dramadramamama

I want to start this review by saying that I don't mean that 'there weren't enough NC scenes'. That's not what I mean with too tame before y'all come for me!!!

Let me first start with the good things.
I loved the cast! I especially thought that Nut shined in this - I can't believe it's his first acting series! He really knew how to show all the nuance and roughness that was Jun.
In one episode you think he's just a heartless d*ck but then in the next you realise it was all a façade to hide how he really felt. And moreso than what was in the script, but the incredible editing (props to the editors!!!) and the acting choices made by Nut when he didn't have lines gave even more insight to Jun's character which I absolutely loved. I can't wait to see him act as Jimmy's little brother in 'my magic prophecy' EEEEEEEE!!!!
And the rest of LYNKN was there too I guess.
But imo they also underutilised sammy and drake LIKE CMONNN THOSE ARE SEASONED ACTORS!!!! I wish they'd gotten a bigger support role

I also adored the villains in this: well played miss Pemika, well played. I don't agree at all with the character but damn if she isn't that girlboss office siren? Hats off to you miss, she devoured that villain role.


The costume department was really good most of the times and really builds that idol image for all of MARS, although for Nano they leaned a bit too hard into the 'quirky main dancer maknae' aesthetic for me and less into who the character really was? For all the other characters it was great;
Thame - cool, popular boy clothes per his leader status but also his more down-to-earth nature
Dylan - streetstyle per his rap background
Jun - not that distinct but i remember him wearing a lot of beige pants and timeless clothes like soft sweaters and cardigans, which reflects his personality of prickly and thorny on the outside but soft within and also just fits with who he's trying to become (movie star and all).
Pepper - cleancut, well dressed - at times basic, but it fits his all rounder status; he's very palatable and easily fits in everywhere

Now let's get to the part where I thought it was too tame. The story.
It was alright, I mean Po is literally living that y/n life and I love that for him! That being said, there's a reason why wattpad self inserts are just that...they're not that good.
The story and pacing started out great for the first half:
We are told all the members have things they want to achieve (producing own songs, acting in a movie as the lead, pursuing a relationship, being more than just the dancer) but then as Thame and Po get together that all just doesn't get handled anymore and every conflict that made the characters and the world they live in interesting, just falls away.

Moreover, the conflict that is present just doesn't translate as well - the stakes the audience is given just do not feel relatable to me at all, and given the company that produces it, it just feels hypocritical and tonedeaf? @GMMTV you are aware that you are one of the main sources keeping this kind of culture alive in Thailand right? And I'm not saying that i don't participate in it or that it's immediately bad, but the point that they are then trying to make just doesn't land because we are still in this situation in real life without a real structural change!
And there's also no change in the thamepo world! Sure, MARS leaves their company and gets to perform together using their old name and everybody's back together living happily after...but for the other artists at the company nothing changes!

This story is trying to present itself as 'punk' exposing and dismantling the system, and portrays the protagonists as going against the system and changing it, but they don't! In the end, they get dumped, a new boygroup fills the void and will probably at some point have the same issues about creative control, romantic relationships, career paths etc. and nothing changes.

Now I get that this is just a romcom and not every series has to have a serious message and be life changing or pioneer lgbt activism, but with the tone they set in the first episodes and the seeds they sowed I expected them to really lean into it and have a fierce message to change things, but in the end they decided to play it safe which is so disappointing.

I am also aware about the double standard for queer media and that it is often held to a higher standard, but you know what's the worse thing about this whole thing?
It's the fact that the episodes after ep 7/8 completely bored me. I literally skipped through some of the domestic fluff and the crying scenes because it was boring. And normally I love domestic fluff, but for thamepo the fluffy scenes did not feel like a reward after the hardships of pining, it just felt like fanservice.
The crying did not feel like a release of emotions between the characters but it felt fake and I could feel very little sympathy for the characters.

I saw many people praising thamepo for having a mature storyline because of the lack of drama and so on but like...it is a drama series. And what's a drama series without the drama? I want to be entertained!
Besides, a storyline doesn't just become mature because of a lack of drama, it should also discuss mature topics and the series also fell flat on that - but I'm going to blame this part on the lack of time.
I would've liked it if they dedicated a few scenes to show how Earn's treatment of Po would affect Po's relationship with Thame. We know that Earn wasn't physically abusive but it is presented that he was emotionally neglecting Po for a while, manipulating him into doing free work, and in general being toxic. That had to have an effect on Po's worldview! I mean we begin the series with the fact that Po is clearly still not healed from his break up with Earn (he has all the couple stuff, pictures and even EARN'S CLOTHES IN HIS DAMN CLOSET).

Maybe he would feel like he had to be perfect because otherwise thame would leave him just like Earn or that his view on love has become warped and that he sees it as a transactional thing. That people do nice things because they want something from you (this could also be an arc for thame). Or maybe how Earn's abandonment would affect Po's self-esteem and how he gets that back because of Thame - but we don't see that kind of growth.
No, they kiss and are basically married now.

That being said I do hope they get married, i wish thamepo all the best <3 they are a very cute couple