My Stand-In (2024)

Final Review of *My Stand-In*:

I just finished the last episode, and in my opinion, it's too "joyful" for certain characters. I won’t spoil anything, but those who have seen the drama will understand who I’m referring to.

Regarding Ming, I really liked his character even though I would never have been able to read the novel due to numerous additional scenes that, thankfully, were removed from the drama, making it more enjoyable. Up did an excellent job. The actor has a rather cold expression when he doesn’t smile, making him perfect for playing Ming, who, in his own words, doesn't like people. I found it brilliant that they had Ming say, "I don't like people very much," because Ming will never be the type to smile and be friendly with everyone. He doesn’t pretend; if he doesn’t like you, you’ll know it, if he loves you, you’ll know it too, and if he’s indifferent, it’s the same!

From start to finish, Ming retains his personality while evolving in how he shows his love. Yes, the character made mistakes that, in real life, would be intolerable for 90% of the population, but there are 10% who would be willing to give a second chance. 5% would be right, 5% wrong. Here, Joe was right. I just regret the lack of tears, but I think that fits the character.

Regarding Joe, he remains the same from beginning to end. He is a sweet, kind, and somewhat simple character. Let’s be honest, Joe isn’t very clever, but he has a natural gentleness that attracts the audience. The actor played his role very well; it’s flawless. He was perfect; Joe was Poom and no one else!

As for Tong, I hated his character from start to finish. Kudos to the actor, nothing more to add without spoiling.

The music is very well managed, the series is beautifully shot, and the roles and actors are perfectly executed. However, it lacks an "I love you" at the end. I was waiting for it...

I know they both show their love through their actions, but I would have still liked a little "I love you" to wrap things up nicely.

It’s an 8.5/10 for me. My highest rating of the year so far!

Why not a 10? Because I found some moments a bit slow, long, and uninteresting, and others too rushed and illogical.

Thank you to all the actors. Plus, I discovered a lovely YouTube channel. The actor who plays Ming (Up) has a YouTube channel if you want to check it out.

Lire davantage

I just finished the last episode, and in my opinion, the ending is too "joyful" for certain characters. I won’t spoil anything, but those who have seen the drama will understand who I’m referring to.

Ming's character stood out to me. Although I wouldn’t have enjoyed the novel due to many extra scenes, the drama's version made it more enjoyable. Up's performance was excellent. His naturally cold expression suited Ming, a character who openly admits he doesn't like people. Ming's honesty about his feelings was refreshing; he doesn’t pretend. If he doesn’t like you, you’ll know it, if he loves you, you’ll know it too, and if he’s indifferent, it’s the same.

Ming's journey is compelling as he evolves in showing his love while staying true to himself. Despite his mistakes, which in real life would be unacceptable for most, there are still those who would give him a second chance. Here, Joe was one of them. I only wish there had been more emotional scenes to reflect this growth.

Joe, on the other hand, remains consistent throughout. He is sweet, kind, and somewhat naive. While he isn’t the smartest, his natural gentleness wins over the audience. The actor playing Joe did an impeccable job; he embodied the character perfectly.

Tong, however, was a character I disliked from beginning to end. The actor did a fantastic job in portraying him, but the character's actions were hard to swallow.

The series excels in music and cinematography, with roles and actors perfectly cast. However, I felt it lacked an I love you at the end, which I was eagerly awaiting.

Lire davantage

Joe Needs To Be Slap With A Rubber Chicken

What annoys me the most is that, Ming put Joe through hell, all because he was in love with a guy who acts like he sniffs glue and sells hair nets on e-bay.

That being said. There must have been a 2-for-1 special on stupidity, cuz Joe sure bought a whole lot.

CHARACTERS:
Listen. Joe is a bummer. He makes sadness look pathetic. He’s like that friend who always ruins the mood whenever you ask them how they’re doing:

ME: Oh, hey, friend, how was your day?

