alex

this is less of a review and more of a very long think piece read at ur own discretion lol

honestly, i didn't particularly care for the storyline during the first half of the series. one of the main reasons i kept watching was because of how brilliantly the characters were written. right from the start they felt incredibly real, flawed, and three-dimensional, even when i wasn't fully invested in what was happening around them. but then episodes 7-8 happened and from then through to the end of episode 10 (which i think is the strongest-and my favorite-episode of the series) i was completely hooked and that is easily my favorite stretch of the show. the final two episodes were slightly weaker in comparison, and the mafia plotline completely threw me for a loop ?? lmao, but by that point i was already very emotionally invested in the characters that it didn't take away from how much i ended up loving the series.

what i think the series excels at more than anything else is character writing. these are some of the most believable protagonists i've seen in a thai gl ever. the show never tries to force them into neat categories of "good" or "bad". it allows them to be contradictory, selfish, caring, impulsive, immature, 3 dimensional characters. they make bad decisions, and hurt each other, then they regret those decisions, and continue making mistakes because that's literally what real people do. the biggest strength of the writing is the show understanding and showing you that flawed people are still deserving of love.

the push-and-pull dynamic between pun and ploy works so SO well. from the get go, the relationship is complicated by pun's plan to get close to ploy because of her brother, (something we later learn ploy already knew about, which adds even more layers to the conversation), but there's a much more interesting emotional layer underneath that, ploy. she completely shuts down the moment she senses abandonment, betrayal, or emotional pain. she refuses to communicate, lashes out, she is avoidant and becomes intentionally hurtful, she hides behind an emotionally cold exterior. the series makes it clear that it stems directly from the way she was raised. i loved that they allowed her upbringing to have lasting consequences on the way she navigates relationships and how that seeps into her every day life, they don't treat childhood trauma as something people just "get over."

and then, pun. her characterization might be truly one of the most realistic i've seen in a thai gl. almost everything she does is so so believable to me, down to the smallest details and quirks. her artistic side especially resonated with me specifically. the fact that she writes down her thoughts, folds them into little paper butterflies, and creates an entire butterfly wall out of them is such a beautiful piece of characterization!! small stuff like that to tell you what kind of character and person she is. i think her choices throughout the series are so incredibly grounded and realistic as well (count how many times i use the word realistic or real lol). sometimes she acts selfishly, (ex. using ploy to get closer to her brother, using bee, and kissing her just to make ploy jealous.) other times she makes impulsive decisions without thinking (and still the series does not reduce her to a dumb character whatsoever!), or keeps very important things to herself, like refusing to tell her family about the money she lost because she's worried, because she doesn't want to disappoint them, especially when she constantly compares herself to prang in her parents' eyes. i don't view her as a bad person because of these choices, but i dont think they automatically make her a 100% good "pure" character either, i loved that!!! that's good!!!! the series consistently refuses to moralize ALL of its characters (but esp pun and ploy), you are forced to sit with the choices they make and the consequences of them and you are forced to think about them and spend time trying to understand.

THIS!! is how you write toxicity🙏🙏🙏🙏😭😭😭😭😭. both pun and ploy are deeply flawed, but the narrative refuses to romanticize or excuses the ways they hurt each other. their actions have consequences, they're forced to confront those consequences, and their character development feels gradual and earned. so many thai gls are guilty of introducing conflict simply for the sake of creating angst before resolving everything an episode later with a quick apology or confession. this series does not fall into this pattern. i think every conflict pushes the characters forward, and every reconciliation feels like something they have to work for.

despite dealing with heavier emotional themes, the series also has an incredibly fun personality. i loved how quirky and unique so much of its execution was, esp in the 1st half. the "angel" persona on pun's shoulder that's actually the devil in disguise (literally lmao) , alongside the pun-in-a-mustace man / sherlock persona (?) that acts as the sensible voice of reason, were such funny additions that made her internal conflicts much more entertaining to watch.

