Pinoy BL Series
Thailand
For the most part, Episode 10 was dull with lots of nonsensical and unnecessary scenes that didn't really move the plot/storyline forward. The entire dognapping fiasco was ridiculous and silly. After all their efforts to steal the dog, Celyn just decided to return the dog. Her action defied artistic and literary logic. Screenplay was also extra cringy on this episode. Lines were also long and repetitive. Acting performance was poor. Both Aki and Shanice need more acting workshops on facial expressions and vocal intonations. While Shanice was always on high pitch, Aki was always monotone. Thankfully this episode ended on a high note with Ace's birthday celebration. Production design, cinematography, and editing of the last part was ok. The dialogues, while cheesy, were mostly tolerable and the dancing and kissing at the end were really nice. For the last episodes of this season, I hope the scenes are made more purposive.
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I can understand why some may be disappointed with Episode 14: Sumpaan. There were too many flashbacks. Some may not like nonlinear narratives but I'm not one of them. Looking back at my commentary for Episode 3, I said then that I generally like nonlinear narratives. My issues with this series were the fillers and the pace which I've learned to tolerate by Episode 5. Halfway through this season finale, I've also learned to tolerate all the flashbacks. Lol! At least I got to see shirtless Ron one last time before I watch him on Ben X Jim. Lol! Not all loose ends, like the Nin-Makisig meet up and Bianx-Jet relationship status, were resolved on this season finale. Like I've said last week, I kinda expected this since there's a Pangs spin-off series and an In Between second season. But I'm happy they clarified Ri's true feelings and gave him some sort of closure. The best part of this episode was the TauTep's monthsary celebration, which was symbolic of a wedding. It's a sad reminder that the Philippines is still a long way from achieving marriage equality. But it's also a happy reminder that regardless of the challenges in the Philippines, same-sex relationships can still endure. Sure, TauTep's pledges/vows were chessy but they were also meaningful. My favorite lines from this season finale were "Hello and goodbye are not important. What's important is the in between... I love you. No more goodbyes." And there's still no goodbye for this series -- I'm looking forward to the Pangs spin-off series and the In Between second season!
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Quaranthings Episode 6
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Episode 6: Paracetamol moved the plot/storyline of Quaranthings forward. We saw character development for both Judah and Rocky. We also saw Glenn as the real third party on this series. We can expect this Glenn issue and the Lolly issue resolved on the two remaining episodes. How they're going to settle these should be interesting. Screenplay was relatable. Acting was good. And I don't know how it's possible but Royce was even more handsome on this episode! Lol! Audio-visuals were also ok. This episode (which was 16:50 minutes) was the shortest episode of the series so far. I hope the last two episodes are longer.
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Like in the Movies Episode 3
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Episode 3 was another good Gaya Sa Pelikula episode! Like previous episodes, it was a slow burn -- started slow but develops into something strong halfway through till the end. I think the entire series will also be like that. If you step back a bit, you'll realize that in three episodes, other than the super cute and funny moments, the main plot/storyline hasn't progressed that much. The build up's kinda slow but it's ok because we expect something great halfway through till the end of the season. Screenplay was consistently impeccable. Acting by the lead actors was generally ok. While Judit's domineering attitude and constant meddling were getting annoying, Adrienne was still funny as always. Yesh who played Anna (who first appeared on Episode 1) and Justine who portrayed Sue were good additions to Episode 3. Good production value was maintained on this episode. Cinematography which perfectly showcased expression and movement was great. Editing was just ok. The OST "Selos" (Jealousy) by the vowels they orbit, while not originally made for the series, was apt for the last scene. On the whole, I enjoyed this episode and I'm looking forward to the succeeding episodes.
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Chapter 1 ended with Episode 9: The Promise. For a chapter ending, it was a subdued episode to say the least. There were good moments but this episode lacked zest or zing. I liked the Jimmy and Joey moments, Ryle flirting with Joey, Wil's phone conversation with his mother, and Nuan finally deciding to move on. As usual, there were long scenes that were really dragging. The scenes showing Joey, Wil, Nuan, Brenda, and Jelay studying then drinking and getting drunk together was so dull. Brenda's "monologue" would have been good if it weren't too long. By the way, I'm still hoping they'll provide more details about Brenda and Jelay's character backgrounds (maybe on Chapter 2?). In terms of acting, Jules shined on this episode. Interestingly, I've always thought Erwin's the most trained among the Amore actors, but Jules consistently outshined him on their scenes together. Yes, those scenes were made for Jules to shine but Erwin and the other cast members just didn't have the acting performance necessary to keep up with Jules. Gabo was ok during Brenda's "monologue" but she was mostly held back by the tiresome script. Production design and cinematography were ok but editing still needs a lot of work. Amore still can't decide if they'll put audio on the recaps or not. They're very inconsistent. Also, post-credits were missing for this episode. Overall, I would have preferred a more exciting ending for this episode and this chapter. In any case, I'm looking forward to Chapter 2!