Bummer Friend: Nothing much. My cat is in therapy. I wanna get a perm, but I don’t think I have the face for it. My parents threw me out so I’m living under a bridge now, and I got hit by a bus last week and died. ?

Sure, sure, we can argue that Joe is pathetic because he couldn’t catch a break, and every time he did, it was at the expense of his self-respect, but damn… the dude just bummed me out. So much that when he died the second time, I was chewing on my popcorn like:

ME: Oh, noo, dude…you like, got shot and stuff…you rolling down the stairs dude…is you dead again?... (Side note: Did they really have to make him roll down the stairs like that? It was just sad.)

And yes, we all love/hate a no-self respecting, pathetic love-sick fool character. The only reason I watched ‘Theory Of Love’ was that bathroom scene where Gun got his heartbroken, and he was crying under the shower, but the water stopped, so he had to use bottled water. I laughed like there was no tomorrow, then went and made popcorn so I could binge-watch the rest of the series, and judge him through the screen.

So yeah, throughout the series whenever Joe did anything dumb, which was every time he opened his mouth. I went:

ME: Yayy, go on honey, be a dumb-ass, stay with that dude who took your virginity and can’t even remember it, and refers to you as a ‘stand in’, because he’s in love with a guy built like a Minecraft table.

Some of the things Joe did, and allowed Ming to do to him, busted my mind. And what do you mean he DIED again because of TONG! TONG!!!  I understand if it was like for a person person, but Tong? Come on son! Do-gooders should come with a ‘self-sacrificing idiot’ forehead tag or something, cuz... Bishes be crazy!

And sure, Joe was a tortured, handsome fella who needed love, But, Joe, Joe, oh Joey, Jojo, Jeremiah, Josephina. To quote Earth from Moonlight Chicken: ‘How you gonna be poor, gay and dumb at the same time, child?.’ He suffered so much because… *check notes*

1. He had no family. (His dream was for someone to turn on the lights in his house.)
2. He had (1) friend. (And that friend wanted to get into his pants, but yaay friendship, right?)
3. He was a ‘stand-in’ boyfriend(eff buddy?). (Sure Ming hit him in the head with a baseball bat, kidnapped him, chained him up, caused him to fall off a cliff and die, but hey, at least they had his-and-his mugs. So, awwww love.)

I don’t even know what to say about Joe. Do I dislike the character, I guess not, because he’s too sad to even dislike. I just couldn’t get over all the dumb decision he made… **check notes** again:

1. Gave his virginity to Ming who was drunk off his arse
2. Asked Ming to move in with him so he could turn on his lights for him.
3. Died, came back, and went straight to Ming to be his stand-in ho. He wasn't even the main ho at that point, he was like a stand-in ho, for a stand-in ho.
4. Accepted Ming’s broke arse! (Dude, you are poor, how you gonna take care of him and your sick fake mom?)
5. Got kidnapped (again) and beaten for TONG. TONG!!
6. Died again so he can protect Ming. (You know, the guy who treated him like used slippers.)

I kept screaming, ‘No, girl, no, no!’ every time he made another dumb decision. Homeboy gets a second chance, complete with a whole new face and everything. And I thought he was gonna move cities, start over, join a local church or something but, the mfer was like:

JOE: Well…the thing is…you know…Ming glued the mugs together, you know the one I broke when he mistook me for his sister’s wife, who he’s in love with? Haha… he has changed… he wears old lady blouses, and wants to keep me as his ho… in exchange for money, so… yeah, *in love noises*

ME: This dumb-ass mother… *throws chair**

For one split second I thought he'd finally learned something, because he was like : "No Ming, this second chance is mine!" (Only to immediately proceed to try and get out of a moving car.) A moving car. Like???? And after all that yelling and 'Ming forget the old Joe, this body doesn't love you', homeboy didn't even make it half way down the traffic light!

