watchinstuff

It had been weeks?? What, is this canon?

Yeah a timeline would have been nice

& How long has Nueng been on vacation anyway?

The eclipse had fantastic actors. The story just didn't have stakes high enough

But hasn't it been days or a week at minimum, since the shooting happened on the very next day of the photo leak, and Ben and Chopper had their first heart to heart convo around the day after? I mean it can feel fast forwarded, but we weren't really shown much of them during Nueng's vacation. And Chopper was his close friend in the past too, so it makes it kind of easier.

Thanks! I think it might feel a bit fast-forwarded by the writers end, but we have to remember that all the days that Nueng has been on his vacation, Chopper has been in close contact with Ben helping him navigate his new reality post the fact of 'Ben likes kissing boys' photo circulation. It's just we're not shown it.

Marvel is shaking in their boots! Even they can't pull off a big crossover such as this!

& Maggie is the sweetest 🤌🏽

MAGGIE, I LOVE YOU!

Episode 8 more like continued vacacy.

Haters gonna hate but Nueng and Palm are couple goals. I wish everyone can have the romantic, stress-free vacation where their dad is dead and the only living parent - mother - gets shot & is in coma, so no one can't disturb anymore <3

"Palm, are you searching for your other half?" and then whole 'come here palm's other half' speech. So Nueng outright confirms that Palm is a boyfriend of convenience, which some people also call 'friends with benefits'. Cause these types of jokes we make with our friends, not with our romantic interests. What a Transactional Relationship (negative connotation). #CommonNuengWin.

Side note 1, still Mr. Nueng, aren't they 'boyfriends on beach'

Side note 2, Palm's acting when panicking about destroyed furniture in hotel, doesn't really come off as panicking. (even later when they kidnapped Palm's bio-mother in front of him, his acting wasn't good enough then too.) Good looks don't compensate for lack of skills. sigh.

Also talking about compensation, it was so funny seeing Palm's bio-mom stil compensating for Palm's lack of braincells and blindness, reminding him that he is, in fact, on the run, and he doesn't have any plan whatsoever. Like can't she see, he's busy being living his transactional one-sided love story?

side note 3, they couldn't CGI the chopper showing video onto the phone?

Also, Chopper and Ben have all the missing braincells of Palm and Nueng. Ben does what's right and takes a rational decision to tell the principal. They are good actors in stark contrast to the collective mess of the main leads.
& ChopperxBen for the Win!

Also, Palm's bio-mom reading Palm's dad to filth, loved to see her calling his authoritarian and controlling behaviour out. I wish her genes gave some of these brains and personality to Palm. I think it is very important to note here that the conversation between Palm and his bio-mother was not a conversation between a son and his mom but a conversation between two adults, and it should be treated and perceived as such. I know the popular opinion is that parents should stay together and not leave, but as adults we should understand that a it is better to have a parent that left you rather than a parent that grows to resent you as the reason they couldn't leave. Also not to forget that mom & dad, or two parents is a hetero-normative viewpoint that discredits single parents and men as primary or sole care-takers of children. And coming back to the story, she left when he was too young to even form memories that could hurt, so there's no bitterness but the hurt is from societal questions of everyone has a mom, where is mine. Not to forget there is enough mutual respect between the parents to recommend her place as safe place in emergency and her accepting it. So yeah, adults make adult decisions.

Side note 4, I LOVE MAGGIE, she's so nice to everyone. her random appearance is wild and plausible. Writers be crazy.

haha, nueng is jealous during maggie intro at hotel scene not because he loves/likes him, but because how can his servant give some of his 'island boyfriend' benefits like attention and niceness to someone else? HOW COULD PALM FORGET THE CONTRACT? also, maggie didn't solely invite Palm, she asked Nueng too, So much of these facial expressions, can't Palm even live some moments of his life not revolving around you?

