This review may contain spoilers
TW: rant, rape, sexual abuse, harassment, incest
I have very mixed feelings about this show. When I first watched this show, I found it really interesting especially MewGulf’s chemistry and Techno’s comedic scenes. I also enjoyed their character development of MewGulf as the show progresses.What I really hated about this show was how they gave Lhong a redemption arc like he deserved it?? It makes what he did excusable, which is definitely NOT. Firstly, the show had a special episode for him to show how he was neglected growing up making us feel that we should have remorse for his character. Secondly, he wasn’t even held accountable for his actions. No apology nor punishment at all. Lastly, they showed Thorn forgiving him like it was his decision to forgive him. Actually not really forgive but he said that he will always be a brother to him, which somewhat is supposed to diminish what he has done?
I’m so disappointed on how they handled sensitive issues such as rape, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment. They concluded the series with no characters facing the consequences of their actions. Llong moving away just like that and feeling sorry for himself is not enough of a consequence for the things he had done. It’s like the show somewhat accepts that it’s okay to do these things. Don’t get me started on the lack of consent of Tharn that triggered Type’s past sexual abuse and how Tum and Tar are sibling/step brothers.
I still very much like MewGulf off-screen, and I will probably watch ss2. However, let’s look at the facts on how this show handled certain sensitive issues. Go enjoy the show if you still do, but don’t just blindly watch a show without being critical about it.
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Toxic Angst On Repeat
Unrelentingly toxic, homophobic, and emotionally abusive dynamic between the lead characters. And started off with the sexual harassment of a character who happened to be a victim of pedophilia (an issue which is brought up near the beginning but then never discussed again, which is weird and frustrating. The dude obviously needs a therapist). Also romanticization of over-the-top jealousy.Their dynamic does not improve enough over time to be considered sweet in any way. The same issues kept coming up with little improvement in how the characters reacted. I did watch the whole thing hoping for more character growth but was left disappointed. Acting is middle-of-the-road. The leads are a bit flat in emotions they are able to portray; they do well with extremes but lack range and nuance. I don’t remember the music. I was unable to like, let alone fall in love, with these characters.
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I finished this series in about three days on the weekend, and I have mixed feelings about it. Hear me out:I agree with what the general consensus is in terms of the acting, I think it's relatively well acted. The two main actors do a great job with the roles they're given. And if I can be completely honest, I think the actor who played Lhong was actually the most talented. But that's not what I want to talk about.
I've yet to see a review on this series pointing out a few obvious (to me, at least) problems that the series highlights. I'll just come right out and say it: Type is a terrible person and in no way deserves Tharn, so although I knew they would end up together (how could they not?) I was still hoping in the back of my heart that they didn't.
There will be SPOILERS so read at your own discretion:
Type displayed some of the most abusive, problematic, and downright evil treatment towards not only Tharn but also to the people in his life aside from his parents. This is not acceptable and should not be overlooked. I got extremely tired of their relationship by halfway through the series. He offered nothing to Tharn but skirted by on his looks and the trope that everyone wants what they can't - it was unmemorable and annoying a lot of the times.
Type physically attacked Tharn on a number of occasions, punching him in the face twice, pushing him down, kicking him, choking him, holding him by the collar, kneeing him in the groin (the most fucked up thing in my opinion) and countless others. It is NEVER okay, or cute, or charming, or understandable when someone does this sort of thing. Doesn't matter how cute, handsome or sexy someone is. Doesn't matter if that person has gone through traumas of their own. It's not acceptable and Tharn should've had him charged or at the very least reported him to the school.
Then there's the issue of the constant, brutal emotional abusive, manipulation, gaslighting, and downright cruel treatment from Type when it comes to his relationship with Tharn. He practices so many toxic monogamous traits, the main one being the fact that Type seems to use jealousy as a tactic to maintain interest from Tharn. He uses making Tharn jealous as an indicator of love for himself, and openly admits it in the episode where he flirts with women in front of Tharn. Tharn says "Do you enjoy seeing me upset and hurt?" and Type straight up says "Yes, I do!" with a smile. That's fucked up and not acceptable! That's. emotional. abuse. He constantly accepts Tharn's love and affection and sex in secret meanwhile actively living his life as a vehement homophobe.
To a certain extent, Tharn can be blamed for allowing the treatment to continue, because remember he was given many opportunities to move out, and Type did make it clear at the start that he wasn't interested in a friendship and especially not a romance. So knowing all the signs, Tharn pursued Type anyway, and I think he pursued Type based solely on the fact that he's gorgeous (they had really no other basis for a friendship much less a relationship besides the couple weeks of being roommates before Type found out he was gay.) So in a way, Tharn saw all the warning signs straight up and even tasted a lot of Type's wrath and continued to actively pursue him and defend him to everyone around them, which is unfortunate because he's a sweetheart and really let himself get trampled on emotionally and physically.
Another point I'd like to make is that his friends receive similar things from Type: he is constantly threatening to beat them up (and yes, I understand that it's all in fun so don't get me wrong, friends joke, I know) but you can tell that they're scared of him because they will legitimately stop when they know he's upset. And often they will say "He's hotheaded, high strung, and blunt. That's just how he is." as if they're just accepting and excusing the fact that he's always treating people like shit around him. He calls people faggots, tells everyone he meets that he hates gay people, is rash, angry, and immature anytime someone brings up something to do with his behaviour. And honestly near the end of the series just before the climax of the show I was starting to get really really tired of Type. He was starting to lose whatever special place he had in my heart just because he was handsome. It started to become not enough to excuse his shitty personality and behaviour.
