solipsism5

These events occurred before this series in TT2. He slept around with dozens of guys to make Leo jealous. Most of my post was comical, anyway. There is nothing wrong with enjoying these characters, and seeing a redemption arc for Fiat is definitely a positive.

I know exactly what you're talking about. I grew up in the 90's in the US as well, and I felt like many gay people I met in the bars, gay community centers, or at college were pretty messed up. It seemed like maybe one in three had good relationships with their families, or had a good support network, so most of them exhibited a lot of sociopathic behaviors like Fiat did in TT2.

I write harsh reviews here of BL's but I still enjoy them. I grade all BL's on a very gentle scale - everyone in the BL classroom gets a gold star, and a participation trophy [except for you Top Secret Together - you just get a punch in the face]. I notice the things you enjoy about this drama like Fiat's realistic depiction of a typical messed up gay person from the bar scene and can also enjoy his improvement as a person. I also like Leo's mom for being really a model of an accepting parent of a gay child - a great example for many conservative Thai parents.

I still write reviews on here based on the consistency of plot elements, character development, acting proficiency, directorial skill, etc. I usually don't even write reviews of shows unless I really like them a lot. I hope no one stops watching because of what I said on here - I only started writing a review of this show because I really liked Pob, and I was mainly making comical remarks about Fiat.

I find this series is really very artistic in a way I have rarely ever seen in BL's. I like the symbolism Aue's mom indicated in the art gallery. The one picture with the abstract depiction of food where she indicates the framing of the different elements in the dish is very vital. Aue has all the pieces to build the relationship with Aek, but he has to get the timing and positioning right to move the relationship forward. Aue has all the elements to be a great boyfriend for Aek, but he did get ahead of himself, and acted a little selfishly. Aek, being a very sensitive, moral person wouldn't want to get involved with someone that was going to just use him and is not impressed by Aue’s charm and wealth.

I like the emphasism on Buddhism in this episode starting with the offering Aue and Aek make to the wandering Buddhist monks, and later at the temple. If anyone was wondering, the temple they visit is Wat Phumin in Nan province, and the picture they focus on in the temple is the artist and his lady, quite a stunning piece of artistry, and he's whispering about his love in her ear [again symbolic for Aue]. I think Buddhism is also brought into this drama with the meditative quality of the series and perhaps this is the central reason for the slow pacing. The beautiful temple was such a wonderful centerpiece to this episode, and this one is so unknown, unlike the Temple of the Dawn or several others in Chiang Mai. It just goes to show how much this show goes for authenticity. Speaking of authenticity, the electricity going off in these rural towns is usually a daily occurrence. I'm glad that they brought that up here. This whole town is so much more real than what we saw in A Tale of a Thousand Stars, or any other BL series set in the rural countryside.

This episode was much more dramatic and the plot moved forward pretty well. Aue acted a little like a stalker later in the episode and it’s interesting to see how Mark transitioned from being affronted by his presence in his home town to being hospitable and playful. Later on it seems their relationship has been rekindled as they take the tour of Nan province. I like the shots of the home-cooked Thai food this episode. The specialty of the house Chicken Khao Soy looked phenomenal – as someone who loves Thai food I can say it looked like one of the best preparations ever. I enjoy so many different facets of this show that the pacing is irrelevant for me. They are doing so much more in this series than almost any other BL, and some things are done way better.

For most of this series I was intensely bored with the Fiat, Leo relationship, and Mame's weird attempt to redeem Fiat's character by showing us a few acts of kindness he performed while he was sadistically torturing his boyfriend. Suddenly, this episode, Fiat is now shown to legitimately be a victim. His deranged mom with her secret mind control techniques [that she learned as a special forces agent for the secret police], has seriously messed up his mind and turned him into a lunatic or something. I don't know how, though, because he seemed to have forgotten everything about her, but somehow she turned him into a nymphomaniac that liked to toy with his boyfriend's mind. Ok, I don't know how to feel better about Fiat or to sympathize with him that he had an insane mom, but can I go back to being intensely bored with his character? I'm more comfortable with that. Maybe if they introduced this mom and her weird story at the beginning I would feel something for Fiat, but my mind is so made up about him that I don't really care about him at this point and I don't even want him to be redeemed, I just want him to go away. Just run Leo, run, save yourself!

