This review may contain spoilers
Campy satire of the mafia trope
The serie made me rediscover PondPhuwin (and grow completely obsessed with them). I knew them from We Are (which I dropped after a few episodes, eventually finished when I was in a ppw drought). I was seeing scenes from Me and Thee on soc while it aired & I was already very curious about it. Seeing Peach taking off Thee’s tie without context got me hooked on them (more than I was on their We Are scenes) and I think it’s because Nuttapong is very good at capturing what Pond and Phuwin are best at conveying: meaningful gestures that carry depth. Me and Thee got me crazy over eye contacts, brief shoulder touches, words of affirmation, because it’s not the relationship that carries the characters, but the characters that carry it making its slow development feel earned and believable. Phuwin embodies Peach (to me, it’s actually the character in which I can recognize Phuwin the least). It’s tiny things that make Peach seem real and multi dimensional. His body language, the hair flips, his little sighs to remain calm despite Thee’s antics, his confused frowns, his wardrobe… It’s also edits of Peach that got me so excited about Me and Thee. He’s so charming in his simplicity making all of his actions somewhat endearing (ex: him clumsily carrying his heavy chair to sit next to Thee). He has values, habits, both qualities and flaws. He also grows through the show. I absolutely love how he always meets Thee halfway: while having clear boundaries, he never shames Thee for his extra personality or feelings, doesn’t make him repress them. Their good communication enables them to tame each other and I think it’s one of Me and Thee’s greatest strength: it’s comedy, somewhat satiric at times, yet it’s also very realistic and mature when it comes to showing two adults building a genuine bond together.
I have to say, Me and Thee also made me fall in love with Pond. Thee’s body language (especially the way he talks with his hands, gets frantic when stressed (ep5 stairs scene lives in my head rent free)) is absolutely gold and I believe no one can portray him the way Pond did. To be honest, and here it’s a MY personal reading of the character, Thee is very neurodivergent coded: he’s not just out of touch with reality because of money. He doesn’t mean bad, and it’s not that he’s self-centred, he genuinely struggles with social cues and lives in his own world that’s actually very lonely. He should be annoying but he’s not, Thee is incredibly endearing in his strange ways. We get Peach, why instead of stepping back, he gets attached. It’s Pond (as well as the dialogue) who makes the nuance works. I thought I would struggle liking a character that steps over people’s boundaries but Thee ended up being such a comfort character to me because he wants to learn, he’s willing to adjust and he’s actually pretty harmless. He states when he’s hurt, why he’s hurt, and each of his actions (even the most ridiculous ones) somehow make sense (ex: his name on what belongs to him to ensure safety). It’s not just for the laughs, the way he expresses himself reveals not only his personality but also his trauma, his coping mechanisms as well as what he actually longs for (a real bond).
I’ve seen people complain about the lack of "plot" but to me Me and Thee was supposed to be a satire of the mafia trope. A story about two very different people taming each other & it never needed to be more than that. The time spent on the characters, them discovering each other through carefully written dialogue is what made the relationship well paced despite the show being only 10 eps (although I do feel like the last episode was a bit rushed, I’m glad there’s a spinoff). Action and heavy angst weren’t needed, it would have disrupted this slow and comfortable rhythm that makes it so enjoyable to watch. Again, it’s just me, but when it comes to romance (or more broadly, relationships) centered stories I prefer a non plot serie with believable characters and a well developed relationship. I need to be engaged with the characters to be engaged with the story, so to me a serie can be good without a plot but it can never be good without characters to carry it. Why would I feel invested in something if I’m not attached to? Me and Thee delivered iconic characters that were palpable and that’s why it worked.
Also, I’ve seen people being like: why did Thee propose ep10 when Peach told him not to ep9, but to me it was obvious than it wasn’t like, the next day? I could see a shift in ep10, TheePeach being more domestic indicating that some time had passed? Also Thee mentioning that him and Peach had being together for a while? I thought it was well done, showing instead of directly telling, that their relationship had grown into something quite stable (ex: Peach immediately noticing Thee sulking after the house thing and comforting him initiating physical contact/ Peach accompanying him to work/ them basically living together/ the way it was more natural for Thee to be in Peach’s house (his space generally) and his proximity with Plub)).
Anyway, I might be biased but sometimes I feel like people overlooked what was actually meant to be conveyed just to nitpick. Same with the comedic scenes. Not a lot of people pointed out how campy Me and Thee actually was, its beautiful aesthetic and shots that were always well thought and intentional. The cinematography was amazing. It was clever too. Just ep1, Plub telling Peach about the "blood" on Thee’s sleeve and boom, direct shift to Thee getting sauce on his sleeve while watching lakorns in a silk robe on his couch really set the tone. Same with the musical part ep4 (my fav ep) it was hilarious because it doesn’t take itself too seriously but it’s still somewhat beautiful and touching. The post credits scenes were also all amazing and knowing it was mostly impro is quite impressive.
