The storyline of TharnType is a hit or miss for many people, but the actors of Tharn and Type, Mew and Gulf respectively, have hands down the best chemistry in Thai BL!!!

Also, the plot had major issues, but the acting is Oscar worthy!!


STORY:

A spin-off of Love By Chance, if LBC was the light-hearted series, TharnType brought the drama. Unlike LBC's theme of first love, TharnType was very mature and dealt with adult themes of homophobia, rape, and sexual assault. If you can handle the darker themes then I'm sure you'll love TharnType.

That being said, honestly, if it weren't for the chemistry between the two leads, TharnType wouldn't be one of the most popular BLs out there. Tharn and Type's chemistry really carried the series because the storyline was very problematic. After talking about each couple, I'll explain why the story is so problematic. However, I will say that while the storyline isn't the best, the acting is amazing. Even if you're not a big fan of the storyline, you should watch the series to see some amazing acting talent.

Tharn & Type

The chemistry between Tharn and Type is amazing. They suck you right into the story, and get you so invested in their lives, you'll forget you're just watching a TV series. I think that Tharn and Type are really the best BL couple in terms of chemistry, and Tharn's actor is possibly the best actor in BL. He will make you cry hard with him. Also, for the actor of Type, this is his first acting gig. Can you believe it?!

Tar & Tum

It's not explained well in the series, but they are step-brothers. I kind of found Tum to be too possessive of Tar. He is supposed to be in love with Tar, but that doesn't get across to the audience at all. He just seems like a very possessive and worried brother who cares too deeply for this younger brother. I really think Tar and Tum need to get their storyline expanded on. Everything is from Tharn's point of view, not Tar or Tum's, so while they are supposed to be a second couple in the series, they just feel like supporting characters. If they are treated like supporting character, then they don't need as much screen time or drama.

Kengkla & Techno

They are a barely mentioned couple in TharnType, but they are a secondary couple in Love By Chance. However, Techno plays a bigger role in TharnType and gets significantly more screen time in this series than in LBC. In TharnType, we get a better understanding of who Techno is, his personality, and his loyal friendship with Type. While he's just a supporting character here, if you want to see his love story go watch LBC and more specifically LBC season 2.


ISSUES IN THARNTYPE

While lots of fans love the series and the charaters, but we all stand in agreement that sexual assault and rape is wrong. Many fans criticize P'Mame for fetishizing rape and sexual assault. They also say that because of the sexual assault in the series they cannot like TharnType the series or the couple. Personally, I consider TharnType the series to be one of my favorite BLs, and Tharn and Type are one of my favorite BL couples. Does that mean I fetishize the sexual assault or rape? No, I don't. I like the series because of the chemistry between the leads more than the storyline. The story of TharnType is very problematic, so let's talk about it.

1. Rape

With TharnType the issue of rape is a central part of Tar's storyline and even Type is raped before the series begins. The series highlights the negative effects of rape with both Tar and Type struggling to get over it. I wish they could have shown more of the negative effects and how it really impacts their lives, but the issue is swept under the rug. Tar and Type are not seen getting any type of help or therapy, especially Tar since his rape is so recent! Furthermore, as soon as Lhong confesses he was the mastermind behind everything and drops out of the picture, suddenly Tar is happy again! He's back to "normal" and can happily live with Tum! Rubbish! You don't get over rape so quickly.

Don't use rape in a storyline unless you actually show the reality of rape!
Rape is not a tool to push the plot along. Rape is a crime with lifelong mental repercussions!

2. Sexual Assault

In the beginning, Tharn knows that Type is homophobic, so he retaliates against Type's homophobic actions towards him in a very sexualized manner. In Tharn's eyes, he's retaliating fire with fire. For example, if someone doesn't like spiders, in retaliation, someone might put pictures of spiders up on the wall, put fake spiders on the wall, or bring in a real spider. However, for Tharn, since Type is attacking his sexuality, he is simply attacking back with it. Is it sexual assault? Yes it is. Does it mean it's okay? Not really. There might be a few people who see is as fighting fire with fire, or see Tharn touching Type when he doesn't want to be touched as a small joke of retaliation. If it's between two friends, maybe it could be a joke, but Tharn and Type are not friends. Also this "joke" is sexual in nature, so yes it's sexual assault, especially if Type doesn't like it.

There is also a big taboo scene which some people might not have noticed was sexual assault since it looked consensual. That is the scene in the shower where Type loses his underwear and Tharn returns it. Tharn pushes himself into the bathroom and goes in for a kiss, then eventually it gets a little steamy. This scene is actually sexual assault, but it is one of those in the gray zone since Type consented in the end. Because Type only fought back in the beginning and eventually gave in and enjoyed it, if brought to a court, the judge will say it's consensual. Due to this scene being in the gray zone, and Type not being too angry about it some people might agree with the judge and say it's not sexual assault, but I'd like to remind everyone that it is in fact, sexual assault. It's not a steamy or raunchy scene at all, at the core it really is assault. If Type hadn't given in, the courts would rule it as assault.

Similarly, he small kisses Tharn gives Type at night. Yes, it's sexual assault. No matter how sweet and romantic the gesture seems, it is sexual assault since Type and Tharn are not dating yet. There is no consent from Type. Tharn is just stealing kisses at night and it's not romantic at all. Of course, once Tharn and Type become an item it is consensual, so it becomes a sweet gesture, but until then it's not. He's literally kissing Type against his will, there is no consent when he's awake, therefore no consent when he's sleeping.

In TharnType there are a lot of scenes depicting Tharn sexually assaulting Type, however all the sexual assaults are made to look like it's a joke, or a form of attraction. It's not romantic, nor is it acceptable. It's wrong! Many fans saw through this fetishization and were rightfully angry.

Tharn's saving grace is that once he saw that his "jokes" had gone too far and that Type was actually hurt by it, (his nightmares about his rape) he actually stopped. He even started caring for Type, which led to the small kisses at night, which would be romantic if they were consensual. However, at the core, none of this is acceptable. Even if Tharn is a fictional character, P'Mame, should understand that romanticizing these acts are inappropriate. Sexual assault is not romantic, it's disgusting!

3. Crimes with no punishment

Towards the end of the series we find out that Lhong was the mastermind behind Tar's rape as well as a whole bunch of other things. In the series, he cries, apologizes, and runs back to his family to give us a sob story about how no one care about him. While it's sad his family doesn't love him, the audience shouldn't be sympathizing with a psychopath who thinks paying people to rape someone is okay. He even got away with his crimes because the police wasn't called. Lhong literally just dropped out of school and disappeared from their lives. Out of sight, out of mind, right? No! He needs to pay for his crimes. He is worse than Tharn, yet he gets away with it. He ruined Tar's life and gets no penalties for it. On top of that, there is the whole issue of trying to justify his actions with his sob story to get sympathy. Criminals get no sympathy, no matter how shitty their lives are.


OVERALL:

The storyline of TharnType was a mess, but the actors carried the whole show, that's why it's popular. I know there are tons of people who hate the series and the character of Tharn due to the whole issue of sexual assault, but I feel that yes they are right to hate the show and the characters. However, many of the actors gave their best performances, up until the writing of this review, in this show. We really shouldn't give up on the show based on the plot and forget about the actor's fantastic acting. I know it's hard since the plot is so terrible, but I feel we have to give credit where credit is due. Yes, the plot was bad, but the acting was amazing!