This review may contain spoilers
Biggest surprise - please give it a chance
In the beginning the only reason I started watching this was because I heard the heat was good. I was very hesitant about the plot summary which didn't sound very good and by that point I didn't yet know it was a MAME show either, which tbh would have put me more off since I haven't been a big fan of the other productions from her.
However, it was a complete surprise on all regards!
1. With heat, it's really not that spicy. There is one sex scene (in the special) where they take a shirt off, otherwise it's just making out and clothes on touching. A lot of it, and implied sex, but it is rather tame.
2. Regarding plot, the summary is very much accurate, but there are layers to each character, and in my opinion, the reasons for everyone's behaviour are well explored, and everyone grows as a character.
3. Regarding TharnType being a MAME show, I've got to say it's easily my favourite. I've seen LitA, Wedding Plan and bit of Love sea, and they all infuriated me to a differing degrees. I'd say the acting and structure of TT is easily the best, there was a few too many diversions to side characters, and they brought in a lot of cameos into the last episode which I wasn't a huge fan of, but overall compared to some other stuff that's out there, not bad at all.
I honestly have never had this many thoughts and things to say about a series, so that should tell somethign. Overall, I was pleased with how the episodes were structured, the music and sound effects were a bit obnoxious but not to an extent it bothered me, and I liked all of the characters. Techno is one of my new favourite best friend characters, the ADHD king lol
(Also sidenote, it was so so nice to see a show without any super overt product placement that wasn't easily tied to the story, just made it feel more real!)
To talk about the main two a little bit, Type is defnitely going to be the most difficult for everyone to stomach. And I very much agree, he is an asshole, and started out completely awful, but the show allows you to see past this posturing, bully of a facade, into the reasons behind that.
Tharn on the otherhand is out and proud about his sexuality. His issues are to do with abandonement, and the insecurities that follow from that. I simply love him. I love when he said "I'll never stop loving men" I love when he refused to be ashamed like Type was, how he was able to be open and vulnerable when faced with someone who very much was not.
If you don't want to read my feelings vomit below, TLDR: the story might be hard to watch at points, and characters difficutl to love, but like I did with the show, I'd highly recommend giving it a try. It's gonna hurt, but I think the pain is worth the love.
AND THIS IS WHERE THE SPOILERS START (with tw for rape and sexual assault)
The core of Type's being, what has molded a lot of his adult persona is that he was sexually assaulted when he was 10(ish?). The show doesn't go into too much detail, but the key point where all of his issues stem from is when he explains that his assailant made him ejaculate, made him feel like he/his body was enoying the assault, which made himfeel dirty and ashamed.
When Type says "I hate gays" it's because he hates himself, hates how men make him feel, hates how dirty he feels whenever he gets arroused or attracted by another man. Like how animals make themselves look bigger and angrier when scared or in danger.
I honestly could talk about him much more than this I have serious feelings about Type. He is my special angry wet kitten.
About Tharn and Type together, their beginning could not be rougher or messier. Type is fighting against his immediate atteaction by being the biggest, asshole he can be. Tharn immediately clocks what he thinks is the classic "homophobic closet case" and responds with overt flirting.
It gets into sexual harrassment and assault, which can't be sugarcoated, and shouldn't be belittled - but at the point when it goes too far, when Tharn is throwing himself at Type, holding him on his bed, and Type reacts not with anger like he has so far, but with genuine fear and terror, Tharn immediately bacs off horrified. I think this is the point when he sees somethig else is going on.
Then in the following episodes they still fight, still act with dubious consent, editing of the show makes things a bit difficult to understand and I ended up thinking I had missed some scenes, but they do manage to establish themselves as TharnType, just sex, only in secret, and still with so much baggage over both their heads.
I honestly love them together. How Type slowly opens up to Tharn, how Tharn refuses to take all Type's bullshit. Do I thik their relationship was healthy in the beginning, absolutely not, but I was able to understand it. And they do grow together, and I loved watching it unfold.
And the sex scene in the ep 13/special is definitely in my top 5, so quiet, intimate - they are so familiar and comfortable with each other at that point, know each other so well. It was just beautiful to watch.
I could have done withotu the twist at the end, but the Lhong reveal still surprised me and I didn't really see it coming! The way it was handled was also, unnecessary but I do understand that it's a TV show and needs to be dramatic so I wasn't too bothered lol, and if you then think back afterwards to the last 1-2 episodes you have seen, you can pick out few points where the reveal was foreshadowed and can pick out things poeple siad that with added context mean a lot more - so that was still really cool.
