FTLOD
Asia
This review may contain spoilers
HOW DID THE PROGRAM/CHANNEL EXECUTIVES PASS THIS?!
I honestly have no clue how this got a nod to go on floor and be released. This makes absolutely no sense. There are soooooo many problems in this show. Unlike many viewers....the retelling of the story from season 1 was the least of my concern.......however this season had other alarmingly glaring issues. Spoilers ahead !!
1) Absolutely Unacceptable trope: This show was released in 2020. And yet so many tropes used in this series are not only outdated but so problematic. Gone are the days when BL shows could present story lines with icky unacceptable developments and sell it as if it’s nothing. I truly expect better not only from the makers but this industry in general. Techno and Kengkla story made me so uncomfortable in the first season. But what frustrated me even more was the way this season tried to shoehorn them in the box of a cute couple who are trying to bypass a minuscule issue. Oh and that issue is RAPE. What the hell! They not only toned down the seriousness of this issue but also failed to depict how uncomfortable or hurt Techno was (because he clearly was). But not to worry......relentlessly being pursued by Kengkla made him forget everything (face palm).
2) No Room for Consent: Why did consent mean squat in this show? Why!? I fail to understand this!! Tin-Can were a very awkward couple...and this is the nicest thing I can say about them. Random kisses by Tin to Can even when they were not a couple or had any romantic development WHATSOEVER was so frustrating to watch. And no this isn't cute by any means. These characters had no understanding of boundaries or personal space.
3) Gaslighting Galore: The way the makers handled Tin's family story reminded me of all the red flags psychologists warn about. There is no simple way to put it....the brother was a douche-bag of the first order. Yes he also suffered as a child but what he did to Tin by no means is or should be acceptable. When the father was confronted about all the wrongdoings done to Tin, he started giving explanation about how hard it was for Tul, I know I’m a failed father, but you had better than all of us…. so try and understand our perspective because you're a nice boy at the end of the day. Brilliant class on gaslighting. And it worked.....Tin forgave his horrible brother and moved on as if nothing ever happened. Somehow for a change I was on Can's side (usually his over enthusiasm got on my nerves) ....his hesitance to forgive Tul was justified. And what was the whole thing about Tul and the father being mean to Tin because they wanted him to have freedom and no responsibility unlike them. That was some BULL S*&$. The boy only wanted some love, respect and understanding. These guys were mentally 2 years old. Even kids handle relationships better than them. Jeez.
4) Yawn Couple: Pete and Ae were good in season 1. They were the star couple. But what was the need to bring them back in this season. Ae’s sole job in this season was to mope around and be sad. What a waste. The makers did not do any justice in telling their story. Their story was used as filler in every episode. The makers presented half baked reasons for their break up which I was honestly not convinced about and presented unnecessary flashbacks. Focus on Ae diverted the attention from Tin and Can which they definitely needed. Showing the progress in their relationship was important which was eventually done very shabbily.
5) Couples, Couples & More Couples: This is one of my major issues with many mainstream Thai BL shows. What is the need to have 4 couples in a series with hardly 12 episodes with a running time of 35-40 minutes? It makes no sense. Rather than focusing on 1 or max 2 couples and polishing their story line, they divided their attention on 4 couples with neither of them leaving any impression on the audience. This is a very unique technique in expanding the BL universe as the couple that clicks with the audience ends up becoming the main couple in the next season or they branch off as a separate show. The creative dedication in writing meaningful genuine scripts with thoughtful dialogues and inspiring romances is absolutely absent. The audiences do not need multiple couples at a time, all they want is one good couple with a memorable story.
This show is a disaster from top to bottom. The only good thing about it is the production value because anyway Thai shows end up getting hefty sponsors. The direction was amateur, the script/storyline was a mixture of outdated and uninspiring tropes/clichés, and the acting was simply bad. The saving grace was Lemon Can’s sister (she was very adorable) and Tin’s dad who was refreshingly progressive for accepting both his sons being in gay relationships.
1) Absolutely Unacceptable trope: This show was released in 2020. And yet so many tropes used in this series are not only outdated but so problematic. Gone are the days when BL shows could present story lines with icky unacceptable developments and sell it as if it’s nothing. I truly expect better not only from the makers but this industry in general. Techno and Kengkla story made me so uncomfortable in the first season. But what frustrated me even more was the way this season tried to shoehorn them in the box of a cute couple who are trying to bypass a minuscule issue. Oh and that issue is RAPE. What the hell! They not only toned down the seriousness of this issue but also failed to depict how uncomfortable or hurt Techno was (because he clearly was). But not to worry......relentlessly being pursued by Kengkla made him forget everything (face palm).
2) No Room for Consent: Why did consent mean squat in this show? Why!? I fail to understand this!! Tin-Can were a very awkward couple...and this is the nicest thing I can say about them. Random kisses by Tin to Can even when they were not a couple or had any romantic development WHATSOEVER was so frustrating to watch. And no this isn't cute by any means. These characters had no understanding of boundaries or personal space.
3) Gaslighting Galore: The way the makers handled Tin's family story reminded me of all the red flags psychologists warn about. There is no simple way to put it....the brother was a douche-bag of the first order. Yes he also suffered as a child but what he did to Tin by no means is or should be acceptable. When the father was confronted about all the wrongdoings done to Tin, he started giving explanation about how hard it was for Tul, I know I’m a failed father, but you had better than all of us…. so try and understand our perspective because you're a nice boy at the end of the day. Brilliant class on gaslighting. And it worked.....Tin forgave his horrible brother and moved on as if nothing ever happened. Somehow for a change I was on Can's side (usually his over enthusiasm got on my nerves) ....his hesitance to forgive Tul was justified. And what was the whole thing about Tul and the father being mean to Tin because they wanted him to have freedom and no responsibility unlike them. That was some BULL S*&$. The boy only wanted some love, respect and understanding. These guys were mentally 2 years old. Even kids handle relationships better than them. Jeez.
4) Yawn Couple: Pete and Ae were good in season 1. They were the star couple. But what was the need to bring them back in this season. Ae’s sole job in this season was to mope around and be sad. What a waste. The makers did not do any justice in telling their story. Their story was used as filler in every episode. The makers presented half baked reasons for their break up which I was honestly not convinced about and presented unnecessary flashbacks. Focus on Ae diverted the attention from Tin and Can which they definitely needed. Showing the progress in their relationship was important which was eventually done very shabbily.
5) Couples, Couples & More Couples: This is one of my major issues with many mainstream Thai BL shows. What is the need to have 4 couples in a series with hardly 12 episodes with a running time of 35-40 minutes? It makes no sense. Rather than focusing on 1 or max 2 couples and polishing their story line, they divided their attention on 4 couples with neither of them leaving any impression on the audience. This is a very unique technique in expanding the BL universe as the couple that clicks with the audience ends up becoming the main couple in the next season or they branch off as a separate show. The creative dedication in writing meaningful genuine scripts with thoughtful dialogues and inspiring romances is absolutely absent. The audiences do not need multiple couples at a time, all they want is one good couple with a memorable story.
This show is a disaster from top to bottom. The only good thing about it is the production value because anyway Thai shows end up getting hefty sponsors. The direction was amateur, the script/storyline was a mixture of outdated and uninspiring tropes/clichés, and the acting was simply bad. The saving grace was Lemon Can’s sister (she was very adorable) and Tin’s dad who was refreshingly progressive for accepting both his sons being in gay relationships.
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