adhoc

Right here, in this kisskh thread on Cutie Pie. Scroll up and look under "Recent Discussions". A poster named CityofAngels posted summaries of Cutie Pie and Naughty Babe.

Interesting info, thanks. Personally, although I think both Zee and New are doing a good job in Cutie Pie, I don't feel any romantic chemistry between their characters. I'm not sure if it's just bad direction, poor script, or what.

CityofAngels was kind enough to post a synopsis of both books (Cutie Pie and Naughty Babe) for us. Are these books super popular in Thailand?

I don't think I'll watch NB, if it is even "sort of" like what CityofAngels described. It sounds like Cutie Pie--just a series of misunderstandings, no one really sharing their feelings or speaking frankly. I think I'm probably too old for it, TBH. But I can see how some folks might enjoy a low-angst MM love story.

Finally caught up and here are my thoughts.

1. I'm bored. The plot and pacing are just so slow. The script--yikes. And you can only entertain me with the "hiding things from each other" plot point for so long. Was the book this boring?

2. There is not enough tension. We know these guys are on the same page--they're just taking forever to realize it. It's the script writer's job to add tension somehow (even that tension is not in the novel.)

3. Zee is okay in this role, but this is really not the role for him, IMHO. Again, because there is not enough tension, and I think his acting is best when the plot requires a certain amount of tension.

4. New is doing a decent job, but he comes over as way too young for me to take the relationship seriously. Whether it's the way they're styling him, or the way the script is written, or whatever, his pairing with Zee is not working for me. (I cannot help comparing New with Saint. Saint was close in age to New, I believe, when he worked with Zee in Why R U, yet he always came over as very mature for his age in the role of Tutor. I cannot imagine New in the role of Tutor in Why R U.)

5. The other couple - Yi and Kon Diao - actually became more interesting in the 7th episode. Diao is also too young and childish for me to feel invested, BUT I will say Nat was more assertive than New when it came to his scene with Yi, and I found him more believable as Yi's love interest.

I'm really impressed with him in everything I've seen him in. This is an actor who understands how to make the most out of a part, even if it is not a main role. I'm watching him now in Cutie Pie, and he is so on point! He takes a "throw-away" character and makes that character memorable.

And to make it worse, we have a secondary couple (Kon Diao, Yi) where there is a similar dynamic, IMO. What I mean is, it's another older guy/younger guy couple where the older guy is taller, arguably more "manly", and presented almost like a parent figure. And the younger guy is a shorter, arguably less manly, more child-like figure. Ew.

I agree: SKAM Norway first , and then SKAM France in second place. Both very different in style, but both very powerful.

WTFock Season 3 was the first SKAM remake that I watched live--what a roller coaster ride! I never knew which day, which hour, a new clip was going to drop. I was exhausted. But it was a mixed bag for me--Robbe and Sander were strong as a couple, but the plot execution raised some problems for me.

Have you watched SKAM, a Norwegian show from 2016? The third season was the season with a young gay couple. (They are in a college prep high school). Folks who like BL seem to enjoy SKAM, particularly this third season.

I really enjoyed it, though there were a couple of episodes in the middle that I found very tedious. Overall, I found the show very competent, with good production values; I liked the acting (especially Mix) and loved the music and photography. The screenplay, based somewhat on the novel, was inspired.

I can appreciate that people who don't necessarily watch much BL, but who *do* watch a lot of standard Thai dramas, might not see anything really ground-breaking here. (The fact that the characters who fall in love happen to be two men, rather than a man and a woman, might not outweigh a somewhat slow and predictable story.) Not saying that's you, but I think probably a lot of viewers fell into that category.

OTOH, for lovers of BL (who flocked to watch ATOTS, from what I can see), I totally get how they would appreciate the series, with its thoughtful storyline and excellent production values. After watching so many university-setting series, typically with smaller budgets, shaky plot lines, and often cringe-worthy acting, it's nice to see a gay series so tastefully and solidly executed.

So it's not surprising to me, based on the above-mentioned observations, that reviews range from "flat, dull and a bit of a snooze fest" to "best Thai BL drama ever!" It's kind of amusing.

I don't know what the title of the novel is in Thai. It is not "Cutie Pie", it is something else. But the author said she liked the choice of "Cutie Pie" for the English translation. I hope someone who speaks Thai will tell us the actual book title translated into English. (And if the Thai title is a Thai idiom, explain what it equates to in English.)

