House of Stars (2023)

House of Boring

The trailer for House of Stars made me think it was going to be a dark, intriguing, sexy drama. I was sorely disappointed in every possible way. There is nothing sexy or intriguing about this drama and I'm already working to scrub the memory of it from my brain. It is just so poorly done from the acting to the writing and everything in between. The poor quality was compounded by the latter part of the drama feeling like a set up for a second season which is such a cop out. One way or another it's a terrible ending. It's not a cliffhanger per se, but nothing feels resolved. There was really no part of this drama that I enjoyed and it was simply a trial to get through.

The plot is all over the place. I feel like this drama didn't know what it wanted to be. Did it want to be a snapshot of actors' lives and a behind the scenes look at the not so pretty parts of them? Did it want to be a romance? Did it want to be a murder mystery? Or perhaps a revenge story? The problem is that it tries to be all of the above and more and it simply doesn't work. There's simultaneously too much and not enough, too many stories trying to be told, but they're not told well and it becomes boring. I reached the halfway point and seriously considered just dropping it because it felt like nothing was really happening. It was all just incredibly tedious and frustrating. Things finally started picking up at Episode 10 with the murder, but at that point it was too little, too late and all I could think was, if they had put this closer to the beginning, it could have actually been an interesting and decent drama. As it is, there's far too much crammed into those last couple of episodes and large parts of it end up feeling rushed. The final episode felt unfinished. Again, I'm guessing they're gunning for a second season, which I would not watch because this was such a disaster, but considering the fact that a second season isn't always guaranteed, it seems foolish to end it the way that they did with so much unresolved. It was a disappointing conclusion to a disappointing series.

The pacing was far too slow for most of the drama. It feels like there's a lot of filler and a lot that goes on that doesn't really serve any kind of purpose. Most of the romantic relationships progressed at such glacial paces it was infuriating to watch. I got so frustrated with the love triangle between Pitch, Gun and Soh that by the end I didn't give a damn who ended up with who. Weyha and Wayu's relationship was slightly more bearable, but even it got frustrating to watch at times. And the love triangle between Korn, Mintra and Phawin was just a hot mess and not the good kind. Also frustrating was the lack of knowledge provided, particularly regarding the house rules. We know that dating within the house was not allowed aside from Korn and Mintra since it was written into their contract, but otherwise they were not elaborated on and it got very tiring to have everyone talking about the house rules and how they had to follow them and reminding people to follow them when we had no clue what all of them were. It wouldn't have been that hard to have the rules weaved into the narrative at different points, but I'm guessing the writers never thought beyond the no dating rule. I also questioned how Weyha was treated. He'd obviously been failing auditions for a while, his speech was a known issue, so why was that not addressed until he was at the point of being kicked out and Wayu voluntarily stepped in to help him? Same with Pitch but to a lesser extent. He seemed to struggle with connecting to his character's emotions and emoting, yet nothing was done about that until he asked to shadow Gun and basically fixed himself. It seems like since Miss Susie was investing in them and needed them to be cast, it would have been common sense to hire acting/dialect coaches to help her actors reach their full potential.