Also, what a healthy relationship to have with someone where you constantly have to look at your partner to see if they'll give me permission for something or not

Side note 5, I LOVE MAGGIE she's also taking palm's pics

um why did maggie had to shout for palm, writers be writing ANYTHING for maximum hero entry (re- nueng entry too), not to forget the coincidence with the same local mafia

Side note 6, I LOVE MAGGIE, she said that palm is more important than camera as she looks at his wounds. YES COMMON HUMAN DECENCY! Remember when Nueng got in fight at a party when he drank alcohol bcz tantrum?

wtf "it's good Palm could protect someone else"?? why so much snark and negativity? Should Palm have left Maggie there being like 'Sorry Maggie, I can't care what happens to you, I can only protect Nueng because 'while we're on the island' i'm also his boyfriend, so like bye, hope you get to stay alive too' and then proudly tell his master Nueng that how did he didn't cheat on their contractual relationship by leaving Maggie with bad guys? I mean contractual boyfriend should fulfil his contract. Nueng can let his mom die for island-limited romance, why can't Palm let Maggie die or whatever?

Side note 7, I LOVE MAGGIE, she knows and observes all. She is so respectful of Palm's perceived feelings. And all of that whilst she puts ointments & bandages on Palm's wounds.

Ben x Chopper like, what a mature conversation! 'I wasn't comfortable with my sexuality back then and that's why I rejected you.' What a introspective thing to say! He explained how his past actions were not a reflection of Chopper's confession but rather his inner struggle. Also the question "do you still like me?" WOW. is this a kdrama?
I think I need to write some things so as to explain why this Chopper x Ben seems natural. Ben's this dialogue is very crucial "When we were in Grade 10, I’d never thought that you were good-looking." Ben saw Chopper as a friend back then whilst simultaneously struggling with his sexuality as established by Ben in the convo later. So, when you're under that level of stress, you are unable to pursue romantic interests and not to forget romantic interest was one of main stressors for Ben, so Ben rejecting the confession of Chopper doesn't mean anything in regards to Ben's romantic interest in Chopper or lack thereof. It was a case of wrong place and wrong time. So when Ben is curious about if Chopper still likes him or not in the present time, he is able to see Chopper in a new light with additional information of Chopper saying all those things on the terrace in one of the previous episodes. Also Ben still hasn't said anything yet, he's still asking questions and a week / weeks have passed since the principal office fiasco where Nueng disregarded safety of Ben and made it all solely about himself & the subsequent Chopper and Ben's terrace talk. So Ben has accepted Nueng's hatred towards himself and he is able to reconnect with his old friend Chopper in the time of Nueng's vacation. So it's very natural progression over time unlike Nueng throwing a tantrum over a kiss on the same day to kiss his subservient servant.

"your son is brave but he's a bit dull-witted" LMAO so true. I almost cackled out loud! Someone please say that to Palm everyday, maybe he'll find a personality out of anger or something

Also even when Nueng does any nice thing, he HAS TO malign it by making everything about himself, like he saved Palm and Maggie prior from bad guys and made it about his jealousy of his unpaid employee having a friend, and then when he says he'll pay the money HE HAS to proclaim that he's the best, the superior, by adding that "if I can't pull this off, I don't deserve to inherit the business" lmao they abducted his mom and he has to make it about how he is worthy of inheriting the business?

Pre-mafia money scene thoughts: who throws money in front of people with guns?????? THEY CAN SHOOT YOU!!! Also why would someone in hiding show they can procure that much money in a single day, THEY MIGHT KIDNAP YOU TOO? palm is already dumb and nueng can't survive in real world!!

not him lecturing mafia hahahahahhahahah

ALSO, where did those nueng dialogues come from, that's not who his character is... where and when did he get this dealing with mafia experience? Nueng can't even deal with his bullies in school, and he's smart enough to come out scar free and also saved a whole another human being? Like he's the type to say to a fish seller that he'll work for 500 baht per hour, THAT's how low his practical IQ is- oh wait that actually happened. Writers be writing anything to further the plot. Like you just can't turn tables without establishing things first. Like suddenly he's the hero of the day with Palm's mother declaring him being nice and cute and deserving of his inheritance at the end of series. Unnatural progression with happy family hug. ANYTHING GOES. All that character motivations? DOWN THE DRAIN for the hug. I mean Nueng can let his mother wait for death in the hospital and they can't even say that he's nice and cute and deserving of his inheritance? I mean his mother will die so he will inherit it anyway. DIE MOM DIE. more family hugs.

