Beatrice

Intro to Twitter Idol Fan site Admins

The show literally dedicates a scene to breaking down fandom terminology at the beginning of the show for the normies that may be unfamiliar with the online/twitter fan culture before selectively delving into the strengths and issues of the culture through the characters that represent them. Namwah is the main admin of the fan account Fruitylove that is dedicated to ghost shipping an entertainer named Copter and a barista influencer called Maipai. She rudely crashes into Gap as she's running and filming content at the same time, spilling his pink milk drink, a notable drink reference from some OG bl wave moments from the mid 2010s and blaming him before huffing away. Of course the two attend the same university, the same class, and gets stuck as group project partners, so she tricks him to do their project at a Maipai event. Namwah makes Gap hold a Maipai sign, which is considerate compared to all the other shipper signs that litter the crowd. The show does not discuss the ethics of forcing or focusing a ship at an individual artist's event or to them directly. Doubly so for Maipai who doesn't even directly work with Copter. Because of drama coincidence law, Gap happens to be Copter's friend and access to tickets for his events and Namwah is able to bribe Gap to help out with her fan activity by being the sister of a famous music producer brother with a studio that his band can practice in for free 24/7.

Nawah's co-admin and best friend Noon is also revealed to be the sasaeng account who has been terrorizing Maipai to the point that he moved in with Gap. The sasaeng character gets off way too light and what she lost was all contingent on her own volition to self punish. This does show that there is the thinnest line between being a fan and a sasaeng and not enough legal nor social recourse to protect the people being harmed. Nawah wants to be stay friends with Noon despite everything and Noon is the one who breaks it off and even gets a heroic moment using her scooter to drive Gap to the contest in time. It's unclear if she even apologized and taken down all her creep posts on her account, merely saying that FruityLove is not involved. She stalked and stole things from Maipai and also stalked Copter. She used information from her best friend and Gap to dox where Maipai is living. She deserves a criminal record. It feels like the dramas that feature fans in the storylines are too fearful of truly criticizing the most toxic parts of fandom, because they do recognize that the intensity of their attention near or past the point of mania is what they rely on for money. This is one thing that doesn't need to be subtle, the shows should make it clear exactly where the line is and show consequences, even if sadly real life doesn't have them yet.

Being a online fan account often develops organizational skills to do PR which Nawah is able to translate to help Gap's band Evening Sunday. She immediately starts to post shipping moments to get attention online. Even though Namwah family is in the industry, her skills are honed entirely through fandom activities. This is the power and passion of fans that companies and artists try to pander to, fear, and in some cases even be hindered by. Whether it's negative or positive depends on case by case. Shipping moments is more socially accepting version of homoerotic fan service that boybands has long since utilized to galvanize attention that began with gay panic humor derived games way back in the day. The lines and limits of which depends on the comfort of the artist and their ability and wish to set boundaries or not between the pressures of their companies, contracts, and fan expectations. Another aspect is that a lot of the times the actors do not need to do anything and the fans will selectively curate and edit moments into a storyline that will rationalize a secret romance they want to believe between the two artists they want to ship regardless if it's real or regardless if it would be forcefully outing them if it is real. Often fans will claim this is for fun, but there is often a sizable and vocal portion of the population where the so called fun devolves into a mania where they believe the storyline that they themselves created and expects the artists to validate it . The artists often have to balance the parasocial connection that keeps the fans involved in supporting them while they promote whichever project and brands as a pair or group, while also somehow navigating through the entitlement of fan expectations. The drama does not explore this, but does mention another aspect where the band is accused of only growing their popularity through shipping bait rather than actual musical ability and also the smallest mention of fans of each artist attacking the other.

The drama asks for understanding for Namwah's love for the relationship of two entertainment people who aren't dating, but don't do too good a job of giving a clear thesis aside from it just makes her happy. There is too much understanding for the sasaeng character. I do like how they they showed the rival fan site admin also seems to be in the medical field, administering medical aid with her fellow admins becoming a impromptu medic team immediately whenever it's needed. The kindness and willingness to help each other in the community of fandom is one of the positive sides. There's also the valorizing of seemingly straight presenting fanboys who are given a lot of clout for merely being a fan of a different gender presentation than the majority of the fan population which is extremely true to life. Namwah has her own trauma suppressed skills and abilities that led her to interact with Copter as she performs with Evening Sunday. Her growing romantic connection with Gap was nicely done as was the romantic connection between her producer brother Shogun with Evening Sunday drummer and Engineer major Maitoh who happen to have all the same specific tastes from music, to movies, and especially food combinations which are more hyper specific.

