Sakura_Falling

Yes, the irony! That or just teach him a few very simple chords. There are a couple that are very easy, even for someone who has no idea what they're doing.

I think you're right, it does come down to the money. The more people are into these "ships" the more they're willing to spend money on the concerts/shows and merch. And I think that is relatively unique to Thailand. Other countries don't seem to pair off actors like they do and the actors are more diverse in their roles from my experience. They may play a BL role once or twice, but then the rest of their credits will be straight roles.

Oh, I know! Poor thing, I feel so bad every time he's there trying to strum because it just doesn't sound good. I think I remember him saying once that he wanted to learn to play guitar, but it doesn't look like that's happened yet. And to be fair, guitar isn't a super easy instrument to learn.

That's an excellent point. It does seem like GMMTV is pretty controlling of their lives and what they do. It says jump and they have to say how high.

Yeah, for a lot of these younger Asian actors and actresses, it's not a matter of just being able to act, you have to be able to dance, sing, play an instrument or have some other talent as well. As a fellow North American, I was also taken aback when I discovered all the concerts/shows that they do. I think they have to think that way and it probably seems much less foreign to them than it does to us.

The fan service doesn't help either. I understand it's purpose is to keep fans invested, but I find it dangerous. It's far too easy to blur the lines between reality and fantasy. There's just a lot less of a separation between the actors and their roles it seems in Asian countries, but especially Thailand, than in Western shows and movies. I have huge respect for these guys who can withstand the pressure, because I don't think I could handle it.

Exactly. There's a lot that goes into every part, but especially those kind of intimate scenes. That's why there's workshops usually prior to filming to help the actors get comfortable with each other. There are all kinds of acting exercises designed to help build trust, get into character, and learn how to work with each other. Acting is a fascinating and challenging craft and I agree that a lot of people don't fully comprehend what goes into it.

No, you're absolutely right. Not every actor is as skilled at doing so. First, Khaotung, Neo and Mark are all quite exceptional at it. Others like Force and Book seem to struggle with it more.

That aspect is one of the hardest parts of acting, or at least it was for me. I admire actors like First and Khaotung who do it so flawlessly, but I know how much work it had to have taken to get to that point.

As someone who used to act, I can tell you that you have to develop a certain mindset that allows you to separate yourself from the character. It's almost like having a split personality to some degree. You also have to be comfortable being vulnerable and not have any reservations about what you're doing. A lot of that though comes from being able to kind of disappear into your character so you're not self-conscious regardless of what shenanigans they get up to. Communication is also key, especially for any kind of romantic scenes. Approaching those kind of scenes with a friend almost clinically initially makes it easier, and then again, really getting into character is kind of the finishing touch. I think with First and Khaotung, first and foremost, they're professionals, so they don't let those kinds of scenes get to them. And since they are so comfortable with each other, that does come through as well in their acting because they don't have any reservations, they can be open with each other and not have that awkwardness. It's a delicate balance, but one that you do learn to master.

I don't know what I loved most about this episode, Nick and Sand's bromance which was just so wholesome and adorable or Nick's final confession to Boston which was so beautifully done.
As much as I wouldn't have minded Nick and Sand getting together, I'm also glad they didn't because I think what both of them needs most right now is just a friend and I adore their friendship and there needs to be more of it.
Nick confessing his feelings to Boston one last time was just beautiful and heartbreaking. It wasn't a long scene, but it hit the nail on the head showing why Nick was different from everyone else Boston had ever hooked up with. Others kept going back to Boston because of the sex, but Nick actually saw him and loved him despite his flaws. He humanized Boston and acknowledged that he was more than sex, that he saw his talent for photography and that he had a future there. It was just a very powerful scene.
Also appreciated the scene between Mew and Ray finally coming clean to each other, particularly that Mew was willing to admit that he was just using Ray to hurt Top. I don't love their friendship mostly because it never seemed like a particularly healthy one, but I am glad that they cleared the air and maybe things can be better between them from here on out.
I'm still on the fence about Sand and Ray. There's a part of me that wants to believe that Ray truly does love Sand, but at this point I don't know if he's actually capable of love.
You had to know that Top and Mew getting back together wasn't going to be that cut and dry. lol I'm kind of intrigued about how this is all going to go down. At this point, I'm not judging Top too hard as it's not clear if he and Boeing were essentially back together or if Top was just looking for a friend. I think next week's episode will be the deciding factor.

