dodoubleg1785

A collection of some really fun extras to beloved series

Unlike the first Our Sky series, I had made sure to watch all of the parent stories for this one in preparation for when it came out. Some, I watched a while ago so I'm glad each new story began with a recap to refresh my memory.

As a whole, I really enjoyed the series though some of the stories I liked way better than others. It's really impossible to rate the whole series as one thing with all the different casts and storylines going on so that's why I broke it down by series.

Episodes 1-2 (Never Let Me Go)
I liked the time travel aspect and how it felt like a true side story; taking these characters that we know and love and giving them a short "side quest" - if you will - that has a beginning, conflict, resolution and ending. It was well-paced for just a 2 episode storyline. It definitely felt lighter than the original series though that's to be expected with a format like this. There really isn't time to create a lasting, in-depth problem for them to overcome which I personally liked. Honestly, these two had gone through enough in their main story that they deserved a break and something a little more lighthearted.

Episodes 3-4 (Star In My Mind)
While Joong is very VERY nice to look at, these episodes were a bit of a disappointment for me. There was absolutely nothing new brought to the story. Not only that, but it was literally the same thing that happened in the main series with the group of them going to Prince's resort and the main couple being all cute together. There's nothing wrong with that, per say but if these are meant to be additional add-ons to the main story, at least do something different. I felt like I was rewatching the original series or was suffering from deja-vu. There are so many other couples in the GMMTV lineup that I would have rather seen have a continuation or even mini-story of. And, honestly, I don't really believe in their chemistry. Plus their delivery of lines is really distracting to me where it felt like they were just reading off the script instead of "acting" the script.

Episodes 5-6 (The Eclipse)
This was enjoyable and, even though the story wasn't all that original (the main lead being upset because he thinks his boyfriend forgot an important date) I liked how they executed it here. I especially liked when the characters were daydreaming and putting themselves into other classic movie roles which was a nice twist. It made for some funny moments, which was nice to see with these characters, especially when their parent series was more on the serious side of things.

Episodes 7-8 (Vice Versa)
These episodes had a lot going on as far as cramming 2 storylines into 2 episodes. The first half was a good peek into the future after we left off from the series. It was an honest portrayal of the struggles of a couple keeping things fresh and making time for one another after being in the workforce grind. Then the second half had the addition of the arrival of this unknown child on their doorstep. Personally, I thought it was an interesting idea, especially when thinking about the original series with Talay and Puen never truly knowing what Tun and Tess did while occupying their bodies while they were in the alternate universe. There were some really funny moments combined with some deep heartfelt ones that made it an enjoyable watch overall.

Episodes 9-10 (My School President)
While this was the exact same story as the original series, it was made completely different with the role swaps of all the actors. They even switched the mothers which I thought was hilarious. While some may consider it "lazy writing," I thought it was an interesting way to showcase the actors and how they can pull off the opposite roles from what they were originally cast. It also gave Gemini a chance to show his singing chops by playing the front man of the band instead of Fourth. The music video at the end was a funny and clever nod to some other popular BL series (He's Coming to Me, Bad Buddy, Tale of a Thousand Stars). The friends really made this for me as it was funny to see all the swapping there and their interactions together and not just between the couples.

Episodes 11-12 (Boss and a Babe)
At first I thought this was going to be another role swap kind of deal but it wasn't. Well, it was, but not like the episodes for MSP. In this case, it was within the context of the show and it was more of a "walk a mile in my shoes and then tell me it's easy" kind of thing. And it made sense within the story instead of being a completely out there concept. The only thing I wish they had addressed was how name-calling and insults are unacceptable, no matter how much stress a boss is under. And they never even brought up the fact that someone flat out quit because of his unreasonable attitude. But at least he redeems himself at the end... sort of. He says he'll be more mindful though we don't really see it.

Episodes 13-16 (Bad Buddy, Tale of a Thousand Stars)
I'm reminded of how impressive these leading actors are. There's no "reciting lines and waiting for the next one" feel like there are in so many BLs. These guys truly feed off each other and give little nuances in response that make for some funny and more in-depth connections. Ohm and Nannon, while they don't have much romantic chemistry in my opinion, they have off the charts bickering and playful chemistry which is just as, if not more, entertaining. In episode 13, we are brought back to the time where Pat and Pran first "break up" and have to pretend to hate each other while dating in secret. I know a lot of people were upset with this as the original series ended with the families beginning to tolerate each other and the two boys being able to be open about their relationship. It's understandable that people now want to see these two dating for real in the open but honestly, for me, their best moments were the bickering and the flirting while having to hide their feelings from everyone else. That extra sense of taboo added a different type of thrill to the whole thing and it was highly entertaining.
Throw in the crossover with Earth and Mix in ToaTS and watch the amusing chaos unfold. The initial tie-in was interesting enough and I liked how they showed all of the characters interacting with each other. Having Tian and Chief watching Pat and Pran acting as them in the play was a bit of a surreal moment but I thought there was so much depth to it where perhaps they see something new by watching it happen to someone else.
And then we get a glimpse of a "fish out of water" reversal with Chief running loose in Bangkok which made for a fun montage. Then, their ending had me crying right along with them as it was a beautiful conclusion, wrapped up in a neat, lovely bow. Honestly, I'm sad it's over but I wouldn't have wanted it to end any other way.

