We have reached the end, folks! What a wild, bumpy ride. But a ride I enjoyed, nonetheless. I do plan on making a full review for the entire season some time soon!
Alright, let me get right into it: ❤ThanuWayu
We start off with a small scene where Thanu explains what happened between him and Padbok. I will talk more later about my feelings on the explanation and Padbok's appearance, but thanks to Wayu, they get to talking again. It being Wayu to try and get them to talk again isn't surprising, especially after all the stuff that happened in S1.
There's a lot that happened this episode that I anticipated, but I didn't expect there to be one final mention of Pha at all. Yes, the tombstone looked awful, but I already mentioned my problems with the props and set design for the funeral scene back in Ep 10; they more than likely filmed this one with that one, so I'm not surprised about an off looking grave site.
But anyway, I loved that they included a scene of them visiting his grave. And specifically them harking back to the first season with the little Frog Prince figuring Wayu had from Pha. The moment I saw him holding that, I did nearly weep. That was a great touch.
I wasn't expecting too much for Thanu and Wayu's first/last sex scene, considering it was both Dun's (Thanu's actor) and Bas' (Wayu's actor) first time filming one. It was fine- except for that god awful spot light!! I hated that thing in MarkKit's sex scene, and I still hate it now. I don't know what kind of effect they were going with for it, but it didn't look good to me.
All in all, solid ThanuWayu scenes.
❤ Padbok If you are curious about the potential behind the scenes drama/issues with Junior (Padbok's actor), then check out my Discussions post.
With that being said, I didn't expect much for the explanation simply because we did not have enough time. What they came up with honestly doesn't make too much sense, but it is what it is.
I did love when Padbok mentioned that Thanu was the friend he loved the most. I feel that despite the lackluster reason behind everything, having him say that really drove home the hurt he felt, in my opinion. See the for them hug was very sweet though.
Did I want Thanu and Padbok to makeout right then and there? Yes LMAO. I'm glad that Junior's final scene in Gen Y and more than likely with the company was this one.
❤MarkKit A LOT OF FLUFF. Oh my God, so much fluff. Very cute, but I felt like they had one too many MarkKit scenes. Their last scene, the one where they went back to Mark's dorm, could've been replaced with just about anything: another PokTong scene, a scene with Mark and Wayu catching up after not really talking the last 7 episodes.
Though I do like that they had them talk about their definition of love in their first scene together. I love that they kind of brought everything full circle with that conversation. That was great!
❤ JackKoh My favorite second thing about this episode were their moments!
Though short, they were chock full of sweetness. I do wish we had gotten a good make out scene with the both of them though. I do think that it's a little odd that 3 years later, they're still apprehensive about being seen together in public, but some couples are just like that, so it's whatever for me.
I've loved that the entire time they seem like a verse couple; there were never really clear cut proof that one of them was the top. We need more couples like this in BLs. We got to see moments where either one had intense top energy, and others where either of them had intense bottom energy. I t was great. It seems like both of their actors may be working on something now? I hope it's another BL with them as the main couple! If so, I'm definitely checking it out.
❤PokTong
Out of everything, I was the most nervous about these two. Every since S1, I wanted them to have a lengthy scene where they discuss everything that happened between them and to them. Where they both acknowledge the flaws and whatnot. Especially with Pok apologizing and so on and so forth. However, I also know not to expect too much with BLs, so I was afraid they would have a very half assed scene with them and then they fuck.
But they didn't! The conversation could been a bit better, but I'm honestly pleased with it! There's a comment Pok makes where he was like "I wish we can go back to the past, to when I'd make you angry and coaxed you." Something like that. There have been odd translation issues all season and even in this episode. I was put off by this comment, but I think what he meant to say was something like how he used to tease Tong and how Tong would roll his eyes but seemed to enjoy it. Things like that. Though I could be wrong.
Having them mention things from S1 was great. For anyone who may not know: Bank/Tora (Pok's actor) and Bonus (Tong's actor) have a hashtag that fans of them use called "dom25". The 25 comes from the fact that they both were born on the 25th day; November 25th for Bank/Tora and January 25th for Bonus. So Pok saying he remembers the first answer being 25 had me reeling LOL I almost lost it. I thought that was a fantastic touch.
Looking at them during this conversation was pretty reminiscent of how they were prior to Saendee fucking things up, and I loved that. I mentioned in my last review that we've been seeing Tong slowly becoming more confident and standing up for himself again, the version of him that was lost once the Saendee stuff happened. And we see it again in this scene. And Pok had some moments in S1 prior to The Saendee Incident where he was careful and pretty much respectful of Tong and his space; and we see that here too.
Also, Tong asking him the 5 questions as though they were test questions was great, going back to the whole tutoring thing.
I do wish we got oneeee more scene with them, though. It doesn't even have to be a sex scene. Though there are pictures of the actors making out pretty intensely during an acting course, and I was half expecting that to show up in this episode. Maybe it's for their other show, What Zabb Man.
And I could go on and on about this scene, but I'll refrain. Just know I'm happy with what they were able to give us. I did rewatch the scene and did tear up a bit LOL
❤Saendee and Phai
I was hoping since S1 that we would get scenes where it would show the Juniors warming back to Saendee. Or maybe the don't. I actually have a headcanon where it takes a while longer for them to even begin warming back up to him. So the fact that they do so quickly AND off screen sucks. But it doesn't surprise me.
I also had a headcanon that by the end of the story, Saendee and Phai would not end up together. After everything Saendee did, it makes sense that they wouldn't. However, if I were the writer, I would end it strongly hinting at the fact that at some point in the future, they may more than likely will end up together.
However! With how BLs work where they usually want to appease the fans of screen partners, they'll usually have the characters end up together anyway.
But they didn't. And THAT was shocking to me. I follow a lot of the cast on social media, and even though I don't follow BankPon (Bank is Saendee's actor and Pon is Phai's actor) activities, I just realized that they haven't really been around each other that much lately. Maybe they aren't screen partners anymore, and that's why SaendeePhai didn't happen?
Any BankPon fan who follows their stuff can correct me if I'm wrong!
❤Time Skip/Graduation
I knew for a couple of weeks now that there was going to be a time skip. I saw a BTS picture of some of the characters in graduation gowns.
Now, all season, but *especially* in the second half, editing has been rough around the edges. The editing for this episode wasn't that great, but it especially showed in this part. It was almost as though they could only get one or two takes per scene.
But outside of that, I would've been fine with the show not ending in a time skip. So I feel neutral about this choice. However! This show was a massive beginning for a lot of the actors; some them even got to play in other shows and will play in other shows hopefully. For a lot of them, they've never acted before and more than likely would've never gotten the chance to if Star Hunter didn't pick them up. For a lot of them, this was a a great opportunity. Even the company itself had some rough beginnings, and rough moments (Junior, scheduling issues, last minute script changes, etc etc) filming this show, but especially S2.
