I Took Way Too Many Notes on Episode 1, So Here You Go
1. The instant Barth stepped into the church and the cross came down right before him, I couldn’t help thinking that toppled cross is carrying an enormous amount of symbolic weight.
2. From its very first frames, the show radiates a sense of impending tragedy. I can’t shake the feeling that Tanrak (Fourth) and Barth (Gemini) aren’t destined to end up together.
3. As for who will be formally ordained into the priesthood at the upcoming ceremony, my money is on either Kongdech (Achi) or Kongkit (Pun).
4. The story opens on January 22, 2025, and I suspect the director chose that date with intention, as it marks the first day Thailand’s marriage equality law came into force. The symbolism is hard to miss, and it quietly signals that this is no ordinary romance BL.
5. The man behind the wheel in the opening of episode one is our lead, Barth, and a closer look reveals his hair has already turned gray. We come to learn this love story began in 1996, when Barth arrived as a transfer student in his final year of high school. If he was roughly 17 then, that places him somewhere around 45 or 46 by 2025.
6. The Catholic church Barth travels to is Holy Family Church in Pathum Thani, Thailand, and the drone shot lingers long enough to catch its grand “Holy Family” lettering. Built in 1896, it’s a place steeped in history, and well worth a quiet pilgrimage should you ever find yourself in Thailand (a trip I’ve yet to make myself).
7. The shower scene introduces the boarding school’s principal bully, Kongkit. Even before Barth enters the bathhouse, Kongkit and his friends are already tormenting a younger boy, Prince (Guitar), and the cruelty of their exchange leaves little doubt about Kongkit’s homophobia. Prince’s sexuality had somehow become known to them, and they descend on him with both words and force while the others bathe. Barth and Kongdech stand nearby, and though they plainly sense the wrongness of it, neither intervenes. It left me wondering whether Kongkit might be gay himself. History offers no shortage of powerful figures who persecuted gay men, only to be exposed later. Outward homophobia is so often equal parts self-preservation and something more deeply distorted beneath the surface.
8. This episode also gives us that remarkably gifted child actor, the one with such a gift for tears, in the role of young Tanrak. Between Duang With You, Love You Teacher, and now this, I find myself wondering whether he’s on his way to becoming a BL actor in his own right.
9. The abandoned swimming pool is something of a landmark in Thai BL filming. I’m fairly certain it appeared in The Blue Hour, the 2015 drama featuring a young GunATP. Countless productions have passed through it over the past decade and more, and yet there it remains, as abandoned as ever.
Phop’s dad hits him with the classic: “Do you realize you’re throwing your life away?” And Phop just fires back, “It’s my life. If it’s going to get wrecked, it’ll be by my own hands, not yours.” That lands, because once his dad sees how set Phop is on this, he steps back and lets his son live the life he actually wants.
Honestly? A father reacting to his son coming out with that kind of grace would be a perfect 10 even today. That’s a rare breed of good dad you almost never run into, and we’re talking centuries ago here.
You know you're in for a banger when oddsare slides into your DM and tells you to watch it! 😁 It gives very…
A masochist who signed up for the slow burn AND the revenge arc?? 😭 We’re gonna be feral together every week — I’m betting nasty too, popcorn already ready. 🍿🔥
You know you're in for a banger when oddsare slides into your DM and tells you to watch it! 😁 It gives very…
Okay okay you caught me 😅 I just got lucky stumbling into this one — but the Bangkok Boy vibes and Fuaiz?? Couldn’t keep that to myself. Now suffer the Episode 2 wait with me. 🫶
Thanks for the banana explanation. It gives more meaning and humour to some of the lines. And can anyone tell…
Right?? Once you know, every line hits different 🤣 As for Moo Moo Jellies… I’ve been spiraling over that one too, so if anyone’s got the answer, drop it before I lose my mind
Whyyy skip?? I feel betrayed now.. 🥲 jk 🤭I wish you explained the banana gurl reference earlier though..…
Betrayed?? I was THIS close to filing a complaint 😤 and don’t even get me started on “A piece of Banana” — the man is committed to the bit and I respect him for it 🍌💛
This underdog revenge BL took less than an hour to get me fully on the main character’s side, pitchfork and all. Well done! Now I’m gonna be a mess waiting for Episode 2.
