adhoc

That entire post-credit scene is a cameo appearance by the actual author of the book on which LW was based. You hear her on the phone, too, and they are talking about how they are adapting her novel for TV, but they are making some changes....

In your Cutie Pie interview, I hope the author will clarify the premise. It sounds like it's about an arranged marriage, but gay marriage is not legal in Thailand. Is the show actually about an arranged "work partnership" instead of an arranged "marriage", since both protagonists are men? (Though TBH, I would love to see a BL where, at the very end, the two guys get legally married in another country.)

I'm also curious as to whether the author has met Zee and New, and if she can share her first impressions of them. :-)

Pixie, have you heard New sing? He's really good.

Just finished the podcast with Sammon and really enjoyed it.

Talking about Y-series only, I don't know if he can or can't at this point.

Hopefully, Zee will take what he learned from Why R U and be able to apply it to this show. It's going to depend, I think, on how receptive his co-star is to being a Y-series character and how much trust and rapport the two actors develop. Also, having a really good director is key, as well as a decent script.

BTW, I saw a clip when they were shooting Why R U, and Saint and Zee had to do one of their first kissing scenes. You could see that Zee was having trouble kissing Saint--he had never kissed a guy romantically, right?--and finally, per the subtitles, Saint said something like "Man up!" And when he said that, Zee was able to do the kissing.

So yes, I think it was Saint who helped him overcome his initial awkwardness. And also, Zee said he really respected and trusted Saint, and I think that trust and respect helped Zee when it came to the intimate scenes. (But I don't think Zee will have R-rated scenes in Cutie Pie, so it won't be an issue.)

Interesting, I didn't know how common that storyline was so popular in S. Korea! Also, I thought Mix did such a great job portraying Tian. He is so talented.

"On the downside, the heart transplant+meet the original heart's owner's boyfriend storyline has been done so many times."

Wow--where have I been? I'm trying to remember the last time I saw a story about a heart transplant recipient falling for the organ donor's beloved.... Maybe a long time ago, once, I might have read a similar (non-gay) story? But, okay.

Your point about Tian being the only one whose personal growth stands out is a good one. If I understand correctly, it's similar in the novel. The novel focuses primarily on Tian's journey; briefly on his life before the transplant and then later on his experiences in Pha Pan Dao village and how they change him. There are some moments where the reader is also told how Phupha is feeling in a specific situation, but yeah, Phupha doesn't grow or change like Tian does.

Here's a question for you, based on your specific issue: If this was a drama exposing what goes on in heterosexual tv shows--because there's a ton of predation in mainstream Hollywood, particularly (though not exclusively) men in positions of power preying on female actors--would you express the same concern? Would you have an issue that the *het* drama isolated het dramas as being toxic, while ignoring that BL/LGBT dramas can also be toxic?

Just curious.

I think Aam focused on what he knew best--issues in the BL industry. I have no problem with that, especially in just 6 episodes.

And I'm glad he focused on BL, because one thing I hear about that seems to be common in Thai BL is the very low pay and requirements (or strong encouragement) to do fan service. (Low pay and possible contractual requirements lead to the need for fan service on the part of actors, and as a corollary, the actors cannot be seen with someone other than their shipped partner. And if they are seen, someone like Tee gets on their case.)

It's not a perfect show by any means. I didn't love it. (Didn't hate it, either.) I did not care for the romance between James and Ait, TBH, and I think Aam had a personal reason for including that story arc. But overall, I thought the series was interesting and thought-provoking.

"So you'd be okay with that in a heterosexual series? That is highly discriminatory."

Obviously YOU didn't read what I wrote. Below is an exact quote of what I said. Try READING it this time:

"Also, I will keep in mind that younger actors tend to be exploited more behind the scenes, whether the actors are male or female. That's just part of the ugly entertainment industry landscape."

Maybe English is not your first language? Because how else did you totally not understand what I posted? Here's a tip: Read twice, post once.