Having a big cast is always an issue, in Thai drama especially, because they never seem to know what to do with those large casts and how to divide the attention evenly enough for everyone to get established. The relatively short seasons don't help either. Chinese and Korean dramas can get away with larger casts because they're typically much longer either in terms of number of episodes or episode length and can thus delve into their characters more and stretch out their stories and allow the viewer to get to know them more gradually. Thai dramas don't generally have that luxury and large casts rarely work out well. Here there simply was not enough time to really get to know all the characters well enough to actually care about them and what was going on in their lives.
-Pitch felt like he was supposed to be one of the more main characters initially as there was a larger focus on him than some of the others. But oh my goodness was he dull as a bag of rocks. He just didn't seem to have much of a personality and the fact that he had both Gun and Soh pursuing him was baffling. Like why? What on earth do you both see in this guy? He's kind of cute, but that's about it. To give him some credit, he did seem like a genuinely decent guy for the most part, if incredibly dense. How he didn't click that Soh had feelings for him is beyond me since it was painfully obvious.
-Soh was a surprise, to say the least. I had inklings that maybe he wasn't who he appeared to be, but wasn't fully expecting how far his revenge would extend. I do wish more of that side of his character had been hinted at throughout as he only really became interesting in the last couple of episodes. I was also confused by his character in that I was left unsure if he actually had feelings for Pitch or if he just didn't want Gun to have anything positive in his life. Either way, I was left with mixed feelings regarding his character.
-Gun was so perfect that he was boring. His expression was generally so stoic and he was so unflappable that he simply wasn't all that interesting to watch. Even his history with being responsible for Sin's accident didn't really give him much more depth. His romance with Pitch was poorly portrayed. The buildup was so minimal and I just really didn't feel anything between them. I also found it disappointing that he's so apologetic to both Sin and Soh about being the cause of the accident and yet he apparently has no qualms about pursuing Pitch when he knows that Soh likes him too.
-Korn was a colossal ass and I think he got exactly what he deserved. He was an incredibly unlikeable character what with cheating on Mintra then gaslighting her and eventually trying to use both her and Phawin. His whole attitude too that he was almost owed bigger and better parts was off-putting. In general, he was an incredibly selfish person and aside from being attractive, I don't know what either Mintra or Phawin saw in him.
-Mintra was one of the few more interesting characters in that she had my opinion of her go up and down several times. I started out with mixed feelings for her. On the one hand, I liked her strength and the fact that she could be the voice of reason for Korn. On the other hand, her sniping with Phawin and possessiveness of Korn made her seem like a jerk, to put it mildly. Once Korn cheated on her, my opinion of her took a major downward turn. I felt bad for her, but her manipulation and antics were just overbearing and quickly became tedious. My opinion of her changed again though when she apologized to Korn and broke up with him and basically paired up with Phawin to screw him over. I liked that side of her and I liked that she and Phawin got to a point that they were basically frenemies.
-Phawin also gave me mixed feelings because of course it was absolutely not okay that he knowingly seduced Korn when he was already in a relationship with Mintra, but I also kind of admired him for the fact that he was upfront about everything. He made all the snide comments to Mintra and was openly antagonistic towards her, but aside from hinting to the police that they should look into her as a suspect, he never stooped to her level of manipulation. Also just loved his sassiness. I do wish we had seen a bit more of what went on in his head to make him decide to reject Korn. It felt sudden and unexplained, not that I'm really complaining since the important part is that Korn got called out for trying to use him. And, again, I liked that he and Mintra reached a truce of sorts.
-I'm going to put Weyha and Wayu together because their characters pretty much ended up revolving around each other. They were a generically cute couple. I ended up rooting for them more than any of the other couples mostly because they were at least moderately interesting to watch and had the healthiest and most wholesome relationship. I felt the pacing regarding their relationship was the most well done and the most natural. I didn't have much of an opinion regarding them as individuals. I think Weyha was a bit more interesting with being the rookie actor. It gave him more room to grow and develop. Wayu was a generally nice guy and that was about it.
-Lalit made no sense in any way, shape, or form. She's a literal stalker who is somehow able to enter the house as an actress, no idea how that happened since we never saw her working as an actress, so how exactly did they find her? And then when Miss Susie catches her red handed, she decides to use her as a spy of sorts. And so she ends up facing zero consequence for anything that she does and ends up as an assistant to Host. Like, what?
-Sun was an odd character in that I didn't really see the point in him. He obviously scared both Miss Susie and Host, but we never find out why or really anything about him other than he was in prison (?) in another country. He just didn't seem to serve any real purpose other than being dark and imposing and making a far too convenient a murder suspect.
-And Miss Susie? She was a bit of an enigma, and a creepy one at that. The way she watched everyone hooking up with each other but then rarely, if ever saying anything, was disconcerting. For all the talk about the rules, it wasn't like they were always enforced. She was given some background, but so much about who she was and her thought process was left unknown. She could have been a genuinely interesting character, but that lack of information just made her out to be more of a raging ass than anything.

One of the biggest flaws of this drama though were the actors. I don't know who approved the decision to select an almost entirely rookie cast, but it was an incredibly foolish decision because in no way were any of the actors believable as seasoned, highly sought after stars. Frankly the only two I can really give any kind of credit to are Heng as Weyha and Boss as Soh. Double was also pretty decent as Phawin. Heng though was believable as a rookie actor because he is a rookie actor, so it worked perfectly. Also kind of loved the scene of him and Wayu filming together. His deranged laugh was entertaining. Boss absolutely carried Leo through pretty much all their scenes. The difference between them was almost painful because Boss was able to emote and bring his character to life and Leo was just kind of there. I could at least feel the chemistry on his end even if Leo didn't contribute. Double is up there because while his expressions could be repetitive, he at least was expressive. The rest were all very blah. Leo frankly cannot act. I usually like to give newbie actors the benefit of the doubt, but it was almost physically painful watching him. He had zero chemistry with anyone and the idea of Pitch and Gun having feelings for each other was laughable. Pepo had two expressions and spent most of the drama looking aloof and vaguely irritated. Again zero chemistry between him and Leo. Namchok and New were fairly bland, though Namchok's chemistry with Heng was decent if not a full blaze. Oaey and Katang were slightly better, but their expressions were just repetitive.

House of Stars is quite simply, in my opinion, a drama to avoid. There is really nothing worth watching here, it's just a colossal disappointment. It joins a steadily growing list of dramas that could have been decent, maybe even great, but was crippled by subpar writing and acting. I like dark and gritty dramas, but they need to be well done and this is simply not it.

