etoks21

I'm generally not a GMMTV fan, but this show is quite good.

Oh, thanks.
I thought you were referring to a character in the show. :P

hahaha

Someone's panties are terribly twisted.
Your mental/emotional state, made clear by this outburst AND the fact that you believe I have ever defended a pedophile, is precarious.
Seek therapy.
Also, probably, meds, too.

"Episode 4 was the first time we saw Barth and Tanrak’s relationship evolve into something far deeper and more meaningful than mere sexual discovery or forbidden desire."

This is an example of the sex-phobic, Puritanical attitude toward physical expression of love that predominates on MDL. TanBarth's relationship has NEVER been about "...mere sexual discovery or forbidden desire."
And your use of "mere" is the tell that you see sex for its own God-given joy, as less-than.
You seem to have already forgotten the three-episode buildup of romantic feelings and emotional attraction leading up to TanBarth finally doing the nasty in the bathhouse.

Sex is as god-given as romance.
Both can be and are abused millions of times every day.

There is no green light on Tan's face, and light does not "reflect" off of fabric.

Kongdech is not "ignoring" Tan, but rather the opposite, he's watching every move Tan makes with Barth. Tan has been ignoring Kongdech because he's crushing on Barth, which is totally a human thing to do. Kongdech is jealous that his friend has found a new friend or a new lover. I suspect Kongdech will be the first to openly accuse TanBarth of being boner buddies.

So, Barth doesn't believe in God but he's also striking cruciform poses on the soccer field?

Barth's brow was scarred by a leather and paper Bible?

I find it insulting when people tell someone they don't believe in God and the response is "I will pray to God for you." If you want to pray, keep it to yourself. Saying otherwise is a passive-aggressive slam, equivalent to "since you're wrong and I'm right but you're too stupid to know it, I'll continue being right on your behalf."

"...if you don't get it you don't but trying to make it seem bad and giving it low ratings when it's not even bad it's just a blatant lie. you can have your opinion but at least either finish it or step away from it because it wasn't made for you clearly.

Your entire last paragraph is hilariously passive-aggressive and insulting to anyone who disagrees with you and whose opinion is as valid as yours.
The above-quoted bit is the equivalent of someone saying to you, "...if you see stuff that isn't there and are just trying to make the show seem good and giving it high ratings when it's not even good it's just a blatant lie." hahaha

Your comment above contains some interesting insights, but just as much, if not more, pompous windbaggery. Work on developing a less professorial-wannabe style. It makes you sound silly.

I'm curious as to what you mean by "pure?"

TanBarth didn't seem too worried about "purity" at the end of episode 3.

..."if you think there's a disconnect there then that's your inability to relate to the story."

"...whilst it's ok to have your opinion, you're viewing this too shallowly and at such surface-level hence why you feel like the show isn't great overall because you're not understanding..."

"whilst" lol
Are you a properly-spoken Brit or just someone trying to sound like one?

Also, I just noticed that you're a condescending asshole.
Yet, it's clear that you're in no position to condescend to anyone, child.

How did it save you?

"They tend to use insults and emojis as "arguments." LOL
I get a lot of that too.
It's an MDL thing.
There are a lot of 13-year-olds here watching shows they haven't the capacity to appreciate. Either that, or they're watching utter, brainless trash and rating it 10/10.

TOTALLY agree about the metaphors.
I liked the Creation of Adam reference until the director decided to ram the point down our throats by showing an image of what I think was a copy of the Michelangelo original.
He should have left well enough alone and allowed those who picked up on it to appreciate it as offered, while other viewers would be moved by their gesture as a stand-alone bit.

Likewise, the apple reference was clunky.
Barth offered the apple to Tan, making him the snake as you said, but Tan refused it and Barth was the only one who took a bite.
So does that mean only Barth will ultimately accept his true nature, and that Tan will remain pure (gag) inside the church (double gag)?

I thought this episode dragged a bit, too, and unrealistically shied away from the physical/sexual connection they had made in episode 3, and which would be prominent in a gay love affair at their age, which is unusual for a Thai BL

Oh come on...if the series left them alone, happy, and in love, you'd be bored.
It's that fear of what might happen that makes it interesting, no?

Who is Sea?
Or will the actual sea rise up to drown one of our boys? :(
Thank you.

Interesting.
I say that because TTH is the first Thai BL in a great long while that I haven't dropped after one or two episodes, or one or two minutes. I get vibes here that recall ITSAY and IPYTM, the two greatest Thai BLs of all time.