The most horrific moment of the show other than it whitewashing the creepy sasaeng character is the Namwah's make over portion is the stylists snapping her prescription glasses in half. The frames and lenses may possibly be more affordable to replace in Thailand, but I need all stories to be more respectful to these medical devices, especially when the characters actually need them to see. They somehow already have Namwha's contact lens prescription available even though it doesn't seem like she's ever had them before and she's able to instantly wear and hopefully remove them with no issue. I like that Gap has already been long crushing on her way before she did the no glasses makeover. Her heartbreak over Gap having lied to get close to her and utilize her connection to her brother to elevate his band was easier to get over than her best friend betraying her was good too.

The standout romantic storyline is Maito and Shogun. I really like that Maito is seen also working on his engineering school projects alongside working on his band duties. He's always the way showing up to practice and taking all of his responsibilities seriously regardless of his developing crush on Shogun. In return, it's values that Shogun shares and appreciates in Maito. Shogun picking up the guitar to play a song and Maitoh instantly matching with the drums because they both enjoy progressive metal, which great taste, was a great intro to the pair. Maitoh is able to communicate with Shogun on behalf of the band and even help him understand his sister some more. Maitoh is the instrumental catalyst in helping Shogun to open his mind in terms of the band, his sister, and especially in romance. Shogun for his part stands up to the homophobic music equipment shop owner who looks down on Maitoh who had a crush on him when they were younger, claiming Maitoh learned the drums to get close to him. Shogun immediately announces he's going to change merchants and only asks if it was true if the reasons Maitoh learned drums was because of a guy, which of course not, Maitoh loves music which makes Shogun proud and declares Maitoh his "beloved student" in Mandarin. Shogun isn't aware at how his specific attentiveness towards Maito comes off to Maitoh nor to himself. Offering his headphones while performing a nausea alleviating wrist massage and gently holding Maitoh's wrists after Maitoh feeling some pain from practicing so much can be ambiguous, but standing shirtless and out of nowhere offering Maitoh to touch the scar on his chest is definitely some mixed messages.

It is understandable that Shogun initially tells Maitoh that he likes him as a brother because sexuality is a spectrum and he hasn't experienced that same sex attraction until he met Maitoh also sometimes the way you see people may remain platonic until suddenly they express interest in you and the way you feel changes. It's nice that Shogun has a conversation with his studio staff about how if there is someone who is everything you are looking for, but just one tiny thing, would you let that chance go and to not make it complicated because out of the billions of people on earth, is it that easy to find the one? The man has a silly haircut, but he also has sensible advice. I really liked that Maitoh sets a boundary with Shogun to put some distance between their interactions in order for Maitoh to get over him and when Shogun was watching Green take care of Maitoh that it isn't angry jealousy, but heartbreak and yearning that it isn't him. It was wild that Maitoh closed his eyes when Green was trying to kiss him, basically allowing it when Green was sabotaged by his own ship supporter Maitee, Maitoh's little bro. Maitoh was so heartbroken that he was almost willing to rebound with Green who has always tried his best to adjust to his preferences and take care of him if Shogun didn't come to his senses and showed up to win Maitoh heart back. Maitoh's parents instantly clock Shogun's food preferences match Maitoh. Maitoh being the best, directly confronts Shogun why he's there suddenly acting like he likes him after bro zoning him and doesn't say anything direct, just hugs him. Shogun does go for a kiss, but interrupted by Green who does force a kiss on Maitoh, which is not cool, but at least they make things clear between each other finally. It's so cute how Shogun snuck some bracelet making material from his sister and made a good luck keychain for Maitoh. It's a testament to real friendship that Green is able to witness the happy scene and be genuinely happy for Maitoh's happiness. Their romance gets the beach sunset conclusion with a funny moment where Shogun asks Maitoh in Manderin "Let's be together" and Maitoh's is confused asking if he's insulting him, before Shogun clarifies it means "please be my boyfriend", and they finally get to kiss. This being a private moment is better than Gap doing a whole friends and family proposal style to asking Namwah to be his girlfriend, but the girl enjoys dramatic romantic actions fanfiction style so Gap is doing right by his audience of Namwah. Maitoh already using his boyfriend powers to hold back Shogun from that paternalistic impulse to throtle pull Gap away from kissing his sister even though he was in on the confession party.

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Industry drama

Credit where credit is due, there was no feeling between the characters when the show first started, but through the storytelling of the characters getting to know each other and showing more of their personalities and dedication to acting, the connection and chemistry grew. That's how it should be even if it wasn't the case for a good story. Usually the bangs in the eyes styling is very annoying to look at, but the hair stylists styled it just right to convey vulnerability. It's seems to be a signature stylized feather look like Jin's occasional angel wings.

Other than Jin creepily kissing and taking pictures of an ill and unconscious man continuing portray those red flag actions as cute, his immense crush and adoration for Akin is actually pretty sweet. Akin navigates being the ultimate professional to his craft and also dealing with with threats of losing his career. Jin is really down bad that he still lovingly cleans Akin after the latter got sick all over the both of them. The smells must have been atrocious but Jin happily cleans away. It's interesting that this Thai series looks to be based on a Japanese work that gets the delectable angst of Chinese costume martial arts dramas spot on. It's so funny that they even get the wounds only having the nonsensically tiniest splash of blood right. It's strange that the show treats Akin like he's 50 years old. He's only in his late 20's, he shouldn't be confused about livestreams and other typical social media promotional etiquette.

