I went into this show very cautiously. GMM often struggles to write even the most simple campus BLs in an appealing, sensible way. Thus, my faith regarding an action packed, high stakes story was very limited — especially since Never Let Me Go was a letdown. I will say it's not as bad as I feared, but it's also far from being good. So naturally, I’ll go on a bit of a rant here.

Ohm is pretty much a BL veteran, so it’s no surprise he’s doing really well in the role of Min. In my opinion, this is not the show he shines in most, though. Since Min's a serious character who’s usual state of being is worry, Ohm’s natural charm doesn’t get as much room to shine. He’s best in cheeky, charismatic, easy-going roles like Pat from Bad Buddy. That doesn't mean he isn't doing well here, it’s just my personal preference. All in all, he’s still a pleasure to watch though.
Leng, on the other hand, is really struggling. Since this is his first series, I’ll cut him some slack here. He has solid moments, but I think he would’ve benefitted from gaining some experience in a side role first. Q is a very emotionally demanding character, and I wonder what the creators were thinking when they cast a newbie. While Leng does have some good moments (i.g. the initial kidnapping scene was pretty well acted), he struggles with most scenes. Especially in moments that are supposed to be romantic, Leng has this confused, apathetic, irritated look on his face. The worst instance is the scene where Min covers Q's ears in front of the TV. Maybe Leng was going for an approach of Q not being used to someone caring for him, so he wanted portray mixed emotions, but it wasn't working. The music studio scene in episode 6, just before the kiss, was one of his best moments in terms of delivering romance since seemed more at ease. There’s also that one moment when Q licks chocolate from Min’s finger. It’s so brief that you blink and you’ll miss it, but his emotions there feel so genuine. I wonder whether it was improvised and Leng shone through instead of him trying so hard to be in character. Anyway, I have faith for his future. Leng’s a hard worker, so I’m hopeful he’ll improve quickly and get over all this initial stiffness and the awkward delivery.

The chemistry is hard to separate from the acting. I call this the Joong-Dunk-Problem. The way I see it, Joong and Dunk have great chemistry, but it oftentimes falls flat because Dunk’s acting feels so stilted. Leng and Ohm are the same in my eyes. I do think they have really solid chemistry but Leng’s struggle with acting is severely taking away from it. In moments where Leng’s acting is at its best, their chemistry really shines through. In moments like that awkward ear covering scene, the sparks are nowhere to be found. So, my conclusion is that once Leng feels more comfortable in front of the camera, there will be more room for their chemistry to really shine. I’m willing to wait it out for a while since I do love these two together. Behind the scenes, Ohm and Leng have a ton of chemistry, and they look visually stunning together. So I’ll give them time.

As far as characters go, I’d say this is one of GMM’s better series. At least when it comes to Min. He’s very caring and protective, doesn’t shy away from doing morally gray things to make a living, and is bold and brave. Despite having a playful side, he’s very serious when it comes to things he cares about, and he has clear motives (at least in the beginning). That’s more than most characters in GMM shows get, which is nice. I enjoy watching Min on screen, and he's very likeable. Q doesn’t get nearly as much. He seems to be defined solely by his trauma and the difficult relationship with his father. I think he’s supposed to be a spoiled rich kid, but that somehow goes flying out the window as soon as he enters Min’s house. Q is also incredibly stupid, which I don’t think is done on purpose (I’ll get into that later) which makes him incredibly frustrating to watch. I do like his strong desire for someone to care about him, but other than that, he just feels too much like a stereotype. Like every other BL bottom, he suffers from nightmares, has daddy issues, and likes to sing and play guitar. He also likes to play keyboards that aren’t plugged in. Well, at least his actual job is producing music, so him serenading Min feels in-character for once. That doesn’t make it any less cringe-worthy, though.
The side characters don’t get much of a personality. Mhen is the sick brother, Yada’s the evil villain, Jeen has a crush on Min, and Q’s dad makes no sense at all. The acting is overall solid. I do think whoever decided to cast the two Ohms as brothers deserves a raise. They work so well together, and their dynamic is my favorite part of the story. The way Mhen ships Min and Q so hard is adorable (and a nice change since usually, it’s the girlies in BL who are the crazy shippers), and the relationship Mhen and Q develop is cute as well.

