fangirlmama

As others have said, it’s being handled with a lot of nuance and restraint and there is no grooming. I was worried about that, too, but it’s been beautifully done so far. I don’t think an age gap like this is an automatic no go, but I certainly feel wary. I think what works about the show is that the characters are wary, too. Especially the older one. The unfolding of the love between them feels authentic and complex and mixed with pain and longing and fear that what they’re feeling is not okay. The sexual tension is palpable but not in a tantalizing way like the show is just trying to draw viewers. It actually makes sense in the story and is being developed with great care.

I’m daring to hope there might be a happy ending. Not bubble gum happy but possibly a deep kind of healing happy.

Wait, do we know Shin and Minato won’t be kissing? 🧐

That really is a shame. I guess it doesn’t surprise me too much, though. It doesn’t give instant gratification the way a lot of BLs do, and it’s more emotionally demanding of the viewer—which is what makes it such a masterpiece

Although she certainly does have some narcissistic tendencies.

Fair. I think, through, that the room divider actually does serve an architectural/design purpose in the room, too, though. It sets off the area with the couch as a bit separate from the rest of the room without blocking the view out the window or making the room feel smaller or too chopped up. With him being an architect who designed the house himself, I could see that having been an intentional design element. But again, we don’t need to agree. It’s definitely interesting to think about the ways that stage and film production differ and the choices made and how they impact the watching experience. Fascinating stuff.

That’s what I’ve been thinking, too. They’re definitely not making the “release” of the sexual tension the focus of the show. And I really appreciate that. Not that I’m not aching for it as much as the next person, but that would feel sort of like a cop out, especially if it happened too quickly and too easily. I do lean toward thinking they will consummate their mutual desire, but I honestly have no idea what that will look like if/when it happens at this point. I’m glad they didn’t have them rush. There’s so much that needs to be worked through emotionally between them—between all 3 really.

😔 I’m sorry

My read of it is that Wang seems to be okay with being both himself and somehow the embodiment of his father to In. And that he wants to connect with him on both levels. I think, too, that Siam really loved Wang. In and his mother love him, too, but I think they both experience so much pain connected to him that it makes it hard for them to be fully present for him as himself and not a representation of something else that they longed for and couldn’t have.

I think I am able to feel compassion for her because she is just a poor fit for the men in her life. I don’t think she’s a bad person. She just wasn’t the wife or mother they needed, and that’s sad for everyone involved.

Soooo close!! 😭 I’m dying here

Interesting. I’ve found Nike’s portrayal of In quite good and have been riveted by these scenes while Sasiwomol has been gone. Nike does so much of his acting with his face and body language. For me, I can feel his own repression hindering him from expressing all that he’s feeling and wanting, which makes the acting feel really subtle and effective to me. But we don’t have to agree. 😊

I don’t think anything will ever knock ITSAY out of the top spot for me just because the characters came to mean so much to me, but this is definitely becoming my second favorite. So so beautifully and intentionally crafted.

I agree with Ivy in that I am very drawn to the ways this feels like a stage play. I don’t think the room divider is random. I don’t think anything in the way this is shot is random, actually. The room divider often serves to put one of the characters (In in ep 6) behind bars in a way that very clearly parallels how he feels about his forbidden love. But the fact that Wang can sit next to him and reach him there… I think it’s all really intentional

I’ve been thinking that it feels a lot like a stage play.

I wouldn’t say it’s the latter. I would use the word “compelling” more than “satisfying” or “shocking.” Very beautifully done. Deep. Thought-provoking. Every choice—from writing to acting to cinematography—feels like it’s been made very intentionally.

Aww, really? I’m not criticizing your perspective, just sort of surprised. I feel a lot of compassion for her. She’s flawed, but I think she loves her son and is trying to do right by him.

Yes! 100%

I thought maybe the one word was “gay”, but I think this feels more right now that I think about it. And yes, poor mom. It’s no one’s fault, but it’s deeply sad for everyone involved.

Came here to ask this same question. I would be really surprised if after all this build up, the show didn’t let viewers see their first sexual interaction, but I got the sense that the scene was supposed to make us wonder and not give answers. It was really puzzling to me, though. Very different from how the rest of the story has been told so far. Everything has been very visible, even the characters’ internal wrestling with what’s going on. So why suddenly have that happen off screen in an ambiguous way where we aren’t even sure if it did?