So in a way, the graduation isn't just for the characters, but for the cast and crew as well. To move on to, hopefully, bigger and better things. And it's very touching to me. I gained massive fondness for both the actors and the production crew.
------------------------ So while there were issues with production that I have mentioned in all of my episodic reviews up until now, I can't help but still be proud of this small company for attempting such a big feat that is Gen Y. Especially after the problems they had with 2 Moons. I don't expect there to be a season 3 to be very honest. At first, I could see them doing a time skip season, like with TharnType. But the ending seemed very final. I will honestly miss these characters and the story, but I'm excited to see what else SH has in store. I wish the company, crew, and cast good luck in future endeavors!
There's absolutely nothing wrong with a story showcasing a character who's flawed and then showing us how they…
I completely understand! I get that in this moment, this was a "good" time for them to kiss: Kuea in his sober state would've never asked Lian to kiss him, and Lian never kissed him nor would he have done so in Kuea's sober state either. So Kuea being very drunk (he couldn't really walk and couldn't tell who was who and kept fumbling- very clear signs he was quite drunk) will act out more and do stuff his sober self wouldn't do. Lian took advantage of the situation and kissed Kuea- which I could argue was not only gross of him, but cowardly as well.
I don't think it's nuanced at all. It's just a way to romanticize a nonconsensual act. They could have still kept the meaning behind the kiss without romanticizing it.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with a story showcasing a character who's flawed and then showing us how they learn and grow from that. Nothing at all. I actually love when BL do this with their characters.
The issue, however, lies in how these ideas are framed and presented to the audience. For example, the drunk make out scene with Lian and Kuea: Kuea was incredibly drunk and in no way could he have given Lian consent. So this act is very inappropriate. If they really wanted to frame this as a flawed act on Lian's part, they very easily could've: play a melancholy tune (preferably one with no soft singing) and don't linger too much on the kiss. Have a moment either right afterwards or soon after where we can tell Lian regrets doing that- and then he chooses to never do that again and to only kiss him when he can consent. But instead they gave us a drawn out kissing scene with various angles, soft lighting, and they have Foei react in a way that mimics how they expect us, the audience, to react. There's no moment where they acknowledge that the nonconsensual kissing was an actual problem. And *that's* the problem.
They could have these characters be mean, down right abusive, so on and so forth for all I care, so long as they explore these flaws as such and appropriately. But too many romances don't. Which is a shame.
A series that does a pretty good job at presenting a very flawed character as such and then we get to see him grow is Theory of Love.
I haven't read the original story, but I don't think that matters. Now, I'll start off with things I really like about this show so far: 1) The acting is very good and they execute their characters' personalities very well. New being a brand new actor is still insane to me; he's great and I'm very excited for his acting career and future projects. 2) Kuea and Diao's dynamic is SO. CUTE. I want a show with just them and/or with their actors as the main couple PLEASE. 3) The set designs, locations , and use of color and lighting are my 2nd favorite (Kuea and Diao being #1) things about this show. I would watch this show just for that alone.
Now, onto the stuff I don't like: For as long as I have been into all sorts of BL media, one thing I always hated was the use of very toxic behavior and reactions to said behavior as ways to create cute romances and atmosphere. This isn't unique to BLs at all. The romance genre in general is chock full of this. Twilight, anyone? And the problem with this is that it normalizes these behaviors and makes some, if not most, viewers think actions like this are okay. When they're not. And seeing people say that specific moments are cute and funny proves that point.
For example: Diao freaking out about being on time, trying his hardest to not make Yi mad, crying when Yi simply snaps at him, feeling awful about lying, having to tiptoe around Yi- Diao's reactions so far put together are signs of someone who's been abused in some way. I mentioned before that I have a friend who was abused for many years and he acts the SAME way as Diao. It's freaky.
There are ways they could've shown us that Diao's intimated by Yi and keep it some level of cute/relatable at times without going this far. But they went this far and want us to agree with Yi that him crying in ep2 was cute. No thanks. Like, there's being a crybaby, and then there's this scene. If they want us to believe he cries very easily because, yes, some people are like that, then they should've given us more examples of this. But they haven't. There are ways they could've shown us that Yi and Lian are naturally cold people and are, to some extent, unaware of how people react to their cold exterior without going this far. If the point of the characters is that they had very strict and loveless upbringings and that's why they're like this now, then they should've given us one or two examples of this by now. But instead, Li and Yian come off as being assholes for the sake of it. Which, if that's the point, then they're going to have to try hard to make them likeable down the road.
I have come across BL stories over the years with the same exact premise, but done better. I have also come across BL stories that play way too lightly with heavy topics and emotions that need to explored in careful, respectful ways. I have a feeling that the rest of Cutie Pie will end up being the latter. Which is unfortunate.
I do plan on continuing the series because Kuea and Diao are just *that* adorable. I'm also curious about this third new pairing, but I'm bummed out that the new character also appears to be a weirdo so far.
It seems like it's a recap of their story...? I haven't seen them nor SH mention special episodes for ThanuWayu or MarkKit. However, there are a couple of special episodes that neither iQiyi nor SH have mentioned on social media; I currently have no ways of getting direct links for them. But maybe those new special episodes are recaps of MarkKit and ThanuWay...?
Either way, if iQiyi posts a direct link for this episode, I'll add it to the list above!
A pleasantly chill episode! Character of the week: Wayu with his chubby cheeks. Not Character of the week: no one! I think all the characters were great- even Padbok LOL
Last week's episode was quite the emotional roller coaster. From crazed initial responses to misunderstandings- it was A LOT. So I really like that this episode was more chill. The calm *after* the storm, if you will.
The pacing was good overall!
❤ ThanuWayu I'm glad they spent as much time as they have with this little honeymoon. Especially since they've spent SO long trying to be together. Initially I was hoping there wouldn't be too much time spent on them this episode, but thinking back to all of the stuff they went through to finally be here, I'm not mad about it all. A lot of cute fluff!
But then we got...
❤Padbok He's back!
His time in this episode was a lot shorter than I expected, but it still packed a punch. I'm glad to see he'll be coming back next episode! I saw BTS pictures of the punch that was previewed for next episode weeks ago, and now it's going to happen! I'm excited to see what will come of this debacle.
Even though I knew PadbokSab wouldn't happen, it was still nice to see them in the same scene, if anything.
If any of you are confused about why Padbok had very few scenes this season, check out my Discussions post I made above. There aren't concrete answers, but there are some good evidence and theories in there.
