#the messy soapy drama of it

[blue-grama]

Ok, I'm not even through episode 1 of My Marvellous Dream is You, but this series is going to have to do a lot of crimes to fall out of my good graces after this running breastfeeding gag. Running to the rescue for your friends' romantic woes while actively pumping?? This is true devotion.

[giaven]

.sober seth is a coward

in which a drunk and clingy seth comes to your house

seth cohen x f!reader | self-indulgent fluff :3

there were two clues that led you to guess seth was completed drunk. the last text message he sent you — “hi this is SETh m at ur house NOW” — (which did sound a bit threatening), and the way he hammered the doorbell like he was trying to play a solo on it, all rhythm and no restraint.

the timing wasn’t exactly ideal, given that you had just finished the last step of your night routine, with your skin covered in a face mask and your hair tucked under a sparkly heating cap.

nevertheless, you still ran to open the door, carefully wrapped in your comfiest bath robe.

“oh- my cosmic salutations, space pal,” seth greeted you with a goofy smile, leaning on the doorframe. “i’m looking for my girlfriend. she used to live here.”

“ha-ha cohen, you-”

but your sarcastic reply was cut short when seth’s lips suddenly crashed onto yours. the faint taste of tequila and lemon lingered on your tongue as your mouth broke into a genuine grin.

“of course you would french kiss an alien, you nerd,” you chuckled when your lips parted, leaving a baby blue stain on his nose (something he did not notice at all).

in an attempt at looking sober, he tried to casually rest against the nearest wall and almost knocked over an awfully expensive china vase.

“so, i’m drunk,” he stated matter-of-factly, as if your house had suddenly turned into a courtroom. “and you look gorgeous.”

you returned the compliment with a flattered smile, and grabbed his arm to lead him upstairs. he needed to drink water, and to stay away from anything fragile and expensive, which meant the majority of your house.

he did not say a word while going up the stairs, only staring at you with the softest eyes. you had already been in company of drunk seth, but only in a party setting, and more importantly, not since you two were officially dating.

once in your room, seth collapsed on the bed with a dramatic groan.

“so how was the party?” you asked, handing him the water bottle on your nightstand.

“sooo lame. and you do not want seth cohen calling your party lame,” he replied, sliding an arm around your waist and pulling you onto the bed beside him.

you let out a surprised gasp, careful not to smudge your face mask on anything. as much as you wanted to sink into him completely, rinsing it off first seemed like the wiser choice. naturally, he groaned in protest, trying to keep you close, but eventually, he gave in and followed you to the bathroom.

a mix of puzzlement and fascination flickered across your boyfriend’s face as he watched the clay mask turn into a soapy lather while you washed it away. but most of all - and as always - there was love in the way he admired every inch of you. even as he slowly sipped his water, his gaze never left you.

“oh wait, there’s one last stain i missed,” you said, pulling your hair out from under the heating cap and quickly swiping the tip of his nose with your towel.

seth blinked a few times, snapping out of his thoughts, then pulled you back against him with an arm around your waist.

“someone’s clingier than usual,” you teased with a soft smile, running your fingers through his already messy curls.

“hey i deserve it. i survived a lame party without my girlfriend, i’m pretty sure someone’s carving an ice sculpture of me as we speak,” he teased, grinning down at you with a ridiculously proud smile,” he replied, grinning down at you with a ridiculously proud smile.

with one last peck on his nose, you freed yourself from his embrace to untie your robe and finally get ready for bed.

“oh my god, is this really happening?” seth gasped, gripping the edge of your sink for extra-drama.

“calm down cohen, i have clothes underneath,” you laughed, and indeed revealed your tank top and shorts. “hope you’re not too disappointed.”

“disappointed? fuck the ice sculpture, this is much better,” he said with wide eyes, just before closing the gap between the two of you to leave another kiss on your lips. “i should come here drunk and unannounced more often.”

you laughed at his words and welcomed another kiss on your lips, longer this time. seth felt dizzy, but there was no telling whether it was the tequila or the realization that he was exactly where he wanted to be.

his hand gently stroking your waist, he broke the kiss for half a second, long enough to whisper a short “i love you”.

“seth, you’re drunk.”

the kiss was really broken now. he frowned, and his hand stopped moving: “and your point is…? the two aren’t mutually exclusive.”

you could feel the heat rise up to your cheeks as he kept speaking: “besides, sober seth is too much of a coward. now, if you want to laugh at my face i can just say it was the alcohol speaking. and then i’ll probably leave the country and change my identity. no big deal.”

the shrug that followed his sentence was even more dramatic than usual. it was clear the alcohol wasn’t helping his attempts to play it cool, especially when it came to you. and that was probably your favorite thing about him.

as he nervously waited for your answer, you leaned in to seal your lips once again.

“i really hope this isn’t a goodbye kiss before you call me a cab for the airport,” he sighed, crossing his fingers on both hands.

you rolled your eyes at his remark, barely holding back a chuckle—which, of course, he noticed and seemed quite proud of. “my god, i’m in love with an idiot,” you said with a smile. and that smile only grew wider as he threw his fist in the air and let out a triumphant cheer.

“i was about to ask for a tylenol, but i’m just gonna ask if we can make out. if that’s okay with you,” he said with a quick glance towards your bed.

intent on keeping things playful, you gave him a gentle shove toward the bedroom, watching as he stumbled back and landed on the mattress. “well guess what? you get both.”

“wow,” he breathed out, watching in awe as you searched for a tablet. “tomorrow’s hangover is gonna be so worth it.”

[unnursvanablog]

While the premise of When the Phone Rings sounded decent enough I was mostly tuning in for the cast as I do enjoy both Chae Soo Bin and Yoo Yeon Seok and the thought of a political thriller about a kidnapping sounded decent enough. I was however expecting a much more straight forward, action-thriller like 24 (the American tv show) but instead a got much more of an intense melodrama with a plot twists that I did not see coming. And it hooked me right in.

