Promising Start Meets a Messy End

(Before I write this review, I just want to give a disclaimer saying that I'm obsessed with this show despite the title, and I like MileApo both as a pair and as individuals. This is my first BL and first Thai drama overall, so I'm not very familiar with the tropes.

Directors: Khom Kongkiat Khomsiri, Pepzi Banchorn Vorasataree and Pond Krisda Witthayakhajorndet

Cast (as mentioned):
Mile Phakphum Romsaitong; Kinn Theerapanyakul
Apo Nattawin Wattanagitiphat; “Porsche” Pachara Kittasawasd
Bible Wichapas Sumettikul; Vegas Theerapanyakul
Build Jakapan Puttha; Pete
Jeff Satur; Kim Theerapanyakul
Barcode Tinnasit Isarapongporn; “Chay” Porchay Kittasawasd
Tong Thanayut Thakoonauttaya; Tankhun Theerapanyakul
Bas Asavapatr Ponpiboon; Arm
Job Yosatorn Konglikit; Pol
Notd Nutthasid Panyangarm; Big
Perth Nakhun Sreaigh; Ken
Kob Songsit Rungnopakunsi; Korn Theerapanyakul (Kinn, Tankhun and Kim’s dad)
Ex Piya Vimuktayon; Kan Theerapanyakul (Vegas’s Dad)



I got to know this drama through a classmate of mine, and on a vacation I randomly checked it out and saw videos of it on YouTube, Shorts and fan edits of them, and I fell in love with Mile Phakphum and Apo Nattawin's amazing chemistry there. However, another classmate warned me by saying that this show is "horrible" and told me not to watch it; hence, I changed my plan to watch 2gether first, then KinnPorsche.

However, I was way too curious about this drama, and I kept seeing spoilers all the time, all thanks to the YouTube algorithm; hence, I decided to just watch it. Even though "Messy End" is part of the title, I'll say without regret that I enjoyed this drama a lot, but that doesn't mean that I won't point out things I didn't like about it.

Before commenting on the strong acting here, this review will be incomplete without mentioning the amazing cinematography. Almost every scene is beautiful, and I would feel tempted to screenshot every scene if I didn't watch it pirated. I know that the team worked very hard here, but still, I'll have to pay iQIYI for watching it, which I couldn't do. Dailymotion still saved me. This drama is definitely expensive! I loved the production here, from the locations to the cars (yep, a bit of an emphasis here) to the costumes, everything is on point! There is definitely symbolism in every outfit the characters wear, but for this, you need to see an interesting Tumblr post on it because I'm not an expert in fashion nor am I interested in it. I just mentioned it after seeing that post, which I will link after this review.

The performances exhibited by the actors, especially Mile, Apo, and Bible, were commendable. My praise goes to these three actors for putting their all into their performances. Mile and Bible, as first-time actors, portrayed such complicated characters to near-perfection, and it didn't even seem that it was their debut. Mile nailed it as Kinn, having the right amount of charisma and acting prowess in his cold, confident, and badass persona and also being equally convincing as a romantic softie with the same kind of prowess (I have to admit that soft Kinn hits different).

Bible really made me hate Vegas at the start, but I gradually grew to like him. He also shows a good range in his performance, from being a cunning, sadistic, and manipulative bastard to showing more of his caring and a more complex side as someone who experienced parental abuse and is always wanting to make his father proud of him. I heard that in the book Vegas was 10x worse and this was a more "healthier" version, but still, I wish he was a bit more humanised. (Although I think that Vegas isn't the best-written character.)

Apo showed that his previous acting experience did not go to waste, and he does an excellent job acting with his eyes. His transition from being a jovial bartender to a serious and confident person in the end is commendable. He shined in episode 5, expressing confusion, vulnerability and frustration to near-perfection, and it was totally worth it for someone who is allegedly the most experienced out of the cast. Apo was very good at doing action scenes, since his prior training in martial arts came in handy.

Build performed very well as Pete, from an adorable bodyguard to having a more darker side shown to him; however, he wasn't as good with the intimate scenes and doesn't have so much sexual chemistry with Bible, but more emotional (someone on Reddit said that, and I agree with it). He is better at doing comedic scenes and excels at showing a lot of vulnerability.

Kob was understated as Korn Theerapanyakul, a cunning and manipulative mafia boss who, in my interpretation, sees Kinn as a pawn in the game. Ex as Kan Theerapanyakul was okay; it just didn't have so much impact (I really despised Kan till the end, though).

Bas and Job as Arm and Pol, respectively, bring comic relief; Nodt performed well as Big; Perth as Ken didn't make much of an impact.

But the one who stole the show is Tong Thanayut as Tankhun! He was amazing and memorable throughout the series. This actor provides the most comedic relief with a lot of sass. He makes me laugh and smile whenever he is on screen! From his “grief” and anger at the deaths of his fishes Elizabeth and Sebastian, his excitement when Kinn confesses his love for Porsche, everything, I really enjoyed seeing him and Tong acted amazingly in it.

