Stay (2023)

promising start let down by the writing

Overall: I enjoyed the more realistic vibe, but the writing didn't work for me. Aired on Team Campy Entertainment YouTube channel. 7 episodes broken up into two parts each, each episode was about 20 minutes long.

Content Warnings: racism, beaten up off screen

What I Liked
- realistic parts (being annoyed at someone talking on the phone in the bathroom)
- funny parts, like that he wore a suit (although who wouldn't ask what the job was???)
- sweet/cute moments

Room For Improvement
- that was too harsh of a way to start a series
- too much overlap/showing old scenes between the parts and the episodes
- Andre was an unlikable character (especially in episode 6) and I didn't really like Joshua either, I didn't feel their chemistry/relationship build up
- story threads/characters dropped like the dad
- the sister exposition dump
- loud, constant background music (and mostly the same music)

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I liked it!

Despite some of the negative comments here, I'm giving this one a 10. And anyone that's followed my critiques and ratings knows that 10s are very rare for me! Here are my pros and cons:

PROS

STORY. I found the story compelling, and different from the majority of BLs out there. I found myself genuinely anticipating each week's episode, and that's something I haven't felt from a BL in quite a while.

ACTING. There were only three regular actors in the series, and I especially liked Ellis Gage as Joshua. The other two were more than creditable.

MUSIC. I really liked the OST theme song.

ENDING. After the drama of Episode 6, I expected a happy ending (as is customary in Thai BLs), where somehow everything gets wrapped up in a nice ribbon and they all live happily ever after. Very glad they didn't go that route. Joshua already being married was a real plot twist! Andre was of course very immature, but I liked how the two of them separated but kept the lines of communication open. So, while it wasn't a customary "happy ending," it was a realistic one, combined with hope for the future. Kudos to the writers.

CONS

RELATIONSHIP. I guess you could call it an "enemies to lovers" trope, except that Joshua was the only unfriendly one at first. I didn't mind the slow burn, but found it odd that Joshua was feeling that Andre might be cheating on him (he wasn't)... especially when the two of them never really got past the friends stage. They never slept together or even kissed and, frankly, that's pretty much unheard of when dealing with two gay men in their late twenties.

But I'm sticking with my 10.0 rating. Hoping to see these two in other projects.

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One of the Best!

This I would not call a ‘BL’. Perhaps it should be labeled more of an elegy about a deep personal connection. It is a story of two men smitten with each other but calling it love may be on a higher plane than actually exists for either of them. If anything, this is a toxic love story. Not pretty and not meant to be. Criticisms of this series are all valid but that does not take away from its validity. Nor its brilliance. This series is real, honest, brutal, and contemporary. It is a middle-class love story about two rather baneful individuals who found each other at the wrong time in the right place. There is great sadness in this series but also hope. Despite everything, this is a story of human tenacity and fortitude. It is not splashy, cute, or pretty but oh God it is real. Especially living in the City of Angels. Therefore, one of the best series, hesitatingly calling it a BL, for this year of 2023.

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Fresh take on the BL genre

The way that the story was told is amazing. It actually felt like the characters are real people. They’re messy and unpredictable. Which gives the viewers a roller coaster journey as the leads try to figure out themselves and their relationship in the story.

Joshua, whose aloofness was so relatable for me, was introduced with just a little bit of spice to make you intrigued as to who he is, his past, and where he needs to go as a person.

Andre, who is very annoying yet somehow is charming leads to a lot of funny banters between the two characters.

I like that all the side characters were introduced to enhance the romantic arc of the leads. No fluff necessary as the focus is solely on the two main leads.

I don’t agree with some of the comments saying that Andre’s dad needed to be closed at the end. Or that it somehow should have a closure. Just like in real life, there are people that we can’t get closure from. Same thing is true with the scammer and Joshua’s family. They were only there to help the main romantic plot to let the audience know about the complicated past of each main characters.

I journeyed with the characters and it was full of both very funny and very dramatic scenes.

I also liked the music although it is loud at times. But I still love how memorable the music was and how it envelopes each scene.

For the acting, Ellis did a really good job. Those tears at the end were surprising and just feel bad for him and wish him the best. Andre and Besh did a great job too. However, the immaturity of the character could have been conveyed better and could have been cute if it was a younger actor.

Overall, it’s a journey filled with laughters, tears, romance and lots of surprises!

I loved anticipating this every week and I know that they said they’re not doing a second season but I’m still hopeful there would be!

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