It also helps that Chae Soo Bin and Yoo Yeon Seok do have very good chemistry and the character dynamic is interesting enough between them that I am quite excited already about them eventually making out, but I can also tell that I am going to enjoy the buildup and the intensity of that all very much. At least judging by these two episodes.

The first episode did take a while to get going as we are sort of introducing the characters at their repesctive works and they don't start interacting with each other until quite late in the episode which was frustrating but it did work well for the story, so I get why it was set up like that. This isn't a loving marriage and no one even knows that they are married so it makes sense. But I do think the chemistry of the two leads is strong enough that the story does sort of gets into place when they are on screen together and we really see that odd, cold but intesne couple interaction which is just so intriguing.

Even if the sort of arranged marriage couple plot does feel very melodramatic and soapy and is very often used when you are dealing with these wealthy and very influential families in kdramas. It's nothing new, but I do tend to enjoy it in a drama form and it does feel refreshing because it's not in a romcom sense where the family wants to arrange a marriage but then the ceo son falls in love with a commoner which has started to get tiresome even if some dramas do manage to spin it in a fun way. This is very melodramatic and I enjoy it.

Baek Sa Eon has a darkness within him or sort of anger that seems to be bubbling under the very sort of cold and composed surfice (especially with his family secrets and all) and I do think he is very calculated with everything which I find very intriguing but the very quiet and meek Hong Hee Joo which seems to have operated all her life as if to not be a bother to anyone which then, once she is almost kidnapped, decides to trick her husband into thinking someone is trying to blackmail him and threatning him with her. When you hear her speaking on the phone in the bathroom… oh that was a good hook. That made me audiably gasp and sit straighter in my seat. Hong Hee Joo is the start of the show.

But she is also kinda clumsy at it… so I do worry for her. And she is accidentally getting herself involved in some scary organization… because that phone was used by a man that tried to kidnap her for real, but that is all part of the plot. It's going to get messy and I just hope it will be entertaining to watch.

I do think that while she is convinced that she is doing this out of frustration and wanting him to divorce her (because she can't do it due to marriage contract ala evil rich family stuff) I also think she is doing it because she wants to rail him up. She wants to see some reaction from him. Deep inside I think she wants to test if he actually gives a shit about her, but she isn't ready to admit that to him. Because she did try at the beginning of their marriage to make it sort of work but he pushed her away.

because the first time they have actually had a conversation is through those phone calls. It's such an interesting dynamic. And through that messed up way of communicating they are going to realize that they actually love each other. Because the man is already jealous, possessive in his cold-hearted and rude way and doesn't actually want to loose her. Oh this is going to be a makjang madness, high drama level stuff mess, but please let it be in a good way.

It a fun sport of soapy melodrama with some messy people and it looks like it might be quite entertaining. I really enjoyed myself with these two episodes.

I do not care about the secondary romance that they have started to hint at… at all. That felt like a jolt in the pacing in episode two.

[absolutebl]

This Week In BL - GMMTV Holds the Line

Feb 2023 Wk 1

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

When they say “famous last words” this is what they mean. 

Ongoing Series - Thai

My School President (Fri YT) ep 10 of 12 - They are so stinkn’ CUTE as bfs. Possibly the cutest. I chuckle a lot with this show. And that’s great, very serotonin inducing. Also 2nd half had good soapy drama tension with the music competition + the mom’s surgery at the SAME TIME (gasp). Can’t wait for next week.

Moonlight Chicken (Weds YT) 1-2 of 8 - Oh it’s great. Messy gays struggling with both internal and external conflict. It has a Taiwanese gritty queer authenticity to it. EarthMix are perfect for these roles. Khaotung is the most adorable thing ever. And GeminiFourth are fun to see as new characters. Fourth is showing off his acting chops, the way he holds his jaw and mouth for this more sullen complicated part - it’s completely different from Gun. His acting style reminds me of Nanon a bit, he’s very nuanced in his facial expressions.   

Never Let Me Go (Tues YT) ep 9 of 12 - 15 minutes of cute bf and dumb tattoos and then SUFFER! I love how quickly Palm put to rest your bog standard gay boy fantasies about a bisexual’s options. Palm was basically: “All the things that you dream for me with a woman, I can do that with you.” Honestly? I wasn’t that moved by the noble sacrifice of this episode. It was fine. More peril please. Looking forward to things going very very badly for the next couple of episodes. Bring on the pain GMMTV. 

Hit Bite Love (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 6 - Baby Dom is quite the kink dilettante, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kinkster with more varied tastes. Maybe baby just hasn’t found his true fetish yet? I feel for poor Shogun who just wants a boyfriend who treats him decently and ends up with Mr. Experimental. The humorous outcome is, of course, predictable. Not wild about the stepbrothers storyline (despite my taboo preferences). Really? I just want more King and Burger.

609 Bedtime Story (Fri WeTV) ep 11fin - With the exception of Mum, every character suddenly started acting totally OUT of character. Anygay, Mum comes back to find Dew single and all obstacles to their romance magically cleared. The pub staff setting them up was cute. But all in all it felt like we were suddenly in a completely different show. Series review below. 

I cannot believe we have 3 BL’s airing AT THE SAME TIME from GMMTV. It’s insane. I remember when it was exciting because we had 3 BLs airing at the same time at all.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

HIStory 5: Love in the Future (Taiwan Weds Viki) ep 7 of 10 (or 13&14 of 20) - It’s an office romance BL, so I like that office politics is complicating matters for both of our couples. I personally don’t believe in scions (with very few exceptions, we know it tends to be bad for a corporation, and that has certainly been my experience). Still, it’s suitably traumatic to see our couples in angst over the power transition. The confession scene for the leads was very sweet. And a nice kiss. And cute bf. Taiwan always just does these beats better than anyone else. 