And while he was talking about 'If you loved the old Joe why did you make me your paramour.' my arse was rolling my eyes at the screen going 'dude stop using that fancy arse word, use your government name, yous is a ho. A stand-in ho.'

Joe just vexes me! Every time he gives Ming those poppy dog in-love eyes I go.
Child! Child! Stop, Run. You must be a special brand of stupid to die, get a second chance, then go straight to the person who caused your death. JUST, WHY?? ARE YOU OKAY?

At this point, I’m gonna console myself by believing that Joe is color blind, cuz there’s no rational reason as to why he returned to Ming a second time. WHY??? And in the finale he’s talking about 'I forgive you, forgive yourself, I’ll always choose you cuz I don’t know what I’ll live for if not for you?' ‘CHILD! How about your fake mom? huh? How about living a life where you are not afraid your partner will hit you upside the head with a bat??’

You know what, eff Joe! My blood pressure can’t.

But like, Poom is an amazing actor!! Most bl actors looks like they are laughing or sniffing glue whenever they cry, but Poom was different. Even his eyes could act. Beautiful talented man. But Joe though, the bummer can go hug a tree.

Okay, on a side note, are we going to ignore the fact that, that woman’s son died and she didn’t even got to mourn? Sure, Joe is a good son to her and whatnot, but damn, homeboy took over that body with zero guilt.

—
MING. oh, MING.

HAHAHA. Some people talking about, ‘Girl, Ming is just a RED FLAG. AND???!’ HAHAHA. My sister, even if na red sea, I go still take cup drink ‘em!

Cuz we love drama in this house. And Ming, oh Ming, talk about a guy you wanna punch under a mistletoe. My anger when it came to him was unhealthy. Do I wish he go bury himself in a hole at the centre of the sun and die? Sure. Is his toxic arse gonna make me add this drama to one of my favs? HECK YEAH.

Listen. Ming, like an old rag, deserves to be taking out every spring and beaten. This little guy, who acts like the world bothers him (I just remembered Joe let a collage? graduate drive him off a cliff.) mistreated our gentle soul Joe, because he saw someone’s back in a mall one time. I mean, how you gonna fall in love with Tong, your sister’s boyfriend, who looks like a dollar store bubblehead?

Ming was so toxic and for what? TONG? The guy who used his unborn child as a bargain? The guy who on so many occasions broke your heart. TONG!

And after everything Ming did, the writers gave him like two ‘redeemable’ scenes, changed one red traffic light into green, said sorry under some shooting star, made him wear those silly cute aprons, and expected me to forgive him. LMAO I’m not Joe, I’m not gonna come back and let him eff me again. One time is enough!

But they almost got me in the finale though ^^. With all the smiling, crying and shooting stars, and tiny clay pots and aprons… but I stood my ground like. ’No, you will not get me to forgive Ming, not today Satan!’ So yeah, eff the tiny pot , apron, and the shooting stars, I’mma still hold on to my hatred.

Also, how in the hell did Ming manage to stop Joe from opening that afterlife door? Mfer is next level of toxic. He was like: 'Bish, where you think you going, I'm not done with you. If you don't get your arse back in here.' Poor Joe, the devil works hard, but Ming works harder.

UP did so well with this character, because I see UP on my fyp on tiktok and I grin and coo and go, bestest boy. But the moment Ming shows up on screen I wanna throw tiny rocks into his eyes and push him off a small cliff.

TONG
Hmm. Ha. Hmhm. Haha. Hahaha. HAHAKAHBIERJWOJFWNF. AHHHHHHHHHHH. GAWDDD, sure Ming deserves to be poke in the eye with a sharp object, but TONG deserves to be slap repeatedly with a glove, then you know, kicked into that black hole at the centre of the milky way. Eff that dude!

And ,and, after all he did, he got no retribution whatsoever!! I swear, this world is not fair. And the last episode wanted me to feel happy for him, but he’s smiling and I’m rolling my eyes like:, ‘Happiness don’t even look right on him, dude out here looking like the inside of a pencil case. Arrgggg, take a long nap under that pool, please!!’

