2
cdvmty
Mexico
This review may contain spoilers
Simple but then tried too much near the end
Once again another mostly ordinary Thai BL series has come and gone. This one also comes from a mid-budget company with lead actors who are making their debut on TV and that was barely promoted compared to other stories (like "Tharn-Type", "Until We Meet Again" or "KinnPorsche" just to name a few examples). Many things were good, others not so much and here are some examples.
The Good (or at least decent)
1. Lukchup: The lead character has a lot of good qualities that make him endearing to the viewers. He is sweet, friendly, super shy, cute, kind, and makes delicious Thai desserts thanks to her awesome grandma. He is the type of character you feel a bit frustrated with because he is so shy and also wants to forgive everyone who harms him almost immediately but at the same time you understand that he is also a good person.
2. The story (up to episode 11): This series has to be an example of a show that, up to episode 11, decided to stay on a safe, nearly risk-free storyline. University students, one in the cooking program, the other in the architecture program, meet thanks to food and bit of luck and end up being together. Lukchup and Ram's relationship starts to develop very early in the series and it becomes a slow-burner but eventually, every situation they experience, they experience it together. Unlike other shows, the lead couple really talks as Ram has this confident aura around him that makes Lukchup feel safe and trust him. At the same time, Lukchup has this charming and cute aura around him that makes Ram (and almost everyone else) fall for him and want to help him and have him around. Both sets of families accept Lukchup and Ram's relationship quite easily and welcome them immediately, so at least we avoided the typical cliché of having a parent being opposed to his son being gay and being in a relationship. We also avoided the other Thai BL cliché of having a lead character go abroad to study or because his parents are sending him away as in this case, Ram decides to wait for Lukchup to graduate so both can go to France and have Lukchup attend a fancy culinary school.
3. Side characters (with some exceptions): Lukchup's friends (Kitty, Super, Phai and Pangji) and Ram's friends (Sky and Titan) are a good combination of friends to have. All provide good support to the two leads by giving advice when its needed, by being there when a problem arises or when they need being comforted, by listening to what their friends want, by being vocal and maybe point out when something is not fair or someone needs to be punished. Sky is always the voice of logic/reason, Titan is a bit childish sometimes but always loyal and willing to defend his friends, Kitty is always fighting for what's right, Pangji is there to make sure the others don't go too crazy, Phai is there to protect his friends, especially Lukchup, and Super provides some funny moments along with Kitty.
The Bad
1. The stoyline (episodes 11-13): Here is the typical case of a series that went longer than it should have. Normally, we complain when a story runs for too many episodes (like "Bite Me", "Love Area 2" or "Hidden Love", just to name a few) or when we don't have enough episodes and we end up wanting more story (like "To My Star", Semantic Error", "Light On Me", among others). "La Cuisine" was the former, as up to episode 10 the story could have ended with a few adjustments to that episode and we probably wouldn't have protested too much. However, the writers/director/sponsors/production company, whoever it was, decided we needed 3 more episodes and here is where the story goes up in flames. The Thai BL cliché of the crazy/bitchy female character went in overdrive as it was exploited to the extreme. NamNing decided that bullying Lukchup and paying 2 girls and a guy to harass him and later 4 goons to beat him up was not enough and in the final episode she goes off the rails by pointing a gun at all of them and crying like crazy. We get a small glimpse of why she is acting the way she is acting on episode 12. In a similar scenario to "Don't Say No" (a BL disaster) where a parent emotionally and psychologically manipulates a child, NamNing's father leaves with another woman and her mother keeps trying to convince her to never let go of who she wants by doing whatever is necessary to get/keep it. So, in her mind, Ram is hers (despite never having dated) and Lukchup needs to go away for her to have Ram. But, the last 3 episodes don't really match the tone of the previous 10 episodes. And, in another Thai BL cliché, we got time jumps of 1 month and 5 years to justify Lukchup having his own restaurant and Panji and Titan getting married in episode 13. Finally, it is a shame we barely saw the families as Lukchup's grandma and Jirachin (Lukchup's brother) had the most airtime of all while both sets of parents and Ram's older brother and little sister barely appeared after episode 2 and could have been used a bit more.
2. Acting: Mick (playing Lukchup) and Pop (playing Ram) are making their acting debut as leads in a series. Both gave a nice interview (in very decent English as Mick lived in Alabama for one year and Pop lived in the UK for 2 years) to the "Let's Talk BL" podcast (you can find it on Youtube, and no, this not a promotion) where they told us their motivation to become actors and how it is something they will pursue if there are opportunities in the future as Mick is focused on being an engineer and Pop just graduated from university (in hotel management). So, both are clearly not 100% committed to being an actor, yet, and that was a bit evident as some of their interactions were a bit awkward, they barely kissed in the series and Mick looked painfully shy in a lot of scenes when he had to hug or play cute with Pop... it was probably because the character was written that way, but it was a bit odd. The rest of the cast had some awkward moments as well, as their inexperience showed and led them to some poorly executed moments, particularly in the more intense episodes near the end.
