MaintainingMama

Ending was super sweet, I love that the dad apologized sincerely for his behavior. I just wish it wasn't written off as "his love for Teerak." I'm also not a huge fan of the "because you are gay, you'll never get a "perfect" life, but never mind, as long as you are happy, it's all good" lines. Like bruh, what is perfect? Any and all relationships are so individual and different there is no such thing as the perfect family. As long as love, respect, caring and happiness exist with in the relationship and the home, than it is a perfect family.
Outside of that, it was cute. Thomas and Kong did a great job being it was their first series. Of course I see room for improvement, but hopefully they will get that with time. I always feel that with Domundi they prioritize chemistry and quality NC scenes. While it's never my necessary "thing" to make a show good or not, if they are in a series, then it has to be good, or it ruins the whole show. What Domundi exceeds at is even if their actors are green, any obviously never done this before on camera, they aren't going to be put on camera until the actors are and comfortable on screen. I appreciate that, because it feels like they work hard to make sure that even though they (Domundi) lean toward the sexier, more intimate, more risqué NC scenes, their actors are okay with doing it. It never feels forced and therefore awkward.
AuauSave were hella cute, looking forward to seeing their growth as actors and seeing them in their own series. But I will admit, that Por often stole all his scenes for me. He reminds me of Copter so much, both in looks and the way this character at least carried himself. I really look forward to seeing what he will get to do in the future.
All in all, a cute series from Domundi. I am anxiously waiting for The Next Prince, I hope it lives up to the hype. I also REALLY want to see NetJJ in something, even as a side couple, just to see their own scree chemistry. I'll admit to not quite being sold on their offscreen chemistry quite yet, but it's not because I prefer James (Although, they did have amazing chemistry and frankly James made a mistake, cause he cannot sing! There I said it, it's just my opinion, but man...). It's goes back to my belief that Domundi works hard on the chemistry and connection between their pairings and I sense hesitancy in JJ.... Net is smoking hot and frankly James matched the hell out of that. I'm not sure JJ is there yet or will ever be, but it would be nice to see if he could.