Ironically, I was thinking that Jin didn't get any of that honey because they didn't bother to mix it in the water after dripping some into the mug, but soon after he gets a whole body's worth, the amount that's not soiling that white fur rug anyways. It makes no sense how neither their skin or hair is all sticky and all the furniture ruined the next morning, unless the honey was imaginary. The shower version looks torturous also. I get them trying to be creative, but water doesn't get hot that fast so it must be freezing cold at first blast. The break up sex was an attempt at angst. I don't think the execution was successful, but I appreciate the thought process and attempt. Jin acted cold and angry, but it seemed to just be an act to keep Akin in the dark about Jin's true machinations to help Akin. This is a bit weird, Akin almost fully sacrificed himself if the broadcast where Jin enacts his scheme right before Akin does his noble idiot plan because he didn't just tell him he has an alternate plan.

Poor Akin was made to believe he had sex with, but really in context is that he may have been raped by his co-star after he got blitzed out drunk. It's pretty terrifying to think how many times it might have happened before without Akin even knowing if he's so incapacitated when he drinks. It's so utterly tragic that Akin can only think that he's guilty towards Jin when he's a victim. Aside from a bad co-star, Akin also has to deal with a creepy sasaeng. This man just keep getting tortured. The sasaeng needed to go straight to jail, but I think the show is trying not to alienate the bl fandom which does encourage the kind of obsession, which is very uncomfortable. The photos she took still got to be used to blackmail him and he tries the noble idiot trope. Akin is a great actor, but he's no good at being cunning. Good thing his boyfriend is a crafted a smart plan with Judy to double kill their rumors together. It's supposed to be a custom ring that Akin for Jin, but it looks pretty loose in the close up. Prop department could have done better. I knew there would be marriage at the end since the years were counting up to current day. It's beautiful that the legalization of gay marriage is a benchmark in time for these queer love stories.

It's tragic that the company sabotage depicted in this series also happened in real life and affected the actors and the entire production. It would truly a shame that there may be no further continuation in either a special episode or season of this story as it looked like it was set up to have. I hope the situation will somehow, some way be resolved well for the actors and production team who really did seem to put their efforts into this drama.

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Stalking the Cloud

This is definitely one of the better specials being able to utilize the parallel worlds conceit for a stronger story as well as serve as an epilogue for the main story.

I had wanted to see more of this brash alternate version ponytail Cir when he returned back to his world in the main series and it was delightful to see that indeed the special is all about him as teased by the end of the show. The bespectacled Phu is the besotted stalker in this world's configuration of the two. He isn't great at being subtle at all, but somehow Cir had never noticed it before. He's so lucky the alternate Cir's had set up the path for Cir to fall for him. He's even self aware that he's a stalker who follows him around like a creepy weirdo. Jin and Wim have already dated for a year and Phu never noticed somehow. Neither ponytail Cir or spectacle Phu are very observant to the people around them. This Wim has boyfriend Jin do everything, but Jin is happy to of course.

It's an interesting twist that Phu is the one peering into the other world and wakes back up to tell Cir who becomes jealous of his alternate self. I wonder if the other Phu's also get to see the alternate Phu vision of the alternate cir they meet. It's nice to see a glimpse of mean CEO Cir kiss office worker Phu too. Black shirt Cir greets ponytail Cir in a dark grassy area rather than a white room, like meeting each Cir in a purgatory waiting room. He claimed to the other Cir that someone had done so for him other Cir will do so for the next Cir, but it seems like maybe it's always black shirt Cir in the room. Maybe he's prime Cir or some kind of spirit that's always guiding all the Cirs to Phu. The lore possibilities is so fascinating. The whole concept could easily lead to continuations if the production wants.

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Stalker Cloud

I like that the title sequence had scenes that were specifically for the title that artistically interpreted the theme of the story along with some scenes from the show sprinkled in.

Phu may be forgetful, superstitious, and unafraid of speaking to himself out loud in public like a maniac, but he's still capable of being self sufficient and thoughtful. He's also got steely spine when it's needed which makes him standout from the stock cutesy guy into someone more three dimensional. Phu standing up for his dumb friend Achi who was tricked by Cir's arranged fiancé to get Phu there to verbally and physically attack him was great, showing he's no doormat. I like that once he entertains that it may be true that Cir is from a parallel world, he immediate differentiates that he himself is different from the Phu that Cir is dating and thinking about how parallel Cir is probably sad that his boyfriend is gone. He does eventually come to the conclusion upon Cir's second brush with the car of doom trope that he would like to be selfish and keep this Cir with him. At least he thoroughly thought about it first. This series has the worst moms. At first it seemed maybe it's fair that Phu's mom is living her own life in Australia now that he's in university, but she left her own child while he was still in junior high. That's wildly selfish to not take him with her no matter if he doesn't want to leave where his dad lived. She should have finished raising him and he could still go back to Thailand for university as an adult. Grief never goes away, but she's chooses to deal with it in a way that also keeps her kid in even more pain with him losing both parents when he needed at least one to take care of him and help him process it. It's amazing he's not more of a mess, which could be credit to his unseen auntie who had to take him in. Perhaps they never showed her to keep the negative maternal figure theme.

