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Part Time thai drama review
Completed
Part Time
0 people found this review helpful
by Robert
Nov 26, 2020
26 of 26 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 10
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 10.0
This review may contain spoilers

A Thrilling Look into the struggles of Thailand's Youth...

Just wanted to share my thoughts on this amazing drama. I know a lot of viewers came to this show expecting another BL drama, especially considering that so many of the actors in this show have established reps in multiple BL lakorns (Love Sick, 2Moons, etc.). What I love most about this show however is that it isn't exclusively focused on the BL scene. Despite that, it did more than even the most thrilling BL lakorn to showcase not just male same sex relationships, but lesbian and bisexual individuals in a wholesome and entirely natural way (for example, the interactions with Hall's mother/father). Such a rare breath of fresh air, this is an element that so many other BL lakorns can stand to learn from.

The strength of this drama is that it gives a more faithful portrayal of what life could be like for the youth of Thailand struggling to fulfill their dreams than any other drama produced in the last several years. It showcased the daily life or what I call the slice of life of the average joe. Sure, there were rich characters in this drama, but they were the exception rather than the rule. Rather than strictly romance, it focused on the relationships between friends, co-workers, and family, which I enjoyed thoroughly.

This also showcased in a way that few other dramas of the BL variety do, the cultural aspects of Thailand that is woven into the very soil, water, and air of this amazing country. I love seeing the way that the characters interacted with the religious path of Buddhism and how it informed the way they interacted with the world and with their fellows.

The actor who plays Mong is of course famous for his BL roles in Love Sick and Waterboyy, but I think that his role in Part Time is one of his best performances as a character that wasn't gay or bi but straight. The story of his character's struggles to survive and thrive as a young adult with no family to help him or to support his dreams was so inspiring to me.

Despite the fact that this drama is not strictly a BL lakorn, the BL vibes are strong in this series. Like most viewers, for me the main BL attraction was the budding relationship of Hall and Tee (and possibly Q, if that last scene in the series is to be believed). The character development of the two characters with their families and separate financial situations and how it slowly but surely began to meld together as they grew closer and became better for their interactions together was breathtaking. They were so good at what they do, and their talent (the actors playing Tee and Hall) is off the charts. I've seen the actor playing Hall feature in more recent BL dramas. He's amazing in those projects, but I will always love him best in this particular drama. I really hope that the actor who played Tee is featured very soon in his own BL drama or just any drama in particular. He is crazy gorgeous and has serious talent.

All in all, this is such a great show, as well as being one of the longest running lakorns in recent history with 26 episodes (most only have 8-14). Even so, I felt that they could have expanded the episodes to 30 in order to give more in depth looks into the exploration of the possible relationship triangle between Hall, Tee, and Q; the exploration of the dynamic between Jin, his girlfriend and her brother who has now realized that he's falling in love with the guy he constantly pushed to court his sister. They only teased out that storyline in the last two episodes. It definitely needed more time to breathe. They never really explored the fallout of the relationship of White's brother and his boyfriend of 2 years and how it would be viewed by his family that he's been concealing it from.

I hope that someday in the next couple of years, they'll be able to assemble this supremely amazing cast (or as many of the original cast members as possible) and make a follow up to this series, or even a spinoff. Such a great drama and definitely deserves to be rated much higher than some here have elected to rate it due to their various reasons. Check it out! It's not as dramatic as some of the other popular shows out there, but it is so worth the time and effort needed to get through all 26 episodes. Can't wait to watch it again!

Rating: 9.5/10
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