2gether (2020)

Homophobic stereotypes but in a BL?

Definitely not a bad series, but fairly mediocre. The two leads kinda seem like best bros instead of a couple, which defeats the whole purpose of the plot.

Normally, I like a good fake dating plot. But the reason behind the fake dating scheme they come up with seems oddly homophobic? The stereotype of "predatory gay guy" coming on to a guy that has already rejected him in hopes of him becoming gay is just gross and unnecessary.

Then, once we start the fake dating plot, they are supposed to develop real feelings for each other (duh, that's the whole point) but it feels like that never really happens and they just keep pretending. Overall, fairly enjoyable but not one of my favorites.

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They won't let me give it. 5 of a star!

I heard so much about this show being amazing and I just don't get it. The two leads have no chemistry and I had a hard time believing the even like each other let alone love each other. It comes off as more of an awkward bromance and even the one kiss which I guess was supposed to convince me they love each other was totally cringe. Bad script, bad chemistry & bad acting. Some of the side characters where some what interesting but I was honestly shocked when I found out there was a season 2. Unless your just looking for back ground noise or a show you don't really have to pay attention to you can just skip it all together. Like honestly would chose to watch grass grow before watching this again or would be a better use of my time.

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Predictable Drama

Personally, this drama was a pretty basic one. When I watched this I didn't have high expectations from it. I think there was a lot of potential for it to become an average classic drama, but it didn't happen. The plot was super predictable, but at the moment I wanted to watch something light. If I were to watch it now I would've dropped it. It had the usual trivial arguments just to keep the story going. The drama would've been better if they made it much shorter, like a quick sweet romance. It's a pretty good drama if you are looking for something cliché. The cast was well chosen I couldn't think of any better than Sarawat and Tine. They portrayed the emotions of the characters well and I enjoyed watching it. I don't think I would really watch it again unless I was bored and missing them. I would recommend it if you want something simple and funny to watch though.

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We are never getting back 2gether

I’ve seen mixed thoughts on this series but due to its high rating and it being considered one of the more popular Thai BLs, I figure why not check it out? Big mistake. It took me roughly three months to complete this series. Episodes 1-6 were tolerable at best but afterwards, I had to finish the series on 2x and even then I was still fast-forwarding through them. This series was passable in 2020 but not so much in 2023.

I share a lot of other reviewers’ sentiments so I won’t go into detail but whether it was the acting or storyline, I cannot feel the romance let alone bromance between the leads, Tine and Sarawat. They’re both attractive but their characters are not. Other than looks, I can’t confidently say they like anything else about each other. Tine and Green had more chemistry than Tine and Sarawat, then again everyone seemed to have chemistry until you throw Sarawat into the mix. For a very popular guy, the show really gave him nothing. No charisma, no personality. Except for throwing cheesy lines around, he doesn’t change at all for someone who’s finally got with the guy he’s been crushing on for a while.

The leads’ brothers are a good twist and addition but rather than having them engage naturally with the leads, they’re mostly used for shock value and then pushed aside to live their very limited lives. Mil and Phukong’s relationship was a waste of screen time as their relationship basically went from 0 for the longest time to suddenly 100 in the finale.

The only cute relationship was between Man and Type. Despite getting little screen time to develop their romance, I thought they really stole the show as the best couple. However, like all the other couples, the biggest issue with this series is the lack of communication and poor character development. Initially, Type was introduced as this calm and composed guy that Man ran into and has a crush on. But once he was revealed to be Tine’s ruthless brother, you really see a cold and mean side to him. So for someone who seems peaceful yet tough, I wished he had stood up for Man or had an explanation why he chose to go with Beam over Man given that Man was clearly teased and insulted at the celebratory party he was invited to as a guest. When Man confronted Type about it, he basically dismissed it and said he never wanted the luxurious life Beam was trying to sell him…okay, then why leave with him? Why save the jerk’s face? Perhaps you wanted to talk to him in the car and scold him for his behavior towards Man? But nope…nothing. Kind of disappointed but they are still the best couple either way.