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Oh My Sexual Episode 8
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I can surmise that there are plenty of reasons why Oh My Sexual keeps losing viewers. The pilot episode had under 10K views but the latest episode can't even reach 1K views. An easy explanation for this is that it's just not palatable for the audience. It's not the dark comedy genre that's problematic, it's the documentary-experimental style of the creators and directors that focuses on form with not much substance that's dragging this series down. Episode 8: Oh My Love! highlighted the definitions of love for the different characters. The script and the delivery of lines were corny and cringy. The acting was generally tolerable but the dancing was quite awkward. Audio-visuals were largely uneven throughout this episode. There were scenes that had distracting background noise and grainy shots. All in all, I know that Oh My Sexual has been a disappointing series so far but regardless, I'll still see it through till the end, just to see if it has a modicum of substance after all.
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At 13.54 minutes, Episode 7: Just Call Me Master was Safe Haven's longest episode yet. While there were unnecessary scenes and preachy lines, this episode was the most substantive compared to its previous episodes owing to Dave and Terrence's long conversation. On this episode, at least we got some idea about Dave and Terrence's personalities. Terrence still seemed insincere but we don't know yet the effect of Dave putting him in his place. Hopefully we'll find out soon enough on the succeeding episodes. Acting still needs improvement. Production value remained the same. Editing, especially of the split-screen scenes, needs a lot of refinement. All in all, I'm just glad the plot/storyline progressed even for a little bit on this episode.
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The plot/storyline of 90 Days progressed on Episode 2: Virtual Bonding with information about Greg's past relationship with Patrick and the introduction of the supporting cast members. But while 90 Days made headway on its plot/storyline, there was also an obvious drop in the quality of performance and production. Because of the whining screenplay, the lead actors tended to overact. This was especially true for Aejhay who needs to tone down his delivery of lines. All the supporting cast members need improvement on their acting. Their performance appeared really scripted. It didn't help that some of the dialogues were preachy and didn't seemed natural. In terms of production, audio was mostly uneven on this episode. And I agree with other commenters, something has to be done with the actors' unnatural make-up because it distracts more than enhances the visuals of this series. All in all, 90 Days needs to improve on the next episodes. I hope they get to the HIV aspect of the plot/storyline soon. I'm really interested on how they'll handle such sensitive topic.
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Boyband Love Episode 2
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Episode 2 was fast paced. Relationships started to take shape on this episode, not only between Aiden and Danny but also between Jamie and Josh and between Rico and a fan. Screenplay was less cringy compared to last week’s episode. There were some good lines including Aiden and Danny’s conversation about the latter’s sexual orientation and the Philippine music industry. Interestingly, both Arkin and Gus were part of boy bands in real life. Also, like Danny, Gus had to hide his sexual orientation from the public out of fear that disclosure of such information will ruin his career. It’s only recently that he came out. He’s actually in a relationship with Louie. Gus seemed to be a perfect fit for the role of Danny. In terms of acting, both Gus and Arkin were generally ok. By the way, is it part of Arkin’s contract to have a shower scene every episode? Lol. Job, Luise, and those who portrayed the fans had awkward moments but were largely watchable. Production design, cinematography, and editing, especially with regards to scene transitions, need improvement. Overall, while there were some issues, there were also things to like about this episode.
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The growing chemistry between Aki and Miko carried Episode 9. The scenes with Ace and Sky together were cute and hot, sweet and spicy. The sexy scenes were good. I also liked Miko's scene with Sky's mother. How I wish all mothers are like her! In the Philippines, I would think that she's a rarity. Sky's conversation with his mother and later on with Ace, also showed that he didn't just wake up liking a guy like Ace. He has always had that feeling. At least that issue's settled. But outside the scenes with Ace and Sky together, it's been quite problematic. Yes, it's campy with fantasy sequences, but even campy narratives need some degree of believability. The entire Moira narrative was just lousy writing that suffered from poor directing. Moira's still that one-dimensional character who stole a lovely dog from a stupidly guarded rich man's mansion. And Shanice was barely watchable in her scenes with her acting. Production design, cinematography, and editing were generally ok. With three episodes (or is it five episodes?) left, I just hope they're able to resolve the loose ends of this series.
