Ton Hon Chon Tee (2020)

Great Beginning, Terrible Ending

Writing this review is a little hard for me. I really enjoyed this show, but everything callapsed by the end. with my love for Pod, Mike, and Toptap, it's hard to even be able to comprehend that this was the content they gave us. What started off as a masterpiece became a sorrowful excuse of a BL.

Let's Dive In.

Let's start off with the pros of this series. Ai and Ni were the sunshine throughout this series. Mike and Toptap have this comedic energy that only the two of them can create when they're together. There wasn't a single part in the show that I wasn't laughing, they're what kept me watching. They both did an excellent job in this, and I hope that we can see them with their own series. The only thing I can say that bugged me a bit is that we never see them kiss? Every time they would go for a kiss, it would cut, or they would pretend to. It's a GMMTV produced show, so there was no reason to try and hide their kisses (also it's 2021). Miriam was a great addition to the show. She was supportive and caring, and she also had her comedic moments. I wished she was a little less BL-obsessed, but that's my only argument with her. For the most part, this trio was amazing, and I hope to see them again very soon. I loved the character development of Na, He was a snobby kid, but by the end, he improved and even got his own boyfriend to spoil. I'm a sucker for lifelong crush tropes. Tonhon and Chonlatee liking each other but neither knew about it was super lovely and precious. Getting to go back and see the way Ton felt during certain scenes was a really nice touch, and it made me feel differently about him. The dirty humor in this series was spot on, from them pretending to be the two dudes from The Untamed, to them just being themselves. Whoever wrote the script deserves a pat on the back (sort of). Everybody deserves a mom like Chon's mom. Her epic explosion on Ton's dad was the best thing that I have ever seen in my life.

Onto the cons. Tonhon really annoyed me. He was openly homophobic for quite some time (seemingly weird since he had a crush on Chon for quite a while). He was so homophobic that his own roommates didn't even want to admit that they were seeing each other. As I said, it's 2021, there was no need for him to be so homophobic, he could've easily just been a cool dude completely fine with his roommates dating. There was no need for Amp, and definitely no need for Nueng. We are over the petty ex-girlfriend plot, please GMMTV, bring something different to the table. Along with Neung, the bathroom scene with him and Chon was ineffectual. There was no meaning behind it other than Nueng thinking Chon was cute, which he could've just said instead of sexually assaulting while Chon was intoxicated. As much as I love Gunsmile, his character was a nuisance to the show, along with the gay guy that messes with Chon at the restaurant. It puts a bad look on gay people, more especially feminine gay people. The "getting Chon a prostitute" part was so uncomfortable for me. Ton is just straight up not a good person at all. Some part of me thought that Na should've ended up with Chon. At least he tried to do everything for Chon while Ton gave him nothing. Talking about Chon, there was no point in having him kiss Ton without his consent. Of course, Ton was going to freak out that he wakes up and you're making out with him, I would be too. Another case of BL romanticizing these types of things when none of it is romantic, I would've much rather seen a consensual first kiss, even if we had to wait till the very last episode. Speaking of the last episode, what the actual fuck was that? I have never felt so grippingly mad at a plot in my life. This show would've been a solid ten had that ending not happen the way it did. Ton's dad becomes fine with him dating Chon as long as he still has a kid, in which Miriam decided to be their surrogate. What the actual fuck? Number one, that baby was not made out of love, they were made out of greed and power. Two, that dad should be ashamed of himself if that's what it takes for him to accept his gay son. The plot ruined the entire show for me, by the last few minutes of the episode, I was ready to never watch this series again, and I still haven't.

Overall, this was sadly a miss. I would recommend the first 7 episodes which were humorous, fun, and entertaining. By episode 8, everything just goes downhill. All the acting is great, by far my favorite being Mike and Toptap, but Khaotung did an excellent job as well. If we are to get a second season (I honestly think it was fine where it left off), I hope we can clean up that ending, and throw away the father.

Lire davantage

Now... This was awful.

This was just bad. Real bad. They make rape joke scenes, there are a lot of homophobic things done and said by gay characters, they portray feminine gay people as predatory, some misogynists comments too... Not to talk about that shitty ending. Seriously? Buying babies? That's what we're doing now? Seriously, if I knew this would have ended like that, I wouldn't have watched it. Also, they tried to fix things saying that Ton was in love with Chon the whole time? They tried to pull a childhood friends to lovers trope from their asses and tbh it made 0 sense. And listen, the main actors are super awesome and amazing but from my POV their chemistry just..... it didn't click. I mean, their acting is great, seriously, they really move you, but........ Just not as a couple? This drama is a constant red flag and in this last ep they just fu***** things up.