The music was unmemorable so that’s usually either good enough or not bad enough, even the ones sung by the characters. I’m aware of a season 2 or sequel but I’m saving it for last resort. The bottom line is 2gether started out fun but by the end of it, there’s really no direction for it. It was just checking all the tropes and creating conflict for the heck of wanting to make more money and hitting 13 episodes.

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Don’t Waste Your Time

"2gether" is a series that had its moments of fame during the Covid lockdown, but it's safe to say that Bright and Win, the lead actors, can't act to save their lives. It's no surprise that they haven't made anything that can be named before and since, other that a remake of F4. They aren’t going to ventured outside their comfort zone of straight series. "Still 2gether," in particular, is a piece of crappy work that only diehard BrightWin fans would enjoy. The series only became somewhat successful due to its release during a time when we were all stuck at home, desperate for entertainment. And we were so done with Netflix.

Unfortunately, I speak from experience of wasting my time on this series solely because I had nothing else to watch during the four months of lockdown when this horrid show was released. But don't make the same mistake; I'm here to save you from the annoyance and disappointment of "2gether."

Diehard fans of BrightWin, mostly newcomers to the BL genre, will cling to this sinking ship till the very end. However, "2gether" falls into the stereotypical school BL category, packed with nauseating tropes that cater to those who crave magical fluff filled with rainbows and unicorns in the worst way possible. It's easy to understand why "2gether" gained popularity; it hit the market when everyone was stuck at home and in need of escapism. The fluffy and magical atmosphere, along with two attractive guys, was enough to captivate viewers.

The acting in the series is far from commendable, which is no surprise given the talentless lead actor and a newbie who couldn't even deliver a decent kiss. Who taught these actors how to kiss their costars as if they were in a dare to kiss a dead cold fish. I’m sure they don’t kiss their female costars like this. It was as if the actors were forced to go through the motions without any genuine emotion. I mean how can 180 Degrees Passes Through Us had more sensuality without a single kiss than this which had multiple kisses.

The infamous high five scene garnered a lot of attention and criticism, but the truth is, it's a minor annoyance compared to the torturous kisses that felt lifeless and awkward. The potential of the story was there, but lacked coherence due to the poor execution. This series failed miserably when you compared to other older and newer GMMTV BLs.

If you're a devoted BrightWin fan, that's perfectly fine, but it's time to face reality. The chances of them making another series are slim to none. These two are simply milking their BL fandom, and it's unlikely they'll venture into another BL project. So don't hold your breath for another magical romance like "2gether” from them.

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How to ruin a good drama 101

Sorry I'll be repeating what other reviews said but I have to vent...
Frustrating... This drama should be an example of how you can waste a good potential. The first episodes were so good I kept watching with a smile and hearts in my eyes for both of the actors. Idk which episode it took the first wrong turn but I found myself annoyed and frustrated. The drama that I couldn't stop watching became the drama that I had to force myself to finish just because I didn't want it to bug me at the back of my head.

The personalities of both of them have changed and for the worse too! Sarawat was so attractive with his style and behaviour and ruining even a character like Sarawat is not an easy job, congrats! (this is sarcasm if you don't realise.. ) I couldn't take my eyes off of him at first but you guys... Same goes for Tine. They made him so dirty, he became a paranoid weirdo. The chemistry we saw between them when they were faking was completely gone after they actually started dating. They even stopped communicating. Tf

Also there was more than necessary toxic characters. And the writing got so bad it's funny. Like they kept trying the same jealousy plot over and over again and none of them were resolved well. The side stories were forced and not placed well at all.

It's either the film crew changed halfway or they forgot how to function all together. This can't be explained in any other way. Maybe I'll check the sequels someday to see if somehow it got better but right now I don't feel any hope left in me. Rip 2gether. My expectations and I are leaving sadly. Have a good day everyone.

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Mixed Feelings

The show started off very good and I would generally say I enjoyed the series but there are many complaints I have. The writing in the beginning was very good but as it went on I wanted way more than it gave me. I think this series would have benefited from maybe having 8 episodes instead of the 13 it has. I felt a lack of chemistry between the main leads (nothing against them, I like both Bright and Win) and the kisses definitely didn't help. The story was best when they were in the fake dating stage and was very underwhelming and boring once they actually got together. They felt more romantic during the fake dating stage but when they became official they started acting more like friends than boyfriends. You can definitely tell this is an older series by the whole character of Green. Also adding a woman just to add drama...terrible.