Palm my child, please get therapy and some personality, being a servant isnt one. PLUS, not the palm apology.... "you can take care of yourself" LMAO i this a JOKE? because I laughed at least. The series really wants to say that the guy who throws tantrums about even kisses can take care of himself? LIKE he intentionally drinks alcohol that he's allergic to? LIKE he starts fights with random guys in parties! Like he's rich and shit, gets favorable treatment from teachers and still can't do shit about being bullied! THAT GUY? HE CAN TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF? I need Palm to recommend whatever drugs he's been taking, cause that's some juicy delusional takes.

Also not nueng fishing for apologies, he wants palm to apologize for not being servant 24x7 and giving some time to his friend maggie. because "For you, our dating is just a casual relationship while we are on the island." says Nueng to Palm like um, sir, this is a wendy's you need a psychiatrist to diagnose you with the memory problems you have. Didn't you ask for 'While we're on the island' contractual boyfriend thing? ALSO "I can’t force you to feel things that you don’t." "You do not belong to me." hahahah manipulation at its finest. out of context it would be so sweet but with the context we have, it is just another way of making someone concede to do what you want without asking for it by making them feel guity for things they never did wrong. LIKE Palm can't even hang out with any friend or protect them from danger, Nueng wants to officially own palm 24x7, because that's what caused this latest tantrum.

"I’ve never been in love before. When I wake up, I want you to be with me. When I fall asleep, I want you to be next to me. I want you to be with me every moment. If this is what people call love, I think I love you." It would be so emotional if it were a confession where one person is trying to stop the other person from making a decision that will forever change their dynamic. But when it comes after the other person clearly says "I love you", it becomes very disingenuous, like a cop out of not feeling the same thing. "if this is what people call love, then i think i love you" who wrote this fucked up dialogue? if you're trying to make the scene a big declaration, then you don't make your character whom you're trying hard to portray as cute and nice and deserving of inheritance say that 'IF this THEN they THINK' they love the other person in reply to a DIRECT "I love you". bad writing. i mean i know he doesn't give a fuck about his coma mom when all he wants is to fuck his unpaid bodyguard the 2nd time, but that dialogue only makes the protagonist more unlikable.

NOT THAT UNSERIOUS SCENE OF FINDING THEM AT THE END WITH THAT TOO LONG OF A SHOT ON THE EVIL SMILE. why is the director like this....

(I'm not going to talk about that preview without watching ep9 first. it's out of context, i reluctantly give them the benefit of the doubt. (even though I know Nueng))

I wish I could turn off my brain to watch this, but i'm weak and i don't proofread.

Oh i hated how the show framed ben as asshole when he's just a teenager trying to survive the potential abuse of his father.

Nueng and Palm's whole relationship stands on three pillars: Palm's niceness, Palm's respect towards his father, and Palm's economic desperation. And even then it's Palm's infatuation that's doing all the work on top of it.

And yeah the juxtaposition of Nueng's entitlement in front of Palm's life is very cruel.

Yeah this is definitely also a contributing factor

Well, then since they don't dwell on extra fanservice moments, i think they'll wrap it up. I trust in their strategizing and planning.

It's a shame because he seemed such a real person before, in his first introductory scenes, he talks about how even if he works hard, he'll never be able to be rich, and so he just takes whatever joy he can get. That introduction grounded him in the reality of his class-struggle, and the lack of hope and despair that comes with it. So when in subsequent episodes, he's slowly worn down to this shell of human whose only purpose is to be a slave for another person, it becomes so pathetic. And when you juxtapose it with Nueng's life, it becomes outright cruel, because why is Palm there at all, if not for his desperation and economic status? The power dynamics are skewed cruelly in favor of Nueng and Palm is just a desperate teenager trying to make a living.

