This review may contain spoilers
Bite Me? Save yourself and just dont.
The trailer is captivating, the shots are fantastic, the food is mouthwatering, and that OST is just lovely - however, the story and its script are both so bland it failed to pull it all together.
Good things. The cinematography (and the sets) is amazing. The focus on Thai food is exceptional although I would have wanted even more. Also, I enjoyed seeing Mark in some of his older series, and yes, here he has proven that he is indeed one of the few who can act. Zung was also very good as Chef Aue, and they jive well when they are together. Between the two of them (and I love Aek's mother) I would have given them at least a 9 for acting.
There were lots of things to potentially make this great that's why I am so frustrated with the half-baked story. First - I don't understand why Aek's mother would be against him becoming a chef - after all, cooking was clearly his passion and talent. Being a chef is a lucrative profession and they already own a restaurant so capitalizing on that talent should be a no-brainer, so why the hesitation mama?
Then, there were the confusing eighth and ninth episodes. It was obvious from the start that Aue liked Aek, so why did Aek act all surprised (and rude) when Aue confessed his feelings for him. What is with that unnecessary overreaction of running in the rain? Was Aek in denial? Was Aek disgusted for he is the straightest guy on earth and how dare this older guy try to kiss him so he decided to run in the rain crying to wash away the muck and because he is so straight and macho, he fell and broke his arms, again while crying in the rain (and with the accompanying thunder effect)? Then, lo and behold, the strange guy appeared and he came with him, and it's okay because this guy is obviously not a predator. Does he not have any other friends?
Okay, okay let's pretend we get that logic. So, he later came home to his mama, and to nobody's surprise, his mama ain't even angry that his son is you know, not gay, but probably likes men. And then next thing we knew Aek showed up in Aue's restaurant like nothing happened and he just opened his arms and they embraced, and everythings is rainbow and unicorns again.
And let's also talk about this - the series was painfully too slow. For most of the first 7 episodes, people were just looking at each other, speaking so slowly with awkward pauses in between. And no, I disagree that this is artistic liberty, if it was, then it obviously didn't work. I came to the point I was suspecting the producers have forced the director and writers to extend each episode to fill the required time so they ended up playing what they shot in 0.8 speed. Try watching the series at 1.25 speed and you'd still feel that it is slow.
And what's with all the gazillion unimportant characters - Chef Eve, Chef Mu, Chef Wiphob - they gave them little backstory but it never really contributed to the overall story, at least not in the way they intended. Even Prem and Vich who were supposed to be the breath of fresh air left a sour note instead because of their amateur acting and that weird way they speak.
Let's avoid the finale episode cause that was just rough.
In conclusion, I think what this series need is a little bit more time in the editing room. Cut chunks and pieces, focus on the main actors, and add more food and cooking. Sprinkle it with more cuteness, and top it with a pinch of adult lovemaking (or for the sake of my sanity just a little bit of adult kissing, they're not kids, after all, you titled the show friggin BITE ME, so where is the biting?). This series could have been great, but sadly it's one you can just ignore and pass. I've watched it so you don't have to waste your time. At least, they got an amazing soundtrack.
PS. I feel bad about giving it a 6, cause I've given other series more stars, which are actually way worse than this. So from now on, I promise to give my reviews a more thorough thought and go back to those old reviews and update their ratings. I encourage other reviewers to slap a higher standard when it comes to this genre so the producers can give us better series and not more of the same. 2021 has been good for BL and has provided us with quite a lot of content, unfortunately, a lot of them are lackluster and I think its because we let them get away with good ratings even if the show is garbage.
Good things. The cinematography (and the sets) is amazing. The focus on Thai food is exceptional although I would have wanted even more. Also, I enjoyed seeing Mark in some of his older series, and yes, here he has proven that he is indeed one of the few who can act. Zung was also very good as Chef Aue, and they jive well when they are together. Between the two of them (and I love Aek's mother) I would have given them at least a 9 for acting.
There were lots of things to potentially make this great that's why I am so frustrated with the half-baked story. First - I don't understand why Aek's mother would be against him becoming a chef - after all, cooking was clearly his passion and talent. Being a chef is a lucrative profession and they already own a restaurant so capitalizing on that talent should be a no-brainer, so why the hesitation mama?
Then, there were the confusing eighth and ninth episodes. It was obvious from the start that Aue liked Aek, so why did Aek act all surprised (and rude) when Aue confessed his feelings for him. What is with that unnecessary overreaction of running in the rain? Was Aek in denial? Was Aek disgusted for he is the straightest guy on earth and how dare this older guy try to kiss him so he decided to run in the rain crying to wash away the muck and because he is so straight and macho, he fell and broke his arms, again while crying in the rain (and with the accompanying thunder effect)? Then, lo and behold, the strange guy appeared and he came with him, and it's okay because this guy is obviously not a predator. Does he not have any other friends?
Okay, okay let's pretend we get that logic. So, he later came home to his mama, and to nobody's surprise, his mama ain't even angry that his son is you know, not gay, but probably likes men. And then next thing we knew Aek showed up in Aue's restaurant like nothing happened and he just opened his arms and they embraced, and everythings is rainbow and unicorns again.
And let's also talk about this - the series was painfully too slow. For most of the first 7 episodes, people were just looking at each other, speaking so slowly with awkward pauses in between. And no, I disagree that this is artistic liberty, if it was, then it obviously didn't work. I came to the point I was suspecting the producers have forced the director and writers to extend each episode to fill the required time so they ended up playing what they shot in 0.8 speed. Try watching the series at 1.25 speed and you'd still feel that it is slow.
And what's with all the gazillion unimportant characters - Chef Eve, Chef Mu, Chef Wiphob - they gave them little backstory but it never really contributed to the overall story, at least not in the way they intended. Even Prem and Vich who were supposed to be the breath of fresh air left a sour note instead because of their amateur acting and that weird way they speak.
Let's avoid the finale episode cause that was just rough.
In conclusion, I think what this series need is a little bit more time in the editing room. Cut chunks and pieces, focus on the main actors, and add more food and cooking. Sprinkle it with more cuteness, and top it with a pinch of adult lovemaking (or for the sake of my sanity just a little bit of adult kissing, they're not kids, after all, you titled the show friggin BITE ME, so where is the biting?). This series could have been great, but sadly it's one you can just ignore and pass. I've watched it so you don't have to waste your time. At least, they got an amazing soundtrack.
PS. I feel bad about giving it a 6, cause I've given other series more stars, which are actually way worse than this. So from now on, I promise to give my reviews a more thorough thought and go back to those old reviews and update their ratings. I encourage other reviewers to slap a higher standard when it comes to this genre so the producers can give us better series and not more of the same. 2021 has been good for BL and has provided us with quite a lot of content, unfortunately, a lot of them are lackluster and I think its because we let them get away with good ratings even if the show is garbage.
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