Enemies with Benefits

Sexxy Rom-com With So Much Sense

ENEMIES WITH BENEFITS' episode 1 already has underwear-shedding scenes! Could it get any more promising than THAT?! So! What do future episodes have in store?!!? WE ARE ALL EGGGGGZOITTTTED 😬🥹😜😁🥳 My Jingjing heart is happy, but Jan is a darn good actress too. They're like two warring peas inside a very sexy pod!

ENEMIES WITH BENEFITS ep 5 has all "the feels" - up, down, left, right.... Just like a real relationship! Haha haha

"Friends with benefits", "situationship", "no label"... Everybody thinks that THAT's more convenient? Na-ah!! Eventually, you overthink, you overfeel, you go on overdrive and the FWB status implodes on itself because real feelings start kicking in.

EWB episode 5 shows that people are selfish, all right, that's a fact. But human nature is all about nurturing and concern and paying attention and caring for one another....

Wine and Lal as team leaders is a clear reflection of what they are as persons: They aren't self-centered beeyatcherz like New, or insensitive pricks like Proud; they're good people who are sometimes caught in bad circumstances. Like all of us are in the real world, y'know....

So! Lal and Wine are gonna be in for the worst (and hopefully, for the best too), but it looks like they'll be fine.

As for the Ciize-Kapook plot twist, it sure seems like THAT will be bad girl vs good girl mayhem, chaotic AF! Haha haha

Ep 7 of #EnemiesWithBenefits just hugged my heart and then politely wrecked it.

This show isn't just a romance—it's a therapy session dressed up in top-level face cards, and episode 7 proved it.

Can we talk about Lal? Because I'm officially in love. 💚

Lal is the walking, breathing definition of a green flag Prince Charming for our angstsy Princess Wine. Where Wine carries a whole storage unit of emotional excess baggage (the heavy kind with broken zippers), Lal shows up like a knight with a gentle smile, ready to haul that baggage one piece at a time—come hell or high water.

Episode 7 gave us:
· Wine spiraling into a dark place because someone (or something) triggered that deep, raw anguish she buries inside.

· And then Lal arriving—not with grand speeches, but with soft eyes, steady presence, and the kind of rescue that feels like a warm blanket rather than a flashy sword.

What I love is how intelligent this series is. It doesn't just say "love heals everything" in a shallow way. It dives deep into how emotional scars can make someone flinch at kindness, push people away, or completely shut down.

Some people accidentally poke those wounds and cause mental chaos, and this episode showed that ache so honestly.

But then there's ...drum roll... Lal! A living reminder that the right person doesn't run from your baggage—they sit next to it and ask, "Which one do you want to unpack first?"

Highlights from my Lal-love tribute:
· Always to the rescue of Wine—not to control, but to support.
· She's so patient that I'm convinced she has a secret superpower called "calmly melt Wine's walls."
· Her face when Wine finally lets her in? Instant tears, but the happy kind.

Enemies with Benefits promised a heartfelt deep-dive into the darkness of emotional weight, and episode 7 delivered it wrapped in a Lal-shaped ray of sunshine. If Wine is the storm, Lal is the safe harbor—and I'm over here yelling, "Protect them both, please, in Ep 8 and thank you."

ENEMIES WITH BENEFITS Ep 8 - There's so much I wanna say, but for now I'm speechless. Allow me some time to collect my thoughts and calm my feelings first....

...

Ok, now let's talk. If we haven't watched episodes 1-7, we'd say ep 8 is a transposed episode of SHADES that's existing in some adults-acting-like teenagers alternate universe! Because Lal and Wine are acting like teenagers who can't understand and can't control their hormones-gone-berserk-driven emotions. But wait - These are intelligent career women in their late 20s or early 30s, holding leadership positions, having feelings so overwhelming, that it's driving them cuckoo!

First, there's Lal - the smitten, head-over-heels-in-love sweet devoted puppy who thinks matching pajamas equals matching worldviews and mindsets that are in sync. Lal, you're in Sales, goodness gracious, you must know that communication is key and assuming won't get you anywhere. Stop speculating that you know what Wine thinks and feels - Talk to her, like have long, meaningful let's-expose-our-souls conversations with the woman you love and find out what makes her tick, what pushes her buttons, other than great --x.