On the other end of the spectrum, Pob is for me the best character that Mame has ever created, just a model human being who Mame seems to have spent a 1000 times more attention to as far as his plot and dialogue is concerned. Every time I see him and Leon I feel like my whole day has gotten more airy and fluffy. I feel far more sad about that poor cat than for Fiat, and whatever slight harm that happens to Pob causes me much more discomfort than if Fiat was going to be dipped in a pool of acid. Pob also had a hard life but he is so noble and considerate, and he is also strong when he needs to be. His character isn't too stiff, either, like with some characters that seem sort of PollyAnna'ish in a lot of other dramas. I'm just looking forward to seeing more of Pob and Leon, and the other side characters, and hope the last few episodes give them some more air time.

This episode was really well done. I really loved the acting of Mr. Yu - he really captured the despair of someone holding on to a fragment of someone they have lost. He's going through a similar situation as the mom and it's a well done parallel. The mom even expresses how their situations are similar and that they are holding on to a memory of their loved one, and when she says "is holding on to them the best we can do for them?" I was struck by what a powerful and intelligent message this show conveyed to us here. Peach is saying a similar thing to Yoon Oh as well, that holding on to him is "greedy" [just like the mom says about her own feelings for her son], and that he would be happier to see Yoon go to a good place rather than become an evil spirit. Every part of the acting in this episode was really very effective and moving. The mom's confrontation with the medical director conveyed all the subtle emotions she has welling inside of her- her guilt for her role in Mr. Yu's tragic loss, her anger at the selfishness of the hospital trying to protect their reputation, and her resignation at the loss of a career she valued. Overall this is a brilliantly done episode that is helping to conclude this drama on a high note.

I loved Su Jin in this. The delicate, and timid smile that she gives Mario at the bus stand was magnificent and there was such joy expressed in her eyes there. Her Buddha-like placidity as she listens to Bach at the cafe was just mesmerizing. This part of the plot really did work and the Mario arc of this story was completed pretty successfully. It was perhaps the only clever part of the plot where they lead the audience to believe he's going to do some harm to Su Jin, even dressing the character up in black to misdirect everyone.

I'm glad some of you can overlook a lot of the plot flaws and still enjoy this. I'm not that picky, myself, as far as BL's are concerned, but I really think the plot here is much more problematic than usual.

As some have said this BL is like a fantasy so it doesn't need to explain why people don't freak out when they see someone talking to an empty chair. I really don't think this is a valid argument. I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy and this might sound oxymoronic but most people who enjoy these genres want their fantasy to be as realistic as possible. If you are the author, you build your world and you create the rules for it, and you stick to the rules for your own self-created universe. If you don't, your book or screenplay probably won't do that well, and you'll see that sci-fi, fantasy viewers /readers are harsh critics of people that haven't explained something in this world like a robot that never needs to recharge, or like a ghost that eats food.

A plausible explanation of the actions of the ghosts would prevent a lot us from even focusing on this part of the story and would only take a few seconds. Let's say Mario explains to Peach that the world is actually a simulation and the ghost world is a parallel simulation and the being/beings that control both can change people's perceptions whenever they want so they don't notice things like Peach talking to Yoon, their memory is just wiped out or they can't even perceive them. If you want a hoakier explanation you could say an angel/ spirit guide is assigned to every ghost and they do pretty much the same thing I just mentioned. Being a simulation, the food can just disappear after it is eaten by the ghosts. That took about 20 seconds to explain and prevented a lot of the jarring sensations whenever the ghosts do something that we can't understand (which is dozens upon dozens of times).

I can't explain the cafe away and it has nothing to do with the supernatural element in this story. It would have been better if Peach had made a disaster of it, spilling scalding coffee over himself and several customers, and closing the cafe after a day or two. There could have been some nice comedy that could have come out of that and Yoon would still acknowledge that Peach had at least attempted to fulfill his dream.

Of course, a lot of you would be satisfied without having anything changed in this series, but it really would enhance this drama so much if it were. I could easily give it a rating of 8.5 or higher if they had just paid a little more attention to the details and they would also have done much better at the "box office", because I am certain that there are many more people just like me. I still enjoy the performances of Yoon and his mom (Bravo), and Tommy and Jimmy as well. I feel bad for them that this plot is just so messed up, but I wish all of them every success in their future careers.