It's immediately weird that as in love as Cir acts that he is with Phu, he doesn't make that distinction that the Phu that he knows and love is back in the other world with out him, but rather with a different Cir as well. It's an interesting twist that Phu isn't from another world, but has been creepy stalking Phu for 5 years which is how he knows so much and the brain trauma from his first brush with the car of doom in addition to getting dream access to seeing into the parallel world where he's successfully dating the object of his obsession pushes him to desperately skip straight to dating Phu. Cir isn't that smart, he could have just used his information that Phu is probably open to being with him as push for a start fresh with Phu instead of just going full I'm from parallel world schtick to both Wim who has known him since kindergarten and this Phu who doesn't know who he is aside from being schoolmates. Cir is 1000% getting past getting committed to the psych ward with his pretty and rich boy privilege and being an unhinged stalker liar once Phu has already fallen hopelessly in love with him. The writing also should have kept it ambiguous if Cir is lying or not if they Cir was going to keep lying to Phu for a long time because once it's confirmed to the audience, it just drags the story pacing down.

Wim is so funny, at first it seems like he may be in love with Cir and a really serious guy, being so concerned about him, but it's really just everyone puts way too much responsibility on him regarding Cir's behavior like he's Cir's keeper and it's so funny when he learns Phu gets along with Cir despite his weird behavior and giddly says no take backs. Poor Wim has been traumatized by being forced to witness Cir being abused by Cir's truly abhorrent mother too. Cir really needs to treat Wim, who is the best friend to him, better and not just sell him out by giving Wim's number to Jin just like that just so Phu won't go with Jin to the movies anymore. Wim and Jin's cloud interaction was cute, playing what animal shape the clouds are with Jin who happen to know things because he can read minds. But everything else after that was just pure red flags, forcing Wim to go on a date and kissing Wim without consent and it's just played off as cute. At least Jin stops being able to hear Wim when he realizes how much he really likes Wim. He supposes it's both because Wim always speaks his mind and because the strength of how much he likes Wim that he can stop invasively hearing the one he likes.

It's really cool that a different Cir travels to one where a relationship with Phu is already set in to get a taste of it before returning and meeting their own versions. I wonder if the black clothed Cir in the white room wished that they had a happy ending becomes in some worlds they do not? It also seemed at first it's only the mind that is changed, but Cir's physical scar leaves and goes depending on the consciousness, but the hairstyle stays the same. That doesn't really make any sense, the show should have came up with something extremely specific habit wise for Phu to be able to differentiate between Cir and ponytail Cir. I feel bad for Cir getting hit twice with a car for these switches to happen. Phu telling ponytail Cir to convey his message of love and goodbye was such good angst. The switchback was the perfect time for Cir to finally tell Phu the truth about him actually being the Phu from this world, but it's so annoying that he doesn't because it makes Phu feel guilty for taking the boyfriend of another him and he knows the pain of losing Cir. Phu snooping around in Cir's room and finding out Cir's stalking truth is fair with Cir's lie to get close to Phu. This was dragged out so long that there's no angst in it, it's only right that Phu is angry. It was annoying again that in Cir's clarification video, he doesn't add on that he saw the parallel world in his dreams to at least explain why he was saying that he was from there to begin with. They only finally make things clear post coital at the very end. As it was for the two lead actor's previous project, the NC scenes for the characters are character driven. I've seen remarks about Phu being different between his regular character and when he's in a sexual situation, but he's shown that he was always increasingly bold with every interaction.

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Cursed to be an emotionless product placement soap opera

This is a soap, but it's a supernatural soap with reincarnation, super powered gay characters, and multiple types of angst that were all good foundations that should have made this drama better than it was, but the execution was so bland and such a waste of the interesting concepts. This started off decent enough, setting up the attraction between Siwat and Thara and Khunkao being drawn to Siwat. I liked that Thara and Khunkao are actually friendly with each other as team members and in the business of saving people in the current life even before they remember their past life. Somehow as the episodes went on, the show forgot to keep developing the relationships between the three of them with them being the core of the story and it just dragged on and on until the very sudden end. Their trek to find the mythical place as so anticlimactic, it felt like there's still a bigger story in a few episodes when it's the grand finale. The ending with Siwat turning to dust should be extremely emotional, but it feels like just another Wednesday. Where are the emotions? These are two guys that have been obsessed with Siwat/Suraya for mulitple lifetimes and that's all the emotions they can muster? The whole story side of the show feels like placeholders for the actual meat of it, which is product placement. They mostly make the random side characters do the selling, but it's horrible on the nose and boring every single time. There really isn't more emotional reaction to a whole man that appears out of nowhere named Peem that looks exactly like Siwat either?