Somewhere out there in drama world, Tong is happy with his wife and chubby son, and I wish he steps on a lego every time he smiles. And he chokes every time he drinks. XDD

SOL:
Now tell me why every time this dude popped up, I went, ‘My brother, my brother, go sit somewhere, this ain’t about you!’ LMAO. Sure he was an o-kay-ish friend, but he was like a tiny red-flag with a green wrapping, so shifty, looking like that one lizard in ‘SING!’

In the finale when he took his sorry-arse bag and got into the car with the stranger, I was like: ‘Sure, dude, get kidnap and die. See if I care.’ So, yeah, I wish him all the best, I guess.

PLOT
Interesting concept, I am tempted to read the book I heard this was based on. I think the actors did what they were supposed to. I hated and liked them accordingly, so they did their job well.

THINGS THAT DIDN’T MAKE SENSE
- Joe’s fighting skills going away whenever he needed it
- Writers trying to make us forgive Ming
- Joe literally letting himself be kidnap for TONG
- TONG being a popular actor. (Like, did that dude ever shoot enough scenes to make a finish drama?)
- TONG being forgiven!! Seriously??? Nothing?

THINGS THAT MADE SENSE
**Crickets**

Anyway, I might write more later on the finale, especially on the family, but for this review I just wanted to vent my frustration with Joe.

All in all, one of the best shows this year, up there with Unknown.

Lire davantage

Great Actors Wasted On Terrible Story

I want to preface this negative review with saying the actors were great. This was a very well-acted series. Even the smallest characters were very fitting for their roles and they played them well.

The story, however, was a decent premise from the start that derailed into 'oh well, all the psycho stalker toxicity is forgiven because he got sad. To avoid spoilers, let's just say Ming was the reddest red flag ever who never actually underwent any sort of redemption arc, he just got forgiven because he cried a lot about how heartbroken he was over the tragedy of his own making. He was a deranged, psychotic, obsessive, abusive stalker and that sometimes can work really well (ie: Vegas in KP, where he was always a psychotic, cold-blooded murderer whose lover was also sick and twisted, so Toxic4Toxic fit) but in this case, where Joe is so genuine and sweet and kind, him forgiving Ming isn't out of character, but that isn't how the 'rules' of filmmaking work. In a reasonable 'rules of filmmaking' series, Ming would have no happy ending and Joe would.

I honestly about halfway through thought that it was going to be a revenge story where Joe seeks his revenge on Ming for all he did to him and Joe would end up with Sol. THAT would have been an amazing series. Unfortunately, we got this BS.

6/10, do not recommend.

Lire davantage

had me until episode 4

(potential trigger warnings in my review, talking about abuse and intimate partner violence)

Overall: with a few tweaks this could have been a 9.5 series but I actively did not want the main leads together especially when 3 years later one of them was still a narcissist. It's sad but not surprising that people were victim blaming and calling Joe stupid. He wasn't stupid, he was an abuse victim (more below). Very similar aesthetics to KinnPorsche which made sense because it shared a director and screenwriter. It was adapted from the novel "Professional Body Double" by Shui Qiang Cheng which I didn't read and I based the series on its own merits. 12 episodes about an hour each. Aired uncut on iQIYI. First episode link: https://www.iq.com/play/my-stand-in-uncut-episode-1-1iwuiu9rlww?lang=en_us The production company also produced I Feel You Linger In The Air. This review is of the uncut which was the first version on MDL and I'm not sure if there even is a cut version currently.

Content Warnings: death, grief, non con kissing, punch/violence, intimate partner abuse, held against will, gaslighting, manipulation, coercion, past suicide?, manhandling, vomiting, parental abuse, kidnapped, homophobia

What I Liked
- the premise
- showed a condom and discussed sexual position preferences
- had a good conversation at the beginning of episode 2
- wanting/ongoing physical affection in the beginning episodes
- sweet moments in the beginning episodes
- supportive sister
- production value (some really nice camera shots, use of mirrors, switching focus on foreground to background etc.)