I really do like this format of additional situations with already established characters and I certainly hope GMMTV continues to do it going forward.

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No expectations is the way to go.

It should be a general rule that one should not go into watching a series with expectations. Having a preconceived idea about what should happen takes away from what actually happens and more often than not leads to disappointment.

I think this may be the case for most of the negative reviews this series is getting. That and the fact that when we see the same pairings over and over, we get into the mindset that these characters should be playing a certain role in every project they do. I think some people forget that these are actors and they can be anything and anyone the script calls for them to be.

Unfortunately, I think this is what hurt this series the most. Sure, it just finished and there's still a lot of watching to be done, but I'm concerned the bad reviews will turn people away before they even give it a chance to make their own opinions. In my opinion, it was a decent watch though it certainly wasn't anything to write home about. And, while I can't see myself watching it again, I may look up some scenes occasionally.

Regarding the main actors and their roles.. I get it. I know this is based off a novel but it really feels like a manhwa or manga. It's got the "everyone chasing after one of the lead characters," an older uke with an innocent, puppy-like seme, not much dialogue between the couples... etc. And the second couple was practically non-existent except for their NC scenes. I even remember thinking at one point, "why doesn't the doctor have many lines? Are they not confident in his acting and only using him for eye-candy?"

In this respect, I though Ja actually portrayed the character well, actually. I may prefer him in a more serious, mature role but that doesn't mean he didn't capture the essence here. It was almost believable that he was younger and more immature than First's character. First, on the other hand, in the attempt to seem older and more put together, seemed to be mostly expressionless throughout 80% of the series. I think he just has way too much passion and charisma to try to pull off that aloof, in control older-man vibe. I appreciated the attempt because I like it more than the whiny brat he was in TharnType 2 and the start of Don't Say No, but it still felt a bit flat and 1-dimentional to me for the most part.

Early on in the first few episodes, I was about ready to drop the series on account of the supporting female cast.. the actress doing the series with Ashi and the 2 managers were driving me nuts but, thankfully they don't get all that much screen time as the story between Punn and Ashi progressed. The managers just get enough to actually further along the plot which was nice after a while. Even Worra became amusing after a while with her over-the-top performance in the lakorn within the series. I wonder how many times the real actress, Noon, had the crew cracking up with her antics and found myself looking to the other actors to see if they crack any smiles.

Ming was a very good character. He is the best wingman and "daddy" to Ashi and Punn. His scenes with the doctor were nice to watch too, being that they were always banging. But hey, it was hot and well done. It was hard to get invested in the doctor as a character since they didn't develop their relationship much or even develop him as a singular character until they gave him a half-assed backstory in the second to last episode. The writers/director put more emphasis on and effort into explaining how Title became such an a-hole than they did with showcasing the doctor and why we should care about him as a supporting character.

Speaking of Title, he was your standard, cookie-cutter villain where he is so in love with the main character that he will do horrible things in order to get his crush to notice him. It's a trope I'll never understand because what good guy "hero" is going to be like "wow, look at how awful that guy is.. he must really love me. I want to be with that guy." And then you have Title doing the whole "well, if he won't love me then he can't love anyone" thing. Like, he flat out says it, not just hints at the mentality with his actions.

Them going to Japan was a nice change of scenery as I don't think I've seen any Thai BL use this storyline yet. Usually if a character goes abroad somewhere, we don't usually see them in that country. Off the top of my head, I really only remember Kirin briefly being in Korea in Cutie Pie and Shi De being in the US in We Best Love. The scenery and architecture in the Japan portion of the show was stunning, especially with the snow. It was mainly because they were filming a period piece but it provided some great visuals and of course the use of hot springs.

The pacing felt a little weird since Punn and Ashi's story at times felt dragged out while Ming and the doctor could have used so much more. It made the whole thing feel unbalanced though I was still invested enough to watch to the end and feel entertained all along the way. Again, it's not the best series but it was an enjoyable watch for what it was.

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