I thought his acting was good,but I thought the others like the Mom and Yoon were just amazing. But Jimmy's acting has greatly improved since Why R' U, and certainly does do justice to his character.

I work in the mental health field. Most suicide victims do not decide to kill themselves on the spur of the moment. I'm thinking Yoon would have thought of this for quite a while and would have some inkling that he wanted to kill himself unless virtually all his memories were erased for several months.

BTW I do not intend for people to stop enjoying this because of my objections
/ criticism. I would encourage people to enjoy this drama for the good qualities it does have - the great acting and the touching moments where we sympathize with the mom, and Jimmy for the loss of Yoon. I still enjoy it for that, but this drama could still be much better if they paid closer attention to the details.

And why are these ghosts eating? Where does the food go, lol. And when they wear things, wouldn't it appear like clothes floating in the air? I like how in Harry Potter, at least all the "magic" is explained. None of this stuff makes any sense. I'm very forgiving, but there is actually a lot of junk that jumps out at you in virtually every scene which takes away from the great acting and the good parts of the plot.

I still really like this show and don't mind the pacing. I think it's just a stylistic choice. If you don't mind the pace then you can find some good qualities in it as well, like that it's very relaxing and lets you dwell on some visually beautiful shots. I love how they have incorporated the artwork in the art gallery - it was really a wonderful compliment to the brilliantly shot food. The gallery brings up the idea, as well, that this is a show not just about food, but about art and the life of the artist. Nowadays, I'll argue fine dining is about the only well known art form out there that is readily accessible. It's really a treat to have a sort of separate art show running alongside the cinematic artwork.

What's also good about seeing the culinary craft here is that in most other professions, there is no need to take long shots of the nuts and bolts of the worker's craft, and, unfortunately, it is not interesting to watch even in a sister art like novel-writing or even painting [I think we only like to see the end product hanging on the wall]. I enjoy it here just for the spectacle of seeing delicious food, but also since it is incorporated so well into the drama.

I know some of you think this show should be called Stare at Me rather than Bite Me, but I think the stares have mellowed out this episode. It's showing that the director is not stuck in some mindset, and the stares were initially used to stress the complex dynamic of emotions between the two leads. I think Aek has put into words some of his sentiments - about Aue using him to further his own ambitions, so the stares are not as necessary as before. And the two have probably overcome a lot of the awkwardness and uncertainty that was conveyed through those hesitant stares.

I really appreciate this show for not having all the tropes of the normal BL's and having a trouble-free plot, good direction, and competent acting. I'll still rate it among the best in the BL world I've seen and give it extra high marks for making a very professional foodie show as well.

I like this for the most part. The acting is really fantastic except for Jimmy, and the scenario is pretty unique for a BL BUT there are just a lot of glaring plot issues. I can't get over this cafe that Peach decided to open up to achieve Yoon Oh's dream. How does Jimmy even know how to run a cafe? You can't just jump into a business like that with no experience. Does he have some training as a barista? Does he have any managerial experience, as well as some basic accounting skills? Is he staying up all night to make the baked goods, or did he outsource that looking through all the dozens of possible vendors. He would also have to source the coffee. He can't just buy it at the supermarket, and getting unique, quality coffee beans is not easy. He opened it up way too fast as well - at best, given this timeline, he could only have opened up a small stand serving two or three brands of coffee. Also, since this is not his dream, when Yoon Oh is gone what will he do with this cafe? Did he just spend a little fortune for a venture that will last for a month or two?

I'm confused as to the rules for the ghosts as well. Why can't Yoon Oh remember if he committed suicide? It should be pretty obvious if he wanted to kill himself. I don't see that his memory is impaired in any other way, like he can remember all the details of his visit to Phuket. Also, why does Yoon Oh have only 49 days before he becomes an evil spirit? Mario has had more than 20 years and is still doing ok. I understand the 49 days is not a definite but isn't there something like if you go past that time it becomes more likely you will become an evil spirit? At the minimum, the rules for turning into an evil spirit should be explained better. As others have mentioned, Yoon Oh should do more to communicate with his mom through Peach - there is no obvious reason as to why he isn't doing this, and it would greatly reduce her anguish. Or why doesn't Peach ask Yoon Oh to relay a comforting message without even being prompted by his mom like "I forgive you, mom. What you did hurt me, but I can see now that you really did care for me."