Today’s episode skipped the theme song, and honestly? I felt personally attacked. 😤
Quick fun fact: Kluayhom literally means “fragrant banana” in Thai. So the second this character strutted onto my screen rocking those yellow collar and cuffs, I LOST it. Could not stop cackling. 🤣 My brain refused to see anything but a banana working the runway, serving looks and potassium, baby. 💛🍌
Oh! The gears in my head finally clicked into place: the author behind this drama is the SAME genius who wrote “I Will Knock You”! How did it take me this long to put it together?! 🤦♀️
What writer hasn’t run up against a creative wall? What writer hasn’t drawn on the stories of their own life, or borrowed from the lives of others? What writer doesn’t work in fits and starts, writing a little, pausing a little, then circling back again?
I find myself drawn to how candidly this drama portrays the act of writing. There’s a refreshing realism to it.
Judging by the scenery, the Mudan village is about as off-grid as it gets. We’re talking zero electricity, probably zero Wi-Fi, definitely zero charging cables. So naturally, Mekin hands Gaysorn a phone. Great plan, except what happens when that battery flatlines? Summon a lightning bolt? Pedal a tiny generator? Pray to the phone gods? Thankfully, Gaysorn runs smack into Tawan and Mata, which means that phone was about as useful as a chocolate teapot.
I have five BL dramas dropping today, but I picked this one first because it actually grabbed me. Not gonna lie, I wasn’t sure how it would land, but this premiere just hit different.
The cinematography is gorgeous. The color grading, the way they light everything, how the camera moves through scenes. It all feels intentional. And GeminiFourth? Their eyes tell most of the story before they even speak. You can feel what they’re going through without needing to spell it out.
Bart’s character is carrying so much anger right now. He can’t sleep, can’t find his place, and watching him navigate that loneliness got to me. There’s something about seeing someone just struggle to fit in, you know? It’s not overdramatic either, which is what makes it sting.
Then there’s Tanrak. Light in his eyes from the jump. You can see it from their first meeting, this spark that shifts something between them right away. Even in that scene at the abandoned pool when he wakes up surrounded by people, that shock on his face. They’re already on their way. Already stepping into something bigger.
I caught myself wanting to overthink things, so I’m taking my own advice: just sit with this. Good storytelling deserves to be felt, not picked apart.
This is too much. I did not stop laughing the entire time. This comedy was clearly written for the sole purpose of giving me wrinkles!
Oh my GOD, if you know the TayNew pairing, you’ll realize these two don’t even need to act. They just let their natural chaos loose and you’ll laugh your head off! Bottom line, I haven’t laughed hard enough to nearly die in a long time. So thank you, episode 1.
So turns out the first cop to lay eyes on the footage was a Sarawat (Inspector), and he actually outranks Krit, because Krit is just a Phukong (Captain). Plot twist! And get this, this Sarawat didn’t go running to hand the footage over to his boss, aka Krit’s dad. He only coughed it up after Krit’s dad straight up insisted. And honestly? He was probably dragging his feet on purpose, because handing it over meant outing Krit whether he was ready or not.
Before I dive into episode 8, I just had to pop in here and say: what’s done in the dark always comes to light! I need Krit to grow a spine, sit his parents down, and just come out already. Boy out here loving Wayo with his whole chest, so don’t tell me he can’t kick that closet door clean off its hinges for love.
Episode 7 was sugary enough to give me a cavity, but we all know how this genre works: feed you the sweet stuff first, then twist the knife. Anyway! Episode 8, here I come.
1. The instant Barth stepped into the church and the cross came down right before him, I couldn’t help thinking that toppled cross is carrying an enormous amount of symbolic weight.
2. From its very first frames, the show radiates a sense of impending tragedy. I can’t shake the feeling that Tanrak (Fourth) and Barth (Gemini) aren’t destined to end up together.
3. As for who will be formally ordained into the priesthood at the upcoming ceremony, my money is on either Kongdech (Achi) or Kongkit (Pun).