Of course, it has flaws. I would have liked to know Plub more, could have been a great female character and her dynamic with Thee and Mok was promising. Peach and Thee being very well developed sadly meant the side characters were quite underdeveloped. Mok suffers less from this than the others, but his relationship with Rome was still a little confusing (although we’re getting the spinoff). The pacing ep 1 to 7 was great, it was bit more rushed post that but again we’ll be getting more of TheePeach’s domestic life. The parents’ intentions could have been clearer, same with what’s considered safe and unsafe for their family, what were the actual threats, love being a liability (I hope we’ll see them navigate through this as parents in Peach and Me). But as I said, it was a character/romance driven story, a comedy meant to make you laugh so it didn’t bug me that much. You don’t watch Me and Thee for accurate mafia world, gun fights or to shed tears. You watch because it’s quirky, because it serves iconic characters (and scenes) that’ll stay with you for a while, because the romance is well written, believable and heartwarming, because its aesthetic is carefully crafted. Like Peach, you need to let go a little to enter Thee’s world.
Anyway. Thee you’ll always be an icon. Gay delulu mafia boss on the spectrum. Pond really deserves the praises he got (same for the rest of the cast and Nuttapong, thank you for this campy show and for making me realize the actual gems that are Pond and Phuwin).
I have to say, Me and Thee also made me fall in love with Pond. Thee’s body language (especially the way he talks with his hands, gets frantic when stressed (ep5 stairs scene lives in my head rent free)) is absolutely gold and I believe no one can portray him the way Pond did. To be honest, and here it’s a MY personal reading of the character, Thee is very neurodivergent coded: he’s not just out of touch with reality because of money. He doesn’t mean bad, and it’s not that he’s self-centred, he genuinely struggles with social cues and lives in his own world that’s actually very lonely. He should be annoying but he’s not, Thee is incredibly endearing in his strange ways. We get Peach, why instead of stepping back, he gets attached. It’s Pond (as well as the dialogue) who makes the nuance works. I thought I would struggle liking a character that steps over people’s boundaries but Thee ended up being such a comfort character to me because he wants to learn, he’s willing to adjust and he’s actually pretty harmless. He states when he’s hurt, why he’s hurt, and each of his actions (even the most ridiculous ones) somehow make sense (ex: his name on what belongs to him to ensure safety). It’s not just for the laughs, the way he expresses himself reveals not only his personality but also his trauma, his coping mechanisms as well as what he actually longs for (a real bond).
I’ve seen people complain about the lack of "plot" but to me Me and Thee was supposed to be a satire of the mafia trope. A story about two very different people taming each other & it never needed to be more than that. The time spent on the characters, them discovering each other through carefully written dialogue is what made the relationship well paced despite the show being only 10 eps (although I do feel like the last episode was a bit rushed, I’m glad there’s a spinoff). Action and heavy angst weren’t needed, it would have disrupted this slow and comfortable rhythm that makes it so enjoyable to watch. Again, it’s just me, but when it comes to romance (or more broadly, relationships) centered stories I prefer a non plot serie with believable characters and a well developed relationship. I need to be engaged with the characters to be engaged with the story, so to me a serie can be good without a plot but it can never be good without characters to carry it. Why would I feel invested in something if I’m not attached to? Me and Thee delivered iconic characters that were palpable and that’s why it worked.
Also, I’ve seen people being like: why did Thee propose ep10 when Peach told him not to ep9, but to me it was obvious than it wasn’t like, the next day? I could see a shift in ep10, TheePeach being more domestic indicating that some time had passed? Also Thee mentioning that him and Peach had being together for a while? I thought it was well done, showing instead of directly telling, that their relationship had grown into something quite stable (ex: Peach immediately noticing Thee sulking after the house thing and comforting him initiating physical contact/ Peach accompanying him to work/ them basically living together/ the way it was more natural for Thee to be in Peach’s house (his space generally) and his proximity with Plub)).
Anyway, I might be biased but sometimes I feel like people overlooked what was actually meant to be conveyed just to nitpick. Same with the comedic scenes. Not a lot of people pointed out how campy Me and Thee actually was, its beautiful aesthetic and shots that were always well thought and intentional. The cinematography was amazing. It was clever too. Just ep1, Plub telling Peach about the "blood" on Thee’s sleeve and boom, direct shift to Thee getting sauce on his sleeve while watching lakorns in a silk robe on his couch really set the tone. Same with the musical part ep4 (my fav ep) it was hilarious because it doesn’t take itself too seriously but it’s still somewhat beautiful and touching. The post credits scenes were also all amazing and knowing it was mostly impro is quite impressive.
Of course, it has flaws. I would have liked to know Plub more, could have been a great female character and her dynamic with Thee and Mok was promising. Peach and Thee being very well developed sadly meant the side characters were quite underdeveloped. Mok suffers less from this than the others, but his relationship with Rome was still a little confusing (although we’re getting the spinoff). The pacing ep 1 to 7 was great, it was bit more rushed post that but again we’ll be getting more of TheePeach’s domestic life. The parents’ intentions could have been clearer, same with what’s considered safe and unsafe for their family, what were the actual threats, love being a liability (I hope we’ll see them navigate through this as parents in Peach and Me). But as I said, it was a character/romance driven story, a comedy meant to make you laugh so it didn’t bug me that much. You don’t watch Me and Thee for accurate mafia world, gun fights or to shed tears. You watch because it’s quirky, because it serves iconic characters (and scenes) that’ll stay with you for a while, because the romance is well written, believable and heartwarming, because its aesthetic is carefully crafted. Like Peach, you need to let go a little to enter Thee’s world.
Anyway. Thee you’ll always be an icon. Gay delulu mafia boss on the spectrum. Pond really deserves the praises he got (same for the rest of the cast and Nuttapong, thank you for this campy show and for making me realize the actual gems that are Pond and Phuwin).
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