Actually self aware and better than expected

I was expecting this drama to go on a way that I would be disappointed but this is actually so much better than expected. I chanced upon this Thai drama in Netflix, and I had no high hopes for it. I watched it because I'm a big fan of the unrequited-love and fake-marriage trope. When those tropes came into play, you always know how the story is gonna unfold.

The most important aspect of this show is really their characters. There are very stereotypical characters on this show. At least at first. You got Tien who's a womanizer, narcissistic bully, and an asshole. And you got Muey who's selfless, caring, and actually in love with Tien for the longest time. Classic character tropes, right? What this lakorn does different is develop this characters over time, not for them to turn 180 on their personality, but to add more depth to them.

First of all, Muey is actually resourceful and cunning if she wants to. You would think she is head over heels and love-driven towards the male lead (ML), right? She IS that, but she is also smart, cunning, daring, patient, career-driven, and compassionate. She is so much more than her love for the ML, and I feel that. I like how she can go against the ML when it comes to things she really care about, like her job and her love. I love how you can also see her loving herself more and more as the story progresses. She didn't fully went down the lovesick ride, she came to knew her limit, and had the sense to remove herself from ML's life. Because she knew it was becoming toxic and she was sacrificing too much for this guy that doesn't even love her, as far as she knew. She's not blinded by her love, but rather she is pragmatic on where she stands on ML's life.

And ML, Tien is just about what you expect when I said he's a womanizer, narcissistic bully, and an asshole. I really downright hated his character on the first half of this series. He's the complete opposite of the selfless Muey. He was used to thinking little of women because he can have them all, and he just bullies Muey so hard that it's unreasonable. I knew the story would let him get away with it in the end. For the first half, I was just holding on to the expectation that he will eventually fall in love with FL and regret his actions towards her and he will chase her. That's what actually happened BUT they treated that plot point with more care. I didn't even expect to be moved on his expected repentance, because men apologizing in stories like this are lowkey manipulative. I was expecting to hate it because Muey has done so much for him already that he can't just repent and say sorry. He needs to grovel. AND THAT'S WHAT THEY DID WITH HIM HALLELUJAH!! They actually held him accountable for his shortcomings! Muey deadass told him he doesn't know her. It's just her who knows him. She actually told him that he didn't care for her, he didn't even know her birthday for god's sake. Love the way he cried when Muey listed off things she knew about him that he didn't know about her, and the way she said he was so concerned on paying her alimony that he was willing to make her drunk. She didn't even have to shout these things, she just gently reminded him like he's a petulant man. It's like slapping his face kindly lmao. Also I absolutely love his Mom. She tried her best with him, set him up with the perfect girl, was rightfully angry at her son for hurting said girl, and lets him grovel as he deserves to. And she's always available for him. I just love the process of him repenting (even though it only took like two episodes) and trying to get back on his feet after giving up Muey. He apologized to Muey's mom for not taking care of her daughter properly, and asked her mom to know more about her. Also, damn when he found out Muey was pregnant. We can see that he still feels entitled when it comes to Muey but after some talk down with his mom, he respected her decision to stay away, and secretly did things for her and didn't even ask for recognition. He's just contented knowing she stays safe and free. He literally became so selfless for her and their family. The growth from being childish entitled brat to selfless family man is amazing and so well-acted.

Overall, if you want characters who literally grows physically, emotionally, and mentally (story literally spanned from high school to them being married) to a better version of themselves, then this show is for you. Despite the overdone tropes, this story did their best to portray the two main characters and the story of their love. I recommend to try giving this a watch.

Read More