im not one to be thrilled for romcoms usually, but i need to admit that the series does comedy so, very well. at the same time, i think the show is at its absolute best during its quieter, and more vulnerable scenes where the writing and performances shine the brightest, and where i find myself able to emphasize most with the characters and join in on this vulnerable space that the actresses manage to create.

another small aspect that i think is worth mentioning is the friend group. it felt like an ACTUAL group of queer friends living their lives. it's such a small thing, but it made the world feel so much more lived in. one other creative decision i absolutely loved was episode 10's choice to never actually show pun in the present. we only experience her presence through a video, or flashbacks and memories other characters have of her after she's disappeared to the other side of the world. very deliberate choice to heighten the emptiness her absence leaves behind, and i 100% think that episode wouldn't have hit the same if the audience had been able to see her normally.

i legitimately stood up and started clapping when pun chose new york despite ploy still being in thailand. i loved that the writers allowed her to choose herself. new york is her dream. it is one more reminder on top of tens of others the writers sprinkle throughout the story that these women are individuals before they're partners. they have their own ambitions, identities, and agency outside of each other. media so often strips female protagonists of that agency by having them sacrifice their dreams, careers, or education ect.. for love because everything magically works itself out in the finale. the series doesn't exactly do that. it frames pun as her own person first and foremost, and i was seriously glad to see that thank you player

one could argue though that ploy leaving thailand is maybe in itself a sacrifice , but i also think the series addresses that through their conversation where she admits that acting was never truly her dream, pun was, she made a deliberate choice that her character does not suffer from or 'lose' something from.
regardless, it is a deliberate writing choice that feels like a breath of fresh air.

pacing is another thing i thought the series handled exceptionally well. i might have mentioned above how the show took their time with conflict resolution. i also just found the story itself coherent. outside of the mafia subplot, which felt almost completely disconnected tonally 💀, i don't think i found myself questioning the internal logic of the narrative and i dont think there were any plot holes that were left unresolved. i also have to mention the supporting cast because i seriously enjoyed jay and prang just as much as pun and ploy, and at certain times even more than them. they work beautifully as a couple, but they're compelling as individuals too, especially prang.

to further highlight just how strong i think the character writing is, ying's character has what i think is like less than thirty minutes of total screentime (if even) and STILL comes across as a fully realized interesting person. the same can be said for most of the other minor supporting characters. that is something i find a lot of thai gls struggle with, with their side characters usually ending up feeling very flat, but this is absolutely not the case here. and this to me is another testament to just how much care went into the writing.

one of the very first things that caught my attention, and something that continued to impress me throughout the entire series, was the cinematography, post-production and overall editing style. the framing is i think unlike anything i've seen in a thai gl before (ik i still have a lot to watch ok). the camera lens choices, the barrel distortion, chromatic aberration, vignetting, color grading, and lighting all come together to create a really distinct visual identity for both parts of the show. and past episode 7 (i think?), the series undergoes a very deliberate shift in its color grading that mirrors the emotional shift in the story.

i also really appreciated that the soundtrack wasn't just the same ost playing over and over again. the sound design is some of the strongest i've heard in a thai gl i think?, i dont think i can remember even a single moment where the audio felt awkward or poorly mixed

i think my criticisms are fairly straightforward? the abusive parent redemption arc strikes again... we're tired......... i'm always put off when stories decide to go in that direction. the mafia plotline was actually so random that i'm choosing not to even unpack it because... what the f*ck was that?

while some of the romantic dialogue felt a little clunky during the earlier episodes, that completely disappeared for me in the second half. the 2nd half honestly feels like a completely different series. i absolutely LOVED how the tone gradually shifted from something quirky and fun and very classically romcom-y into this much heavier, angsty and emotional almost melodrama. that's also where i think the actresses really shine. icememi are fantastic in the quieter, and more emotionally demanding scenes. that’s also where the acting feels most natural i think. the acting was absolutely phenomenal all throughout the second half and the slight doubt i had completely vanished.

overall! i can very obviously tell just how much love, care and hardwork was poured into this series. i can only hope more writers and directors look at shows like player for inspiration because this is the kind of character writing i want to see more of!!