BLISS RATING: ★+
“The feeling when you are not necessarily sad, but you just feel empty.” – Your Tango
Honestly, you would be better off watching paint dry than subject yourself to this tedious, drab, lackluster, and boring series. So far, this is one of the worst I have seen this year (2023). Everything, and I mean everything about this series is insipid. Let me list why this is the case:
1. Supposedly, this is the story of Keau (Nu New Perdpiriyawong) and Lian’s (Zee Panich) wedding. The entire four episodes are devoted to this event and honestly watching it unfold was even less exciting than watching old news reels. There were manufactured glitches that made no sense. The same issues that were in Cutie Pie 1 are the same issues we also see manufactured here. No communication between them. No real connection. The wedding simply appears as a chore that they must complete because it is expected that they two will marry. They made marriage quite unenticing.
2. If they are in love, there is absolutely no indication of that. Simply saying the word does not give it meaning. Keau is yet again skittish, prudish, if not downright hostile to showing any affection to Lian. On the other hand, Lian is the most unromantic individual I have ever seen – looking more clinically depressed than a man in love. While I fancy I should respect Keau’s ‘waiting’ for the wedding night to consummate their relationship (a quaint notion indeed), I found that completely stand-offish and ridiculously old-fashioned and hinted to Lian I shall control this relationship and you better get used to it. When the ‘big event’ finally arrived, I literally fast-forwarded throughout their ‘romantic interlude’ because it was like watching a love scene done by two strangers for an Introduction to Acting class 101. Boring and lacked any kind of connection.
3. The relationship between their best friends, Diao (Nat Uareksit) and Yi (Max Rujeerattanavorapan) is as toxic as ever. While these two guys are two of the handsomest men in BLs, they project nothing between them. The only emotion I get from Diao is either fear or intimidation of Yi. Yi, is just as controlling as ever but way more subtle and intrinsic. I never once saw in any of these 4 episodes that either one was happy or even enjoyed the company of one another. Both looked depressed and unhappy with life in general.
4. The ‘delicate wallflower’ imagery of Diao and Keau continues to be an annoyance and a distraction. While not as evident in this season, they are both treated as if the slightest wind would knock them down and they would be unable to get up on their own. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is, these two control their own destinies. What I could not figure out is why they continue with the charade. Simply professing love is meaningless. If you loved them, an intense intimacy would be self-evident and not waiting for a ‘moment’, and happiness noticeable. None of that existed in this series.
5. The only semblance of a connection, and one the audience could relate to, was between Syn (Yim Khansawa) and Neur (Tutor Koraphat). Absolutely, these guys are stunningly handsome, and they give off a vibe of awkwardness, clumsiness, but a beginning sense of commitment.
Their relationship is way more deliberate as they are trying to get to know each other, sometimes maladroitly, yet with the greatest sincerity. Their ‘first time’ in bed scene was one of the cutest and most adorable almost love scenes I have seen in a long time. While it was not meant to be, it is still meant to be. I have high hopes for these two and I would love to see a series exclusively centered on their budding relationship.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? Honestly, there are no riveting performances in this series. Most pretty much look like they are bored or in pain and so we all look the same while watching this subpar series. However, for sheer cuteness and a certain emphasis on innocence and charm, Yim as Syn and Tutor as Neur do bring a freshness to their roles and a certain growth from Season 1. There is at least some chemistry between these two and they provide just enough connection that we care. The issues surrounding their continued relationships are serious ones with a certain uncertainty as to its outcome. I liked them and I want to see a Syn/Neur series.
I disliked the first season for a lot of reasons centering around how toxic and abusive the relationships were. I do not think this is much better except that the relationships are not so in your face abusive. But what I got from the two main romances was no real sense of love but a commitment to duty needing to be performed and/or buried intrinsic misgivings. One does not have to be abused outwardly to feel feared. In fact, psychological manipulation can be even more toxic as you have no real ‘reason’ to leave.
I found this series just too toxic to enjoy, too boring, and absolutely pointless. Skip it if you can.
Leave a Reply