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A big Huh? and Wtf? of a show

For a series that is about top actors, I'm amazed that they chose to have this be 6 out of 9 main characters' acting debuts. Not only was the acting borderline boring it was bad. Really bad. Gun was the only character I liked and stayed for but even he wasn't spared of the show's horrible writing.

What I hated about the show:
- The subbing. It isn't the show's fault but the first two episodes were IMPOSSIBLE to power through. Pitch was written as Pizza, Picco, Picc, and I think even Piccolo at one point. Gun and Korn's names were sometimes swapped and at times they were written as "Kang" or something more Korean. Towards the end, there was an 'oppa' in place of 'hia' and/or 'phi' and I thought that was hilarious
- If you've seen the first few episodes then you're aware that there are these prison-like house rules, however, we never got to really know them. And instead of the show showing them to us, we only got characters challenging each other over and over again with the same line 'Don't you know the house rules?' Uh no, we don't, please elaborate!
- Pitch was not the main character anyone needed or deserved. I would have cut the show some slack had they made him a cyborg instead
- Pitch and Gun was not the IT couple the show thought they were. Not only did they lack chemistry, nothing about their scenes was romanticly suggestive. I'm not sure if there's an uncut version but at one point the show was following the Mintra-Korn-Pawin catastrophe when all of a sudden they drop an 'oh look, Gun and Pitch have romantic feelings for each other!!! Yay!'. Yeah no, just no. And upon further research, it appears that the actors for Gun and Pitch were changed to Pepo and Leo after the official trailer?? That would explain the lack of chemistry.
- Korn and Pawin's sexual relationship was hinted earlier on but how the show executed it was beyond tasteless. Not only did Korn cheat on Mintra, but when she caught them he had the audacity to gas-lit her. And this guy never asked about her mom's condition when it was first brought up until later just to mess with her. Jerk move.
- Everything about the character "Sun" was something to nothing. Finally, we got to see that Suzy and Host aren't as stoic and fearless as we believed them to be when Suzy's biological son, Sun, makes his not-so-grand entrance. Unfortunately, the character was only utilized for suspense and to convince us that the people and relationships at House of Stars are "interesting". I wasn't counting but he said "This house is interesting" 4-5 times. By failing to write better characters, the show lost the opportunity to show the kind and caring, or lack thereof sides of the members of the house, by having at least one of them stand up to Sun in Suzy or Host's defense. I swear, what's the point of Korn bragging about not using stunt doubles in his action scenes if there wasn't going to be some butt-kicking???
- Suzy's death was hilariously and terribly shown. Not only was her death sudden, it was told to us by unreliable characters of how it happened when on the night before her death all we saw was her bawling her eyes out. The fact that when her lifeless body was discovered and NO ONE stepped in to do CPR or check if she had a pulse shows you how ungrateful and slow these characters are. And I don't care if she was strict, she called them 'family'. And immediately somehow a viral video of Gun saying he ruined someone's life was good enough to prove he was the no1 suspect behind Suzy's death. Yeah, he was acting weird but when were any of them normal???
- Pitch and So's walking styles were so stiff and tense
- Lalit is unrealistic. And where were her acting gigs??? She was brought on as an actress but all she did was follow Pitch and So around
- Wayu and Wayha were boringly cute
- Is Gun and Korn friends or not?
- Maybe I've seen too many Korean dramas but do Thai people not wear black after a passing? And where was Suzy's funeral? It was never held or talked about.
- After putting So's brother, Sin, in that state and taking Sin's role, Gun has the audacity to confess and try to kiss Pitch knowing how So feels about Pitch
- Hold on. Does So genuinely like Pitch or just dislike the fact that Pitch is spending too much time with the guy who wronged Sin not once but twice?
- Who okayed Leo's singing??
- Riddle me this, when Lalit threw the box cutter vertically, how did it cut Pitch's arm horizontally? And why was Gun's first reaction "Let me bandage you."? I'd think you'd ask if he was okay or check for a wound first but okay...whatever.
- The number of times Pitch was inconsiderate towards So's feelings was baffling. And this is the main character we're supposed to root for? Tsk tsk
- For a house full of colleagues there was NOT ONE healthy friendship arc

Things I liked about the show:
- The credit song. I'm mad I can't find the full version anywhere T_T
- Korn leaving House
- Mintra and Pawin's sassy enemies-to-friends relationship. It was borderline toxic but at least it was entertaining
- The show cast an inexperienced actor to play an inexperienced actor. Well done

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Poorly executed and underdeveloped plot lines