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Stormy love

Rain is so childish and self absorbed with a bad attitude and all the more ridiculous when his best friend was gassing him up about his looks in a way that didn't make any sense until learning that outside of the show, the actor is actually half Korean. He's indeed really slow on the uptake as Payu as well as his own friends tell him, which makes him so initially frustrating to watch. Rain not understanding the signals could be chalked up to his inexperience, especially only just freshly discovering that he's also bisexual like Payu, but all his other actions are ridiculous and really as a result of his unable to accept his own attraction to Payu. Payu for his part is into this annoying freshman, because for some reason it's cute, but he also tries to mentor Rain as an architecture department alumni that just graduated the year before, which is lucky for Rain. Once their relationships kicks in, Rain shapes up a bit, even learning to care about someone other than himself and becomes more easier to watch. The rich people bathrooms with the large exposed windows is always weird, but a bath while it rains outside looks looks so cozy outside of the what the characters are doing. The nc scenes are daring comparatively to other shows, but surprisingly tasteful and mostly works because thes actors for Payu and Rain have no awkwardness about it. They have good commitment and team work to actually convey the character's connection and even character development through the intimacy. I do appreciate the other displays of affections are also straightforwardly presented without the annoying romance slow motion and music effects. Both the couples have some questionable moments at the start of the relationship with the older guy's actions, but compared to the other bl adaptations from the same author, this is has way more consent involved.

The story feels grinded to a halt when it suddenly shifts to the second couple as the main story. It's not that Sky's story isn't interesting, but the pacing takes a big hit to suddenly literally play the exact same scenes of Rain and Payu again for some reason along with the new Sky POV. The reveal of Sky's bad relationship past and then the misunderstanding is also dragged out for too long. Payu and Rain pretty much disappears from the story aside from occasionally showing up as a sounding board for Sky and Pai respectively, which is a shame because Payu is the most interesting character with a unique personality in the whole show and therefore his relationship with Rain is the most interesting. The second couple is not well acted enough to take on the amount of screen time that is demanded of them for their storyline as well. I did like that one scene of Sky lying through his teeth to hurt Pai enough that Pai has tears streaming down his face. Psychologically, Sky's story is pretty tragic, even his initial one night stand with Pai is partially because of his lack of self esteem from his trauma conflicting and overlapping with his desires combined with the flirting and the threat that Pai's request in exchange for leaving the illegal event is. The resolution doesn't feel really complete like any justice was to be had for Sky who was sexually and mentally assaulted and abused by his ex once again. I'm glad Sky got some kind of catharsis though.

It's such a disjointed feeling that the series just wrapped on on Sky and Pai like Payu and Rain was just tertiary characters the whole time rather than the main characters. It seems to be two different books adapted at the same time and the script definitely should have just intertwined them instead of telling them one at a time for better pacing. It feels like such a waste of Payu's character who has the potential for more story there was in the show.

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Crush theory

It's pretty impressive that the 4 ep series fits in modeling supportive parental and familial behavior towards their children who are gay within the story of youth ambition, romance, and platonic love.

X is deviously cunning, the way he's able to insinuate himself into his crush's life. The negging was really mean though and he's smart enough to have done without that. The meanness makes it more creepy than cute. Thank goodness he doesn't do anything else mean. The way that he's confused why Q wasn't answering his texts though without consideration that maybe it's because his first impression was so mean paradoxically somehow makes him more human with the vulnerability. Q though actually just forgot his phone and somehow enjoys spending time with X, maybe subconsciously sensing the romantic interest vibes though not picking up on it like his mom and uncle can immediately see. The scene where X is pointing to his own face to indicate Q has some cookie cream on his face, but Q mistakes it for a request for a cheek kiss is cute. There is no kiss on the lips though there is a second cut of the same bridge scene where they hug, but they also go in for the kiss that cuts away before it happens when Q thinks back on it.

It's so nice that the mom has her gay brother as a sounding board about accepting that her son is probably gay. Q's uncle has great advice, don't let other's feelings dictate your own is such a bar. His mom is both nervous about the potential problems her son might face and also extremely supportive for her son to get a boyfriend. The sibling relationship between Q's mom and brother is so lovely and have their own storyline regarding their father attitude towards the brother, which seems to be settled happily offscreen. It's such a nice surprise that Frank doesn't have a crush on Mind, which she understandably would mistake his affections for. It's so sweet that he really wants her to be an older sister to him after his own has passed on. Mook and Toy are cute, though it's not as clear what makes him different to Mook than all the other people who are fanboys and fangirls of her other than she just got to spend time with him for around 21 days the same as X's application of the theory with his crush before he goes to Japan.

