BLISS RATING: ★★★★★
“If words don’t add up, its usually because the truth wasn’t included in the equation.” – KUSHANDWIZDOM
Normally, I find further seasons of a series usually not as very good or as impactful or dynamic as the original. But this Season 2 breaks that trend. This is an astonishing series that is so insightful, soulful, and captures the essence of a gay relationship AND is so incredibly captivating. Not only is it entertaining, but it is also one of the best written stories of what happens when a couple in a long-term relationship begins to see that perhaps the attachment simply should not be. This series is a tale of that agonizing decision, told profoundly, but with pockets of great humor, and dramatic flair.
It has pretty much the same cast of characters with two major changes. Tat is not in the picture and Zik has a new ‘straight’ roommate. As Zik is now pretty much homeless, by accident, he encounters a down-on-his luck straight guy named Tsu Sam [Sammi] (Jam Shing Kwan). Sammi has just realized his girlfriend is having sex with what he thought was a ‘gay’ roommate but was not. His girlfriend confessed her indiscretions and leaves him in part because of his easy-going personality and his boundless trust in people. He now needs a new (real) gay roommate so that this one will not steal any future girlfriends. Zik (Patrick Pan), needs a place and so the two of them become roommates. Serendipitously, the two of them quickly develop what can only be called a bromance with a very deep connection, but still very different from his with Tat. The comedic interactions between the two are hysterical and Sammi’s comedic timing is near perfection. But beneath all the funny bantering and humorous scenarios, there are deep pathos that both characters have. Zik simply cannot get over his mistrust of his boyfriend of 13 years, Stephen (Wei Cheng Fung). Steven does everything he can to show and display his extraordinary love for Zik but the mistrust is just too deep. On the other hand, Sammi’s girlfriend, Kitty (Sam), reenters the picture and she and Sammi easily rekindles their relationship which becomes physical and intense. In fact, so solid that she informs him that she is currently pregnant. What an oxymoron! Zik is unable to forgive while Sammi does the complete opposite.
Sammi is a very complex individual who is naïve, child-like, and has a profound innocence about him. But he is not dumb. He is just so different from Zik, who remains bitter, sarcastic, head-strong and definitive. But underlying both is a profound sadness that for me was so palpable. While this is clearly a ‘comedy’, it is also one of the best portrayals of opposite personalities sharing the same common flaws. Zik and Steven’s relationship has been based on lies from the very beginning. Both knew it but both could not deal with it. Therefore, they agree to take a ‘break’ and in one month, they would finally end their long relationship.
It is when they took this break that Zik meets a very enigmatic character called Chesky (Allan Chan). Chesky is a PTBF (part time boyfriend) and ‘acts’ in a sense like a boyfriend, guiding, if you will Zik into seeing himself differently. That whole encounter was so reflective and a bit surreal but out of it, you know that lives would be changed. For the first time, someone focused on Zik and what he wanted. While it was a ‘business’ arrangements, there was something so sad about its closure, yet it was exactly what Zik needed to fully see what was happening in his life. As Chesky leaves he says to Zik, “What does Zik desire?” It finally forced Zik to deal with his own reality.
Sammi has his own demons to try to conquer as well. He quite literally needs to ‘grow up’ and fast. His own journey to self-realization is much harder, and way more painful to navigate than he imagined. He now is just not responsible for himself but also for his fated family. He now must also take to heart what his sister, Waterwood (Sam Yuen) has been telling him to do for years. Yet he does not want to lose his own dreams and aspirations.
This story is very complex and filled with characters that are so lovable, real, genuine, and arrestingly true. In all these interactions, there is ‘something’ about Zik’s and Sammi’s relationship that is so profoundly beautiful. Yes, it was a bromance but so much more than that. They had a soulful connection almost as if they had been brothers. They needed each other, they found each other, grew with each other, and they both realized what paths they needed to take. It was profoundly moving.
Zik’s and Steven’s final breakup had me completely in tears and in a sense a part of me was ripped out as well. I believed in them, but it was a false belief. Zik, while he loved Steven, was never really in love with him. He says he never got over his love for Radar (Tat) and Steven was ‘a substitute’. Exceedingly somber and painful to hear. Yet, deep down, it was really based on the inescapable inability of Zik to trust Steven again.