Jeff Satur's character Kim was an interesting one, but he didn't make much of an impression on screen. This is my first time seeing Jeff act, so I don't know how he is as an actor, but I see him more as a musician than an actor.

Barcode was adorable as Porchay (Chay) in the first half of the series. He charmed me with the innocence of his character and his heartbreak as well (that's where it went downhill, according to me).

I watched it for these three characters: Kinn, Porsche, and Tankhun! I love these three, especially seeing Mile and Apo sizzle on screen, and they have a really versatile chemistry (warning: obvious biases because I love them a lot). People may emphasise their NC scenes, but they also need to see that they shine in their action, comedic, romantic, and cute scenes as well. From episode 6 onward, I started loving them even more! Because Kinn wasn't the cold mafia boss everyone sees, he showed his childlike innocence there, especially when both of them were constantly arguing. And I live for their date in episode 8! (No word pun intended.)

I'd see all of their scenes repeatedly and never get bored of them. I also love how Kinn is willing to take responsibility for what he did wrong to Porsche, as shown in the climax of episode 6, where he said sorry to him for "that night" (episode 4), where Kinn technically raped him since Porsche was drugged and wasn't fully consenting to it, as well as telling Porsche that he is willing to erase all the things he did him wrong, as well as letting him go so that Porsche could fulfill his dream of having his own bar and to go back to his brother (till circumstances brought them back). He constantly apologised to Porsche in episode 12, where Porsche got to know how he actually got hired, even going out to his house to live with him. At the end of episode 7, Kinn genuinely felt guilty for calling Porsche a whore, and before he went further, there was a gesture in which Kinn nodded his head to Porsche, hence asking his consent before going further (source: Reddit/Tumblr, and I watched this scene many times.) This proves that his apology in episode 6 wasn't empty; he actually learned a lesson from what he did to Porsche in episode 4, and he was honest in saying that he would erase whatever he did wrong to him. That "small" gesture proves that. I also love that Kinn is willing to wholeheartedly trust Porsche and shed his persona, since his ex Tawan (god I hated him!) betrayed him.

Also, Porsche was obviously confused about his feelings for Kinn after "that night", since throughout his life he never had any sexual activity with a man or had feelings for a man either. He was disturbed and furious at what Kinn did in the aftermath of "that night," and deservedly so (though I don't exactly blame Kinn for that). But in my interpretation, after their time in the forest handcuffed together, he realised that the one who punished him and did terrible things to him wasn't the real him at all; that same Kinn was always smiling endlessly around Porsche and was also willing to share his piece of fish with him. The moment he saw Kinn's excitement at catching fish for the first time in one go, it made him fall for him all the more. That mafia-boss aura is gone, and Porsche got to see this side of his for the first time.

Someone wrote this on the YouTube comment section, and I'm paraphrasing it here: as someone who never had a parental figure and had to be a parent to a younger sibling, having someone so caring and loving to him is a huge deal, and hence he felt attached to Kinn, and this was the time where he didn't have to bear the burden of being the older one anymore. We also need to keep in mind that Porsche had to take an informal loan and had to face a lot of pressure from the mafia gang he took a loan from, seeing his uncle getting physically assaulted by them, and hated them a lot, hence his lack of seriousness about his job in the initial days that really cost him.

And in episode 8, I love how dedicated Porsche was on their first date together. Although he thought that he "sucked", this was definitely memorable for Kinn, and he wasn't shocked or angry at seeing the contacts of Kinn's past sex partners (to be fair, Porsche was engaged in sexual activities with a lot of women before Kinn). Alright, that's it—racing about them! They did go a bit downhill in the ending episode (not spoiling it any further), but their amazing chemistry is what prevented me from dropping this drama (and Tankhun ofc).

And TANKHUN! MY MAN! I really loved his character throughout the series. I love how hilarious, over-the-top, sassy, and caring he is! His past as someone who got kidnapped as a child isn't a joke, but what I love about him is that despite his "crazy" personality, he is not shown as a "retard". Instead, he is a very intelligent person and a realist, too. It's just that he is underestimated because of his behaviour and personality. *Spoiler Alert* There was a scene in the last episode where Vegas, having his foot on a lying Porsche, was "about" to shoot him, then Tankhun and Arm saved them with a toy car that contained explosives that would explode as programmed. I think the toy car symbolises Tankhun's worth because it is seen as a child's toy; they may be underestimated at first impression, but they are actually not how they seem to be.

