BLISS RATING: ★★★★+
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” – Maya Angelou
This is a very difficult series to review because parts of it are profoundly moving and have some of the most compelling scenes in BL history. Yet, much of it is still so mundane. It just gets to the mountain top but never quite reaches its pinnacle. I am not saying this series is not good for it is and for me it has caused a great deal of consternation as to how to critique it. This is by far one of the best acted BL series I have seen in a long time from the supporting roles, literally ‘stealing’ this series. Without them, this series would have fallen completely flat (more about that later).
Gene (Up Poompat) is a novelist who was forced by his publisher to write a BL novel because of the genre’s popularity. The novel is so successful that it is turned into a BL series. He becomes a reluctant participant in all of this and yet again is forced to write more BL novels because they are so successful and so few are being written by males. He is a rather persnickety individual who likes to grouse and seems generally unhappy and dis-engaged in the trappings of the BL world. However, he is coerced into become a part of the production since he is the author.
As the tryouts begin for the parts, he is gob smacked by a potential main star by the name of Nubsib (Kao Noppakao), nicknamed Sib. Sib is an intense individual who is nearly the complete opposite of Gene in temperament and personality. There is an instant attraction to each other with Gene not fully understanding the reason why until later in their relationship. How they ‘initially’ connect is one of the most charming and creative first meets I have ever seen. If that had happened to me, I am positive I would have been enamored beyond words too,
The first half of this series is, frankly, ordinary, and mundane and a bit boring as they develop their relationship and commitment to one another. This essentially sucks the air out of this series and was almost profoundly predictable. Gene gets testy as usual while Sib is pleasant and completely and utterly devoted to Gene.
We are never really sure why until the metamorphosis of the second half of this series emerges. It goes from semi soap-operatic to solid storytelling and worthy of praise. I do not want to give too much away about this series as it is somewhat unique in its approach and story lines. Let me just point out some areas of brilliance in the hopes it makes sense to you if you have not seen the series yet or possibly more sense to those that have:
1. Gene gets drunk because his friends are pressuring him to admit that he is gay, but Gene is not ready for that yet. This was handled very nicely in this series and was one of the few times in a BL series where a main character struggled with ‘coming out’. This is an intensely personal thing that no one should be pressured by anyone to admit to until that person is ready. But this process of ‘coming out’ did allow Gene to convey to Sib his true feelings.
2. This series handled ‘telling the families’ that they are a couple with some realism and understanding. It was not complete acceptance, and it took time and some pain for all to realize the depth of their feelings for each other and to accept that. It also displayed the understanding of younger members of the families being more accepting than the parents were.
3. It showed with great anguish what life is like when a person who is in love with another man is forced to put that aside and maintain an arranged marriage. It shows that love can be and does come in many forms but no matter what the form, the road to it can be tricky to maneuver and maintain. This was brilliantly done.
4. One character here, Aey (Bruce Sirikorn), is obviously not stable and showed masterfully what can happen when a manipulative individual can change perceptions and even realities to bend to their will. As he spirals from any type of connection with reality, he gets deeper and deeper into his own perceived world filled with loneliness and depression. It makes no judgement of this character and leaves us hanging but it is still so much a part of the reality of this world. This was painful to watch and at least for me feeling such profound sadness for this individual and a sense that no one was willing to help him or seek help for him.
5. There is a realistic portrayal of what the film industry is really like. (While I do not know the BL film industry, I have been around the Hollywood scene enough to know that this portrayal is very real). The publishing and entertainment worlds wants to protect its image and its message and will do what it can to control the personal doings of its assets. That undoubtedly is real.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. the series? This was both easy and very difficult. I could not name one or even two but almost all the supporting roles were profoundly important and did such a great job that I must name almost them all. They are exceptional and really and truly deserve this distinction. Let me list them in no particular order:
1. Sirikorn Kananurak (Bruce) as Aey. This is an unenviable role for any actor. He must be the villain with an incredible evil twist to it. He portrayed this character with both good and evil intent, and you could see him spiral downward into his mental illness. A great role for him done expertly. Should we pity him? Vilify him? Or sympathize about his plight?
2. Prarunyu Sooksamram (Ken) as Tum. He was the manager of Sib and friend to Gene. His performance is phenomenal and had to switch personalities for both. More importantly, he developed a special bond and relationship with Aey’s manager and in many ways, they were more interesting than Gene and Sib because they did talk, and we got to know them better. I thoroughly enjoyed their ‘straight’ relationship development and the intriguing twists and turns it took to get there. They made it real and a thing of beauty to watch.
3. Natharuetai Akkharakitwattanakul (Zorzo) as Tiffy, the manager of Aey. She along with Tum are trying to manage the unmanageable and to keep them in line. A not so enviable role indeed. She develops a relationship with Tum that is both charming and real and a total joy to watch. They have incredible screen chemistry together and I bought their relationship and frankly wanted it to succeed. In the end, both showed incredible integrity in their dealings with their clients which indeed is a noble trait to show. Just superb.
4. Wasin Panunaporn (Kenji) as Hin. This should have been a throw-away role and a side-kick role. He was the assistant to Gene and initially comes across as nothing more than an assistant. But he is astute, adept, and has tremendous aspirations to become a writer himself. He in very clever ways uses what he knows to get somewhere, but sometimes not always in a straight line. His performance quite literally made me cry. When he reached rock bottom (and you will know when that happens), his mother calls and she knows something is wrong. She provides the motherly comfort and wisdom that goes with being a mother. At the end, he breaks down and says to her that all he wants is a hug from her. She consoles him by saying she loves him. I burst into tears. He conveyed with such tenderness and skill that special bond that a child has with his mother and how important that ‘hug’ is. It was a remarkable scene and Kenji conveyed such genuine emotions that I was a basket case. I do hope he gets greater roles soon as he was an incredibly powerful force in this series.
