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Not Me thai drama review
Completed
Not Me
2 people found this review helpful
by Stefania
Sep 13, 2022
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 10.0
Rewatch Value 7.5
This review may contain spoilers

Thai BL Series Are Stepping Up Their Game

This series is a giant leap forward from the plotless, misogynistic BL series that are a dime a dozen in the Thai BL industry. This is why, as a BL fan, I believe that it deserves a 10/10 rating for its unique storyline that stands out from almost any other BL.
The story distinguished itself with its social commentary and positive representation of women. The girls, Namo and Eugene, were independent, emotionally mature individuals and worthy representatives of the protest movement. Kudos to the scriptwriters for that.
Furthermore, Gun and First's acting was brilliant. Off also demonstrated a lot of improvement. The rest of the cast kept up. Sing deserves special praise for delivering a memorable performance despite his limited screentime. I want to see him in a main role in the future.

As an objective viewer, though, I have to acknowledge that Not Me could have been better both in terms of plot and characters.
1. Plot holes, plot holes, and more plot holes.
The plot broke this series as much as it made it because, despite being unique, interesting, and well-paced, it was riddled with plot holes both big and small.
Let's start with the less significant ones.
- White and Black live in the age of social media, but they somehow did not manage to get in touch with each other for years despite obviously being eager to reunite. How come? This should have been explained. If you want the viewers to take your script seriously, you should not rely on Wattpad logic.
- In the initial episodes, White's father plays an important role, but after White and he have an argument and White leaves home, he is not heard of again. His son disappeares with a trace, and he does not even call to ask where he is? They did not have a bad enough argument for this to be believable.
- When White tells Sean that Black and he share a special twin connection that makes one of them feel the pain that the other is experiencing, Sean just accepts it. His reaction makes no sense. The setting of the series is modern Thailand, and there are not any supernatural elements. It is not like Sean hears things that venture into the realm of the supernatural every day. He should have at least been surprised.
- What happened to White and Black's mom? White met with her, and then what? Nothing? It is also not revealed why Black and she fell out. Yes, it is probably because he joined the resistance, but this raises another question: what inspired Black, who could have led a life of privilege, to switch sides?
- We learn that there was no love lost between Sean and Black, but the reason remains unrevealed. Yes, Black abandoned Sean during a mission gone wrong. However, this does not seem to have been the root of their dislike for each other, which goes further back in time.
- Who is Gumpa? He owns a garage that serves as the gang's hideout and is in charge of the protesters' physical training. He knows how to shoot a gun and owns a pair of handcuffs. The most logical conclusion is that he is a former policeman. But who knows? Not me. Even one minute of this series is not dedicated to explaining this character’s backstory, although he is an important member of the gang, whom everyone treats with respect and thanks to whom White managed to fit in with the others.
Now let's move to the plot holes that are bigger than black holes.
- The extremely predictable twist revealed that Todd is the one who harmed Black. It became known that once upon a time the two of them were close, and that even now, when they stand on different sides of the social struggle, they cannot kill each other. This is all the information that the viewer gets. Why did Todd hurt Black so severely? What was their relationship prior to the split? Were they friends or lovers? Todd must have meant a lot to Black if Black cannot kill him even after Todd sent him to the hospital in a coma and deceived his twin brother. But who knows? Not me, which is pretty disappointing, considering that who hurt Black and why is the main mystery of the series.
- The gang spent the bulk of the episodes devising and executing missions to subvert Tawi's corrupt empire only for the series to get an open ending regarding this matter. We neither saw Tawi get overthrown nor stay in power. Unless the production team is aiming for a second season, this is a really underwhelming way to end the series.
2. Unnecessary relationships, onesided relationships, and confusing relationships.
- I believe that the GramEugene sub-plot was unnecessary. Not only did they have no chemistry, but also this turn of events did not do Eugene justice. She was an interesting character in her own right. I liked her quiet strength and her commitment to fighting social injustice through dance. The melodramatic love triangle only overshadowed her story.
- GramBlack was a hot mess. The initial episodes made it obvious that Gram cared for Black, and several of his interactions with White at the time hinted at a possible romantic attraction. Then, their relationship took an abrupt turn. I am not criticizing the production team's decision to make a change. However, they should have edited the script instead of patching things up along the way.
On a side note, I am actually glad that the GramBlack couple was dropped because I liked the enemies with benefits thing that Todd and Black have going on. I hope that it will be expanded on in a second season.
- Yok carried DanYok on his back from start to finish. I lost interest in this couple pretty quickly because they had almost no chemistry – I say almost because First managed to bring some passion to the romantic scenes – and I felt like Yok is the only one in love. Fluke did a great job in every scene but the romantic ones, though, so the problem is not his acting. The problem is the way in which the romantic scenes are written. Now that I am watching First's sizzling hot chemistry with Khaotung in The Eclipse, I realize that the script of Not Me did not do Fluke and him justice.

Nevertheless, I would like to recommend Not Me to every BL series fan out there. The criticism aside, it is a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you root for White, Sean, their love story, and the gang's mission.
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