❤The Juniors & JackKoh
The only complaint I have for this episode is very minor scenes we got with them during the music festival. I wish we could've seen Phai, Klui, Sab, and Kalae sing, even for just 10 seconds. For those who don't know: Kalae's actor, Tung, has an AMAZING singing voice!! How perfect would it have been to hear him sing? I would've scrapped the scene where they talk about surprising Thanu and used that time for the music festival.
I mentioned last week that the JackKoh scene in ep10 was unnecessary. If they had omitted it and put that time towards this episode and we got a cute little moment with just them, that would've been great!
It's a small complaint though, nothing crazy.
❤PokTong
Initially I was worried that they wouldn't get much screen time, and I was expecting them to talk this episode, but what we got instead was fine!
The moments where we got to see Tong taking him back little by little, starting off with him reading Pok's texts was a very nice and appropriate touch.
I had this idea since S1 that if Pok were to apologize or say something alluding to an upcoming apology, that he would do so publicly. It's a very Pok thing to do, in my opinion. And seeing him sing to Tong was honestly very sweet.
I wish there was some minor dialogue changes with his lyrics and some of what Mark and Kit say to each other later on, but it's fine. At the end of the day, it's a BL and BLs normally don't get that deep anyway. We still have more PokTong in the next episode, though!
❤MarkKit
The last 10 or so minutes were cute, not going to lie. Their conversation was very them. As I mentioned before, I wish what they said was more deep, but it was fine.
I was very glad they chose to decline Kit instead of having this whole thing where he gets accepted and Mark forces himself to learn English and all of that.
Seeing them finally have sex was great! I think it's VERY fitting for them to have taken this long. I know it's normal for BLs to have their couples make out and have sex quickly, but I love that they took the time with MarkKit and ThanuWayu.
All in all, a solid episode! I'm excited for the last episode :]
Try this. You may need to refresh the page and/or your VPN. Both links work fine for me, but were giving my friend some issues too. Seems to work for her, though.
First off, Diao's reaction had me so worried. Being so anxious about making sure he's on time when Yi tells him to be and about lying even though having to lie sometimes is a perfectly normal thing- none of that, to me, is a healthy reaction.
I have a friend who grew up with an ab*sive mother, and he ended up reacting the same way. Not just to his mom, but to others; it wasn't something he could control. And seeing Diao acting this way reminded me of him SO much.
And then we have Yi who clearly has had issues with lying in the past. Maybe dealing with a compulsive liar? And I theorize that the both of them have experienced some awful stuff before getting together. And that the both of them haven't grown close enough to unlock these parts about their pasts, so they end up unintentionally hurting each other and themselves.
I'm curious to see what else will happen with them.
WOW, this episode was really good!I love how the production crew decided to go buck wild with just about everything-…
As for my thoughts on stuff that actually happened:
The maid outfits were cute. I loved them! That whole sequence was adorable- minus the fact that they're hiding all of his creepy shit.
Som, Daisy, and Jao continue to be SO cute. I missed the fact that Daisy gets a romance eventually, so I was hoping we'd see something about that this episode, but no dice. I was also hoping for some more SkyJao, and we got a little glimpse!
I love that they keep doing things to make Prao look foolish LOL. I really like her character, and that bit of humor makes me like her more. Like move out of the way girl, Nuea wasn't singing for you. I do hope she gets a lesbian romance at some point. OH, maybe with Som?? I would be down.
The Loser Gang (that's what I call them) having another moment where they get super emotional was good. I do like the exaggeration of having them actually cry, and yet at the same time it feels very real to me. We get a very idea of how close they are and how much they cherish each other and take care of each other, and it's very sweet to me! There are some people who choose to remain friends with someone who does something creepy like this, that's just how it is. And I find that about the three friends to be very interesting. I'm expecting there to be tipping point in their friendship where despite the understanding, they basically have had enough, and they bounce for a bit. Or maybe they don't, but they give Toh a firm talking to. That would be nice to see.
Nuea revealing that he also has a nickname for Toh was actually cute. And Sky helping him out is, once again, cute. I do like this group's friendship too. Nuea likes Toh, but we don't know if he knows about the stalking, correct? Like, this entire time, he's just assuming that Toh has a normal crush on him because he hasn't actually seen any of the weird behavior, right? That's how I've been understanding it, anyway.
All in all, I'm curious to see what's going to happen next.
I love how the production crew decided to go buck wild with just about everything- and they executed it very well! The use of bright colors is great! Not just with the lighting, but with the clothing as well; every character, outside of the school uniforms, wears something that is some level of out of the ordinary with colors, shapes, and textures. The school uniforms are this obnoxious baby blue color that gives me almost fairy tale/comic book vibes. The angles and cinematography is very good. The acting is GREAT. Set design is also very good!
Having Toh be this exaggerated alongside all of the other choices (with visuals and acting) they made makes SO much sense. I said this in episode one, but the execution of the show is really good so far!
However, I'm still fairly creeped out by Toh's behavior- and a part of me believes that is what they want us to feel. That, sure, at times we can laugh at some of the stuff he does and says when he's in his Moment, but it's meant to be weird and creepy. We're meant to be grossed out. It's SO fascinating to see all of this cute and pretty colors with gorgeous set designs be juxtaposed against Toh's behavior. Like, the part when he was in his kitchen: a part of me couldn't get over how they chose to design the space, but then he does something gross and I'm like "Oh, ew 😬".
I have no issues with media exploring something negative like stalking, *but* they have to explore it as such. And so far, I do think they're doing a fairly decent job at it by showing us that even his friends cringe at it at times: like, even though they understand him on a much deeper level thus they stick around him, sometimes they still try to stop him and cringe when he does or says something weird.
I think what would really push this show's rating for me is if at some point they really condemn Toh for his actions, and we see Toh realize what he's doing is terrible and he does try to change. If this doesn't happen then, despite all the positives I just said, this story would be awful. So for now, I'm giving the story a chance to build up to that which is why I haven't criticize this aspect of the story just yet. But we'll see.
I wasn't precisely sure how to organize a response to episode 10. So I'm just going to jump in. Usually I do character…
Excellent point!!
It's so easy for a lot Westerners to forget to remove themselves from their own cultures when viewing media from a completely culture/country. We have to remember that these Asians shows are made Asian audiences first and foremost; some of them don't even bother trying to cater to Western audiences and it shows. And that's perfectly fine if they chose not to.
I do believe that despite this, some things could have been done better. But all in all, it's actually a pretty good scene in hindsight and especially with this knowledge.
Another great review, thanks for sharing!I was curious to see if anyone understood the decision to have Phai talk…
I absolutely agree that it's ridiculous that people are expecting Phai to be Saendee's lttle psychiatrist now. Like, fuck no, Saendee needs to get up on his own and attempt to make changes. The bit of aid from Phai is helpful, sure, but it's definitely not Phai's job to do so.