Lire davantage

uh not good

ok lets be honest here. i did not like this. yes i waited for each episode to air each week expecting a better episode each time. but uh nope. did not live up to my expectations. honestly i was very excited for tonhonchonlatee because of the cast. personally the cast was so nice and so was the acting but lets be honest the show wasnt it. lets talk about chons about to be r@pe? the show just brushed it off like it never happened? Ai and ni had so much potential. but they hardly got any screentime? the biggest thing for me was they rushed the show. the first few episodes went extremely slow. and then the show was rushed towards the end which made no sense for me because there were so many things they could've actually skipped and could've covered the more important things which they skipped like the realization of tons feelings etc etc also how were ai and ni ok with living with a homophobic person? and the fact that tonhon just excepted them both in under and episode. he went from a full of toxic masculinity homophobic guy to an accepting dude? makes no sense? OH ALSO JUST REALIZED LETS TALK ABOUT NA? THE SHOW DID MY BOY NA SO DIRTY? THEY GAVE HIM SOME RANDOM BF ON THE LAST EPISODE? tbh at the very end episodes when ton absolutely refused to acknowledge his feelings i started shipping chon and na. ugh na deserved so much better. so in short what im saying is very lame story if you still wanna watch then watch it for the cast. gmmtv better step up their game lol.

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Lower your expectations

Great cast? checked
Good tunes? checked
Based on a good story? checked
Covering all the cute tropes? checked

Yet the way it was executed was disappointing, to say the very least. If you don't have a decent screenplay, even the greatest cast can't elevate the story the way the fans'd enjoy it in peace.

Here we have a trope as old as the world, having a crush on your next door neighbour. Chon pretends he doesn't know anything, treats Ton like a younger brother, while Ton falls deeper and deeper.

It could have been great. It had all the potential. The hype among the BL fans was high.

In the end what we got was a homophobic story of "I'm not gay, I just love you". It worked well 5 years ago in SOTUS, but now I think LGBT community moved on past this narrative and deserves something better.

Actors do all they can to salvage whatever they have from a terrible script, but after 3 episodes even the jokes stop being funny. The pacing of the show is absolutely terrible and I feel sorry for Pod and how the writers underdeveloped his character. It seems as if the good story was replaced with repeatable jokes and the character development was something nobody ever thought about.

The only character worth attention is Nam, Chon's mum, played by Jennifer Kim. She's open-minded and protective of her son, full of good advice, deeply caring for her son and his friends.

I finished the show mostly because I like the actors and I don't like leaving the shows unfinished. I feel angry with myself for having such huge expectations.

If you haven't seen I Told Sunset About You, watch this instead of Tonhon Chonlatee. Or if you want a nice comedy, try I'm Tee, Me Too. And if you REALLY want to watch Tonhon Chonlatee, just lower your expectations.

/edited for typos

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Overhated for reasons that are explained in the series

This drama is given so much hate that I almost didn't watch it, but I'm so glad I did.

A lot of the complaints I saw was Chonlatee kissing Ton right after almost being sa-ed himself. This itself was called out in the show, with Chon's mother herself telling him consent is important and he was wrong, which he completely agrees with.

Another complaint is Ton's homophobic comments throughout the first half and then a complete turn-around. If you had a father who was constantly pressuring you and flinging hate towards a certain community, it would make sense that Ton had a lot of internal homophobia. It doesn't excuse all the things he said and he himself admits that, but he learns and makes up for it by standing up for himself and others constantly.

The cheating is another thing that is constantly critiqued, which I agree with to a degree. Ton should have handled that situation better, but Chon calls it out and doesn't forgive him easily, even going as far as to ask Ton what would happen if he was put in the situation again. He only forgives Ton after realizing how much time they both wasted not being able to love each other, which to each their own, but yes cheating is cheating. Chon isn't someone to just overlook something like that and I'm sure it wasn't the last time they discussed it.

Can we also talk about people's reaction to the pregnancy? Some gay couples still very much want to be parents and need someone to be a surrogate. Yes, I think it was fairly silly to be Miriam, but not really at the same time. She really became a part of their little family and was there to help and defend both couples and they all really saved her.

All in all, this drama gets a lot of flack for legit reasons, but overlook how well the drama itself calls out the toxicity and has the characters stand up and against the toxicity. I can say it's one of my favorite dramas and I hope someone reads this and agrees.

Lire davantage

I don't think it deserves this hate. Although I don't love it and here are the reasons:

This show started as very funny, I actually was able to laugh alot. I was so happy that the female characters were actually interesting, supportive and smart people, which is something rare to see in BL series. The secondary couple was not terrible and that was surprising cause Mike and Toptap were never a good match in other shows. I LOVE Neo's character, he made me smile everytime. What is fucked up is the fact that Ton is a terrible guy, he is violent and homophobic. But everyone forgave it when it was TharnType. There's a scene of this guy trying to take advantage of Chon in the bathroom, which is exactly what Vegas tried to do to Porsche and everyone forgave him too. My point is most BLs can be toxic but I don't understand why this show has so many haters. It should have and so do the other shows, I just don't get why you guys don't see it always.

Lire davantage

starts okay, but only gets weirder (and not in the good way)

I'll be real with you: I only finished this show, because of Toptap/Mike and Jan (and because I can't leave a story unfinished, no matter how bad...)

