A Drama I Never Expected to Love

I have to be honest, I wasn’t thrilled when I found out about this drama. The first time I’ve known about one of the leads, Earth, is during Waterboyy and I wasn’t impressed with that drama at all. Mix is a new face in the field and there wasn’t much to expect from him because he had no previous works before this project. So I dove into this piece with no expectations whatsoever. I just watched it for the heck of it and to fill the gaping hole of my previously-finished BL drama. I had nothing else to watch that time so I opened Youtube and got to it. And boy was I in for a ride.

For a first episode, a lot was going on so it was hard to keep up at first. I’m not a fan of too much crying and drama on a show so I was “meh” at this point. I was interested in the premise and I’ve got to say, it was Mix’s acting that hooked me in the episode. For someone new to acting (in a series), he proved to have potential. His expressions were heartfelt and I can see he portrayed the character of Tian very well. The feelings were relayed properly and I guess we have p’Aof to be thankful for it because without good direction, the actors would not have been able to pull it off properly.

The second week came and the story was still interesting but it didn’t hook me deep yet. Third ep was when I started to fall into the series hard. It was the point when I actually looked forward to next Friday again. There were so many heartwarming moments then on and you can finally see a development into each of the leads. Tian is a multi-dimensional character. It slowly showed throughout the episodes. He wins best character development for me. A rare instance where I find the protagonist so likeable and, well… so human. Each week, you will see his growth as an individual and it seems as if you’re going through the journey with him. Every week, I’d think Friday couldn’t come soon enough.

One of the things I love about this series is that it didn’t solely revolve around the romance of both leads. It wasn’t an in-your-face love story and you’ll see it being laid out slowly through the episodes, which I love. It was apparent but it’s definitely not the only plot of the whole show. In fact, a lot of the story also focused on Tian’s growth as he discovers what he really wants to be as he lives through his teaching assignment in the village. And also the importance on how he finally realizes that his life’s meaning is not in his family’s legacy or wealth but his love for the villagers (especially the kids and Phupa).

The villain, Mr. Sakda, was also a good addition. His heinous and unbearable presence as an influential smuggler gives you the feeling of unease which is a good portrayal of a perfect antagonist. Although, I’ve got to say, they could’ve expanded his character more. Like show how powerful he really is. The way his conflict was resolved was rather lackluster for me. But with the limitations this series could provide (given the 10 episodes, a probable limited budget and the pandemic situation going on), I guess it could suffice. But I was really glad it wasn’t some third party (boy or girl) that would cause a rift between the two heroes of the story. It’s more of an internal conflict which is a bit more relatable and realistic. It showed how different they are in the point of their lives — Tian, a rich college brat on a road to self-discovery while Phupa is a humble ranger with a strong purpose in his 30’s.

Overall, I really love the show. With the congested BL market nowadays, I have to say this is one of the masterpieces out there. A gem! The story is solid. A few holes I would say that needed improvement, but I could give them a free pass. The characters were well-written. Earth has improved a lot since I was last exposed to him and Mix proved to be a powerhouse novice in acting. The chemistry is skyrocketing and I guess it was one of the reasons that made this series so much more enjoyable to watch. Some of the support roles needed a little work but still passable. Dr. Nam, Yod and Mr. Sakda would be the most outstanding ones out there, in my honest opinion. Music was great! In fact, I have a Spotify playlist of all the background music they utilized all throughout the series. It says a lot because I don’t usually do that. With replay value, I guess I can say I wouldn’t be bothered to watch the whole series again. I’d love to see Tian and Chief Phupa once more!

9.5 out of 10! Highly recommended! Definitely gold standard ?

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