This series comes under the genre of war of y and has similar behind-the scenes kinda story.
I will be honest here, they had some good ideas for a series with potential. But the main issue with this one is that the script is so poorly written with lots of loopholes and weird scenarios. At times ,which is a lot of times, things doesn't make any sense. None of the characters are explored enough and makes us feel disconnected to all of them.
Coming to the acting part, except for the actors who played Zo and Gun (they really did well), and almost phawin, the rest of them have no acting skills whatsoever. It looks very shallow and artificial. All the characters have complex emotions and plot lines, but none of them were utilized or expressed.
....
Spoiler ahead....
...
I can probably get my head around most of it, but the part where the sasaeng (stalker fan) who does a lot of scary stuff and threatens to harm one actor's life was invited to live with them rather than being handed over to police baffles me. Like, in what world does that happen!!!
..
There are two love triangles (one of them isnt actually a "love" triangle) and both are poorly developed in a deeper level.
The story if it were given in the hands of a better director and scriptwriter, would have made a drastic difference, because it had potential ....but sadly it didn't work.
Watchable, but not really worth your time.

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Guns and Poses (NSFW)

Warning: This review is rated R for filth, dirt, obscenity and profanity. Reader beware.

Mani and Pedi are back. I asked my friends, both old-school drag-queens, to watch House of Stars with me. Here is their conversation, edited for clarity. This is a live review, so, it is organised episode by episode.

MANI: So, what are we watching today?
PEDI: House of Stars.
MANI: Is this a sequel to House of Gucci?
PEDI: Gaga… Oo.. Lala.

Episode 1.
MANI (when Suzi arrives on screen): Work! Woooork!
PEDI: She hasn’t even opened her mouth yet, and we know she’s a diva.
MANI: Icon!
PEDI (when Gun arrives): Fuck. Me. Hard. Have I died? Am I in heaven? He is... *hot*.
MANI (dumbstruck): You know what? If he came up to me, and said to me, drink my piss, I’ll drink his piss. I'll say: when's a good time for you? Do you charge by the ounce?
PEDI (laughing): You’re disgusting.
MANI: (when Korn arrives): Okay, I cannot tolerate this level of hotness in one TV show.
PEDI: This feels like a Thai Elite. How gay do we think it’s going to be?

MANI: Girl, this is a Thai BL. Elite had nothing on this.
PEDI (when Wayha and Wayu arrive): Alright, they’re quite cute. But maybe forgettable?
MANI: I don’t know. I’d still fuck them.
PEDI: Or have them fuck you.
MANI: It’s all about give and take in our world.
PEDI (laughing): Ooh, who’s this?

MANI: Pawin.
PEDI (intrigued): He looks sly. Oh, a sly twink. Mama, mark my words. He’s a power bottom. The sower of dis-cord.

MANI: He’s gonna break up Korn from that evil girlfriend, isn’t he?

PEDI (laughing): A Korn thresher! (Laughs at her own joke): We know what’s going to happen, right?
MANI: Dogging?
PEDI laughs. (Later, when Pitch arrives): Pitch? He’s called Pitch?
MANI (when So arrives): And he’s called So. So?
PEDI: Wow, these boys *cannot* act.
MANI: And, compared to the men who came before… they look, ummm, how do I put it politely? Reptilian?
PEDI: Look, Pitch evidently has had too much botulinum toxin injected into his face, and only a So-So man could fall in love with him. Let us be kind.
MANI: I hate to break this to you, but I think Ms Botox and Ms Sourpuss are meant to be together.
PEDI flips the table in anger.

Episode 2 & 3.
PEDI: I don't understand. Is this an agency for actors? Or a whorehouse? Is Suzi an agent, or a pimp?
MANI: A bit of both, I think.
PEDI: Is that why they're all under curfew and house arrest?
MANI (getting up from the sofa when So and Pitch appear): We don’t care about So called Pitch? Okay? I don't care. They cannot act. They are boring. And I hate them. Stop this madness! Stop this gaslighting!
PEDI (unable to stop laughing): This is Pitch Imperfect… No, no wait… Bitch Imperfect.
ME (from the corner): You’re fired.
From this point onwards, whenever So or Pitch arrive on the screen, MANI takes the remote and presses fast forward.

Episode 4.
MANI (seeing Mintra leave): Finally. There is never a bad time for a mother to die in a Thai BL.
PEDI: Ooh, is something gay about to happen?
MANI (as the seduction begins): There you go. Dogging. See?
PEDI: Suzi! You pervert! Stop slivering them.
MANI: You mean the movie Sliver?
PEDI: Yes.
MANI: This is so hot, I’m not gonna lie.
PEDI: What’s there to lie about?
MANI (when they bone again in bed): See, this is true queer representation.
PEDI: What? Sideways cowboy?
MANI: As long it's not missionary... it's queer. (Later, when Wayu and Wayha enter the screen): Oh, I like them. They’re cute. But they don't have any *heat*... Oh wait, he's taking his shirt off. Never mind.
PEDI: Well, here’s a Pitch-er of cold water to ruin everything.