I still like this, but it seems like I'm doing a lot of work reconstructing this so it makes sense. Most of the earlier episodes were better because they didn't have all these plot issues getting in the way.

I don't understand what goes on in Mame's head. Fiat has had innumerable affairs and acted pretty sadistically towards Leo, but is forgiven like Lhong from Tharntype [who get's away with organizing a rape and attempted murder]. While we weren't looking Mame, right after TT2, does some psychic surgery on Fiat and he now acts like a proper Victorian lady circa 1880. Leo's weird mom really likes him even though he's a slut, because as she says. "at least you're not a wimp like Leo."

The only character I like in this series is Pob who is a saint-like character that has some mental fortitude especially compared to the kitten-like Leo. The only scene I like in this series is the mother of Leo testing Pob. It reminded me of a scene like from Charles Dickens where a rich aristocrat tests the character of an impoverished waif to see if they are worthy enough to enter their household, or perhaps to marry their daughter. It's always a cruel test that a powerful person can perform on a person of little means, and Pob performed incredibly well. It seemed like the only intelligent scene in this whole series. I really think Leon is unworthy of Pob, but in fantasy-BL-land people can transform themselves beyond recognition, going from a mindless narcissist to an ultra-considerate doting lover. I'll forgive all that because Leon is super-hot, and does have an engaging character.

I agree with most of this. Originally I thought this drama could be like an ITSAY [still a bit lower] and definitely don't think it is at that level at all now. I started with a personal rating of a 10 for the first episode, and then dropped to a 9.5 by the second, and I'm thinking about an 8 at this point. I still like this a lot for a BL, and still would put it in the upper tier of BL's personally but wouldn't consider it great for a normal series outside of the BL genre. It's still a lot better than a vapid show like Don't Say No, or other similar BL's I'm currently watching. I like a slow drama like Tarkovsky's Solaris where long, slow interludes are needed to absorb the complex thematic material, but can seem unbearably long for some people. This series just has long interludes without much to absorb. It's really fine for me right now, and it does have a chance of improving. I think there is finally some conflict with the two leads next episode, and maybe Aue's empty seeming stares reflect some inner conflict, like longing for Aek while using him to achieve his ambitions [as well as all those other things PoetryInMotion mentioned]. Also it seems like Aek is finally going to break out of his placid nothingness next episode and I think he will become less robotic. I think he is supposed to be more restrained up to this point to reflect his personal nature which is sort of like a sedate introvert [I don't know how else to describe it - it's kind of a weird character choice for a drama].

Not everyone is going to like the pacing of this show, but I really don't find it to be a problem. I wish most of the other shows were closer to this pace because it is better for romantic scenes. I think the pace is very relaxing like some others have said - I replayed the first few episodes in the background while doing some other things. It just seems to have a positive feeling that is just so enjoyable even when you aren't paying attention to what's going on.

A lot of the awkwardness of the encounters between Aek and Aue I feel is necessary and is best played out in slow scenes. I think this is just subjective, when some say that is bad directing - I feel like it is just right to set up dramatic tension, with a lot of invisible emotional undercurrents. [I think PoetryinMotion describes what those are very well below].

I really like their long stares at each other. I'm missing a lot of this emotional attachment in other BL's and I feel they've captured the intense passion that these two have for each other from the moment they met. I think instant attachments like this do occur in real life, so there is no reason to think this is an unlikely scenario.

One of the other main things I like about this show is most of the characters are very well drawn. I feel like they are living, breathing people unlike in virtually all the other BL's. In general, this show is doing things that maybe at most 2-3 other BL's have ever attempted, and I really enjoy it for that.

