#dff episode 5

[raelle-writing]

Jin and the Dichotomy of Cowardice and Bravery

Yes I know the title is esoteric, bear with me. I've been thinking a lot about how in episode one, Jin calls himself a coward when he's talking to Phee.

It's possible he was saying that just to get Phee to leave him alone, but honestly he seems to believe it. And he certainly has some avoidance tactics. Running off to the US and never coming back isn't the healthiest of coping mechanisms. And we still don't know exactly what he's running from. Phee? What happened to Non? His friends who don't seem to care much about him? All of the above?

It seems that Jin self-identifies as a coward, which is interesting because when he's put in stressful situations and danger, he acts in an extremely brave manner. He doesn't show any signs of hiding or running away when faced with danger.

When they find Por in the woods, Jin is one of the first people to go up and check on him, instead of pausing/freezing and freaking out like many of the others. He and Phee are the ones who wrangle the others to help Por, and find the saw.

Throughout the next episodes, Jin is one of the ones trying to keep people on track. He seems relatively calm in the face of all of it, and focused on trying to get them out/get them help.

He's also the one most willing to help the newbies investigate the weird stuff happening, instead of shutting them out like a lot of the others from the original group. He's the one who stops Tee from destroying the tape, jumping into a fight without second thought.

He's also the one who goes out first to lift the shirt off Deng's body, and then later goes back to cover it with a sheet when the others are unsettled by it.

And throughout all of this, he's the one who comforts the others when they need it, and offers them physical reassurance when they're freaking out.

He's also one of the ones Tan calls for when he comes back injured, and he's one of the ones Phee asks to come help him look for Top after he's gone missing. He's clearly someone the others see as a really steady presence, since he seems to be top of mind when things go to hell.

Jin is also not at all hesitant to go into the temple. He's the one Tan clings to, clearly afraid when they enter. He's freaked out when the ghost attacks him, but doesn't run. In fact he checks on Tan before the ghost swings the ax at him.

He talks about being scared when he's in the coffin with Phee, but that's after he's already done so many brave things...

All of this makes me wonder - why does Jin see himself as a coward? Is it because he didn't stand up to his friends more about Non? Is it because he's running from things with Phee? Is there something that happened in their past that makes Jin feel like a coward?

It's very interesting from the outside perspective, and makes me wonder even more about what happened in the past. Because we know something took away Jin's happy smile and turned him into someone much more dispassionate and snarky. But we still don't exactly know what.

We also don't know why, if Jin liked Non so much and didn't like how his friends treated him, Jin is still friends with all of the bullies. Maybe that's the core of why he thinks he's a coward.

I don't know if I have a concrete thought to complete this, I just find the dichotomy of how Jin sees himself, versus how he actually acts in the series. It's fascinating to see and adds a lot of depth to his character and I can't wait to see how he's developed further!

[syrena-del-mar]

A couple of hours ago I wondered what the other medications Non was using besides Lorazepam and on rewatch I realized that they did let us know a second medication Non is on! He's also prescribed Quetiapine Fumarate (Seroquel) which can be used to treat a whole list of psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar, PTSD, but can also can be prescribed for insomnia and anxiety.

Also important to note that Lorazepam is usually a short-term medication (since it's a benzo), so it may be only prescribed to be taken during active panic attacks, while Seroquel can be used for everyday use to manage anxiety.

Now taking Lorazepam and Quetiapine at the same time? For a teen? Wild that he's even awake, because the combination can cause major drowsiness if he's taking them at the same time.

[hughungrybear]

Oof. Didn't Fluke said he knows about the "leaked videos"? And here is Jin telling Non that he is looking to sell some photos online and that might help Non pay for Por's broken camera.

I can now guess why Jin made the killer's list despite treating Non with decency in the past scenes. 😰

[musingsofalovelymillenial]

Dead friend forever episode 5 made me have to take a break! Did anyone else have to take a break because they were shaking and crying? I was not expecting it to be that gut-wrenching like sad and awful, yes, but not a literal punch to my heart 💔 😢 Barcode truly shined in this episode and I will say it , I hope masked murderer doesn't stop his murdering anytime soon.