4. The story opens on January 22, 2025, and I suspect the director chose that date with intention, as it marks the first day Thailand’s marriage equality law came into force. The symbolism is hard to miss, and it quietly signals that this is no ordinary romance BL.
5. The man behind the wheel in the opening of episode one is our lead, Barth, and a closer look reveals his hair has already turned gray. We come to learn this love story began in 1996, when Barth arrived as a transfer student in his final year of high school. If he was roughly 17 then, that places him somewhere around 45 or 46 by 2025.
6. The Catholic church Barth travels to is Holy Family Church in Pathum Thani, Thailand, and the drone shot lingers long enough to catch its grand “Holy Family” lettering. Built in 1896, it’s a place steeped in history, and well worth a quiet pilgrimage should you ever find yourself in Thailand (a trip I’ve yet to make myself).
7. The shower scene introduces the boarding school’s principal bully, Kongkit. Even before Barth enters the bathhouse, Kongkit and his friends are already tormenting a younger boy, Prince (Guitar), and the cruelty of their exchange leaves little doubt about Kongkit’s homophobia. Prince’s sexuality had somehow become known to them, and they descend on him with both words and force while the others bathe. Barth and Kongdech stand nearby, and though they plainly sense the wrongness of it, neither intervenes. It left me wondering whether Kongkit might be gay himself. History offers no shortage of powerful figures who persecuted gay men, only to be exposed later. Outward homophobia is so often equal parts self-preservation and something more deeply distorted beneath the surface.
8. This episode also gives us that remarkably gifted child actor, the one with such a gift for tears, in the role of young Tanrak. Between Duang With You, Love You Teacher, and now this, I find myself wondering whether he’s on his way to becoming a BL actor in his own right.
9. The abandoned swimming pool is something of a landmark in Thai BL filming. I’m fairly certain it appeared in The Blue Hour, the 2015 drama featuring a young GunATP. Countless productions have passed through it over the past decade and more, and yet there it remains, as abandoned as ever.
Honestly? A father reacting to his son coming out with that kind of grace would be a perfect 10 even today. That’s a rare breed of good dad you almost never run into, and we’re talking centuries ago here.
Oh, and tea wine, I’m still dying to find out just how good wine brewed from a tea plantation actually tastes.
Quick fun fact: Kluayhom literally means “fragrant banana” in Thai. So the second this character strutted onto my screen rocking those yellow collar and cuffs, I LOST it. Could not stop cackling. 🤣 My brain refused to see anything but a banana working the runway, serving looks and potassium, baby. 💛🍌
Oh! The gears in my head finally clicked into place: the author behind this drama is the SAME genius who wrote “I Will Knock You”! How did it take me this long to put it together?! 🤦♀️
I find myself drawn to how candidly this drama portrays the act of writing. There’s a refreshing realism to it.
The cinematography is gorgeous. The color grading, the way they light everything, how the camera moves through scenes. It all feels intentional. And GeminiFourth? Their eyes tell most of the story before they even speak. You can feel what they’re going through without needing to spell it out.
Bart’s character is carrying so much anger right now. He can’t sleep, can’t find his place, and watching him navigate that loneliness got to me. There’s something about seeing someone just struggle to fit in, you know? It’s not overdramatic either, which is what makes it sting.
Then there’s Tanrak. Light in his eyes from the jump. You can see it from their first meeting, this spark that shifts something between them right away. Even in that scene at the abandoned pool when he wakes up surrounded by people, that shock on his face. They’re already on their way. Already stepping into something bigger.
I caught myself wanting to overthink things, so I’m taking my own advice: just sit with this. Good storytelling deserves to be felt, not picked apart.
Jom, you’re making me so proud! You finally announced it to the whole world, no more cowering at what everyone else thinks!
Oh my GOD, if you know the TayNew pairing, you’ll realize these two don’t even need to act. They just let their natural chaos loose and you’ll laugh your head off! Bottom line, I haven’t laughed hard enough to nearly die in a long time. So thank you, episode 1.
Episode 7 was sugary enough to give me a cavity, but we all know how this genre works: feed you the sweet stuff first, then twist the knife. Anyway! Episode 8, here I come.