Even sadder was the fact that Steven knew he was a substitute. As Steven finally says to Zik, “the relationship is over, but the memories will last forever.” I cried. I cried because I relived the heartache. I knew what it was like to separate from a long-term relationship (mine was 16 years). I felt the emotions and the ‘you know’, sense when it is now finally over. It flooded me and I understood and related. To say that I cried is not quite what I want to say. I lamented and mourned. Yet, celebrated the release from the yoke of unhappiness that shackled me to an unhappy relationship.
Adjunct to this is Steven’s family. Zik had tried so hard for them to like him, particularly Steven’s mother. While there are some very funny interactions with him and Steven’s family, when there is the realization that the relationship is over, the mother comes to a reckoning that she might have played a part in this break-up. At the end, Zik whispers he is sorry, and she looks at him, with tears in her eyes, and says in muted tones she is sorry too and hugs him, no doubt for the last time. It again brought tears to my eyes as it is so genuine and honest. All Zik really wanted was acceptance into this family. Sad that it was not given.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. the series? There are so many candidates for this distinction. Chiu Ying continued her role as Barbra, Tat’s mother, even though Radar was not in the picture. She maintained her relationship with Zik and the others. She again was a pure joy to watch, and her comedic timing was sheer perfection. She had a particularly poignant moment when she had an abrupt and profound breakdown in one of her unconventional junctures at Zik’s and Sammi’s place that left me speechless. She suddenly bursts into tears as she laments about missing her husband who is now in another country. He wants her to join him, but she seems hesitant and is not yet ready to leave. In a rare moment of true inner emotions, she loses it with Zik, who comforts her. She sees so many young couples on their journey to love and realizes hers is not available to her. A worthy moment in this series. There are many reflective moments like this in this astonishing series. Zik’s enigmatic encounter with Chesky, played by Allan Chan is so mesmerizing to watch. Zik meets him during Christmas which makes it special and symbolic. Chesky a pivotal character who has charm, grace, compassion, and an uncanny appreciation and understanding of human relationships. Yet, lacks a soul and sees relationships only in monetary exchanges. But gives Zik the exact thing he needed to make him decide what he wanted to do. Yet, although Allan played this part with a cold exterior, he had an astonishing ability to relate to others with great humanity and to show ever so slightly that he too was affected by Zik intimacy with him. But honestly, the one that I think deserves this distinction and quite literally stole my heart is Jam Shing Kwan as Sammi. He encapsulated the beautiful essence of who Sammi is and will be. His innocence is genuine and not born from naivetes but from a standpoint that life is good and will continue to be so. He is real and absolutely nothing is fake about him. He is that he is. His optimism and trusting is infectious and his outlook on life has not been jaded by all the negativity around him. The chemistry that is shown between him and Zik is phenomenal. There is a closeness, a connection, almost symbiotic with Zik. Yet, nothing is sexual between them. The love that they have between each other goes deeper than any sexual relationship could. He displays this with such beauty and consistency that it is almost magical. I NEVER tired of watching Jam Shing Kwan and the way he grew into his character and made him a figure of great grace and integrity.
This is an astonishing series that is just not getting the attention it deserves. It has one of the best written screenplays I have ever witnessed. It brings down to a real level the difficulties of a long-term relationship, especially a gay one, as well as the complexities of a straight relationship based on forced circumstances. Both must be resolved with each having to take separate uncomfortable paths to get there. A brilliant way to tell a tale. The actors are not your young BL Adonis types but guys who look like and act more like relatable people (but I must admit that I was completely smitten by Jam Shing Kwan’s good looks. He is quite winsome).
I honestly wish I could wave a magic wand and get people to watch this phenomenal series. It will fill you with laughs. Perhaps it will also make you cry on occasion. No doubt, it makes you consider. Can I now see relationships from different perspectives?
To say that I adored this series vastly underestimates its impact on me. Sure, because of its low budget, it does have some production issues. At times, it is hard to hear. The editing of the story is a bit confusing, and the story does not necessarily flow with complete consistency. None of this diminishes its impact, however. At least not on me. This series runs the full gamut of emotions – from humor to sadness, from pathos, to joy, from unhappiness to exhilaration of starting anew. This series (and the first season) are the truest examples of believable life in a make-believe world. That’s what gave its rawness and grittiness its relatability and humanity as well.
I could watch this series over and over again and unquestionably pick up some subtleties that I missed previously. If you want to be entertained, see real people, and reflect on relationships, then watch this one.
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