Anyway, that's all I'll say about that. I think as a Westerner I might have a really biased view about how relationships work in Thailand or the differences between values and what's acceptable. I see those things happen in the show and I have a much different reaction, but it seems to be a common theme in most BL dramas: abuse, cheating, manipulation, violence, etc. So I guess I'm not totally surprised. I just wish for once the main character (Tharn in this example, who is such a sweetheart) would recognize all of those toxic warning signs and run away instead of running headfirst into it and getting hurt over and over just because the guy he's pursuing is good looking.
And I didn't want to get into it, but I will talk about it briefly before I finish: Type's sexual assault does not, in any way, give him a free pass to treat everyone around him terribly. Especially to the extent that he treats Tharn. Type needs to seek professional, serious help. His unresolved traumas do no deserve to manifest themselves into poor treatment towards his loved ones. I am not saying that it's not terrible he had to go through what he did, I am also a sexual assault survivor and because of that I have deep empathy for Type. Nobody deserves that - but instead of getting into relationships and using that trauma to fuel dangerous and violent behaviours - you need to get assessed and receive proper help. You're an adult and responsible for that, not other people. Not Tharn, who was such a sweetheart to you and was your emotional and physical punching bag.
So I'll say it one last time: they were adorable together behind closed doors every now and again, but they did not deserve each other and I would've preferred it end with Type pushing away Tharn for good and Tharn moving on, and realizing how shitty their rship was in the long run, and Type eventually healing his own self before trying to explore his "gay" side.
I won't rewatch this and probably won't recommend it to others but if you want to see what it's about it's not insufferable.
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An irredeemably toxic drama from the pen of a talent-free hack
As the meme goes, when the makers of 'TharnType: The Series' (TTTS) were asked which problematic tropes they wanted to include, they said, "Yes." This series features, and almost always romanticizes, sexual misconduct, sexual assault, child molestation, gang rape, intrafamilial lust, aggressive homophobia, partner violence, emotional manipulation, stalking, blackmail—you get the picture. As if not content with these horrors, it perpetuates further outrages by trivializing trauma from sexual abuse and conflating homosexuality with pedophilia. No topic is heavy or taboo enough to escape treatment in a frivolous, inane manner.I am well aware that this series was adapted from a web novel, and it certainly bears the imprints of the conventional sort of talent-free hack that haunts self-publishing platforms. If TTTS is any indication, MAME can be safely said to have: an impoverished imagination; little curiosity about, much less empathy for, other people, especially queer people; non-existent literary standards; and an outsize, puerile desire to be as "edgy" and "shocking" as possible. The production team, having been tasked to bring such a terrible, toxic narrative to onscreen life, can hardly be expected to depart radically from the source material.
Amid all these, the sole bright point of TTTS is its cast. When they are not enacting the above-mentioned problematic tropes, the performers do eke out moments of genuine affection and tenderness, whether filial, platonic, or romantic. The chemistry between Mew Suppasit and Gulf Kanawut, who play the titular characters, definitely helped in their love scenes—when these were scenes of actual love, rather than of forced intimacy. Techno (Mild Suttinut), Type's best friend, is hilarious, and the interactions between siblings Tharn, Thorn (Tong Thanayut), and Thanya (Maria Tiprada) are heartwarming. It is unfortunate that these moments are far too occasional, and insufficiently influential on the story, to even begin to redeem the series.
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I've watched so many, but this one stands out in so many ways. The acting and chemistry first of all is incredible, which makes the overall story more believable and more enjoyable. I sometimes find it hard to continue stories when the main characters are supposed to be in love but look stiff and forced with their skinship. The storyline does broach difficult topics in the beginning, but that's what makes it such an interesting and beautiful plot . The development of the characters is enjoyable to watch. Highly recommend.
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What I love about this series is that it has direction. It talks about a sensitive topic that isn't usually seen on other BL series. However, it was mismanaged. There are scenes where I find inappropriate and not carefully thought off. You can change one's traumatic experiences through other good means, and not poking the same wound that burdens a person.
The series started out good yet problematic, improved in the middle *thanks to the actors impeccable acting*, but ended pretty bad. The last few episodes were very predictable and the antagonist was not convincing at all. To be honest, the finale was too bad it pained me to watch it. They could have explored a different way to end the series.
Anyway, take my reviews with a grain of salt. My opinions are not similar to yours, but we should still respect each other's perspectives. I heard that there will be a second season for this, and I'm up for it.
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If I judge with a more critical eye from a western viewpoint, my main criticism of TharnType, a criticism I often have of Thai BL dramas in general, is the continued display of unhealthy and toxic relationships as romance. Tharn constantly ignores the physical boundaries set by Gulf who often tells him to stop. Gulf is verbally abusive, constantly in a loop of berating and gas-lighting Tharn, and then following up with weak apologies to smooth things back over. Tharn and Gulf's friend constantly make excuses for Gulf's aggressive and abusive behavior, but trauma or not, the last thing Gulf should have been given was a pass for his actions as he often crossed the line. Lots of characters were rooting for TharnType to stay/ get back together while completely ignoring that their relationship was full of red flags. But for a saving grace, TharnType did try to redeemed themselves by the end.
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I gave the story a 9.5 because there are some parts in this series that I don't agree with, and that's my opinion, but overall I love this. The jokes are amazing, (especially in the latest episode). If you want something to easily fall in love with, watch this. The chemistry between Tharn and Type is just one of the many things that is good about this series.
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