Karl, a 19-year old introvert architecture student is in the middle of an identity crisis. Prior to the start of the second semester in college and forced by his parents, he moves into his uncle's condominium unit so that he can learn to be financially independent. Karl takes on odd jobs online to do so. But when one of his major clients suddenly goes MIA, he is left short on funds and without a means to pay for his utilities. An opportunity presents itself when his cocky neighbor Vlad has to hide from his family and proposes to share Karl's space for the rest of the semestral break in exchange of paying up his monthly rent. Vlad is openly gay and will not hide for anyone. His sister is his pillar of strength. After initial awkwardness, the two boys start warming to each other watching movies, but as expected slowly Vlad starts liking Karl. Karl is not sure what his preferences are yet, but a kiss seals the deal. But while Vlad is out and open , Karl is shit scared for anyone to know about their little secret, which really frustrates Vlad. Things get complicated when Vlad's sister and Karl's uncle come to know the truth, which for some reason embarrasses Karl. Vlad will have none of the waiting because he is done with homophobia growing up. Thankfully the two continue to remain good friends, there by Vlad giving an opportunity to Karl, to come out of his shell and accept the reality.
One of the biggest takeaway for me from this show was telling everyone that being gay is ok. He says he is gay and he is also continuously coaching/ mentoring that its ok to say the word gay. Communication is the key, not only in romantic relationships but also any type of social interactions. He didn’t play mind games, spoke what he thought and felt and it was up to others to accept it or not. I am impressed and happy that the makers provided us the backstory of these main characters. We understand why and where are their actions coming from. If society did not present being gay as something bad, Vlad would never assume his dad left coz of that. He would never assume his mom was against his relationship because she did not want her son to be gay. Similarly, for Karl, he is under pressure for living the life of a brother he never met and not to disappoint his parents. External circumstances forced him to face it when he was not ready, when he felt emotionally confused and vulnerable. The two characters had some amazing chemistry. Vlad's sister Judit initially seemed over hyped and funny fag hag characters that are necessary for such shows but we eventually start to learn her point of view as well. There is a back story about everyone and everything and with such small episodes, I applaud the makers to have been successful in reaching out that to us. And one brand new thing that has never been seen by me in any other BL shows is the end credit scene. With every episode, the premise may be same, but with that 2-30 second scene they show us the relationship start, progress and where it is heading. It was truly well thought of and executed. There are many memorable lines in this show, that makes me strongly believe that the series is promoting positive change in people's thinking about gay people. Statements like "Do not be scared of the word, you can say it, it is not an insult, I do not mind". " I’m gay but I still can’t tell papa, I love Vlad but I am not as brave as him", "I don’t want to be silent about my love, I want to be out there, I deserve it just like you deserve to take your time inside", " I know I am not doing anything wrong but why am I still afraid" very intelligently take this show to new heights. Kudos to the dialogue writers. Every small little details has a reason behind it. Right from Vlad not liking his hair to be touched to why Judit tries to hard to be an ally.
This was a series that was made with a purpose and they executed perfectly with some great acting. The boys are good to look at and act well. There was too much music and sounded nice, but that was a bot of deterrent personally for me, especially because of the language. Also one of the episodes where the power goes off was a bit too heavy and not fun for me. But besides this, I can't find much fault with the show. The maker in an interview said "The show is aimed to extend its message to every queer people that whenever they are ready to reclaim their story, we are here to welcome them." And once you see the show, you will understand and agree to this completely. (8/10)
Comments
Now hedgehog, as Golu suggested go see "hello stranger" as it's really good. I'll follow your recommantation too and go watch Ben x Jim ;-)
I Amin middle of two series, so as soon as I am done with those, I will pick up Ben x Jim.
Interesting tidbit about the scary scene. That was lost on me.
Jokes aside, I really liked every minute of it. No high school, no gay clichés, so refreshing. I will definitely watch more philippino material now.