Candy Color Paradox AKA Ameiro Paradox (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 8 fin - K needed to realize O is a big boy. Yes we get it. Bummer he couldn’t figure out that for himself and had to be told by somebody else. I do feel sorry for the bartender character who keeps having to deal with all of these gay boys and their inability to communicate and resulting overdramatic depression. Meanwhile O needed to realize K needs him. And they both needed to learn to communicate, these… journalists. Good kiss and decent sex scenes for a JBL, with an HEA. Careful Japan we may start to develop expectations. I bumped up my rating on the strength of this finale. It was good! Series review below.  

Individual Circumstances (Thurs Viki) 7-8fin - I like the resolution and explanation for the conflict, a lot more than I liked the conflict itself. The kiss wasn’t awesome, but it wasn’t entirely dead fish either. However, Korea has proved that it can do better, so I was annoyed by it. Also, no shirtless scene this time around, we were robbed. Series review below.

The End Of The World, With You AKA Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu (Japan Sun Gaga ep 2 of 8 - This is way too high heat for them to end it happily. It’s all v weird. I guess I’ll keep watching? Even if everyone dies, this one is not gonna ruin me the way Eternal Yesterday almost did.

It’s Airing But I’m Not Watching it 

My Beautiful Man S2 (Viki & Gaga) - Because there are only 4 episodes, I decided to wait and binge this one. What can I say? I just do not trust Japan. Sorry I’m too scared, those of you braver than I must watch first - I salute you and look forward to the gifs.

Egoist (Japan) cinema - Japanese movies are notoriously difficult to get ahold of.

Marry My Dead Body AKA Ghost and I Becoming Family (Taiwan) - movie about a police officer forced to marry a ghost.

Cafe in Love - Can’t find it 

Finished this week

609 Bedtime Story 

An interesting time slip concept and a great set up ultimately disappointed. It opened strong, on one of my favorite under appreciated Thai actors: Plustor (as Vee) in a side bartender romance with younger bisexual king, Games. Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. OhmFluke’s solid chemistry and romantically soft kisses were ill served by a reformed rake meets rich-kid cheater pairing. While it was nice to see Ohm play a part with more animated facial expressions, his was the only character that remained consistent. All in all, this was a confusing show about disloyalty and parallel worlds that never made sense or stayed true to its characters. A promising start, confusing middle, and disappointing end. I don’t say this lightly, but Oh My Sunshine Night is better, and OhmFuke deserve better than either. 6/10

Individual Circumstances 

A second chance romance between a movie director who was once promising and a writer who disappeared due to past hurt. Stars JunQ (main rapper of MYNAME) and Han Jung Wan (Mr International Korea winner). Reunion romances are not my thing but I liked the bratty director despite his stalking (and prob because of his naked chest). Using a guitar to torture someone is entirely appropriate, in my book/BL world it happens all too often. I did want to know what happened in the past but the mystery got drawn out too much and the tsundere character became frustratingly mean spirited as a result. I like the resolution and explanation for the conflict a lot more than I liked the conflict itself. I could tell what this show wanted to be, and what it could’ve been, but it simply never got there. In the end, like a host of other KBLs over the last couple of years, it is serviceable but eminently forgettable. 7/10

Candy Color Paradox AKA Ameiro Paradox 

Innocent but talented gay tabloid journalist partners (and falls in love with) a jaded player bisexual cameraman. This is a solid JBL of the more emo, cringe, and navel gazing variety that never really resonates with me. The main pairs’ chemistry felt weak and their characters were pat (for live action yaoi, I’ve seen or read this couple a million times). Bringing Izuka Kenta in to guest star was a stroke of genius and also challenging, because he has a complex history with JBL which I could not forget as I watched him EAT up the screen so hard he made the leads feel insipid. There were a lot of aspects of this show that felt more KBL than JBL. I missed the kinky edgy pushing boundaries we usually get from Japanese office romances. It did have a stellar ending (featuring a decent kiss and 2 nice sex scenes, you go Japan) but for me CCP was fine, just no more than fine. 8/10

Look you know how I feel about JBL, when it’s good it’s some of my absolute favorite (Seven Days, Old Fashion Cupcake, Minato’s Laundromat, Takara & Amagi), nothing else whips me into wit and eloquence and film crit like it, but when it’s off, for me, it’s really off. And Ameiro never gelled with me. It was too much work to watch. I don’t like chewy BL - nourishing and necessary though it may be for others. 

Gossip

Issues and Controversies of Thai BL Actors - I get asked about these a lot, so I’m just gonna point you all at this YT henceforth.

Viki picked up Boys Planet so I’m watching it. I have FEELS but I’m not going to ruin a perfectly decent BL blog with Kpop reality TV, no matter how pretty. Just know I’m over here suffering for 4 hours every week. SUFFERING. Some of the singing during the first ep alone was SO BAD it put Thai BL boyfriends to shame. I am so glad they got 3 vocal coaches in this show. People better vote with their goddamn ears and not just (as they did with iLand) much lower down. (Oo, I’m salty already.) 

In Case You Missed It

Feb releases list is here.

2023 forthcoming BL master post. (see comments some are inaccurate, NOT UPDATED)

Next Week Looks Like This:

I am so spoiled these days, now I’m upset there isn’t a good KBL airing right now. Do you remember when we barely got one or two a year? What a demanding monster 2022 turned me into. Anygay, 4 more Thai BL starting this week... 

