The Water

Deep yet Shallow

Fittingly for a drama called The Water, it was rocky seas, smooth tides, and then back to whitecaps galore, before, finally, the storm passed.

How many more water references can I make? Lol.

Okay, to really get into my thoughts: I admired the overall maturity present here, particularly when it came to the business aspect. The hotel empire wasn't simply a backdrop for the FLs' romance. It wasn't just a major source of conflict, but running it took front and center stage, from front desk employees having to maintain a standard appearance and dealing with guests, to having meetings to arrange partnerships and public promotion events.

I found myself invested in Nam and Lada's efforts at work and found their romance to be a needed shake-up for both of them after having to deal with such high pressure/expectations. I loved seeing the normally serious and composed Nam awkward and shy, and the normally high-energy and talkative Lada torn and tongue-tied. They were truly sweet together.

I even found the deception plot to have a lot more depth than I expected.

But . . .

Compared to The Earth (it's impossible not to compare them), which, if I take my rose-colored glasses off, I can acknowledge had its problems, I think The Water failed to deal with its serious/traumatic topics well, let alone achieve a romance so dazzling you'd be blind to it. When the finale came, I found myself feeling a bit bitter about it, to say the least. Yes, everyone was happy, but could/should a pretty bow really be tied on it after everything, and should EVERYONE have been so at peace after such severe manipulation and abuse? I would argue no!

I had many a good giggle and was entertained but not blissfully charmed. That's the best I can put it, I think.

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The best GL from Englot... unfortunately I didn't fall in love with it.

To begin with, what I can say is: The acting isn't bad, it's quite different from what we've seen in other GLs from the duo, and I liked that.

The dynamic is interesting, with a good comedic tone. I liked the locations used for the series and the basis of the script. I think I'll like this Englot GL (I couldn't like the others, I'm sorry). I even believe it will be my favorite of the duo. In addition, we'll have the return of the cousins!! Lom has already made an appearance (And what an appearance!), and we may soon see Din. Besides all that, we'll have Char hitting on P'Fah, and Engfa all awkward, not knowing where to turn!!! Finally, this dynamic between the duo! I was curious to know if we'd have an attacking Char. The first episode was a bit rushed, with an avalanche of events. It seems like they condensed 3 episodes into 1, hahaha...
I found the romance too rushed; perhaps it would have been better to start it earlier to allow for better development. Lada's family situation is well-constructed and raises excellent social issues, but the resolution regarding Lada's mother could have been handled with more tension and time. The ending was good, and overall it's a good series, but unfortunately I couldn't connect with the story.

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I'm maybe totally biased but it was amazing.

Their relationship, the chemistry was on top. They really suit each other, Workaholic x Workaholic.
I love the angst and yearning with each other. It was one of my favorite part (yes I love to suffer..).

I think 4E got a lot of wholesome family relationship. Either with Lada and her mom or between the 4 cousins. They love each other a lot and show it. It warm my heart a lot.

I usually hate the forget part of bad parent, but I think it realistic. The daughter was the only one to care, and in the end, she still take care of her dad, even if he was the worst. It's usually like that the daughter get hate even when she is the only one to care, while the son don't really care but get loved.

I also love how Lada tried so hard to make her dad proud, probably to find happy, but she find happy in trying for herself.

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Love beneath the surface: Why The Water is more just another GL drama?

The Water is part of the 4 Elements project, where each series represents one of the elements and tells a different love story. In the story connected to the element of water, the main character is Apo “Nam” Wathinwanit - the cold and distant heiress of the luxurious Wathin Group hotel empire. Her life appears perfectly organized, but beneath the surface lie loneliness, and immense pressure tied to maintaining the family business. Everything begins to change when she meets Chonlada “Lada” Kunanon a new receptionist who brings spontaneity, honesty, and emotion into her carefully controlled world. What makes The Water stand out from other GL productions is undoubtedly the duo of Engfa Waraha and Charlotte Austin. The actresses elevate on-screen chemistry to an entirely different level- and a huge part of that comes from the fact that they have worked together for years, know each other well, and feel genuinely comfortable around one another. Because of this, their interactions feel natural, authentic, and emotionally effortless. Watching the series feels less like seeing a scripted romance and more like watching two people genuinely learning and understanding each other.

