Reviews

Slow and steady set-up

Holy stacked cast. I can't believe how many A-listers showed up here.

I'm also really interested in the time period this takes place in — the vast majority of Taiwanese dramas now are modern, and the only historical one I've seen was about the Japanese occupation (1925). So seeing a show set in the 1980s is definitely something new for me, much less something that shows life in the pleasure district.

Plot-wise, there's the mystery of the victim's identity as well as the subplots all the characters go through, but I still found the pacing a little too sluggish. And as always when it comes to ensemble casts, there are some characters I end up caring about more than others.

I know there are two more parts to this show though, so I'm trying to think of this one as set-up — let's see how everything ends up panning out.

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A Step Down From Season 1

My apologies if you read a prior review from me for this that read very differently. When I finished Season 2, I realized I had mixed up the seasons and accidentally left the same review for Season 1 on both Season 1 and Season 2. So, just to clarify, that was a mistake, and this is my actual review for Season 2.

Unfortunately, this was not a win for me. I highly enjoyed Season 1 for its challenges, team camaraderie, and director critiques. I enjoyed watching the teams compete with each other, as well as the directors and actors picking their performers and directors, respectively. Season 1 felt like a real acting competition, with performance face-offs and director challenges. It focused on the art of acting and the directing process behind making films.

Season 2 lost all of that for me. While it was nice seeing so many skilled performers, it felt like the show had lost its spark. It started to feel like it was more about getting views. There was a sense of gimmickry and popularity that pulled it further away from acting. It even ventured into singing and stage-personalities, which only made it feel more disconnected from the original vision captured in the first season.

For me, Season 1 felt like a genuine competition centered around acting and filmmaking, while Season 2 felt much more focused on entertainment and spectacle. That shift just didn't work for me.

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Part Mom Part Assassin 100% Fail

This is nothing more than budget Taxi Driver with a FL that cannot fulfill part of the role being asked of her.
This is a vigilante drama where criminals who've done horrible crimes are let off with light sentences and either return to their old ways upon release or show no remorse for their crimes. Similar to Taxi, these cases have financial backing and a team of specialists with targets being taken out by the FL whose weapon of choice is a sniper whose able to pull off the most improbable shots, a h2h expert, and is supposed to portray a stone cold killer~
She is softened by time, eventually marrying a victim of a crime, has a baby, and returns to the vigilante role a few years later, hiding her truths from a reporter hubby and her child~ Unfortunately, her killings have drawn national attention over the years. A police net along with her reporter husband are closing in on her identity as the Kingfisher~
The premise of the drama is great. The two MLs are excellent actors who carry most of the drama and there's plenty of comic relief provided albeit overdone at times. FLs strong suit is rom com and it shows, she's absolutely unable to carry the weight and aura of a cold killer. Her scenes along those lines are laughable, unbelievably fake in its makeup, I'd rather watch AI instead of her poor attempts at being an assassin~
The kid scenes of the daughter are also the usual long-winded fake speeches and unusual comprehension of things 90% of children don't care or think about and that REALLY needs to stop in the Kdrama industry. This along with the FL makes half the drama unwatchable and I no longer wish to slog through anymore eps. 2 full episodes in the beginning alone were devoted to a possible confrontation with a character who ended up being nothing more than a fangirling woman who came to work alongside the FL. A flat out waste of time and eps. This drama is a fail with numerous clear reasons as to why~

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Sweet romance

I'm pretty nervous about these sort of secret identity/twin swap plots because I find it so hard to get on board with a couple when a secret this big is hanging over their head. And this was no different — I found the first few eps a little rough.

As the show went on and more things get unveiled, however, I ended up really enjoying the romance the complicated relationship between the characters. The romance is actually super sweet, and it's refreshing to see Ai-oon and May communicate. The dual acting by Namtan is very convincing and really allowed the sisterhood theme to come through. There's a lot of drama that happens but I didn't find any of it frustrating; either they were handled really well or I fully understood where the characters were coming from when they made decisions.

If I had to pick, I could come up with two gripes — neither of which are dealbreakers. One would be that I didn't really care about the second couple/love triangle at all, and two would be that it's pretty obvious Ai-oon and Ob-oom are played by the same actress with how the shots are filmed: either with them on opposite sides where you can do the split-screen effect, or jumping between them with close-ups. Neither of these are too glaring though, and I still found myself highly enjoying the series.

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What it means to be loved

Watched this a very long time ago and it really stuck with me. I really like stories like this where they call attention to something small like a finger flick and show how it means so much more. This is such a great representation of a woman waking up, realizing that she deserves to be loved better, and understanding exactly how that love should come through in everyday life. In a longer drama I would've preferred Cha Min-Jae to have more depth so there could be more nuance in their relationship, but as a one hour drama special I thought his characterization was fine. It honestly could've done without the new love interest as well — I cared so much more about the FL's emotional journey, and her monologue at the end hits hard.