Destiny Seeker (Tues WeTV ) 1 of ? - Feb 14 we think, MDL is janky on this one. Engineering student Songkram is head of dorm 3, for "strong & athletic" students. Aye is head of dorm 2, for the "good looking" students. Aye used to be Songkram's tutor and friend, but they fell apart after becoming dorm heads. Aye is actually in love with Songkram but thinks Sonkram likes someone else. Songkram actually likes Aye. So, Bad Buddy the pulp rebirth meets that weird Japanese “girls-crossdressing-as-boys for love and infiltrating secret society of hotness” tradition. 

Boyband (Thurs YT) 1 of 10 - Feb 16, it’s on the tin, BL drama about putting an idol boyband together. AKA how to make ABL suffer by combing favorite (celebrity romances, Kpop) and least favorite (bad singing) tropes.

Bed Friend (Sat YT & iQIYI uncut) 1 of 8 - Feb 18, but we’re looking for the rerun/uncut, so not sure on drop date for those. Fuck buddies get messy, AKA Between Us the second cuming, this time in an office (and on a desk). I have been waiting for James to hold down (or be held down in) a BL for years! Watch out, new kings of high heat are heading our way. 

Chains of Heart (Sat Gaga) 1 of 10 - Feb 18 Suspense thriller about a forest ranger, smugglers, memory loss, and lost love. Stars Haii (Cirrus in TT2) and Poppy (Porpla in YYY). Adapted from a Y-novel of the same name by TJ Tommy. 

Supposedly, but I’ve no idea where to watch it:

Jack Frost (Japan) - Feb 17 After saying goodbye to his friend, Ritsu had an accident and lost his memory. His roommate, Ikuya, struggles to rebuild their relationship and help him regain his memories. In the process, Ritsu falls in love with Ikuya, but he was unaware that they were already in a relationship.

Moments Of Love (Thai) Feb 14 Foremorfilm Production movie for cinema release. Was originally Golf (Director of 609 Bedtime Story & The Eclipse) to direct stars SmartJames (LeonPhob from Don't Say No) in a series. Is now something totally different and a movie. We are all confused.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Open boys are the best boys. Never Let Me Go

Moonlight Chicken with ALL the zingers, plus verse characters. Thank you GMMTV! 

Why so cute indeed. My School President 

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? Villain by Key (Shinee) just on hard rotation. It’s great. 

[kattahj]

Another batch of QL or QL-adjacent reviews, plus a bonus extra!

Am I the Only One with Butterflies? (Minidrama, 7 x 5-10 min)

What's it about? Jung Ah has such a crush on her kind and helpful boss, Manager Lee. But how can she know if her boss feels the same?

Genre: Romantic drama

Watch if you enjoy: Pining. Workplace romance. Age gap. Insecure protagonist. Chatroom advice. No villains. Bitesized episodes. Minimal number of characters and settings. Ambiguous ending.

Gayer version of: Hmm, I can't think of anything where someone has a crush on their boss and it's as innocent as it's presented here.

Recommended? It barely has time to get started before it ends, but it's pretty cute, so sure! Especially since it has no fandom presence on AO3 and barely any on tumblr, and I think it deserves better than that.

Watched on: YouTube

Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY5PeW5o0GVychuvZOrOhdWt9sgnrnh92&si=gCj7CMBV_1-EGfAi

Club Friday: Love Bully (4 x 60 min)

What's it about? Rich girl Irene falls for bartender Night, which infuriates her CEO mother and makes some others in the company sense an opportunity.

Genre: Soapy drama

Watch if you enjoy: Couples that waste no time falling in love. Class issues. (Somewhat undermined by the poorer characters' ridiculously fancy house.) Smirking villains. Trans representation.

Gayer version of: Crazy Rich Asians

Recommended? Must a show be good? Is it not enough to watch two beautiful ladies fall in insta-love while soap villains conspire (badly) against them?

So no, but also yes.

Watched on: YouTube

Trailer: https://youtu.be/RocOPTziZ1c?si=_VL3nFNzb5dG7xTj

Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLESL0e438h4OWJmsV0KUFZTFAbbxF0rpg&si=PZcueqaBHTkmqeFp

Ghost Host, Ghost House (8 x 30 min, last ep double-length)

What's it about? Kevin is going on holiday with his relatives in Thailand. As a side project, he's also ghost hunting, and livestreams about it. But the ghosts may be closer than he thinks!

Genre: dramedy (more comedy to begin with, then more drama)

Watch if you enjoy: Nice ghosts and some not so nice ghosts. Ghost bureaucracy. Explorations of love and loss. Incredibly sweet boys in love. Romance that progresses at a realistic pace.

Gayer version of: The Canterville Ghost

Recommended? Yes! This was an unexpected gem. Heartfelt, funny, and sweet. Among my absolute favourites.

Watched on: GagaOoLala, but seems to also be available on youtube

Trailer (quite spoilery): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il0tMQA8BRg

My Stand-In (12 x 60 min)

What's it about? Joe works as a stuntman/stand-in, and he also feels as a stand-in in his romantic life, since his boyfriend would rather be with aomeone else. After a fatal accident, he finds himself as a third kind of stand-in: stuck in a stranger's body!

Genre: Melodrama

Watch if you enjoy: Heightened emotions. Slight supernatural tinge. Toxic romance (that improves somewhat with time). Both supportive and less supportive family. Sweet, sad, and soppy protagonist, who knows he's a fool returning to his folly but does it anyway.

Gayer version of: Heaven Can Wait as written by the Brontë sisters (not Anne)

Recommended? For the right kind of viewer, yes! Personally, I enjoyed it in a "sit back with popcorn" way, but was the most emotionally invested in Joe's relationship with his new "mom".