3. Side couples: This was one of the few BL series that I remember, not having even a glimpse of a secondary couple (until the end at least). Since episode 1 we saw hints of Sky being interested in Phai but nothing really develops AT ALL from episode 1 to episode 12. And then, in the final half of episode 13 we get to see all the stories of the couples which some of them came out of nowhere. Kitty being courted by Pream's secretary (who appeared on episode 9-10 when they were gathering evidence gainst NamNing), Super being super rich but hiding it and also dating Khaosuay, Pangji and Titan being the only established side couple but with Pangji complaining that Titan was a bit conservative as he never really kissed her until she did and then in the second time jump, getting married (that was a bit of a jump there) and finally, the couple we all expected to see, did happen, albeit in the final 25 minutes of the show... Sky and Phai talk about going to watch a movie, then Phai unexpectedly invites Sky to his apartment as he has a new cocktail he wants him to try, which then leads to both using innuendos to flirt with each other until Sky kisses Phai in a rather steamy kiss. That was after the first time jump (one month has passed) so it was quite weird how this couple went from 0 to 100 in about 15 seconds of screentime... they do show a flashback narrated by Boom (who plays Phai) telling us how it was almost love at first sight and how they always gravitated towards each other. But this was rather poorly executed as at first I thought Phai had a crush on Lukchup and that's why he was so overly-protective of him, so while I appreciated the kiss, it was odd. The rest of the side couples were boring and honestly, not very interesting.
The Ugly
1. NamNing and all the situations around her: Yes, I understand she seems to be traumatized because her family doesn't really love her. As seen in episode 13 when her father coldly hands her over to the police officer and goes inside the house screaming he won't go to the station to see her and then in the first time jump, she seems to be alone in a mental facility with the nurse trying to get her to eat something and she only requesting Lukchup (the dessert). However, the character is an ugly one as she resorts to all sorts of tricks to try to make Ram be with her. She bullies Lukchup non-stop after she finds out they are together and even hires goons to assault him. This series took the whiny, bitchy, screaming, crazy female character to the utmost extreme. And, above all, it was very poorly acted by Brownie (the actress who plays NamNing). I feel bad criticizing someone who is debuting in the industry, but her acting was terrible... from laughing like a maniac, crying hysterically, begging Ram and Lukchup to forgive her, begging her father to help her, screaming at her maid and at the police officers, it all sounded fake and was very poorly done. It is a shame she had no proper acting advice by the series acting coach because such intense scenes could have been executed a lot better.
In the end, "La Cuisine" began as a sweet, easy-to-watch show that provided decent entertainment and served as an entrée before some of us watched the more intense "KinnPorsche" as our main dish afterwards. However, the show ended a bit more dramatically than it should have by having too many episodes. It gave us nice moments and Mick and Pop seem to have potential if they decide to focus on acting, so, watch it once and maybe forget it later.
The Good (or at least decent)
1. Lukchup: The lead character has a lot of good qualities that make him endearing to the viewers. He is sweet, friendly, super shy, cute, kind, and makes delicious Thai desserts thanks to her awesome grandma. He is the type of character you feel a bit frustrated with because he is so shy and also wants to forgive everyone who harms him almost immediately but at the same time you understand that he is also a good person.
2. The story (up to episode 11): This series has to be an example of a show that, up to episode 11, decided to stay on a safe, nearly risk-free storyline. University students, one in the cooking program, the other in the architecture program, meet thanks to food and bit of luck and end up being together. Lukchup and Ram's relationship starts to develop very early in the series and it becomes a slow-burner but eventually, every situation they experience, they experience it together. Unlike other shows, the lead couple really talks as Ram has this confident aura around him that makes Lukchup feel safe and trust him. At the same time, Lukchup has this charming and cute aura around him that makes Ram (and almost everyone else) fall for him and want to help him and have him around. Both sets of families accept Lukchup and Ram's relationship quite easily and welcome them immediately, so at least we avoided the typical cliché of having a parent being opposed to his son being gay and being in a relationship. We also avoided the other Thai BL cliché of having a lead character go abroad to study or because his parents are sending him away as in this case, Ram decides to wait for Lukchup to graduate so both can go to France and have Lukchup attend a fancy culinary school.
3. Side characters (with some exceptions): Lukchup's friends (Kitty, Super, Phai and Pangji) and Ram's friends (Sky and Titan) are a good combination of friends to have. All provide good support to the two leads by giving advice when its needed, by being there when a problem arises or when they need being comforted, by listening to what their friends want, by being vocal and maybe point out when something is not fair or someone needs to be punished. Sky is always the voice of logic/reason, Titan is a bit childish sometimes but always loyal and willing to defend his friends, Kitty is always fighting for what's right, Pangji is there to make sure the others don't go too crazy, Phai is there to protect his friends, especially Lukchup, and Super provides some funny moments along with Kitty.