Sometimes, these shows remind of how truly American I am. That whole story line with the Dad pissed me off, but probably not for the reasons it pissed most people off. I'm actually glad they showed a parent not accepting it at first. It is more realistic and created some interesting dynamics to the story and the characters. However, they ruined it by not actually showing enough of how much times have changed as well has not using the AMAZING opportunity this story line had of demonstrating Teerak's actual growth as a character. He started the series off being unable to stand up for himself and therefore getting himself in to situations where he experienced real life danger. It wasn't until his relationship with Fah that he was supposed to be changing and growing and learning it was okay to do what you want, to speak up for yourself and basically stand on business. Well here come the end his Dad has a violent outburst of a temper tantrum, that was honestly scary because he pushed away both his wife, daughter, and his father. He then proceeds to micromanage Rak and honestly keep him hostage except for school. It would have been AMAZING to see instead of Mom and Babe being timid and scared of him and unwilling to speak their piece, if they would show that the mother and daughter's value in that home was more than just "a woman's place" and that they had the right to speak up on Rak's behave without being silenced. I wanted the Mother to tell her husband how ashamed she was of him for his behavior and how he was treating her son and how she would not tolerate it. That was her house too and that is her son, she has a say in what is best for him and all of that the father was doing was NOT it. It would have been so much better if instead of everyone tiptoeing around the father and his big feelings, they would have expressed their feelings on how he was treating Rak. And yes, I KNOW I'm not watching an American drama and yes I know that that is not how it happens in Asian households. I am black and believe it or not, and alot of the ways families relate in both cultural constructs are so similar. So I GET it! I'm not saying they should have (at least the kids) talked back or been disrespectful. But take the dinner scene for example, when Rak tried to not sit at first and his dad called him childish for not staying. I wish Rak would have taken a small but respectful dig on which of them was acting childish, maybe referring to the fact that he hasn't once had an outburst about the way he feels, unlike some people. And he could have either walked off or sat but refuse to eat. The thing that bothered so much was they set his father up to be the kind of character who would absolutely be bothered by the fact that his bubbly, sweet son turned cold and distant. That he stopped eating. That he never wanted to be around his father anymore. The garden scene where the Dad asked to help in a effort to "get back to being father and son", instead of Rak trying to "explain" (explain what, that you like dudes and you are dating one, what else is there to explain!?) that scene would have been more impactful for me if Rak just simply said no thank you, I'm done and walked away. Because again they set that character up to FEEL the weight of that action. That would have hurt him so much AND most importantly, it would have shown how much Rak has grown as a character! It would be subtle and non confrontational, like Rak truly is, but it would have had the same impact as him shouting at his dad, BECAUSE it isn't something he would have done before and his father would know and recognize that.
It would have been amazing if Rak was just like, nope, I'm not coming home, let me stay with Fah for a while til my dad pulls his head out of his ass. If for no other reason, than for safety. That first tantrum Rak leaving and protecting himself from his father. Another move that would have killed the rest of his family and made them put pressure on the dad to get his shit together.
If they had done those things to show how much Rak has changed, how much he has grown as a person, how much he no longer needs to rely on his sister to take care of him and how he was now capable of standing up for himself, at the end, when the dad came to the school and Rak started explaining how Fah has taught him to value himself and his needs more, it would have been this aha moment for Dad and as well as the audience cause we would see that yes, he has changed so much from the beginning of the series.
Sorry for the long winded rant, it was just I liked this show up until now for the most part, so when it came to this, obviously, I have big feelings. It just reminded me that sometimes, my western viewpoint and privilege makes watching these shows hard. I still love them, but every once in a while, I'll be reminded that this is not a world in which I live in.
I'm also over the whole parents are disappointed that their child is gay trope. Disappointed for what? Losing out on grandchildren, I assume? Let's say they have the perfect heterosexual family and lifestyle. In this day and age, most couple don't want to have kids nor are they having them. So disappointed for what? What did you lose out on? You were never entitled to it in the first place! This is coming from a mama of 4, I only expect my kids be happy and responsible adults. That's it. Other than that, this is there life, the same way this is mine and they are the ones who have to live it.
I only have one more episode to watch but this kind of ticked me off, so I'm probably going to have to watch a few minutes of a comfort BL and then head to bed instead of trying to finish this series.
Again, sorry for the long winded rant. I'm done now. 😂😂

Thank you!

Aww that is sweet of you, where did you read it, I would love to read it. Oh my goodness, Tiger nooooo! That is nuts! Thanks though!

That was cute and I'm glad they are boyfriends now. The fight scene was crazy though. Why did Klao keep running into those dudes and why were the dudes coming after him when their problems was really with Yotha? Also, why wasn't Yotha more injured? He didn't need to be as injured as Klao because the bad guys had a head start, but at the end there where he was getting stomped out, he should have more bruising and bleeding and injuries, maybe even a broken rib. For Klao to need to be admitted for a week while Yotha could go home with just some meds is nuts. But I will say Santa acted his booty off in that scene. Gun's fear for Yotha felt so real, he really conveyed how scary that scene was to be in for himself and for someone he loves. I will say, he was a bit too weak for me. I'm not saying he needed to fight well, but he literally didn't put up a fight at all. Still, he did amazing. Perth has always been a top notch NC scene actor. No notes! And Santa held his own, although he seemed a bit more reserved than he has been in scenes with Earth. But their love scenes were good, dare I say better than ForceBook, who have done this way more...don't get me wrong, love ForceBook and their scene was cute as well, glad we got to see their pairing be cute. But every time ForceBook do a love scene, I always say you can tell they are best friends. While I wouldn't called their love scenes awkward, there is always like this....hesitancy or block between them that you didn't see between say Force and Mark in Only Friends.
Anyway, I will say the only thing I was like meh on was both of them getting over their traumas so quickly. I know there is only so much they could do, since their segment is over, but I would rather it was something they both just had to keep working on, but because they had each other, they were going to keep fighting together and that having each other made it easier to try and overcome. They both have realistic issues, so it would have been nice to see them dealt with a bit more realistically.
Overall, I enjoyed their story, but I am excited to get onto the last one.
I do wonder who will be their side couple though? Each couple got their own baby side couple, so it will be fun to see who will be for the last pairing.