Okay, here is something else she said in the interview: About a year ago, she was at the office building (I'm guessing she was talking about the building where Domundi is located) meeting with someone, for whatever reason (nothing to do with Cutie Pie). As she was leaving to go home, she walked past this guy, and she recognized him as Zee and thought "He's so handsome!" She stopped and asked him to take a photo with her, and he did! That was nice, since they were basically strangers.
If I understood the interview, when casting started later for Cutie Pie, it occurred to her that Zee would be a good choice to play the older character. But I don't think she actually suggested Zee to Domundi. I'm pretty sure she was not involved in the casting at all.
So I say, it was fate. Kismet.

So I listened to a podcast interviewing Bam Bam, the author. Some things I took away:
-- In the book, the characters have a 7-year age gap. The character played by Zee is somewhere around 27. (So I guess casting New and Zee is not as bizarre as I originally thought.)
-- It's not a "serious" story. It's more light-hearted or amusing. My impression is that this will be G rated, or pretty close.
-- While the author acknowledged that same-sex marriage is not legal in Thailand, she pointed out that committed same-sex couples obviously do exist, live together, etc. And my impression from the interview is that *this* is where Cutie Pie will head. Like, I don't think the story will have the guys getting married or talking about getting married, which is something I had wondered about.
-- Due to COVID, it's delayed, like many other shows. I'm honestly not sure if it will be out later this year or if it will be out next year.

Thanks, I guess maybe I misunderstood Gene's position, then. I thought he just wanted Sib to honor the contract for those 4 remaining months, which meant being seen with Aoey, fanservice, etc. I didn't think he was telling Nubsib to do fan service for however long the show execs wanted him to. In fact, in the meeting with everyone, I thought it was made clear by management that the guys only needed to lay low for 4 months; it's not like they had to break up forever. It was said because Sib kept objecting ("It's not in my contract." And sure, management was lying, and Sib figured that out).
But I didn't realize that Gene was ready to sacrifice their relationship indefinitely.

First: Gene is about 6 years older than Nubsib. (Hard to remember, I know.) Nubsib was ready to ditch the show, even though other cast and crew would have been hurt as a result. And his contract only had 4 more months to go! Gene was not okay with that.

I wish Gene had straight out said "Nubsib, the fact that you don't see why breaking your contract is wrong, and that you expect me to stand by you while you do it, tells me that maybe we're not right for each other. I need to take a break and re-evaluate this relationship." (I know he said some things, but I don't think it was as direct or clear as that.

Second: I agree it seems they got back together without us really understanding what "clicked" for Gene. I guess he decided that his love for Nubsib was greater than his disappointment over Sib's willingness to break his contract?

Third: Aoey needed a better story line. He had all these abandonment issues (boyfriend, sister, father, and finally Tiffy). He did things to get attention. I hear he was a terrible person in the book. But in the TV series, he's not so much a villain as he is a somewhat manipulative guy who clearly has issues and needs a good counselor. I felt kind of bad for him.

Fourth: Agreed--why did Tiffy suddenly drop Aoey? *He* did not take the beach pic that got leaked, so it wasn't that. And *he* was not cavorting with his offscreen boyfriend on the beach, in public, getting his photo taken by a stranger. That was Sib and Gene. All Aoey did was take advantage of the leaked photo in order get attention from his fans. I guess Tiffy thought he was too high maintenance and unpredictable?

My response to your comments appears in the spoiler tags below.

It was probably the lighting and makeup in Lovely Writer, but sometimes he looked airbrushed. I would like to also point out that he certainly knows how to rock a cape. Also, a Prince Charming costume.

Does anyone else get the impression that he is a laid-back, chill kind of guy? Because I do.

Remember the scene where a tipsy Aoey leaves the bar--right after Gene goes home with Nubsib-- and he is immediately confronted by Mhok? Mhok wants to be there for him, but he rejects Mhok's offer of support and caring? Tells Mhok "I don't want to end up hating you too" or something like that?

I think that moment--where he sees Mhok, they talk, and Aoey rejects him-- would have played much better if it had been moved to the final episode.

Imagine Aoey all alone during the final ep; even his agent has left him. He's crying and drinking his woes away, and along comes Mhok, ready to offer comfort and support. We would expect Aoey to give in and be with Mhok; it's a BL with a happy ending all around, right?

The shocker would be when Aoey still rejects Mhok. I think that would have been more impactful on me the viewer. I would be thinking Aoey was his own worst enemy, and it was kinda sad.

(Actually, it is sad. And the problem for me is that Aoey's been betrayed by a boyfriend, then betrayed by his father, then betrayed by his sister. I don't know if Aoey was always a manipulator or not, or if he was ever likable or not. We just don't learn enough about him to feel comfortable hating him or feeling sorry for him.)

In my post below with the spoiler tag, I'll point out which scene I thought should have happened in the final episode. Also, further comments on Aoey's storyline.

But you are thin-skinned.

That was a cameo appearance by the actual author of the book. The book on which LW was based. You may have been turned off, but in a way it was very clever.