in terms of location setting and color grading.
3. Brings out topics that are fairly new to Thai BLs such as adoption, weed use, queer people in politics, etc.
4. Stronger second couple
5. Decent Acting
CONS
1. Main leads had no chemistry
2. Extremely slow/draggy plot line
3. Wasted potential with the palace arc.
4. Rushed second couple
5. Inconsistency between the 'simple summer romance' idea and the attempted dramatic political elements.
Overall, That Summer had the potential to be a heartfelt, visually stunning romance, but its weak development, undercooked storylines, and draggy pacing made it bland and way less impactful than it could have been.
Starting with the main couple, as someone who really enjoyed Winny and Satang’s chemistry in MSP, I expected their chemistry to be even stronger with them as the leads. To my surprise, I felt none of that chemistry here. On top of that, the writers made Lava quite unlikeable in the early episodes, which made it hard for me to root for the romance and him as a character.
As for the main romance, I understand they were going for a “simple summer love story,” but with ten episodes to fill, it needed more substance. Halfway through, it felt like the plot stopped moving entirely. Instead, we repeatedly watched the characters do everyday activities like teaching, playing on the beach, and so on. While the visuals were defo beautiful, there’s only so much visuals can do. This drama really could've benefitted with having fewer episodes and a tighter screenplay.
Then there’s the palace arc, where the prince’s family was trapped. This could have added some much needed spice or story depth, but because the show insisted on staying in “simple romance” mode, they didn’t explore it at all. All we really learn is that Davin’s family was held hostage and then somehow won in the end. Honestly, the palace arc with another guy trying to take over made no sense. Since he was trying to get rid of the prince, he should’ve asked for proof of the prince’s death or sent a larger group to finish the job. The fact that only Victor and Paolo were sent made zero sense to me. With no deeper explanation or build up, it was hard to take any of it seriously. It felt like a fever dream.
There was also a second amnesia trope which, while completely unnecessary, I was still able to tolerate. However, the way they rushed through that entire arc in just two episodes really weakened the emotional impact of everything that came before it. I genuinely wanted to see more of Prince Davin and the realistic struggles that would come with a relationship marked by such a clear power imbalance, but the show ignored all of that until the very last episode, and by then, it felt far too late to matter. I did not care about the main couple at all by that point.
The second couple actually had more of a storyline, with more well-developed problems and feelings, but their arc still felt rushed. Especially the adoption plot. It came across like the writers suddenly decided, “Hey, let’s add an adoption angle, people will like that,” without thinking it through. It ended up portraying adoption as something easy and casual, which left a bad taste in my mouth.
The supporting characters, while enjoyable, were also quite one dimensional. Tum = Tik-tok obsessed, loves weed & alcohol, likes Kratae. Kratae = Responsible nurse and Tum's crush. Till the end, I never quite understood why they liked each other / what they liked about each other.
PROS
1. Beautiful cinematography
2. Strong production quality in terms of location setting and color grading.
3. Brings out topics that are fairly new to Thai BLs such as adoption, weed use, queer people in politics, etc.
4. Stronger second couple
5. Decent Acting
CONS
1. Main leads had no chemistry
2. Extremely slow/draggy plot line
3. Wasted potential with the palace arc.
4. Rushed second couple
5. Inconsistency between the 'simple summer romance' idea and the attempted dramatic political elements.
Overall, That Summer had the potential to be a heartfelt, visually stunning romance, but its weak development, undercooked storylines, and draggy pacing made it bland and way less impactful than it could have been.
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