And then there's the gorgeously sexy on the outside all knotted up and repressed on the inside Wine. Insecure, self-effacing, self-demeaning defeatist Wine. Wine's hang-ups and traumas could trigger dissertations on mental health and we'd still never comprehend why she's scaredy-cat acquiescent with Korn and tiger-fierce with Lal! There's something seething inside Wine that we'd never really get, that Lal would never really figure out, because Wine herself hasn't seriously dealt with the ghosts inside her shell.... Except that itty-bitty sliver of vulnerability she reveals when she said, "I'm afraid there's no one else who'd care for me as much as you do, so what do I do with my life without you?"

And then there's Tangkwa mirroring all the insecurities of her boss, jumping to conclusions prematurely, also wrestling with so many hang-ups that you'd think trauma-bonding is what makes her and Wine work so well....

And Proud, oh dear reckless Proud! Girl, it hasn't dawned on you yet that great bed partners don't necessarily make great relationship partners, right? Do your feelings with Tangkwa have the same breadth and depth of what Lal feels for Wine? Or is it just convenient attachment that stems from nothing more than physical attraction?

Let's not talk about Korn. He's a disgusting blackmailer, among everything else that's despicable and vile. But then again, he's a necessary tool to move the females' stories forward.... Otherwise, everyone would be parked in a rut, or circling in dizzying orbs around the elephant-disguised-as-a-copier in the room: Should falling in love with a colleague be sufficient enough grounds to lose your job over?

Wine's "No" at the end was her admission that she cares for Lal - The Lal who takes care of a mother and a sibling, as much as she fondly cares for Wine.... The Wine who'd rather move elsewhere than risk Lal losing her job.

I'm glad we've still got episodes 9 and 10 to make sense of all this....

I am sad. 4E:AIR ended last night. EWB ended tonight😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭Just finished the Enemies With Benefits Finale and I need to lie down on a bed of organic green flags while sobbing into a tub full of black brassieres. 🍃😭✨

I stand by what I declared back in Episode 1, and the finale only hammered it home with a sparkly sapphic sledgehammer: ENEMIES WITH BENEFITS is the most intelligent Thai GL series thus far. The way it explored mental health with such tenderness, while casually body-slamming us with professionalism and accountability both at work and in love? Chef's kiss. I felt personally called out and also deeply hugged.

This entire show is a masterclass in courage. The courage to be an absolute weirdo and own it. The courage to love your own mess as much as your own magnificence. The courage to let another woman see your spreadsheet of flaws and still whisper “I love you, you’re my safe place.” EWB said: Fight for your principles, fight for true love, and above all, fight for the great sapphic way, preferably while wearing impeccably tailored office outfits.

Now let’s talk about Lal. Lal is not a green flag. Lal is a whole untouched national park of towering, proud green flags. She’s the woman you want as your daughter, your boss, your employee, your girlfriend, your emergency contact, your life coach, and your favorite dessert. If Wine doesn’t propose to Lal with a PowerPoint presentation and a custom ring soon, I will leap through the screen and propose to her myself. I already have a mood board.

Also, can we officially declare EWB a visual public service? Every single frame is a love letter to the human face. Wine on-screen literally powers galaxies. Lal is the cutest sexy munchkin ever. Tangkwa and Proud are a dream couple. Numnin and Bas? Gorgeous. Cheese? Gorgeous. Wine’s mom? Gorgeous. Korn’s wife? Gorgeous. Even that lawyer who had one scene looked like she walked straight off a runway. Thailand, at this point, is a veritable factory of charm and beauty, and EWB is the factory tour.💖

And the finale made sure we learned our lesson: Running away solves nothing. Not from your job, not from your feelings, not from the woman who lovingly calls you out on your nonsense while smoldering at you. EWB said escaping is for babies and dramatic montages, and we are grown-ups now who stay and communicate. I have been schooled.