Episode 5
PEDI (seeing Pawin mount Korn): What the... fuck?
MANI (awe-struck): Hang on. Is the actor playing Pawin actually naked?

PEDI (getting very, very close to the TV): Looks like it.
MANI: You’re going to jerk off to this later, aren’t you?

PEDI: Mama, I am a cherry-grove lesbian. I *need* a story to get aroused.
MANI: And this is the one?

PEDI: Yes. And the fact that they are evidently going to get caught only adds to the thrill.
MANI (laughing): So, So? So, we know who the Mask is, right?
PEDI: It’s so obvious, it's not even obvious.
MANI: Well, we’re here for Korn bread. Who cares about the plot it comes from?

PEDI: Good point.

Episode 6
MANI: Nooooooooooo! Leave him alone, you marble-faced Barbie! Gun is ours!!!
PEDI: I didn't think it would be possible. But paired with Pitch, Gun is getting less and less attractive. It's like when your best friend marries an asshole, and she becomes an asshole, and you don't wanna hang out with her anymore? Just like that.
MANI: Urgh. (They skip through their whole failing-in-love montage.) Finally! Korn!
PEDI: Korn keeps us *fed*!
MANI: As he should.
PEDI: Did you notice that he's an oenophile? Always swilling a glass of fine wine?
MANI: Why do I hang out with you?

Episodes 7-8
MANI: The assistant with the power lesbian haircut is quite hot. She deserves her own plotline.
PEDI: I think it’s coming.
MANI: And Suzi knows how to put on a suit! Her stylist needs a raise. Not something I normally say about a Thai BL.
PEDI (seeing Pitch come on screen): Okay, for the rest of this show, we are not talking about Marble Face. Okay? Not even if he’s with Gun. It’s Chekov's anti-Gun. Give me the remote. Move it!
MANI (unable to make sense of the chronology): Who edited this show? Were they in a coma? Were the writers high on cocaine?
PEDI (when Sin arrives on the screen): Ooh, who's the new suit?
MANI: I don’t know. But the man knows how to wear one.
PEDI: It's the long-lost son, isn’t he? There's always a long lost son in Thai lakorns.
MANI (when it is revealed who The Host is): I knew it. I knew it!
PEDI: There’s your plotline.
MANI: Hang on. Is this incest? Is that where this is going?
PEDI: I doubt it. It’s not from Taiwan. (Later, when Mintra tries to frame Pawin): Really? This is where we’re at? In 2023?

Episode 9
MANI (when Sin declares “I want to ruin everything”): Woooork! Woooooork!
PEDI (when Wayha and Wayu kiss): Awww… Lovely. Let the f*** at it, I say.
MANI: Hang on, hang on, hang on, Wayha, the post-adolescent *man*, has never been kissed before? Are you kidding me?
PEDI: This is BL fantasy, mama. Why are you expecting reality?
MANI: I’m not expecting reality. I just don’t want a teenage girl's Wattpad fantasy. Give me sex dungeons, and a voucher for Home Depot.
PEDI: A true gay fantasy.
MANI & PEDI together, at the final scene: Noooooooooooooooooo!
MANI: What just happened? Did we lose one of the main reasons we've been watching this show?
PEDI: Aaaaaaaaaargh! Couldn’t they have killed the other Bitch instead?

Episode 10-11:
MANI: Who do you think did it?
PEDI: Not the son. Not the Power Lesbian, obviously.
MANI: It’s the four-eyed assistant. It’s always the quiet, unassuming ones.
PEDI (when Gun confesses to So): Okay, what? He permanently disabled your brother, and you just forgive him? Mama, I smell a rat. I think So’s the killer.
MANI: So? So!
PEDI (laughing): Shut up.
MANI: Secret basement? This has gone full on Gothic, Mary.
PEDI: Sin can pull a sweater, let me tell you. Sweaters become him.
MANI: Would you say that he makes you sweat all over?
That he knows his pullovers?
PEDI (laughing): You need help.
MANI (when Host and Sin reveal the truth): Pawin is the only one invested. Look at him acting all shocked. Everyone else? Stone-faced.
PEDI (when the sex scene begins): Mama, is this Star Trek the next generation?
MANI: What do you mean?

PEDI: I mean, this has to be science fiction, right? Are we really seeing every guy in the house bang each other?
MANI: Except Marble Face and Sourpuss.
PEDI: Oh, put me out of my misery if that happens.
MANI: Mintra, Mintra! You go girl! Finally, some self-respect! (Later): Hang on, did Mintra and the Bottom Bitch just team up against Korn? Woooooork! Wooooooork!
PEDI: Awww… poor Korn.
MANI: This show is magnificent.