Room For Improvement
- I can't root for their relationship as explained below
- Ming was stupid, he could have easily shown his dad evidence first before telling him the other part, he could have shored up his financial situation first as well
- Joe's lack of agency, he had a bunch of awful things and felt cornered into doing things instead of it being his choice
- multiple failed redemption arcs
- trash characters have no consequences, just instant forgiveness for terrible things they did
- multiple romances introduced in the last 30 minutes of the last episode
- voice overs with exposition dumps
- some of the music didn't fit the tone (that fight in episode 4 was made comical instead of dramatic)
- wish a character hadn't been shown as extremely drunk at the end of episode 1
- love triangle, Sol overstepped and took away agency from Joe especially in episode 9
- nonsense stuff i.e. Ming just happened to have something at his house in episode 4??? Joe didn't have any bruises/blood on his face/head in episode 4, Joe happened to overhear key conversations, 1 person being extremely drunk and a stunt person not being able to get away

Thoughts on Grey Characters/Their Romantic Relationships
Sometimes these characters and their dynamic work for me and other times they don't. Here are the factors that I think about:
1. was there a realistic reason why the character/s acted the way they did in the past (sort of, but not to the level that Ming was at)
2. how bad was/is the treatment (extremely abusive and violent, Ming could have accidentally killed Joe in episode 4, 3 years later and Ming stays a narcissist he says "I always get what I want" and he actively ignores what would make Joe happy)
3. were both characters grey or was one squeaky clean (Joe was mostly squeaky clean but unbelievably dense in not believing that Ming wanted him and Ming was abusive and a narcissist and stayed a narcissist/manipulative and also stupid to not know why Joe didn't tell him something)
4. was there some kind of apology/amend making (verbal apologies, promised to treat him better/give him job opportunities, was sweet with him but to me it was just the make up phase of an abuse cycle)
5. was there character growth (no, 3 years later and Ming was still a narcissist which was reinforced in episode 9, he made decisions involving Joe without asking what Joe wanted because Ming did whatever Ming wanted)
6. do I believe that the characters will stay together in a happy romantic relationship (no, because for Ming it was about power/control and not love)
final verdict: I didn't want them in a romantic relationship together

Joe wasn't stupid, he was the victim of intimate partner violence
- Joe was the victim of physical, financial, emotional/mental and sexual abuse
- Ming didn't love Joe, he wanted to control him to get what he wanted
- abuse survivors can have a very difficult time escaping the abuse because abusers can be extremely excellent manipulators "if you hadn't done abc then I wouldn't have had to say/do xyz", also there are periods of nice times that trick the survivor into thinking the abuser does love them (the make up phase in the cycle of abuse), in the real world intimate partner violence is deadly and widespread, it is estimated that 10-40% of law enforcement officers are abusers and they are frequently the first people to respond, it's all very terrible and not at all romantic

If you or someone you love needs help, here is a resource in the U.S. https://www.rainn.org/

Lire davantage

Spoiler alert: this isn't overly detailed, but if you're on the fence about watching,READ

*OK SO EXPECTED A GREAT REVENGE STORY LIKE FOR REAL MAN...YET DEATH ALSO DIDN'T MAKE IT HAPPEN....DISAPPOINTMENT!!!*

1st of all acting was downright on point no doubt. Tong portrayal made us want him to throw him in an inferno and burn in hellfire and a lot of people will really agree with that. We loathe him and wish him his ultimate demise! Ming’s portrayal of abusive love and Joe's green flag version were remarkably on point. ( later portion Joe could have better character development, that was missing!! what I mean is Joe’s anger is missing… we don't need mild disappointment, we need absolute fury!! imagine those horrible things happening to us, wouldn't you be seething with ultimate rage?? And want to send him to jail or kill him or make him suffer till he cries…that rage was missing)

