etoks21

lol

Now I'm curious too. Thanks for the tip. I appreciate it.

End of episode 3:

What is indicated to have taken place at the end of this episode, if what it appears to be, is going to destroy the credibility of what to this point has been a fascinating, enjoyable watch. There are two absurdities, one which I was entirely willing to overlook because the rest is so good; and another which I'm too disheartened by the conclusion of #3 to mention right now, that I will deal with later. But at this point, I'm annoyed enough to just go to bed rather than move on to #4.

All that being sufficiently bitched about, these two actors and the characters they are portraying are a delightful breath of fresh BL air. The chemistry and acting are superb and delightful. Their interaction is a joy to behold, even if there's a GLARING implausibility born of chicken-shit writing which I'll whine about later.

But good god, these two are such a joy to watch; I have teared up a couple times from the feels generated by their vibe, sometimes when they aren't even touching.

Bravo. Yeah, the whole thing's a mess. The story being portrayed is a train wreck and the WAY in which it is presented is a disaster. But read through this thread and you would think this was the story of a gentle young man victimized by life who was "merely looking in a dark world, for someone to love him despite all his flaws."

An MDLer actually wrote that to me.

You might also think it was beautifully written and directed. The only thing I might say was beautiful is the level of the production values.

Christ.

OK. I'll give it a try. Thank you.

I haven't seen him in anything. You find him to be a good actor?
Funny: I find him attractive in his bio pic but not on the poster. :)

What are you, some kind of Puritanical Relationship Nazi?

There are SO many weirdos on MDL.

Just came back from perusing the film's page. I will definitely watch it after giving myself a few more days to cool down from watching this loooooooooooooooooooooooooooong version of the MC's awful behavior. But please tell me if it's basically a repeat with six hours cut from the middle.

Agreed. He DID tear up, feeling sorry for HIMSELF once again, near the end when he was on the boat/train/bus, whatever it was after having brutally dumping the guy at the airport at the last second.

I found it bizarre how he dumped some of them. Like that one, why didn't MC tell him that it was the HIV status requirement on the job app. that kept him from getting the job; that even if he applied, he would be discovered to have HIV and perhaps that would not only keep him from getting the new job, but might endanger his present one? That would have at least let the poor guy know it was not possible for MC to accompany him to Thailand and keep his job. That he had tried, but there was an impassable obstacle.

Instead, MC told him he was passed over for the promotion/job. What was that lie for? To me, and it was already clear, MC did not WANT to go with him because he is a sociopath who gets a charge out of wrecking romantic partners. At least, I was proud of the BF when he finally gathered some self-respect, got up, and wordlessly walked away, leaving douche-brain behind on the bench.

Ugh. I get riled up again just writing about it. lol As I've said, some part of this story has a grip on me. I'm still waiting for the reason that is to reveal itself.

You didn't miss anything. MC just did what he always does, one more time, the fifth to be exact.

hmmm...really? Is the story different in some ways from this one? A yes or no will do. I'm not a fan of spoilers. On edit: It's not a straight repeat? Well, of course it can't be because it's TWO hours as opposed to EIGHT.

wth? Were these made by the same company? What's happeniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing?

Thanks!

Someone has a gun to your head to reply or else?

I would say in this case, it was character stagnation. It was boring to watch if you actually understand what you're seeing. Many people here saw many things on the screen that simply aren't there. I'm wondering if something about this show lulls people into projecting onto it what they want to see. I have no idea.

Cinematography, lighting, all-round high production values, OST, that kind of thing. There were some scenes that moved me deeply, but I can't remember any at the moment because they were so few, I suppose. I think the lead actor is talented but miscast here. If all these men are going to fall at his feet the instant they see him, over and over, the actor has to have, at least to a significant degree, strikingly good looks.

Gay men, speaking generally, do not fall in love AT FIRST SIGHT with plain men whose open-mouthed smiles are that of Batman's Joker. Before the hysterics pile-on, let me affirm that we DO fall in love with plain and even ugly men. My deepest love has a big, French nose that I came to adore over time as I got to know him. OVER TIME, not at first sight. At first sight, I thought "well...that guy has a big nose." :) Then we met minutes later and before I left that party I was deeply interested in him because I got a sense of his heart, intelligence, wit, and his sexy, deep voice.

How many times did we watch MC ruthlessly murder a dude's soul, then head for the dance club, get wasted, and encounter his next victim; each of who collapsed into a besotted heap of jello at the sight of his drunken, plain/goofy face? FIVE times, that's how many. They knew nothing of him but that he has a goofy face, a somewhat large nose, and a scary smile. Yet, they swoon. Spare me.

OK, I grant you maybe ONE of five people might go for that look at first sight...but five in a row? NO.

But one of the most infuriating aspects of MC's character is that he would devastate some poor idiot's soul, do the club/drunk/swoon thing and enter immediately into the NEXT doomed relationship. He had zero self-awareness and seemed oblivious that he was so glaringly repeating himself, headed toward self-inflicted misery once again.

I could maybe go along with even that, if the script/plot showed me that he did see what he was doing but didn't care because of his assholery, that he was a sociopath to the core. That could be interesting. A protagonist villain can be very interesting! But I didn't see that either. I simply saw the same routine repeated five times. It was near to rewatching the first relationship arc five times, with different actors in the sucker's role. He wasn't evil, he wasn't good, he was boring and annoying.

Sadly, they are not explicit and taper off quickly from the first episode, during which the writer and director were trying to get our attention with early sex scenes, implying that would be part of the show's vibe. They certainly DID get my attention, but along with most other elements of the show after ep. 2, we settled into a boring repetition of the MC's manic-depressive, self and others-destructive behavior.

No, that would be character devolution.

lol Yeah not caring is why you keep replying.

Oh god, yes. I have and do. I would f**k myself if I could.

You know, thing is I still haven't rated the show because I've yet to determine what my bottom-line feeling about it is. It's too simplistic, at least in this case to say I "liked" or "disliked" it because I liked many elements of it, though those are less important I suppose, than the elements I disliked.

I figure any show that grips me this tightly, if even in entirely negative ways, is worth examining after my initial, emotional reactions have faded a bit, which is already happening. Though I don't feel any different about those reactions yet. We shall see.

Thank you. Interesting that happened four times today. People probably hurled insults and obscenities at me, then later thought better of it.

I get a lot of that. :)