Welcome to my weekly blog post where I give short thoughts on dramas I’m watching but not recapping.
I’m still recapping Love Between Fairy and Devil and Time and Him are Just Right.
This week I finished:
Between Us – เชือกป่าน – Thailand 2022 (Pictured)
A recently aired modern Thai BL with 12 episodes.
Like many, Win/Team’s chemistry in the glimpses we got of them in Until We Meet Again made me a little obsessed with them. For the most part, I was satisfied every time the two of them were on screen.
They have a story I haven’t seen too often, maybe because it’s not usually my taste, where a physical relationship starts first and then they have to work out their feelings. There’s not a lot of external conflict for the couple, the conflict is mainly them struggling in their heads and then talking with each other. There were times I got impatient with them for not just talking, but it felt pretty realistic for two guys to be fine in bed but not great at communicating. And I’m fine with no parents showing up to ruin things.
I’m also a real sucker for a hurt/comfort set-up. Waiting for them to work things out and talk wasn’t so hard while watching Win support and take care of Team as he worked through his past. It’s easy to like a guy who is unquestionably supportive that way and that made Team’s feelings of self-doubt and not being worthy very understandable.
Before the show started airing I was seeing comments pile on about the trailer having too many side couples. Unfortunately in this case I agree with the annoying internet mob. Until We Meet Again, had 17 episodes and focused almost entirely on the main couple. Between Us was 12 episodes with basically 4 side couples. I liked Bee and Prince and their story a lot and thought they had good chemistry, but they were unrelated to anything else going on and distracted from the main story. Tul/Wan didn’t do that much for me, but at least they were related to Win.
So the show isn’t quite what I’d hoped, but still good enough that I want to rewatch and binge it, because I think it would benefit from a quicker watch than week-to-week.
I Will Knock You – พี่จะตีนะเนย – Thailand 2022
A currently airing Thai BL drama with 12 episodes.
Noey is one of my favorite Thai BL characters of all time and Knock You is one of my favorite shows in the genre.
Noey is a confident high school delinquent who spends a good chunk of the show dragging his spastic tutor Thi on ridiculous adventures. Noey is younger but he’s assured and brave, he’s just putting those qualities to questionable use fighting other gangs. Thi is smart and sweet but an insecure mess. Their personalities are big and cartoonish but the show handles their feelings with sincerity. They aren’t one-dimensional and they have doubts and feelings and goals, so it’s funny without feeling like the characters get lost in the comedy.
The show’s strength is not in its plot, which it has more of than some Thai BL and less than others. But it works as set-ups for these two very different characters to learn to work things out together and change. They aren’t enemies-to-lovers, but they don’t start out attracted to one another (no matter what Noey thinks). The moments where they grow both individually and together feel earned. Both of them are nuts, but they’re so good together. (I love how much Thi loves Noey’s salty cooking.)
Also, this show has the most interesting scenery and pieces of Thai culture, plenty of which went over my head. The Thai BL I’ve watched often takes place at that one modernist home, that school with the big stairs, different restaurants, the beach (which is gorgeous). There is a temple culture in Thailand that I know nothing about that this show wanted to share, filming near many of them. I want to learn more. Auntie Tim’s restaurant seemed to be a really interesting location too. No beach, but we got to see the mountains. This show made me eager to learn more about Thailand and maybe visit one day..
I’m going to miss my weekly dose of Noey and Thi, but am glad I can go back and watch them anytime.