However, the script was not as good as it could have been. The series had the potential to be exceptional with themes of revenge, downfall, and letting go. But according to the script, the wrong character suffered, and the one who could have let go didn't. The first 4 or 5 episodes were great with character development, but after that, the story started to feel hollow. Love is not easy to overcome, but they were the reason for your death, Joe. Your mission was to make Tong suffer right??? Where is that portion?? In order to make the story more unique in the BL fandom, the focus should have been on Tong's suffering, and Ming never getting a chance to love again. The portrayal of Ming as abusive, even when he got Joe back, or guessed the other Joe to be Joe added depth to the drama, but there was a lack of development in Joe and Tong's portion in the latter half. The heightened expectation that Joe would make Tong suffer like HELL or go away from Ming, and get his body back (could have been a better option to add the concept of independence, freedom, new choice and breaking ‘my stand-in’ position to add more depth) was not fulfilled in the script…. WHERE ON EARTH IS THIS PARTTTTTTTT?? WHERE??

And one more thing: the BLUE watch that was gifted to Ming by Joe held such an important significance to melt Joe down. However, Ming never wore it. If she had used it, maybe it would have been more convincing for Joe to fall in love again. He fell for the 2nd time with so much less input, honestly. Just cooking food!! OH, YESS FOOD made me remember that Ming is really blind if the half-boiled-poached egg in noodles can't make him be sure that it's Joe...then, sorry no words from my side!!! In the drama, Joe literally said only he did that thing, yet Ming needed VALIDATIONS constantly for everything. No wonder I wanted them to fall apart for real.

Literally Tong needs to be punished instead of a family dinner. He manipulated everyone like Joe, Ming, in-laws, the wife always bro like…not even the unborn child was spared...whyyyyyy?????? Man Tong fucking deserves to suffer in hell nothing else period!! Like the sight of Joe, Ming, and Tong reuniting at the dining table underscored the series' theme. Goodness, the series is all about suffering, accepting the suffering and forgiving and forgetting at any cost without letting go. (But I Understand some BL fans like this toxic relationship and wanted them to end together which is why maybe they did this and leads were fresh so they went for the easy go with no complex plot but that was disappointing… btw no hate on anyone one neither the actors not the fans. It's ok whats done is done can't be undone.) At this point of time, Joe loves an abuser and ‘‘accepts & helps’’ a man (Tong) who changed the stream of his life, body and face again to be his stand-in and guess what?? he DIED AGAIN 2nd time!! (Now here the script from my perspective should have been the letting go portion and coming up with a plan to punish Tong or get his body back and now hunt them down or maybe haunt Tong… throw him to jail and take Ming's help for that but nothing as such happened) Goodness utterly frustrating. Love is great and beautiful but abusive love and obsessive love is no game…. SORRY!! Run from this honestly JOE!!

I know a lot wanted a happy ending but a sad ending might have made this a better drama with satisfaction. Like, don't go back to end that loop of abuse, suffering and death reborn with a new life and live your life happily. Don't give those men a chance honestly. People say Ming had a hard life after Joe left, but look at poor Joe - he's the one who really struggled. Let's not be dismissive of Joe's experience. Perhaps there could be better character development. (here I think they could even depict the concept of death and resurrection on a deeper level and connect it to the relationship between Joe and Ming. It could show that some relationships may come at a great cost and require letting go)...I waited for freaking revenge like hell man ...making them lose everything ....directors should go watch “GLORY” and take inspiration for revenge movies.