PSA don't condone murder but doesn't mean some people don't deserve for things to happen when they bully others ( 👀 I'm looking at you tee, top and por)

Also, what is it with Thai Bls ripping my heart out this past week #pitbabe the series

[nomerrynolife]

Aside from Non and Jin, I want to stab the rest of the boys eyes with a fork. Especially assholes Tee and Top.

[jenyifer]

Dead Friend Forever Ep 5

initial reaction

Omg the flash backs have begun!!! Barcode?! Precious sweet baby who I love and is extra chaotic on insta I have missed thee. What a sweetie.

Okay I’m gonna cut here for spoilers I guess but 🤷🏻‍♀️ let’s do the photo review

Oh so the cult was made up by them too. It’s a set that would make more sense as to why there won’t be a direct road to the temple.

I found the mask man will take a different shape for each person who sees it? Didn’t grab screen shot but I think it was in the pitch meeting

Awww Jin is being super sweet. But bad feels he is just a charismatic bully who is smart and sees Non as a useful tool for him getting to go overseas

Okay so Tee is really being backed in a corner. Doesn’t particularly make sense why he’s so hateful to Non other than Jock mad. Maybe he knows he’s gay cause of non idk. It’s weird. But his plan to have Non take the blame so he can black mail him into opening an account is pretty smart

I really don’t get why we are bashing Non. I guess he’s different. I was bullied too. Just didn’t get the same social queues. Teachers liked me because I’d do a good job then I’d get pushed into things once had a girl crunch a bag of chips then put it in my hair on the way to theater practice because I had gotten a bigger role than hers. But I guess she was afraid of something 🤷🏻‍♀️ people friends with that bully girl also didn’t like me but were more passive aggressive. Ugh I won’t go back to high school if you paid me.

Maybe because he’s poorer than them? Idk but here we see that Fluke knows and like I guessed he was only really friends with Por. Idk how Top gets off on being righteous by killing peeps if he treated Non this way

Jin is trying to help in these two cases I don’t see what he has to gain by standing up for Non and comforting him.

Okay so other killers because as I noticed the masked man looks diff for each of the victims so we have Top kills Por.

Possibly Phee (he could be the heart I mean they were both in kinnporsche together so it would be good for ratings) kills Jin

New (Non’s brother who I assume is going to come back from America and find out what they did to his brother hence the uncle going to jail in the news paper) kills Tee? Or Top?

Fluke is going to kill someone too. Tee or Top

For killer number 5 maybe the Teacher that was sneaking looks at Non? Kills Fluke

Ugh poor baby he is backed into a corner no where to go just wrong place wrong time.

What would I do?

Well…. Tee Id expose his uncle if I was him. Maybe get money as a reward or at least gov support for dad.

Non there is nothing he can do

Jin tell Non how shitty they are and to avoid them.

[rainbowcolored7]

Finally catching up on dff and I'm starting to see why all the bitches needed to die. Non, baby, if you're killing them, I am your wing man, I am your fall guy. Take em out baby I'll hold your flower.

[blmpff]

it's nice to have a confirmation that they're supposed to look different, and it's not a continuity error because the show has multiple masks, all with various details

eg: yes ketchup blood - no ketchup blood

[firelise]

i just also want to commend 4 minutes for not just having amazing cinematography and acting and writing, but probably the best showing and not telling of any QL i've seen. this is all i've wanted for so long just give me the puzzle pieces and trust me to put them together please. its so simple and well done.