Watched on: Dailymotion 

Trailer: https://youtu.be/9lzKraOt4dk?si=4kRyaPr0IbzaKT0S

Fragrance of the First Flower (6 x 15-20 min)

What's it about? Yi Ming and Ting Ting were in love in high school. Now Yi Ming is married with a child, and trying to make the best of it, when Ting Ting suddenly comes back into her life.

Genre: low-key drama

Watch if you enjoy: Realistically messy relationships. (This is more of a general relationship drama than a downright GL.) Old flames and second chances. Multiple timelines. Heartbreak with a hopeful ending. No heroes, no villains.

Gayer version of: Maybe The Notebook? I feel like this is a common story, but I'm hard pressed to find examples!

Recommended? Maybe? I thought the acting was well done, but found it distracting (and sometimes confusing) when these clearly 30+ actresses were supposed to be teenagers. The storyline is compelling, though it's hard to sympathize with anyone.

Season 2 is in the works, and I plan to see it when it comes.

Note: The end titles are unusually long, so don't be surprised if the counter says 23 minutes and the ep ends at 16.

Watched on: GagaOOLala

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkdxhA-LZ2E

Wandee Goodday (12 x 50 min)

What's it about? Dr. Wandee just got rebuffed and called vanilla by the colleague he has a crush on. Determined to prove himself desirable, he hooks up with boxing champion Yoryak and asks him to be his fake boyfriend.

Genre: Romcom

Watch if you enjoy: Hijinks of both a sexual and platonic variety. Couple who deny being in love for far too long. Playing dress-up. Talking the issues out. Gayest boxing gym ever. Parental issues. Parentified big brother with the bestest boyfriend. Some asexual representation on the side. Occasional reminders to take the HPV vaccine.

Gayer version of: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Recommended? The main storyline is kind of cute, with piles of romcom tropes in good and bad ways. The SECONDARY couple, however, I absolutely adored. They got 5-15 minutes per ep, and stole every scene they were in and then some.

Watched on: YouTube

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAC6UgVxles

BONUS REVIEW

The Warp Effect (Series, 12 x 45-60 min)

Not a QL (it has a mix of straight and queer pairings) but relevant to the subject because it has a lot of the same actors as Thai QLs, and the director has also made some QLs.

What's it about? Before she died, Alex's mother made him promise to stay a virgin until the time is right. Whenever Alex tries to break that promise, bad things happen. Like being thrown ten years into the future.

Genre: dramedy

Watch if you enjoy: Big friend groups. Mix of comedic and serious moments. Gay, lesbian, trans, nonbinary, and even kinky representation.

Somewhat gayer version of: 13 going on 30

Recommended? On the whole, yes. It's sympathetic, and I got quite involved in some of the characters' fates (mostly the ladies and my favourite enby, not so much the guys). The comedy doesn't always work for me, and as a cynical Gen X cusper, I thought at times that the show gets too Very Special Episode about its sex ed bits. (In Swedish terms, it's like it was co-produced by UR and RFSU.) But hey, in comparison to what we were told as teenagers, its lessons are pretty darn great, and it's also got Silvy Pavida looking (and acting) fantastic in a nonbinary role, so... :-)

Watched on: YouTube

Trailer: https://youtu.be/eBwCNO-XkaY?si=2rvyoEtxFruHZq2D

Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGbua6YlkQiIx1a-KrOMDNDoutnY1ZEmj&si=4ik9y6LC5t2owoBm

[flimstudios5]

The crown season 5 is messy 

If you haven’t seen it. I am warning you this review contains spoilers to the 5th season.

Very soapy 

The breath of anticipation is over Netflix’s hit show the crown released its 5th season. Following the royals in the disastrous era of the 90s. Though the show time and time again has offered high equality and captivating stories. All of this falls flat; rather we get a season constructed like a poorly written soap opera with weird dialogues and heavy handed metaphors. It seems Peter Morgen threw out good writing and storytelling for the sake of making season 5 dramatic and spicy. Over emphasizing the disastrous marriage of Charles and Diana leaving little room of other meaningful stories of the royals during the 90s. 

Diana's portrayal was questionable ?

Though Elizabeth Debicki manages to resurrect the princess of Wales through her accent and mannerisms. The writers instead of presenting Diana trying to find the light in the darkness. They concoct a story of a woman seeking to destroy everything in her path and raise a middle finger to the royals and the institution. In term purposefully giving heartache to her children who are members of the institution. Considering the fact many describe the princess of Wales being a good and caring mother. The writing and depiction seems to throw it all away for Drama! Even making the wrong and gross assertion she has a fetish for Pakistani men with the man playing Martin Bashir saying "haven't you notice she's got a thing for Pakistanis" Though Diana developed a special place for Pakistan it was not sensual in nature. Previous seasons have managed to balance fiction and reality with storylines and characters. This season seems to want to find cheap ways to make drama rather than following the precedent set by previous seasons.

[halfwayinlight]

unpopular opinion: i want sonny and ava to get together

not because i think they're a great pairing or belong together. nope. but for the SOAPY chaotic drama of those two. and also how messy it would make things between nina and ava.