Episode 12.
MANI (during the yacht scene): What? What’s happening?
PEDI: We just destroyed a man’s life. I gave a man PTSD. My botox injections went all wrong. Oh, and our agent just died. But hey, let’s paartaaaaay!
MANI (at So): You brought your disabled brother on a yacht? With the man who hit him with his car?
PEDI: Something smells fishy here. And it’s not the sea.
MANI: Don't tell me Suzi really did die due to an allergy! If so, that’s worse than Cersei’s death in GoT.
PEDI: But wait, mama. Did you notice something? Something awesome? We haven’t seen Pitch in the last two episodes… at all. As in, he's gone. Disappeared.
MANI (jumping with joy): You’re right. You’re right! Our prayers have been answered! Praise the lord! The Pitch dropped dead! (Laughs at her own joke.)
PEDI: Do you think he was fired? The actor?
MANI: Why, because he was so bad? Now that you mention it...
PEDI: I hope people wrote to The Hague, because it is a crime against humanity to pair him up with Gun.
MANI (laughing at her own cleverness): I do hear Gun crime is on the rise.
ME (from the corner): You're fired.
PEDI (shocked at the final twist): What???
MANI: Told you!
PEDI: You witch!
MANI: I kind of knew it when So So was looking at the camera — hitting his head against the fourth wall, very, very badly — and talking about how good it would be if everything had a happy ending...
PEDI: Yup. Should have seen it coming. What an ending though!
MANI: This show is pure genius.
PEDI: A work of art.
MANI: Come on, let's watch it again.
PEDI: I'll order pizza.

Reader's Digest:
DO SAY: The Korn Ultimatum
DON’T SAY: So long, Pitch!

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House of Boring

The only episode that was interesting...and only at the very end...was episode 12. I sped through 95% of the entire series. There was just something about this series that just didn't sit well in entertainment value. I felt like I was watching an American Soap Opera and I hate those. The intrigue was not intriguing. The love triangle was confusing and stupid. I found it hard to believe that Gun would be attracted to Pitch (but that was more believable than the stupid love triangle). Who was Sun and what exactly was his significance to the show?!? The idol stalker turned actress turned idol manager...what?

Needless to say, I fell like I wasted my time. Weha and Wayu were sweet and their chemistry was spot on but they weren't enough to redeem the show. I hope those 2 have a show of their own sometime. I even liked their cop/robber bit. Anyway, don't watch this.

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I appreciate series like this and Lovely Writer that take a look at the ugliness that goes on behind filming dramas and what the stars go through. I like that this one has both BL and non BL storylines. Oftentimes there is a lot of jealousy that goes on behind the scenes as well as encouragement that we don't see on the outside; and unfortunately sometimes fans can get a little obsessive and take things too far and stars end up getting hurt. We're also given a taste of how actors can be mistreated or favored by their company that they work for.
*(update) that ending left this wide open for a season 2! Love the twist of ep12

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House of stars, gays and perhaps murder..?

Let’s start of with some general information.
Set in a modern mansion run by a woman named Suzie, her company manages multiple actors trying to become number one idols. There is one main rule, interpersonal relationships between the actors is forbidden. The series drops you into the middle of the story as the actors gather for a meal in ‘the house’. Where we start learning the characters. The rookie actors Pitch and Zo. Mintra, a social climbing actress who co-stars with her boyfriend Korn. Alongside we have Gun, a quite popular actor who doesn’t really interact with anyone besides Pitch later on. Pawin, a fellow actor in the group who has a secret crush on Korn. Then we have Wayu, a young actor who hasn’t got a role yet due to his accent. And as last Wayha, who is an actor in the group offering support to Wayu.

There are a lot of characters to learn and it’s very hard in the beginning, as the story drops you right in the middle of everything, where you get little to no information with what is going on. Now I must admit that I went into this show with no idea what to expect. It has barely any reviews and isn’t really known that much + wasn’t fully aired yet. So when I watched the first two episodes I was very close to dropping it because I had no idea what was going on, who everyone was, what their deal is etc. But I am very glad I didn’t drop it, because with each episode, the story becomes more and more interesting. Characters get more depth, their intentions become more clear, which is very interesting to see since the cast has so many leads. I’m normally not interested in many leads but this show does a great job!