[velvetshirtnumber3]

Jin please tell me you didn't try to seduce Non for a short film contest

[raelle-writing]

DFF episode 5 thoughts:

Rambling some thoughts about the DFF characters, spoilers possible so I'm putting a cut

Jin - I was surprised that it seems like Jin isn't one of the bullies, I thought for sure he would be. Unless he's REALLY good at hiding how manipulative he is, he seemed to genuinely like Non (as a friend, I think) and wanted to befriend him. Especially since he fought back to his friends when they shit-talked Non... but then the question comes up, why is he friends with them if they're nasty and he's not? And why was he surprised at the way they talked to Non? Is he new to the group? Why did they accept him?

Tee - This episode made me a bit more sympathetic to him but also made me dislike him more at the same time? Because on the one hand he's in a really awful position where his uncle his using leverage of withholding the money Tee needs to help his sick father, and threatening to cut them off if Tee doesn't help with his criminal enterprise. And at the same time, Tee was so nasty and manipulative to Non I still had a hard time sympathizing with him. I'm interested to see how he and White got together, and if things with his dad resolve.

Top - Hated him, but I wish we'd gotten more depth. He doesn't seem to be part of the core of the friend group. He's just a mouthy hanger-on that doesn't have much beyond that, but I'd imagine his home life isn't good either since that's the direction the show has gone for the rest of the bullies.

Por - I felt bad for him, ngl. He had Regina George running the school vibes, but then his home life is tense. His mom babies and spoils him but his dad seems to disapprove of his entire life, and only care about Por as far as it extends to the dad's image. In the preview for the next episode, we see Por getting hit by his dad. It makes sense to me why he became the bitchy bully popular kid, since he has money but not love.

Fluke - He seemed to be part of the core of the group but also really quiet? Like it seemed like Tee, Por, and Fluke were the original three friends and the core of the group since they were the ones to convince Tee. But beyond that scene, Fluke seems really quiet and reserved. He's also the one to show disapproval of Tee and Top bullying Non and blaming the camera breaking on him, but he doesn't say anything about it or back up Jin.

Non - I wonder about him. He was presented as an entirely innocent victim this episode - but is he? He's taking medication for mental health issues, clearly. What kind? It is possible that he eventually snaps and causes something bad to happen... he shows s*icidal tendencies this episode, so is it possible he goes all the way later because of some of the bad stuff that Tee dragged him into? Or maybe he snaps and tries to hurt someone? I don't know, I'm interested to see what happens next. Currently I feel bad for him and wish the others would leave him alone, but we'll see if that changes over upcoming episodes.

Keng - Creepy. I liked him up until he pushed a ride on Non even tho Non didn't look like he wanted it. Now I wonder if he spotted a lonely, isolated kid and easy target and is harassing him... he could be the ❤️ in Non's phone. Idk but I don't trust him.

Questions I still have:

How did Keng end up dead? IS he really dead?

How does Tee's uncle play into all of this, as well as the money laundering with Non?

Did Non commit s*icide, did someone kill him, or is he still alive?

How does the politics and money laundering play into the broader plot?

How did Non end up going along to the vacation home when Por clearly doesn't want him to be there?

How does the cult play into all of this, if it does?

Are the present boys being haunted, or is it hallucinations? If it's a haunting, why did Top try to kill Jin when Jin was the nice one to Non, unless something goes wrong later?

Does Non like Jin? Does Jin like Non back?

Who is ❤️ in Non's phone?

How does the group not know if Non is dead or alive? Did his family never report him missing? Do they think he's abroad? What's going on there?

[syrena-del-mar]

So, one of the medications that Non is taking is 1mg of Lorazepam (Ativan). Usually it’s used to treating anxiety disorders and sleeping disorders

Some of the more serious side effects/withdrawals are hallucinations, delusions, and unusual mood changes.

Medication tampering isn’t an unheard of trope when it comes to slasher films. Did someone switch his meds to fuck with him? Were they drinking during the first time they went to Por’s vacation home? Alcohol and Lorazepam are two depressants that shouldn’t be mixed, since it can also cause hallucinations, delusions, blackouts, impaired memory and unusual moods.

Curious to see if they reveal the other medications Non has been taking.