And the ending? A glorious, romantic, policy-friendly victory lap. Dating within the company is absolutely fine, as long as there’s no conflict of interest. Let's all finally admit we spend more waking hours with our workmates than with our own families. Where else are we supposed to find partners? In a mysterious forest? (Well, maybe Lal’s green forest.) Office romance is valid, sexy, and HR-approved, baby! 💼💘

Enemies with Benefits, you were a gift. You made me laugh, cry, and reconsider my life choices while surrounded by criminally attractive people. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to plant a forest of Lal green flags in my backyard and practice emotionally mature eye contact. 🫡🌿

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A fun rom-com that misses a few beats

Enemies with benefits is your ultimate rom-com by the way. Maybe the series itself lol, but not what I mean here. Enemies to benefits in a workplace is the ultimate rom-com, it just hits different every time. You have enemies to lovers (arguably one of the best tropes out there), a FWB setup to add tons of tension and forbidden romance thanks to workplace proximity to give the audience the perfect balance of angst. It just works.

I wish Enemies with Benefits was actually that perfect. It was close, just did not live up to the expectations I had set for it. But to be fair, I had sky high expectations, so it is a bit on me. For the most part, it lived up to them - especially in terms of chemistry. It was absolutely incredible. Jan and Jingjing have always had incredible chemistry and nothing can take away from that.

Even the plot was pretty much airtight, we get their enemies to lovers arc, tons of angst and misunderstandings that come with dating in the workplace, great side characters who actually play a role in the story, and a proper story itself that was set in the workplace and concentrated on the love story without compromising on their relationship as coworkers.

I only really have two things I wish they'd done better. First, is buildup.
I love a good buildup to any relationship. Those yearning glares, the speeches that say "I would hate her face if it weren't so pretty", those unruly smirks thrown around just to see if it catches their eye. I love buildup. And we got? ONE episode. I needed more!! Genuinely, it would have been that much more amazing to watch them fall in love if we'd actually seen them be enemies. One disagreement in a boardroom meeting, unfortunately does not make for enemies I believe.
The second thing I wish they'd done better - the balance in the relationship. It's always a give and take, and most of the time it was Lal giving it her all, and taking responsibility for any conflict. Maybe it's just me (in fact, in both cases here) but it felt like I blinked and then Wine was suddenly in love? The lack of buildup and the disbalance in their relationship - because even being FWBs is a kind of relationship - really took away from the amazing chemistry that Jan and Jingjing (and to that extent, Lal and Wine) share.

That's all there is to it really, just those two facets I didn't enjoy. Sure, their relationship wasn't completely healthy, but what relationship is without fights and flaws? Lal was an entire green forest, Wine had some serious character growth and that's all I really want from my rom-coms, one or more characters who grow and change with their relationship.

Was this a brilliant series? Not so much. Was this enjoyable and fun, and just incredibly romantic? Yes, definitely yes. It was a fun watch and I would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a good rom-com, with some slightly questionable behaviour from the leads, but mostly Good though haha.

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50/50 — Just Like Its Main Characters, Ups and Downs

The series starts with a fun and energetic premise, mixing workplace comedy, romance, and a friends-with-benefits dynamic that quickly creates curiosity. The comedic tone works well in the beginning. The intimate scenes are intense, playful, and often emotionally engaging.

However, the writing becomes increasingly uneven as the story continues. The central relationship has strong potential, but the friends-with-benefits setup often feels more like a convenient plot device than a believable emotional situation. Instead of building the romance through consistent communication and deeper character development, the series repeatedly relies on jealousy, misunderstandings, and avoidable drama.

Lal is generally the more emotionally open and likable lead, while Wine’s development feels less consistent. Her behavior often creates unnecessary distance, and the series does not always give enough insight into her inner conflict to make her decisions fully convincing. Because of this, the relationship sometimes feels frustrating rather than romantic.

The workplace setting provides some entertaining moments. However, many conflicts feel exaggerated or created mainly to push the plot forward. This can be acceptable within the comedic tone, but at times it makes the story feel artificial. The antagonist also lacks depth and is written in a very obvious and one-dimensional way, which weakens the more serious parts of the series.

The side couple becomes one of the more wholesome elements and, in some moments, even feels more naturally developed than the main relationship. On the other hand, some side plots and cameo moments feel awkward, rushed, or poorly staged.

