Nolan Peale

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.

Going to say that this is probably Cheewin's best series, and I'm surprised by it. He's usually prone to putting in some kind of comic relief character or toilet humor to lighten the mood. Or cast himself. This is much darker than his other series. Yeah, its a bit lakorny at times, but its just a very bleak world that he's built emotionally, where every relationship is false and there's no relief or stability. Even Bew, who seems like he could be the one pure soul in the world, is so torn at this point he's capable of beating up the guy he claims he loved when he's angry or coldly leaving him in jail when he begs for him to stay awhile longer. This certainly isn't Secret Crush or You never Eat Alone. I almost long for a fart joke.

Given that this is all in one universe, I wouldn't be surprised if Yo was working for Koon, the manager from the first series. Remember, in ep. 1, she's still mad that Yoon didn't bring her Bew as she promised. And I wouldn't be shocked if they free themselves from Mom and Sis to end up with an even worse manager. Yo though might be just doing this on his own because he's angry about his failed audition from five years ago.

I find that the texts are always translated on Gaga, but AIS play leaves them alone.

Yeah. But my experience with fans being on the lookout for BTS abuse makes me a bit skeptical. Watching episode 8, I know exactly the episode in BL fandom history that's being referred to by the comments they have the fans making. Not to rehash that period, but fans are very fickle about which of their "babies" they will protect and which they will discard over any scandal, and who gets targeted for online bullying, and what kinds of abuse fans are willing to overlook. I think a theme that's been running through both Parts I and Parts II - is that fans really can't protect anything and are a very unreliable source of strength. Individual fans, sure. But the mass of fans working in tandem or fighting in rival camps is never shown in the series thus far as helping.

I'm not going to guess which parts are real and which aren't. Although the fan reactions to the events are definitely based on real life fan behavior. Beyond that, I don't want to speculate as to which BL stars had sex with each other and which were dating in real life and which had managers who forced them to break it off with their girlfriend and start having sex with men instead. As far as I'm concerned, none of the BL ships are real and have never been real.

One of the two pilots survived according to the news report, if "couldn't find the body" means "is alive and working his way to the secret lair beneath the house." If there was a parachute, Rain would have offered it to his mom and his dad would have just taken it from them and yelled "You both are such disappointments" as he leapt from the helicopter.

Meh. I hated the father so much that I was pissed at Khim for even caring about anyone but Rain.

Episode 11:
1) I'm going to guess that Pie was trying to assassinate Khim with shrimps.
2) Lacorny murder plots are always suspicious. I'm going to guess that it was the pilot who didn't show up who sabotaged the helicopter, because I don't care how much money she's offering. I'm not going to crash a helicopter that I'm in just so she gets more money than she already has. Also, this isn't the first Lakhorn that I've seen where it appears that there is a vast network of hitmen for hire who just drive around the city streets waiting for their victim to run over. Like you go online and submit a photo like and just wait. Although this is another reason why I think Pie is in on it as he knew where Khim was and that he would be riding a motorcycle home.
3) On the other hand, things never have to make sense in Lakhorns.
4) When Khim visits their graves on Qinming, I'd like Ohm and Singto be in the background. Let's tie these series into the same universe.
5) I'm so relieved that they are dead as the dad has been telegraphing his death since we first met him in episode 2 and every time he speaks he talked about his legacy like he wasn't going to be around much longer. Unfortunately, so did Rain in the early episodes. I'm thinking he's dead, but managed to text Khim the evidence while Khim was sleeping. We haven't seen Khim open that text.
6) Although as someone mentioned below, Khim has head trauma that might lead to a stroke and amnesia. Rain could be alive, but with amnesia. Maybe this ends with Khim remembering who he is when he and Sun look at the comets together while Phayoo drags a burned and broken Rain to Brazil to see the falls together. LOL. Don't let me write these things. I'd be even worse than what we currently have.
7) The doctor is Sun's cardiologist. He's shocked to see her because he's been skipping his appointments for the entire school year. Its the same look of shame you'd give to your priest on a Sunday afternoon when you bump into him in a grocery store with a cart full of beer when you've been skipping church for a few months.

Lordy. They're going to imply that he dragged himself miles through the woods with broken bones and burns and is using the alcohol in the basement to sterilize his infections, like he's Sylvester Stallone. When the evil Doctor arrives, he'll just knife here while muttering "You drew first blood."

I'm surprised he didn't jump up from under the sheet to tell Khim one more time how disappointed he was with him.

I actually kind of liked how clueless his parents were about what was going on between Qi Zhang and Ye Guang. The thought that he might be on date never crossed their minds. Instead they were more concern about the appearance of Qi Zhang's clothing and his low class parentage. LOL. Yeah, I hate them. But somehow their closed-mindedness is what is going to allow this relationship to get off the ground. I was wondering how it was that they let their son hang out with the obviously very gay Ray, but they are so class conscious Ray could probably come over dressed as Quiqui and they wouldn't see past how much money his dad makes.

It was o.k. not to resolve all the issues with the parents, since these aren't the kind of parents who are going to let their son date a boy without hauling him to a psychologist. Having a typical BL scene where the parents come around to acceptance wouldn't have worked in this format. Leaves an issue open for a season 2.

Feel a little robbed that we don't get to see the election. Who wins? Will Qi Zhang win and then leave Ye Guang for Berklee College? Hopefully they can close the loop with another season.