The plot was unoriginal and the character development was random and sudden. (I don't mind twists and sudden confessions, but can show makers please start using hints again? Like it doesn't need to be obvious, but if a character suddenly declares that they've been in love all along, to make the other one forgive him for kissing someone else, it does feel like a cheap buy out. Especially when that character was really homophobic in front of his male object of affection in the beginning, like come on!)

Also I see where they were going with the end, everyone is a big happy family, but it still felt wrong to me somehow.

Overall I think the plot (and Tonhon's character development) was rushed, but I am also glad that the show only had 10 episodes, because I don't know how much longer I could have taken it.

Lire davantage

It's emply. It contains spoilers. Watch this at your own risk

Personally after I watch gmmtv's all bl series I thought this one would be another hit. But I was wrong. This one is worst. I can't say this one is trash but its not that much good to watch. At last for me it's not that much good. Because it's story was like all other bl same even wrost at most of it. Acting to story everything is cheesy. 1st 2 or 3 episodes was ok.i don't like the intro of 1st episode. After that to me, chonlatee character was OK but tonhon character was not good. Like he was manly but to me more than chonlatee he looks gay. His makeup was like that. After that the supporting character ai and ni was extra. They were to much. Like they want it to look like comedy but it more look like overacting. But I actually like miriam. In this series everything is extra. Like the story was old they just want to give it some new feel but the overdue it.
I am not saying it worst.but is this really good? Because of its rating is somehow good. But I don't know who give it this much rating. To me it's over rated.
I don't know how I watch this series till end. At a point I want to drop it but I thought they would left it up. So I watch this whole series. But at the end it was trash.
So I want to tell if you want to watch it then watch. But I won't recommend it. Because its full of extras.

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The cast is the only good thing to come out of this show.

Re-review after re-watch:

I'm going to take a chance at providing a better review now that my emotions towards the show aren't as intense as it was when I wrote the original review.

Story:

The issue with TC is not that the story is too typical or already seen. Human creativity can have its limitations. The issue is the Main Problem and what came with Him and Her. Some of these problems were not in the novels apparently. Though take that fact with a grain of salt as I have not read it. The issue also lies in the pacing. The development of TonChon relationship was slow, while not an issue generally, it is an issue when you have small number of episodes to pull everything together. Which is literally what they did. The last episode was clunky. They had to tell us what happened to the main antagonist through a flashback and someone asking about her. Why would anyone ask about her approximately three years later? When the person that asked the question would have witnessed the whole thing anyway. If you have to create a mini plot-hole to answer a question I doubt many people care about is testament to awkward pacing. Some parts of the last episode could have moved forward if the relationship between the main couple (Ton and Chon) had sped up just a little bit.

The twist that Ton knew the truth but still did what he did is baffling. So you knew, but still tried to change him? Ton was shown to like it but still did as much as he could to change Chon. Or did he try to lie to himself because of his family? So many odd questions and plotholes... It almost feels as if that big reveal was thought of later, after the intial filming (though it wasn't).

One subplot I did like was of the sister and her husband's issue. It was nice to see that issues like that can exist and how nicely it was managed along with how the couple got stronger after they communicated with each other. Perhaps a relationship feature Ton and Chon could have unlocked.

Cast:

I stand by what I said. The cast was really good. They worked well together. Decent chemistry. Solid comedy acting. The first scene that introduced Tonhon and Chonlatee? Hilarious. The actors did really well with making me laugh. If they had been given a better plot with the humour, the show would have been a hit. Neo was the best actor overall. That scene at the end made out to be a tiktok video? Phenomenal!

Music:

Not much to say, it was fitting with the aesthetic, but nothing to outstanding.

Re-watch value:

Obviously, as this extended review is of my watching it the second time, the show does have it's good parts, its potential is just killed with the last two to three episodes.

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Originial Review after re-watch:
Every actor did a great job with their characters. Were the characters ass? Yes. Did the actors do well acting out as asses? Yes. With the exception of Na, I found at least one serious flaw in the characters. Chon’s mom comes in second.

The cast should try again with another comedy series. I’m sure they’ll do well!

Story was crap. Apparently, a vital part of the series and the main insitigator for the problems wasn’t even a part of the original book, which I have not read.

Lire davantage

No One Talk To Me About This; I'm Senstive

I really enjoyed this drama! It was the perfect length and captured everything very nicely - I would've given it higher but Chonlatee saying that he would be called the 'godfather' of Tonhon's child made me physically uncomfortable so... They really amped up the drama and drew it out in a wonderfully painful way (I love slow burn, sue me) to the point where I wondered if they were just masochists. Overall, they were cuties and seeing Mike and Top together always makes life shine just a little brighter - I love them being plotting and planning gays they really made the relationship happen because these naive bozos for main characters really weren't making any first moves. I think Pod is a great actor and he really shines in the projects I have seen him in so far.

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