In terms of the romance, I’m feeling a bit conflicted. Firstly, the whole thing feels pretty Stockholm-syndrome-ish. Since Min is the worst kidnapper in the world, though, and since I’ve seen a lot worse, this doesn’t bother me all that much. What bothers me way more is how their arc moves very quickly and gets way too intense way too fast. By episode six, they are both ready to die for each other. The main problem is that the time frame of the whole show is entirely unclear. I have no idea whether two weeks have passed since Min kidnapped Q, or two months, or half a year. I assume it’s about a month or two at most, so that’s a very short period of having known someone. I’m willing to forgive the fast intensity for a few reasons though:

1. Especially for Q, it makes sense why he’d get so attached to Min so quickly. His entire personality is basically wanting someone who takes care of him, loves and protects him. Min is doing exactly that, so it’s understandable why he’d fall hard and fast, and why he’d cling to the first person showing him kindness. It also makes sense that he’s willing to put his life on the line for Min since he doesn’t really have anything else to lose. He doesn’t believe his father would miss him if he died, after all.
2. When it comes to Min, a sense of responsibility might come into play. He’s the reason Q got kidnapped in the first place, thusly starting the whole thing. So he might start caring for Q very quickly because he feels responsible for his situation. Also, the initial kidnapping was traumatic for both of them. Obviously for Q, since he got kidnapped and it triggered old memories, but for Min too, since he was basically forced to commit crimes and came dangerously close to having to kill someone. So they might also be trauma-bonding hard. All that intertwined with his naturally caring and protective personality adds up.

So, my main issue isn’t necessarily how quickly their bond is growing, or how easily they both risk their lives for each other. My issue lies in the depiction. Outside of the kidnapping, the bad guys being after Q, and Q’s sleepwalking disorder and panic attacks, they hardly bond. It doesn’t feel like these two actually know much about each other in the first place. I mean, it isn’t until episode 6 that Min learns what Q’s job is. I really would’ve liked for them to have more deep conversations about who they are as people, thusly making it more believable they’d fall for each other. Because right now, I struggle to understand why Min even likes Q. It’s clear that Q is attracted to Min’s caring nature, but why Min likes Q is beyond my understanding.

Also, I think the show needs to be careful with how brotherly Min’s care for Q feels. It oftentimes feels like Min treats Q just like he treats his younger brother. And while I do find it cute at times, in other moments it’s dangerously close to feeling like Q has just adopted a second brother to take care of. I think this wouldn’t be as much of a problem if the chemistry was shining more. If there was more obvious romantic and sexual tension between these two, I wouldn’t even think about the whole thing twice. But since (due to the stilted acting) I got little to no sense of romantic/sexual desire, it just feels a bit strange in certain moments. Also, it often feels a bit too one-sided with Min taking such great care of Q, and Q basically just existing and getting into stupid situations.

After all these BL kisses where it looks like they don't want to be kissing at all, I appreciate how their first kiss was very passionate, but it felt like such a stark contrast to the rest of their relationship. The sudden horniness felt very out of character for both of them, and I was incredibly taken aback. It just didn’t seem fitting, especially after they’ve both just had such a rough day. Personally, I would’ve opted for a gentler, sweeter approach. I would’ve had them kiss in bed for the first time since this is where the major part of their relationship has taken place (because 70% of their bonding scenes were nightmare based). I think that would’ve been a lot more fitting and meaningful. Also, I would appreciate if there was no moaning ASMR next time. That’s just a personal pet peeve of mine. I don’t find it hot, it just makes me want to crawl out of my skin.

I think this show would’ve greatly benefitted from a side-couple. I know there’s the storyline of Mhen liking Jeen, but that doesn’t count. Maybe have two of Yada’s guards fall in love or something. Anything to get a bit of a breather from Min and Q sometimes.

While I do like that each episode is entertaining and there’s always something going on, I do think the show moves a bit too quickly for what it is trying to do. There’s a severe lack of downtime for Min and Q to just hang out, and getting to know each other. I think this show has an identity issue. It’s not sure whether it wants to be an action show or a romance show, so they’re doing both half-heartedly. The romance feels lacklustre because of all the action, and the action plot makes little sense in many instances. I don’t want the action to come to a complete halt for several episodes just to do relationship building. They did that in Never Let Me Go, and it was a very poor decision since it felt like the characters just didn’t care about their loved ones being in danger. But it would be nice for the whole plot surrounding Yada to be a bit more drawn out, so we could have more scenes of Min and Q interacting outside of that whole situation. And by interacting I don’t mean yet another scene of Min consoling Q during his nightmares. Lord knows we’ve already gotten plenty of that — both in this show and in others. Speaking of other shows, this series is a treasure chest of Thai BL clichés. At this point, I'm just waiting for Min to dry Q's hair or to buckle his seatbelt (I clearly wrote this before episode 7, lol).

