BLISS RATING: ★★
“Love isn’t something you find. Love is something that finds you.” – Loretta Young
This is not a good series. I am sorry to say that as I liked both main actors, but it was filled with so many other bad performers, it almost made it unwatchable. This story is from a trope playbook. They used them all. There are just too many to list, but you will know them when you see them. Underlying all of that was a good story that the two main actors did try to salvage at the end. But honestly neither one of them looked comfortable playing their parts. While this contributed to this weak series, that was not the only problem with this series. A bad screenplay, awful directing, and miscast minor roles added to its doom.
The story is simple enough. Two actors are paired together to do a BL series, but their chemistry is off. First, played by Folk Sangruan, is the stronger performer of the two and loves to barb Play, played by Gameplay Loalerkiat who is intimated by that and is in general unsure of his own strengths. To try and salvage this pairing, the production executives decide to force the two to live together under one roof in the hopes that this would help them to get to know each other better and subsequently understand their characters. While this was a good idea, the premise simply droned on and on without any real growth. It is obvious from the beginning that while they genuinely disliked each other, why was never explored. It is not based upon personalities or any known bad blood between them. It seemed obvious (if you looked) that they both are sexually attracted to each other, but they cannot or will not admit to that. Indeed, that is a subject matter that remains taboo and tacitly intolerable and would undoubtedly lead to career-killing situations.
If the story had acknowledged early one that the sexual tension between the two was a possibility, the plot could have been taken to a whole new level. When the sexual tension finally reaches the point of no return, it was not talked about or even dealt with. They obviously had a strong desire and attraction to each other without fully understanding the depths of their feelings. They could have explored their own paths to first developing a friendship based on honesty and acceptance and then finding their own inner strengths to take it to a next level. This would have made a great story. Rather than having these guys get together to explore who they were as individuals they were thrown together to get them to know their ‘characters’. It should have been the other way around.
What hindered them and this production were the awful secondary characters making decisions for them that only exacerbated the situation. The total buffoon Penelope, (Frong Kaewmongkol), who is very good-looking, was supposed to be monitoring them and helping them but was too busy trying to seduce the acting coach, played by Max Detter (who I must admit is simply drop-dead gorgeous). I simply found these dress-up characters despicable, superfluous, unnecessary, and thrown in simply for shock value or comedy. They are demeaning and degrading to real trans individuals, and this nonsense needs to stop being peddled in a mocking sort of way. Plus, she hit every trope that is imaginable for trying to seduce the acting coach rather than doing her job. If this was real life, she should have been slapped with sexual harassment charges if not downright sexual abuse accusations. That behavior is intolerable and simply unacceptable. (By the way, the director was no better. He made vailed attempts to woo Penelope [with her not liking it one bit] which for someone in his position of undue influence, is also unacceptable and shameful). There is simply nothing funny or comedic about sexual abuse. Period.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. the series? The production company soon realizes that this may not be workable. So, they bring in an A-list star to try and salvage this and perhaps have him substitute for one of them. His name is Pluto (Best Veeravidhayanant). He has met Play before and has been liking him and wanting him since then. But Play only remembers meeting him in a general sense. Ironically Play is comfortable and does a credible job in playing a love part with Pluto because he does not have feelings for him. Pluto then realizes that Play and First are attracted to each other and are right for these parts. However, he is shattered that Play has no romantic interest in him. Best is incredibly sincere in this role and played the wounded and jilted lover with great sensitivity but not enough to go overboard or make it revengeful. He takes the rejection with great integrity and realizes to do otherwise would be a foolish errand. He shows such vulnerability and strength of character in this role that he honestly does steal the few scenes he is in. He had a command of the character he was playing.
The problem I had with this series is the lack of depth of characters. We really did not get to know who they two are; only their missteps and/or childish behaviors. The two main leads, I am sorry to say, have no real screen chemistry with each other and they honestly looked uncomfortable with their intimate scenes together. Theoretically, these characters did not necessarily ‘like’ each other (or did they?), but they certainly LUSTED after each other. The series is peppered with scenes of sexual tension throughout yet when they finally succumb to their amorous nature, it was like watching a very choreographed and neatly arranged love scene. While they kissed well, it all appeared just a bit too rehearsed and contrived. Neither one took his shirt off. So – no passion, no lust, and certainly no libidinousness. They simply looked like they were playing their parts dutifully. I would never guess from that scene (in real life) they even wanted each other.
The ending is the only thing that did save this series from being a complete disaster. When they separated, both realized the extent of their commitment and desire for each other and so the making of the series became secondary if not irrelevant. There is no real resolution to what will happen with them but that is ok. Sometimes we do not know what will happen. The ending gave these two main leads the only real ability to act. But it was too little too late. The story was really about sexual tension; instead, they stuck to the tried-and-true formula of trying to ‘ship’ them.
What is wrong with a BL purely based on lust and friendship? Which this could have been. Regrettably, this one just did not work for me but the foundation was there and it certainly could have worked.
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