Wandee Goodday (2024)

Happy I didn't skip this one!!

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

I almost past this up because I'm not a fan of the friends with benefits/fake boyfriends to lovers story concept. This is one of the rare cases I'm happy I changed my mind. Again, I'm not a fan of the main story concept but the script actually handled this aspect very well. I also liked that the script was not very predictable and did not have cookie cutter characters. It was also great to watch a mature BL series. However, the script still had a few misplaced elements that were a bit puzzling to me.

One of the positive aspects in this series was the amount of diversity in it. Although it's not explicitly started, it is implied that Yoryyak is bi- or pansexual which was not made into a big deal. There was also an established BL couple that showed the ups and downs of a long-term relationship. They also had a wonderful story conclusion. It was great to see asexual representation with Plakao. Unfortunately, not much was done with this character. I didn't expect a full storyline for him, but at least a little more than what they gave us. Nevertheless, he had a nice story conclusion too. Another positive aspect was the overall way they addressed the topic of mental health. They addressed this issue with good sense of respect and care. The only problem was the unrealistic way they resolved it in the end. The main negative aspect for me is they felt the need to give a character a redemption story ending. Not all characters need one. As for the entire cast, they were amazing and did an incredible job with their characters. The cinematography was amazing, but there were some poor editing choices with one scene.

Random Notes:

As always, I love seeing familiar locations from different series. Ter's condo was also used in My School President and Good Old Days. The café is the same one used in Baker Boys (Café name was Sweet Day), Enchanté (Also called Sweet Day), The Eclipse (Shares the same name in this series, Café for all), and Twins (This was not a GMMTV series and had no name). Yes, I'm fully aware that I'm a geek about this.

******Spoiler Alert *******

I like that Wandee's reasoning for the fake boyfriend had to do with him getting the scholarship and not to get Ter jealous.

It was great that the series got the dreaded break-up subplot out of the way quickly in episode 7. I know they still considered themselves fake dating, but their fake break-up was more emotional than some of the cursed real break-up scenes that we receive in the second to last episode in other series.

The sexual assault scene in the beginning of episode 9 had a poor music choice. They picked music to make this appear cutesy to down play it. This is interesting considering they did a great job handling the same thing in the previous episode.

The storyline with Ter in the last two episodes did not sit well with me. If the end game was to have him and Taemrak together, they did a horrible job with making him likable. They should have toned down his pursuit with Wandee. It felt like they didn't want to fully commit in making him a bad character.

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GreatInn sold me on this one

Whoever decided that Great and Inn should act together was incredibly correct. They are such a good pairing, and it was refreshing to see GMM put adult actors as adult characters with real jobs and not just students. They hit on some cliches that definitely aren't my favorite (starting a relationship with a hookup, fuck buddies to "what are we", etc.) but overall the plot was super fun.

Dr. Wandee (Inn) finally works up the courage to tell his coworker that he has feelings for him, only to get rejected. In his despair, he ends up hooking up with boxer Yoryak (Great), who also happens to be his patient. The two of them start hooking up more regularly, in a strictly friends with benefits situation. Then, when Wandee's confession to his coworker spreads as juicy gossip throughout the hospital, he needs to convince everyone he's over this guy - and does so by convincing Yoryak to be his fake boyfriend. However, when you're hooking up with someone, hanging out outside of hookups, and pretending to be boyfriends by having romantic moments, how far off are you from actually dating? And of course, these "fake" feelings become all too real.

I love a fake dating plot, but I do feel like this one missed the mark on the whole "fake" part. Typically, I'd expect fake dating to not involve hooking up with said fake boyfriend. Wandee and Yoryak were dating in every aspect except the boyfriend label for SO LONG before they finally made it official, and at that point I didn't even realize they weren't officially boyfriends yet because it was so obvious they were. I feel like instead of dragging out the label, it would have been more interesting to either play out the friends with benefits to boyfriends or actual fake boyfriends (as in, no hooking up with each other and only acting romantic when around others) . Regardless, this show was super fun and I really enjoyed seeing Great and Inn act together. The plots outside of the relationship were really well done, and props to the show for including an asexual character that is still in romantic relationships and taking the time to explain. Overall, the show was light and fun without too much heartache involved, and the actors had enough chemistry to make up for anything the show lacked.

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Boy oh boy

I finished this series after two entire months of it ending when I had a single episode to get through because, for some reason, I was so traumatized by ep. 11 that I dreaded watching the last one (I'm being kind of dramatic but still).
And. I have mixed feelings.
Overall I'd say I enjoyed the series- I went back to see what I rated each episode and overall the average is at 7.5/8. I think the last episodes were the ones that contributed to a slight drop in the final score.