And with Kalae and Pok, I believe the reason why he didn't do that is because they definitely wouldn't have gotten far. Saendee and Tong at the time were not budging *at all*. Pok would've kicked Saendee's ass and Saendee probably would've sent more thugs to beat him up again. So it would've progressed to where it is now anyway.
Also, I'm geniunely curious: when has Phai reached out to Tong? Outside of season 1 when he asked him multiple times to tutor Pok? I know he's done things for Pok (you could also say that Phai giving advice to Tong was for Pok's sake not Tong's, but I don't feel like debating that lol) and even referred to Pok as his best friend in S1, but I honestly can't recall any other time he's reached out to Tong for Tong's sake.
Another great review, thanks for sharing!I was curious to see if anyone understood the decision to have Phai talk…
It's okay! It's no problem at all, I didn't read it in that tone :]
Okay, so Kalae didn't have the full picture when he told Pok about the weird stuff between Tong and Saendee- and yet he told him anyway. As for the timing, I would say he chose to tell him at that point instead of prior because it was right after it was revealed to the rest of them how A) crazy Saendee's actions are and how far he's willing to go and B) Pok still felt hurt about not knowing why Tong sent men to beat him up. When Kalae realized both things, but especially the second point, that's when he finally said something to Pok.
So we have a clear example of Kalae speaking up despite not knowing the full picture. So it makes a lot of sense, now knowing everything, for him to want to speak to Tong about the situation.
I absolutely don't believe it's Phai's responsibility to teach Saendee anything, nor did I say he has to do so. It wasn't his responsibility at all whatsoever to talk Saendee into apologizing to Thanu and Wayu- and yet he did so anyway. Which is perfectly fine! I just find it very odd that he did that, but did not bring up the PokTong situation. Especially since he's the fixer type. I would even go as far as to say it's out of character that he hasn't talked about it with him. Remember when after the Pok/Saendee fight, Phai went after Saendee wanting more answers about the situation? That's a good example of Phai wanting to know what's going on with his friends; and we could tell he thought what Saendee did was wrong. He even told Saendee to apologize to them, in which Saendee brushed it off; this was before his redemption arc started, so Saendee reacting this way makes sense for the time. So writing-wise, having Phai bring up the situation again and suggesting that he apologize to the both of them makes so much sense to his character. I also stated that after the talk, Saendee would go to Tong on his own, not with the aid of Phai like when they talked to Thanu and Wayu.
Having Saendee make his own decision (with or without the talk with Phai) to attempt to talk with Tong would be huge character development. At this point, Tong's character has been growing, but so has Saendee's. The others have noticed he has stopped his nonsense for some time now. There's even a scene where we see Klui, despite everything, trying to help Saendee off the floor after the play. And Tong is clearly the type of person to listen to someone, whether he listens the whole time or leaves part way through. So it honestly isn't that weird that any one of them (except Pok and Sab) wouldn't mind attempting to hear Saendee out.
Either way, I can see Tong being surprised by Saendee wanting to apologize and being curious about what he has to say; I can see him wanting answers. Tong isn't the type, from what we've seen so far, to cause massive drama. So I don't think he would do anything crazy just because Saendee tries to talk to him. the worst he would do is roll his eyes and walk away immediately.
And as I mentioned before that Phai has every right to talk to his friend and give him advice; friends help each other, and I believe Tong needed a moment where he realized his actions weren't right. However, that doesn't mean that you have the right all of the time to say certain things to your friends, given the context of the situation. Sometimes, depending on where you stand in that situation, maybe it's best for you to not say anything at all, regardless of what type of person you are.
And I say all of this as someone who's similar to Phai: I'm a fixer type as well, so I get it. But I also know that sometimes, it's not my place to give advice or say something.
I had to sit and stew in my emotions for my thoughts on episode 10. I’m still not over Pha’s parents leaving…
Another great review, thanks for sharing!
I was curious to see if anyone understood the decision to have Phai talk to Tong because I couldn't think of a good reason why it had to be him. So I was hoping someone would state their views, and you did! I'm not arguing with you or anything, just putting out some thoughts of my own.
So first thing, the ability to talk about how intentions work can fall on anyone despite their lack of experience in one or more types of relationships. It's because intentions work in any type of relationship: romantic, platonic, work, etc. So, sure, we can say Kalae's never dated, but he definitely has friends and could've experienced how intentions work at any time.
And just like how Kalae can talk about it, so can Phai. Absolutely! However, the issue, in my opinion, is that he didn't have the right to. It makes a lot of sense for his type of character to want to help, but just because you're the fixer type, does not mean you have to go and butt in everyone's problems. We see how this is a problem with Tong trying to help Pok with his problem in high school, and, well...Yeah.
But my main issue isn't even that he's the fixer type. It's more so that he took sides with Saendee. In my opinion, none of this stuff between Pok and Tong would've happened if Saendee didn't send grown men to beat up a teenager, and if he didn't blackmail Tong afterwards. I would go as far as to say what Saendee did to PokTong was far worse than what he did to ThanuWayu. And yet, from what we know of, Saendee has never apologized for it. And Phai has never talked him into it, like he did when he talked Saendee into apologizing to ThanuWayu. So it feels gross knowing that Phai knows everything now, still remains with Saendee, hasn't done anything about it, but wants to give Tong advice.
What would've been a much better solution that would somewhat have Phai involved is if we saw Phai speaking to Saendee about it and then Saendee, on his own accord, goes to apologize to Tong. I can see Tong giving him a chance (albeit a very slim chance), so he listens. And Tong brings up Saendee's other actions with ThanuWayu. And Saendee explains he had, what he thought of at the time, good intentions. He reveals that he always loved Phai and wanted him to be happy, so he did something extreme. But later, thanks to Phai, he learned that intentions can mean absolutely nothing regardless of how good they are. And from this conversation, we see something tick in Tong's mind; he understands exactly where Saendee is coming from because the both of them did something extreme for the person they love. This would also give Saendee's character some decent redemption, I think.
Kalae is another good option because he's been in the midst of the Saendee/Pok/Tong situation. If you recall, he was there helping Tong when Pok got beaten up. He was the one who saw Saendee put the letter in the locker. And he's been keeping an eye on Tong and Saendee's creepy little interactions since then, even though he didn't know the whole story; he just knew some weird stuff was going on between Tong and Saendee and that neither of them would talk about it. I can see his conversation with Tong going like this: Some time after the reveal between Pok and Saendee and after Tong moves in, Kalae asks Tong if they can talk about the situation. And so they do. And from that, Kalae understands where Tong is coming from, but then gives him the advice. That would've been fine, especially since Kalae can be firm at times.