I thoroughly enjoyed that. Both parts. I'm one who loves Earth, think he is talented and that he did well in the role. I just rewatched some parts after finishing it and it's nice to see the story with all the pieces. I will admit, I wished that for Hill and Ter they would have had a less soft ending, if you will. They had lots of soft moments, which were beautiful and I enjoyed them, but there was a lack of intimacy that Johan and North had that was missing for them even though they were together first and the show literally opens with them making out intensely. Johan and North had a sweeping kiss at the end and I felt that Hill and Ter deserved one too, especially after the really romantic beach scene under the stars.
Now while I think Earth is amazing and did really well as Ter, I want a more mature role for him. He said recently that he would to take on a horror movie, where he plays the ghost or a suspense. I just want to see him not playing cute or sad, cause we know that he can do it, if given a chance and good direction, I think he would be great at it. I see why it's hard for him to play his age though, he absolutely doesn't look like it. I had no problem believing he was in high school or college in this series. My dream role for him though is something I have said for ever. I would love to see him in a role that is more like his authentic self. I need to see him and PP Kritt and Babe and Gun Atp and Lego and Nunew in something where fashion and makeup and style is the center and they just get to be their authentic sassy selves while also getting their guys. A Rom Com would be perfect for all of them.
I am excited for Phoon and Fah, I need answers! And I need to see Suer put out of misery, cause if he doesn't confess already and either get with Nao or get over Nao, I will go crazy. Also, do they think the only place in America is Boston? Why are all the things in Boston?
Anyway, this was a good solid series, easy to watch, lots of the feels, some heat (hello, will be ever be over North sitting on Johan's lap in the cafe?!), sweet, romantic, funny, sad. It literally was so well rounded for a series. Looking forward to the next part.

I will admit to being frustrated! These episodes need to be longer!!! I mean we are at episode 8 and they still haven't even confessed privately. Yes, they have done amazingly sweet things to show they like each other, but based on this episode they were both surprised that the other like them.
It's crazy how this show has made me turn from biasing Lego to biasing Nut, but here we are. I still love Lego like nobodies business, but Nut is definitely bias wrecking me. Honestly, I'm more impressed by all of Lykn each episode. Dylan/Hong was hilarious this episode. And who ever is styling Pepper/Tui deserves an award. William/Thame with is soft voice and his love filled eyes are killing me. Every time he smiles gently at Po like he cannot believe how cute Po is, I cannot! I need more! This is definitely a show I should have waited to binge. I cannot wait until next week.

Man this episode was so good. This show has been super inconsistent with plot/storyline and acting. Even music choices, cause what was last weeks worship song in the middle of an emotional scene? But I digress. Today's episode was amazing. So many emotional scenes met with amazing acting. When Bison and Fadel find out that Mother was the one who killed their parents and Bison goes wild, while Fadel struggled to process it all. Joong did an amazing job playing off of Khao's wild untamed grief to be able to show Fadel's world view being completely shattered juxtaposed with his responsibility as the "big brother", to keep it all together and make a plan. When he calmed Bison down but slowly started to cry as he finally let himself grieve for his parents as well as for Bison and himself for all that was done to them and for all that they were made to do, chef's kiss acting! Then again at the last scene when Fadel finds out Mother also killed his boyfriend just because he wanted to leave the "family business". This time, in the presence of his boyfriend, he let all his grief and fear eke out unfettered while he again processed all of the thoughts and feelings he had surrounding his boyfriend "leaving", only to ultimately be the cause of his death. When Style let him know that he was deserving of the love he sought after, even after all the killing he has done because of Mother he finally let him self fully grieve. That desperate hug followed by the full body heaves as he cried and then finally collapsing on Style's lap to fully cry it out was again immaculate acting on Joong's part. Dunk did good this episode as well. While I still say he excels at the humorous scenes more, this time when the heavy emotions were hitting, he didn't take away from the scenes and did a good job of aiding in them.
This episode definitely felt like Jojo got back to what I like him for as a director and I'm glad. This episode was what I expected from this series when I first saw the trailer.
I'm nervous for next week, cause it seems from the teaser that it all wraps up neatly and that would be weird. As much as I love Fadel and Bison, they have killed multiple people. They are technically serial killers. Do I think they deserve time off because they were brainwashed and made to be puppets basically for that sick lady, absolutely, but they should definitely still go to jail. I'm happy if we get a time skip and then they get to live out their lives happily with Kant and Style. Oooooorrrr, they live on the run, exploring the world and finally getting to be happy. But not just, the chief letting them off, because they have Mother in custody and that was who they wanted all this time. The End. That would be lame in my opinion and lazy writing.
I am excited to see what next week holds for us and I pray the rest of the episodes are as good as todays.