In addition, we are not talking about *het* series in this thread, that's why I did not specifically discuss het series further.

BTW, at 19, most people's decision-making abilities are still developing. The brain is still in the process of maturing. Biologic fact. I'm guessing you're pretty young.

Thank you, Rahab75. Funny, he has a description of himself on his IG page, and he is basically the antithesis of Tee.

Can I add a sentence ?

"...but now I'm trapped - addicted - and I'm not a good loser. I can't be in your friend zone. And if you can't be together with me, well then ...."

Bas leaned in to kiss his victim....

Who is the actor who played Tee? He certainly did justice to his character, so it would be nice if he were added to the Cast section here. And also, could someone add the actor who played Jub, the script supervisor and assistant to Tee? Seems she should be credited in the Cast section, too.

19 is not perfectly adult. Well, maybe legally, but not emotionally or in terms of decision making. A man's brain doesn't finish maturing until around age 25. I don't watch high school BL stories: teen-aged love is not interesting to me. I'm very happy we're getting more stories with older actors.
If New does a great job in this show and proves me wrong, fantastic. But I will not hold my breath. (Also, I will keep in mind that younger actors tend to be exploited more behind the scenes, whether the actors are male or female. That's just part of the ugly entertainment industry landscape. )

I just went back and realized New is only 19 and this seems to be his first role. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) I've sadly revised my expectations for Zee's couple. I imagine this is going to be a very "G" or "PG" rated show, so that New and Zee won't have any heavy make-out sessions.
TBH, I'm not that comfortable with a 19-year-old actor in BL anyway, so maybe that's for the best. Saint was young, but he was 21 (I think) and had acting experience already. This is not the same, based on the info so far.

Really? Thank you for the info.

Thanks for clarifying. It'll be interesting to see if Zee can "bring it" in this new series, where he won't have Saint's encouragement and guidance (both of which I think played a role in his excellent performance in Why R U). My fingers are crossed! :-)

I hope someone who knows will answer. Given the premise of this show, it made me wonder!

Ah, that makes sense. However, since they're both guys....maybe they should plan to marry in the U.S. or any other country where it's legal? And oh, this makes me wonder, does Thailand recognize an official marriage document from another country, when the married couple is gay?
For example: A Thai man travels to England, falls in love with and marries an English man, which is legal in the U.K. Then they travel back to work or vacation in Thailand, where the Thai partner still has family. Something happens to the Thai partner and he is in hospital. Is his male spouse allowed to make decisions on his behalf (if it becomes necessary), or will the Thai government say "no, we don't recognize the spouse for this purpose. Only the mother and father can make health decisions for the partner in hospital."

I don't know where he said he was done with BL after Why R U, but I admit I was hoping for him in a M/F pairing next.
However, getting *any* work with COVID still around is probably not easy, so I'm glad he has this role as a main character.

Not gonna lie, I really wanted to see Zee playing in a mainstream role opposite a woman, after his performance in Why R U. However, this looks interesting.

But...an arranged marriage in Thailand, where gay marriage is illegal? I'm not sure if I will be able suspend disbelief for this premise. (Or maybe it's not really about an arranged marriage, but an arranged business partnership? I could more easily buy that.)

I have hopes for Zee knocking it out of the park again, seeing that his co-star is reminiscent of Saint (cute face, I mean) and maybe that's a good thing. I want Zee to show me that he can bring another great performance.

Not a drama, but for a happy ending and enjoyable rom-com, try Cherry Magic (look for it under "30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii" in MDL to read more).

TBH, it sounds like another piece by Johannes Bornlöf (or by Dream Cave, which I also think is actually Johannes Bornlöf). I spent this morning listening to most of the Bornlöf pieces I could find on YT or on the epidemicsound.com website (under his name) and still didn't find it. (Though I did find Don't Look Back, which I also quite like.)

So maybe it's a different artist, hehe.

If I figure out who, I'll post here. Because I really need that piece of music.