[hughungrybear]

So, it's Por's mum who spoils him, not the dad who seems to care less about Por's extracurricular activities.

On the other hand, Top is undeniably the worst shithead in the group, Tee is basically a man out for himself, and Fluke stayed silent despite knowing everything.

Looking at these flashbacks, I'm all for team killer now lol.

[giraffeter]

Me @ the killer during episodes 1 - 4 of DFF:

Me @ the killer after episode 5 of DFF:

[demiromanticmickey]

On today's "I am SO not normal about Dead Friend Forever": Discussing Catholicism and Colonization in this gay Thai slasher series

Some background on me: I am from a Latine Catholic family. Raised as a non-practicing Catholic (we didn't go to church or pray). Then my parents enrolled me in a Catholic school that I attended from 5th grade to the end of 7th grade. Today, I am not Catholic and have never really considered myself as such.

Ok, so in the flashback episodes of DFF, I have been noticing a lot of things. My findings under the cut.

Let's start with this crucifix and photo of the Virgin Mary and a baby Jesus.

Screenshot from ep. 5.

The camera lingers here a bit so we're obviously meant to pay attention to the phrase. I put the screenshot through Google translate's image translator and the translation it gave me was, "Think good, do good, be a good person." I didn't think much of it when I first watched the episode other than it was supposed to establish that the boys attend a Christian or Catholic school.

But then there was this image posted on Be On Cloud's Instagram (also from ep. 5): X

Zooming in, we can see there's another picture of Mary in the background. Watching the classroom scenes, it's easy to miss because the series itself is more washed out than the official photos posted. But this emphasis on Mary led me to believe the school is a Catholic one. So out of curiosity, I looked up the schools the writers and directors attended because I felt I was onto something here. And boy, was I!

Source: MDL

Ma-Deaw, if you didn't know, is one of the directors of Dead Friend Forever (he also directed Manner of Death and Inhuman Kiss , and lots of other things).

One Google search later (X) and I learned "Montfort College" is a Catholic school. It started out as a primary school that later added a secondary school as well.

Now let's take a closer look at some of the details of this school:

First, the school's motto "Labor Conquers All Things". This reminded me of the phone conversation Tee had with his uncle:

On my first watch, this sounded familiar to me but I couldn't really place why. It wasn't until I saw this other Tumblr post (X) that pointed out it's similar to a bible quote from the New Testament. The quote varies a bit depending on which version of the bible you're using but it's along the lines of, "He who does not work, neither shall he eat".

This is meant to discourage "laziness". Nevermind the fact that people deserve to eat simply because we get hungry and need food to survive. The idea that we only "deserve" things based on productivity is an extremely colonial one. — Reminder also that Tee is being forced into this "work" in the first place. He's just a high school kid. I don't need to like his character to understand how fucked up his situation is.

Then there's the patron of the school. St. Louis de Montfort was a French Catholic priest most known for his study in Mariology. What is Mariology (X)? The study of Mary, the mother of Jesus. I didn't know that was a thing but it's unsurprising considering how prominent images of Mary were in my own religious upbringing. And she's what started me down this rabbit hole in the first place. Mary is a big deal to the Catholics. I'm going to be paying even more attention now if more Mary imagery pops up.

The Garden of Eden and Original Sin

Now I want to draw attention to these images:

Screenshots from ep. 7

Here we have Non and Phee biting into an apple as they leisure around this lush green field. We know they've visited this location more than once because they're wearing different outfits in the screenshots. And I think it's important to note that it's Phee holding the apple and offering it to Non.

The use of the word "bait" in the bts of ep. 7 is quite interesting too. (X)

The Garden of Eden was the paradise in which Adam and Eve resided. In this garden, there were many trees to eat from. The one tree Adam and Eve were forbidden by God to eat from was the Tree of Knowledge. A serpent (Satan), first tempted Eve into taking from the tree to eat it's fruit. And then Eve gave the fruit to Adam. That is Original Sin. And because Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, all humans thereafter are born sinful and bad, and can only find salvation through God.