Technically, the series also has some noticeable weaknesses. Certain soundtrack choices feel repetitive, and some editing decisions make the later episodes feel less polished. The finale, while trying to be wholesome and satisfying, feels more like a collection of sweet moments than a fully earned emotional conclusion.

Overall, the series is enjoyable in parts, but the tone can change quickly from charming to frustrating. It is held back by lazy drama, inconsistent character writing, weak communication, and underdeveloped antagonists. Much like the two leads, the series feels very 50/50: Lal is easy to love, while Wine is often difficult to understand. It has enough charm to be entertaining, but the story could have been much stronger with more natural relationship development and less reliance on forced conflict.

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More like love at first sight

Thai gls are starting to lose me. Most of the shows I see only exist to show the lead actresses' chemistry and not to tell a story.
The show is named enemies with benefits, the pilot trailer and the official trailer all alluded to the leads being enemies with benefits but they were nothing like that. This is more of a love at first sight/one-night-stand thing cause both Lal and Wine instantly like each other and act married immediately. They were not even enemies, Wine was just strict.
I went in expecting banter, them hating each other yet being drawn to each other, navigating personal and professional boundaries etc.......I got nothing. They don't even do justice to the thai title 'Lal doesn't like Wine' cause Lal is the one who is 100% into Wine from the beginning. Their back and forth in the initial episode was good and I was so sad it died down.
The dynamics are also lowkey boring, it feels very similar to 'hello is this luck'
The stars are for the last half of the show and Wine's characterization. Wine was a good character, all of her fears and her experiences making her the person she is today and her awareness of herself were all great.
Jan and Jinging were great even though they didn't have much to work with. Most of the show was just them being lovey dovey with each other. KapookCize were just there but its good to finally see them as a solid pair. The side characters were good too, actually felt like a found family.
Osts were amazing. I wish they put more effort into styling cause I feel like we were supposed to feel a change in Wine physically after she starts dating Lal but we can't see that cause the styling is so basic. Lal's hair colour changing every episode was pissing me off.
I like stories in the same universe so I will be seated for bake love feeling.

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One of the Best GLs but With Some Flaws

I loved the show overall. It's my first show that I completely watched in a long time (I don't really watch shows).

The casting, the talent, the acting, the stories, and even the sexiness and comedy were all great. I liked how they kinda switched up from the Novel and took their take to not make it a full adaptation from the novel, as it'll be predictable. JanJingJing has some of the best acting and chemistry I've seen out of a duo, and I hope they get another series soon.

Now, besides all that, there are some flaws with the show.

Pacing
Episodes 7-9 felt like they were trying to add too much drama. The Korn Trope was unnecessarily too long and could've been resolved within 1-2 episodes; we already got Wine's emotions, trauma, and issues with the company, which are good enough drama. We also didn't do any heroism for it, besides probably Wine stepping up against Korn.

Episode 10 had some flaws as well, but it's still a good episode. I think they tried to cram a lot. Like, I thought it was gonna be a more cutesy love story after the Korn stuff, but they added a completely unnecessary drama arc for half the episode over a small thing. At least they made it comedic to save it in the end. Not enough LalWine moments. Maybe that's why there's a Special Episode. Also, I didn't like the development of Proud and Tangkwa. They basically had little screen time, and yet they wanted them to be girlfriends? I guess they'll learn more about each other as they date

Nitpicks: Color Grading
I'm a video editor, so this does bother me a bit. Some scenes were WAY too blue and moody. Certain office and outdoor scenes could have benefited from brighter, more vibrant colors—especially when the tone was meant to be lighthearted and comedic.

Overall, this is definitely one of the top GL series of the year and should absolutely be on your radar if you’re looking for something new to watch. Don’t let my critiques discourage you—this is just my personal opinion, and the show is still very much worth watching.

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All the benefits with none of the downsides!

This was a colorful, snappy, office rom-com with enough steam to fog up your chic, librarian glasses!

I knew the leads had chemistry, but even I could not have predicted just how palpable the tension would be, nor how sultry the FLs could get. The looks they gave each other were downright devious and screamed: "Come hither, lover."

Lal and Wine were also intriguing on their own, both being capable, powerhouse career women, bearing the weight of their respective teams on their shoulders while struggling to value themselves.