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You might discard first 9 episodes. Then, listen to nice music:)

Besides Win & Bright, there are Frank & Drake, too. I remember these two VERY well. Drake's hair now got longer (too long) and he looks slimey. He was actually more hot in 'My Tee' where he was only 18 lol. I seriously think thai tv (and not only thai) should improve on male hair. Nobody seems to have a proper haircut. Why not cut the short male hair actually short, so it doesn't need to be combed into slimy 'do, using I don't know how much of hair-product? That's so eighties. Can we finally move from that, even in Thailand? I'm afraid I can't take not only a gay guy, but even "manly guy" seriously, if I can clearly see exactly which direction he combed his hair so vigorously lol. Drake needs the scissors desperately: he has such wild eye-brows he doesn't need to have also a ponytail sticking out of his head lol. Frank also looked better in his debut drama. It's not such a big difference like with Drake, but even his hair looks worse plus he's got sideburns now, so it's not what it was. I watched 'My Tee' ('Cause You're My Boy') and found out these two had astonishing chemistry together. The series itself was complete failure, it looked it was all done by amateur volunteers, but boy do I remember the cast. They are not the main ones here, though...

No, we watch Win Metawin's character's story, here. This boy, ordinary but with full lips totally like a girl so I suppose he's the gay holy grail, is shown as someone who has plentiful options & offers on the dating field. However, most of his female dates proved annoying and after all that he gets pursued by a "toot", meaning openly gay guy. The gay is very persistent & takes no for an answer. First, Win Metawin's character asks his friends to help him to get rid of him. They suggest one idea more stupid than another, just anything but telling the guy openly the truth. Of course Win's main guy gets more and more entangled as a result, instead of losing his interest. Then him and all his friends figure that the only logical solution is for Win's character to find a fake date who would finally firmly tell the gay to leave him alone.

Bright's character then gets introduced. I don't find Bright that much more attractive than Win (gee, is this going to be "new Domyouji"?) but at least, his character here is tiny bit more likeable for not having any social media account, lol. Despite that, he's got even more fangirls than the main boy (though he doesn't look that special), so he's supposed to be the one who is credible enough to stop his persistent gay suitor. If you got lost in the logic, then I wasn't alone.

Since episode 3, the unexplicably super-popular boy agrees (also unexplicably) to date/fake date (who cares) the main boy. Seemingly without reason. The only explanation could be this boy IS gay, too. Only doesn't show it so openly as the other suitor he's supposed to block. Also, he must like main boy already. Else it all makes ZERO sense. The synopsis describes this story like it's about them both realize their feelings slowly, but it could not work that way. Had he already not have some, then at such early stage Bright's character would not do all this.

To be fair, it's not that straight dramas are different, as their romance leads also tend to invest plenty of their time and effort into each other from the start, even though they claim that they don't like each other. But, with them we know that even 180-degree turn would not mean changing/questioning/revealing their sexual orientation.

I found it best watching this "drama" as it goes, just "enjoying" each single scene within itself. And pay no mind to however it does/not fit into the whole picture. The best example is the music club (they spell it "musical club", but they don't really do musicals, so I think they just don't know proper english) the main boy enters. On the scale of only 3 episodes, the club is desperate to find new members, evaluating and expelling members, recruiting new members (again)... I simply ceased to pay attention.

Nevertheless, both the boys like music, which means we get to listen to them play guitar and sing (it sounds like a toddler whining). After just 5 episodes, the two sleep at each other's lap, and Bright's character, who is literally besieged by girls wherever he goes, says to main boy that he never had a girlfriend, and when main boy asks him what is his type, he stares at him intently and says he actually likes... There he gets interrupted, but like I said, it all looks like the falling in love began since day 1 and not like "slow realization". I think during episode 5 Bright's character does little things that show he's already in love. Either way, at the end of that episode he even kisses main boy.

Now, as for Frank & Drake's characters, they began interacting in episode 6. It's nothing very exciting at first, I found even Mike Chinnarat's side-line more fun...