I think Phai is an interesting character, I always did think so. And him talking to Tong makes sense for his character. I just think there definitely were better people to do so.
I do plan on making a full review for the entire season some time soon!
Alright, let me get right into it:
❤ThanuWayu
We start off with a small scene where Thanu explains what happened between him and Padbok. I will talk more later about my feelings on the explanation and Padbok's appearance, but thanks to Wayu, they get to talking again. It being Wayu to try and get them to talk again isn't surprising, especially after all the stuff that happened in S1.
There's a lot that happened this episode that I anticipated, but I didn't expect there to be one final mention of Pha at all. Yes, the tombstone looked awful, but I already mentioned my problems with the props and set design for the funeral scene back in Ep 10; they more than likely filmed this one with that one, so I'm not surprised about an off looking grave site.
But anyway, I loved that they included a scene of them visiting his grave. And specifically them harking back to the first season with the little Frog Prince figuring Wayu had from Pha. The moment I saw him holding that, I did nearly weep. That was a great touch.
I wasn't expecting too much for Thanu and Wayu's first/last sex scene, considering it was both Dun's (Thanu's actor) and Bas' (Wayu's actor) first time filming one. It was fine- except for that god awful spot light!! I hated that thing in MarkKit's sex scene, and I still hate it now. I don't know what kind of effect they were going with for it, but it didn't look good to me.
All in all, solid ThanuWayu scenes.
❤ Padbok
If you are curious about the potential behind the scenes drama/issues with Junior (Padbok's actor), then check out my Discussions post.
With that being said, I didn't expect much for the explanation simply because we did not have enough time. What they came up with honestly doesn't make too much sense, but it is what it is.
I did love when Padbok mentioned that Thanu was the friend he loved the most. I feel that despite the lackluster reason behind everything, having him say that really drove home the hurt he felt, in my opinion. See the for them hug was very sweet though.
Did I want Thanu and Padbok to makeout right then and there? Yes LMAO.
I'm glad that Junior's final scene in Gen Y and more than likely with the company was this one.
❤MarkKit
A LOT OF FLUFF.
Oh my God, so much fluff. Very cute, but I felt like they had one too many MarkKit scenes. Their last scene, the one where they went back to Mark's dorm, could've been replaced with just about anything: another PokTong scene, a scene with Mark and Wayu catching up after not really talking the last 7 episodes.
Though I do like that they had them talk about their definition of love in their first scene together. I love that they kind of brought everything full circle with that conversation. That was great!
❤ JackKoh
My favorite second thing about this episode were their moments!
Though short, they were chock full of sweetness. I do wish we had gotten a good make out scene with the both of them though. I do think that it's a little odd that 3 years later, they're still apprehensive about being seen together in public, but some couples are just like that, so it's whatever for me.
I've loved that the entire time they seem like a verse couple; there were never really clear cut proof that one of them was the top. We need more couples like this in BLs. We got to see moments where either one had intense top energy, and others where either of them had intense bottom energy. I t was great.
It seems like both of their actors may be working on something now? I hope it's another BL with them as the main couple! If so, I'm definitely checking it out.
❤PokTong
Out of everything, I was the most nervous about these two. Every since S1, I wanted them to have a lengthy scene where they discuss everything that happened between them and to them. Where they both acknowledge the flaws and whatnot. Especially with Pok apologizing and so on and so forth. However, I also know not to expect too much with BLs, so I was afraid they would have a very half assed scene with them and then they fuck.
But they didn't! The conversation could been a bit better, but I'm honestly pleased with it! There's a comment Pok makes where he was like "I wish we can go back to the past, to when I'd make you angry and coaxed you." Something like that. There have been odd translation issues all season and even in this episode. I was put off by this comment, but I think what he meant to say was something like how he used to tease Tong and how Tong would roll his eyes but seemed to enjoy it. Things like that. Though I could be wrong.
Having them mention things from S1 was great. For anyone who may not know: Bank/Tora (Pok's actor) and Bonus (Tong's actor) have a hashtag that fans of them use called "dom25". The 25 comes from the fact that they both were born on the 25th day; November 25th for Bank/Tora and January 25th for Bonus. So Pok saying he remembers the first answer being 25 had me reeling LOL I almost lost it. I thought that was a fantastic touch.
Looking at them during this conversation was pretty reminiscent of how they were prior to Saendee fucking things up, and I loved that. I mentioned in my last review that we've been seeing Tong slowly becoming more confident and standing up for himself again, the version of him that was lost once the Saendee stuff happened. And we see it again in this scene. And Pok had some moments in S1 prior to The Saendee Incident where he was careful and pretty much respectful of Tong and his space; and we see that here too.
Also, Tong asking him the 5 questions as though they were test questions was great, going back to the whole tutoring thing.
I do wish we got oneeee more scene with them, though. It doesn't even have to be a sex scene. Though there are pictures of the actors making out pretty intensely during an acting course, and I was half expecting that to show up in this episode. Maybe it's for their other show, What Zabb Man.
And I could go on and on about this scene, but I'll refrain. Just know I'm happy with what they were able to give us. I did rewatch the scene and did tear up a bit LOL
❤Saendee and Phai
I was hoping since S1 that we would get scenes where it would show the Juniors warming back to Saendee. Or maybe the don't. I actually have a headcanon where it takes a while longer for them to even begin warming back up to him. So the fact that they do so quickly AND off screen sucks. But it doesn't surprise me.
I also had a headcanon that by the end of the story, Saendee and Phai would not end up together. After everything Saendee did, it makes sense that they wouldn't. However, if I were the writer, I would end it strongly hinting at the fact that at some point in the future, they may more than likely will end up together.
However! With how BLs work where they usually want to appease the fans of screen partners, they'll usually have the characters end up together anyway.
But they didn't. And THAT was shocking to me.
I follow a lot of the cast on social media, and even though I don't follow BankPon (Bank is Saendee's actor and Pon is Phai's actor) activities, I just realized that they haven't really been around each other that much lately. Maybe they aren't screen partners anymore, and that's why SaendeePhai didn't happen?
Any BankPon fan who follows their stuff can correct me if I'm wrong!
❤Time Skip/Graduation
I knew for a couple of weeks now that there was going to be a time skip. I saw a BTS picture of some of the characters in graduation gowns.
Now, all season, but *especially* in the second half, editing has been rough around the edges. The editing for this episode wasn't that great, but it especially showed in this part. It was almost as though they could only get one or two takes per scene.