While Wine was both intimidating and demanding, at the end of the day, she was just trying to do her job as best she could, and even got a little self-conscious about her reputation in the office. She wanted to express herself more and open up, but was afraid of changing/making herself a target again.

And Lal, while confident and quick-thinking, too easily put her health and happiness last on her list of priorities.

It was great to see them both grow and learn from/lean on each other.

And beyond that, the office politics and projects weren't just there for show. They contributed to and even pushed the plot forward.

I would also be remiss not to mention how they dared to go further, utilizing their office setting to highlight the real, underdiscussed struggles of women in the working world. How women have to perfectly conform to their boxes, dress just nice enough but not too nice, wear enough makeup to not look "tired" but not too much, and act polite enough but not too friendly, for the chance of maybe making it and maybe, just maybe, avoiding unwanted attention from their male colleagues. It's a delicate balancing act that shouldn't have to be attempted. And, related to this topic, it was so refreshing to see so many women supporting other women and making choices that were best for themselves rather than "going along to get along."

Really, a very relevant and thoughtful drama.

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More Nuanced Office Romance!

Enemies with Benefits was a fantastic office romance GL that managed to deliver a lot more than just the typical "coworkers aren't allowed to date" type of forbidden office romance that I expected. They did an excellent job developing the characters and giving them solid reasons for their actions, even when sometimes the viewer learns these reasons after the actions have happened. I really enjoyed the combination of them slowly realizing they have feelings for each other, needing to be professional at the office, AND Wine's backstory coming back as a major conflict. I thought all of it was done super well. The only real issue I had with this one was that the constant getting together, calling it off, then getting together again got repetitive towards the end, with miscommunication conflicts driving this issue every time, but overall I still really enjoyed this one! Definitely a GL worth watching!

Lal (Jan) recently became the head of the sales department, and learns very quickly that everyone at the office is scared of Wine (Jingjing), the head of accounting. Wine runs a strict program and will be sure to call out anyone that makes errors in their reports. While the two don't get along at work, at a company dinner, Lal notices Wine being pressured into drinking and removes her from the situation before the men there can make it worse. But when the two head back to Lal's place to sober up, they also end up hooking up, starting a friends with benefits relationship. Since relationships are strictly forbidden at the company, the two of them keep this fling a secret, but it starts to develop into something more.

I love an office romance, AND I love shows where grown actors play grown adults (yes I am sick of 30 year olds playing students). This show delivered great acting, a great plot, and AMAZING chemistry. Jan and Jingjing do an incredible job acting together, and I really enjoyed just how much I could sympathize with both of their characters, even when I knew their actions would cause conflict. I especially loved how Wine's past comes back to haunt her later on in this series, and the way it plays out is really really well done. It doesn't take away from the romance, but adds new layers to the characters' relationship. This one is definitely worth giving a shot, and I'll be on the look out for all of their future projects!

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A refreshing comedy featuring a couple with great chemistry.

Episode 1: A great start, with good production, funny effects in just the right amount. A lot is edited. The acting is very good and the characters are captivating; they make you connect with them very easily. So far, the story is very good.

Episode 2: We're starting to get to know the characters more deeply. I hope it continues like this; it's very good. The supporting characters are funny and do their job well. I don't know if the story intends to address something more dramatic, but I hope so; that would be the icing on the cake. I liked the bowling scenes; the protagonists are very cute together!!!

EP 3 and 4: I liked seeing how the relationship is developing, they are learning to deal with this new situation. Doubts and challenges are also arising in the midst of this "friendship", and they need to learn how to deal with this and how to resolve it. It's really fun to watch. There's not much drama, it's light and fun. I'm delighted with both of them.
NOTE: Lal is very charismatic and witty, and Wine is the spitting image of Nantam hahahah

Episode 5: It's beautiful to see the characters "making the turn" in their relationship, and gradually falling in love.

Eps 6 and 7: I feel like I’m going to get really annoyed with one of the characters. Poor Wine—seeing her throw up almost made me cry.

Eps 8 & 9: A really good and interesting investigation. This couple is so cute, but they also make me suffer a lot—in equal measure. I want to see how it all ends. The secondary couple and Lal’s colleagues are absolutely killing it.

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