Reviews

Four Stars

One thing i'm enjoying about this series is I genuinely don't know what direction this story is going. There's a few theories spinning in my head. 1. I don't take everything Lee Gang is saying at face value because I honestly don't trust him and I feel like a lot of what he's saying is either a lie or a misguided truth.2. Mun O is honestly a weirdo with an obsession with his first love and fixation on Su Hun, so he's willing to believe these claims against Su Hun out of spite.3. I believe the person who was with Min Hui(the babysitter) was actually Se Yun(the son) & not the father 4. What my brain is telling me is Lee Gang & Mun O are basically one in the same. Lee Gang is obsessed Se Yuns life & wants to ruin it whereas through the stories Mun O is hearing through Lee Gang he's trying to do the same to his father.

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JingLi’s plot unfolds

Prince Ding is literally frustrated.🤣 He has been ambushed with aphrodisiac soup and refuses to comply. Ye Li overrides his plan to stay locked up in his study until he calms down. She opts to take her stud muffin home by the hand and having a calm chat with sis in law the following day. With her attitude about the situation, I hope XiuYao felt more inclined to take advantage of the circumstances. Ms Wen is unapologetic at pushing things along. She thinks this is the best course for Ye Li. I have mixed feelings. I agree she should not be left to feel alone and that a child could ease the situation. But Ye Li also felt strongly about children being made political pawns and should have had a say about something that was supposed to be for her benefit. The Duke chats with her and admonishes her about saying his friend was alive and well writing books. Ye Li looked him straight in the eye and admitted she thought that was the truth of the matter. That it wasn’t until Xiu Yao came up the mountain to be by her side that she realized it was a dream she wanted, not the reality that existed. The Duke feels especially guilty and negligent for suggesting them stay on the mountain and then never bothering to check on them. They had no idea about the Imperial troops that laid siege to the school forcing them out of food and med supplies. Ye Li lets him know straight up that there was never a thought from any in Lishan that he held any blame for their situation. She explained how her efforts were thwarted by being isolated and locked up. By the time she escaped, there was no rescue that could be made. He is processing her solitary existence at LiShan and why. He ends up having heart attack like symptoms and asks to be helped home rather than doctor. Prince Ding has been sidestepped for post with Official Duo volunteering for the job. It was unexpected but an acceptable swap. Prince Ding realizes his loyalty was put into question. Again.😝🙄 Little did his substitute know his death had already been decided before he arrived. He would be tossed like yesterday’s trash. They outline quite specifically the weapons, soldiers, horses and cavalrymen at his disposal to invade the capital. It was rather impressive. Had he not killed YuanFang to cover up his armory and troop numbers, I think he had the right enforcement means and going after the right lady that started the mess with the Marquis and poet. However, killing a good man to achieve his goal is too much a repeat of Guo Jin. The witch is back looking for her Han supporter. He was just in the process of getting them both out when she arrives on the scene to stop him. Su Zhuidie has a nice batch of assassins to kill them both. Spy Feng shows up and it’s clear he is no swordsman, but we can only hope his two thrusts finally finished her off. We are still not shown a body and I sure wish MingXi would have decapitated her to be sure dead, but he was too busy mourning his brother and Feng his friend. I have to agree with Feng that MingYue was already punished for setting her free when MingXi confessed his brother’s part in things. The two men have buried what better be the last victims of Su Zuidie. There better not be another encore performance from her.😡🤬Feng offers to take MingXi back to capital with him, but he wants more mourning time with his brother. I am glad they have made fewer men available for JingLi’s battle plans. Feng arrives to let them know who the real traitor is and what they are planning. The only silver lining is Prince Ding’s prior knowledge of the area and best ways to defend it. He promises allegiance and not to return unless victorious. Prince Ding will hopefully once again be the right man in the right place at the right time. He is welcomed home by his family and he prepares for battle. I wish they would have gone with white rather than black hair dye but he doesn’t want to have any appearance of weakness with JingLi when they meet. It is unclear if JingLi knows about him being healed or not. I hope this is a surprise element for him. I really want to kill the Marquis again as Prince Ding and troops will face soldiers already trained and capable with their newest model crossbow. Jingli has had plenty of time to make himself capable as a fighter, but Cangbai is well aware of the formidable force that is Prince Ding. I am also glad Ye Li claims her martial arts skills from master Zhu. It is very likely they will be needed. Until next episode.

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The Best Episode Thus Far!