I was truly expecting a gripping revenge story, but even death couldn't bring it to fruition. What a letdown! BUT to me, I think the only person who suffered and absorbed all the negativity of the abuse, suffering and manipulation is none other than JOE. People who should have suffered didn't at all. Honestly, Ming caused Joe so much pain but didn’t suffer enough, and Tong literally fled the suffering just because he was going to become a father. He wasn't even beaten up! God, the frustration is at its peak!!! *ALL IN ONE - Despite the desire for a happy ending, a tragic conclusion might have added more depth to the drama. rather than succumbing to the cycle of abuse, suffering, and death, breaking free and leading a happy life would have been more empowering. I had hoped for a satisfying retribution, like witnessing the negative characters lose everything. once again, the directors should take inspiration from "Glory."*

1.The series could have been more impactful by showcasing the consequences of abusive behavior and the importance of holding abusers accountable.

2. Have you considered addressing the possibility that the resolution of the series may send a message that forgiveness and reconciliation should always take precedence over justice and accountability for one's actions?

3. How would you address those who argue that the series missed an opportunity to depict the importance of standing up against abuse and toxic relationships, instead of portraying a seemingly unconditional forgiveness?

So now this is my opinion pls don't come at me. I just shared my opinion and in the process, I meant no hate to anyone. Happy reading!!

Lire davantage

Disastrous show with terrible writing!

First of all, let me get this straight! The amount of hype and ig edits endorsed by the PR team has absolutely spoilt the entire drama for everyone! I have don't have much problem with those somewhat beautiful Bollywood edits, but it made me feel like I've already seen the entire show through the reels and there was nothing exciting to be anticipated in every episode, like i already know what's going to happen next. There needs to be certain limits to what extent the clips are released to the public!

Coming back to the show, the kind of hype that was created towards this show had me keenly awaiting for the show to end, so that I could binge watch it to the core! Judging by the premise it gave me hopes that it would deal with actual adult gay complex relationship dynamics which we face in a day to day basis! But I was let down so bad! It was just awful romanticised toxic obsessive 'Girl in trap' BL trope! Even Only Friends did better in showcasing actual gay culture!

THINGS WHAT WORKED:
• Relatively fresh cast was refreshing, yeah Joe was definitely one of the prime most reason I wanted to watch this show
• Miniscule addressal of coming out to family
• Repressed emotions portrayed by Ming towards Tong when he learns about his marriage
• Initial 3-4 episodes did show some potential and were gripping

THINGS THAT MADE CLENCH THE FEW STRANDS OF HAIR LEFT OF MY HEAD:
• The decision of keeping the same actor for portraying both the Old Joe and New Joe just for the sake of pushing the better looking actor shows the shallowness of the director and totally nulls the entire meaning of the show. The New Joe flashed at certain points was so dull and expressionless that it made it absolutely impossible to thing of him being in the character. Like even Chains of Heart does such a convincing job of making both actors likeable.
• The amount of times Joe has spilled the beans from his daily conversations looks so lame and unrealistic.
• Which mother who's spent entirety of her life living in a dilapidated house, just blindly walk in a super expensive villa with a private servant without even getting into any details of how his struggling son was able to provide it.
• The entire redemption arc of Tong was an absolute nonsense filler.
• Cringey trope of promises by his elder brother for helping Ming out from his father.
• Joe's friends did not even take a moment believing that he has been reincarnated
• The usual trope of parents being extremely repulsive and immediately accepting in a flash of a second without any convincing set of repercussions and consequences sets a really bad example to young LGBT individuals, whose lives can be at stake after coming out
• The extremely disturbing stereotypical portrayal of the Indian/Pakistani Sikh or muslim loan shark in an already racially conservative country, which the writer is himself confused about portraying in EP11 is what irked me the most in the entire show. If you are thinking of promoting a show to such a global level, you really need to be sensitive of the racial stereotypes that you are representing.
• The NC scenes had absolutely no build up and lacked intimacy!
• Why does Ming breakdown after the fencing shoot looking at the New Joe's back? He's not even the Old Joe and how does he realise that it was the Old Joe's back not Tong's the entire time when it is the New Joe playing the role.