Because he's still acting like a selfish, privileged ass. The way he kept bouncing between Mew and Sand with zero remorse or acknowledgement of what he was doing might be wrong was a major red flag. He also doesn't own up to anything. His response to Top helping him out was that his daddy could have done the same. If Mew hadn't brought up the subject in the first place, he probably wouldn't have admitted to cheating on him. As it is, I'm still not convinced that his feelings for Sand are even real.
As for Top, what was going on between him and Boeing remains to be seen, whether it was a relationship or just company. At this point all we've seen is that he presumably called him asking him to stay over because he couldn't sleep and then he went over at the same time as Mew. That could very well mean all they did was just sleep and, again, that all Top was looking for was a friend. Only time will tell, but I think it's a bit early to judge him too harshly with so much still unknown.

I'm going to have to disagree. I don't think any of this is being done for the shippers. What they're showing is a realistic, albeit unfortunate, kind of relationship. There are relationships like this in real life where one party is narcissistic, dangerous and/or manipulative, but is charismatic enough to draw people in and hook them. Sand, despite his better judgment, loves Ray. He knows that Ray isn't good for him and he has tried to distance himself, but he's faced with his own feelings and with Ray refusing to back down. It's a whole complicated situation and I personally find it really interesting seeing his internal battle. And keep in mind that the previews just show a snippet of the whole. That scene was quite possibly chosen with the shippers in mind, but that doesn't mean there's going to be a happy ending with it.

Not that I totally disagree with you, but given that he had just been arrested for drunk driving, I'm fairly certain it would have been more than one night in a cell which is why they were trying to intervene. I don't know much about Thai law, but if memory serves, they're pretty serious when it comes to drugs and the penalty for possession can be life imprisonment up to the death penalty.

I love how there are episodes that focus slightly more on one character to really showcase their demons and their character and this one was definitely focusing on Ray and just how self-destructive he is. It's fascinating that he has zero qualms about leading Mew down the same destructive path that he's on. You'd think, if he truly loved Mew, that he'd want what's best for him, but he doesn't. He doesn't care about his well-being or his mental health or anything else, he's just happy that he won. And talk about the hypocrisy! He goes after Top because he cheated on Mew, but then he's trying to have both Mew and Sand and is very brazen about it too. Has it crossed his mind how that's supposed to work? Clearly not, but, dude, I thought you had a few more brain cells than that.
Mew's made it very clear that he's just using Ray and doesn't love him in the slightest. I think Ray may be catching onto that, but whether he cares or not remains to be seen. It's honestly kind of sad to see Mew on such a path of self-destruction and I hope he wakes up and gets himself back on track before it's too late. I don't particularly care if he ends up with Top or not, I would just like him to get back to being self-sufficient and not needing a relationship to be content in life.
Top was actually a little more interesting this episode. Force seemed slightly less wooden and slightly more expressive. Not ready to forgive him for his past actions, but he does at least seem genuine in wanting to make it up to Mew. He's certainly shown that he cares more about Mew than Ray does, so I'll give him some credit for that.
Oh, Sand, trying so hard to move on and distance himself from Ray and the destruction and pain he brings and Ray not letting him. I do appreciate his self-awareness though, and that he respects the fact that Ray has chosen Mew and doesn't try to pursue the relationship. Even so, he can't stop himself from caring about Ray. His first instinct when the cops showed up was to protect Ray. Also, huge kudos to First for the subtlety of his acting in this episode. Especially with that scene at the bar where he and Ray are smoking. He's trying so hard not to show any emotion, but you can see just how much pain he's in. And the double meaning of some of those lines, he just delivered them so well.
Boston is the official bad guy at this point since Top has semi been redeemed. I feel like he's being set up to be the bad guy again with Atom, but frankly, if the two get together, it's consensual and Atom pursued Boston first. I think they could make a very interesting couple.
Excited that Papang finally showed up. He's such a good actor and I'm looking forward to what he brings. I'm hoping his character doesn't turn out to be a creep and do even more damage to Nick and instead is a good way for Nick to move on.
Poor Cheum dealt with a lot this episode. She finally reached her breaking point and snapped at Ray. I can't blame her. It's hard to see your friends making poor decisions and not have a good way to help them. I did like more screen time with her and April, they're such a cute couple.
Here's to next week when the messiness and drama continue!