[joanjettenthusiast]

hotel portofino was not entertaining enough to me for various reasons but honestly it didn't have enough drama. like yes, it was there, but it was boring straight people drama (and I'm not opposed to watching straight people drama as long as it's juicy) everybody was too polite and un-dramatic bitch I want people pulling each other's hair and screaming in each other's face and telling someone to hold their earrings and going full maddy perez and screaming "YOU DUMB FUCKING BITCH I'M GONNA FUCK YOU UP" in someone's face while aggressively clacking their acrylic nails. and don't even tell me that's just not the type of soapy shit to expect out of a period drama cause versailles (2015-2018) was a period drama too and always delivered with the messy shit like I was sat texting my friend the latest versailles drama like it had happened to me personally and I just can't say that abt hotel portofino. Assad Zaman ate tho

[petalsmooth]

On one hand I like Shonda’s influence with Bridgerton especially shaking up the casting to bring in diversity to the show and the way they moved up the timeline of integrating the societies. I don’t deny her talent or contributions or that she has had great success. I think the actual dialogue is better when she is active in the room.  But. WHY this strong tendency for soapy messy relationships hyped to an excessive degree? I get there is always SOME soapy drama but this is the type of thing that would keep me from watching Grey’s. I didn’t watch the show but even I knew about the sister and Meredith and the same guy. Now I’m afraid to watch more of these prequels. Feels like they are going to be used to issue in backstory for soapy dramas/secrets in the present. Bold and the Beautiful redux. If Violet gets her own show what then? A secret Edmund love child vying for hyacinth’s hand? 

[kewltie]

i really want bkdk as the super hot mess couple who constantly break up only get back together later constantly except because they're pro heroes their messy soapy relationship plays out live in front of millions of fans who cry when they break up AGAIN for the fifth time in two months because they're both stupidly stubborn and intense so their relationship is often characterize as volatile but as much as everyone can see how unstable it is MAYBE THEY SHOULDN'T DATE the fact remains that even when they're on break AGAIN bkdk never look at anyone else but each other.

ppl think it's deeply romantic, this clash of wills between the top 2 heroes who fights each other like it's the end of the world but loves so fiercely the ground shatters beneath the weight of their love; it's the kind of sweeping love made for books/tv but it's real and it's them. others think it's really toxic this hot and cold that they constantly switch between. it honestly cant be healthy for the both of them to be constantly fighting and being passionately in love so it's best that they go separate ways.

then it goes deathly SILENT when bkdk broke up for again for the umpteen times and it's the longest break up YET. everyone is terribly invested in their relationship as ppl argue and bet if this is the end for them only to have bkdk disappear for 3 days and come back married bc they had just eloped!!! so bkdk being that super hot messy couple that everyone just bemoan the drama it all bc they fight and kiss constantly and it would be so easier if they just end it already but they're so deeply and fiercely in love that honestly their relationship outlast everyone lol

[kalena-henden]

It’s time for a mid-year report on all the tv I’ve been watching since my last update in March. In a surprising turn, I was sucked into the kdrama vortex in March thanks to the first kdrama I’ve ever watched, Sisyphus the Myth. Then I needed more Cho Seung Woo content which then led to perusing Netflix to fill up my queue and watching more kdramas that were currently airing (Doom At Your Service being a fave). I love that kdramas have all the tropes and mashed-up genres and so far none have gone to the terrible grimdark place of no hope. I’ve finished 13 kdramas so far and counting. (*kdramas noted)

finished or caught up with: 

Sisyphus the Myth* - Loved it and I have a completely different take on the ending. Cho Seung Woo and Park Shin Hye kicked ass.

Debris - I enjoyed it, especially the two-part au episodes, but not heartbroken it was cancelled.

Stranger/Secret Forest* - My #1 kdrama so far! Murder mystery/political thriller ftw. Cho Seung Woo and Bae Doona are everything.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - They did a great job with Bucky and Sam but why did all the women have to get shafted for that to happen.

Shadow and Bone - A fun, fast-paced season. Loved everyone but surprised how much I loved Helnik cause I’m not a big fan of them in the books.

Life* - My third Cho Seung Woo drama about a messy battle between a hospital and it’s new parent company. CSW x dogs ftw.

Cinderella and the Four Knights* - My first kdrama romcom. A little cheesy but I had a good time. Park So Dam from Parasite is a great heroine.

My Holo Love* - An interesting love triangle between a woman with face-blindness, an AI hologram, and the hologram’s creator. This is underrated.

Doom At Your Service* - This show is fantastic! My #3 kdrama. A woman with terminal cancer calls for doom and is surprised when Doom shows up on her doorstep. It’s got romance, comedy, drama, fantasy, symbolism, and philosophy. It also subverts several tropes--first love, love triangle, second lead syndrome--in interesting ways. I watched this live and was living for the metas and gifs. It has my favorite steamy kdrama kiss (in the rain no less)!

So I Married the Anti Fan* - An enemies to lovers very loosely based on Pride and Prejudice, where a reporter gets fired due to a misunderstanding with a kpop idol only to end up on a reality show together to save both their reputations. The first half was a bit cringey on how mean they were to each other but, once they overcame their differences, they had one of the most genuine and unshakeable relationships.

Tunnel* - A time-travel murder mystery that was well paced and interesting. The last five minutes didn’t make sense in their effort for a happy ending but I enjoyed the ride.

Vincenzo* - My #2 kdrama! A lawyer for the Italian mob returns to his home country of Korea. This is such a crazy ride! There’s over-the-top comedy but there’s also great fight scenes and murder. It’s got found family, action, revenge, romance, a gold heist, great villains, stylish fashions, and all the slo-mo your heart desires. lol In more ways than one, this is ‘art’. *wink*

Run On* - This romantic drama on a professional runner and his translator snuck up on me. Very relatable as it’s about people at personal and professional crossroads. 

Boys Over Flowers* - Okay, I completely get the hype over Lee Min Ho now. I LOVE the characters in this but it’s a 100% a soapy soap and I was so mad at everyone for constantly making terrible decisions. With the time jump at the halfway mark, the show slowed down the constant drama a bit which helped. I have a real love/hate with this one but I think it’s definitely worth watching.

