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I think Moonlight Chicken is the very definition of a comfort show. Like, all the ingredients are there. You have lovable characters, each with their own background that gives them so much more depth, the Moonlight Chicken itself, which is just a little hub of solidarity and mutual support, Uncle Jim acting as everyone’s emotional anchor, and, of course, some chicken and rice because honestly… you really can’t go wrong with chicken and rice.

I think Moonlight Chicken is just a really safe show to go back to. It deals with some genuinely heavy topics while still knowing when to throw in a little bit of lightness. It doesn’t really feel like a BL that is trying to build some huge, dramatic love story. It feels much more like a slice of life where people slowly find a home in each other. A found family, basically.

And the cast? Absolutely incredible. You can genuinely tell these actors know each other well, and the chemistry between them feels so effortless and natural. Nothing ever feels forced.

Personally, I really loved Alan and Wen’s relationship. I actually found it surprisingly refreshing because the show allows us to see what happens when love has already faded for one person, while the other is still very much attached.

First, even though Alan can be a tiiiinyyyyy bit annoying at first glance -_- , I think his character does a really good job of showing what it means to grieve a relationship that was such a huge part of your everyday life and, ultimately, of who you became.

And his tears? Yeah, those got me.

Because Alan isn’t just dealing with losing someone. He’s also learning that sometimes loving someone means accepting that you have to let them go. And honestly, I thought that was beautifully done.

Now, obviously, I cannot talk about Moonlight Chicken without talking about Heart and Li Ming.

LORD HAVE MERCY.

These two literally stole the show.

Their relationship is explored so much through touch and body language, and I think that gives them a depth that a lot of couples don’t get. There’s something so intimate about the way they communicate without actually saying much.

Like… those three fingers under the chin? THAT’S THE SWEETEST SHIT I’VE EVER SEEN.

With Heart and Li Ming, it’s not really about what is being said. It’s about what is being felt. And I think that’s exactly why their screen time feels so precious. We’re not waiting for them to confess their love. We’re waiting for them to actually live it.

So yeah. I’m sold.

I really would have loved a few more episodes just to watch these two stare at each other with those eyes that scream, “I would cross the entire world just to be by your side.” akijdpvisdezeuhze. I love them WAY too much.

Now, moving on to Uncle Jim because… sir. I’m not going to try to excuse or defend him when he says:

“Isn’t it difficult enough to be poor, now you’re gay?”

First of all, what an absolutely insane own goal. But more than that, I found it particularly selfish. I know Uncle Jim and Li Ming’s relationship is complicated. These two are stubborn as hell, and they clearly love each other deeply while also seemingly making it their life’s mission to disagree with each other.

But Uncle Jim’s reaction to Li Ming coming out is simply not justifiable to me. It doesn’t help Li Ming, it doesn’t help their relationship, it doesn’t help anyone. If anything, it only adds to the guilt Uncle Jim already carries.

And now we get to my BIGGEST beef with this series.

The flash-forward....

I cannot talk about this without getting annoyed all over again.

I actually really like Wen and Uncle Jim’s relationship. I think it’s beautiful. But the problem is that both of them spend SOOO much time trying to close doors on their past that we barely get to see them actually build a future together.

Wen has his ex. Uncle Jim has his nephew, his ex — this asshole — and his sister who apparently just respawns out of nowhere. And then Gaipa shows up like, “You know what would really help this situation? A confession.”

Sir. Read the room.

There are SO many things to deal with, on top of all the money problems, that by the time we reach episode eight, it feels like there’s barely any time left to explore what Wen and Jim could actually become together because the past is constantly knocking on the door.

And honestly, I do understand why the story goes there. Moonlight Chicken is, at its core, about learning how to find an anchor in another person. You can see that especially in all those “almost kiss” scenes, where Wen gets closer and Uncle Jim just can’t bring himself to accept the kiss because you can still feel how much his past haunts him.

So obviously, I was waiting SO FUCKING PATIENTLY for the moment when Uncle Jim would finally stop pulling away.

And then—

NOPE.

The flash-forward basically speed-ran their relationship to a point where I was sitting there like, WAIT. I WAS READY TO WAIT FOR THIS.

I wanted to see all those little steps. I wanted to see how these two people, with all their baggage, slowly figured out how to build something together.

So imagine my frustration when everyone is sitting around the table and Uncle Jim just casually goes:

“Yeah, this is Wen, my boyfriend.”

EXCUSE ME???

WHERE IS MY “WILL YOU BE MY BOYFRIEND?” MOMENT???

I WANTED THAT.

I needed that.

I deserved that. (:‚‹」∠)

Okay, maybe I’m being slightly dramatic. But I still maintain that a couple more episodes would not have killed anyone.

And finally, we need to talk about my ULTIMATE COMPLAINT: GAIPA X ALAN.

You cannot imagine my excitement when I found out there was going to be a FirstKhao pairing.

Throughout the entire show, I was sitting there with one eyebrow permanently raised like:

“Okay… okay… surely this is going somewhere.”

Every time they were in the same general vicinity, I was like :

"Come on. This is it. They’re finally going to notice each other."

NOPE.

We got Leng trying to play wingman and Alan showing up in his full banker outfit to give Gaipa the papers.

THE PAPERS... !?

That was it.

I’m sorry, but I was robbed.

I’m not saying I needed a whole romance arc. I’m just saying… maybe… perhaps… a little something would have been nice?

Anyway.

Despite all my complaints, Moonlight Chicken is ultimately a comfort show in every sense of the word. You consume it as easily as chicken and rice. It’s warm, it’s familiar, it makes you smile, and there’s something incredibly comforting about watching all these people slowly find their place with one another.

The cast is fantastic, the story is genuinely touching and there’s no denying that you have a good time watching it.

And then GeminiFourth show up. At that point, it’s no longer just a good time that you have.

It’s UNFORGETTABLE