Considering everything that's gone on recently and all the built up emotions, I think Ray doing drugs in the hostel that they've created together and potentially getting arrested was her breaking point. She just snapped and all those pent up emotions came out. Her outburst, in my opinion, was a combination of anger and fear. Cheum isn't perfect, she has her own issues, but one consistent aspect of her character is that she loves her friends and she wants what's best for them, in theory at least. She loves both Ray and Mew and she's hated seeing Ray helping Mew along his destructive path, but, despite knowing what a mess Ray is, she also doesn't want anything bad to happen to him. It wasn't meant to be all about her, she just couldn't keep it all inside anymore.

I'm sorry but I don't. I don't think I watched it on YouTube, but it's been too long for me to remember where I watched it. :(

KinnPorsche, Like in the Movies (not so much like this, but it's a really good series that has a more serious tone and deals with some serious topics. It's not just mindless fluff.), Night Flight, The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese (this one has two more explicit scenes, but it's really good. Dark and gritty, examining human nature kind of thing.), Long Time No See

No. Mew's too passive when it comes to their friendship. He doesn't seem to fully register or care about how messed up Ray is and he's too gullible. He's going to give in to Ray every time and that's not healthy for either of them. Sand calls out Ray for his crap and at least tries to hold him responsible. He's a good foil to Ray if Ray could pull his head out of his ass and notice that.

Officially giving up on Sand and Ray for right now. Ray is a colossal idiot and boy needs someone to smack him upside the head hard. I have a feeling Mew's words of not realizing the value of someone close until it's too late may come back to bite Ray in the ass, because I don't think Sand is going to wait around for him forever. I hope he doesn't. I was expecting Sand to face more consequences for his actions, but it seems like maybe he and Nick will be okay. I honestly want more scenes of them together and to see more of their friendship.
Mew was actually moderately interesting this episode. I was starting to have some hope that he might be able to capture my interest until the whole Ray thing there at the end. I did find it ironic that Book's chemistry with Drake was significantly better than it was with Force. Not sexually, he still seems to struggle with the physical aspect, but the flirting and dialogue was pretty good.
Top was beyond boring. The whipped puppy look does not suit him.
Boston getting what was coming for him was delicious. Kudos as usual to Neo for his superior acting. I'm kind of curious where things are going to go with him because I think what happened may have shaken him up. If anyone is to have a redemption arc, I'd rather it be him. I think it would be the most satisfying.
Poor Nick. I pity him, but also he brought this all onto himself and I can't blame Boston for his reaction. Even if he didn't love Nick, he did trust him to some degree and Nick betrayed that. My heart did go out to him though realizing that Sand had betrayed him. Their moment together was really well done. Mark's doing such a fantastic job with this role
Next week's episode has me very intrigued. I think things are going to start coming to a head between Sand and Ray. Ray's going to have to figure out that, sure, he can "love" more than one person, but that doesn't mean the other person is going to be okay playing second fiddle all the time. I really hope Sand doesn't take the fall for Ray with the drugs. Also looks like Nick might have someone to move on with, hopefully someone better than Boston. And not sure what to think of what's going on with Top and Mew. I think Mew might regret getting into things with Ray, but we'll see.

Thank you for this. I was super curious about how this one would play out so it's nice to know the Chinese one is superior.

Oh, I’m not justifying his behaviour, that’s just my take on his mindset. If he had concerns he should just sit down with Nick and talk it out. But that would be far less interesting and dramatic.