Another positive thing about this drama is the bond between Porsche and Chay. The scenes of Porsche and Chay in episode 5 nearly made me tear up, after all Porsche went through. Imagine seeing your older brother, who is the only guardian for you, after such a long time, and being with him. I love how Porsche is willing to work his entire ass off just for Chay. Before Kinn, Chay was the only one Porsche truly had love and affection for. He meant everything for him, and the reason he decided to take his job as a bodyguard was to provide for Chay. It's understandable why he never told him about his job, but Chay never had any hard feelings for Porsche, even when he got kidnapped and got to know Porsche's job, because Porsche is all he has, and hence he wouldn't know what to do if Porsche dies. He knows that the environment Porsche is in is very dangerous, the reason being that he himself knows the amount of pressure and doorknocking they both have to experience after the informal loan. I wish it had delved deeper, but then again, this is a 14-episode drama. And I wish there was a scene in which Porsche confronts him for throwing his resume.

KimChay are my second favourite pair, but I just enjoyed watching them among the angst in the first half. Chay was too innocent, and I liked Kim's reaction to Chay's shrine filled with his pictures (I'd die of embarrassment if anyone saw my shrine). Thankfully, I don't have one. However, their story was very underdeveloped, and Kim's feelings for Chay weren't explored enough. I wish Chay thought of his brother before throwing his resume in the trash bin! But I preferred the innocent Chay more than the sassy side of him. Barcode portrayed the innocent side of Chay very well, but he needed to improve in case he had to act sassy, but I think that's the point of his character. Jeff suited the cold and mysterious side of Kim well, and he performed decently, but I couldn't feel much for him. His character isn't explored enough, but that's okay. I really liked his fight scenes, though. However, although this is a plot armour, I'm more than glad Kim saved him when Chay's "friend" was about to feed him some drugs. In short, KimChay was only written for fluff in the first half, then got a bit angsty in the end.

The soundtrack was great as well. Slot Machine makes us jump, groove, and shout the lyrics to Phiang Waichai and Free Fall (the English version of Phiang Waichai, though). Jeff and Aek Season 5 soothes us and makes us teary-eyed with their beautiful voices and compositions with Ka Ter/Why Don't You Stay and Contradict, respectively. Barcode reminds us of our first high school crush in "This song is called 'You'", which his character wrote for Kim when he was told to write a love song. My favourites were WDYS and Contradict.

Now, coming to the negatives: The first thing is VegasPete (and I might be biassed here). Now I know that the fans of VegasPete will have pitchforks at me, but this is my honest opinion: I didn't like them, and that is because of the toxicity. I know that Kinn did shit to Porsche, but what he did doesn't compare to what Vegas did to Pete, who tortured him for pleasure till he nearly died, constantly dehumanised him (that dog bowl scene), and electrocuted his "thing" a lot. I understand where he comes from, but this doesn't justify what he does to Pete. This drama doesn't justify it as well, but their story was way too rushed. They were surely very compelling, but I would've enjoyed them more if their story wasn't sold as a romantic one but rather as a Stockholm/Lima Syndrome one. Fans like them a lot because they were both willing to see the good in each other despite all this, but I would be more convinced if Vegas was more humanised from the beginning than what is shown in the series and if it was made clear from the start that Vegas experiences abuse every single day and has a trauma bonding with his dad. Speaking of which, VegasPete revolves around the trauma bond (so do Kinn and Porsche to some extent). But Vegas really needs help. I liked their bit in the end, though, with Macau. (And I just forgot to add that the BGM in their NC scene was quite creepy; maybe discussing their personalities and the state of their relationship? (And they used a romantic theme in Kinn and Porsche’s dubcon scene.)

Another negative is that it was weak in direction, especially when Pete went to spy on Vegas alone. Knowing who Vegas is, Kinn should've sent more bodyguards to accompany him, and Kinn forgetting about Pete. Plus, Pete and Porsche are roommates, so Porsche should've shown some concern. How did he know that Pete was "on vacation"? Also, how come Arm and Pol aren't concerned when he hasn't come for a long time? Well, their characters are pretty minor, so I'll give it a pass, plus Tankhun was there. But Porsche being gullible to Vegas despite being warned multiple times that Vegas is the enemy annoyed me a lot, and that it wasn't explored enough about Vegas nearly raping him while Porsche was drugged in episode 4. Thankfully, Porsche learned his lesson after seeing Vegas being a snake through his own eyes. Also, why did Porsche, despite being a former bartender, just drink without thinking when he should've known not to even touch a glass given by someone without seeing for himself what is mixed in it (YT comments and Redditors said it)? Keep this in mind: these are just nitpicks, and it didn't stop me from enjoying the show. I just wrote it for the sake of the review, but I can't deny that the ending was a mess when this cousin thing happened between Kinn and Porsche, which was so stupid! Also, Porsche's mother turned out to be alive. Yeah, Korn is cunning and all that, but why should they connect everything between Kinn and Porsche? This was so unnecessary! It would've been much better if Porsche remained an orphan and that there was no such "connection" between them.

In conclusion, this series is a good entertainer and is pretty compelling. But as the title says, the first half showed a lot of promise, but in the end it became a huge mess.

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