1
Stefania
Red Flags and Clichés ft. Sexiness
Love in the Air had me at attractive street racers, but it took me only two episodes to figure out everything that I needed to know about this series: it is a plotless, sometimes nonsensical string of overused clichés with some spicy non-consensual stuff on the side. What makes it more watchable than its counterparts is that its shallow essence is concealed by a shiny wrapper of high-quality cinematography, smoking hot guys, and sexy bed scenes.
PayuRain's story proves that, unlike Hollywood and the K-drama industry, the Thai BL industry has a long way to go before it gets out of its Twilight phase. A rich, cold, handsome, dangerous, smart, and well-spoken older guy falls for an awkward, naive, clumsy, unremarkable younger guy, who is – for reasons unknown – "different" from all the other people who would like to be with the hot, rich guy. Sounds familiar? I am sure that it does to everyone who has read romance bestsellers.
My thirteen-year-old self would have probably gone crazy over this story just as it went crazy over Edward Cullen and Bella Swan's, but I am not thirteen anymore, and romances like this one have become a dime a dozen since Twilight achieved its success in the 2010s. This dynamic has got old. It is high time scriptwriters realized that.
If you, like me, have noted that Edward's behavior is kind of creepy and stalkish, let me tell you: the vampire has nothing on Payu, whose actions and logic in episode one bordered on that of a rapist. Yes, I understand that the relationship between Rain and him involves dom/sub undertones, but forcing yourself on someone and excusing your actions with classical rapist phrases, such as "you approached me first" and "what you did is throw yourself on me," is a different matter. Imagine how this would have looked if Rain was a girl. I was so disturbed that from that scene on I could not see Payu as a positive character despite the fact that he got nice and romantic afterwards. If someone oversteps your boundaries once, he might do it again. Payu is a walking red flag.
I dropped his and Rain's story at episode four because, the rapeish scene aside, I also found their interactions really cringy. I felt like the only objective was to show what a hot alpha Payu is. Instead of being attracted to him, I was uncomfortable. Furthermore, I knew precisely where the story is going. It is too predictable.
I decided to give the second couple a chance because Sky is not as much of a Gary Stu as Rain. His character is actually the only likeable one. He is a kind person, a supportive friend, and he stands up for himself. This is why I believe that his story will be more interesting. However, his love interest, Prapai, is even worse than his friend Payu – at least Payu did not extort sexual favors from Rain. Episode eight, the first one dedicated to PrapaiSky, introduced a sex scene of dubious consent. You might disagree, but I do not think that there can be anything romantic about a relationship that starts with something that borders on sexual assault.
I will give the next episodes a chance, but romanticized rape is an idea that should not be made popular. If you have heard of the Overton Window, you will know why.
Edit: To call PrapaiSky's story a fanfic is to insult the well-written fanfics that I have read, so I will have to call it an unsuccessful attempt to use fanfic tropes in a "romance" full of red flags. There is no scenario in which obtaining a spare key to your crush's room without telling him and entering when you want is acceptable and romantic. Mame, if you thought that I would buy controlling stalker Prapai as a sweet, caring guy, you thought wrong.
Overall, I would say that this series is something like the college version of KinnPorsche. The actors are attractive and deliver either good or mediocre performances. The OSTs are great, but they do not always fit the mood. The bed scenes are hot. The plot is nonexistent. You might like this series a lot. You might dislike it like I did.
On a side note, I have to say that Boss deserves all the praise that he is getting and some more. It is his charisma that saves his character’s clichéd lines on many occasions. I hope that he will get to work with better scripts in the future.
PayuRain's story proves that, unlike Hollywood and the K-drama industry, the Thai BL industry has a long way to go before it gets out of its Twilight phase. A rich, cold, handsome, dangerous, smart, and well-spoken older guy falls for an awkward, naive, clumsy, unremarkable younger guy, who is – for reasons unknown – "different" from all the other people who would like to be with the hot, rich guy. Sounds familiar? I am sure that it does to everyone who has read romance bestsellers.
My thirteen-year-old self would have probably gone crazy over this story just as it went crazy over Edward Cullen and Bella Swan's, but I am not thirteen anymore, and romances like this one have become a dime a dozen since Twilight achieved its success in the 2010s. This dynamic has got old. It is high time scriptwriters realized that.
If you, like me, have noted that Edward's behavior is kind of creepy and stalkish, let me tell you: the vampire has nothing on Payu, whose actions and logic in episode one bordered on that of a rapist. Yes, I understand that the relationship between Rain and him involves dom/sub undertones, but forcing yourself on someone and excusing your actions with classical rapist phrases, such as "you approached me first" and "what you did is throw yourself on me," is a different matter. Imagine how this would have looked if Rain was a girl. I was so disturbed that from that scene on I could not see Payu as a positive character despite the fact that he got nice and romantic afterwards. If someone oversteps your boundaries once, he might do it again. Payu is a walking red flag.
I dropped his and Rain's story at episode four because, the rapeish scene aside, I also found their interactions really cringy. I felt like the only objective was to show what a hot alpha Payu is. Instead of being attracted to him, I was uncomfortable. Furthermore, I knew precisely where the story is going. It is too predictable.
I decided to give the second couple a chance because Sky is not as much of a Gary Stu as Rain. His character is actually the only likeable one. He is a kind person, a supportive friend, and he stands up for himself. This is why I believe that his story will be more interesting. However, his love interest, Prapai, is even worse than his friend Payu – at least Payu did not extort sexual favors from Rain. Episode eight, the first one dedicated to PrapaiSky, introduced a sex scene of dubious consent. You might disagree, but I do not think that there can be anything romantic about a relationship that starts with something that borders on sexual assault.
I will give the next episodes a chance, but romanticized rape is an idea that should not be made popular. If you have heard of the Overton Window, you will know why.
Edit: To call PrapaiSky's story a fanfic is to insult the well-written fanfics that I have read, so I will have to call it an unsuccessful attempt to use fanfic tropes in a "romance" full of red flags. There is no scenario in which obtaining a spare key to your crush's room without telling him and entering when you want is acceptable and romantic. Mame, if you thought that I would buy controlling stalker Prapai as a sweet, caring guy, you thought wrong.
Overall, I would say that this series is something like the college version of KinnPorsche. The actors are attractive and deliver either good or mediocre performances. The OSTs are great, but they do not always fit the mood. The bed scenes are hot. The plot is nonexistent. You might like this series a lot. You might dislike it like I did.
On a side note, I have to say that Boss deserves all the praise that he is getting and some more. It is his charisma that saves his character’s clichéd lines on many occasions. I hope that he will get to work with better scripts in the future.
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