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A predictable storyline but with good acting and fun side characters

The plot for “To Love and Cherish” is really simple and predictable. So, if you are looking for something unique, this is not it. However, even if it’s a familiar storyline, this drama still has its charms, mainly due to the young couple and the fun side characters.

I’m not going to lie, I picked this drama up because I haven’t seen Film in a while and I was informed by a friend that there are BL actors not kissing boys here. LOL You know, Boss, Pond and Aston. I am also a fan of second-chance romance, so why not? It’s only 10 episodes and each episode is not as long as a typical lakorn.

Although the lovely young couple’s acting isn’t perfect, they are definitely sweet and charming. You see how cute young Ran and Yai were, and you ponder how they became such depressed adults. What did they go through that changed them so much?

Aston (young Yai) and Neeya (young Ran) are just too adorable. The flashback scenes of them are a breath of fresh air. They exude typical young innocence and sweetness. I was glad the drama was not afraid to show us some sweet kisses, shameless flirting and declaration of love. When scenes require them to be more emotional (later in the drama), that’s when it shows they need to be more seasoned to act those out. They are not bad, but compared to Film and Bua, they pale in comparison. I still love them very much.

As the adult Yai and Bua, Film and Bua definitely show us the controlled angst, the depression and the hard lives they had. The acting is great, especially with some of the subtle facial expressions. They don’t have to be loud, it’s the controlled emotions that shine. This pair is a great contrast to their younger counterparts. The chemistry is ok but not great. Even when they finally got together, I still don’t quite feel the love that should be overwhelming. They say all the right things, but to me, the chemistry isn’t strong. Unfortunately, their storyline is not as interesting as the flashbacks. The animosity that Yai has is understandable and Bua knows it and takes them all in quietly and maturely. I just wish their resolution would come sooner, and has this us-against-them mentality. Maybe that way the chemistry would have been better.

The supporting cast is wonderful. I just saw Pond in “The Edge of Horizon” and I hated his guts. I didn’t know if I could ever recover and I am so glad I saw him here again in “To Love and Cherish”. As Alex, he’s so lovely and sweet. Pond redeemed himself in my books. Pond didn’t overact here (thank goodness) and his character is just so supportive, calm and mature. On the other hand, Boss is so funny. He’s not the cool guy in his BL dramas, but this goofy and adorable famous actor, Sam. We know he’s not going to get the girl (all his fans will revolt) but it’s still fun to see him in a role where he can have some fun and go after a girl with his BL buddies. Lastly is the little sis, Dao. That girl is sassy and smart. She’s a wonderful addition to this trio of supporting characters that makes the drama so easy to watch. A big reason I am giving this drama at least an 8.0.

Well, what’s a Thai drama without a couple annoying and evil characters? We definitely have them here. Two women who are relentless and shameless. You definitely want to strangle them and make them shut up. Once I saw who plays Yai’s mother, I already knew this actress is going to create drama.

Even though “To Love and Cherish” did not bring anything new to the table, I did have an easy and good time watching it. It can be a quick binge, or a first easy introduction to a non-BL romance Thai drama. It has frustrating moments, but not a frustrating watch. I just wish I could love the chemistry between Film and Bua more, since they are the story.



Drama Completed: 9/5/2026 Review #718

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Is love just about sex and kisses?

I think that for someone used to explosive and intense romances, this romance might seem a little boring, but for someone in the 25-30 age range, it's a perfect fit. Unlike the intense romances we're used to seeing, this one offers a completely different perspective. At least for me, it shows exactly what much more mature people look for in a relationship; it's not just about sex or passionate kisses, it's about trust, partnership, and transparency. Given the age of the protagonists (she's 40, he's 37), we can't expect a relationship where the people involved are 22 or 23. For me, this drama perfectly represents what it means to be an adult in a relationship.

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We can even break the cycle we live in.

For me, this is a romance that isn't exactly within my usual range of tastes, but it was a great surprise. I think for many, it might be a little confusing, but that's also part of the premise of this drama. For me, everything is very good and well done, but I realize it won't please all audiences because the romance here is much more symbolic and melancholic. I'm only not giving it a 10/10 because I think the author, in wanting to create the ending his own way, made the final message too vague. I believe that after such a complex drama, the viewer appreciates something more comforting and vibrant than just an open ending where we're not even sure if all their effort really served a purpose or if it was just to finish a cycle.

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Does the translator really know how to translate love?

I confess I had to watch it twice to get a better understanding. The first time I watched it, I thought the part about her illness was a bit forced, but the second time I watched it with a more open mind, and I loved it. I think what gives this drama its charm, besides the romance and chemistry, is the fact that we have another character without needing to add yet another one. This means seeing the duality that a single character can represent really fills this story, and I think the tension between the characters throughout this drama only draws us closer and closer; we almost want to be part of this story just to finally see those two together.

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