Don't they have an official channel on twitter? Maybe they tweeted about it or something?

It's a shame that someone checking out this drama on MDL for the first time will be influenced by this sham of an average rating (7.7 currently) when it should be upwards of 8.4.

Just almost binged til episode 6 and damn, it's really good. Love how the main characters are opposite to each other in life experiences and approaches to things but still come together fumbling through mutual understanding.

Their intimacy is so nuanced and feels lived-in. There are no big announcements around hand-holding, kisses, or even sex; but rather signs of them getting closer and comfortable echoing in their slice-of-life actions. I love that most scenes depicting their relationship don't have a definitive beginning or end, but rather we're just thrown into a glimpse of their life and with same energy we leave it, leaving them in their moment.

I'm always amazed at the focus on talking things through that's often depicted in the Korean dramas. It also is a cherry on top that there are scenes of characters talking about their dreams, likes and dislikes etc, which whilst not highly important in the development of the arc of the story, but are again sweet slice-of-life moments when you are getting to know someone.

I really adore this series. Eagerly waiting for episode 7!

okay the magic is back in ep3

eh mom can stay in coma if we get a boyfriend out of it!!

Just watched the mock trailer. Captivating, Intriguing, and Real. While not everyone's life is like what is portrayed, it is the story of people whose life is exactly that.

- I just hope the series gives justice to what it intends to portray. I just don't want another drama written to give audience fanservice whilst going against the established character motivations and in-universe truths.
- I hope it is as messy and has nuanced and gray storyline as much it comes off in the mock trailer.
- And if the series wants to say something, I want it to be explicit via words or behaviour; I would hate plot holes where the audience is left to theorize or delude themselves coming up with explanations that have no tangible evidence in the series itself.
- I want them to accumulate actions behind words. If a character says something, I better have seen it prior in their behaviour throughout.
- I want characters to be introverts and extroverts in their true meaning and behaviours.
- I don't want tropes of femininity and masculinity in stereotypes.
- I want characters to feel real, lived-in. I want them to have whole lives up to the point we first see them; the whole lives that influence their decisions of today.
- I want a series worthy of awards comparable to itsay, your name engraved herein, bad buddy, semantic error, to my star.

I want it all. I want it all.

I was so looking forward to this series based on its name, its poster, and general vibes. I wanted this to be 'itsay' meets 'your name engraved herein' meets 'kinn Porsche'. But i got this. My disappointment is immeasurable and my weeks are ruined.

Once said a wife about her abusive husband.

Oh I definitely feel that. The vocabulary I've often seen used on the internet in regards to shows in this genre (Twitter / reddit / MDL) heavily skews towards surface level/material things: talking about 'visuals', aesthetics, 'chemistry', hotness, etc. Which makes me feel as if the primary motivation is to watch conventionally attractive / cute male actors. Whilst it is fine to have that motivation, it often suffers with the concept of 'pretty privilege' that is, people with good looks are assumed to have postive traits. And if they display those traits in even on a low capacity, they're perceived to be higher than they are. So yeah if the actor's cute then he's a great actor. And if there are two cute actors, and are cute together, then this effect is exponential. I mean if you look at the ratings of enchante and vice-versa, this becomes evident. (Vice-Versa has 8.3 rating here, whilst Bad Buddy has 8.5; but it is nowhere in league with Bad Buddy.) The only reason Enchante has 7.3 rating whilst Vice-Versa sits on 8.3 is because Enchante lacks the abundance of romance scenes vice-versa delivers. The phenomenon of cute boys doing cute things together equals more praises prevails.

TD;LR - more the cuteness of boys and more they do cute things together, then more the praises of their other characteristics irrespective of evidence.