Of course in the scene between Phee and Non, the sin the apple represents is being gay. And it's after this, and after the bracelet scene, that Non becomes involved with Por's film and his tragedy begins.

Zoomed in screenshot from ep. 5

And I wonder if the bracelet scene is the last time Phee and Non visit this forest location. It would parallel how Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden once they sinned.

Final Thoughts

You give me a story that criticizes Western religion and how it's used as a tool for oppression and colonization, and I'm gonna eat that shit up. I am gonna eat it up. Every. Single. Time.

I really wasn't expecting anything like this from Dead Friend Forever. This level in attention to detail is unmatched. I don't think I've watched a more well planned out show. And no matter where DFF goes from here, these seven episodes will always hold a special place in my heart. 💗

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

There is so much airing right now. It's insane. July is already crazy but with more coming in August I'll probably do a shorter version of this mid august to kinda keep all the shows straight in my head. And I know we still have a couple of days left this month but I wanted to do this to close the weekend. Also because I'm watching a lot this is gonna be long. And also. Spoilers and opinions below, read at your own risk.

QL - Currently Watching

🇹🇭 4 Minutes [1/8] - Living for the visuals in this show. Just like with DFF, I feel the framing is very intentional. Only one episode so, for now, I'm very intrigued by the premise and the characters and will be looking forward to the meta that will no doubt be a big part of watching this show for me, as with dff. Also, is it just me or is Jes just ridiculously handsome?

🇯🇵 Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko! [4/8] - I love it here. I'm having such a good time with this show. Hiroko is the master of selective perception even when Ayaka is trying so hard to make her see. I'm looking forward to see what happens next. Also we had a small moment of running to the beloved!!!

🇹🇭 Century of Love [5/10] - Did not see this coming. After The Trainee this is the thai bl I look forward to the most weekly. Daou is doing excellent work, even as he's softening because he's in looooove, I can still see the demeanour of the 100 years old man. Love reading all the theories after the last episode. I'm on team Vee is Vad, and the girl is an imposter with sinister intent.

🇯🇵 I Hear the Sunspot [5/12] - It's excellent. I love Taichi, he doesn't always understand Kohei, or himself, but he will stay by his side regardless. That moment in the stairs was probably my favourite so far. I'm expecting this show to break my heart again.

🇹🇭 I Saw You In My Dream [2/12] - It's cute. I like the premise but I've been burned by Thailand when they venture a bit into high concept so we'll see. I like the characters and the actors so far. At least there seems to be communication between the leads which for me is already a win.

🇹🇭 Knock Knock, Boys! [10/12] - Latte and Almond are great in their boyfriend era. They seem comfortable with each other without being way too cutesy which honestly would feel kinda weird for them, especially Latte. Poor Thanwa though. Look I feel for Peak. He lost his mum and so not wanting to disappoint the remaining parent is completely understandable but damn, I wish he got some nerve and spoke for himself. I really hope the boys visit will give him the support he needs to finally do what he needs to do.

🇹🇭🇨🇳 Meet You At the Blossom [6/12] - I'm watching because it's kinda historic but I'm not enjoying it as much as other people so I'll just say there are some funny bits and some cute moments.

🇯🇵 Mitsuya Sensei no Keikakutekina Ezuke [1/10] - Oh Japan how you spoil me. Chaotic boy✔ Older openly queer man✔ Food✔ Dog✔. I'm in jbl heaven.

🇹🇭Love Sea [8/12] - I'm watching.

🇹🇭My Love Mix-Up! [7/12] -I'm stopping the weekly viewing of this one and probably binge it when it's over. I probably shouldn't but I know myself and my curiosity will win in the end. I've said a couple of things what bugged me about this show and this thread started by @twig-tea and all the reblogs [@bengiyo @hallowpen @silviakundera @doublel27] are an excellent read and the reason this last episode finally made me drop my weekly viewing. It was bad before but now it makes me too angry and there's a lot airing atm, so I'm choosing joy.