Their performances are built on subtle details: trembling hands, prolonged eye contact, and delicate shifts in tone of voice. Engfa masterfully portrays Nam as an elegant, composed woman who is used to controlling everything around her. Her character often says very little, yet a single glance conveys more than long dialogues ever could. At the same time, Engfa perfectly captures Nam’s emotional fracture: on one side, the powerful “Empress” of a hotel empire, and on the other, a lonely woman overwhelmed by pressure and expectations. Charlotte Austin beautifully balances that energy as Lada- warm, professional, spontaneous, and emotionally open. Beneath her gentle nature, however, there is also visible uncertainty and inner conflict. Charlotte naturally portrays Lada’s attempts to understand Nam and slowly break down the emotional walls she has built around herself over the years. The relationship between Nam and Lada is far from a typical sweet romance. There is immediate tension between them, but it is a chemistry fueled by distrust, manipulation, and hidden intentions. Nam is not a morally pure heroine- she is intelligent, calculating. Meanwhile, although Lada works as a spy, she remains sympathetic as someone trapped by her father’s ambitions and toxic family loyalty. One of the strongest moments in the series is when Nam realizes that Lada has been lying, yet instead of exposing or dismissing her, she simply smiles and allows her to stay. That scene instantly establishes the show’s central intrigue: who is truly controlling whom?

Visually, the series feels like an extension of Nam herself. The direction relies on a cold, almost sterile color palette dominated by blues and grays, reflecting the symbolism of water. In romantic scenes, however, the colors become warmer, mirroring the emotional intimacy growing between the characters. The cinematography is symmetrical and restrained, emphasizing the power of the hotel empire and Nam’s emotional isolation. Even the costumes carry symbolic meaning: Nam’s perfectly tailored suits act as armor, while Lada’s receptionist uniform becomes a form of safety and concealment.

The Water is ultimately a story about the cost of success and how difficult it is to find truth in a world where lies function as currency. The series explores themes of loneliness in power, family trauma, and toxic loyalty. It constantly asks one important question: Can love ever be truly genuine if manipulation was part of its foundation from the very beginning?

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Every moment is worth watching.

The Earth gave the 4 Elements series a strong start, and The Water has built on that tenfold. I’m not sure how The Air and The Fire are going to top this, but I wish them luck.

Before The Water, I would have said that Petrichor was the best script Englot had ever been given, but The Water surpasses it by miles. If this ends up being their final series together, I honestly could not ask for more. It would be a perfect way to conclude such a successful pairing.

The series featured exceptional writing, beautiful cinematography, and strong performances across the board. Every painful moment felt worth it because the writers delivered on the emotional payoff so effectively, which was elevated even further by Engfa and Charlotte’s undeniable chemistry and, most importantly, their talent. I would love to see them star in another series together because, whether the script is excellent or flawed, they always deliver. I will always look forward to seeing them on my screen.

The Water is not only part of the best ensemble project I’ve seen in Thai GL, but more importantly, it stands as a leading contender for one of the best series of the year.

If you haven’t started the 4 Elements series yet, do it. There is a lot of heartache, but you won’t be disappointed.

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Flawed, But Still Great

Overall, I think that this show was a bit more consistent than The Earth. It wasn't as great as Earth's 1st half, but it also didn't dip in quality during the 2nd half.

Engfa and Charlotte are great actresses who have great chemistry, and this was arguably even better than Petrichor.

The show also has a great supporting cast, including Nam's loving and supportive father, her sister Fah, her assistant Preem, and Lada's best friend Nat.

As with nearly all of these GL dramas, the abusive parent's "redemption" arc at the very end was really annoying. It's frustrating that Lada's father had to become a vegetable, and get robbed by one of his sons, before he finally realized how amazing Lada and her mom are, and how lucky he is to have them in his life.

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Engfa-Charlott at Their Best

Personally I think it's Engfa-Charlotts best Series so far (and sadly probably their last one together). The series works especially well because of the emotional chemistry between the two leads, which feels more natural, mature, and believable than in their previous projects. From the very beginning, the relationship development between Nam and Lada is engaging and emotionally satisfying, with the first half of the series handling romance, tension, and character progression surprisingly well. The early episodes in particular create a very strong atmosphere where both the emotional and romantic aspects continuously improve without feeling rushed.

