#gmmtv 2023

[heretherebedork]

Merry Christmas from GMMTV and especially from Gun's teeny tiny waist.

[ourdadai]

atriz [ tontawan ] lockscreens ♡

[ahxiang]

FIRST KANAPHAN as SAN

Only Friends (dir. Jojo Tichakorn)

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Okay, hear me out... When I wrote that I'd wished GMMTV had given us an older queer romance with the actor who plays Pran's dad in Bad Buddy, A Passin, I couldn't think of anyone else who he could be paired with. But then it hit me today. The actor who plays Aye's uncle in The Eclipse!

Look, with the success of Old Fashion Cupcake, I'm sure there'd be an audience for this. Just look at them! I mean L👀K (at their extensive acting experience, of course)

tagging some people who might share my sentiment (just ignore me if not 🤷🏽‍♀️ I will float this ship alone if I have to): @binary5tar @respectthepetty @shortpplfedup @liyazaki @jemmo @miscellar @absolutebl @heretherebedork @ablazenqueen

[respectthepetty]

We are halfway through the year, and out of GMMTV 2023's nine proposed QL offerings, we've gotten TWO: A Boss and a Babe and Our Skyy 2. Everything else we have gotten wrapped up the 2022 proposed offerings: Never Let Me Go, My School President, Moonlight Chicken, and Be My Favorite.

Let us all prepare ourselves for the feast we are hopefully about to indulge in for the second half of this year from GMMTV alone.

Hidden Agenda starts in July, which means Dangerous Romance could air in August/September when Be My Favorite ends, and Only Friends could come in October/November, then Cooking Crush would be November/December, so Last Twilight would be in the normal Aof style of being offered between December-February, and 23.5 would be offered in the same time. The only unknown is Cherry Magic, but it's estimated to be released at the beginning of next year.

QL really is GMMTV's soft power.

[aprilblossomgirl]

Close friends don’t cross the line.

GMMTV 2023 | ONLY FRIENDS (Dir. Jojo Tichakorn Phukhaotong)

[namtanlovesfilm]

progress of gmmtv 2023 series

aired:

midnight museum

a boss and a babe

double savage

umg

our skyy 2

loneliness society

enigma

home school

be my favorite

the jungle

hidden agenda

only friends

dangerous romance

wednesday club

faceless love

last twilight

cooking crush

find yourself

cherry magic

beauty newbie

23.5

the interest (love you to debt)

currently airing:

a love so beautiful

updated: 14/06/2024

[gunsatthaphan]

first & khaotung on their roles in only friends (2023)

[tinnchan]

Tor Thanapob as Khatha in Midnight Museum (2023)

[nterini]

The Leftover Kids in ONLY FRIENDS

A character analysis of Boston and Ray Ep. 6

This episode reveals a bit more about Boston’s character, and while it doesn’t justify his actions (because your past doesn’t have to justify all your present decisions, especially in fictional characters) we’re able to better understand his impulse to “humble” others when it seems to him like they’re finding their own way.

We learn that Boston’s mother remarried, and flew to another continent to start her new life. And while I don’t want to make assumptions, something about Boston’s politician father (who calls him only to speak about his campaign and winning over young people) encouraging his son’s impulses to toy with the emotions and bodies of others may have had something to do with it. Boston, time and time again tells Nick that the potential of the public finding his sex tapes (with other men) would be a burden to his father’s career. We don’t know if Boston has come out to his father, but the ultimatum that Boston must graduate or be sent back to New York to live with his mom shows his father’s willingness to get rid of a son that may not fit his public image. Boston is a talented photographer and someone in the demographic he wants to target; why so eager to send him away.