So confused but I'm waiting anxiously to find out what the heck is going on. And I'm more confused about what is the deal with his crazy mother more than I'm confused about the parallel world or a dude who can hear people's thoughts. Like why does she get to "own" him and what does his father have to do with it all? And why does Cir seem okay with the whole thing? I need that part revealed ASAP.
And finally, I would like to thank the stylist for Boss' pants fitting him to a tee and to the director for having him stand to the side in like almost every scene.

First, series for AouBoom when?! They have stolen 3 series now with their chemistry, they need their own series STAT!
Now on to Yotha and Gun. Poor Yotha, he is unsure of his feelings and it makes sense. He first had his parent's example of love and that went south. He doesn't even seem to be able to have his mother's love, cause what mother forgets what her son is allergic to...Then when he thought he found love, it turns out they were just really good friends. And the fact that he found peace and safety with that person only to lose that had to be devastating. We don't talk enough about how the person we chose to be with should be our safe space and how when that is gone it can literally rock you to your foundation. And I think that was what happened to Yotha, he was literally starting back from square one but this time with an even bigger chip on his shoulder. He literally has no frame of reference for what love is supposed to be. I mean even if he looked at Wa and Klao, that is imperfect at best (today's episode not withstanding) and toxic at worst. He didn't want to hurt Gun, so he had to take a step back. Which is fair.
Poor Gun though, the uncertainty of it all just plain sucks and Santa did an amazing job conveying that. I loved that this episode gave them both room to feel their feelings and to take time and think about what they wanted from each other and a relationship. Most relationships begin with all the ups and downs, it's almost never shown how while getting to know someone you inevitably hurt them, disappoint them and you have to work through that. And how each time you are able to work through the tough times, your relationship comes back stronger.
That being said, since we only have 2 more episodes with them, I'm so happy they get together (I assume), next week. I cannot wait!

I still don't know where Jun's head/heart is at, so I hope we get a final answer next week. I'm going on record and saying the episodes are too short. I need more. Especially more Thame and Po together, just talking softly and gently to each other with Thame looking at Po with those eyes. I would literally listen to just William speaking at the end of the day, his voice is so soft and gentle to my ears.

You don't have to apologize, just LEAVE ME ALONE. You are clearly unwell, as your responses seem to be written by 2 different people. Move on please.

