SOULMATE – 2020 – Thailand

BLISS RATING: ★★★★

“Irony is Fate’s most common figure of speech.” – Trevanian Quote

This very short series absolutely shocked me. It is really a continuation of another short BL series earlier in 2020 with the same actors called ROOMMATE. But that is where the similarity ended. It is such a huge improvement over that one that it is hard to believe it is a continuation of the same story. It took whoever months to translate this into English, acting if they were afraid it was a failure. They underestimated their actors’ abilities to pull this off and they did! Wow!

It is surprisingly good and worth watching at only 2 episodes. It is a continuation of the story between James (Game Chusak) and Sky (Golf Trithep). These are the same individuals who played these roles in ROOMMATE. But in this series, they have been together for a while with James being the most assured in the relationship with Sky still being a bit stand-offish. It is a simple story about them going back to James’ home to spend some time together. While thinking the house will be empty, his mother does come back, hoping just maybe James has brought a girlfriend. She knows Sky as they are still roommates in college, but she suspects that something is not quite right with their friendship. She notices that both have the same bracelets on and she begins to wonder.

This series is full of ironies and really should have been named Ironies. It turns out that Sky lived close to James when they were younger, but they never crossed paths with each other. James’s mother discovers them embracing in his room and finally James sits down and talks with his mother. In one of the most powerful mother-son scenes I have seen, I found their encounter mesmerizing and profoundly moving. They let their emotions handle how they were going to react rather than their intellect, James breaks down completely and tells his mother that he cannot live without her and he does not want her to be disappointed in him. He also confesses that he hated to add the extra burden to his mother in that she was devastated when his father left him for another man. (Another ironic moment).

In a twist that I did not see coming, James’ mother admits that before she married his father, she had been in a relationship with ‘her true love’ but society and her family deemed this relationship unacceptable. She had been in love with a woman (another irony). That woman was Sky’s mother (a real shocking irony). She accepts him and will love him no matter what as she knows what he is going through. She says to him, “I am so glad if ‘someone comes into your life and he is the right person. Do not let him go.’” The hugging and crying in this are surprisingly effective and dramatic and I (spiritually) hugged and kissed them also. I found these scenes to be well acted and very good and it showed good acting chops of these actors that I think the production company was afraid to show. When Sky enters the room, James is still emotional and he says to Sky, “Besides my Mom, I have only you and I love you.” He begs Sky to say it back, but he is reluctantly to do so. Finally, with his walls finally coming down, Sky says it with compete commitment and intensity. 

There are some other very good scenes in this series that pushed the envelope a bit and I thought were quite enjoyable. Sky decides to eat a banana and as he does so, you can see on James’ face he is beyond turned on and in fact ‘shows’ it and asks for help Sky pretends he does not know what he is talking about. When James emerges from the bathroom and calls him cruel in not helping but he cannot understand why he is so horny. His mother had something to do with that! That whole scene is quite funny, and I thought very well done. The ending is also filled with hope and a tribute to their deep connection with each other. They as James said are ‘soulmates’ and it does show. These guys have a real chemistry with each other and in this series definitely worked better together. They brought these characters to real life and were not as wooden as the first series. They relaxed with each other and when they looked at each other, there was a real connection.

Who really S.T.O.L.E. the series? This distinction must go to Game Chusak as James (although honestly the actress who played his mother is very, very good. I could not find who she is to name her, unfortunately). Game showed the most growth in his role and those scenes with is mother were extraordinarily emotional with such a sense of realism about them. It was rather a long scene and required him to maintain that composure throughout with subtle difference when he began to realize his mother was not going to be disappointed in him. He also consistently showed Sky his deep love for him until Sky accepts it. He went from being anxious in their relationship to one of optimism. He showed real character development.

Honestly, I was surprised at how, in a short period of time, this series completely changed my perception of these two actors and of this series. They were good. The production not so much, however. It is obvious a low-budget production but that does not negate what I think turned out good (better than ROOMATE, honestly). I am glad I searched and was tenacious enough to wait for the English translation. I am glad I did. I do not know why it took so long. I am speculation (only conjecture on my part) that they were unsure of the reaction or its merits. I for one found this hidden gem pretty good! Honestly!!