Please keep watching the show, especially if you have only watched the first episodes.
The story at the beginning is confusing and starts slow but it has a promising end. The actors are all somehow connected which is fun to see. Ep1 starts off with someone in a wheelchair but this becomes clear in ep7/8 so don’t worry about it being an unsolved mystery. Also some drama in ep1 at the dining table but it’s very confusing and barely relevant to plot so nvm that. All the other episodes just build up all the characters and relationships which clears up a lot of confusion. This goes on up till episode 9/10 when someone dies and they have to figure out who and why. This death is a mystery and even the watcher does not know who, what, why and how it all happened until the very very end of episode 12.
I will not say anything about the ending, because no one likes spoilers lmao. But the last episode started.. kinda boring? and I had small expectations. But DAMN the last 10 minutes left me stunned. (I have been waiting for my fav character to get his moment AND HE DID MASTERMIND. As actor he did amazing, somehow even gave me Light Yagami vibes?) I wonder if this drama will get a season 2 since the ending kinda left us with an.. open ending? I don’t know if this show will get enough attention for a sequel, but I hope they give us one because I’m obsessed!

Story: very interesting, I have not seen war of Y so imo its my first time seeing this type of story and am therefore very intrigued.
Acting/cast: cast is very diverse in looks so it should be easy to keep them apart. Acting is in some scenes kinda bad. You need to know that this show is about actors, so you also get to see them shoot fake scenes and do photoshoots etc. But sometimes in the normal acting scenes, it looks like they’re acting for the fake acting scenes. (I’m talking about you Pitch) But this is the actor’s first ever series so it’s okay. Pitch’s acting buddy Zo, which was also its actor first show, did on the other hand an amazingly good job! The other actors mainly did a good job too and most of them already have some what experience, so that makes up to those meh scenes. The sex scenes are btw amazing, most of the time not a big fan of that especially in Thai shows, but damn this show blew me away..
Music: ending music is good, haven’t really listened to the rest of the ost that much. The ost fitted in every scene I guess since I never really minded it. Wouldn’t say it’s very memorable tho but I’ve got this with a lot of shows.
Rewatch value: depends on your interests. Since the beginning is so confusing, I would rewatch it to be able to fully understand what’s happening from the beginning. Needless to say that I don’t really rewatch shows in general though (unless they are a literal cinematic masterpiece) so I cannot speak much about it. However if this gets a season 2, yes definitely worthy of a rewatch.
Overall: This series is insane WTH, I swear there must come a season 2 because it had me on chokehold till the end. I would definitely recommend watching this series! The last minutes of the last episode definitely upped my rating to a 9.

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So boring.

In the entire series, the Korn-Phawin duo was the only interesting and exciting thing. At first I only watched for them. But they also had to spoil it at the end. Let's just say that the sex scenes were also a bit funny... The Gun-Pitch couple is a big no-no. I've never seen a main couple so unprogressive. The ending was also terrible, the story was not even closed properly. Overall a very bad series, the actors can't act, the story is a mess, the only watchable thing was messed up, the ending isn't really an ending. I can't say anything positive about the series. I don't recommend it.

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Tried to do too much

My impression was that Gun and Pitch would be the main couple in this series, but their relationship was the worst out of all of them. An overdone, uninteresting love triangle with Zo that lasted way too long and an underdeveloped relationship between Gun and Pitch led to their relationship being so much nothing. Any time the story revolved around them, I found myself not paying much attention. The other two couples, however, stole the show. You have a sweet relationship that slowly forms between Wayu and Wayha, and then the messy and dramatic relationship between Pawin and Korn. These two couples are super entertaining and fun to watch.

However, the number of characters got the best of them in this show. With no time to develop the relationship between Gun and Pitch, the series felt incomplete. Not to mention the murder plotline that was introduced that receive little attention AT ALL despite being a major issue? It felt like the writers were throwing darts at a board to try to come up with what to do towards the end of the series. The ending felt unresolved and unfulfilling. I had to look up how many episodes this show had because I thought "this can't be the end, right?" Overall not a favorite of mine, but the side couples saved it and made it watchable.

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Tried doing so many things which comes out as nothing

I generally don't write reviews may be this is my first time and trust me this is the drama I m glad I didn't watch in one go after releasing because for sure if that would be the case I would have surely dropped it
The writer just tried to do so many thing which comes out as nothing
The unnecessary plots uninteresting love triangle and so so many loop holes in the story I might elaborate it later with cast and spoiler but after just finishing the last 12th episode this is it coming out. The ending was such a mess that i had to check if there would a special episode or something but dang noooo 12 episodes and thats it.
I would recommend to watch something else than this there are so many awesome bls out there you can happily skip this one out trust me.
For the actors they were good somehow if I want to be polite but the story with them indeed a pure injustice

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watched for Wayu & Wayha

Overall: it was a mess but not an entertaining mess. Watched ep 1-4 and 9-12. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: murder, non con turned consensual, voyeurism, non con recording, blood, stalking/non con picture taking, manhandling, perhaps more content warnings

What I Liked
- Wayu/Wayha (wish their names were less similar though)
- that it tried something different from the regular romcom
- some of the guys being supportive of one another
- I think the first time a character asked about preferred position
- good NSFW/kissing
- fyi there is another clip after the next episode preview

