VainGirl
Well, Goddamn. I Struck Gold!
I'm a big fan of wlw shows and since I discovered Thai GL, I made it my mission to see everything I can find. But, I've never been moved to give a full review until now.Blank is the best GL series I've seen yet. The casting was perfect. The actresses managed to sell one of the most problematic tropes in queer shows. Age gap pairings are increasingly brought under scrutiny (and rightly so), so I'm glad a few details were changed from the book. There's only so much toxicity I can stomach, delusional as I can be.
Faye and Yoko brought a slow burn romance to life in Blank. I went into it with mixed feelings, but they pulled me in. I found myself empathising with their struggles; one was determined to give the love she felt and the other was determined to ignore/squash those feelings. The push and pull. The internal conflicts. The mess that was their history and familial connection. Everything pulled me in.
I think it also depicts the fevered enthusiasm of young love and how starkly it contrasts with older love which is more cautious from knowing the many possible troubles that lie ahead. Watching this series reminded me of my first crush on an older woman and how it had felt like a living, breathing thing inside me. It had taken all my willpower to keep it locked in.
I've already started seeing the second season and it only gets better. The emotions run deeper and the chemistry burns hotter. Their conversations are very stimulating too as they have to find ways (words, and actions) to communicate across their generation gap. As is expected of Gen Z and Millennials, their priorities are different too and they have to find a balance between prioritising their happiness or prioritising the comfort/desires of their families.
I'm rating this a 10/10. The actresses are amazing. The production is beautiful. The storyline is new and just the right amount of chaotic.
I highly recommend!
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A Lot of 4 Minutes That I'll Never Be Able To Get Back
I had decent expectations for this series because of how long it had been in production and its main cast. However, it fell short. The plot ran off halfway and the end had neither rhyme nor reason.4 Minutes can be summed up as a bunch of unnecessary deaths. At one point, I figured it was committed to karmic justice but I was wrong. The main characters getting a sort of 'happy ending' is proof that karma and justice lend little to the plot.
I admit that the near-death, psychological storyline was brilliant. I found it fun to unravel what was real and what was not. However, the plot and characters were poorly written.
Spoiler Alert ⬇️
Great was a shit person. He was in a hit-and-run, was complicit to murder, helped dispose of a dead body, was privy to the unlawful confinement of a female schoolmate, let his corrupt parents clean up his messes, and watched a girl get shot in the face when he could've stopped it. The only 'good' he ever did was saving Tyme — and he did that for himself.
Tyme was a huge red flag. He was portrayed as a victim turned vigilante but his actions show he was as cuddly with crime as his parents were. He sought 'justice' based on a few scribbles in his mom's journal, locked in on the wrong target and served their son some revenge porn to get attention. He put his patient (a victim of abuse that needed saving) in more danger just to gather evidence for his mission.
Somehow, both characters get an angelic halo over their heads after their 4-minute experience. They go on a couple of dates, play judge and jury, and make a show of taking responsibility — but it's just Great admitting his part in Dome's murder. All their other acts of delinquency are swept under the rug.
Ton Kla (played by Fuaiz) was the character I was most curious about but we only got bits and pieces of his life that didn't give much away. He was summed up as a serial killer with a kitty ghost friend and a boyfriend who only showed up when he pleased. Korn choosing to die with Ton Kla was unexpected but fitting end to a dark romance, I guess.
The actors who stood out the most in this drama were Bas and Fuaiz. Bas was brilliant as Korn and I found myself equal parts disgusted at and sorry for this character who was so obsessed with pleasing his father that he lost himself in the process. I hope Fuaiz gets more age-appropriate roles where he can show his talent beyond what we've seen in DFF and 4 Minutes.
tldr: good acting. unexpected storyline. poor character development. disjointed plots. not worth a second watch.
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