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Love of Silom — A Great Premise Undermined by an Ending That Tried Too Hard to Please Everyone
Love of Silom had everything I usually look for in a mature BL. A darker setting, morally complicated characters, and a romance developing in a world where nothing comes easily. For most of the series, I was genuinely invested. Then the final episodes arrived, and instead of feeling satisfied, I felt betrayed by the writing.
The story itself is solid. Setting the romance against the backdrop of Bangkok's nightlife and the escort world immediately creates higher stakes than the average university romance. The characters constantly have difficult choices to make, and for a long time the series isn't afraid to show that every decision has consequences. That's exactly why I expected the ending to remain consistent with everything that came before it.
Instead, the script suddenly becomes far too generous.
The father changes his mind much too easily. The villains are caught with surprising convenience. The inevitable betrayal unfolds exactly as expected, and before I knew it, almost every important problem had been neatly resolved. After spending the entire series building a harsh and realistic world, the drama suddenly delivers an ending where almost everyone receives exactly what they wanted. It felt less like the natural conclusion of the story and more like fan service designed to avoid upsetting the audience.
That's what frustrated me the most.
I actually respect dramas that stay true to their own story, even if the ending hurts. Jack & Joker is a perfect example. Whether viewers agreed with its conclusion or not, it remained faithful to the world it had created. Love of Silom, on the other hand, seems afraid to accept the consequences of its own narrative. Personally, I think the series would have been much stronger with a bittersweet ending—or even a tragic one—rather than trying to satisfy everyone.
My other major issue remains Up Poompat.
I know many viewers enjoy his performances, but I've never been able to connect with his acting style. I already felt this while watching My Stand-In, and unfortunately nothing changed here. To me, his movements often feel stiff, his emotions restrained to the point of seeming uncomfortable, and I constantly have the impression that he's thinking about acting rather than simply living the character. That's entirely my personal impression, but it prevents me from fully believing his performances.
The contrast with Poom Phuripan is enormous.
Poom throws himself into every scene with incredible commitment. Whether he's angry, vulnerable, or deeply in love, I always know exactly what his character is feeling. Watching him beside Up only made the imbalance more noticeable. One actor seems to give everything, while the other often feels emotionally distant. Because a romance depends on both leads convincing me equally, I struggled to fully invest in the relationship.
The production itself deserves praise. The atmosphere is convincing, the cinematography suits the darker tone perfectly, and the series looks consistently polished from beginning to end. Technically, there's very little to criticise. My disappointment comes almost entirely from the storytelling and the imbalance I personally felt between the two leads.
Final Thought
Love of Silom could have been a very good mature BL if it had trusted its own story until the end. The setting, the premise, and much of the story were exactly what I was hoping for. Unfortunately, the ending chose fan service over narrative consistency, and that decision weakened everything the series had built beforehand. Combined with an acting performance I still couldn't connect with, I finished the drama feeling more frustrated than satisfied. I know many viewers gave it a perfect score, but for me, this is one of those rare cases where I simply couldn't follow the majority.
The story itself is solid. Setting the romance against the backdrop of Bangkok's nightlife and the escort world immediately creates higher stakes than the average university romance. The characters constantly have difficult choices to make, and for a long time the series isn't afraid to show that every decision has consequences. That's exactly why I expected the ending to remain consistent with everything that came before it.
Instead, the script suddenly becomes far too generous.
The father changes his mind much too easily. The villains are caught with surprising convenience. The inevitable betrayal unfolds exactly as expected, and before I knew it, almost every important problem had been neatly resolved. After spending the entire series building a harsh and realistic world, the drama suddenly delivers an ending where almost everyone receives exactly what they wanted. It felt less like the natural conclusion of the story and more like fan service designed to avoid upsetting the audience.
That's what frustrated me the most.
I actually respect dramas that stay true to their own story, even if the ending hurts. Jack & Joker is a perfect example. Whether viewers agreed with its conclusion or not, it remained faithful to the world it had created. Love of Silom, on the other hand, seems afraid to accept the consequences of its own narrative. Personally, I think the series would have been much stronger with a bittersweet ending—or even a tragic one—rather than trying to satisfy everyone.
My other major issue remains Up Poompat.
I know many viewers enjoy his performances, but I've never been able to connect with his acting style. I already felt this while watching My Stand-In, and unfortunately nothing changed here. To me, his movements often feel stiff, his emotions restrained to the point of seeming uncomfortable, and I constantly have the impression that he's thinking about acting rather than simply living the character. That's entirely my personal impression, but it prevents me from fully believing his performances.
The contrast with Poom Phuripan is enormous.
Poom throws himself into every scene with incredible commitment. Whether he's angry, vulnerable, or deeply in love, I always know exactly what his character is feeling. Watching him beside Up only made the imbalance more noticeable. One actor seems to give everything, while the other often feels emotionally distant. Because a romance depends on both leads convincing me equally, I struggled to fully invest in the relationship.
The production itself deserves praise. The atmosphere is convincing, the cinematography suits the darker tone perfectly, and the series looks consistently polished from beginning to end. Technically, there's very little to criticise. My disappointment comes almost entirely from the storytelling and the imbalance I personally felt between the two leads.
Final Thought
Love of Silom could have been a very good mature BL if it had trusted its own story until the end. The setting, the premise, and much of the story were exactly what I was hoping for. Unfortunately, the ending chose fan service over narrative consistency, and that decision weakened everything the series had built beforehand. Combined with an acting performance I still couldn't connect with, I finished the drama feeling more frustrated than satisfied. I know many viewers gave it a perfect score, but for me, this is one of those rare cases where I simply couldn't follow the majority.
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