🇹🇭 SunsetxVibes [6/12] - It's just fun for the most part. I'm honestly trying not to think too hard about this one because there are some things that just make no sense. Also I keep getting confused by the time on this show. The editing is weird. But like I said, I'm trying not to think about it and just enjoy the ridiculousness. Definitely more into the side couple's dynamic.

🇯🇵 Takara No Vidro [4/11] - What an excellent time it is for jqls. I'm fascinated by Takara and desperately need to know more about him and it seems I'm gonna get my wish next episode. Maybe it's the hole Hayama left in me, but for some reason I find some similarities between them. Something about people liking them on a surface level, and isolating themselves and encountering someone who sees them in a different way and being drawn to that. I also like how the show is using the episode storylines. The creep episode was interesting given that Taishin was called a creep early on, for following Takara to uni, so the contrast worked well in establishing that Taishin motivations are completely different. And then the stan episode was really interesting not only in reinforcing the idea that Taishin was really sheltered growing up but also he's so lost and confused so he's just looking for clues as to what he's feeling for Takara. 🇹🇭 This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans [4/8] . I'm watching for the sides.

🇹🇭 The Rebound [10/12] - I guess the crazy ended with a bang, or several, and now we're back to our regularly scheduled programming with a very average high school bl. Also, can we stop having sick grandmas drive the narrative?

🇹🇭 The Trainee [3/10] - I love everything about it. First of all, Jane. Look, I've loved Off since my first OffGun show, which was Theory of Love, and every character since then has only increased my devotion. Him and Mix had me weekly watching a show (The Jungle) that in normal circumstances I wouldn't waste a day one let alone 16 whole episodes. I have a problem. And I thought Ten was the ceiling honestly but Jane is just another level. Not only is he, oh so pretty in this, but his character is just perfection. He's tough but reasonably so, will give credit where it's due, notices the people around him and will apologize if he's in the wrong. And yes, that hand gesture have me fanning myself. Ryan has no business being in that company honestly, but I'm a sucker for an underdog that tries and improves and is genuinely a good human for the people around him. Oh and also, this show is funny. I'm having a great time and I'm always excited for the next episode. Please be... nope, I won't go there. It's great.

QL - Finished

🇯🇵A Man Who Defies the World of BL 3 - First of all massive thanks to @ikeoji-subs for making it possible to finally watch this season. I think this is my favourite season so far. I love Mob's and Hatano storyline and would very much like a fourth season to see what happens next. @emotionallychargedtowel wrote here and here some of the reasons why this character is so different from all the ones we've seen so far and I also speculated in the tags about how he could connect to the mangaka and that's why he can hear some of Mob's thoughts and see him breaking the fourth wall. Either way there's not enough information. I need more. I definitely think Mob is struggling more to keep his secondary characters status this season. I adore Ayato and Toujou. So many couples and so many tropes, I was in heaven. I still need to rewatch all of it.

🇯🇵Ossan no Pants ga Nandatte Ii Janai ka! - Fansubbers are angels and deserve the world, so once again, massive thanks to @isaksbestpillow for allowing me the privilege to watch this show. And what a privilege it was. I'm gonna miss this family so much. The kindness and empathy of these characters will stay with me for a long time. I wish everyone would watch this show and I can't really find the words to talk about this show but this post by @lurkingshan explains way better than I ever could all the reasons this show is an incredible watch, as does this spoiler free pitch by @twig-tea. So do yourself a favor and go watch it. 🇹🇭 Wandee Goodday - I love Cher and Oyei.

🇹🇭 We Are - Final thoughts here.

Rose Watches OJBL

Nothing to report this month. The obvious reason being the absolutely insane number of shows in the currently watching list.

Others - Watched

BL Metamorphosis (2022) Kashimashi Meshi (2023) Second Chance (2021)

As usual my ask box is open for questions or requests. Have a wonderful week💜