In the next scene, while comforting our favorite crazy lovesick puppy, he tells Nick, that the reason he doesn’t make lasting relationships is because he knows he has to leave anyway (and some more be about how he’d be a better photographer abroad). Maybe it’s because of the pressure he feels from his father, but Boston believes that there’s no place for him permanently anywhere. No one has chosen him for an “unconditional forever love” and no ever one will. He’s had no power over that. If my assumption that Boston’s father already knows of his son’s sexuality, and is slowly freezing him out and that Boston knows this already, Boston’s view of his future in Thailand, one that will always be queer, must be bleak. His own father, a popular candidate elect, does not want him. This loss of control triggers him. We see Boston seek control of potential rejection in the way he pursues his flings. He prefers Nick over all his other flings because he’s confident that Nick will always choose him no matter what selfish things he says. He’s envious of Mew who’s constantly chosen and pure, of the perfect Top who rejected him and has his life together, and of Ray and Sands budding relationship. He believes he’ll be left alone again, so he sabotages externally against anyone’s progress.

It’s what makes his scenes with Ray that much more interesting. Because Ray is just like him, except he sabotages internally. 

We were introduced to Ray’s family background a few episodes back, and the toll it took on him emotionally, physically, and mentally. His mother was a young and talented actress who married rich, and whose light was dimmed in that marriage. And whether it was resentment over her lost career, Post-partum depression and an uncaring husband, or just a worsening addiction that was left untreated, she died alone drowning herself in alcohol. We know that Ray did not receive much affection from his mother and that his father was just as neglectful. Ray has learned to use money to buy emotions, companionship and intimacy. Unfortunately, he seems to be following in both his parents footsteps. 

There is a theory going around that Boston has had a secret unrequited crush on Ray. And while I don’t think there’s a lot of evidence that supports this ship, it’s a plausible theory. However, the way he constantly goes back to Nick when he needs comfort and conversations, other than just straight sex, says the opposite. I think a better conclusion would be that Boston finds comfort in Ray’s lack of growth and misfortune. After all, they’re very similar. Leftover, abandoned, rich kids that were never chosen. I don’t even think he had any ill intention against Mew when he slept with Top or even with Ray. I think deep down he’s secretly comforted by seeing Ray heartbroken. It makes sense that he was triggered when he saw that Ray might have found someone to help him come out of that misery. He doesn’t provoke Mew or Top the way he does Ray. Maybe it’s because Ray doesn’t see how similar they are. Maybe it’s because Top and Mew see right through him. 

Mew’s role in their friendship is also really interesting 🤔. Ep. 7 might give us inside Mew’s thoughts and actions. Is Mew manipulating his rich friends to get his dream career and partner or is it all all a grand plan to help heal the lives of the people he cares about most.

Overall, I love how real the show feels. The discussions of drugs in Thailand’s queer community, of privilege and class struggle, it all feels incredibly genuine. It’s hot and steamy and we’ll written. Like we CAN have all of these things at once! The growth that I see in BL/Queer (the slash is necessary) content gives me hope. Please give the lesbians (AprilNamchueam) more screen time plsssssssss 😩.

(Please excuse any typos and errors.)

[heretherebedork]

Someday Mhok is going to tell Day the full story about the car and about his sister and he is going to blame himself and he is going to try to distance himself from his pain and Day is going to reach out and touch him and ground him and tell him that it's not his fault and he will give him space to grieve and he will understand why Mhok broke into his room when he locked himself in and he will tell Mhok that his sister knew he loved her and that he's sorry and that he knows that their pain and their loss is different but that he wants to be there for him just as Mhok has been there helping him and when that moment comes I am going to absolutely shatter right alongside Mhok because all the pain that weighs on his shoulders that he could never stop and face and never wanted to is haunting him and to have Day give him what he needs, that chance to grieve that he never gave himself, to give Day the chance to be the strong one and to be the one who can help, to put them fully on equal footing... it's going to be so beautiful.

[ourdadai]

atriz [ tontawan ] lockscreens ♡

[syrena-del-mar]

Kawi's Journey with Self-Worth and Pisaeng's Reassurance

I don't know how to put it into words, but there is something so nice about Pisaeng always sticking to his guns about what interested him about Kawi was simply that he found Kawi to be cute.