Episode 9, the two main boys are already close. They get into situations which could be viewed as romantic, but now they no longer kiss, they tease each other in friendly manner, instead. So, did the show really hit the brake and now tries to turn this into bromance? I don't have any problem if the two boys just like to be friends. But, just what was all the stuff before about? Lol. Then, in the end of this episode, he also asks him to be his boyfriend. There you go. Try and make sense of it!

Episode 10 out of 13 opens with the main boy sitting with his friends with them asking: "So, was he asking you to be his boyfriend for real, or it was just a part of the show?" So ironic that this dialogue actually tackled this show's, this series' main problem. To be this far in the story and to still not be able to tell what the heck the main relationships are, then I'd say the show has a problem, lol.

Not that this was UTTERLY without humour. The only running gag I was able to perceive was one of the boys being obsessed with touching the other boy's "boobs". Considering he did not have any, it was probably meta-humour. Silly me. Aww... Alright, the two boys MOVE IN together and THEN they become really cute! I admit their moving-in, living-together montage WAS funny and finally what I should expect. So, okay, they are boyfriends. I would not be sure from the previous 9 episodes hapennings but now I know, and I like:) Perhaps the series should start at THIS point and not earlier.

Wow, did the writer AND director change again when things are suddenly SO much better after the two mains moved in together? Amazing. Now even I want to ship Tai & Sarawat, lol. Then, Tai's stuck-up brother also moves in with them for a while, to terrorize the couple:) And Mike Chinnarat's side-line blooms now:) Hilarious. Frank & Drake have a first good scene! We got the flutter and laughter... Overall, we got to the stage where "the party got started", like they say. But, we have only 3 episodes left.

Well, better than nothing... Episode 11 starts rather boring. But then, there are many flashbacks, showing us the first lame 9 episodes in new light. Again, it's about one of the boys liking the other from the start. Just like I wondered in episode 3. Then episode 12 the fun stops and instead of the two guys ENJOYING living together we give importance to some side-girl and having one of the boys secretly jealous. I say when there are only 2 last epis left we should be over these games... But like I mentioned, this show's script was always rather empty... So, we have the girl hugging one of the guys and the other crying jealous just before the final. It was more intriguing to watch Mike Chinnarat's line even, which also only barely started, basically after being obsessed with a boy he randomly met and searched for the whole time, he discovered the boy is stuck-up and serious kind of a person way too different from him, and all his friends look down on him.

Overall, what is most fascinating about this show is the music. Like the band that's there with so many songs you really wonder why for this kind of "series" they did bother. And it's not just the songs, also the electric guitar background music, I absolutely loved it. Else, it's been rather primitive in terms of storytelling... if there WAS a story, really. I didn't catch anything between Frank & Drake's characters that could be called that:) In the end, we just watch another concert of the band and that's it lol. But, perhaps it was wrong of me to concentrate on the story here. Actually when we no longer care about how the three couples got "2gether" and just enjoy that they are cute and listen to the nice music at leisure, it's the best watch since beginning:)

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This is my favorite drama and the chemistry between the lead couple is amazing. The couple has an amazing bond in drama and real life. This chemistry has made them the most popular actors in Thailand.. I love their bond in real life. I also wish they would be a couple in real life.❤️After I watched this drama, I started following the bright & win on Instagram. From then on I could see their real life relationship . They always say that they are more comfortable when they are together.. This series was aired 3 years ago but this couple's relationship is the same as before.

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2gether is best when it's the soft self-parody that it wants to be

Make no mistake about it, this is a very simple show. Boy A (Tine) asks the popular Boy B (Sarawat) to pretend to be his boyfriend to throw off the advances of Boy C (Green) and hijinks ensue. That is 2gether in what is a little more than just a nutshell, but boy does it make for a fun time. There is a woke part of me that found fault with the way that Green pursued Tine even after he's continuously rejected (that predatory gay trope isn't helpful but if we were to judge BL on its wokeness, well...) but beyond that, I found myself having a great time with 2gether.