Episode 9: The Corporate Machine Ate My Heart and Washed It Down With TearsLast week I told you Episode 8 was a detonation. Episode 9 is the aftermath, and I am writing this from a smoldering crater of emotional devastation while clutching the charred remnants of my dignity. The series didn't just twist the knife — it forged an entire PowerPoint presentation on corporate treachery, printed it on my skin, and then set the projector on fire.Let me say this first, because it needs to be screamed from the top of a skyscraper: Enemies with Benefits is the most intelligently written Thai GL series we have. Episode 9 burned away whatever rom-com safety net I'd been subconsciously clinging to and revealed the cold, beautiful machinery underneath. This isn't petty office politics. This is greed and avarice breathing down your neck while you're just trying to steal a glance at the woman you love. Every "uneasy smile," every "hidden smirk" I mentioned before? They've graduated. They're full-blown chess moves now, orchestrated by people who see love as a liability and human hearts as collateral damage. The boardroom doesn't just have tension — it has fangs.And then there's Lal.If Episode 8 Lal was a golden retriever who thought matching pajamas constituted a merger agreement, Episode 9 Lal is that same dog left out in a thunderstorm, nose pressed to the glass, wondering why her human won't let her in. I was not prepared. Every single tear she shed — and there were enough to fill a quarterly sales report — dug that festering, hurting hole in my chest deeper. She isn't just missing Wine. She's grieving the future she'd already built in her head, the one with domestic mornings and Excel sheets that somehow led to forever. Watching her try to negotiate a deal with her own heartbreak, using every sales tactic she knows and failing spectacularly, was the kind of exquisite pain that makes you pause the screen just to breathe. Lal, you sweet, broken negotiator: some things can't be closed with a smile and an assumptive close.And Wine. Oh, Wine.The cognitive dissonance I diagnosed in Episode 8 has metastasized into full-blown self-immolation. This woman shed tears for the pain she was causing Lal, and I believe those tears were real, but she shed them while her hands were still tied by the ghosts she refuses to exorcise. She’s not just a dormouse with Korn anymore; she's a hostage negotiator who's forgotten which side she's on. The steel magnolia is rusting from the inside out, and watching her choose — actively choose — a path that sets both of them on fire was a masterclass in tragic character writing. The series keeps asking: what does survival cost? And Wine keeps answering with her own destruction.The toxic workplace isn't a backdrop anymore. It's a character. A greedy, avaricious, shark-eyed character that grinds up vulnerability and uses it as coffee creamer. Which brings me to the question that Episode 9 branded onto my achy breaky heart with a sizzling iron: In an environment this ruthless, where every alliance is a spreadsheet and every secret is leverage, is there a place for true love? Or is love just another resource to be exploited, another weakness to be managed by HR?I don't have an answer yet. The episode made me bleed bitterness and longing and disappointment, the way only the best drama can. I wanted to reach through the screen, wrap Lal in a blanket, and enroll Wine in an emergency therapy session conducted by a hostage negotiator with a specialty in haunted women. And somewhere in the wreckage, Tangkwa and Proud are still orbiting their own confusion — a subplot that now feels almost merciful, a small candle flickering in a typhoon of corporate evil.If Episode 8 made you scream-text the group chat, Episode 9 will make you type in silence, delete the message, and just stare at the wall. It's brilliant. It's devastating. It's the kind of storytelling that respects its audience enough to hurt them honestly.Go watch it. Bring tissues. Bring a whiteboard to diagram your feelings. Then come find me in the wreckage. I'll be the one still trying to figure out if love can survive a quarterly review.

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Progress with the parents

This episode shows a wise father figuring out who cares for his daughter. Qian Fei’s determination to make Yi Fei guilty of having a gf is a bit annoying now. He has told her repeatedly that he doesn’t and her own father reminded her that the girl liking him doesn’t mean his affection is returned for her. Wang should have taught her that. 😝 When I saw she brought her master bear and wanted to snuggle it…I forgave her. 🥰Yi Fei is cute buying flowers. He wants her to know he likes her but subtly. She was very pleased with the daisies so he did well. I have been beyond tired of Jun Cheng and Dang Yu. But….that conversation he had with her mom….to record and share it with her was a special moment. This is one time I did not begrudge screen time. YiFei makes such little efforts with his dad except shamelessly asking for a w0 million loan. He has no clue his father’s group is in trouble because he is so tied up with Fuxilada. His father is secretly quite proud of his son’s efforts and determined to not let him fail. Lu Ze is finally seeing his dream becoming reality by changing the venue for his app. YiFei sees it’s potential keeping record of specific farming details. It can trace from seed to end product as well as let individual see how their efforts perform. Lu Ze is quite happy and plans on a fancy dinner with JingJing to celebrate. Jin surprisingly agreed to back off after confessing and seeing how little impact that have with YiFei. She even gave him words of wisdom that weren’t trite but actually helpful. When picked up she wants to drive home. She notes the extra slippers and that’s accounted for with flower watered. What is tripping him up now is the long hair she found in living room. She is OCD about cleaning, but ……😝🫣🙄really? Had there been a video like I expected she would have had reason for jealousy. This….is none of her business when she friend zoned him. She can’t have it both ways. Besides the fact he is only guilty of rendering aid. 😝Seems Ms Fang has feet of clay as mentor.

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Holidays with family

This episode shows the family dynamics at Dang Yu’s house. Her sis is resentful of being stuck at home and jealous that Dang Yu gets to send home money and call it a day. Dang Yu sees her sis as a freeloader off their parents and another mouth to feed. The dad is very quiet except in making it clear which is the preferred daughter. We don’t know what her mom said to Jun Cheng, but he has a pretty good handle on mothers. 🤣 He knew to show up with a gift and to make clear his intentions. I am thinking the dance project is going to end up being more a competition but if they work together it might bring understanding to Jun’s parents. Yi Fei sees Qian Fei off at the airport and has a gift for her dad. His phone would have plenty of pics of her, she just never thought to have pics of him. Funny her dad aware of the comedian pic she showed him. 🤣😂 They seem close and chat freely except about her bf status. After Wang and then that debacle of a blind date her dad set up for her, I can’t blame her for wanting this topic off the table for discussion. Liao Shi Yu is pragmatic about Wang and accepts that she will have to work with Qian Fei. What was news is that there was a time when Wang was a hero for her. He may not have even realized it or that was a freak accident and not really his character. If they have written him completely out of the drama now….good riddance.🥳Jin has found a way to get to Yi Fei’s home. She is going to have her congee class online and be a bur for him where Qian Fei is concerned. Qian Fei will have herself equal to blame because she went to great lengths to friend zone him. Next episode looks like Liao and his money hungry partner may make a deal bypassing Yi Fei’s veto. YiFei should have listened to his partner and found out the names of investors. If a contract is signed it will be no bueno for his company.

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