This review may contain spoilers
First half of this series? Fantastic. Fun. Hilarious. Solid.
Second half of this series? Lazy. Cookie-cutter. Overloaded with tropes.
I've had a few days to think about my feelings in regards to 2gether and I have a lot, but I'm going to quickly summarize some of my main thoughts here.
#1: Tine's sexuality
This was the biggest let down for me in this series. Throughout the series there's definitely a few hints that Tine could be bisexual. He clearly finds women attractive, but he doesn't seem all that turned off at the thought of dating a man or being in love with one. I felt that this series could've really delved into bisexuality instead of keeping with the Straight Or Gay tropes that often exist in BL.
Furthermore - I think exploring Tine's sexuality more would've really given a basis to the severe lack of couple-like affection between him and Sarawat. And I'm not talking NSFW scenes or make outs or even just soft kisses - I'm talking the fact that they high-fived at the end of the series when a hug would've been nice. Or just SOMETHING to show us that they're more than just Bros. Because even after episode 13, I'm not convinced that they "love" one another or even like each other that way; it just feels like good friends that live together.
But had the show explored Tine grappling with his sexuality (as a bisexual or if they wanted, a gay man) - it would've made a lot of sense why he wasn't too affectionate with Sarawat or was unsure of showing that affection. It's hard to grapple with your own sexuality much less be openly affectionate with that person. But Tine didn't seem at all bothered by people knowing they were together and that he loves Sarawat (and vise versa). So why so little affection? Why take that element away?
Which brings me to letdown #2: Affection.
Like I said earlier -- I don't need NSFW scenes or even kisses in a romance to feel that there's a connection. I also think Bright and Win are great actors that conveyed a lot of their emotions through expressions and their eyes. However, the only "slice of life" element we got was the montage of scenes after they moved in together. After that, it was mostly shoulder hugging and staring at one another. I really don't remember a time when they held hands, and I don't remember them kissing after they started dating (and the kisses before that were all Sarawat - Tine didn't react).
I just think that there didn't seem to be a point to them moving in together because it didn't really bring any growth to their relationship. They didn't have slice of life moments or sweet talks in bed or breakfast chats - it was more or less the same, but now the writers could bring Type into the picture. It all just felt a little unnecessary and rushed.
#3: Use of women and Mil
Literally -- the use of them. Throughout the series they're used to place wedges between Sarawat and Tine. This just felt lazy to me, and Pam was the most lazy plot line they could've come up with. It didn't even last more than a full episode and it had no real result other than Sarawat and Tine getting back together. If they're going to go with this trope, I would've liked to see more growth and a longer time apart for them both. Also - Mil just get over Tine. Stop. The whole addition of Mil to it felt unnecessary. There was no chemistry there and I still have no idea why Mil liked Tine. Someone please explain what I missed there lol.
Overall - I'm just underwhelmed. I really enjoyed this in the beginning. I thought Bright and Win had good chemistry, and I was binge-watching all of the episodes up until 9. But after watching the last few episodes as they've released, I've found myself less and less excited and more disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high. Idk. If there's a season 2 I'll watch it, but I can't say that I'm particularly looking forward to more of the same.
Second half of this series? Lazy. Cookie-cutter. Overloaded with tropes.
I've had a few days to think about my feelings in regards to 2gether and I have a lot, but I'm going to quickly summarize some of my main thoughts here.
#1: Tine's sexuality
This was the biggest let down for me in this series. Throughout the series there's definitely a few hints that Tine could be bisexual. He clearly finds women attractive, but he doesn't seem all that turned off at the thought of dating a man or being in love with one. I felt that this series could've really delved into bisexuality instead of keeping with the Straight Or Gay tropes that often exist in BL.
Furthermore - I think exploring Tine's sexuality more would've really given a basis to the severe lack of couple-like affection between him and Sarawat. And I'm not talking NSFW scenes or make outs or even just soft kisses - I'm talking the fact that they high-fived at the end of the series when a hug would've been nice. Or just SOMETHING to show us that they're more than just Bros. Because even after episode 13, I'm not convinced that they "love" one another or even like each other that way; it just feels like good friends that live together.
But had the show explored Tine grappling with his sexuality (as a bisexual or if they wanted, a gay man) - it would've made a lot of sense why he wasn't too affectionate with Sarawat or was unsure of showing that affection. It's hard to grapple with your own sexuality much less be openly affectionate with that person. But Tine didn't seem at all bothered by people knowing they were together and that he loves Sarawat (and vise versa). So why so little affection? Why take that element away?
Which brings me to letdown #2: Affection.
Like I said earlier -- I don't need NSFW scenes or even kisses in a romance to feel that there's a connection. I also think Bright and Win are great actors that conveyed a lot of their emotions through expressions and their eyes. However, the only "slice of life" element we got was the montage of scenes after they moved in together. After that, it was mostly shoulder hugging and staring at one another. I really don't remember a time when they held hands, and I don't remember them kissing after they started dating (and the kisses before that were all Sarawat - Tine didn't react).
I just think that there didn't seem to be a point to them moving in together because it didn't really bring any growth to their relationship. They didn't have slice of life moments or sweet talks in bed or breakfast chats - it was more or less the same, but now the writers could bring Type into the picture. It all just felt a little unnecessary and rushed.
#3: Use of women and Mil
Literally -- the use of them. Throughout the series they're used to place wedges between Sarawat and Tine. This just felt lazy to me, and Pam was the most lazy plot line they could've come up with. It didn't even last more than a full episode and it had no real result other than Sarawat and Tine getting back together. If they're going to go with this trope, I would've liked to see more growth and a longer time apart for them both. Also - Mil just get over Tine. Stop. The whole addition of Mil to it felt unnecessary. There was no chemistry there and I still have no idea why Mil liked Tine. Someone please explain what I missed there lol.
Overall - I'm just underwhelmed. I really enjoyed this in the beginning. I thought Bright and Win had good chemistry, and I was binge-watching all of the episodes up until 9. But after watching the last few episodes as they've released, I've found myself less and less excited and more disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high. Idk. If there's a season 2 I'll watch it, but I can't say that I'm particularly looking forward to more of the same.
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