Not Me starts fast, like a uh, motorcycle race. So let’s get into it.

There are these twins, White and Black

White is our protagonist and Black is his twin. As kids they are so connected that when White nearly drowned Black couldn’t breathe either. The parents feel the best way to handle this is to divorce. White goes with his father to Russia while Black stays in Thailand. Once separated White no longer feels their connection.

Adult White, looking preppy and responsible in a white button-up shirt and glasses, returns to Thailand. His father wants him to let go of his brother and mother and focus on a future of making money. Dad doesn’t understand feelings.

While schmoozing with Dad’s pals, White collapses. At the same time, we see someone getting chased and beaten.

An old friend of the brothers, Todd, calls to tell White that Black is nearly dead. At the hospital, Todd explains that Black stopped living with their mom, attended class irregularly, and fell in with a Bad Crowd. Todd thinks one of them hurt Black.

Obviously White must become his brother and find out what happened.

White looks the part but can’t talk the talk

In a flash he’s got earrings and tattoos. Todd takes him to Black’s place and shows him a picture of Black’s friends.

And that’s it. Good luck! White is off to Black’s school, which may be the most Thai BL thing in the show so far. I’m pretty sure I’ve watched a half dozen guys fall in love here.

A friend of Black’s, Gram, grabs him and talks about plans that White knows nothing about. In class, another classmate White doesn’t recognize talks about a topic White doesn’t know much about.

Rule of Law versus Rule By Law

They spend enough time on this subject that we know it’s important to the series.

Rule of Law means that everyone has to answer to the law, no one is above it. Rule by Law means that law is used as a tool of political power, so there are people above it using it to control others.

Gram and another classmate debate which Thailand falls under. White looks lost. After class, he doesn’t have his motorcycle. This seems like a large oversight.

Luckily, Gram is nice and gives him a ride to the garage. On the way, he remarks that he likes this clueless version of Black better. That doesn’t make Black look good.

You know who isn’t nice? Anyone else

At the garage, White meets Yok. He’s hostile, but White is getting better at blustering his way through things. Still, he’s wandering around the garage like he’s never been there before. 

Then he runs into Sean! Sean is more hostile than Yok. He nearly punches White, and they get into a motor oil wrestling match. After White cleans up he discovers the plans for the night involve changing license plates and grabbing Molotov cocktails. 

Sean has White get on his motorcycle and they’re off to burn down an evil, rich, political dude’s house! Someone who uses Rule by Law to his own benefit.

The BL That Wasn’t

We‘ve got Sean and White smearing each other in motor oil and on a bike together. Yet, except for a little slow-mo, the show doesn’t lean into these moments like a typical BL would. It’s intense and intimate but not romantic.

White’s arms might be around Sean but his mind is on what’s going on. When the group stops to prepare, White tries to get out of it. Only when he learns the house will be empty and no one will be hurt does he go along with them.

But he’s no help. Sean knocks the security guard out for him. He pours his gas down a sink while no one is looking and watches everyone set the fire.

But alas, there is someone inside the house

Someone who was painting a mural. He realizes there’s a fire too late and runs onto the balcony. They see him, and White’s brilliant idea is to run back into the house. Everyone else soaks their garments in water.

Yok rescues our mysterious mural artist but the guy runs off. Sean rescues White. Everyone is alive but pissed. Sean reminds White that this was all his plan. White has an angry confrontation with a vision of Black, telling him he knows the law is unfair but what they’re doing is wrong. Then he tells the group that he quits.

Nice Gram gives White a ride back and reminisces about Black teaching him to ride a motorcycle. Black had him put his hands out to feel the freedom and Gram pushes White to do the same right now. 

Where do we go from here?

Sometime later, Sean asks a woman painting a mural what she thinks of the people who burnt the house down. She expresses reserved approval, which makes him happy.

White looks like White again and is taking a test for something related to his money-making future. He talks with someone who also approves of the house being burnt down. This nice stranger feels it’ll bring attention to corruption that is otherwise ignored. 

Yok is in art class. He’s supposed to be drawing a model but draws the mural painter from the previous night. 

Sean tells Gumpa, who I think owns the garage, about Black behaving weirdly and wanting to quit. Gumpa suggests letting him quit, unless he wants to beg him to come back.

White’s debate with himself on what to do next ends when Black flatlines and White collapses on the floor of Black’s apartment. Mind changed, he symbolically changes into Black’s clothing and finds Sean outside the front door. Sean wants to know what’s going on. Black lit a fire in all their hearts and is now abandoning them. He wants him to come to their next meeting.

White blusters rather than answer. Sean says he came because of Gumpa. It’s all very mature.

Todd updates White that Black recovered. Then he gives him the motorcycle lessons he needed a week ago. White is nervous about going fast but Todd leaves him on his own. 

Sean rides up and challenges him to a race to the garage. As White speeds up, he understands Black better. He pulls ahead of Sean and thinks about how he doesn’t understand the man behind him.

Where we are now

I think the general flow of these two episodes is great. We get the twins’ backstory, the set-up of Black’s injury, and the mystery around who hurt him. White gets in over his head and nearly bails. But this new experience causes him to rethink his brother and society, and he recommits himself. We know that now he knows what he’s getting into and is fully committed.

Yes, that initial setup goes crazy fast but it’s so we can get to the good stuff with White pretending to be Black, meeting Sean, and riding motorcycles. White hasn’t been in touch with his brother so I understand him imitating him poorly. Everyone else is too busy burning the house down to give it too much attention which also makes sense. Besides, who’d suspect twin-switching?

White coming to understand his brother better riding the motorcycle is a nice moment. I wish they’d better motivated his not learning earlier with even a throwaway line of dialogue about not having time.

While I love tropes, it’s nice to see a drama where skinship doesn’t mean instant love. If you watched this without knowing the genre or leads I think the only romantic hint is that first meeting. Right before Sean acts like he’s going to punch White. It’s the staring into the eyes that gives it away.