We Are (2024)

16 episodes, no plot in sight, and I'm eating it up

I imagine the conversation about how this show came to be going something like this…

Writer A: Guys, I have an idea for a new story!
Writer B: Oh, fantastic! What’s the plot about?
Writer A: Ah, the plot? That would be good to have I guess. But screw it, we’re not doing a plot this time.
Writer C: Uh, okay… So if there isn’t a plot, what is the show about?
Writer A: Well, I had all these scene left over from other shows that didn’t make the cut, so I just kind of strung them all together to create a show. It’s about this large group of friends who are a bunch of idiots but a lot of fun, and cute boys will fall in love!
Writer B: I guess people love cute boys falling in love, so that works for me.
Writer C: Yeah, sure. So, since there isn’t a plot, maybe we should keep it short and simple? Maybe go with 8 episodes instead of the usual 12.
Writer A: I was thinking more like 16.
Writer C: But why? If there isn’t a plot, wouldn’t it be better to keep it short and sweet?
Writer A: Absolutely not. We have four couples in this, so we need more episodes.
Writer B: Oh, great! So that means we’ll have four incredibly well fleshed out couples that all get about an equal amount of screen time?
Writer A: Don’t be silly. We’ll spend a lot of time on two ships, and give the other two some scenes here and there.
Writer B: Are you sure about this? The whole thing kinda sounds like a very strange show to make. Will people really watch it?
Writer C: I guess they will if we get phenomenal actors. Maybe we should hit Khaotung and First up.
Writer A: Nope, we’ll get a bunch of mediocre actors and just make them do cute things and do puppy eyes very often, so people will look past the fact that some of them *cough Phuwin cough Marc cough cough* aren’t the greatest at portraying emotions. Not that the show really needs great actors anyway, because there isn’t really any meaningful conflict, so there aren’t many scenes of heightened emotions.
Writer B: I’m not sure, dude. But I guess if we come up with new scenes and stuff and avoid dead-ridden tropes, it might be a breath of fresh air.
Writer A: Don’t be silly. Why fix what ain’t broke? We’re going to use all the cliche scenes and tropes and we’ll run wild with them. Or do you guys have a better idea?
Writer C: Nah, thinking of something new and unique sounds like a lot of work. I say we run with what you got.
Writer B: Works for me, now let’s go eat something.
Writer A: Ah yes, eating. They do that in the show too. Like a lot.

This series is nothing new, nothing unique, it has no real plot or meaningful conflict, the characters aren’t really interesting, some actors are really struggling (mainly Phuwin and Marc, but Pond and Winny certainly won't win Oscars any time soon either), and one of the romances is dragged out beyond any point of reason. In short, it has everything I don’t like, and I ABSOLUTELY ATE THAT SHIT UP. If you ask me why, I honestly couldn’t tell you. Despite it dragging a little after a while, it was incredibly entertaining and adorable, and I honestly have not much more to say than that, so this will not be my usual in depth review.

The best part of this is by far the friend group. I’m convinced they all share one collective brain cell that hops from head to head, depending on the episode, and I love it. Okay, Fang may get his own brain cell, but the rest are definitely sharing. They’re just a bunch of idiots who do dumb stuff, but they’re so supportive of each other and they all bounce off each other incredibly well. The chemistry between the actors was great, so this felt actually believable unlike the friend groups in other shows. It also didn’t fall into the trap of forgetting about the friends as soon as the romance begins to pick up. The title fits perfectly because they really are, they just exist, which sounds incredibly boring and like a slog to get through, but it really wasn't at all (at least not for me). It was a joy to watch them and I could’ve probably gone for another five episodes just because they were so hilariously over the top and stupid and cute.

An honourable mention goes to Satang as Toey. He absolutely nailed the role and Toey is so insanely adorable that I squealed every time he was on screen. I just wanted to put him in my pocket and protect him from the world, and I loved how his friends felt the same and spoiled and protected him. So cute. Aou was phenomenal as Tan as well and despite the character being an annoying cringe fest, I found myself loving him.

That’s honestly all I have to say. If you’re a plot driven person, this show might drive you crazy because nothing really happens in it. But if you enjoy a bunch of idiots being idiots and having a great time together, then this might be for you. I honestly expected not to like this series at all, but it ended up on my list of shows I’d rewatch any day (if it weren't for it being such a large time commitment). This is not an objective 8, it's an 8 in terms of subjective enjoyment and entertainment factor. Objectively, this isn't anything great. So if you want to enjoy this, you’ll just have to give up on trying to watch this under a critical perspective, and instead embrace it for what it is, aka chaos x 100.

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