On the other hand, Bad Buddy sits at the top of my Worst BLs of All Time list.
So, it's interesting that you equate TTH with BB, and I admire one and loathe the other.

OK, that's it.

Nice catch. :) I missed that.

I just went back and reviewed that bit because I was uncertain about something.
Actually, Barth offered the apple to Tan first, Tan refused it, THEN Barth took his bite.
Does this make Barth the snake AND the only one who will ultimately accept his true self?

I suffered 8 years of Lutheran parochial school, so I know all the mindfuck Biblical bits, too. :D

I've had a sense of foreboding since episode 2 that this will not end well. :(

Forgive me, but who is P'Aof?

Agree!
The most lovely for me was the finger-to-finger bit between GemFourth from upper to lower bunks.
I do wish the director hadn't cut from that directly to a shot of the Michelangelo painting detail that bit alluded to. That was too on-the-nose and unnecessarily hammered home the reference.

Oh gosh, honey, do try to chill.
You're going to pop a tear duct and/or have a fangirl stroke. :)

I kid.
I know what you mean. ;)

Episode 4:
hmmm...I expected things to slow a bit for this second middle episode, but they may have slowed a bit too much. My standards for this show are high as a result of the quality of episodes 1-3, so it's on that curve that I'm grading episode 4, and it gets a C+ from me.

The + is for Gemini's upper lip, which drives me wild with desire.
Can one of you GeminiForth shippers tell me, has his upper lip always been that protuberant, or are we looking at collagen here?
This is Thailand, after all, no stranger to cosmetic enhancements.

Another drawback to this episode is what I see as an unrealistic cooling of TanBarth's sexual heat.
It's a simple fact that two young men of this age, as handsome, sexy, and in love (young, dumb, and full of cum, as they say) as these two are, would be making out, embracing, and having whatever form of sex was possible in the moment, because that's what teenage boys do, and there is zero shame in it.

Their sexual feelings are as much god-sent as their romantic ones, and deserve as much celebration. In the real world, it would be all they could do in each other's presence to NOT fall into each other's arms. Given this is a Thai production, I'm a bit surprised to see that element toned down at this stage.

Now, before you MDL Church Girl Prudes swarm me with your "if you want gay porn, go find a site for that!!" silliness for daring to state the obvious, read this part: There were at least three meaningful, revealing convos between GemFourth here that were pivotal.

No, I'm not suggesting those should have been abbreviated for extended f**king scenes. You can indicate in 30 seconds or a brief montage that the guys are going at each other whenever they can. I'm suggesting that the romantic/sexual heat established at the end of episode 3 should have carried over into this episode. With that underlying tension of near-uncontrollable attraction underlying all we saw this week, everything else would have been twice as impactful.

Another advantage to my suggested approach would be the added element of danger, the danger of them being caught in the act. As it is, we're seeing a few of the supporting characters catching on. Were I the director, I would have taken that up a few notches. Yes, we saw Master Phuk, I mean Phak, raise a suspicious eyebrow again, but it would have been nice to see him just almost catch them making out. As it was, we got him sneering at them for doing nothing other than goofing around, like all guys do. I wonder if Master(bator?) Phuk might not be a little in love with Panrak, and thus resentful of Barth...? Thoughts?

That little Ryu kid is adorable.
It seems highly unrealistic that Father Arnon is not banging him and/or three or four other youngsters in his care. This is a Catholic school/church, after all.

I do feel bad for Kondech. He is watching his best friend pay more attention to someone else, and that's hard for anybody, gay or straight. Even 100% straight guys often get jealous of a buddy's attentions to his new GF. "Bros before hos," as they say.

The ongoing focus on how institutionalized Christianity, especially the Catholic or Evangelical strains, tortures its congregants with guilt and shame, fomenting unnecessary/unwarranted self-flagellation, continues to be spot-on here. Believe me, I know. The Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, nearly as Christo-fascist in its own way as the Catholics, did a number on me that I still live with. After a childhood of shaming, the self-loathing is so ingrained that the best one can do is accept it as a fact of life and learn to manage and minimize it.

Jesus Christ would have nothing to do with these horrible organizations and it always pains me to see the hatred they preach in his name.

Looking forward to next Saturday.

ummm...not to rain on your ratings outrage parade, but 8.8 is a damn high rating, even for MDL. Chill a bit.

lol