Jen

I went into the drama with no expectations - I had enjoyed “Only Boo!” last year, was not entirely convinced about Sea’s acting, but the plot was entertaining enough to keep me hooked. However, I initially didn’t have “Head 2 Head” on my radar and only picked it up because I was craving a lighthearted show, one of these where the more you think about the plot, the less it makes sense. And oh boy, did “Head 2 Head” deliver in this aspect (but to my surprise - not in a bad way).

Let’s talk about the main couple first: J and Jinn ended up having my entire heart. I really enjoyed watching the progression of their relationship throughout the show - fast-paced, but also not too rushed. We got enough time to see them grow closer, fonder of each other AND handle hardships together as a team. If we ignore J’s inner struggles, I also think they communicated pretty well and cleared up conflicts quickly enough, which is always great to see in a BL. My only grapple with J and Jinn is that I think the show could’ve gone way deeper with their back stories and development as individual characters. From one point onwards, it felt like their lives merged and they didn’t have much going on apart from their relationship. Which may be logical given J’s traumatic visions, but I wish it weren’t the case. Either way, I think Sea and Keen did a great job with what they had to work with. Keen was phenomenal as always, and even though I felt like Sea couldn’t really deliver during some of the more emotional scenes, his acting has drastically improved since “Only Boo!” (and a cocky character is a GREAT fit for him).

I also liked the direction they took J’s visions in. The way I understood it, they were a supernatural ability to an extent (otherwise how would you explain the notebook scene?), but one could also interpret them as a non-magical product of J’s worries about the future, or even as obsessive intrusive thoughts. Even if this wasn’t the intention of the show, I appreciate that they filmed the scenes and explained the visions in a way which allows the viewer to make their own conclusions. I also liked the way this plotline was wrapped up - there weren’t any last-minute explanations of how this ability actually works; J just basically makes peace with the fact that the future is uncertain, and that even if he might not always be able to protect Jinn, he can at least love him.

With regard to the family dynamics, there is a lot of room for growth in my opinion (and I don’t only allude to the tendency to forgive neglectful parents in Thai dramas). I found Jinn’s relationship with his mom very interesting and would’ve loved to see more of it besides the very open displays of affection and praise. I similarly wish the show would’ve focused more on how the absence of Jinn’s dad affected his childhood. I loved the scenes in which Jinn expressed his unfiltered anger (Keen did amazing in those!), but they also ended up feeling a bit empty when all we were otherwise shown as an audience was the moment the dad left. Like, a couple of throwback scenes where Jinn and his mom are portrayed struggling on their own would’ve been perfect! Likewise, I wish they also showed us how the father took care of the mother behind the scenes, as well as a more detailed explanation WHY they chose to keep Jinn in the dark; the big reveal that he was always there felt out of nowhere, as if they wanted to quickly redeem him so that the viewers have less of an issue with Jinn forgiving him (and with this being yet another show where a bad parent faces no consequences).

Last but not least: if I have to be honest, I was a bit indifferent towards Van and Farm. I did not like Van until the very end (although he admittedly underwent character growth) and I didn’t really understand why Farm had a crush on him to begin with. Especially at the point where Van’s wrongdoings had piled up, I found myself wondering how Farm’s feelings remained so strong when he was shown to be someone aware of his worth and not willing to tolerate bullshit. I am, however, relatively happy with how their storyline played out, and episode 10 when the two of them were the focus (rather than the main couple) actually became my favourite. Not because they were granted more screen time, but because we could see the friend group’s dynamics in a new light through Farm and Van's conflict.

Rereading my review up until this point, it sounds like I wasn't all that enthusiastic about the show. But that can't be furhter from the truth - because what surprised me the most regarding it is the excitement with which I was anticipating the new episode each Sunday. Not many shows have had such an effect on me, so I will be looking back on this one with warmth in my heart. Is it a masterpiece? No, not really! But it did deliver on being a lighthearted, entertaining watch, and that’s sometimes all you need. Might not be rewatch-worthy (while waiting for new episodes of “Head 2 Head”, I unfortunately found out as much about “Only Boo!”), but as long as you take off your critical glasses, I am sure you will find something for yourself in it.

(Oh, and maybe they could’ve spared us a couple of hospital visits - it gets to a point! I cheered after finishing episode 10 and there being none! Maybe that's actually why it's my favourite episode, lol)