The group dynamics with the cousins and supporting characters also add charm and energy, especially in the later episodes. However, while the romance succeeds overall, the writing itself becomes noticeably weaker during the second half. Several conflicts feel artificially created simply to extend the story. Misunderstandings and forced drama are repeatedly used even when the characters themselves already seem emotionally mature enough to communicate properly.

Another major weakness is the handling of the Lada's family storyline. Some characters feel far too one-dimensional and are mostly used as plot devices for drama instead of being properly developed. Because of that, certain emotional moments later in the story feel less impactful than they probably were intended to be. Additionally, not every conflict receives a fully satisfying conclusion.

The series still succeeds where it matters most: making the audience emotionally care about the main couple. The emotional payoff, romantic progression, and overall chemistry remain consistently enjoyable throughout the show. While the writing has some issues and several side plots could have been handled much better, the series still manages to feel emotionally satisfying overall.

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I am giggling and kicking my feet because of this one ^^

We continue this GL anthology with Nam, the hotel empire CEO and 110% workaholic, and Chonlada, daughter of the rival hotel chain who wants to prove herself in an environment of disapproval because sexism and misogyny.

What I loved:
— I probably also fell in love with Lada a little bit. I loved her character (most of the time) a lot. She had her morals and principles and stood by them. But then again Phat managed to break her over time. Unfortunate but understandable.
— Charlotte played Lada in a really charming way. Hats off.
— Wardrobe was 10/10 again. All those pant suits? Jealous. Lada also always dressed beautifully. Except for the wedding dress. There I thought it was below her average dress style. Also took some screenshots to find some of the decor.
— I loved the progression of their love and all the little things that happened. I was giggling and kicking my feet ^^
— The appearance of Lam and Fai and Din and Rose throughout the series and not just in one episode. Really ties the anthology together.
— Loved how we got more of a glimpse of Lam‘s character (the police cousin, „Air“). That she‘s a very flirtatious person makes me even more interested in her series.
— Loved that Lada chose to do the „Whose string is attached to the bridal bouquet?“ and not the toss. Curious to see whether we‘ll get a wedding in all four series and if so what method of „Who‘s next?“ they‘re gonna use. I already can‘t think of more but I trust they‘re gonna be creative with it. And here they talked about having children… will we see that in the other series?
— A little detail that I just really appreciated: That Nam is basically blind without glasses.
— The incorporation of water whenever possible… the ocean, rain, pools. I only realised it fully after I finished the series.
— I liked the ring Nam gave Lada. And that the pink tulip became a symbol for Lada and the sunflower the one for Nam. BUT would‘ve been even better if they had included those flowers at their wedding and in the bridal bouquet (but also only realised this just now. So, it‘s not a big deal)… and the sunflower came a little out of nowhere resulting in that symbol not being as strong/established as the tulip.

The open questions & critique:
— The last episode being 1h 39mins long… That is proof to me that they should‘ve gotten 1-2 episodes more for each of the element series.
— What happened to the person that started at Monarch together with Lada? Yes, we see her in kahoots with Phat at the end… but that still leaves us to assume she was the one who poisoned the food at the event. But we never see it. Was she fired afterwards? We haven‘t seen or heard from her since Lada got promoted to assistant to the assistant. I think, I don‘t remember. Need to look out for her on my rewatch. Otherwise I feel like one or two scenes got cut that could‘ve explained that.
— The plotline of the father and the brothers (& Wat’s wife). Hm.
Apparently Wat wasn‘t an active abuser of Lada but a silent bystander. The only good deed he does is at the end when he helped Lada and her mum with a safe spot. How generous. But before he never intervenes. Maybe also because of his wife that he most likely doesn‘t love. At times I thought the wife was a legitimate daughter and sister to Lada that I forgot about. With how she treated and talked to Lada and all that.
Phat… he was a manipulative asshole throughout. Well played by the actor. Very jobless behaviour to follow your sister around like that and make her paranoid. I was not a 100% satisfied with his ending. It makes sense that he tries to flee and leave everything behind and in ruins… but I hoped he‘d be found and sentenced to be the caretaker of his father or something like that.
The father. Meh. Sure it‘s not fun to have a condition like that and get paralysed by it. But… in the end who was left to take care of him? The women he despised most. I don‘t want to forgive him just because he‘s disabled now. This storyline is so painfully typical, it feels realistic but I wished for something else in this fictional world. And Wat? Where‘s he in this equation?
— Okay, next: Lada‘s character arc (+ Nam‘s as well). Loved her most of the time. She acted according to her principles and then slowly because she wants to protect her loved ones and the paranoia Phat evokes. But at the end (+- the last three episodes) I couldn‘t follow her thought process anymore. I feel like we lost her character a little bit. I thought she would at least think (in hindsight) of the possibility that Nam said all these things to Phat because of powerplay and not because she means them. They have known each other long enough for her to know. So when Nam tries to talk it out and she refuses so vehemently… grrrrr.
And Nam being this super clever woman… fair enough. I just remember her police cousin telling her about what she found out but we as audience don‘t get to see that. So we also don‘t know all the things Nam knows and why she‘s doing the things she‘s doing. That got a little frustrating towards the end.
— Also thought Lada would really agree to getting disinherited by the father and fully get cut off from the Wachara Group and family name and then make a name for herself and not take it over (good for her but barely anything pointed towards that outcome). And then for the father to crawl back once she had married Nam. But of course he wouldn‘t do that, not for a woman.
— that one piano background music was used way too many times. I need it to retire.