But outside of that, I would've been fine with the show not ending in a time skip. So I feel neutral about this choice. However! This show was a massive beginning for a lot of the actors; some them even got to play in other shows and will play in other shows hopefully. For a lot of them, they've never acted before and more than likely would've never gotten the chance to if Star Hunter didn't pick them up. For a lot of them, this was a a great opportunity. Even the company itself had some rough beginnings, and rough moments (Junior, scheduling issues, last minute script changes, etc etc) filming this show, but especially S2.
So in a way, the graduation isn't just for the characters, but for the cast and crew as well. To move on to, hopefully, bigger and better things. And it's very touching to me. I gained massive fondness for both the actors and the production crew.
------------------------
So while there were issues with production that I have mentioned in all of my episodic reviews up until now, I can't help but still be proud of this small company for attempting such a big feat that is Gen Y. Especially after the problems they had with 2 Moons.
I don't expect there to be a season 3 to be very honest. At first, I could see them doing a time skip season, like with TharnType. But the ending seemed very final. I will honestly miss these characters and the story, but I'm excited to see what else SH has in store.
I wish the company, crew, and cast good luck in future endeavors!
https://www.iq.com/play/gen-y-the-series-season-2-ep-12-xl4l0d6lvg?lang=en_us
I get that in this moment, this was a "good" time for them to kiss: Kuea in his sober state would've never asked Lian to kiss him, and Lian never kissed him nor would he have done so in Kuea's sober state either.
So Kuea being very drunk (he couldn't really walk and couldn't tell who was who and kept fumbling- very clear signs he was quite drunk) will act out more and do stuff his sober self wouldn't do. Lian took advantage of the situation and kissed Kuea- which I could argue was not only gross of him, but cowardly as well.
I don't think it's nuanced at all. It's just a way to romanticize a nonconsensual act. They could have still kept the meaning behind the kiss without romanticizing it.
The issue, however, lies in how these ideas are framed and presented to the audience. For example, the drunk make out scene with Lian and Kuea: Kuea was incredibly drunk and in no way could he have given Lian consent. So this act is very inappropriate. If they really wanted to frame this as a flawed act on Lian's part, they very easily could've: play a melancholy tune (preferably one with no soft singing) and don't linger too much on the kiss. Have a moment either right afterwards or soon after where we can tell Lian regrets doing that- and then he chooses to never do that again and to only kiss him when he can consent.
But instead they gave us a drawn out kissing scene with various angles, soft lighting, and they have Foei react in a way that mimics how they expect us, the audience, to react. There's no moment where they acknowledge that the nonconsensual kissing was an actual problem. And *that's* the problem.
They could have these characters be mean, down right abusive, so on and so forth for all I care, so long as they explore these flaws as such and appropriately. But too many romances don't. Which is a shame.
A series that does a pretty good job at presenting a very flawed character as such and then we get to see him grow is Theory of Love.
1) The acting is very good and they execute their characters' personalities very well. New being a brand new actor is still insane to me; he's great and I'm very excited for his acting career and future projects. 2) Kuea and Diao's dynamic is SO. CUTE. I want a show with just them and/or with their actors as the main couple PLEASE. 3) The set designs, locations , and use of color and lighting are my 2nd favorite (Kuea and Diao being #1) things about this show. I would watch this show just for that alone.
Now, onto the stuff I don't like:
For as long as I have been into all sorts of BL media, one thing I always hated was the use of very toxic behavior and reactions to said behavior as ways to create cute romances and atmosphere. This isn't unique to BLs at all. The romance genre in general is chock full of this. Twilight, anyone? And the problem with this is that it normalizes these behaviors and makes some, if not most, viewers think actions like this are okay. When they're not. And seeing people say that specific moments are cute and funny proves that point.
For example: Diao freaking out about being on time, trying his hardest to not make Yi mad, crying when Yi simply snaps at him, feeling awful about lying, having to tiptoe around Yi- Diao's reactions so far put together are signs of someone who's been abused in some way. I mentioned before that I have a friend who was abused for many years and he acts the SAME way as Diao. It's freaky.
There are ways they could've shown us that Diao's intimated by Yi and keep it some level of cute/relatable at times without going this far. But they went this far and want us to agree with Yi that him crying in ep2 was cute. No thanks. Like, there's being a crybaby, and then there's this scene. If they want us to believe he cries very easily because, yes, some people are like that, then they should've given us more examples of this. But they haven't.
There are ways they could've shown us that Yi and Lian are naturally cold people and are, to some extent, unaware of how people react to their cold exterior without going this far. If the point of the characters is that they had very strict and loveless upbringings and that's why they're like this now, then they should've given us one or two examples of this by now. But instead, Li and Yian come off as being assholes for the sake of it. Which, if that's the point, then they're going to have to try hard to make them likeable down the road.
I have come across BL stories over the years with the same exact premise, but done better. I have also come across BL stories that play way too lightly with heavy topics and emotions that need to explored in careful, respectful ways. I have a feeling that the rest of Cutie Pie will end up being the latter. Which is unfortunate.
I do plan on continuing the series because Kuea and Diao are just *that* adorable. I'm also curious about this third new pairing, but I'm bummed out that the new character also appears to be a weirdo so far.
Here's the link!
I haven't watched the whole thing, but it seems like it's most of the PokTong scenes in the show, but mostly the S2 scenes.
https://twitter.com/iQIYI_Thailand/status/1499024099145773060?s=20&t=Ga3vzPKkEqi8ySZxJkBvfw
It seems like it's a recap of their story...?
I haven't seen them nor SH mention special episodes for ThanuWayu or MarkKit. However, there are a couple of special episodes that neither iQiyi nor SH have mentioned on social media; I currently have no ways of getting direct links for them. But maybe those new special episodes are recaps of MarkKit and ThanuWay...?
Either way, if iQiyi posts a direct link for this episode, I'll add it to the list above!
But if you mean for else where, I believe dramacool and bilibili posts new episodes a couple of days later.
Character of the week: Wayu with his chubby cheeks.
Not Character of the week: no one! I think all the characters were great- even Padbok LOL
Last week's episode was quite the emotional roller coaster. From crazed initial responses to misunderstandings- it was A LOT. So I really like that this episode was more chill. The calm *after* the storm, if you will.
The pacing was good overall!
❤ ThanuWayu
I'm glad they spent as much time as they have with this little honeymoon. Especially since they've spent SO long trying to be together. Initially I was hoping there wouldn't be too much time spent on them this episode, but thinking back to all of the stuff they went through to finally be here, I'm not mad about it all.
A lot of cute fluff!
But then we got...
❤Padbok
He's back!
His time in this episode was a lot shorter than I expected, but it still packed a punch. I'm glad to see he'll be coming back next episode! I saw BTS pictures of the punch that was previewed for next episode weeks ago, and now it's going to happen! I'm excited to see what will come of this debacle.