What I liked:

- Chemistry. I say this in every review but I don't fucking care because it's especially true for this one. The actors apparently knew each other beforehand and are pretty good friends, and you can TELL. There's a sense of comfort and familiarity that it's so hard to get, but they did it, and my God did they do it right. The friends-with -benefits aspect of their relationship is ideal for their dynamic, and they play it really well. Consider this 90% of the rating because I was having so. Much. Fun. watching their scenes together.
- I found the setting of a gym and the focus on a professional boxer quite intriguing, to be honest. I liked that they portrayed the intensity that comes with competing at such a high level and the psychological pressure that they endure. And also the hospital setting, obviously- they encouraged each other to do their best in their fields and it was so wholesome to see.
- Bless Wandee's friend for the much needed asexual rep, I don't think I've seen an ace character in a BL show before. Good for him. And also healthy sex ed! (even though it bordered on preachy sometimes, I felt like I was watching an ad from the Ministry of Health lol).

Just unadulterated ranting:

- The ending. Why they always flop right when it's about to end, I have no clue, but it needs to be researched. It's as though every single thing I liked about the show plummets to the ground in terms of quality and watchability: the acting, the plot, the interactions.. everything. So, let me say this: 1) why the fuck do we like Dr. Ter now? Explain that to me because he's still an asshole in my book. 2) They love that shit but please for the love of God can we not have a public confession of love for once? And let's also take away their mics and forbid them from singing, for good measure. Why is a doctor singing at a formal event, dressed in some shitty king costume? We'll never know. 3) What do you MEAN he has to leave now? Why the drama right at the end? Oh well
- Acting. As good as the leads are in light-hearted scenes, they are abismal at the emotional ones (I'm sorry). I've seen what GMMTV actors can do (hello OhmNanon, JimmySea and GeminiFourth), and this doesn't even come close to it. The show should have stuck to the goofy banter and slightly kinky vanilla sex, instead of trying to give its character a deeply traumatic backstory that the actor couldn't accurately portray. Wandee's actor as well-- reaction acting is as important, and I don't think it worked for him either.
- The drama didn't work, outside of the acting problems. That goofy-ass guy in a hoodie was more funny than anything, and it wasn't really made clear that he represented trauma until someone said it word-for-word. And I would have loved to see more of the gym's struggle to find funding while keeping up with Yoryak's competitions.
- Dr. Ter is a creep and I think the competition thing between him and Wandee was sort of forgotten until the last ep? I also don't fully get how it was meant to work, it seemed very unprofessional for a health institution to pit its workers against each other in some sort of ego contest. Idk how it works in real life but surely they don't have to go around having presidential rallies??

I gave this a 6.5 and spent like 1000 words ranting lol but I promise it's a good time. The chemistry carries most of the show, because it would otherwise be quite mid, and it makes the most of the friends-with-benefits trope.

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Less expectations..Less satisfaction

At first I was hyped for this serie because of the new faces but then I realised I saw Great in Manner of death in a support role.

Anyway, it was a nice combination to put GreatInn together, they protrayed well their characters and they do have chemistry.

The problem is in the development of the plot, while I enjoyed some parts, other parts felt a bit draggy and rushed and maybe I'm the problem because since it's a mature serie, I wanted more and always forgot that since it's a GMMTV serie, that's their formula. However, I'm thankful and I appreciate they tried to produce some new stuffs but it still lacks something.

Even for the support roles, they didn't invest that much but I know they mainly want to focus on Wandee and Yoyak but still, it's like they show us some interesting parts at the begining and we want it more after that but no, they are like, it's not on our list lol

In general, I would say it's more lighter (although it does have some drama and a bit of spicyness) and funny, it's still a nice serie to watch but sadly, it didn't make me want to watch it again.

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utterly charmed and the rest comes out in the wash

Really, the thing that matters the most about this series is that the main cast is utterly, utterly charming and carries their stories with grace and humor. This production doesn't always make the best choices and the story line gets sloppy in several places, but the talents of the cast paired with feelgood message takes it across the finish line to become a series I was very fond of. While it may not deliver on the whole premise, a good day is promised and good day was had.

-The Full Review-

STORY:
Hm. Admittedly, this kind of story, one that hits more at after school special than adult series, isn't my cup of tea at all. So for the sake of meeting the story where it's at I'll set aside the more soapbox-y monologues about relationship as simply "not for me." The messages are good and chosen with care, just a little... blatant or, perhaps, juvenile for my tastes.
That said, the plot of Wandee Goodday was pretty all over the place as well. In the first several episodes there are so many plot threads started it's difficult to keep track of what the main story is. This is repeated at the end as several spares are paired despite little connection to the rest of the plot, as well as a few points tied up with a neat little bow that maybe shouldn't have been so simple. I don't necessarily think any of these plot points were bad--just that they were woven together quite sloppily, making the story choppy and disjointed.
My biggest criticism of this story is how Wandee's goals seemed to fall to the wayside as Yak's fight took up a vast majority of the screen time and emotional presence. I would have liked to see more time and space given to his challenges and growth, considering he's the title character. I find a lot of GMMTV BLs struggle to give emotional weight to both leads simultaneously and end up with stories one character facilitates the other's growth (instead of two characters growing together).