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Quaranthings Episode 5
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What a heartbreaking episode! Episode 5: Soap was a really good, but very sad, episode. The plot/storyline, focused on Judah and Rocky's self-discoveries, progressed on this episode. While at times both Judah and Rocky were annoying -- Judah with his arrogance and his disrespect for Rocky's privacy (by taking and posting Rocky's picture and going through his phone messages without permission) and Rocky with his internalized homophobia -- I still can't help it but emphatize and symphatize with both characters. Because of the solid character backgrounds laid out on the previous episodes, I totally get it why they are the way they are. On the last three episodes, I expect to witness their character developments. Screenplay was beautiful. While a bit idealistic and naive, this line was still perfect: "It's 2020. Gender is fluid. Homophobia is so outdated." I also liked their exchanges during the last scene when Rocky was avoiding to directly respond to Judah's questions. Those exchanges showed that they don't see eye to eye about a lot of things but they also care deeply for each other. Acting was generally on point. I was impressed with Kyo. He was really good on this episode. I felt miserable seeing Judah sad. Production value was generally ok. With five episodes released, Quaranthings has proven that it's a top-tier Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series. With three episodes left, I hope the series finish strong.
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Like in the Movies Episode 2
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Episode 2 was a good episode. There was a slight drop from the excitement and fun of last week's pilot episode but it was still enjoyable. The story moved along on this episode with some revelations about Vlad's past relationship. Karl also got himself a part-time job. But there were some scenes that were a bit dragging. While the fantasy sequence and dream sequence were alright, I hope they don't overuse them in future episodes. There were good dialogues, particularly the dinner scene, and there were funny lines, specifically the opening scene with the hilarious Adrienne and the post-dinner scene with shirtless Ian (who, with or without shirt, is gorgeous!), but there were also chessy lines, notably the closing scene. Acting was generally ok but Ian needs to enunciate better (which didn't really take away much from his good deep voice) and Pao needs to tone down a bit to avoid overacting (he's still cute though!). But these were just minor issues. Both were far better than newbie actors of other Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series, so they did just fine. Production value was still very good. Music was also very good. All in all, I still enjoyed this episode.
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Episode 13: Bunyag was a good episode that sets up next week's finale. Being a non-linear narrative, the sequence of events on In Between may be confusing at times but one of the objectives of such style is for the audience to realize that things are not always as they seem. This was exemplified on this episode. A lot of things were revealed by showing what actually happened. Ri's not a bad guy after all. He's part of Tau's elaborate plan to surprise Otep on their monthsary. There are still some loose ends like Ri's true feelings, Nin-Makisig meet up, and Bianx-Jet relationship status, all of which I'm hoping will be resolved on next week's finale, although I'm a bit doubtful. I would love to have a happy ending with all the loose ends settled but because there's a Pangs spin-off series and an In Between second season, I expect that not all issues will be worked out. But at the very least, I hope we get a really grand celebration next week!
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While Episode 8: In Between/Qualithing/It's My Day [apparently each part of an episode now has its own title; these titles were in homage to other ongoing Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series, namely, In Between, Quaranthings: The Series, and My Day] was characterized by plot holes and time jumps, it did move the main storyline forward. There were a number of developments on this episode including the baby being born, Jimmy's jealousy of Wil over Joey, Wil's character background and future (having a cheating father, getting someone pregnant, and his mother sending his friend over and allowing him to stay in the Philippines), and of course, Joey finally saying yes to Wil. The only thing that didn't progress was Nuan's love for Joey. With all the time jumps, you'd hope he would have moved on by now. But no, they just had to drag that storyline. The generally protracted pace of this episode was not amusing at all. Dialogues were so long, they became stale. And they affected the acting because most of the time, they took out the audience's emotional attachment to the characters and the scenes. Cases in point, Nuan and Jimmy's crying moments. They were good (even though Drei had an ugly cry) but because the lines were so long, the scenes became tiresome. The only thing that excited me on this episode was the JoWil kiss. While nowhere near the most dramatic, heartfelt, and well-acted kiss of Cairo and Gavreel (Gameboys) and the most intense and passionate kiss of Ace and Sky (My Day), the JoWil kiss was nevertheless good. It was a sweet and tender kiss. Overall, minus the irritating pace and the wearisome screenplay and scenes, this was still a good episode given the main storyline progression, JoWil kiss, and the change of location/set.
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On Episode 6: Close But Open, Terrence started to execute the dare that his equally sexist friends concocted: make Dave fall in love with him. The plot/storyline was shallow and the screenplay was long and repetitive. Acting didn't improve. Production value remained the same. At least, there's no more problematic Twitter handle. Let's see if this series improves next week.
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