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Epilogue date

It's a nice little button after the series, especially if there is slim chances of any further continuation to get to see Jom and Khun Yai have some fun times with the mysterious time slip magic granting Jom and Khun Yai one lovely day for Jom to show Khun Yai his world, which for good or ill involves Tiktok dances. Though Jom is not a rich heir like Khun Yai, Jom probably makes decent money as an architect had lives in a nice apartment and can easily replace any game controllers his boyfriends smashes and has spending money to give him too. One thing that's weird is that for some reason they aren't allowed to do a normal kiss scene, which we have seen from the main series that the actors are capable of doing and were instructed to not move for some reason, like it was a mandate for this special episode. It's especially conspicuous after the pointed recap of every single time they kissed from the main series. The episode concludes with Jom stepping out in the exact same outfit that he wears to overlook the renovations and meets a present day Khun Yai before being whisked to warrior Yai's time. I really hope the production finds a way to finish the story.

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Architecture nerds love

Rin stretches her pretty privilege and she is ethereally pretty, to the limit being a grade A jerk to everyone and especially to Aokbab who hasn't done anything wrong to merit the hostility from Rin from their first meeting when Rin came upon Aokbab who was at most guilty of talking an bakery employee's ear off about the dangers of the crumbling building. Rin is pure spikes until she spots Aokbab's drawings and realizes that Aokbab is the artist whose pictures made Rin fall in love with the person who drew them without ever having met until now. Aokbab is is not so soft herself and wouldn't have had to deal with Rin except her two older brothers are terrible at running their family business and she has save the business and the customer is a fan of Rin's design. Rin agrees to work with Aokbab, but has demands and conditions, which are actually all pretty sensible. She's entirely right it's a red flag to be "family", which is just code for a company demanding more than what you are contractually agreed to. Rin rightly sets down the rule that she's clocking out on time and will not do work things after work. The one delicious meal a week is a good morale boost. Once Rin starts dating her boss though, of course she does end up being family and doing more than she agreed to contractually.

I like the how Aokbab and Rin's relationship built on them spending time working together and getting to know each other and in particular with Rin helping Aokbab getting over the scars from her previous relationship with Mind. It was already weird that Mind was a university student tutor dating her high school tutee, hopefully their age difference wasn't more than a few years, but she also submitted her high school aged girlfriend's design as her own and didn't even explain to Aokbab, leading to Aokbab getting flagged for plagiarism for her dream university. Mind continues to have to gall to want to keep dating Aokbab 10 years later, saying they never broke up. That is so entitled and delusional. The flashbacks of their relationship shows them as so happy that it makes the betrayal all the more painful. When Mind finally explains herself all these years later, Aokbab tells her that if she had just explained back then, maybe Aokbab would have even agreed to giving the design to Mind, but Mind just fumbled everything, both Aokbab and her belief in her own potential. At least she finally tells the truth when the plagerism issue affects Aokbab's business once again.

The second couple of Tertis and Vee are cute too, it's nice they no longer have to work at competing companies and can work together at Jinta at the end. Aokbab's brother Chan is the only one who seems to meet a love interest outside of work as her other brother Pat seems smitten with a client. I am curious about Chan and his fellow seaside coffee enthusiast love interest Blue, it might be cute. Maybe there will be more of them in the surprise special episode coming out a month after the finale. I was wondering why there is no wedding and of course that will be the topic of the special.

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The haunting of a gentle passionate love

Jom has been haunted his whole life before he even started seeing visions of himself, haunted by the souls and karma that he becomes entangled with from his future past. Unlike the others who move through different lifetimes, Jom seems uniquely caught in the torrent of time within the same life, slipping through, though his gut feeling of familiarity may indicate perhaps a cycle of the same lifetime that's occurred more than once. Perhaps the time slip is triggered by some sort of magic that is tied to his life being endangered and the ancient warrior lifetime version of Yai appears to save him. Answers that won't be answered in this series with the end suggesting another story to fully explore the connection between Jom and warrior Yai and perhaps how even all the 1920s souls around Jom was connected to him from this earlier life time. It's fitting that his first real physical connection is the breath of life that the warrior Yai gives him when pulling him out of the water from 2023 into 1927/1928 into the past where he will meet the 20 year old Khun Yai. While Jom recognizes him as the man in the photos he's seen and the ghostly visions, Yai instantly feels in his heart being pulled towards Jom at first sight.