The Heirs* - Don’t hate me but I enjoyed this show; it has all the tropes. I’m on Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye kick. (Though why was PSH’s character so mopey.) This show was also unintentionally funny for me because I’ve lived in LA for the past 16 years and their filming locations to actual geography was completely off. The “Malibu” pier where they go surfing is actually the Huntington Beach pier in Orange County. When they get chased from his Malibu home, the next scene is them running down Vine (near Capitol Records) which is an hour drive from Malibu; then after they run through Hollywood and Highland mall, they don’t go next door to the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater; instead they go a theater in San Diego!!! is which a four-hour drive away. I was dying with laughter, I had to pause the show.

Never Have I Ever - This show continues to be awesome. Thoroughly enjoyed the disaster of Devi trying to date both boys. And I have picked an endgame: Team Ben. Though I’m cool with Devi dating Paxton in the meantime.

Her Private Life* - A museum curator falls for her new boss while she tries to hide her secret life as a kpop idol-obsessed fangirl. They do a great job respecting the fandom life but aren’t afraid to let us laugh with the characters and there are some steamy makeout scenes. Also, super pretty as it’s about ‘art’ and life.

currently watching: 

Outer Banks - A Goonies-like treasure hunt, rich vs. poor classicism, romance, and teen shenanigans. Binging in time for S2 later this week.

Crash Landing On You* - Yes, I have finally started the romcom kdrama everyone has been raving about. Enjoying so far.

The Witch’s Diner* - A drama about a witch who makes wishes come true for a price.

currently rewatching: Star Trek: Voyager; Never Have I Ever; Vincenzo*

on hold:  

Sen Çal Kapımı - I watched the first 11 episodes of this Turkish romcom and loved it but needed a break.

Lucifer - I got to that the Dan episode and couldn’t make it through. Does this season feel slow to anyone else?

Queen of the South - I started the final season but it got put on the back burner for now. At least, I know it’s a happy ending.

Legends of Tomorrow - I started watching the new season live but kdramas are still my jam.

[pynkhues]

Have you watched ginny and Georgia?;.. ok the dialogue and acting is kinda cringe at 1st but it gets better and it's so so good. It has friends to lovers like???? Ex's to lovers etc It's so messy but heartwarming it has a complex mother and daughter relationship. Complex relationships in general. And strong women are in the center of the storyline!! Would so love to hear your thoughts if you have?

I haven't yet! I've been contemplating it though, anon. I quite like a soapy family drama like Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, which seems like the genre it's in, from what I've seen of it, and I definitely love friends to lovers / ex's to lovers as a trope, and interesting relationships between women, so you're doing a good job of selling it to me, haha.

I've been watching a couple of things lately - I just finished Inventing Anna the other night, which had it's moments but I ultimately found frustrating, because I thought there was a good show in there but that, uhh, Wasn't It. I've also been watching Siesta Key with a friend for my very trashy tv viewing, haha, Abbott Elementary, Bob's Burgers, the Gossip Girl reboot, and I've just started Russian Doll which I really loved the first two eps of, but that's all I've seen so far!

Otherwise, I've been more in movie mode again. I saw The Banshees of Inisherin and The Fabelmans at the cinema last week, and watched the Japanese film Still Walking which I loved, and My Father's Dragon which is probably my least favourite Cartoon Saloon movie, but it was still pretty good. I'm back at work this week, so I think my viewing will slow down a bit, but it's been nice to catch up on a few things.

Thanks for the rec though! I'll check it out :-)

[unnursvanablog]

Romance of the House is much more of a over the top comedy that I thought it would be. But it also feels like a melodrama at times. It's very much a story of a somewhat dysfunctional family dynamic where the deadbeat father that everyone thought was dead for some reason comes back, now as the landlord of the house and is now back in their lives and wants to maybe kick them out - although that plotline is just done and dusted by episode two and he just moves into the previous landlord apartment. It's messy, it's over the top but in a soapy way. It's quite fun actually, if you just accept that this is a very soapy sort of story.

The family is a pretty good core for the story and I especially love the mother-daughter relationship - the younger brother is a bit too naive and a bum of a character for me, but he is endearing in a way. I am guessing though that he takes a bit too much after his dad.

Our main girl is such an oldest daughter character (but I don't really mean that in a archetype sort of way) and you do feel for her struggles. She is a very likeable character you can root for. She clearly is the glue in the family, the one that is keeping it all together and the one is charge. I think she sort of took over that job willingly after seeing her mother struggling in that role as the provider all these years and wants to give her a break but she is also sort of working herself to death and doesn't really think of her self in the process.

I hope that she can find a more of a balance in her life, get a hobby (that's not her boyfriend or something) and learn to enjoy life a bit more. I do think that will come with the romance and I do enjoy when the grumpy one (so to speak, the more uptight maybe fits better here) is the female character and the sunshine is the male character. I am tired of the grumpy male lead. I just want Minho to be cute and sweet and just sort of there for her. I just want him to do cute things for her because that girl deserves that.

The supporting cast is both adorable but also kinda over the top and that is a very hard thing to get right for me. I sometimes adore a bunch of side characters and their little side squables and over the top dramatics and sometimes I don't or I get sick of them and just end up skipping them as we get further into the story.

The drama crammed a LOT of things into the first episodes (and it felt loooong at times) and while it didn't feel info-dumpy per say it certainly didn't all flow all that well from one point to the next. It felt a bit rushed and since the drama is only 12 episodes long like a lot of kdramas are these days unlike the standard 16 episodes that we are used to and I feel like a lot of kdramas kinda struggle with that. Still, back in the day some of them would drag by the end of it. But a lot of them didn't so idk, maybe just make most of them 14 which is the sort of happy middle.

And the romance takes such a backseat, which is also something that surprised me because when the title is Romance in the House I thought there would be more romance within these first two episodes. Like I thought Minho's character would feature more or maybe also move into that family villa.

But I laughed that his first impression to her mom and dad was him kicking the dad in the face. That was so dumb, I loved it.