ACTING:
I am a huge, and hugely biased, fan of Great Sapol. I absolutely loved him as Inspector M in Manner of death, and I think Wandee Goodday was a perfect and interesting choice to show off his range and charm. Yak felt dimensional, fun, and just that bit heightened that makes romcom characters so lovable. Great especially shined in the way Yak attempts to cover his struggles in good humor and a changed subject,
Despite not having the pleasure of seeing Inn Sarin before, I really enjoyed him! I think that the straight-man side of a comedy duo often ends up going too far, but Dee always managed to hold onto a playfulness and life that countered Yak's rambunctious energy quite well. I wish the script had not abandoned Dee's insecurities so quickly, because I was really enjoying the play between the mature, settled doctor and the stubborn, irrational young person.
Of course, I have to give a shout out to Thor and Fluke. I didn't expect myself to fall for them as hard as I did! Though I don't have any expectations of getting it, I would love to see their whole story properly. The chemistry between these two is absolutely adorable and so tender. Both of their marriage equality scenes really, really got me.

PRODUCTION:
Oh boy. Well, on the first of it. P'Golf continues to provide some truly beautiful neon visuals, though ones that lost their coherency as time went on. A bit more discipline on the colors and use of metatext in the production would have created a neater and more impressive project, but it was quite visually stunning. I particularly loved the bright yellow of the Boxing club and the contrast with Wandee's purples.
My biggest bone to pick with this department is actually with the GMMTV shop. I hate how much the little Dee figure and the elephant pants (both of which are items for sale) took over the show. While the elephant pants were a decent enough choice for Yak, the frequency of their use really limited the costuming of a show that was already fairly limited by uniforms (though huge shout out to Cher's costuming which was... absolute perfection in every scene!). The Dee figurine was... completely incoherent the entire show.

INTIMACY:
In the positives, this show was sex positive and diverse in representations of sexuality. The variety of intimacy shown--from simple skinship to YakDee's more adventurous exploits were treated very maturely (which was very much appreciated considering the moralizing tone of the piece). GreatInn and ThorFluke were both extremely natural pairings that delivered performances explored the characters beautifully.
That said... it was pretty tame? Based on the trailer/synopsis, I was not expecting this show to be so mild. Of course, there's nothing wrong with montage-style sex scenes that fade to black/blurry quite quickly, but I was a little taken aback at just how reserved the show was. It's well done, but it's nowhere near high-heat.

In all, I had a wonderful time with this cast and look forward to seeing what they do next. But this show still brings a vast majority of GMMTV (and P'Golf's) worst habits in a way that prevents it from being truly great.

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A Goodday is a Good Show.

Wandee Goodday. I think it is time to talk about Wandee Goodday and I will have to admit that this show does have a special role in my heart now because it felt so pure and nice to watch. I know I used the word pure to describe this show but I am not referring to how steamy some scenes are. I think I am mostly referring to the love that they have for each other. The story is a bit simple. It is a story about two people who met on a random one-night stand. Wandee provided medical care to Yoryak earlier but they do not really know each other but Wandee was really drunk and got rejected by the man that he is pining for eight years so he is devastated by this. This resulted to them being friends with benefits but the relationship moved from that to being fake boyfriends until they finally have a real relationship instead. This is the trajectory of the relationship and I will say that this is a mature outing from GMMTV considering that this is like my first time seeing so many sex scenes in their shows. Yes, it is not as intense as the other channels but it is there and I just want to really highlight that. Yoryak is played by Great Sapol and Wandee is played by Inn Sarin. This is a pair of extremely good-looking guys and they are sexy. They are sexy………. I mean, we have so many shirtless scenes of them and I have never thanked GMMTV for this. They are so sexy and the necklace kiss was so hot but, at the same time, I feel like the relationship of Wandee and Yoryak really started as a good relationship since they started with being friends. They are so supportive of each other and they are really doing things for their dreams. I feel like the show had a romance at the center but the goals of the characters is what really pushed the story forward. Wandee really wanted to get the scholarship abroad and he is competing with Dr. Ter whom he had a longtime crush. It started out as a revenge plan but he took it more seriously as the story went on. By the way, Dr. Ter is played by Pod who is the one big sexy who starred in a really bad BL before so it is nice to see him again in the genre. He had one shirtless scene when we can benefit with so much more but I like how he is gradually becoming a good character at the end. I knew he was a good boy but had some bad decisions along the way but I can understand him. He mentored Wandee but he still got the scholarship. I like that they went through an interesting phase in this story but still ended up being friends. Wandee’s storyline is about opening himself up to the idea of love once again after getting his heart broken. It might seem like a simple thing to do but I have to give it to them for really trying their best to make it work while Yoryak wants to be a world champion while overcoming the guilt of missing his mother’s last few days. His storyline had a good heart in it and the presentation of this story worked well in the story because we got to see him really fight for it and the relationship. I feel like Wandee fell in love first but Yoryak fell harder for him as the story went on. It is a good way to really set things up for the characters because they had a good start. It was rocky but they were still able to handle the storyline and the characters well that it did not feel mushy or stupid at all. I am quite impressed with how they also used the supporting characters. We have Dr. Kao who is asexual and opened up about this. We have the storyline of Yei and Cher which involved a wedding and it expanded on the family storyline of Yoryak. I love the relationship of Yoryak and Yei as siblings. It felt so loving and honest. We also got good information about HPV vaccination and I like that the show highlighted that. I feel like they also have a good message that they are trying to share to people and used their platform well for it. I really do think that this is an amazing show and I might add that the episode titles were presented really. I feel like they are a bit disregarded but we really had good visuals and stories from the show. I would love another show from Great and Inn because they really have a good chemistry. It is undeniable.

