At best, a BL is like really well or really badly written fanfiction. At worst, it is cliché and cheesy to the levels of being unbearable. I guess the truth for Between Us lies somewhere in the middle.
Of course, with WinTeam being such a popular ship on "Until We Meet Again", the expectations were very high and the hype stellar. I, too, had high expectations. I didn't watch it when it originally aired but later, and everyone kept swooning about it and telling how great the show is.
I give credit where credit is due: BounPrem's chemistry and playing off each other is wonderful. Their kisses and love scenes are to die for. But that's basically where it ends.
I loved them and their interactions in "Until We Meet Again" but after having finished "Between Us", I just don't get it.
I don't get what Win sees in Team that made him fall in love so deeply. I mean, to sum up, Team is a whiny, annoying, not very smart bordering on stupid, baby that is always hungry. I mean, I get why people would fall in love with Win - he is gorgeous, basically a saint that always takes care of the people around him, is kind, smart and stronger than he looks. But Team? Nope, I still don't get it. He simply has no redeeming qualities or attractive character traits.
This is why, after establishing this impression, I could not take the script seriously. There is so much drama, so many emotions, so many love and declaration scenes, so much crying, and all based on what ... nothing? Shallow attraction?
Let me sum up the rest that bothered me. We have, like four side couples. FOUR. In 12 episodes! Not necessary and just too much. The only couple I liked that had potential and played their scenes well, was Win's brother and Win's buddy. It does, to an extent, make sense to show Pharm's and Manow's love stories but the fourth couple was really unnecessary, had no chemistry and tbh I didn't like the actors playing them.
Another point of criticism is ... FOOD. I don't know whether the producers got the hint from "Until We Meet Again" for being guilty of fat shaming and promoting diet services on slim people, but they made sure in "Between Us" that people always have something in their belly. Whether it's asking if they should go and eat something, have eaten something or declaring that they want to eat something - about 60 % of the conversations in "Between Us" revolve around food and we even get to see some overweight side characters or extras. I do appreciate the effort, but it was just too much, too repetetive and, in the end, annoying.
Speaking of annoying, that leads us to criticism point no. 3: PRODUCT PLACEMENT. Thai BLs are generally guilty of it and surprisingly enough, this time it was not crisps (oh, they did advertise them, but it was not as blatant as in "Until We Meet Again") but a refreshment drink. It appeared in many scenes and the characters spent time talking about it and promotionally effectively drinking from it, which had nothing to do with the scene or the plot. Skip, skip, skip.
One last point that I found not only annoying but also bordering on rude: I am not familiar with the way Thailand handles homosexuality and displays of affection between a gay couple in public, but it was ridiculous how much Team kept pushing Win away at the least romantic gesture, be it a kiss or a hug. One could argue that Team is shy or that in Thailand, indeed, it is frowned upon when two men exchange romantic gestures in public, that I would get. But what about being in private? Their relationship began with sex, for God's sake! So why play hard to get or even being disgusted when Win wants to kiss him behind closed doors? Something I simply didn't get.
To sum it up: I skipped many scenes, we have again a character that whinily pronounces the name of their beloved in every scene (here it is Team instead of Pharm), a shallow love story that is blown out of proportions and, like in "Until We Meet Again", too many emotions and drama. The only episode I genuinely liked was the finale, I thought it would be a disaster but it was surprisingly gentle, sweet and romantic.
In the end, it IS a cheesily written fanfiction (with bad dialogue, by the way) that is only saved by BounPrem as the main couple but not really an overall pleasure to watch. Like I said, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
Of course, with WinTeam being such a popular ship on "Until We Meet Again", the expectations were very high and the hype stellar. I, too, had high expectations. I didn't watch it when it originally aired but later, and everyone kept swooning about it and telling how great the show is.
I give credit where credit is due: BounPrem's chemistry and playing off each other is wonderful. Their kisses and love scenes are to die for. But that's basically where it ends.
I loved them and their interactions in "Until We Meet Again" but after having finished "Between Us", I just don't get it.
I don't get what Win sees in Team that made him fall in love so deeply. I mean, to sum up, Team is a whiny, annoying, not very smart bordering on stupid, baby that is always hungry. I mean, I get why people would fall in love with Win - he is gorgeous, basically a saint that always takes care of the people around him, is kind, smart and stronger than he looks. But Team? Nope, I still don't get it. He simply has no redeeming qualities or attractive character traits.
This is why, after establishing this impression, I could not take the script seriously. There is so much drama, so many emotions, so many love and declaration scenes, so much crying, and all based on what ... nothing? Shallow attraction?
Let me sum up the rest that bothered me. We have, like four side couples. FOUR. In 12 episodes! Not necessary and just too much. The only couple I liked that had potential and played their scenes well, was Win's brother and Win's buddy. It does, to an extent, make sense to show Pharm's and Manow's love stories but the fourth couple was really unnecessary, had no chemistry and tbh I didn't like the actors playing them.
Another point of criticism is ... FOOD. I don't know whether the producers got the hint from "Until We Meet Again" for being guilty of fat shaming and promoting diet services on slim people, but they made sure in "Between Us" that people always have something in their belly. Whether it's asking if they should go and eat something, have eaten something or declaring that they want to eat something - about 60 % of the conversations in "Between Us" revolve around food and we even get to see some overweight side characters or extras. I do appreciate the effort, but it was just too much, too repetetive and, in the end, annoying.
Speaking of annoying, that leads us to criticism point no. 3: PRODUCT PLACEMENT. Thai BLs are generally guilty of it and surprisingly enough, this time it was not crisps (oh, they did advertise them, but it was not as blatant as in "Until We Meet Again") but a refreshment drink. It appeared in many scenes and the characters spent time talking about it and promotionally effectively drinking from it, which had nothing to do with the scene or the plot. Skip, skip, skip.
One last point that I found not only annoying but also bordering on rude: I am not familiar with the way Thailand handles homosexuality and displays of affection between a gay couple in public, but it was ridiculous how much Team kept pushing Win away at the least romantic gesture, be it a kiss or a hug. One could argue that Team is shy or that in Thailand, indeed, it is frowned upon when two men exchange romantic gestures in public, that I would get. But what about being in private? Their relationship began with sex, for God's sake! So why play hard to get or even being disgusted when Win wants to kiss him behind closed doors? Something I simply didn't get.
To sum it up: I skipped many scenes, we have again a character that whinily pronounces the name of their beloved in every scene (here it is Team instead of Pharm), a shallow love story that is blown out of proportions and, like in "Until We Meet Again", too many emotions and drama. The only episode I genuinely liked was the finale, I thought it would be a disaster but it was surprisingly gentle, sweet and romantic.
In the end, it IS a cheesily written fanfiction (with bad dialogue, by the way) that is only saved by BounPrem as the main couple but not really an overall pleasure to watch. Like I said, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