It's a shame that there's no possibility of Jom having more than one boyfriend because both Yai and James are respectful gentleman green flags from the 1920s that people in the 2020's should emulate. I love how both of them confessed to liking Jom while telling him that there's no pressure or expectations if he doesn't feel the same way. I do like that Jom got to have an intense and real love with Ohm before meeting Yai as well, though it ended poorly. It's interesting that Ohm probably felt indebted in a way to Jom from the past life and the appreciation carried through into a romantic love into the modern life, but Ohm's love and previously interrupted fate with Khaimuk, the reincarnated FongKhaew superseded it. It's still on Ohm for cheating on Jom for maybe the entire two years when he should have broken things off sooner. Both Yai and James even frequent the same secret lgbt friendly club that Yai takes Jom to. James is able to navigate the various social group including with the abusive Robert, which is how he's able to help Jom's group gain the information needed to put Robert and the devious Uncle Dech away.

Though Yai had grown up rich, he has zero haughty airs and is grounded and kind, especially towards his boyfriend. It's helpful that he has his own quote unquote little house that's still a mansion compared to the residences of mere mortals that's far off away from the others where he can live out his romantic life. The depiction of Jom and Yai's intimate moments is truly refreshingly sophisticated in how they express desire and sensuality. A lot if not most queer romance stories conflate maturity with being explicit, which turns into soulless , repetitive actions rather than conveying the feelings of the characters and the progression of their relationship. The olive oil skin care scenes of Jom applying it on Yai's back in tandem with the scene of Jom applying it on himself while thinking back to what happened with Jom technically has nothing explicit happening, but the yearning for each other is powerfully apparent.

Yai is always gently affectionate and respectful with Jom in both actions and words in their everyday life. Always taking care to check that Jom actually wants to do something. The actor for Yai portrayed the depths of love for Jom really well. There is one particular scene where Jom is delivering a heartbreaking monologue of acceptance that though they love each other, Yai has to go through the accepted heteronormative actions of getting engaged to a woman of his parent's choosing and Yai gingerly touches Jom's lips in a way that says how could such sad words be spoken through the lips of the man who is his heart. The actor for Jom is also good at maintaining that line between sweet and cutesy but not childish and also having intelligence.

I wish the show just verbalized if they weren't going to show what in the world Ming saw in their boat that made them flip over, it's so randomly lazy moment in an otherwise story that was made with care, when the character could just exclaim, "a spider!" or anything to facilitate Jom an Khun Yai physically connecting in the water when Yai dives to retrieve him. Ming is the MVP the reason Jom was able to survive long enough to meet Yai, saving this random man from the water and giving him a place to stay and a job intro until Jom is promoted to majerdomo and eventually boyfriend to Yai. Ming is a true friend to gays, going out of his way to help Muey even after finding out she doesn't feel the same way about her and when she was outed. He understands the pain of love is universal after seeing Muey and Jom, two people he cares about a lot suffer.

There's so much trouble that Jom could have avoided if he would just stop hanging out on the pier at night, where so much drama happens. Jom keeps seeing what he shouldn't see and he keeps doing the same thing. It's still understandable that he feels he should go there in case he can gain some understanding in how he time travelled through the water and how he can return. The actors for James and Robert can speak English, but I feel so bad for them for having to deliver what sounds so much like poorly machine translated Thai to English lines. It's a shame that no one advocated on their behalf to edit the lines to make them sound more sensible for speaking. I'm impressed that there didn't seem to be any apparent product placement in the show. You may think a period drama would preclude that, but some may try.

Euengphueng goes from being Jom's sister in law to become his beloved younger sister Jeed. Euengpheung and Fongkaew experienced marital rape and Engpheung also the additional trauma of finding out she was pregnant as a result. I'm glad the show went through with Euengpheung being able to make the decision to abort, even telling her girlfriend Muey she is telling her of her decision because she loves her and is not asking for permission. It's so good to see a woman character get agency in getting an abortion and get to stick with the decision. It's so sadly rare in media depictions. Euengpheung leaves the house with Muey, Fongkaew leaves with her mother without Khamsaen, and Yai goes off to law school in France in that lifetime, but they all return to Jom's life in their next one. A man in modern clothes looking exactly like Yai with his memories appear to to reunite with and hug Jom, but there's no peace for poor Jom, because seemingly no sooner after this moment, Jom in the same clothes awakens to an even more far off past of Thailand to the time of Warrior Yai. It seems like there is a hope and intention to continue the story to explore that part of the romance between their souls and perhaps how Jom got wrapped up in the time travel in the first place, but it's been two years since the show aired as of this review writing. I hope the same leads and production team will get to finish out the story sooner rather than later.

