BLISS RATING: ★★★★
“Deception is like a veil, subtly hiding the details but not completely covering the truth.” – Idlehearts.com
The idea behind this series is creative, original, and noteworthy. And its execution has elements of brilliance, poignancy, and also agonizing frustration that in a few spots I threw a proverbial rock at the screen. Why? Because it is the same issue over and over in these series, especially Thai BL series. COMMUNICATION!
To be more precise, exchanging information in a clear and precise manner forthrightly. If this had been done near the beginning of this story, we could have had a real classic on our hands. Instead, it became yet again another ‘safe’ Thai BL series with a good premise but less than memorable delivery and a whole lot more angst than is absolutely necessary. I have thought long and hard that perhaps my thoughts are myopic and culture centric. But I do not believe that is the case. I believe it is style of presentation. Honestly, if there was even a modicum of straightforwardness from the beginning, and a story built on from that, then you would have freshness and unconventionality.
Namnuea [Nuea] (Pak Naphat) is a wedding planner and a young man who loves his work and is completely dedicated to his job and to the couples he is planning a wedding for. His sincerity is captivating and real. One day he is asked to create a wedding for a couple where the main decider is not the bride but the groom. Initially, the groom, Lom (Sunny Wannarat) seems to be a bit arrogant and demanding and less than forthright but does have one thing going for him. He is astonishingly handsome with a charming boyish face.
Since Nuea is gay, he is immediately attracted to him but realizes that he cannot lose himself into that fantasy; Lom is a client. The bride to be is Yiwa (Aya Orapan Phongmaykin) who is cavalier about all the details and is strictly ‘hands-off’ in the details of the wedding. Lom will and does make all the decisions about the wedding which must be accomplished in 3 months. To say this is a bit unusual would be a complete understatement.
Even from the beginning, Lom is making a lot of overt and covert overtures towards Nuea that he wants to be near him and likes him. It is difficult for Nuea to say no to any of this for two obvious reasons: he is the client and does need to work closely with him, and he is obviously deeply attracted to Lom. It becomes evident that something is amiss about this relationship as Nuea does see Yiwa with another woman in a restaurant seemingly very close and his ‘gaydar’ goes off. Yet, it is somewhat nebulous what is happening.
Lom continues to make overtures towards Nuea that he likes him until he finally tells him that he really does. Yet Lom still does not explain what is going on and therefore Nuea is feeling like he is falling deeper and deeper into an abyss which might cause Lom to eventually break up their pending nuptials. Initially he is not told that this is merely an ‘arrangement’ which completely baffles the mind and logic.
Yiwa is passionately in love with her girlfriend, Marine (Kate Sasisarun Phiboonrattapong) and Lom in not interested in anyone until he met Nuea and fell in love with him. However, both families, being rich and powerful, would not be accepting of their offspring in same sex relationships and therefore this seemingly is a perfect ruse to get both families to back off from the pressures of ‘marriage’.
This charade goes on for a while until Nuea succumbs to Lom’s temptations in which they end up in a tempestuous and torrid love-making night of adventure. When Nuea realizes what he has done, he is mortified he was tempted beyond his means and goes home to his mother for comfort. There is a beautiful scene here where she is so accepting of his human frailties and says to the things that only a mother can say with complete conviction that we are only human and make mistakes and to not repeat them. None of that would have been necessary if Lom had been upfront with his reason for the marriage, which of course he finally does.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? Since this is labeled as a rom-com, there has to be one who spearheads and creates humorous scenarios for characters. That person is JakJaan Akhamsiri Suwanasuk as Imm. She is the supervisor of Nuea but so much more than that though. She has good natural instincts and becomes a good source not only for understanding but for guidance. This is not an easy role as you more-or-less come across as a buffoon with smarts. She has to straddle the fence of knowing more than she does but not revealing it. She begins to sense the relationship between Nuea and Lom without wanting to be obvious about it. Always supportive yet trying to make sure the business does not suffer adversely from unethical entanglement. I am guessing that this is not a coveted role but if done right becomes a role that moves the story along with speed because one just knows she will somehow be involved in its climax. She does a commendable job here for a ‘throw-away’ role.
Honestly, this is a good, entertaining series. It is not great, although it could have been. I absolutely did not buy the GL relationship between Marine and Yiwa. The actresses seemed very uncomfortable with the roles and went overboard with the sugary sweet dialogue and affections. It was so strained to be that even I felt uncomfortable watching it. The few kissing scenes they had were strained and looked like they both were kissing sizzling hot plates and could not wait until the scene was over. All those GL scenes were so strained, pretentious to me, and too saccharine.
The relationship between Nuea and Lom did have his good moments but most stuck to tried and true formulaic Thai BL storylines. Drinking has to be involved in order for truth to come out. Also, someone becomes so drunk he needs to be carried like a sack of potatoes to a room where he pass out, needs to change his clothes while the other one confesses (more or less) his love for him, suddenly waking up from his drunken stupor and then kissing and then engaging in what we like to imagine is the greatest night of sex, with both of them (or at least one of them) always dressed in pajamas. (Did I miss anything?) All of that becomes so mundane and predictable but part of the Thai formula for BLs.
What drives me to further distraction is the banality of these series and the immaturity of the characters. Dear God, Nuea was so infantile and child-like in behavior and character at times that I wondered how he could have gotten so far with such a complete sense of immaturity about him. And Lom with his continuous inability to not make things clear and precise was such a distraction and so artificial. Had he been open and honest with Nuea in the beginning, we could have changed the dynamics of this series significantly.
Normally, I detest deception but, in this case, I loved it. And understood it but was saddened by the need to carry out such an elaborate plan rather than being honest especially with family. Lom’s ‘acting’ to pull off his sadness in being jilted at the altar was classic and was a nice touch to this series. The altercations between the mothers at the weddings, perhaps I am demented, I loved. Decorum was ditched. Quite literally, he forced his mother to accept Nuea as a part of his life. The thematic approach to Thai BLs is the overriding concerns of marriage equality and this was no exception. It went about that message in a rather twisted way. A bit more interesting than in other Thai BLs.
This is a smartly produced series with exceptionally fine-looking men in it and a bevy of beautiful clothes to make them look even handsomer. Acting is only so-so for me. I never bought the GL couple – at all. A complete work of fiction. Nuea and Lom had some solid moments and some of their bedroom scenes were hot but seemed not consistent with who either character was. The last episode quite honestly is a let-down and a lot of it is pointless.
While entertaining in parts, it missed its mark and was not planned out carefully enough.
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