Nolan Peale

Yeah. I want to be positive, as I try to be after ep 1. But outside of the gay kid raised by gay parents, I feel like I've watched this series twice this week already. (Oh, the campus fujoshi cute boys page is going to spy on them! I haven't seen that since Saturday!) Its not going to be bad. And at least both the leads are chatty and flirty (no sullen, uncommunicative boys with guitars, please). I won't be hatewatching this one, at least.

Episode 1 notes:
Good to see the familiar faces, even if they are now in supporting roles. I had a tough time recognizing Jom under all that hair. I couldn't quite place him, even though I knew I knew the face. Looks like there will be more familiar faces dropping by.

I have to admit that I wasn't looking forward to this story. I was not enamored with this couple in Tonhon Chonlatee. Great that they were dating for 4 years, but I could never understand why they kept their friendship for Tonhon when he was a homophobe and they constantly needed to dance around his temper tantrums. They kept saying "because he's a good guy" but I thought it was very weak of them to move in together so they had to be closeted in their own home and weird that they didn't seem bothered by it. They went way beyond what normal people would put up with to scheme to keep their relationship a secret from a "friend" that I didn't find it funny, but sad. Since they didn't seem to want to change their situation until the end, I lost interest in them.

I had heard that the GMM series overplayed Tonhon's homophobia and violent temper, and that he was different in the novel. So I'll just erase that series from memory and treat this like it has its own continuity. A reboot rather than an origin story. I'm going to doubt that a kid with two fathers who is open about his sexuality with them is going to end up agreeing to hide out from Ton. At the very least, the fathers are going to have a word with him about the consequences of doing that, I'd hope.

Anyway, its not that I'm doubting that Nhai is actually straight. But ummm. He's so close to being out to himself that a simple clunk on the head should do the trick. Someone needs to sit him down and have him put two and two together about why he's gushing about how handsome other boys are and looking away from the faces of the girls he claims to adore to focus on one aspect of them that's masculine. LOL. Unfortunately, this guy is a bit dense to do that kind of math. This will take awhile.

I think Khim's share is 24%. But still, yeah. None of this works. That's not what boards of public companies do! Besides, if Rain really is dead, Khim will end up with 75% of the shares. They don't just disappear. If Dad's will reads "Rain gets my share" all those shares will default to Khim anyway. And no, the board isn't indefinitely bound by the Dad's will. (This came up in another series where the grandfather's will was that the company went to the eldest grandson if he married and had a kid by 30, otherwise it went to the second grandson, who also needed to be married with a kid, etc. No, the board is not obligated to follow his instructions.)

Yeah. I get that everything is largely allegorical. The medical conditions aren't meant to be taken as real. Its not a medical drama, so they didn't bother to try to have their conditions be realistically handled in hospitals, and didn't bother to raise the stakes by introducing them. They will be each other's cure, for sure. And its not a business drama, so they didn't bother to try to be realistic when it comes to board room politics. Or even explain the scope of the business. How many employees does it have? What business is it in besides owning mansions and hotels? All we are told is that its very large and these are the wealthiest boys in Thailand. And it isn't a family drama so they didn't bother to make any of the family relationships realistic. And its not a arts drama so why bother making the orchestra work. And its not a romance, so why bother to...wait. I think it is a romance. But it starts to be unneverving when they don't bother to try to be realistic because its a romance and not an X.

I should care whether or not the evil doctor wins, but really, she's killed a bunch of characters who I really didn't like - hated actually. (I'm assuming that Rain is alive). And none of the heirs actually want to have the business. And the perspective of the writers seems to be that being concerned with the business is a moral failing. Only bad people want it. The doctor didn't really have to kill the entire family. Rain and Khim would have let her do and LBO. Dad is dead. They don't actually have to care if they don't want to. If the doctor wasn't such a murderous fiend, we'd be relieved right now.

I mean, it can't get much worse. "This will most likely be the worst day of your life. So chin up." might be a useful thing someone might say. Not very often. But someone might say it.

LOL. Forgot about that. "Why do you care if you lose your memories" is a question asked by a doctor who has never had a patient before. At least she didn't respond "These are the specific memories you will lose. Because we brain surgeons always know what the effects of a stroke will be."

Episode 13.
Oh, lordy. Hopefully when its revealed that she's murdered an entire family to get the CEO position, the board will oust her. Why no one put forward the idea of naming an interim CEO and doing a proper search is beyond me. The shareholders aren't going to be calmed.

I know there is some confusion as to why they chose that particular property to hide out in. Its very simple. They spent a big chunk of their production budget renting that place and couldn't afford to hide anywhere else.

