Dao and Tee work in the same office and were boyfriends but are now separate. Dao takes a vacation by himself and there he meets Nine with whom he has a very passionate one night stand. But Dao never hears back from Nine for months, despite them promising to keep in touch. The company that Dao and Tee work for is not doing too well and they need new clients. Tee sets up meeting with a prospective new client, and to Dao's surprise it is Nine. Nine is a professional photographer, is rich and is Tee's old college friend. Dao and Nine eventually decide to keep their secret. One now has a girlfriend whom he got back together with since she has suicidal tendencies. Nine doesn't love her anymore but he thinks if he leaves her, it will trigger another mental episode. Tee meanwhile wows Dao back with him and they start a relationship but clearly Dao longs for Nine and uses Tee's affection to make Nine jealous. Full on flirting goes between them and eventually they secretly start having an affair while technically being faithful or pretending to be with their respective partners. Eventually secrets are revealed. Tee moves on with another guy who works in the office and their relationship is in focus. Meanwhile Nine breaks up with his girlfriend leading to a full blown blowout. Some misunderstandings happen and eventually Dao and Nine are together.
Right from episode 4 till last episode, thee whole thing is about Dao and Nine flirting, trying to get together, feeling guilty of having partners, sleeping around and still not doing anything. It feels like this cycle kept getting repeated in all the episodes that followed till there was an eventual conclusion. As a character, there is nothing likable about Dao. He is whiny, complains and is al about himself. Nine is no saint. He is serially cheating on his girlfriend with Dao, who by the way says he wants to be faithful to Tee but is a weak person so he made out with Nine pretty much constantly then pushed him away in a oft-repeated pattern that just made him even more annoying. If you're going to cheat on your boyfriend on a daily basis, then just do it, or break up with him. But don't make out with some guy and then act like it's all his fault. The whole premise of the show is wrong and just not acceptable. Crazy behavior, loss of self-control, forbidden love, etc. can be exciting, funny, or entertaining but in short dose, not when the same things gets repetitive over and over again testing your patience. The acting is actually not all that bad, but the characters themselves are written so poor, they really have not much to work with. The problem lies with both screenplay and direction, which is very very amateurish. None of the characters are likable (as already mentioned before). Not a single one of them. All the workplace scenes are laughably unrealistic due to the lack of professionalism. From cringy dialogue to gross misconduct, the Check Out team is totally clueless about real-life office dynamics. Even the so called sex and nude scenes are just unwatchable despite the male leads having almost perfect bodies. Nine was a very attractive lead and I hope I get to see more of him in future shows that give him some potential. Tee was also good looking. Dao was just annoying in terms of both looks and personality. Another example of a a story that could have potential with tight execution but eventually it is a big mess. (2.5/10)
Comments
I see you've enjoyed the cringefest to the fullest. Watching it I remember feeling like at a treasure hunt or archaeological excavation - 10 cm of soil, place grid, note: nothing, another 10 cm of soil, place grid, nothing again, another 10 cm, place grid, one coin and two pieces of pottery, yay :D At one point I caught myself thinking who wrote the script, a 12-yr old girl who has never been to an actual resort or office, but knows where to find XXX-videos? Although there were positive elements as well, like photographers at work, and the nature, and the resort (especially the Moroccan tiles in the bathroom), and the "have met before" trope with the chain and pendant, but then those loopholes and wth-s and wtf-s and the overly choreographed nc scenes and so many my cringes... I guess I have to be thankful, though, since this series must be one of those that has enhanced my shit tolerance the most.
I also got the same thought about Chahub ("Nine") and hoping for better scripts for him, because he's definitely got potential as a lead, but so far he's been in only a few shows and none of those really manage to show what he's got. Since he's bilingual, maybe someone outside Thailand shows some mercy and steals him.
And one interesting point my friend suggested - that maybe I'm not the target audience. Maybe it's meant for someone who's suffering because of all those toxic behaviors shown there, to open their eyes and give them courage to leave the situation. Well, if THAT'S the case, then it's a 10/10.
P.S! (whispering) told you so!
P.P.S! dammit... oops... won't happen again :D
Miisu suggested it gets better after and it does. Or should I say it becomes less worse... Maybe it was because I didn't have to go through the horrible first half again. Anyway it was plain, boring, with stupid reactions, crazy behaviour etc. And Daonua character is absolutely horrible, almost unbearable. Sadly, watching Nine shirtless doesn't compensate (and you know how much I'm forgiving to great bodies :p). The straight couple was my favourite and really funny though. The special episode was kindda nice too. But as a whole it really was a pain to watch.
Just as the second season of cutie pie I'm watching right now... I didn't like S1, this one is even worse. I don't get how this series got good reviews I find it absolutely horrible! You can probably save time here too Golu...
Daonua from "Check Out" and Kuea from "Cutie Pie" are probably the worst characters I've seen so far. All this whining and changing of their minds like weathervanes, ewwww. OK, I could be generous and forgive if the capricious diva character was smart or talented, but these two didn't even have the looks, to say nothing of the brains.
So, essentially what I am hearing from you guys is that I should totally void Cutie Pie 1 and 2 both!! Noted !!
On small nice BL recommendation, the taiwanese "My tooth your love" is all nice and simple. Nothing world shaking and I know I'm more fond of taiwanese BL than you but I still think you will enjoy it *fingers crossed*
Meanwhile finished "Bite Me" - nice slice of life that takes place mostly in a kitchen of an upper class restaurant. Nostalgia for me :) Sometimes fluffy. Didn't notice any major cringes.
"My Gear, Your Gown" - trope overload overloaded. Probably goes to the category of "so bad it's actually good". But the leads did something to hold my attention and I kinda liked it.
Btw, is "Ai Long Nhai" on your list somewhere? The series ended recently and for some unknown reason was also followed by a film, which can 200% be avoided. The series has some storylines that I like but see very rarely (so far in only one full length film and in "9-1-1" series - not spoiling :P ), some goofs and wife-cringe, but the latter is not that acute. You've seen way worse.
"I Will Knock You" also ended recently, something different and production-wise very labor-consuming since it was filmed in about 20 temples all over the country.
Miisu I'll take your recommandation and start "I will knock you" soon then!
Golu I have what I believe is a strong recommandation : "Crystal boys". An old taiwanese series (2003) that falls in the old but gold category for me. It is suuuuper long (20 x 55min...) and sometimes slow but you lost 20h watching "War of Y" (sorry for twisting the knife), go for this one instead next time please. Nearly each episode is worth it. And for once it's not a BL. Rather the opposite, read : heavy-hearted, real, and forget about fluffy romance. Think "Your name engarved within", or "Dear ex". It's not easy to watch, hard, many stories that seem disconnected at times but all came together in unexpected ways, to make this whole show fascinating. I only regret I watched it on youtube with poor quality, maybe you can find better copies. I still have 3 episodes left to watch but I'm dreading what will come next will pale in comparison. Or say I will need something suuuuper fluffy lol (watching korean "The New Employee" in between was a mood savor!)
Win's character was also mystifying, tattoos and all, and the way he just appeared everywhere like a ghost. In Estonian we have a phrase for exactly that - the wicked spook of Paunvere :D, that's a small place in Central Estonia, famous from local literature. Plus him being an oxymoron. I sort of collect oxymorons. I wish they had kept the initial title, "Hemp Rope", "Between Us" seems too vague. But I also get why Sailor Maan didn't like it as much as I did - too much Prem among other things. And why I have separation anxiety after the final episode :D
Miisu: Hope all is well now. I am off for travels for few days, but hopefully will continue to watch stuff in my downtime.