Welcome to my Saturday blog post, where I give thoughts on dramas I’m watching, whether at the beginning, middle, or end. Whatever I want, because I’m petty that way.
This week, I recapped episodes 9-10 of Pursuit of Jade. There’s a lot more life-or-death fighting than I expected this early in the series. This is a plus.
I also started my first GL recap for this website, with episodes 1-2 of ClaireBell. Are you ready to watch a woman go to prison for a crime she didn’t commit?
As a reminder, if you join my Patreon as a paid member, you can read advance notes and drafts. Free members get the first two episodes of notes and drafts for every series, letting you know what new series I’m covering next.
This week, I have reviews for two BLs from Thailand with enigmatic titles and heartwarming cores.
Let’s start with the one taking place in high school:
When Oranges Fall – ต้นส้มอยู่บ้านเขา แต่ผลส้มหล่นมาบ้านเราตลอดเลย – 2026
Currently airing neighbors-to-boyfriends Thai BL, I’m at 3 of 12 episodes.
A cocky young man gets a quiet new neighbor and wants nothing to do with him until he makes him a part of his gang and Catches Those Feelings.
If you’ve needed something pure and sweet ever since Boys In Love finished, this is the show for you. It even comes with two members of that cast!
We’re in the year 2000, we’re young, and everything is beautiful
I don’t know enough about the 2000s in Thailand to catch references to the time period, except that no one has smartphones. But it also allows for nostalgic voice-overs that make me nervous that Richard Dreyfuss will show up at the end.
Probably that won’t happen.
The setting really is beautiful, and unlike a lot of High School romances, a fair amount of the story takes place outside of the school.
Our two leads live next door to each other, with bedrooms that face each other. The titular oranges come from a tree that sits on the quiet lead’s side of the fence, but drops oranges onto the cocky lead’s side.
Our cocky lead will lie under that tree, reading or “studying” and waiting for the oranges to fall. He has a funny habit of sticking the peels on his head.
Our cocky lead and his friends bike around the quiet, peaceful neighborhood. Once he reluctantly befriends his neighbor, he makes a habit of riding on the back of his neighbor’s bike, carrying a bag of oranges the neighbor brings for him.
And of note, the actors here are all very young, within a reasonable age range for the characters they play. This can be a pro or a con, as sometimes they feel very much like over-confident, annoying, bratty teenagers.
All of this to say, the details are what make this show special
Otherwise, we’re in the usual territory for a more innocent, coming-of-age, first-crush-to-love kind of story. Our cocky lead lets his new neighbor into his friend group, and then he starts to experience new feelings. New new new.
If you’re in the mood for another sweet-sweet, innocent love kind of show, this is it.
And now for something that SEEMS like it would be completely different but… I’ll get into it:
Your Dear Daddy – Your dear daddy เรียกแด๊ดสิธาร – 2026
Currently airing rich-boy-in-the-countryside Thai BL, I’m at 3 of 8 episodes.
A young man trying to escape feelings finds himself in debt to his rich one-night stand and working on his farm. Rural healing ensues.
Yes, I started this show based solely on the title. But if you’re here for sexy hijinks, you’ll end up disappointed. This is a lot closer to A Very Special Hallmark Movie and nowhere near My Stubborn.
Even though it starts with a one-night stand
That one-night stand, the result of a drunken-mistaken chest identity, is fairly tame. Afterwards, our rich, er, Daddy, is smitten by his smaller partner. His smaller companion realizes his mistake and flees.
Through a series of silly romcom-trope-y events, his smaller companion finds himself picking tea leaves on a tea farm to repay a debt to, er, Daddy. Initially appearing to be just another rich kid who is useless without access to his parents’ money, our shorter guy proves himself to be a determined, hard worker.
He’s also very charming, befriending just about everyone he meets. Our, er, Daddy has been living a life of work, work, work, and our shorter guy brings some excitement into his life.
There’s also a GL couple being hinted at, with a very nonsensical set-up involving one of them pretending not to know the other and… a fashion show? Something.
Two conflicts are looming on the horizon, ready to force our leads together. One is a very angry, unpleasant neighbor around the same age as, er, Daddy, who may have once been friends with him? I don’t think any human trafficking is involved, but I wouldn’t be shocked if a field got burned or someone got kidnapped.
The other issue is whatever tragedy our shorter guy has been fleeing with one-night stands and wasting money. He’s having nightmares. He needs the love of a good man.
I feel like I’m being sold the Thai countryside, but I’m buying a size difference
Not that the location and endless rows of tea plants aren’t beautiful. But production-wise, well… Just look at that poster. Outside of the beautiful, country exteriors, everything is very brightly lit and very bland.
But I’m here for The Perfect Size Difference. Our shorter guy is the cutest brat ever, and his larger companion is smitten with him. I want to see him have nightmares, get hugs, and heal in the Thai countryside. Extra points if he gets kidnapped or caught in a fire and has to be rescued. All while changing his, er, Daddy’s life into something more exciting and rewarding.
And at 8 episodes, I’m not too worried about this being dragged out into an endless, repeating cycle of conflicts. With any luck, this’ll be a nice, silly little trope-y watch without too much needless emotional angst. And maybe a kidnapping. Please?
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