You guys, this show was something else. After watching the Thai, BL drama that was KinnPorsche, I figured I needed to check out more shows like it while I still had an iQiyi subscription!
I started with a series called Between Us, but it was so unbelievably awkward and corny that I gave up on it pretty quickly. Based on reviews for a lot of other Thai BL dramas I’ve seen out there, I might have set the bar way too high by starting with KinnPorsche. It seems their chemistry is unmatched! So after that first fail, I decided to see what all was available, look for some reviews, and watched a clip or two to make sure it wasn’t as cringeworthy as that other one I tried out. Now, I know KinnPorsche wasn’t perfect. There were definitely some oddly placed comedic moments, and also a handful of scenes that felt like they were straight out of a soap opera, but for the most part the dialogue was smooth and the relationships, while technically the core of the show, were woven into an action-packed mafia storyline.
The show I settled on was TharnType, which again, is a show that chose to smash it’s two main characters’ names together to form the title. Whatever. While the chemistry here wasn’t as off the charts as in KinnPorsche, it was pretty damn good. It also got better as the series moved on. However, the plot was whackadoodle! Type is a popular freshman who hates gays because of past abuse he faced as a child. He learns his roommate, Tharn, is gay and tries everything in his power to get rid of him. Tharn has a crush on Type, of course, so he tries his hardest to tempt Type into liking him back. Aside from lots of shameless flirting, Tharn is also just a really good guy in general.
They hook up and suddenly Type can no longer have sex with women ever again, but he still laments that he hates gays…okay, sure. He also tries to keep it super casual, but then turns around and is jealous of Tharn even so much as talk to another guy. Ultimately, the pair decide they are it for each other, so then the rest of the season sees them get into argument after argument without communicating effectively AT ALL. Again, I understand this is a normal format for shows like this, but gah! Makes me want to pull my hair out sometimes. Anyway, I know you’re thinking that that’s a really boring way to fill thirteen episodes, so they throw in some pretty twisted wrenches in the form of a couple of Tharn’s past boyfriends.
Spoiler: things work out for them in the end and Type, who was pretty awful at times, manages to come out changed for the better. Things obviously work out well enough that a second season was picked up and you know I’m already a few episodes into that. Aside from Tharn and Type, Type’s friend Techno was quite fun, as well as his father. Actually, Type’s father had me cackling most of the time. While this isn’t quite the quality I was hoping for, it makes for a fine second entry in the world of Thai BL. I’ll of course keep you updated on anything else I check out.