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Suffocatingly Unfunny

The film truly had nothing to say, but attempting to mine gross out humor from the incest concept. I felt horrible for Rin from the beginning to the end having to put up with a creepily invasive and controlling male family member her whole life because he and his father are the only family she has left in the world. Due is awful and selfish and his disgusting behavior towards her is of course enabled by his friend and even his boss. The writing is self aware enough with Due's rash out of nowhere reveal to her that they aren't family, his mind only about being able to date her, while to her she just found out she never had a nephew and brother in law in the first place. Regardless of the truth of them not being blood related, they were still raised as family and she only ever saw them as such. There was never once at any point of the film that establishes that Rin felt anything other than familial towards Due. The ending is even left open ended because they know it's weird that she would ever date him and he just acts the same instead of making it clear he will treat her as just family from now on. There is no point that the film makes either way. The side character of the guy that's obsessed with her is also extremely unfunny. His aggressively unwanted, intrusive advances are really no different than Due aside from the fact that she can't get away from Due because he's family. It's sad that she never even got to try dating the cute college guy that liked her and she also liked back. I'm glad she went off to England to study though, at least she did something for herself though she did miss the family that she grew up with.

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Silly Divas

The cinematography makes the show looks like a indie film, the best cinematographer at GMMTV does it again. Fluke is a total revelation as Nevia, the gorgeous, confident queen. Lego is such a pretty princess as Ingky. I wonder if they made the Air Dolls high schoolers instead of university students despite everything that they do would fit being a university student is purely so they can show how they modify their high school uniforms when in college they can straight up just wear the women's uniform. Also less legal ramifications for stealing the crown and messing with the pageant maybe, that wasn't really addressed. The whole show is very silly and camp, you get exactly what you expect.

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Disturbingly flippant attitude towards SA

The positive part of the show is the two main characters Hai Yuan and Xi Cha. Hai Yuan is smart and has a strong boundaries though has some anger issues while Xi Cha is very friendly and cheery with everyone. Their entangled fates spans lifetimes, but their current selves get along in their unique way. They have good chemistry and it's really good how grounded and quick on the uptick Hai Yuan is to Xi Cha's supernatural situation. It's also nice that Hai Yuan's bar gig bosses are the most lovey dovey lesbians as a elder queer mentors for Hai Yuan and also Xi Cha. It's unfortunate the episodes are so short that there is no time to further elaborate on Hai Yuan's former lifetime's relationship with Xi Cha as the young master that we do see a glimpse of and as Xi Cha's wife who was never shown, and to also reconnect with Xi Cha's mom at any point later in the story. It's weird she's not around for her son's university graduation. Xi Cha getting to live a second life time and having to head straight into sophomore year of college and needing to do different extracurriculars and contests was a idea for him to experience new things that could have been used more. The dorm RA who told fortunes for a little bit and enjoys though has no talent in calligraphy had a weird side plot of being at the school for some kind of mission that was never explained though he was a fun character that Xi Cha got to interact with outside of Hai Yuan's roommate that is also Hai Yuan's distant cousin.

It would had been great if the show was confident in the already very interesting reincarnation and soul swap premise and characters and not resort to rape, especially as an introduction to the very important character of Xia Zefang who may or may not be trans because Zefang could have just been desperate to do anything to get with Hai Yuan, which makes it even worse that the only trans adjacent character is also the one portrayed as an obsessive creep. The episode runtimes are so short, instead of the attempted rape, the time should have been spent on Zefang's regular personality before death so there is some clear delineation between Zefang and Xia Cha who takes over Zefang's body aside from the fact that the grandpa is not a rapist unlike the grand kid. Hai Yuan and Xia Cha never talk about Zefang's terrifying behavior although only at the very end Xia Cha does recognize that he spoiled Zefang when he should have been teaching him right from wrong. Xia Cha in his original body also spoke with a very distinctive Mandarin and Cantonese speech that should have continued for a little bit more than the one Cantonese phrase he spoke at the hair salon before completely speaking in only Mandarin when he has to live as his own grandkid at University. The setting is also confusing, it's alluded to be Hong Kong because Hai Yuan's mom said Xia Cha helped her out when she first moved to Hong Kong, but aside from her and Xia Cha, but everyone speaks Mandarin and it looks like Taiwan. As soon as Xia Cha gets to university, it's yet another attempted rape scene and there will be another one later in the series by the same person who is both Zefang's now ex-boyfriend and Hai Yuan's half brother Ri Qing who also makes a creepy incest joke at the end that's more a commentary on Taiwanese drama's obsession with awful assault scenes than funny. There is no real consequence for Ri Qing's assault. Xia Cha moves out of their shared dorm, but the assault is never mentioned as an issue ever again. I hope Taiwainese dramas will stop trivializing sexual assault.

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Wednesday's Child is full of Woe

The Wednesday club being named for a group of college freshman all being middle children who in looking for connection also find their various family issues converge. They make mistakes and are taken advantaged of because of their youth, desperation, and ambitions. It's realistic that only some in the club become real friends and the others remain acquaintances that go through some trauma together all the same and in the end they go their separate ways.

The series missed the opportunity to really dial in on the friendship connections. May and Tam seemed like it was developing, but then they don't really interact anymore, being sectioned off to their own storylines. Either someone on the directing or writing team seems to have a thing for urine, featuring it not once, but three times. The lack of emotional connection between any of the club members leaves the ending feeling a tad empty.

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