Only the strong survives, she says, while cutting off a perfectly fine rose whose "weakness" is that roses haven't evolved defense against steel garden tools. What a bully. Hopefully she'll die when the albino plant pushes her into a bed of carnivorous roses. First they lull you with their scent, then they prick you with their thorns, then they suck you dry to give themselves a nice red glow. So I'm calling it. I'm 80% certain she'll be killed by a plant. 20% certain she'll be hit by one of the comets on April 14.

LOL. If they faked their deaths, we're going to have to wonder who the poor corpses were. Something a show like this would never explain, until season 2 when it was revealed that Rain killed the staff at the house, which was o.k. because they were poor and no one would miss them.

Anyway as someone who has had relatives with both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, the idea of waiting to find out just how much functionality Khim will loose is gross malpractice. Maybe it'll just all go away, they say, showing a brain scan indicating that he's got hours left before he starts having regular seizures and has to teach himself how to chew.

I'm glad they at least had a board with a public company. When they were dickering around in the hospital room about what to do about the company and its share price, I was wondering "Why isn't there a board of directors appointing an interim CEO."

Ugh. That really made me want to toss my remote at my TV. This middle aged woman has paraded her much younger lovers about for years and she just can't imagine two men doing the same thing?

Episode 7 Reactions
1) First trivia. I wonder what the Thai idiom for "The elephant in the room" actually is. I'd find it weird if the idiom for ignoring something obvious was exactly the same. Anyway Wang decision to cut to the chase really let the 800 pound gorilla out of the bag here and now its kicking over hornets' nests in the China Shop.
2) Yeah, no big surprise that Sasi wasn't going to go along with this. I'm guessing that she has always imagined that Wang would marry the woman of her choosing. A woman incompatible with Wang, selected on purpose so that he would never fall in love with her, so she could continue to be the center of his life.
3) Still, if I was Wang's father, I'd probably forbid them from moving in together, too. They've only known each other 2 weeks. And if I'm In, I'm probably suggesting that he get a dorm nearby. There's a lot not to like about Wang. I'd want to get to know him a little more before I committed to seeing him 24/7. Dude has "issues" and a lot of baggage for a 20 year old. And while he's astute at point out everyone else's issues, he needs to spend time working on his own.
4) I'll be satisfied if they don't end up together. I'll be fine if they do. I'll be fine if its open ended. But I'll be very, very pissed if Wang is killed next week per the preview. I don't think that will happen because Wang is narrating the story to us. But still, if it does happen, I'm going to be angry.

Thoughts on 11
1) Seriously? Talay had a month sitting around waiting for the tide to go out and he didn't bother to pick up his cell and call Tun's cell (which was Pakorn's cell now) and ask him what had happened in his universe to his character in the past 2 years? Not curious at all what his lover returned to? Just wanted to go home blind. No, the writer wanted us to be surprised because no one would behave like that. Same with Puen. Not curious at all when he met Tess. Not even bothering to ask Tess how Talay's life was going and what he might be dealing with when he returned? Do these guys care about each other at all?
2) And then seriously, did they have to insert that "I saw him with a girl, so he must have forgotten about me. Oh well, he's better off straight anyway, so I'll back away" trope? It made absolutely no sense since Talay had just sat through a movie where Puen apparently used their time together as inspiration and made it clear as day that he wanted to continue seeing him in the real life.
3) At least I know that there's Tim Hortons in Thailand, so when I go there next year, my partner will be happy. He loves that place, even if I don't. So I'll surprise him one morning. I guess it wasn't all bad.

Yep. So far, nothing has happened. She likes a younger guy. He likes and older guy. But, um, there's really no crime to report. I'm thinking they aren't going to get together until he's older, if at all. They are going to have to decide what to do about it, because as she found out in the pharmacy today, the stigma against older women dating younger men doesn't really go away.

Thoughts on ep 7.
1) I guess I should start with the critical comment. But they need to be more mindful of Santa's make up. If he's got a bruised arm, he needs to keep a bruised arm. And his face bruises fade in and out during the same scene. Normally I wouldn't mind in a BL because production values are usually low, but the production values of the this series have actually be quite high so far. They are trying to play in ITSAY territory, not Cutie Pie territory, so they need to be mindful.
2) I know there are certain Earth Antis who have not gelled with his character, but I really think Seeiw is sweet. I like that he forgave Sand, but ended it, because it was time to end it and he knows that dwelling on negative experiences just doesn't help. I think people who hand with Seeiw wind up being better people, and Sand blew that opportunity for a cigarette and he knows it.
3) As much as I wish he were gone, I get the feeling that Sand is going to be Seeiw's first boyfriend.
4) Ugh. We always complain that series are too short. So we get 8 extra episodes and that means they are going to extend the farewells another episode. As they say "How can I miss you if you don't go away?" Beyond Santa's great acting in this episode, I am SOOO glad they didn't do that Thai drama thing where Santa doesn't tell Seeiw he's leaving until he's at the airport, even though that means we get too much closure.