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The Best Chemistry, No Matter What

This drama starts off with an incredibly entertaining first episode. The chemistry between the lead actors, Great and Inn, is fantastic.

The storyline is somewhat predictable from the beginning and doesn't have dramatic twists that deeply move the audience. However, this is because the two main characters make an effort to have proper conversations and genuinely understand each other.

I dislike the common trope in BL dramas where misunderstandings occur because one character doesn't listen to the other. It's unnatural. Often, this behavior is used to force drama into the story, but viewers aren't foolish. Therefore, I appreciated that, although there are a few quarrels between the leads, they resolve them quickly by explaining things properly.

In the end, everything wraps up a bit too conveniently, and a little more complexity would have been nice.

Nonetheless, pairing Great and Inn together is already a masterpiece. If you want to see the best chemistry, you should watch it right away.

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FWB + fake dating = spicy disastrous recipe for love or?

High Points:
* Eye-Catching Visuals: Stunning retro-futuristic cinematography creates a captivating world.
* Natural Rapport: The leads' real-life friendship translates to effortless on-screen chemistry, creating a charmingly easygoing dynamic.
* Healthy Relationship Goals: The series depicts a heartwarming relationship built on open communication and mutual respect.
* Steamy Yet Censored: The NC scenes, while censored, manage to be steamy and deliver a level of intimacy that is considered risqué by GMMTV's standards.
* Scene-Stealing Couple: The adorable side couple is a highlight, found myself being captivated by them more the main couple.
* Representation Matters: Wandee Goodday takes a commendable step forward in representation by incorporating asexuality, internalized homophobia, and the importance of safe sex practices into its narrative.

Low Points:
* Flat Characters: Some characters lack depth, hindering their impact on the story.
* Unexplored Backstory: Unresolved trauma and plot contrivances leave viewers with unanswered questions.
* Family Drama Fizzle: Major family drama is resolved too easily with simple communication and financial aid.
* Pacing Problems: The story drags in later episodes, failing to maintain its initial intrigue.
* Tamed Narrative: The promised intense drama is absent, replaced by a predictable and overly sweet storyline.
* Undeserved Redemption: The antagonist receives a rushed and unearned redemption arc, complete with an unexpected romantic partner.

Overall:
Wandee Goodday captivates viewers in its first half with stunning visuals, relatable characters, and refreshing themes. However, the latter half suffers from a slowing pace, underdeveloped plot elements, and a shift towards a sugar-coated narrative typical of GMMTV productions. Despite these shortcomings, the series remains a light and entertaining watch, particularly for fans who appreciate the lead actors' dynamic.

Another wasted potential to be great ?

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Not What I Expected

Sadly this series did not live up to my expectations from Great and Inn. Perhaps after watching the trailer and having both actors being older- Great (30) Inn(29), I was expecting a more mature series with less juvenile feel to the series.

I get the wait for being boyfriend until kissing but if that’s the best two grown men can deliver in their first kiss, I am just disappointed. All the sex scenes lack heat for a couple who were supposedly fvck buddies. The director definitely decided to put a PG-13 stamp on cleaning the series up so it isn’t too risqué.

I mean come on, Dr. Planko’s sexy toys are cutesy costumes for cosplay. What about real sex toys like vibrators, sex dolls amd dildos.

The acting was meh for two actors who had showing they have acting chop.

I like Great and Inn but this isn’t a good series for their talent.

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