ralphie⁷_✜
There were no redeeming qualities for this show
I was intrigued by the premise of this as it seemed like an interesting departure from normal shows. However, it turned out to be a bundle of all the problematic tropes of every romance (bl specifically) series which made the series spectacularly cliche as well as uncomfortable. You’ve got: manipulation, student adult relationship, boss and employee power dynamic relationship, lying, verbal violence and manipulation (I hesitate on the word abuse but it definitely edged on that in one scene), drunk sex (one drunk, one completely sober), jealousy, controlling and possessive dynamics etc. There’s really a lot- and even the mini stories within were full of problematic narratives (I guess fairly typical of porn there). One could say: “well this is a realistic relationship” but I’m so fed up of gay narratives constantly being associated with these problematic features. Further, the story did not make any obvious criticisms of these aspects which might have made the narrative more compelling as a “realistic” story of a f*d relationship.Onto the acting- it was pretty wooden and all the characters came off a bit unpleasant in the delivery. I’d put that down to the discomfort of the entire thing and some of the awkward lines they were given so I wouldn’t blame the actors too much there. I felt basically zero chemistry between the leads which just added to the intense awkwardness of the series. The relationship seemed even more lacking as the acting and chemistry didn’t fill in the gaping holes in the relationship progression.
And finally the ending (spoilers in this section)- I hoped it would have redeemed the relationship with some sweet moments or maybe address the problematic aspects and progress onwards. Unfortunately but predictably, the ending was as disappointing as the rest of the series. The relationship fizzled out as fast as it started (one or two rounds of sex and a half hearted romantic convo was the culmination of this romance at its height) and the morning after the student and their relationship was left behind by the older.
I honestly can’t remember what the music was like and don’t want to rewatch any part of this to check it over so the low rating on music may be an injustice in this case.
If you’re looking for something racy or whatever I would even hesitate to say it gives that… the explicit scenes were quite awkward to watch and not at all artistically shot. And the seductive (???) writing bits had the vibe of a wattpad fanfiction being read aloud with the level of writing and word choice. This made each writing scene a try not to cringe challenge.
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A drama about listening
As I was writing the title to this review (this is my first time reviewing so I was rather lost) I was reminded of one of the repeating lines “even the deceased can speak” and generally that was what this drama showed.Every episode showed a different story and brought light to the stories that normally would have disappeared. They touched upon disability, elderly people in society, the lgbtq community, overseas adoption, domestic abuse, suicide, industrial mismanagement and exploitation, prison, and more, I probably have forgotten some of the societal issues shown as there were so many. In showing the stories of these characters they showed the humans behind these issues, their individual stories, the consequences, and those left behind. In every episode, they not only told the untold stories of those dead but the stories of those who would not be heard even alive.
It was sad but happy at the same time. Some were more tragic than others cause you couldn’t help but think how different things could be so easily, but all of them felt heard and that was a kind of bittersweet happiness through the series.
The cast really brought to life every character within this, even outside of the main cast the level of acting was consistent which really gave depth to each story told. While I do not feel informed enough to give an assessment of how accurate the representation of autism is in this (and am aware that many people would prefer an autistic character to be played by an autistic actor), as someone likely on the autistic spectrum (undiagnosed) I thought it was reasonably well done.
Finally, the ending felt cathartic and right. It was neither happy nor sad and that really fit. It felt like the entire series had been leading to that final move to heaven which gave the entire drama a nice direction and wrapped up point to stop. We ended where we started and heard the story we started with end. Though there was a hint at a season 2 which I fully can see working and would support (with the girl at the end, and the fighting ring owner escaping arrest).
Overall, while I don’t believe this is one I would rewatch because the impact was truly in the piecing together of the story, and the finding what the dead wanted to say (I do not tend to rewatch things in any case as I remember the story enough after the first watch that I get bored). This is a must watch because this drama shows the stories of the dead (fictional of course but easily applicable with how grounded in reality the series is), but also what the alive unheard by society say.
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