BLISS RATING: ★★★★★
“Be sure you taste your words before you spit them out.” – Bullyville.com
Marketed as a comedy, if falls flat. And no matter how incessant the laugh track was, it did not make it funnier. For sure, it had its moments of humor, but its overall premise was far from being funny. In terms of comedy, “He,He and He” and “Monster-in-Law” are way funnier BL series. I found it manipulative, sad, cringey at times, and full of covert bullying.
While its bullying, and there was a lot of it, was never meant to be necessarily malicious, it created on several occasions emotional pain and forced people to feel that what they did was devalued and unappreciated. And there was a lot of anger displayed. Putting people down as a form of comedy is old and is one of the most insidious forms of bullying. While placing it as the center in a comedy makes it more malleable, it does not diminish its negativity or emotional impact.
Despite all of that, this is still one of the finest BL series I have watched this year. Perhaps that is a bit of an oxymoron, but this series is massively entertaining and enjoyable, if you do not take it seriously. Its title translates to One Love. And that is its sole direction. Overall, this series is so incredibly riveting to watch.
It is an oddly beautiful production. It felt like a throwback to earlier ‘sitcoms’ with colorful sets and a homey atmosphere. The story also created characters that stood-out for their uniqueness and preciseness in their roles. They played their parts with extreme precision and accuracy, making them no more or an less than what you see.
Ironically, this undoubtedly would have been more enjoyable to watch on a weekly basis than in one setting, as I did. If you see it sporadically, its bullying flaws might not have been so noticeable. When you watch it all-together, you see that whatever comedic quality about it was overshadowed by a lot of down-right inappropriate and misguided and misdirected manipulation, mostly based on misunderstandings, with explosive anger episodes that often ended up emotionally hurting someone else.
The story revolves around an arrogant, short-tempered, know-it-all, hot-headed individual named Diao (Win Jaipan) who says before he thinks. Subsequently, he is unable to maintain employment for very long as he is always right and everyone else is wrong. Decorum, discretion, and deference are simply not part of his vocabulary. By luck and a little bit of attraction, he is hired to work for a food delivery company. He is hired by the project manager Rak (Earth Talasopon). Rak is made up of the material that forms saints. He is in essence the perfect male. Not only is he handsome with a beautiful body, but he also epitomizes all that is good about humanity. He sees people beyond their faults and weaknesses. He is patient, kind, full of integrity, honest, and incredibly loving, always putting the needs of others before his own needs. He is the dream that everyone dreams about for an ideal partner. And this is their story. A story of cognitive dissonance, of balance, and only seeing the light at the end of a very long tunnel.
When Rak moves into Diao’s rental cottage, the bantering and sexual tension between the two are exponentially heightened. While not necessarily apparent, their inevitability is already written the very first moment they met. The story is full of having to prove that and to test the limits and boundaries of that with the usual stumbling blocks. While these stumbling blocks for the most part were fairly evident and obvious, they provided the fodder for making their story entertaining and fun to watch. This by all accounts is a very loving story of a deeper connection than is shown.
What can I say about the relationship between Rak and Dao? It is one of the finest connections and couple chemistries I have ever seen in a BL series. They ‘forced’ themselves to be sarcastic with each other but underneath we all knew it was an act and so did they. It was a test. This is a prime example of not seeing the trees for the forest. It was always there; they just did not see it. They completed each other and complimented each other like no other couple I have seen since Win and Bright. In other words, I completely believed them.
What distracts from this series is Diao’s bullying behavior. While fun to watch occasionally, we know it to be a ruse most of the time. When he did get lost in his own anger, he was mean, cruel, and degrading. Characteristically of a bully, he never really sees it, as most simply gave into his fits. Rak did not and constantly and continuously tries to have him see how hurtful, wrong, and inappropriate his bullying behavior was. He was his moral compass. I only wish that there were greater consequences for his wrongful behavior than was shown. Granted this was a comedy, but his behavior in a lot of cases crossed the line to cruelty and abuse. And ugliness.
There are a cast of supportive characters that makes this series so much more entertaining. Separately all shallow and fluffy, but together they added a synergy to this series that the old-fashioned sitcoms did previously. A brilliant stroke and worth watching just to see their shenanigans. Generally, I detest over-the-top gay characters, but Daisy (Aim Rattanaboonbaramee) was classic. He was so much a caricature but added such spice to this series that I ended up liking him. I just wish the comments were not so biting at times. The exchanges between him and his co-worker, Khanom (Ampere Wutchaipradit) added a greater dimension to the frivolity of this whole series. They are like the Fred and Ether from the ‘I Love Lucy’ series.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? Honestly, this is one of the best acted BL series to come along in a very long time. The main actors are superb, and the supporting performers are pure joy to watch. Sujira Arunpipat as Dao, Diao’ sister, is a classic character actor who is the glue to keeping this series on track and focused on the everyday happenings. But who stole my heart is Win Jaipan as Diao. He is breathtakingly handsome in the old Hollywood frame of reference. He is a very sensual individual who does not understand his own captivation over others. His gaze stole this series like nothing I have ever seen. The way he ‘looked’ at someone (we call it snake eyes) was so engrossing that in his two-dimensional world, I was even affected. He could use his eyes to express his feeling so stunningly that I was hooked. Also, when he had occasion to become human and cried, he did not only show genuine emotion, but his whole body was also enveloped by his emotions. I have not seen anything like that in a long time. When he cried, his whole body cried with him. It was not just his face that showed expressions, but his whole body completely became overwhelmed with emotions. That was so stunning to me that I literally wept with him. I felt his emotions. You saw him vulnerable. His characterization of this complex individual is not easy. He had to be angry and cynical but without going overboard; ugly perhaps but not unlikeable. He showed such a depth to this character in very subtle ways that this is one of the benefits of ‘binge’ watching this series. Had I watched it piecemeal, I might not have seen his personality in true form. And he made it all look so natural. Kudos three times for this remarkable actor.
This series productions standards are impeccable. Not only, as I said, is the stage production a throwback to the old sitcoms, the outfits that they all wore were nothing short of exemplary. They dressed these characters with clothes that were astonishingly well fitting, contemporary but with a classic flair, and presented them that it made this show so much pleasanter to watch. A big shout out to the wardrobe crew who dressed these performers. One of the finest and best dressed BL shows I have ever seen. Those of you who are familiar with The Golden Girls tv show will remember that the outfits the actresses wore enhanced their performances and made them shine even brighter. This was the same effect. Honestly, they made them even more sensuous.
I have praised this series and it is warranted. But it had flaws. The set-up took way too long to produce its intended effect. Normally, I detest a love series that only really kiss in the last episode but in this case, it worked (mostly). While too long to get there, I understood the logic. And when it did happen, it made it feel rather special. There just has to be a Season 2 of this series. I am going to light a candle and place it in my bedroom window, waiting, if necessary for ever, for Season 2.
Word of advice, tone down the awful laugh track. While it seemed like an homage to old sitcoms, it was overused. On the other hand, I must admit by the end, it became like an old friend; it was reliable and always there. Perhaps just not so much of it may help feel like the friend is simply waiting quietly in the background.
One of the best BL series in this year of 2022. And one of my favorites.
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