Even though I knew PadbokSab wouldn't happen, it was still nice to see them in the same scene, if anything.
If any of you are confused about why Padbok had very few scenes this season, check out my Discussions post I made above. There aren't concrete answers, but there are some good evidence and theories in there.
❤The Juniors & JackKoh
The only complaint I have for this episode is very minor scenes we got with them during the music festival. I wish we could've seen Phai, Klui, Sab, and Kalae sing, even for just 10 seconds. For those who don't know: Kalae's actor, Tung, has an AMAZING singing voice!! How perfect would it have been to hear him sing? I would've scrapped the scene where they talk about surprising Thanu and used that time for the music festival.
I mentioned last week that the JackKoh scene in ep10 was unnecessary. If they had omitted it and put that time towards this episode and we got a cute little moment with just them, that would've been great!
It's a small complaint though, nothing crazy.
❤PokTong
Initially I was worried that they wouldn't get much screen time, and I was expecting them to talk this episode, but what we got instead was fine!
The moments where we got to see Tong taking him back little by little, starting off with him reading Pok's texts was a very nice and appropriate touch.
I had this idea since S1 that if Pok were to apologize or say something alluding to an upcoming apology, that he would do so publicly. It's a very Pok thing to do, in my opinion. And seeing him sing to Tong was honestly very sweet.
I wish there was some minor dialogue changes with his lyrics and some of what Mark and Kit say to each other later on, but it's fine. At the end of the day, it's a BL and BLs normally don't get that deep anyway. We still have more PokTong in the next episode, though!
❤MarkKit
The last 10 or so minutes were cute, not going to lie.
Their conversation was very them. As I mentioned before, I wish what they said was more deep, but it was fine.
I was very glad they chose to decline Kit instead of having this whole thing where he gets accepted and Mark forces himself to learn English and all of that.
Seeing them finally have sex was great! I think it's VERY fitting for them to have taken this long. I know it's normal for BLs to have their couples make out and have sex quickly, but I love that they took the time with MarkKit and ThanuWayu.
All in all, a solid episode!
I'm excited for the last episode :]
Try this.
You may need to refresh the page and/or your VPN. Both links work fine for me, but were giving my friend some issues too. Seems to work for her, though.
https://www.iq.com/play/gen-y-the-series-season-2-ep-11-1wkiszif9s4?lang=en_us
First off, Diao's reaction had me so worried. Being so anxious about making sure he's on time when Yi tells him to be and about lying even though having to lie sometimes is a perfectly normal thing- none of that, to me, is a healthy reaction.
I have a friend who grew up with an ab*sive mother, and he ended up reacting the same way. Not just to his mom, but to others; it wasn't something he could control. And seeing Diao acting this way reminded me of him SO much.
And then we have Yi who clearly has had issues with lying in the past. Maybe dealing with a compulsive liar?
And I theorize that the both of them have experienced some awful stuff before getting together. And that the both of them haven't grown close enough to unlock these parts about their pasts, so they end up unintentionally hurting each other and themselves.
I'm curious to see what else will happen with them.
The maid outfits were cute. I loved them! That whole sequence was adorable- minus the fact that they're hiding all of his creepy shit.
Som, Daisy, and Jao continue to be SO cute. I missed the fact that Daisy gets a romance eventually, so I was hoping we'd see something about that this episode, but no dice. I was also hoping for some more SkyJao, and we got a little glimpse!
I love that they keep doing things to make Prao look foolish LOL. I really like her character, and that bit of humor makes me like her more. Like move out of the way girl, Nuea wasn't singing for you. I do hope she gets a lesbian romance at some point. OH, maybe with Som?? I would be down.
The Loser Gang (that's what I call them) having another moment where they get super emotional was good. I do like the exaggeration of having them actually cry, and yet at the same time it feels very real to me. We get a very idea of how close they are and how much they cherish each other and take care of each other, and it's very sweet to me! There are some people who choose to remain friends with someone who does something creepy like this, that's just how it is. And I find that about the three friends to be very interesting. I'm expecting there to be tipping point in their friendship where despite the understanding, they basically have had enough, and they bounce for a bit. Or maybe they don't, but they give Toh a firm talking to. That would be nice to see.
Nuea revealing that he also has a nickname for Toh was actually cute. And Sky helping him out is, once again, cute. I do like this group's friendship too. Nuea likes Toh, but we don't know if he knows about the stalking, correct? Like, this entire time, he's just assuming that Toh has a normal crush on him because he hasn't actually seen any of the weird behavior, right? That's how I've been understanding it, anyway.
All in all, I'm curious to see what's going to happen next.
I love how the production crew decided to go buck wild with just about everything- and they executed it very well! The use of bright colors is great! Not just with the lighting, but with the clothing as well; every character, outside of the school uniforms, wears something that is some level of out of the ordinary with colors, shapes, and textures. The school uniforms are this obnoxious baby blue color that gives me almost fairy tale/comic book vibes. The angles and cinematography is very good. The acting is GREAT. Set design is also very good!
Having Toh be this exaggerated alongside all of the other choices (with visuals and acting) they made makes SO much sense. I said this in episode one, but the execution of the show is really good so far!
However, I'm still fairly creeped out by Toh's behavior- and a part of me believes that is what they want us to feel. That, sure, at times we can laugh at some of the stuff he does and says when he's in his Moment, but it's meant to be weird and creepy. We're meant to be grossed out. It's SO fascinating to see all of this cute and pretty colors with gorgeous set designs be juxtaposed against Toh's behavior. Like, the part when he was in his kitchen: a part of me couldn't get over how they chose to design the space, but then he does something gross and I'm like "Oh, ew 😬".
I have no issues with media exploring something negative like stalking, *but* they have to explore it as such. And so far, I do think they're doing a fairly decent job at it by showing us that even his friends cringe at it at times: like, even though they understand him on a much deeper level thus they stick around him, sometimes they still try to stop him and cringe when he does or says something weird.
I think what would really push this show's rating for me is if at some point they really condemn Toh for his actions, and we see Toh realize what he's doing is terrible and he does try to change. If this doesn't happen then, despite all the positives I just said, this story would be awful. So for now, I'm giving the story a chance to build up to that which is why I haven't criticize this aspect of the story just yet. But we'll see.
https://www.iq.com/play/gen-y-the-series-season-2-1gpns7kucd8?lang=th_th&sh_pltf=4
Some minor, out of context spoilers for 3 scenes between ep 2-5 or 6.
It's so easy for a lot Westerners to forget to remove themselves from their own cultures when viewing media from a completely culture/country. We have to remember that these Asians shows are made Asian audiences first and foremost; some of them don't even bother trying to cater to Western audiences and it shows. And that's perfectly fine if they chose not to.