Now for the major issue with this show: potholes and characters acting incredibly stupid to further the plot...

First off, Q is an absolute idiot. I know he has little to live for, but is it really necessary to put yourself in danger all the time? He wanders around the streets while he knows someone’s out to kill him. He follows Min into an abandoned warehouse, knowing he’ll meet the guy who wanted him dead. He just follows suspicious and dangerous people around, hoping it’ll go well. The boy acts without thinking, thus doing things that put both him and Min in very dangerous situations. It makes him feel like a complete idiot and watching him just becomes increasingly frustrating.
He’s not the only one suffering from being dumbed down, though. In episode 6, Yada threatens Q’s father, Q, and by proxy, Min and Mhen. Q’s dad says he needs to get his son to a safe place, and offers Min money to keep his distance. Min turns down the money, but why in the world didn’t Q’s dad just send all three, Q, Min and Mhen, to safe place together? Min is a very gifted fighter, so he could act as Q’s bodyguard. But nope, when Min turns down the money, Q’s dad just leaves. We don’t even see the end of that conversation, but I just assume he was like "Well, it was worth a shot. Guess I’ll go now.“ Also, he’s a police officer who just walked in on a crime scene where Yada’s men clearly beat Min black and blue. I’m pretty sure he could’ve arrested them, or at least taken them to the office for interrogation or something.
Then it’s Min’s turn to act like a total prick. Instead of grabbing Q and Mhen, and travel somewhere they won’t be found, they just act like nothing happened. Like their life wasn’t just threatened. No packing suitcases in a tizzy and frantically trying to get away. Nope, this is the perfect time to play guitar and follow Q to his music studio where they have a make out session. Thusly leaving Mhen alone at home like he didn’t just get incredibly frightened. It makes Min feel super inconsiderate and goes against everything he stands for. His main motivation for everything has been to protect his brother. But now, he just leaves him home alone, and puts himself into dangerous situations to save Q, which could likely result in Min’s death and leave Mhen all alone — sick, without money and with no family left. The three should’ve ran away together, to an island or something. Q is literally a rich kid who has a job and probably a whole ass trust fund. He could’ve afforded to pay for a hotel for all three of them, I’m sure. But instead, they ruin all sense of suspense and ruin Min’s character in the process. Honestly, when Q told Min "You're stupid" for wanting to be with him still, I couldn't have agreed more. Maybe getting beat up really knocked all the braincells out of him... If they just ran away, Q nearly getting beaten to death and Mhen panicking in the bathroom (probably bad for his weak heart) in episode 7 could've been avoided. I'm glad that by the end of the episode, they finally came to their senses and Q agreed to go to Vancouver. However, the breakup was entirely unnecessary. Apparently both Q and Min are the type of guys who "go all in" when they love someone, but a long-distance relationship somehow isn't even crossing their minds? Ah yes, very all in of you.
I might have been a bit too harsh on Q, because it seems like he’s inherited his stupidity from his mother. In the flashback to the two of them getting kidnapped, Q’s mom successfully frees them both. She then proceeds to tell her son to run away and call for help while she stays behind. What the hell is the logic in that? Clearly, when the kidnappers return and see your son gone, they’ll take it out on you, and kill you. Sorry, woman, but getting shot was pretty much your own fault. If you ran with Q, you would’ve at least had a chance at living.


All in all, I find the show entertaining and it does have its sweet moments. From episode 5 on, the quality goes down the drain — from unplugged keyboards making sound to characters acting stupid and out of character. Somehow, everyone's motivations go flying out the window, and they fail to rub their last two brain cells together in an attempt to save their own asses. It’s frustrating to see another GMMTV show suffer from bad writing, but since I expected it, I’m not surprised. The romance and chemistry isn’t giving enough to make up for the poor writing, and though the show feels at least somewhat original, it’s dragged down by checking all the tired BL clichés. If you’re looking for a similar show that does everything a lot better, go watch Jack & Joker instead.