Episode 9 was okay overall, episode 10 watch at 28 min, episode 11 watch at 24-30min, episode 12 watch at 22-28min and 31-33min (or to the end to solve the mystery introduced at the end of ep 9)

Room For Improvement
- very confusing start and timeline jumps
- too many characters, was not invested in any of the characters/couples (except for Wayu/Wayha)
- boring
- nonsense, why wouldn't she have worked on that actor's accent right away, she can hear it right?
- that vent room looked super unrealistic

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More like house of drama

It is intriguing. And messy. I am here for that. I did find it hard to keep up with all the characters through, as there seems to be quite a lot of them, but it got easier after a few episodes and once we got to know each of them a bit more. The subtitles of the first two episodes were terrible, but it got much better after that. I mean, they were butchering the names – like Pitch aka Pete, Picci, Pizza… or Wayha aka Haha and Weha; also is it Sin or Shin? So or Zo? It seems to have gotten better from episode three forwards, so that’s something.

Now, for the plot. It’s a hot mess, but in a good way. I feared that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with everyone and that the plot would stop making sense. I was pleasantly surprised that no matter how messy things got, it all still followed a logical plot line and was headed into a clear direction. It didn’t left me confused at all. The storyline was really well written, meaning if you paid attention, you could predict or guess certain things would happen.

I do find Miss Suzy kind of creepy. I know they are trying to show her as someone who has all control, knows everything, but I still feel that it was a bit too much. Host is someone I don’t really know what to think about. She seems to be under her mother’s full control, but there is more to her. We just sadly don’t really get to see that side of her very often.

Toey might be the character we know the least about. He is there from episode 1 as one of the managers (like Host) and yet we don’t get to know a single thing about him. We know his name and we know that he works for Miss Suzy. That’s it. I found that a bit strange. I mean he is not an actor in the house, but we could still know at least something about him.

As for the actors in the House of Stars, they sure know how to keep us on our toes.

Pitch, So, Gun: Pitch and So are partners in a BL series, there might be more between them but neither of them acted on it. Once Pitch starts to follow Gun around, we get a love triangle. So seems to be jealous of his acting partner spending time with Gun, and Gun seems to be unhappy about Pitch and So being together. And Pitch is living his clueless life. I am living for the mind games that So and Gun are playing with each other. They are kind of fun. I wouldn’t mind if this love triangle turned into a three-way relationship. The breakfast scene between Gun and So made me think things. The ending made me rethink my throuple idea though.

Korn, Pawin, Mintra: Korn and Mintra are dating, but Korn is also interested in men, something Mintra doesn’t know or just doesn’t want to admit. Pawin is a BL actor, he is gay, and has a thing for Korn. It makes sense that Mintra and Pawin don’t get along at all. Korn and Pawin end up hooking up while Mintra is away, which ends up blowing up into everyone’s face. I am not really a fan of the whole cheating thing. I know the two have a contract in place that states they need to date, but there were still real feelings involved. The storyline and the mess that followed were interesting. Korn really got my nerves most of the time, because of him two-timing the other too. There were times that I absolutely hated Mintra but there were also moments where I absolutely loved her! The wy their story ended was perfect though, I think it was the best possible outcome they could have chosen.

Wayha & Wayu: Wayha is new to acting, but his pronunciation sucks. Wayu is tasked with helping him. The two of them are the only couple we pair for sure from the start. Wayu is one that fell first and Wayha is the one to fall harder. They are kind of cute together though. Most of their scenes are adorable, just the two of them being lovey-dovey with each other. They are the least dramatic couple in the whole series. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s good to have a few no-drama moments.

There’s also Sin, So’s brother. He was in an accident some time ago, which caused a lot of damage. Sin’s accident is also why So decided to take up acting. I feel like there is a lot more to the story, even after we find out who was responsible for the accident.

Lalit is the last to join the House of Stars and there is something suspicious about her. She is apparently a fangirl, so her sharing things that the fans shouldn’t know yet, doesn’t seem that unreasonable. I am not sure if they are just trying to make it seem like she is the one causing trouble, or if she is behind it, but there is something going on with her. I do like how her story progressed and while her end isn't something I fully like or understand, it is one that I think fits the story. She kind of grew on me as the series progressed.

And then we also get to meet Sun, Suzy’s son and Host’s brother, who seems to scare both of them. I don’t fully get their dynamics, especially considering the fact that Suzy could easily kick him out and disown him. Sun has a lot of secrets, and we don’t really get to know that much about him. I think there is a lot more to him that we are told, especially with how the series ended.

Am I happy with how everyone ended? No. Do I get what happened? Yes, mostly. Did I enjoy the series? Yes. And the fact that they left the story unfished… it can only mean that they set everything up for S2. I ended up really enjoying the series, so the fact that we are very likely to get another season is exciting!

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