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Good message lost in slow and light story-telling
I had started to watch this drama back when it aired in 2024 but dropped it relatively quickly because I didn't feel that there was much story. I now picked it up again and watched a few minutes here and there -- and once I got into the second half, I even enjoyed the series.
The first six or so episodes tells us how a star and a normal guy get together -- and the second half deals with the consequences. Where the first part is extremely predictable, the latter part had potential to become much more interesting, but it didn't: It still remained mostly light and soft, and because of that, it felt a bit superficial.
I do have to commend the writer for their dedication to their vision: None of the conflicts lasted long, the relationship between the two main characters was extremely stable and notable for their good communication.
Unfortunately, combined with the length of twelve episodes à one hour, that means that the whole thing starts to feel quite slow and even a bit boring. What's more, the incredibly important message gets lost in between the sweetness of the main couple.
Because this drama picks up a topic that I think fans in our modern world should be aware of: How social media blur the lines between the public persona of a celebrity and them as a private person even more. How fans think a celebrity is a commodity they can "play with" instead of a human being with feelings. How celebrities are dependent on their fans' goodwill. How "ships" and the heteronormativity of society impacts celebrities' lives and livelihoods.
And also, for the second couple, the topic of (internalized) transphobia, with a trans woman who, for once, is shown as a human being instead of as a comedy plot point (and she's played by a trans woman too!)
These themes are all there in the plot -- they just could have been used for more emotional impact. Since the main couple's relationship is so stable, the external problems could have made for an exciting contrast: Let the problems spiral for much longer, let the stakes rise higher -- so that the sweetness of the couple has something to balance out. And would that not have made the win in the end much more satisfying?
Alas, the writer had other ideas, and if they don't align with mine, then that's that. However, even so, there are a few aspects that did not help.
For one, the first five or six episodes were too slow in story telling, especially as it's mostly set-up for the actual plot. Also, some scenes don't have any impact for the later story (e.g. when a character repeatedly shows up in the "wrong" clothes for his internship), some scenes just went on slightly too long.
I also don't think the directing was particularly inspired. While most of the actors were showing a slightly-above average for newbies in a Thai BL, they obviously needed more and better directing -- often I found myself thinking "This is too static." or "Why are they just standing around?" More movement, more interesting camera angles, different placements of characters, even more interesting lighting would have helped a lot. As soon as the actors get something to do, their performance becomes much better, and the scenes much livelier and much more engaging.
And as a last point, I need to talk about Krommatha's characterization because that was the one point where the drama dropped the ball. The screenplay tries to tell us that Krommatha and Fueang don't follow the usual heteronormative seme/uke dynamics. They even talk about who will top and who will bottom during sex -- a scene that quite a few viewers loved.
But from the very first minute we meet Krommatha, it's obvious that *he* is the bottom/uke. From his pastel and wide-cut clothing and his softer haircut to his teenaged-girl behaviour when he talks about his crush with his friends, he is the stereotypical BL bottom. Dear writers and producers, if you're not going to commit, don't give me lip-service.
What I did love about Fueang and Krommatha was that the screenplay showed us how much a new couple (both of them, not just the top!) in their honeymoon phase is obsessed with getting it on and generally being all over each other, even if it's just sitting closely together in a more public setting. I missed that in some other soft-and-gentle Thai BLs.
Was it good?
It had a good story to tell, but was hindered by slow story-telling, static scenes and the writer obviously committing to the "soft and light" style instead of tightening the pace and heightening the potential external conflicts.
Did I like it?
Not really. It was okay, but I like its potential more than the actual drama.
Who would I recommend it to?
Maybe to those who want light and "green flag" stories?
The first six or so episodes tells us how a star and a normal guy get together -- and the second half deals with the consequences. Where the first part is extremely predictable, the latter part had potential to become much more interesting, but it didn't: It still remained mostly light and soft, and because of that, it felt a bit superficial.
I do have to commend the writer for their dedication to their vision: None of the conflicts lasted long, the relationship between the two main characters was extremely stable and notable for their good communication.
Unfortunately, combined with the length of twelve episodes à one hour, that means that the whole thing starts to feel quite slow and even a bit boring. What's more, the incredibly important message gets lost in between the sweetness of the main couple.
Because this drama picks up a topic that I think fans in our modern world should be aware of: How social media blur the lines between the public persona of a celebrity and them as a private person even more. How fans think a celebrity is a commodity they can "play with" instead of a human being with feelings. How celebrities are dependent on their fans' goodwill. How "ships" and the heteronormativity of society impacts celebrities' lives and livelihoods.
And also, for the second couple, the topic of (internalized) transphobia, with a trans woman who, for once, is shown as a human being instead of as a comedy plot point (and she's played by a trans woman too!)
These themes are all there in the plot -- they just could have been used for more emotional impact. Since the main couple's relationship is so stable, the external problems could have made for an exciting contrast: Let the problems spiral for much longer, let the stakes rise higher -- so that the sweetness of the couple has something to balance out. And would that not have made the win in the end much more satisfying?
Alas, the writer had other ideas, and if they don't align with mine, then that's that. However, even so, there are a few aspects that did not help.
For one, the first five or six episodes were too slow in story telling, especially as it's mostly set-up for the actual plot. Also, some scenes don't have any impact for the later story (e.g. when a character repeatedly shows up in the "wrong" clothes for his internship), some scenes just went on slightly too long.
I also don't think the directing was particularly inspired. While most of the actors were showing a slightly-above average for newbies in a Thai BL, they obviously needed more and better directing -- often I found myself thinking "This is too static." or "Why are they just standing around?" More movement, more interesting camera angles, different placements of characters, even more interesting lighting would have helped a lot. As soon as the actors get something to do, their performance becomes much better, and the scenes much livelier and much more engaging.
And as a last point, I need to talk about Krommatha's characterization because that was the one point where the drama dropped the ball. The screenplay tries to tell us that Krommatha and Fueang don't follow the usual heteronormative seme/uke dynamics. They even talk about who will top and who will bottom during sex -- a scene that quite a few viewers loved.
But from the very first minute we meet Krommatha, it's obvious that *he* is the bottom/uke. From his pastel and wide-cut clothing and his softer haircut to his teenaged-girl behaviour when he talks about his crush with his friends, he is the stereotypical BL bottom. Dear writers and producers, if you're not going to commit, don't give me lip-service.
What I did love about Fueang and Krommatha was that the screenplay showed us how much a new couple (both of them, not just the top!) in their honeymoon phase is obsessed with getting it on and generally being all over each other, even if it's just sitting closely together in a more public setting. I missed that in some other soft-and-gentle Thai BLs.
Was it good?
It had a good story to tell, but was hindered by slow story-telling, static scenes and the writer obviously committing to the "soft and light" style instead of tightening the pace and heightening the potential external conflicts.
Did I like it?
Not really. It was okay, but I like its potential more than the actual drama.
Who would I recommend it to?
Maybe to those who want light and "green flag" stories?
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