They are in danger of loosing him to such anti-social behavior as roller-skating and blowing bubbles in the park. O.K. back in my day when older kids and young adults were blowing bubbles in the park, it usually meant they were stoned, but. Still. First he's blowing bubbles, and the next thing you know he'll be hanging out with friends drinking bubble tea and eating mochi and loudly slurping egg drop soup. Gotta put a stop to that. Even the children of the Puritans who thought that any time spent away from reading the Bible was a pathway for the devil to lead your soul to hell allowed their children to have a bit more fun than his parents did.

I'm sure you'll be the first to remind us all that if unicorns really existed, they'd kill virgins and eat kittens and we wouldn't like having them around very much. Sure, a drop of their blood grants immortality, but is it really worth the fear of not knowing whether you'll be gored on your way to the grocery store? I mean, unless you're a virgin of the purest of heart, you're pretty much toast when you encounter one.

Anyway, I'm not sure where the fantasy element of this series is that's so bothersome. Boy concocts a scheme to get another boy to like him. Scheme fails and the boy is understandably upset when he finds out about it. But talks things out with some adults and friends and decides he'll pursue the relationship anyway. On the side, a girl ends up liking a boy who does kind things for her. And another boy gets to be friends with an older girl once he makes it clear that he's not interested in dating her. Yeah. This is all so unrealistic. It could never happen.

I do appreciate that you think that I'm 25 years younger than I am. I'm actually older than In. Although he's the same age as my partner. (In, btw, is an older millennial.) Having actually lived in the past, I think you'll find that there were actually quite a few people who didn't wait around until same sex marriage was legal to forge ahead, and many managing closeted lives such that it wasn't actually a prison. So I'm not critiquing the character based on presentism.

In is a character who is carrying the weight of representing "the olds" in a series about intergenerational dialog, though. So I wanted to say that even in Thailand there would have opportunities for a wealthy academic to construct a life more positive than living in a dark prison secluded from the world in constant mourning for the only man he'd ever loved. That's just as inaccurate presentation of the past lives of gay Asian men as having a story where In and Siam got married and Thailand put their faces on a postage stamp in celebration because they were so happy for them. The lonely middle aged gay man cut off from the joys of modern social change is a bit of a stereotype, btw. One that allows society to congratulate itself too quickly on its progress.

Anyway, this series isn't over yet, so I don't know how it will end. I think they've been quite nuanced in this issue. But as it stands right now, I'm probably going to end up taking Sasi's side next week, but for different reasons. I think were I Wang's dad, I'd probably work to nip this relationship in the bud because I wouldn't want my son to join In in prison. "Still in prison, but someone there with him" is not a happy ending for me. In taking steps to get out of prison is o.k., but drawing someone else in there, not o.k. (Plus, I'd be a bit pissed about my son choosing to be a philosophy major. At least do a social science, kid. Cultural Studies is fine. Religion. Cool. But philosophy? NO.)

Episode 6 thoughts
1) I'm on the side that they did not "make love" that night, nor would they have even if mom didn't interrupt the mood with her call. The director hasn't had a problem focusing his lens on Nike's hunky chest and Pond's sensual twinkiness, so if they didn't appear to have sex, they didn't have sex. We'll know. That and its really not that great to have sex with someone who is about to cry, let alone actually crying. And I think in In's state, tears were more likely.

2) I did feel a bit sorry for Sasi as even her crew ditched her, but then I remember that Sasi's parties include psychologically torturous confession games and I'd tend to want to stay away from that with co-workers. No, I won't work better as part of the team if I find out in a round of "Never have I ever" that you once had a threesome in the bathroom at the Central Food Court and your parents never loved you.

3) Her speech, though, I'd like to have seen covered in livestream comments. "My fans, with their sad little lives, look up to me" is hardly something that would keep me as a fan, even if its true.

4) I'm actually glad that I'm watching this only 1 hour each week rather than waiting to binge. As much as I like it, I would probably zone out of the dialogue at the 3 hour point of the binge. They need to get outside and do something soon.

5) I guess my question is what has In then been doing in the meantime. He left his girl. He moved away. Did he really just devote himself to work and being a professor all that time and never tried to even start a relationship again? Even have a fling with fellow grad student? I'm skeptical. That's more pathetic than tragic.

Everyone but Bew dies in a fire would be a happy ending right now. Even if it turned out that it wasn’t an accident and Bew was seen leaving the building carrying an empty gas can.

Some character is going to have to outright explain what a “wifey” is. I’m a bit lost. The characters seem to know that it’s different from a boyfriend. It seems like it’s a more casual relationship than boyfriend. Like you can’t cheat on a wifey. Apparently. But you have to hide your sexual dalliances from them anyway as if you aren’t in an open relationship.

Before Rika committed suicide, he transferred a bit of his essence into that book as well as 5 different objects at Sampalo College. Ayun is at the college to identify those objects and bring them back together to revive his dark lord and destroy the muggles once and for all. Meanwhile, Nemo has the book and is slowly working his way towards the Samapolo library where the book was forged, to destroy it, ending Rika's reign of darkness forever. Ya'll have been reading this like its a BL "The Blacklist" or "The Gifted." its really a BL Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings mash up.

As for me, episode 10 reminded me that they needed to write the script with excuses for Jimmy to show off his body more frequently. He should have been in the shower, contemplating his life at least once an episode. Maybe when times were tough, trying to make ends meet as a dancer over at whatever this world's equivalent of Mama Gogo is.

Well, most episode 11 break ups in Thai BLs are because of some minor misunderstanding that normal people would talk through in 30 seconds. In this case, breakup caused by a misunderstanding about how the portkey rules work leading to an existential crisis. Can't say that's minor since it involves expanding one's knowledge of the laws of the universe to fix.