I must say this show is just a gem. I would never have expected a BL to portray realistically a top notch restaurant in such vivid and accurate detail. My expectations for BL's are very low, so I'm always excited to see this whole genre growing and improving to such a remarkable extent. I don't understand the criticism of the supposedly extra long takes on the food. I see this as the due dilligence of any professionally made drama. A good dama will explain to you in detail the inner workings of a business or profession if it is centrally related to the drama as this business certainly is. There is a good deal of time spent just showing the prep work of the sous chefs, among other details of the workings of the restaurant - so not just a lot of scenes of food porn as some are calling it. In fact, all this is to be lauded as the best kind of structure building of the best kinds of drama whether BL or of any other genre.

I like the slow pacing of this show. I think people like the ROM-COM model where we have a certain pacing that fits all the silliness that's going on. I think this is a more contemplative and serious drama where long lingering scenes that let emotions play out are appropriate. I think this pacing is what you would see in a typical serious hetero drama, but maybe a lot of people in the BL world are not used to this. The long, slow introduction of Aue's girlfriend is an example of where this really works - it's a wonderful debut for the possible villain and sets up the very emotional reaction of Aue later in the episode. In general the pacing is appropriate to virtually every scene so far. You could have sliced off a second here or there, but that is just nit-picking.

So far, this is excellent and we have a lot of dramatic plotlines developing. I don't find the developments in this show to be glacial at all. There is also a lot of character development for the two mains as well so I don't think there is any reason to worry that this show is going to be insipid. Just come back and give this show a chance. I think it's well worth it.

Several decades ago I worked in a restaurant and from my perspective, at the level he's working at in this restaurant, it would really interfere with his studies. It is very grueling work. I've actually seen some people pull it off while I was working but it was very rare and they were working 80+ hours a week. I think, realistically, he would have to pull out of the university or go there part time to make it work. His other job was very easy by comparison. If he worked even part time at the restaurant he would be so worn out the day after. Honestly, I did construction work and it seemed easier because at least you could pace yourself - in the restaurant you have to work at a frenetic pace to meet the demand of a large influx of people that can suddenly appear out of nowhere. That scene where he says he didn't realize what hard work it was is very realistic.

Well said! I have no idea why I keep hearing this. It seems there are quite a few series nowadays that have broken out of the mold and gone with slower pacing. I think this is a positive development. We don't have to have one speed for all BL's. I think everyone is used to the pace that is found in the ROM-COM BL which is appropriate for all the slapstick and cheap drama. This pacing works well with this show and I don't see why people want it to move faster - they would have to change the whole dynamic of this drama to make that even feasible.

I absolutely love this. Not since ITSAY and IPYTM have I felt so good watching a BL. The production values are fantastic in this series and the writing, and acting are also superb. Being a big foodie, and lover of Thai food, this show really appeals to me on a different level as well. I had seen this show in previews and couldn't wait for it to start.

The scenes with the food alone were like watching parts of Chef's table - the way they put that sauce on the prawns was just exceptionally well done. If you didn't think that was one of the most delicious dishes you've ever seen in a tv series, you don't like food.

The connection of the main characters was instant and riveting - the chemistry was just so complete I feel like I never have to see them kiss because their stares already conveyed such a passionate intensity. Can this get any better? I'll make a prediction - this will be one of the few classic BL's that you will revisit for years to come.

Even the side characters are all excellent. I especially like the mom, the grandmother, the sous chefs at the restaurant, and the two waitresses / hosts. There are no tropes - no screeching ladyboys, no engineers, no schtick etc. I can't imagine this will be anything but a really superb BL. It is already just too good to fail.

I really do have very low standards for BL shows and I've watched every one I've started to the end. I was surprised myself that I really disliked these three shows, but I think they are truly bad. Top Secret Together gets really bad in the last 4-5 episodes because the plot starts to make no sense at all - and the last two episodes were affected by COVID so several members of the cast went missing. They should have just stopped production and resumed when they were ready. Since COVID started every BL has had to deal with it, and Top Secret Together wins the prize for the worst reaction to it that I've seen anywhere. Hometown's Embrace has a very low budget and they way over-extended themselves. The make-up in one scene [after a fight between two characters] looked like it was done by a child, literally. The plot is also completely illogical to the point of absurdity. By comparison, Nitiman isn't so bad. Nitiman just never seems to go anywhere - and many of us have said that it was a show about nothing. There is virtually no forward direction in Nitiman and it has virtually every Bl cliche and trope. I could see some people enjoying Nitiman, but I have no idea why someone would like the other two series.