layman
I don't blame the actors, because they were wonderful. I felt a strong chemistry between the two leads, the side couples and the supporting characters.
The story developed and unfolded successfully for the first 11 Episodes...but then the final two Episodes felt like they came from a different series altogether, as if they were simply tacked on from bits and pieces of left over material. I fault the director, script writer and editor for the abrupt change in direction of the series. It was as if the creators chickened out in the end, going for formulaic plot devices and a tacked on Hollywood (or Bollywood) style movie musical ending, none of which served the character development well.
I just did not believe that two lovers who had spent the past 11 Episodes building up a strong chemistry and bond between them, could all of a sudden and for no reason (that I understood) completely stop communicating, lose trust in each other and act completely out of their established characters.
The chemistry died between the leads in the final two episodes. They went from lovers to strangers to buddies. Since all these episodes were filmed in advance together and the actors maintained such a strong and convincing chemistry and connection in Episodes 1-11, I must blame the director, script writer and editors for Episode 12 and 13.
How did Tine go from a strapping, active protagonist to a wailing passive Damsel in Distress? It was not believable.
Nor did I buy that the two leads did not kiss each other at all after they became a couple and what was with all the head patting? Was that some kind of short hand for affection. I did not buy it. It was almost like this series was subject to some kind of 1950's Hollywood Production Code. It robbed the characters of authenticity.
Moreover, the use of the Scrubb sound track that started off so nicely ended up being overused to the point that it became a gimmick and really detracted from the story in the end.
When I compare 2gether to some of my favorite BL's, it becomes clear what went wrong. The leads in Addicted/Heroin stayed in character to point that I believed they were real people. Same with the leads in Tharn Type , Theory of Love and My Tee...they were convincing because they did not break character...I believed in them...I believed they were real.
Unfortunately, the editing of 2gether did not allow the leads to stay true to the characters that they had created in the first 11 Episodes. I think the cast of 2gether is so fantastic that they deserve a better send off than what they got and I am hoping a 2nd season of 2gether can redeem this first season and give the characters the satisfying end that they deserved.
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The writing always kept me guessing about what would happen next (although to be fair there were a few plot points that were not clear or fully resolved - the characters need a Season 2). I liked the cinematography. I felt it transported me very well to the setting and the setting became another familiar character as the story unfolded.
My favorite thing about the series concerns the acting. I am deeply impressed. All the characters were rendered in a most believable way, such that I will have a hard time seeing for instance Drake as anyone other than Mork and Frank as anyone other than Tee. I know they will play other characters in the future but I will always think of them as Mork and Tee. I feel like they became so familiar to me over the course of the series that they are now like family members. The same can be said for the rest of the cast.
It's rare that I care so much about the characters and I am hoping that they will all be brought back for a Season 2. I would love to continue the journey with these characters that started in Season 1. Until then I will keep watching Season 1 again and again and again.
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Great BL Series!
I discovered this series purely by accident and since then I have watched it and re-watched it probably a dozen times and each time I still get something (wonderful) out of it.I find the series absolutely perfect. The cinematography looks professional (like a movie). The acting is fantastic! The characters are so believable. I feel like they are people that I know. The writing is nuanced, sensitive and very, very realistic. All the musical numbers (half the characters are in a band) are so wonderful that I find myself watching the music videos of the songs over and over and over. I love the pacing of the series. It never drags and always leaves me wanting more. I love the mini-cliffhangers that episodes end on. They are so exciting that I still get tingles even after watching the series a dozen times.
The characterizations and the acting are so on point, that I feel like I know Bbomb, Jin, Singh, Jack, Keam, Song, Jay, Sis Klui, Pang, Somsom and the rest of the Gang!
Nitiman has turned out to be one of my favorite BLs this year.
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