This review may contain spoilers
Apparently one week is enough for love... and police training.
The first two episodes were so bad that I genuinely wanted to drop this drama. That has never happened with a Thai GL before.
Unfortunately, my brain refuses to let me drop dramas. It genuinely bugs me, so I sat through this one waiting for it to be over.
Thankfully, after Episode 4 it got somewhat better somehow.
My biggest issue was probably how unrealistic the writing was.
How does a bakery girl get accepted into a special VIP police training program just because her father is the deputy? Nobody questions the obvious abuse of power? Then, after only a few days, and just a few hours of training from Than, she suddenly starts outperforming trained police officers in combat and ranks near the top of the class. These women should have years of training behind them. I love fiction (it's my favourite genre), but if you're setting your story in the real world, at least follow real-world logic.
That entire training arc was painfully boring, and it was where I wanted to drop the drama the most.
The romance also didn't work for me. Than had only met Vickey ONCE before the training camp, yet suddenly she's changing rooms to stay with her, helping her with everything, training her, motivating her, and even breaking rules for her. Then comes the classic cliché: they're caught sneaking into the showers, hide in a stall, the instructor conveniently gets called away before checking, and they have their first kiss... at the end of Episode 2. It happened way too fast and felt completely unrewarding because I never felt the chemistry between them.
The mystery wasn't much of a mystery either. I guessed early on that the minister was the villain just at his entry, and that the deputy had helped cover up the murder without directly committing it because he was the female lead's father (so they won't make him a murderer). I also expected the ending to portray him as someone who had changed. That's exactly what happened, so there was no suspense for me.
I liked that the story actually had murders, but the victims barely got two or three minutes of screen time before dying. Why would I feel emotional over deaths of characters I don't even know?
One thing I did appreciate was the second couple. Instead of making them another WLW pairing like most Thai GLs do, they were a straight couple, which was a nice change.
As for the acting, Than felt a little stiff to me. Maybe it was intentional because her character was supposed to be stoic after her father's death, so this could just be a me problem. Vickey's acting was good.
The fight scenes were actually decent. Action is usually one of the weaker parts of Thai GLs whenever it's included, but this series handled it okay, so kudos for that.
The finale brought back all the problems I had with the writing. Vickey, who had barely handled a gun before, suddenly became a perfect shooter—taking down an enemy bodyguard with a precise shot near the chest and then shooting the minister in the arm to stop him from attacking Than. Very realistic.
Then, in the middle of a life-or-death situation, while hiding behind a pillar from an armed minister, Than decides it's the perfect time to kiss Vickey. Umm... okay?
That kiss would've been so much more rewarding if one of them had actually been shot/dying. (lol. sorry)
And then, out of nowhere, we're told Than has been shot near the stomach.
...When?!
The show never actually showed it happening. Vickey helps Than, the police arrive, everyone freezes, and suddenly she's injured. Who shot her? When? Did I miss something?
Or if it even happened, show a backflash of it!
The pacing was another major issue. Everything felt rushed. The VIP course only lasted about a week, yet these two were already kissing within the first couple of nights. Then, once the course ends, Than learns Vickey is the deputy's daughter and becomes heartbroken. It just didn't feel earned. Girl, you've known her for, what... a week? The emotional reactions never matched the amount of relationship development the audience actually got to see.
I'm pretty sure I had even more complaints while watching that I've forgotten by now. Oh well.
Unfortunately, my brain refuses to let me drop dramas. It genuinely bugs me, so I sat through this one waiting for it to be over.
Thankfully, after Episode 4 it got somewhat better somehow.
My biggest issue was probably how unrealistic the writing was.
How does a bakery girl get accepted into a special VIP police training program just because her father is the deputy? Nobody questions the obvious abuse of power? Then, after only a few days, and just a few hours of training from Than, she suddenly starts outperforming trained police officers in combat and ranks near the top of the class. These women should have years of training behind them. I love fiction (it's my favourite genre), but if you're setting your story in the real world, at least follow real-world logic.
That entire training arc was painfully boring, and it was where I wanted to drop the drama the most.
The romance also didn't work for me. Than had only met Vickey ONCE before the training camp, yet suddenly she's changing rooms to stay with her, helping her with everything, training her, motivating her, and even breaking rules for her. Then comes the classic cliché: they're caught sneaking into the showers, hide in a stall, the instructor conveniently gets called away before checking, and they have their first kiss... at the end of Episode 2. It happened way too fast and felt completely unrewarding because I never felt the chemistry between them.
The mystery wasn't much of a mystery either. I guessed early on that the minister was the villain just at his entry, and that the deputy had helped cover up the murder without directly committing it because he was the female lead's father (so they won't make him a murderer). I also expected the ending to portray him as someone who had changed. That's exactly what happened, so there was no suspense for me.
I liked that the story actually had murders, but the victims barely got two or three minutes of screen time before dying. Why would I feel emotional over deaths of characters I don't even know?
One thing I did appreciate was the second couple. Instead of making them another WLW pairing like most Thai GLs do, they were a straight couple, which was a nice change.
As for the acting, Than felt a little stiff to me. Maybe it was intentional because her character was supposed to be stoic after her father's death, so this could just be a me problem. Vickey's acting was good.
The fight scenes were actually decent. Action is usually one of the weaker parts of Thai GLs whenever it's included, but this series handled it okay, so kudos for that.
The finale brought back all the problems I had with the writing. Vickey, who had barely handled a gun before, suddenly became a perfect shooter—taking down an enemy bodyguard with a precise shot near the chest and then shooting the minister in the arm to stop him from attacking Than. Very realistic.
Then, in the middle of a life-or-death situation, while hiding behind a pillar from an armed minister, Than decides it's the perfect time to kiss Vickey. Umm... okay?
That kiss would've been so much more rewarding if one of them had actually been shot/dying. (lol. sorry)
And then, out of nowhere, we're told Than has been shot near the stomach.
...When?!
The show never actually showed it happening. Vickey helps Than, the police arrive, everyone freezes, and suddenly she's injured. Who shot her? When? Did I miss something?
Or if it even happened, show a backflash of it!
The pacing was another major issue. Everything felt rushed. The VIP course only lasted about a week, yet these two were already kissing within the first couple of nights. Then, once the course ends, Than learns Vickey is the deputy's daughter and becomes heartbroken. It just didn't feel earned. Girl, you've known her for, what... a week? The emotional reactions never matched the amount of relationship development the audience actually got to see.
I'm pretty sure I had even more complaints while watching that I've forgotten by now. Oh well.
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