Yes, there are millions of cute people in the world, but it was specifically Kawi's cuteness that intrigued Pisaeng. There was no ulterior reason that he found himself into Kawi, there was no deeper meaning. It's not like Kawi needed to do something to prove himself worthy of Pisaeng's love (even if Kawi thought that he had to.) Instead, Pisaeng was, initially, simply attracted to Kawi and that had been enough.

It's a simple reason that I think that Kawi will always have to grapple with for the rest of his life, probably because even though he may have found a sense of peace and serenity in his life after all the time-travelling, he'll likely still have some minor struggles with his self-worth. Love is not a fix-all, and (again) like what I'm positive has become synonymous with @bengiyo's brand here on BL reviews, "There's no magical dick. It doesn't fix." Even if it happens to belong to Pisaeng. When you have low self-esteem and issues with you self-worth, even when you take the most pro-active methods of care to combat these ideas, a part of it will always remain. Some days will be more of a struggle than others. So while his relationship with Pisaeng will not magically fix insecurities, the fact that Pisaeng is there to reassure him is incredibly important. I really doubt that Kawi will ever be able to fully understand why it was simply his cuteness that attracted Pisaeng, but the constant reminders are necessary in his journey to self-acceptance.

Combine that with the fact that Pisaeng comes from an uber-rich (and political) family, and Kawi spent ten years dealing with very little self-worth, it makes sense that Kawi will never fully accept it, even ten-years down the line into their relationship. Yet, the fact that Pisaeng's answer remains constant and never changes into something deeper than he just found Kawi cute is so critical in allowing Kawi to rebuild his trampled self-esteem.

While I think that compliments like that could potentially come across as either insincere or even shallow, it does more good than harm for Kawi. He spent ten years alone, in his small apartment with no significant social connection and his last true connection (his father) dead. He was detached from human relationships and he placed higher value on what he could bring to the table, doing so he shattered his own self-esteem because he had a sincere belief that he had nothing good to offer.

Pisaeng's consistent and persistent insistence that he adored Kawi due to his cuteness, at a time when Kawi believed that he wasn't worth much, is so important in ensuring Kawi that becomes aware of the fact that human relationships aren't solely transactional. His presence doesn't mean that he has to offer more solely to be loved and particularly a recipient of Pisaeng's love. Pisaeng's answer serves as a reminder of that, even if it's not said or understood outright.

It's a subtle reminder, a reassurance of sorts, to Kawi that he has worth even when he's not aware of it or when he doesn't recognize it in himself. His worth isn't tied to material objects or titles that are expected in fully transactional, interested, relationships. Rather it serves its purpose by becoming a verbal notice to Kawi that for Pisaeng, Kawi will always be enough just by being himself, that he always finds him cute, and that's was enough reason for him to fall in love with him.

Kawi's journey consisted so much of learning how to live in the moment, of learning the importance in actually making decisions, because there's only one thing certain about life: time moves on with or without us. When we live in such a capitalistic society, we often tie our self-worth to our social capital, the achievements that we make, the people we know. In turn, we can end up neglecting and stepping all-over our self-esteem in the moments that we don't reach those "social tiers" and start believing that in turn we have nothing to offer. When you let yourself believe that you're worthless and time moves on, you end up being left behind.

Kawi is worth more than his accolades and job titles, more than any achievements that he may receive. His worthiness derives from his authentic self and who he is as a person. He's loved for being Kawi. It's enough for Pisaeng to find him cute, because Kawi is enough and will always be enough. That constant reassurance is critical in shaping Kawi, allowing him to find his happiness and peace in life. He's now surrounded by the people that he loves and who love him back. He's no longer alone.

[offjumpoladulkittiporn]

lol this is so perfect 😆

[thatgirl4815]

I like to categorize shows in terms of weeping potential and Last Twilight is already in the stratosphere.

[aylinaliens]

All of me changed like midnight.