The Bad
1. The stoyline (episodes 11-13): Here is the typical case of a series that went longer than it should have. Normally, we complain when a story runs for too many episodes (like "Bite Me", "Love Area 2" or "Hidden Love", just to name a few) or when we don't have enough episodes and we end up wanting more story (like "To My Star", Semantic Error", "Light On Me", among others). "La Cuisine" was the former, as up to episode 10 the story could have ended with a few adjustments to that episode and we probably wouldn't have protested too much. However, the writers/director/sponsors/production company, whoever it was, decided we needed 3 more episodes and here is where the story goes up in flames. The Thai BL cliché of the crazy/bitchy female character went in overdrive as it was exploited to the extreme. NamNing decided that bullying Lukchup and paying 2 girls and a guy to harass him and later 4 goons to beat him up was not enough and in the final episode she goes off the rails by pointing a gun at all of them and crying like crazy. We get a small glimpse of why she is acting the way she is acting on episode 12. In a similar scenario to "Don't Say No" (a BL disaster) where a parent emotionally and psychologically manipulates a child, NamNing's father leaves with another woman and her mother keeps trying to convince her to never let go of who she wants by doing whatever is necessary to get/keep it. So, in her mind, Ram is hers (despite never having dated) and Lukchup needs to go away for her to have Ram. But, the last 3 episodes don't really match the tone of the previous 10 episodes. And, in another Thai BL cliché, we got time jumps of 1 month and 5 years to justify Lukchup having his own restaurant and Panji and Titan getting married in episode 13. Finally, it is a shame we barely saw the families as Lukchup's grandma and Jirachin (Lukchup's brother) had the most airtime of all while both sets of parents and Ram's older brother and little sister barely appeared after episode 2 and could have been used a bit more.
2. Acting: Mick (playing Lukchup) and Pop (playing Ram) are making their acting debut as leads in a series. Both gave a nice interview (in very decent English as Mick lived in Alabama for one year and Pop lived in the UK for 2 years) to the "Let's Talk BL" podcast (you can find it on Youtube, and no, this not a promotion) where they told us their motivation to become actors and how it is something they will pursue if there are opportunities in the future as Mick is focused on being an engineer and Pop just graduated from university (in hotel management). So, both are clearly not 100% committed to being an actor, yet, and that was a bit evident as some of their interactions were a bit awkward, they barely kissed in the series and Mick looked painfully shy in a lot of scenes when he had to hug or play cute with Pop... it was probably because the character was written that way, but it was a bit odd. The rest of the cast had some awkward moments as well, as their inexperience showed and led them to some poorly executed moments, particularly in the more intense episodes near the end.
3. Side couples: This was one of the few BL series that I remember, not having even a glimpse of a secondary couple (until the end at least). Since episode 1 we saw hints of Sky being interested in Phai but nothing really develops AT ALL from episode 1 to episode 12. And then, in the final half of episode 13 we get to see all the stories of the couples which some of them came out of nowhere. Kitty being courted by Pream's secretary (who appeared on episode 9-10 when they were gathering evidence gainst NamNing), Super being super rich but hiding it and also dating Khaosuay, Pangji and Titan being the only established side couple but with Pangji complaining that Titan was a bit conservative as he never really kissed her until she did and then in the second time jump, getting married (that was a bit of a jump there) and finally, the couple we all expected to see, did happen, albeit in the final 25 minutes of the show... Sky and Phai talk about going to watch a movie, then Phai unexpectedly invites Sky to his apartment as he has a new cocktail he wants him to try, which then leads to both using innuendos to flirt with each other until Sky kisses Phai in a rather steamy kiss. That was after the first time jump (one month has passed) so it was quite weird how this couple went from 0 to 100 in about 15 seconds of screentime... they do show a flashback narrated by Boom (who plays Phai) telling us how it was almost love at first sight and how they always gravitated towards each other. But this was rather poorly executed as at first I thought Phai had a crush on Lukchup and that's why he was so overly-protective of him, so while I appreciated the kiss, it was odd. The rest of the side couples were boring and honestly, not very interesting.
The Ugly
1. NamNing and all the situations around her: Yes, I understand she seems to be traumatized because her family doesn't really love her. As seen in episode 13 when her father coldly hands her over to the police officer and goes inside the house screaming he won't go to the station to see her and then in the first time jump, she seems to be alone in a mental facility with the nurse trying to get her to eat something and she only requesting Lukchup (the dessert). However, the character is an ugly one as she resorts to all sorts of tricks to try to make Ram be with her. She bullies Lukchup non-stop after she finds out they are together and even hires goons to assault him. This series took the whiny, bitchy, screaming, crazy female character to the utmost extreme. And, above all, it was very poorly acted by Brownie (the actress who plays NamNing). I feel bad criticizing someone who is debuting in the industry, but her acting was terrible... from laughing like a maniac, crying hysterically, begging Ram and Lukchup to forgive her, begging her father to help her, screaming at her maid and at the police officers, it all sounded fake and was very poorly done. It is a shame she had no proper acting advice by the series acting coach because such intense scenes could have been executed a lot better.
In the end, "La Cuisine" began as a sweet, easy-to-watch show that provided decent entertainment and served as an entrée before some of us watched the more intense "KinnPorsche" as our main dish afterwards. However, the show ended a bit more dramatically than it should have by having too many episodes. It gave us nice moments and Mick and Pop seem to have potential if they decide to focus on acting, so, watch it once and maybe forget it later.
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