CynicalMunky

Agreed, I have said this as well - Earth is miscast in this. They wanted the EarthMix combo but it doesn't work in this series. It's actually unfair to Earth by the casting directors - he will get all the flack and criticism for his part when the fault lies with them.

I didn't quite understand why they needed to make him 40+??! Aren't Wen/Alan supposed to be around 30? He could be around the same age and it would be more passable/palatable. Someone who at a younger age had to start taking care of his nephew, run a business that he maybe inherited but never wanted etc, and never got a chance to live his youth. It would make his backstory more interesting and the character would fit in better with the overall storyline, and he wouldn't feel as miscast as it fits in with his persona a lot more.

I don't really get Wen in this. Are we supposed to feel sorry for him? I'll reserve final judgement until the final episode, but right now he strikes me as selfish, spoilt and immature. His behaviour toward Alan is abysmal, and I can't find anything in his actions that make me sympathise with him (if that was the intention). He wants his cake and eat it. Sorry, I'm with Alan on this one.

I have to say, the relationship between Li and Heart is unnecessary. I know I'll get flack for saying this. We don't need 3 relationships (4 if you include Saleng and his girlfriend). Throw in Gaipa and it gets too much. Li/Heart could just be friends who get in trouble and Jim has to bail them out. And Saleng - what happened to him? They showed us his girlfriend pregnant and then he disappeared? And why is it Jim's responsibility to bail him out? He comes across as a bit of an immature di*k who knocked up his girlfriend and then ran to Jim to get help.

I found the first 2-3 episodes a bit boring, but it definitely got more interesting with Alan coming into the frame. Ironically, it's his relationship with Wen which is the most interesting story in this whole series. The main couple storyline is a bit by the by. They met, had sex and who cares? It's the interaction between Wen & Alan, the breakdown of their relationship, the consequences, emotions, impact on others around them etc which is by far the most interesting part of this series so far.

It reminds me of a classic Ingmar Bergan series called "scenes from a marriage" (later merged into a film with the same name). It's almost the same thing, a couple married for a long time and their relationship slowly breaks down - without them even realising how and when it happened. They start to hate and blame each other and violently argue before finally divorcing. They reconcile many years later as friends. It's very powerful stuff, and I wouldn't be surprised if the director took some inspiration from it.

He's the standout in this series. His acting skills have improved so much over the years.

Agreed!

No worries. Re: Fourth and Gemini - I have yet to make up my mind. I am a fan of First so naturally a bit biased. But I have seen his acting improve a lot over the years which can’t be said for some others. He seems to want to be an actor as opposed to just be famous.

You misunderstand, I don't like crying and shouting. An actor needs to be able to convey emotions on the screen - whatever they may be. It's subtle things like your eyes, body movements/language, quirks. It's what makes you stand out, and First has that. I'm not saying he's the best actor in the world, but he's likely one of the best they have at GMMTV.

I am one of them, and I can assure you I'm not a "bad person".

I'm not criticising Earth as person. I don't know him personally but he strikes me as a perfectly nice and pleasant individual. But acting is work, it's a job and if you haven't done a good job then that comes with consequences. You don't get a pass because you're nice or handsome. Do you get a pass at your work (assuming you're old enough and in a job)? I certainly don't. They're actors and their job is to act. Any criticism is on their acting ability and not them as person.

I'll have to disagree on Khaotung, I actually think his acting so far is weaker in this compared to Eclipse. I'm not feeling it yet, but I know he can do better and hopefully it'll improve in the next episodes.

Even Mix's acting has been a bit of a struggle. I'm not sure he's comfortable with portraying this character, and it shows. It feels a bit lazy.

I will agree that Gemini / Fourth have been decent, however, these are pretty much the same roles they played before, i.e. we haven't seen enough of them yet.

The only one who so far has made an impact is First who came in as a Tornado and wiped everything out. This is another unique character for him, one he hasn't done before, yet he's embodied the character and pulled it off (so far). It shows he has range and talent, and his acting skills have improved over time - which is what I would expect from an actor as they grow older and get more roles. He's definitely underrated by GMMTV, and I hope other networks and production companies pick him for work. I suspect even P'Aof was very surprised.

Hear, hear!

Exactly! Being able to portray that properly takes some proper acting skills.

Indeed.

The others have had plenty of opportunities to showcase their talents so far. I’m not getting a lot of emotion or sincerity from them yet.

Yeah, it’s called being talented!

He was leagues above the rest in acting. I think the producers intentionally played down his part and performance so as to not overshadow the others.

First’s entrance to this series has lifted the quality immensely. Shame he was only brought in this late. His acting is leagues above some of the others.

Well, just because it's been written for him doesn't mean it will end up being right for him. If that is the case then he's still been miscast. This isn't a reflection on him or his skills, miscasting happens even at big studios and with experienced actors. Stuart Townsend was supposed to the play the role of Aragorn in the Lord of the rings films, but the studio realised at the start of filming that it didn't work as he looked too young for the part (Aragorn is supposed to be 80 years old). He was replaced by Viggo Mortensen. Stuart Townsend was miscast. These things happen. The problem here is they wanted/needed the EarthMix combo regardless of whether it worked or not. And I'm not convinced it does.

He's about the only thing left that might save this series for me!

I wouldn't class this as reality.

I disagree. I think he's been terribly miscast in this, and as a result will get a lot of criticism for something that may not have been his fault.

Your inclination regarding age would be incorrect - certainly in my case. The storyline and premise may be fine (we don’t know yet as it’s only been two episodes), but the delivery is somewhat lacking so far in my view.

Until the next ones come along...

Yeah you might be right. It's a shame though because there is some talent there, and some of them do take acting more seriously and want to improve (and have improved).