I do believe that despite this, some things could have been done better. But all in all, it's actually a pretty good scene in hindsight and especially with this knowledge.
And with Kalae and Pok, I believe the reason why he didn't do that is because they definitely wouldn't have gotten far. Saendee and Tong at the time were not budging *at all*. Pok would've kicked Saendee's ass and Saendee probably would've sent more thugs to beat him up again. So it would've progressed to where it is now anyway.
Also, I'm geniunely curious: when has Phai reached out to Tong? Outside of season 1 when he asked him multiple times to tutor Pok? I know he's done things for Pok (you could also say that Phai giving advice to Tong was for Pok's sake not Tong's, but I don't feel like debating that lol) and even referred to Pok as his best friend in S1, but I honestly can't recall any other time he's reached out to Tong for Tong's sake.
Okay, so Kalae didn't have the full picture when he told Pok about the weird stuff between Tong and Saendee- and yet he told him anyway. As for the timing, I would say he chose to tell him at that point instead of prior because it was right after it was revealed to the rest of them how A) crazy Saendee's actions are and how far he's willing to go and B) Pok still felt hurt about not knowing why Tong sent men to beat him up. When Kalae realized both things, but especially the second point, that's when he finally said something to Pok.
So we have a clear example of Kalae speaking up despite not knowing the full picture. So it makes a lot of sense, now knowing everything, for him to want to speak to Tong about the situation.
I absolutely don't believe it's Phai's responsibility to teach Saendee anything, nor did I say he has to do so. It wasn't his responsibility at all whatsoever to talk Saendee into apologizing to Thanu and Wayu- and yet he did so anyway. Which is perfectly fine! I just find it very odd that he did that, but did not bring up the PokTong situation. Especially since he's the fixer type. I would even go as far as to say it's out of character that he hasn't talked about it with him.
Remember when after the Pok/Saendee fight, Phai went after Saendee wanting more answers about the situation? That's a good example of Phai wanting to know what's going on with his friends; and we could tell he thought what Saendee did was wrong. He even told Saendee to apologize to them, in which Saendee brushed it off; this was before his redemption arc started, so Saendee reacting this way makes sense for the time. So writing-wise, having Phai bring up the situation again and suggesting that he apologize to the both of them makes so much sense to his character. I also stated that after the talk, Saendee would go to Tong on his own, not with the aid of Phai like when they talked to Thanu and Wayu.
Having Saendee make his own decision (with or without the talk with Phai) to attempt to talk with Tong would be huge character development. At this point, Tong's character has been growing, but so has Saendee's. The others have noticed he has stopped his nonsense for some time now. There's even a scene where we see Klui, despite everything, trying to help Saendee off the floor after the play. And Tong is clearly the type of person to listen to someone, whether he listens the whole time or leaves part way through. So it honestly isn't that weird that any one of them (except Pok and Sab) wouldn't mind attempting to hear Saendee out.
Either way, I can see Tong being surprised by Saendee wanting to apologize and being curious about what he has to say; I can see him wanting answers. Tong isn't the type, from what we've seen so far, to cause massive drama. So I don't think he would do anything crazy just because Saendee tries to talk to him. the worst he would do is roll his eyes and walk away immediately.
And as I mentioned before that Phai has every right to talk to his friend and give him advice; friends help each other, and I believe Tong needed a moment where he realized his actions weren't right. However, that doesn't mean that you have the right all of the time to say certain things to your friends, given the context of the situation. Sometimes, depending on where you stand in that situation, maybe it's best for you to not say anything at all, regardless of what type of person you are.
And I say all of this as someone who's similar to Phai: I'm a fixer type as well, so I get it. But I also know that sometimes, it's not my place to give advice or say something.
I was curious to see if anyone understood the decision to have Phai talk to Tong because I couldn't think of a good reason why it had to be him. So I was hoping someone would state their views, and you did! I'm not arguing with you or anything, just putting out some thoughts of my own.
So first thing, the ability to talk about how intentions work can fall on anyone despite their lack of experience in one or more types of relationships. It's because intentions work in any type of relationship: romantic, platonic, work, etc. So, sure, we can say Kalae's never dated, but he definitely has friends and could've experienced how intentions work at any time.
And just like how Kalae can talk about it, so can Phai. Absolutely! However, the issue, in my opinion, is that he didn't have the right to. It makes a lot of sense for his type of character to want to help, but just because you're the fixer type, does not mean you have to go and butt in everyone's problems. We see how this is a problem with Tong trying to help Pok with his problem in high school, and, well...Yeah.
But my main issue isn't even that he's the fixer type. It's more so that he took sides with Saendee. In my opinion, none of this stuff between Pok and Tong would've happened if Saendee didn't send grown men to beat up a teenager, and if he didn't blackmail Tong afterwards. I would go as far as to say what Saendee did to PokTong was far worse than what he did to ThanuWayu. And yet, from what we know of, Saendee has never apologized for it. And Phai has never talked him into it, like he did when he talked Saendee into apologizing to ThanuWayu. So it feels gross knowing that Phai knows everything now, still remains with Saendee, hasn't done anything about it, but wants to give Tong advice.
What would've been a much better solution that would somewhat have Phai involved is if we saw Phai speaking to Saendee about it and then Saendee, on his own accord, goes to apologize to Tong. I can see Tong giving him a chance (albeit a very slim chance), so he listens. And Tong brings up Saendee's other actions with ThanuWayu. And Saendee explains he had, what he thought of at the time, good intentions. He reveals that he always loved Phai and wanted him to be happy, so he did something extreme. But later, thanks to Phai, he learned that intentions can mean absolutely nothing regardless of how good they are. And from this conversation, we see something tick in Tong's mind; he understands exactly where Saendee is coming from because the both of them did something extreme for the person they love. This would also give Saendee's character some decent redemption, I think.
Kalae is another good option because he's been in the midst of the Saendee/Pok/Tong situation. If you recall, he was there helping Tong when Pok got beaten up. He was the one who saw Saendee put the letter in the locker. And he's been keeping an eye on Tong and Saendee's creepy little interactions since then, even though he didn't know the whole story; he just knew some weird stuff was going on between Tong and Saendee and that neither of them would talk about it. I can see his conversation with Tong going like this:
Some time after the reveal between Pok and Saendee and after Tong moves in, Kalae asks Tong if they can talk about the situation. And so they do. And from that, Kalae understands where Tong is coming from, but then gives him the advice. That would've been fine, especially since Kalae can be firm at times.
I think Phai is an interesting character, I always did think so. And him talking to Tong makes sense for his character. I just think there definitely were better people to do so.