I adore Minho, I am sort of watching this drama for Minho… but I also kinda love that for these two episodes he was sort of just there. We hardly know him. He just sort of pops up at convenient times for Mi Rae. But I just wonder if the romance is going to move slightly too fast once it get's going because there just wasn't enough time and it doesn't seem to be the focus of the story (which I do appreciate but I do prefer a slower burn romance so). But at least it gives me hope that the drama isn't going to sideline the main girl, because so far she truly is the focus, the heart and the driving force of the whole story.

Also they better not let the mom fall back in love with the dad, who obviously burned down that apartment and killed the previous landlord (unless there is going to be some MAJOR PLOT TWIST) and it looks like he was just a shitty husband and father. I want him to crawl on his feet in front of Ae Yeon and beg for her forgiveness but I also want her to get another romantic interest and get a much happier ending than ending back with her ex. It's boring and predictable and idk if those types of men need a second chance romance (which is usually not a romance trope that I like).

Everything about Byeon Mu Jin, the dad, just feels so boring and tired. He is not cool in any way. And I can't really tell if the drama wants him to be the villain or just a fun, morally gray sort of dude that get's his redemption arc. And that frustrates me a bit.

[markantonys]

Mily, what's Cuori about? Is it related to Cuore, the Italian classic?

no it's not related to that, it's set in a hospital in the 1960s and they're trying to make italy's first heart transplant happen there but for various reasons keep meeting resistance. or at least i think that's the main plot because the show mostly focuses on the relationship drama hjdfg and i'm not complaining because that's also my favorite part!

the situation is that matteo's character's ex-fiancee just came to work at the same hospital as him without either of them realizing it until they met on the job and PLOT TWIST she's newly married to their boss who is also matteo's character's beloved father figure! who has no idea that his wife and favorite prodigy used to be engaged! oh the drama! cue lots of melodrama and angst and awkward situations that i wholeheartedly enjoy while munching popcorn and reveling in messiness of it all

there's also a bunch of side characters who have messy drama as well and it has somewhat of a case-of-the-week format with different patients and stuff. soapy but FUN i'm having a great time so far haha

[theonethatwatchesalotofshows]

Ranking Teen Dramas according to how similar they were to my experience

Disclaimer: Ofc everyone's experience is different so you probably will disagree with this list

The Secret Life of the American Teenager: no I didn't get pregnant, married, divorced and fight for custody in my freshman year so I can't relate in the slightest

Gossip Girl: similar to the first one. My parents didn't allow me to travel across the entire planet alone at 16 and didn't buy me a strip club. However there are some relatable elements such as trying to fit in, high school bullies who are actually just insecure and all the PDA on school property because you're finally dating your crush and now you can't keep your hands off each other. The first two seasons were relatable in this

The OC: no, I didn't have parents that would let me go alone to Mexico at 16 just to party and do tequila shots out of my crush's belly button. In this way it's extremely unrelatable. However, similarly to Gossip Girl, it does capture some aspects of growing up that are universal such as family problems, breakups, awkward first times and crushes whom you don't know how to act around

Pretty Little Liars: luckily my teenage years weren't as traumatic as these girls'. I didn't have to solve a murder mystery so the show loses relatability there. But I'm sure we have all met someone like Alison at some point

Glee: I didn't spend 90% of my day in high school in my extracurricular activity and the other 10 in my favorite teacher's class (I wish tho) the one way I find this relatable is that some of my teachers were, well assholes. Either trying too hard to be cool and one of the kids and ended up overstepping their boundaries or being just all around terrible and abusive like Sue Sylvester. Sadly it's only relatable this way. However I wish I had singing talent like that and got to spend most of my time doing what I love

One Tree Hill: a bit melodramatic but again, that's high school. Hormones are running high. But still I couldn't really relate to the love triangle drama, the car crash, the cheating fiasco, characters getting married at 16 and all the family drama on top of that happening all in the span of like what? 6 months? It's a bit too soapy and melodramatic.

Dawson's Creek: I mean I wish I had a life like theirs. They have a tight-knit group of friends and they all live in the same small town. Sadly, my friend group wasn't as tight-knit and no, teenagers really do not talk like that. No one talks like that. But still I have to say the melodrama that ensues when someone "steals" their best friend's girl in high school was portrayed pretty accurately

Euphoria: ok while no one I know did molly and then had an orgasm in front of the whole school or put on a school play about herself and her five friends, but hear me out. Some things that happen on this show are insane but they still capture a universal experience- teen angst. The thing about Euphoria is that it doesn't try to portray things as they are but what they feel like. I'm sure we've all at some point felt like Rue, stumbling on spinning walls after we've had too much to drink or like Cassie, crying in slow motion with flowers around her because we were angsty teenagers and thought no one in the history of the world ever suffered as much as we did.

Skins: this is more relatable to the later years of high school for me. The sitting outside and drinking Vodka is very Eastern european and we even have a word for it. I am mostly ranking it this high because unlike others, it's not highly stylized and shows things as they are. House parties don't look like fancy nightclubs- they're messy and people puke all over the place and someone will have to clean it up. And I'm sure we all had some Jals, Chrises, Tonys and Michelles in our school.

Gilmore Girls: yeah, sadly school is about studying and doing group work with annoying classmates. Shocking right? This is the most realistic with how much you actually have to study in order to have straight As and get into a good college. Unlike some other teen dramas where the characters rarely ever open a book and still get into Yale, Brown and Columbia *cough* Gossip Girl *cough*

Freaks and Geeks: why was this cancelled I will never understand. This is the only show that completely captured the teenage experience and angst without being too overdramatic and soapy. It's actually funny despite having some really serious moments and handling serious issues with respect and without glamorizing them, unlike other entries on this list. I just fucking love this show