This review may contain spoilers
I believe this one could have shown more openly about the conflicts Tanrak felt internally. I couldn't help but feel the show somehow diminished the heavy theme of oppression and the reality of depicting the real disparities coming from the religious characters, as it did in the pilot.
It got off to a great start, with the characters and storytelling glittering. I thought Barth's character was expertly portrayed. Tanrak had an incredibly loving relationship with both Father and Kongkit.
But the way they carried their characters perplexed me. Kongkit was the friend who Tanrak ignored, pushed away, and failed to express their distance from one another. There's constant apprehension in the episodes when Tanrak and Barth face Kongkit; neither of them shared a complete understanding nor had a factual comprehension. Given that Tanrak and Kongkit had been good friends for many years, I kind of didn't enjoy how Tanrak drifted away from the latter.
The biggest issue that left me feeling hollow at the series' conclusion was that neither the characters nor the plot showed any consequences for the battles Tanrak frequently appeared to be fighting in public.
Through Tanrak, we often had to come to believe we saw the shame and fear he goes through, but it was never implied. He was never pushed to make a choice, publicly chastised, or disgraced by anyone.
Initially, the priests who said that same-sex love is sinful simply understood and accepted it.
And ironically, Kongkit—who was previously thought to be a figure who may sabotage Tanrak and Barth's relationship—welcomed and encouraged them.
It's not like I disliked it; I suppose there could be some frames where we could have seen the apprehension that Tanrak felt throughout, actively, profoundly, from outside as well, from the characters, and seen Kongkit's side of the story a little more of what he felt.
Perhaps Tanrak realised what he had done and realised that his dread of not being able to see his parents in heaven does not change who he is. Then it might have made me feel something about Tanrak's constant fright, and the whole story what it ought to be.
Despite all of this, I still found the show enjoyable because of what it attempted to depict. I was humbled by Fourth's and Gemini's performances; the entire script's importance was breathtakingly lovely.
Some quotes I liked:
“If God teaches us to love, but we’re not allowed to love each other, then what’s the point of having God in this world?”
“No matter where I am, as long as you’re next to me, everything’s fine.”
“Humans can live without faith. Humans can live without hope, but humans cannot live without love.”
It got off to a great start, with the characters and storytelling glittering. I thought Barth's character was expertly portrayed. Tanrak had an incredibly loving relationship with both Father and Kongkit.
But the way they carried their characters perplexed me. Kongkit was the friend who Tanrak ignored, pushed away, and failed to express their distance from one another. There's constant apprehension in the episodes when Tanrak and Barth face Kongkit; neither of them shared a complete understanding nor had a factual comprehension. Given that Tanrak and Kongkit had been good friends for many years, I kind of didn't enjoy how Tanrak drifted away from the latter.
The biggest issue that left me feeling hollow at the series' conclusion was that neither the characters nor the plot showed any consequences for the battles Tanrak frequently appeared to be fighting in public.
Through Tanrak, we often had to come to believe we saw the shame and fear he goes through, but it was never implied. He was never pushed to make a choice, publicly chastised, or disgraced by anyone.
Initially, the priests who said that same-sex love is sinful simply understood and accepted it.
And ironically, Kongkit—who was previously thought to be a figure who may sabotage Tanrak and Barth's relationship—welcomed and encouraged them.
It's not like I disliked it; I suppose there could be some frames where we could have seen the apprehension that Tanrak felt throughout, actively, profoundly, from outside as well, from the characters, and seen Kongkit's side of the story a little more of what he felt.
Perhaps Tanrak realised what he had done and realised that his dread of not being able to see his parents in heaven does not change who he is. Then it might have made me feel something about Tanrak's constant fright, and the whole story what it ought to be.
Despite all of this, I still found the show enjoyable because of what it attempted to depict. I was humbled by Fourth's and Gemini's performances; the entire script's importance was breathtakingly lovely.
Some quotes I liked:
“If God teaches us to love, but we’re not allowed to love each other, then what’s the point of having God in this world?”
“No matter where I am, as long as you’re next to me, everything’s fine.”
“Humans can live without faith. Humans can live without hope, but humans cannot live without love.”
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