Less ups and downs, performance wise, for me, this week. I liked the clothing store scene, where Style is in true form, just trying to get a rise out of Fadel. I do have questions, because how in the WORLD did Keen know exactly where they were? Unless he had tracking on them, it was impossible. It would have been more believable if he came for them at the beach because Mother knew about the beach house all this time, then him coming into a store they stopped at on the random whim of Style longing for his own clothing.
But okay, Style getting shot helps illustrate that Fadel still cares for him.
I did like that whole confrontation between them all with the guns. It was well done by all. I also LOVED the scene with Kant and Style, teasing each other in true bestie form. I totally thought Bison or even better Fadel would walk in on the staring scene and flip out leading to a conversation that would reconcile them, but the way it was done was fun as well. I will say, I did not like the kiss between Fadel and Style. The angle was weird, Dunk's eyes kept opening, their mouths weren't centered, Dunk's hand on Joong's neck once again. It looked awkward and not genuine like Bison and Kant's kiss in the water. And I know Joong and Dunk can kiss, so that seems like a director problem.
Speaking of being in the water, I appreciated that acknowledged that Kant's trauma with the ocean is a real thing and something that needs to be address. And I loved that he stopped them from continuing "exposing" him when he knew he had reached his limit. But then they ruined all of that but having them play in the water. Like what? He started having flashbacks to the crash he wasn't even calf deep, but with just one hand held walk with the boyfriend, he could play frisbee in the ocean riding on someone's back where because they are in the sea, that person could easily fall and drop him into the water.
And while I like the boat scene to an extent, Kant wasn't able to be on a boat just days before, but now he is fine to ride into the middle of the ocean like it was nothing.
I'm sort of thinking the ending boat scene means something for next week, maybe. But it seemed like a random scene thrown in to show that they are all back together and next week they are going to be unhappy again.
Lastly, I've suspected Mother of being who killed Bison and Fadel's parents to begin with, although the why and the how are still a mystery. I now think she also killed Fadel's boyfriend, using the hitman they hired '2 years ago". I am really anxious to hear her whole story, why she seems obsessed with them, how she got to even be in charge of them, did all three not have family to take them in? I also want to know why Keen seems to hate Bison and Fadel so much outside of them just being favored over him. I get him being jealous, but he grew up with them, so why don't they consider each other brothers? And how did Keen go from being jealous to murderous?
I'm looking forward to next week, cause I think we will get some answers...hopefully.

Like I said, unless you are going to apologize for your original comment, please leave me alone. There is literally nothing else to discuss.

Someone else must have written this reply because it is much more polite. I agree that both Joong and Dunk have improved in their acting ability. However, as an actor, and as someone who has had trouble in the past at crying on camera, I expressed that I was disappointed in Dunk's performance in that particular scene. I was clear when I said that out side of that one scene, he was funny. And I wasn't the only one who expressed that his crying in that scene was absolutely horrible. But you said that my mouth was full of poison. I don't want to celebrate their progress and I am going to compare his past performance to his current one, because as you said acting is a journey and on any journey, especially if it is your job and a craft, one should improve on said journey. I simply noted that he did not improve and that as his fan, I was disappointed. Am I leaving space for him to grow, absolutely, but I can express my disappointment. I will continue to watch him and Joong, but that scene and honestly in some others, it makes enjoying the story hard, which is literally his job, to make me and other enjoy the story. If you are, great, however, it doesn't give you the right to tell me my mouth is full of poison because I am not and expressed myself thusly. Now, I have spoken my peace and unless you are going to apologize for your rude comment, please get off my post and leave me alone.

Thank you! This is the second comment under a post I have made, where someone says something absolutely WILD in defense of a show or people who don't know they exist.

I literally just said that their acting has been hit or miss for me. I love Joong and Dunk. I actually have liked all their series, when others said they weren't good. But I am not so blinded by my love for them both as actors and as a ship to not see the flaws in a series or in their acting. You coming to their defense so strongly is a great indicator that views and comments are only saying that people are watching for the ship and not the actual content. Which is kind of crazy, like leaving a comment saying my mouth is full of poison. That is nuts! Like you absolutely do not have to like my comment. But you are free to keep scrolling. And if it ruins your day, then I need you to go seek mental health help, because no tv show, or ship/actors should elicit the need to speak badly to complete strangers on the internet. I come on here to find people who enjoy the same kind of shows I like, to maybe read differing opinions to what I have, to gain a better perspective and sometimes to share my thoughts. You don't have to comment, I often ignore comments that I don't agree with. But I would never read your glowing review of this series or Joong and Dunk's performance and say you were crazy.
I will, however, say you are crazy for what you said to me. Get help, it is NEVER that serious.