I haven't seen the S2 yet, but I am going into it with a hopeful heart. I hope it will deliver!
However, it was a complete surprise on all regards!
1. With heat, it's really not that spicy. There is one sex scene (in the special) where they take a shirt off, otherwise it's just making out and clothes on touching. A lot of it, and implied sex, but it is rather tame.
2. Regarding plot, the summary is very much accurate, but there are layers to each character, and in my opinion, the reasons for everyone's behaviour are well explored, and everyone grows as a character.
3. Regarding TharnType being a MAME show, I've got to say it's easily my favourite. I've seen LitA, Wedding Plan and bit of Love sea, and they all infuriated me to a differing degrees. I'd say the acting and structure of TT is easily the best, there was a few too many diversions to side characters, and they brought in a lot of cameos into the last episode which I wasn't a huge fan of, but overall compared to some other stuff that's out there, not bad at all.
I honestly have never had this many thoughts and things to say about a series, so that should tell somethign. Overall, I was pleased with how the episodes were structured, the music and sound effects were a bit obnoxious but not to an extent it bothered me, and I liked all of the characters. Techno is one of my new favourite best friend characters, the ADHD king lol
(Also sidenote, it was so so nice to see a show without any super overt product placement that wasn't easily tied to the story, just made it feel more real!)
To talk about the main two a little bit, Type is defnitely going to be the most difficult for everyone to stomach. And I very much agree, he is an asshole, and started out completely awful, but the show allows you to see past this posturing, bully of a facade, into the reasons behind that.
Tharn on the otherhand is out and proud about his sexuality. His issues are to do with abandonement, and the insecurities that follow from that. I simply love him. I love when he said "I'll never stop loving men" I love when he refused to be ashamed like Type was, how he was able to be open and vulnerable when faced with someone who very much was not.
If you don't want to read my feelings vomit below, TLDR: the story might be hard to watch at points, and characters difficutl to love, but like I did with the show, I'd highly recommend giving it a try. It's gonna hurt, but I think the pain is worth the love.
AND THIS IS WHERE THE SPOILERS START (with tw for rape and sexual assault)
The core of Type's being, what has molded a lot of his adult persona is that he was sexually assaulted when he was 10(ish?). The show doesn't go into too much detail, but the key point where all of his issues stem from is when he explains that his assailant made him ejaculate, made him feel like he/his body was enoying the assault, which made himfeel dirty and ashamed.
When Type says "I hate gays" it's because he hates himself, hates how men make him feel, hates how dirty he feels whenever he gets arroused or attracted by another man. Like how animals make themselves look bigger and angrier when scared or in danger.
I honestly could talk about him much more than this I have serious feelings about Type. He is my special angry wet kitten.
About Tharn and Type together, their beginning could not be rougher or messier. Type is fighting against his immediate atteaction by being the biggest, asshole he can be. Tharn immediately clocks what he thinks is the classic "homophobic closet case" and responds with overt flirting.
It gets into sexual harrassment and assault, which can't be sugarcoated, and shouldn't be belittled - but at the point when it goes too far, when Tharn is throwing himself at Type, holding him on his bed, and Type reacts not with anger like he has so far, but with genuine fear and terror, Tharn immediately bacs off horrified. I think this is the point when he sees somethig else is going on.
Then in the following episodes they still fight, still act with dubious consent, editing of the show makes things a bit difficult to understand and I ended up thinking I had missed some scenes, but they do manage to establish themselves as TharnType, just sex, only in secret, and still with so much baggage over both their heads.
I honestly love them together. How Type slowly opens up to Tharn, how Tharn refuses to take all Type's bullshit. Do I thik their relationship was healthy in the beginning, absolutely not, but I was able to understand it. And they do grow together, and I loved watching it unfold.
And the sex scene in the ep 13/special is definitely in my top 5, so quiet, intimate - they are so familiar and comfortable with each other at that point, know each other so well. It was just beautiful to watch.
I could have done withotu the twist at the end, but the Lhong reveal still surprised me and I didn't really see it coming! The way it was handled was also, unnecessary but I do understand that it's a TV show and needs to be dramatic so I wasn't too bothered lol, and if you then think back afterwards to the last 1-2 episodes you have seen, you can pick out few points where the reveal was foreshadowed and can pick out things poeple siad that with added context mean a lot more - so that was still really cool.
I haven't seen the S2 yet, but I am going into it with a hopeful heart. I hope it will deliver!
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