2
7
1
no highs, no lows, just average
When I saw that "Sweet Tooth Good Dentist" is based on a novel by JittiRain, who also wrote the originals for "Vice Versa", "Fish Upon The Sky", "2Gether" -- and that the drama is a GMMTV production, I knew that there was a high chance that this would be:
* a low-stakes rom-com
* with a shallow plot
* and characters who only feel/express sexual desire during love scenes, but feel more like good friends otherwise
* and a happy ending
(Given that she also wrote the original material for "Be My Favorite", there was a small possibility that there would be more depth, but I didn't hope for it.)
And I was right! "Sweet Tooth Good Dentist" is exactly what I expected.
Which means it is perfect for those days when you don't want to think, and just need some distraction from reality.
The script could have leaned a bit more into the silly aspects of the plot or, alternatively, maybe additonally, into the tragic / traumatic backgrounds of the characters. Both the rivalry between Jay and Captain and Sant's best friend's antics would have been perfect for more silliness -- and the background would have provided a good starting point for an exploration of what makes someone happy, of what it means to be the one who is left behind, and if it's worth to sacrifice your own identity to makes your loved ones happy. And I know that the writers at GMMTV are able to combine sweetness, depth and romance into a well-rounded script, they've done it before.
But they chose the middle ground in every aspect, which means there's not many lows, but also not many highs, and the script doesn't give the characters much depth, so the actors don't have much to work with. Mark Pakin and Jimmy Jitaraphol try their best, and succeed in places despite the average plot. This is the second drama after Kidnap I've seen Ohm Thiphakorn in, and unfortunately, with his role as Sant, he still didn't get to prove his abilities. View Benyapa's character Yada was utterly unremarkable.
However, Poon Mitpakdee, who played Gugg, was a delight, as always.
As usual for recent GMMTV productions, the product placements are everywhere, the technical quality is decent enough, and directorial choices were obviously made to appeal to the average BL audience.
One thing I disliked was that they tried to shoehorn the old and tired top/bottom dynamics into the story, which really wasn't necessary. Not only did they make Mark Pakin wear clunky shoes with thick soles, so that he gained a few centimetres height over Ohm Thiphakorn, in later episodes he was also stereotypically permanently horny (but only in the "love scenes", of course).
Was it good?
It was an average GMMTV BL production.
Did I like it?
I liked it okay, but mostly because I waited to watch it until I was in the right mood for a drama like it. If I had had more capacity for critical thought, I would have been annoyed, I think.
Who would I recommend to?
To people who loved BLs in the vein of "Only Boo!", "Fish Upon the Sky" or "A Boss and a Babe".
* a low-stakes rom-com
* with a shallow plot
* and characters who only feel/express sexual desire during love scenes, but feel more like good friends otherwise
* and a happy ending
(Given that she also wrote the original material for "Be My Favorite", there was a small possibility that there would be more depth, but I didn't hope for it.)
And I was right! "Sweet Tooth Good Dentist" is exactly what I expected.
Which means it is perfect for those days when you don't want to think, and just need some distraction from reality.
The script could have leaned a bit more into the silly aspects of the plot or, alternatively, maybe additonally, into the tragic / traumatic backgrounds of the characters. Both the rivalry between Jay and Captain and Sant's best friend's antics would have been perfect for more silliness -- and the background would have provided a good starting point for an exploration of what makes someone happy, of what it means to be the one who is left behind, and if it's worth to sacrifice your own identity to makes your loved ones happy. And I know that the writers at GMMTV are able to combine sweetness, depth and romance into a well-rounded script, they've done it before.
But they chose the middle ground in every aspect, which means there's not many lows, but also not many highs, and the script doesn't give the characters much depth, so the actors don't have much to work with. Mark Pakin and Jimmy Jitaraphol try their best, and succeed in places despite the average plot. This is the second drama after Kidnap I've seen Ohm Thiphakorn in, and unfortunately, with his role as Sant, he still didn't get to prove his abilities. View Benyapa's character Yada was utterly unremarkable.
However, Poon Mitpakdee, who played Gugg, was a delight, as always.
As usual for recent GMMTV productions, the product placements are everywhere, the technical quality is decent enough, and directorial choices were obviously made to appeal to the average BL audience.
One thing I disliked was that they tried to shoehorn the old and tired top/bottom dynamics into the story, which really wasn't necessary. Not only did they make Mark Pakin wear clunky shoes with thick soles, so that he gained a few centimetres height over Ohm Thiphakorn, in later episodes he was also stereotypically permanently horny (but only in the "love scenes", of course).
Was it good?
It was an average GMMTV BL production.
Did I like it?
I liked it okay, but mostly because I waited to watch it until I was in the right mood for a drama like it. If I had had more capacity for critical thought, I would have been annoyed, I think.
Who would I recommend to?
To people who loved BLs in the vein of "Only Boo!", "Fish Upon the Sky" or "A Boss and a Babe".
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