One thing about First and Khao, they are going to deliver a scene with excellent acting. Poor Dunk couldn't cry a sing tear in his scene, so Khao said, let me show you how to do it, I'll cry for me and for you. When he burst out into tears after Kant said, " I love you with my whole being" and Bison begged him to not be lying and tricking him again....man, chef's kiss! This was what I wanted last episode.
As for Joong and Dunk's scenes. It was hit or miss for me. Style flirting with Fadel in the hotel was funny as heck. As I said, last time, I think that car scene was less about Style being turned on and more about him realizing that although Fadel is mad at him, he doesn't want to kill him and he still loves him. He is so confident he will be able to win back Fadel, as long as he did what he did last time and be persistent in his showing of his love for Fadel, in true Style form.
I will say, I am disappointed in Dunk's performance when he was supposed to cry. I just didn't believe his feeling, cause nothing in his face indicated a different side of Style. A scared Style who was remorseful that what he did led to that point. It wasn't just the fact that he couldn't cry, it was that it looked like he was constipated trying to squeeze out a few tears.
To compare it again, during the beach scene with Bison and Kant, when Kant told him he loved him and called him Penguin over and over again, Bison/Khao's eyes turned red. You could see he was trying to hold back tears and he did but then he walked off to not cry in front of Kant. That was what the scene called for. For Bison to be almost in tears, to be weakening his resolve to stay mad at Kant, but to not cry because he was still angry, because he couldn't trust Kant's words just yet. And Khao delivered that. It was amazing, go back and watch it. One second his eyes are white and filled with anger and the next moment, during the scene, while Kant/First is talking, they do a close up of Khao's face and his eyes turn red and he goes from angry to sad and scared. All in his eyes and face.
Now do I expect all actors to be able to do that, no, of course not. Not everyone is going to have that level of acting skill and that is okay. I don't expect that from either Joong or Dunk, but I do kind of expect him to at least get a little better, at least at crying. I usually enjoy both actors, so I'm not necessarily saying that Dunk is a bad actor. Just that he hasn't improved and that is disappointing.
Oh well. The only other thing I'm iffy on, is what is the deal with the couple in the woods? Why did they try and attack Fadel and Style, what was the motive for that whole wedding/dinner/dancing only to try and hurt them?

I think William and Est are doing amazing jobs. Honestly, I think they are all doing really well, considering they are not actors by trade. And while I am mainly talking about the rest of Lykn but I can also see where both William and Est can improve. But based on their already amazing performance, I know that they will only get better.

This show just proved that as long as the writing and directing are top quality, having not amazing actors doesn't kill the show.
Love Lykn in this, but is obvious at times that acting is not their strong suit. Especially my boo, Lego. Love him to death, but I'm not sure what they are doing with his character. I get he is the maknae of the group, but they way they have him acting is weird to me. What was the pizza thing? It didn't seem like a product placement, but they made sure to show us him moving the pizza slowly to the center...I'm not sure if these are choices he is making based on his character or direction, but I'll let it go because gah they gave us everything else.
I'll start with them pairing Sammy and Drake as a couple. While my heart is set on Yacht and Sammy as a couple, I also love to see Drake with someone who can match his energy and Sammy does it well.
Nut is now my bias in Lykn when I thought it was Lego...I mean it's kind of a tie...but all his little smirks in this episode is definitely convincing me he is my bias. 😂 I am not sure what Jun's agenda is, I cannot tell if he just likes Po or is he just the mischief maker of the group. Either way, I'm here for all of it.
Lastly, I go back to my point of good writing and directing are the heart of any show and no matter the talented actor behind it, if those two elements aren't there, the series will suck. i.e. the last two OffGun series.
Thame and Po walking each other back and forth, unwilling to let each other go because they just want to be with each other. Gah! I cannot! My favorite thing about this series is all of the opportunities they give Thame and Po to work on their romance/love story. This is the only series out side of the friends to lovers plots that shows us how real dating and romance takes place. It's lots of talking and getting to know each other. It's quiet, simple moments that add up to big feelings in the end. I am living for the way they are building up to the big confession and eventual getting together. Po's shy boy behavior mixed with Thame's soft voice and stars in his eyes, seriously how am I going to wait a week to see what happens next! I have a feeling this show is going to go into my comfort BLs category.