The amount of plotholes delivered by this script is endless. I could go and on about this ridiculous writing of the show, but I have listed the major factors that frustrated me the most. This is one the biggest let-down of a BL dramas I had in a while.

Viewers beware of the hype, this show is extremely passable!

Lire davantage

Romanticized abuser

This drama is like the fictionalized simulator of witnessing someone in an abusive relationship and being unable to help them. The abused person experiences all the abuse and will keep going back even with intervention from loved ones like friends and family.

Joe is used, kidnapped, tied up, and struck with a bat, gets his career destroyed which lead to his death. When he gets a miracle second chance, he goes right back to the same conditions that led to his initial death, working for a scumbag actor and worse selling his body and time to the abusive ex that ruined his life rather than borrow money from a friend he knows is generally a good person and wouldn't take advantage of him.

Ming has been a selfish, unhinged, obsessive, abusive person from the start. All his actions are his own, regardless of Tong manipulating his feelings. He just realigns his obsession from Tong to Joe, he's the same person that would hurt others to satisfy his own obsession. He threatens and manipulates the second Joe into sexual slavery. It's so horrific watching him love bomb Joe and Joe going back to him. Ming has done nothing substantial to show growth or change, just selfishly getting his way. Part of it is the bad writing/directing and another part of it is also the actor can't show any further nuance to Ming. Abusers can truly love the people they abuse and vice versa, but it doesn't change dangerous toxicity of the situation and certainly doesn't redeem the abuser in anyway. The resolution of the show is ultimately unsatisfying and empty.

Lire davantage

What a waste of time

You know, I've seen all this hype about the series and was really intrigued

First of all, there were a lot of people who said "it's so good, the best series of the year, what a hire bar". It avokes interest, isn't it?
Secondly, people said the main character was a red flag even more than Vegas from KP. And I really really love KP and Vegas. So, I expected something similar

So, I waited till the end of the show and then decided to watch everything at once. And you know what ? I'm highly, highly disappointed

The main character - Joe is so stupid it's not even funny. One of his "best decisions" that got my eyes to turn:
- being a virgin for his while life he loses it with a random drunk man for no reason at all
- he asks a person whom he has known for a week or even less to live with him (????)
- he falls in love with a person who doesn't give a fuck about him and demonstrates it clearly and so on
Don't get me wrong I wantched the series only for Poom, he's really pretty and a good actor. But his character is super dumb

The second main lead - Ming. He's a red flag but Vegas is still on top of my list of the most toxic characters. Just a reminder that Vegas tortured his supposed love interest and does other unpleasant things. So, Ming is not the best red flag, and he is stupid. His "best decisions":
- to do everything for Tong who doesn't give a fuck about him
- to waint for Joe for years. Man, you doesn't even love him! Why so out of the blue? And so on
The actor was fine even if sometimes he reminds me of a fish. But it doesn't safe the character

So, let me summarize

1) The plot is horrible and unrealistic with so many holes it's not even funny
2) A lot of questionable moments like with Joe's flat, Ming's relatives and so on
3) The process of shooting is shown really poorly
4) Supportive characters are plain
5) NC senses and fiting sences are just bad

Some positive moments are

1) The music. I think it suits the atmosphere
2) Poom (I've wrote about it above)

To tell the truth, the last five episodes I've watched using 2x speed cause I was bored

Will I watch it again? Never in my life
Will I recommend it? No, save your time

Lire davantage

I must say the ending is a definition of thrash, I was just annoyed, I expected a better ending. But the acting was good especially from Joe, he played his part really well.
But the story line thrash it. And if I find ming I will put him behind bars, I don't really care what Joe wants, ming smile really irritated me made me wanna puke, what are you smiling at you big, abusive fool, you this ugly bi##h, no tell me

Ming: we don't need to do it from the front (weird creepy smile)
Joe: hahaha ?
You stupid ba##ard no do it from the back. Gosh I give up on Thai drama............. And Joe just die because you are a useless c##t

Lire davantage