Episode 7 thoughts
1) Yeah, that's some imagination Akk had. Really wasn't necessary for them to kiss last episode if it wasn't real. Its like someone at a meeting said "Hey, we need a kiss. I know. Let's have it be a dream." Someone who hasn't watched Asian romances before thought they were being unique.
2) IDK. I thought Akk would be poorer based on what he said. Maybe the issue was that he wasn't super rich and from the provinces. But they appear to live well in that house.
3) Really rude to bring Nemo and Ayan along without so much as a text. Unrealistically rude for them.
4) O.K. the best moment for me with the mains was Ayan demanding to be called Aye. I like him better when he's teasing. He's sexy when he teases.
5) Thua looking to Ayan to see if he should answer that question was also good. What help he expected was a mystery. I wonder if he disclosed to Ayan about his feelings for Kan. Ayan knows anyway because he wasn't born yesterday.
6) Kan better not pretend that kiss didn't happen next episode. Thua is not a toy to be put in a box. And it better have happened and not been a dream. If it was a dream, then at least make it be Wat's dream. Having Wat walking around school for a few days wondering why he was dreaming about his friends kissing would be amusing.

I'm hoping that these theories don't reflect reality, but their seems to be an awful lot of hired goons available in Thailand. If series are to be believed, there might be as many goons in the country as agricultural workers.

Nah. Once again, the stairs don't have railings, so its best to let the neighbors have a view for that time when you fall and break your hip and can't call for help.

Yeah, but I think they do have more money behind this series than others. Even though the lifestyle isn't lavish, it is still pretty expensive to set a film 15 years in the past. Part of it is site selection, but its probably just as expensive to rent a bus made up so that looks like its from 2005 than it is to rent a private jet to sit on the runway for a day and get the permits to close off streets.

I guess one of the values of being an interfan who doesn't use Twitter is that the controversies rarely bubble up into the forums I'm a part of. What usually happens is that someone posts up a tweet in Thai with a text to "Support Yoon" and the non-Thai speakers have no clue as to what happened and why Yoon is in need of support and what we're supposed to do about it except send hate tweets against someone we don't know, so I end up ignoring them. However, that incident was a good case of fans going after someone without much context because it was easy to go after them. She's old. She's fat. She put her hands on Yoon and pretended to lick him. Let's cancel her.

The fans are very selective and that's what makes them unreliable. Art Juanchainat decides that he's had enough shipping and the things that he's expected to do for fanservice have crossed the line, and a lot of fans turned on him and still bully him whenever he appears anywhere. Because unlike the Yoon incident above, people like Mew and like the idea of Mew touching younger men. One week, the fans decide that the cast of Love By Chance is homophobic (because the are upset that Meen said that LBC2 will be his last BL and he doesn't want to do another), so suddenly the microagressions against Earth Namwirote are the number one cause, even though he never asked for help. And everyone congratulates themselves for fighting homophobia on his behalf. A few months later, he's paired with Santa and a bunch of fans pile on him for being a groomer, when all that's happened is that they are being promoted as a ship for future projects. Accusing someone of being a groomer without evidence, by the way, is pretty homophobic, but heaven forbid anyone mention that the fans of BL can be very homophobic when they want to be.

I have watched all of Cheewin's series, and while I enjoy them, he is not the most disciplined director. That's why I'm surprised. He's being tonally consistent this time and isn't giving in to his desire to be campy.

I also liked Lovely Writer a lot, but that series was more of a send up of the BL industry than this series. I didn't like Call it What you Want as much because while I think its heart is in the right place, its choice of including a relationship between a director and an actor worked against it. As the crusading director, he put himself into the script and let his insert character remain pure and sympathetic with the victims.

We'll see what Cheewin and the writers do with Director characters when one finally gets highlighted. Directors do play a role in the industry and it isn't exactly fair to portray the problems of the industry as "everyone else's problem" while the directors just sit on the sidelines and are too busy just setting up equipment to notice what's going on. I'll be a little disappointed if he does that. I'll be very disappointed if the director character becomes the only true friend the actors ever have. Everyone else involved is portrayed quite negatively, from fans, to managers, to actors, to production assistants, to sponsors.