Since this is an anthology I have to compare it to „The Earth“ (and later on to Air and Fire).
The main thing: The characters in „The Water“ truly felt like characters.
I was happy every time one of the other cousins and Rose appeared on screen. I am very happy that they appeared in more than one episode and sometimes all together and sometimes just one or two of them. Shows how close they are and still manage to visit each other despite their busy work etc.
But it also showed again what still annoys me with „The Earth“… Rose was meant to be a wifey, which is fine, but there‘s nothing more to her character… and that since childhood. smh.

I would loooove to see these two in a mermaid (or something supernatural) GL series. I imagine a very ethereal and otherwordly vibe. mmmh.

And again: I will probably rewatch this and then add +new comments+ with new or changed opinions.
Thank you for reading until the end. <3

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A great love story based on emotional depth with characters that truly belong together.

I’ll give it a 10, not because it’s perfect (nothing is) and i have no criticism over it, as a book reader especially, but because it really made me feel a lot of things unlike most series, especially GL ones.

I can talk a lot about THE characters, because here they are complex and multidimensional like real people, but i don’t want it to be a spoiler review. Just know that you WILL root for them individually and together, which doesn’t happen often to me.
Script itself starts as comedy turns into melodrama and drama as this story goes on, the series delivers very delicious angst, moral dilemma is my favourite reason for drama and it’s acted out perfectly.
I understand that family drama is a hard topic and isn’t favourite plot of many but it is justified here, bringing characters to full circle even more as karma works.
Because of certain plot twists and turns and wonderful nuanced acting this series definitely will make you want to revisit it to notice the little things
Chemistry of actors was so strong and authentic, it survived effortlessly through angst, cuteness and passionate moments.
Acting is really a top notch, both comedy and drama and i’m not just saying it, you need to experience it yourself, what a ride it was!

Overall it’s a very special, solid series with beautifully written and portrayed main characters, a great love story based on emotional depth. It evolves in style and mood throughout just like sea changes its behaviour over time.

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The Most Nuanced Sapphic Love Story Of All Time!

Throw all your preconceived notions about lesbian love stories out the window! 4E:WATER will rock your boat, baby!! Nom Apo and Chonlada are both awesome and their rocky seas then calm waters then raging seas again dance is what makes 4E:WATER The Perfect Storm. This is the best of EngLot, thus far!

However, if there's one thing remarkable about the story of 4 ELEMENTS - apart from the romantic arcs of each of the leads - it's the amazing bond among the four cousins, especially between the two youngest ones, Lom and Fai. The two older ones have the onus of responsibility resting upon their shoulders - Din runs the huge farm like clockwork, Nam is transitioning from capable little boss to competent big boss of a hotel and resort conglomerate, but Lom and Fai still get to do a lot of the fun "stuff" that come with the recklessness of youthful abandon. Yet the bonds among these four cousins are so palpable, they're even thicker than sibling bonds - They'd give their lives for each other in a heartbeat! THAT is what makes 4 ELEMENTS not just a star-studded sapphic extravaganza, but also a touching family drama.

4 ELEMENTS is like a Disney fairy tale turned live action movie turned Asian adaptation.... Thailand for the win! The world sends its appreciation.

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