5. The two young boys who played Gene and Sib when they were younger. Without giving too much away, these boys literally ‘stole’ this series. Without us seeing their younger selves, we would not have been able to relate to Gene and Sib as well as we did. I cannot tell you the impact that they two kids had on this series. You could see the development of their adult traits in them as children. They immersed themselves in being Gene and Sib and it was a work of art to watch. I unfortunately do not know their names, but they indeed deserve a big shout out. Well done, boys! I hope you both pursue acting!
6. Nu Surasak Chaiat as Teep. Gene’s father. His painful expression of learning that his son was gay and in a relationship was what these stories should be about. Initially thought of as closed-minded, we find out why it was so painful for him to accept. His deep understanding of what Gene was going through was conveyed with such conviction and emotional intensity that I felt his emotions as well. A father among fathers. Incredibly powerful performance.
7. Ornanong Panyawong (Orn) as Run, Gene’s mother. She is such a complementary person and a true mother who is trying to keep the peace and understanding between father and son without taking sides. She expresses the depth of a mother’s emotions in a situation like this without becoming unglued. She is the strength of the family who is trying to keep the family together and accepting. A pivotal role played outstandingly. A mother to be emulated.
8. Sukol Siritaranon (Jome) as Wat, Sib’s father. He is the alpha man but with a side of deeper appreciation of what is going on with his son. He is level-headed but is looking at this as a ‘bottom-line’ issue. Will it affect his business? While this may be cold, he is not cold-hearted and learns to accept the inevitability of his son’s inclinations.
9. Prissana Klampinij (Poo), as Sib’s mother, Om. Here again, she portrays the torture of trying to be a wife and mother to conflicting persons. She internalized all of it but learned to accept it and have her husband understand the direction and decision that just has to be. She is in the background but is a force to be reckoned with. Her quiet yet forceful presence shifts to reality rather than emotions.
10. Ratchapong Anomakiti as Jap, Gene’s brother and Sutthirak Tangsutthichai (Top) as Sib’s brother Nueng. While their roles are really minor, they added so much to the flow of the story and in essence the solidifying of Gene’s and Sib’s relationship. They are the family support that was needed. They are the pillars of support that is needed by both Sib and Gene to help them both navigate their family conflicts. They lent support to this relationship and therefore made it ‘ok’. Again, as with the others on this list, they lent a commitment to their roles as ‘brothers’ and helped make the connection with the family a solid one. They felt like and acted like what brothers should do and ought to do and they did it knowing that perhaps the parents would not be pleased with that direction.
I know this list is unorthodox and perhaps overdone, but I could not see any other way to show that without these characters, this series would have been dull, lifeless, and just another run-of-the-mill Thai BL series. All of these people made Sid and Gene; not the other way around. They gave legitimacy to their relationship and all of them superbly showed great acting talents and depth to each of their characters. Frankly, I have not seen this type of depth of acting by all the actors/actresses in a very long time and for that reason, this series needs to be seen and appreciated.
Not that this series does not have its flaws; it does. The constant feigning standoffish behavior by Gene gets really old and tiring. While he does grow in the second half of this series and he is finally able to admit that he loves Sib, it is a treasure to watch that growth. The lack of being forthright by Sib also got old and a lot of issues would have been resolved if he had been open and honest from the beginning. There is also such a major flaw in logic here that while I do not want to mention it as it could spoil the plot line for those who have not watched the series, but how did Gene NOT know who Sib was? You will know what I am referencing if you think about this for a while. It just did not make any sense how/why he did not know.
Finally, I am most reluctant to mention this, and I am sure others may vehemently disagree with me. I just did not see the passion with Up as Gene as I saw with Kao as Sib. The gap was just too great for me to fully believe that they were a couple truly in love. It is not bad acting; it just seemed a bit forced and contrived to me on the part of Up. His body language seemed tense to me while Kao was way more relaxed and frankly believable. When he finally said to Sib that he loved him, it felt like he was reading a term paper in front of a class – lifeless, and rote.
Perhaps I am being too critical or have misread this but for me it just has to seem real, genuine, and honest and most of all believable. If I cannot feel, it just makes it seem just a bit too empty. It just did not cultivate anything organic. Kao is also not without his faults also. While he seemed more natural, he is always so monochromatic in his dealings with Gene that it got to be boring and consequently unconvincing. (Honestly, who breaks up with someone and then not even take an iota of interest in how your partner is doing)? But it does not take away from being a good series based upon the acting especially all the other astonishing performances. Watch it for that and for the compelling story.
I must admit that the ending of this series was, well, quite weird. It should not have worked but it honestly does. I adored its refences to Western fairy tales and Shakespeare and found it to be hysterical and quite unique. Honestly, the pieces should not have fit together but they did. It brought it back to imagination and trying to find a perfect ending and/or a happy ending and played with the audience. Very little of that is real life but we still need to dream and hope that our lives will be a fantasy or at the very least have a fairy-tale ending. There is not anything wrong with that. But the breaking down of the 4th wall otherwise with the writer seemed out of place and strange and unnecessary and too much.
That actually detracted from the series as it began to get overdone. Yet, it lingers with me. Its influence is greater than I had imagined and perhaps it is really better than what I am giving it credit for. Maybe, just maybe, I am wrong.
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