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 the final episode 8 of timey-wimey-thriller BL(?) 4Minutes and had a lot to say. Today I’ll also give a more general, spoiler-free review below.
I also recapped episodes 9-10 of Jack and Joker, where the ambitions of the show spin out of control. If you want to see a relationship go from slow-burn to married with children in 20 minutes, here’s your episode.
What did I watch this week? First I finished:
Peaceful Property – บ้านหลอน On Sale – 2024
Recently aired Thai supernatural bromance with 12 episodes.
A young man terrified of the ghosts only he sees is forced/hired to help a rich guy with a ghost problem clear them off his various properties.
Lately, it feels like when I write a glowing initial review you can expect a disappointed final review, but not this time! I found this show to be a fun, neon-colored adventure full of heartwarming but silly friendships and interesting ghosts from beginning to end.
So let’s get to my main criticism-not-criticism
The main story didn’t do anything too surprising or inventive. You can probably guess how certain character arcs and turns will play out from the beginning. I did.
Now, I think surprises are overrated and am happier with a story that takes me on an emotional journey with the characters. This show does an excellent job with that, and the tragic stories of the ghosts and how they are resolved made for some memorable episodes.
The downside is that those individual episodes are stronger than the series. It’s not that I think the whole is less than the sum of its parts, but some parts were amazing and the whole is just really good.
I like this show so much I don’t have much to say about it
Because I already said most of it in my initial review. This show is an excellent balance of heartwarming and silly, tragic and triumphant, fun and serious. Where a lot of comedy falls flat for me (and gets dragged out) this show had an excellent, dry, understated comedic style that worked for me. It reminded me a lot of Oh No! Here Comes Trouble, a show I also highly recommend.
It’s got bromance, sismance, and Suradech, one of the best comedic side characters ever. Go watch it already!
And now for my spoiler-free final review of a show I’ve been recapping:
4Minutes – สี่นาที – 2024
Recently aired Thai timey-wimey BL with 8 episodes.
A 2024 Thai BL about a young man who makes poor choices but thanks to a sudden ability to redo 4 minutes, he can make better choices.
You can watch the trailer here.
This show was an ambitious attempt at something outside the normal formula for BLs (I wouldn’t even call it a BL). While I admire its ambitions, I think the premise was fundamentally flawed leading to a disappointing second half/conclusion.
I’m not going to go on about plot issues because it would be nothing but spoilers, but if you want details and don’t mind being spoiled read my recap-review of the final episode 8.
Besides the plot, let’s get into my main issue with the story
The romance didn’t romance for me, and it’s because of the writing and not the acting. Our leads Bible Wichapas Sumettikul and Jes Jespipat Tilapornputt have good chemistry and their characters make for an interesting combination. The problem is the plot focuses on the timey-wimey puzzle pieces and thriller aspects, leaving little time for their characters to connect.
On top of that, the timey-wimey puzzle nature of the story made it hard to follow the progression of their relationship. The burden of selling their connection fell onto the acting because the story wasn’t doing it.
The other problem was they didn’t get that much screen time
The internet whined a lot about how much time was spent on the, well, I’m not going to call them the second couple. Let’s call it the second relationship, featuring one of our lead’s older brother and his boyfriend.
And the internet wasn’t wrong — this time. I think they had as much screen time as our leads. In some ways, they were more the heart of the story because their story was easier to follow and more central to the thriller/crime aspects.
On the negative side, this isn’t what the show promised with its advertising and set-up. On the positive side, the actors did a great job. Young actor Fuaiz Thanawat Shinawatra stood out for playing the complicated and layered character of Tonkla. On its own, it’s an interesting and compelling story with all kinds of feels — though they weren’t warm and fuzzy.
I’m also going to be That Person and whine about the cinematography
While the visuals were ambitious and impressive, they were also So Dark. Picking screen grabs for my recaps was depressing because of the relentless gloom. The tone is dark and gritty, yes, but I’d like to see what’s happening.
So should you watch this show or not?
I mean, I’m not the boss of you.
But I think if you are looking for a combo of BL and thriller, this is not the show for you. I’d recommend something like The Sign, which has problems but is far more of a BL. Not Me is even better, probably the gold standard of thriller-BL’s, and I’ll be back to recapping it now that I’ve finished this show.
And if you’re looking for a strong timey-wimey puzzle show, there are better ones out there. From Signal (with pretty much no romance) to Love In Time (which blends hetero romance and time puzzle nearly equally).
But if you want an ambitious show with same-sex relationships that tries to do something different from typical BLs, this is worth a watch. Keep your expectations for the ending low and you won’t be disappointed.
I mean, it’s got murder, sex, and cats. What more do you want?