2gether doesn't waste much time exploring any type of angst or drama, which is surprising considering that Tine is very much a stereotypically straight college guy with stereotypically straight college guy friends. Tine and his friends talk about girls, they go out and get drunk, and they're idiots through and through. It's lighthearted, it's fun, it's silly. When Tine's fake relationship inevitably leads to real gayness, for lack of a better word, Tine and his friends mostly just roll with it. In fact, more hijinks ensue. 2gether doesn't care about conflict past a surface layer, for better or worse. At one point, the series even lampshades the fact that what seemed like something that would play across multiple episodes only ends up lasting for one day.

Sarawat's friends are no different from Tine's, being a pack of dweebs themselves. Sarawat though, is a bit more aloof and laissez-faire despite his popular boy on campus status being played to the extreme. Sarawat is known to everyone, he has Facebook groups devoted to him, his seniors and contemporaries alike fawn and scream through windows for him and he's showered with more gifts than he can carry. It's all very over the top while Sarawat himself couldn't be bothered by any of it. Sarawat only cares about his small group of friends, his guitar and Tine.

But who are these friends that I'm talking about? Honestly, I couldn't remember their names up until I looked them up for this review. Seriously, the show barely acknowledges them. It's a shame too, since I know and love Gun (who plays Boss here) from SOTUS and SOTUS S. Here he plays a similar role, brightening up the screen whenever he's on, but that's it. He rarely gets lines. Man and Fong are the only two of the main couple's friends that get a fair amount of lines. Man himself is actually part of a romance subplot, but 2gether doesn't really care too much about that. There's another romance plot too. The other romance involves Sarawat's own brother being smitten with one of Sarawat's rivals (Mil), and said rival is himself smitten with Tine. But again, 2gether doesn't really care about this, and the show plays up the rivalry between Mil and Sarawat without laying out much of a foundation for it. As a result, the love triangle feels lukewarm throughout the entire show.

The series straight up not caring about some aspects of itself almost makes it feel like it wants to be a self-parody or straight-up comedy at times. If you see or notice something odd like a character suddenly showing up out of nowhere, the show is going to mention it. 2gether is a very funny show when it goes all in on the self-parody aspects, but it's not very good when it does anything else. It's odd too, because Tine and Sarawat are quite cute and all their lovey-doveyness and almost maybes feel very sincere at the height of their fake dating. It's when the fake dating is over that their chemistry somehow takes a dive.

Like SOTUS if you're familiar with it, 2gether is quite a chaste show. There's shirtless scenes here and there of the very fit actors but when it comes to kisses, you can count those off on one hand. I'm new to Thai BL, so maybe this is just to be expected for the genre. Anyway, had 2gether cut some of the fluff around Sarawat and Tine and limit the focus to the clearly preferred friends *and* dropped the less interesting romance involving Man and Type to focus on the potential that could have been the love triangle (love square?), the show would have been better for it. I know that the series is based on a novel though, so perhaps being so bold with its changes would have turned people off.

Though the show is about two guys fake dating, it also has a music theme to it. I was worried that it would disappoint in the audio department, but it actually exceeds expectations here. 2gether has a lovely soundtrack. The background pieces are all catchy and evoke the right moods. Wacky, gentle, tender. It's all there. The ending theme is fantastic, and there's vocal pieces performed by the Thai band Scrubb (that I'm now a fan of) that are all a joy to listen to.

Something that I noticed about the direction (or editing?) is that the show has a problem with scene transitions. At first I thought that maybe the show was just trying to be fast-paced, but the sudden cuts are disorienting. There are sometimes very sudden scene transitions. A change in location, a change in time, a change in characters. It just happens and you have to reorient yourself a bit to know what's going on. It's something that you'll get accustomed to, but it makes some scenes jarring for a couple of seconds before you reorient yourself. The acting is nothing to write home about, everyone portrays their character well enough. With the show glossing over so many of its details, no one really gets an effort to display much range but they're believable and clearly have fun with their characters.

Even though 2gether has some faults, I still recommend it if you want a light comedy that happens to have like a tablespoon of BL added to it. The main couple is cute. The music is nice. The show is fun when that's all it's focusing on. Don't expect more from it and you'll have a good time.

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