dodoubleg1785
Toronto, Canada and New York, USA
This review may contain spoilers
Toxicity with self-awareness
I already know this review is going to sound like a b*tchfest but I need to get it off my chest.
First and foremost, it really is a shame that people have badmouthed this series so much. I highly doubt the writers, directors or actors would ever see all the negativity verbatim but an overall reception of a series could make it hard for them to find more work or even the motivation to try again. And, really, if you can't give "constructive" criticism, then just don't say anything at all.
That being said, this series certainly wasn't the best I've ever seen nor was the plot anything out of the standard drama of university students navigating adult life for the first time. I think a lot of people who were badmouthing this series forget that these characters are young adults who have never been in romantic relationships before. All they know is friendships and sex with no bridge in-between. Having feelings other than that is foreign to them and so of course they are going to botch it up royally.
Seriously, I'm getting so sick of people saying relationships in dramas are "toxic." It's a DRAMA, not a romantic comedy or an action or any other genre where you should expect anything else. But at least this drama recognizes and addresses the "toxic" traits. How many times did a character point out that jealousy is the driving factor and you should just ask the other party about the events instead of overthinking the worst? How many times did Sher remind Fah that their AGREEMENT was a friends with benefits situation? Sher was right to keep getting aggravated and fed up with Fah whenever he got jealous because there is no room for those feelings in a FWB dynamic. Them finding love through all the hurt and struggles is still believable because, again, they do not know why they acted the way they did since they never felt this way before. When they took some time to themselves to really think about it, that's when they realized the feelings involved were deeper than just physical intimacy.
It's also a shame that for such a heavy drama, pretty much every actor was brand new to the scene. This was a first role for 90% of the cast and yes, it shows. Would the series have been better or well received with a more seasoned cast? Honestly, I don't think so. In a way, their amateurism added to the fact that these characters were experiencing life lessons/feelings for the first time. In that regard, I think they handled it fairly well though there was certainly room for improvement which I hope they get the opportunity to try again.
Even if I personally don't think it has much of a rewatch value, I do think it is worth a shot. If nothing else, it was highly entertaining which is all I can hope for as well as the main purpose of these shows. The way some people criticize them with comments like "that is so unrealistic" or "that is such a bad way to handle that" make me think that those people thought they were watching a how-to video instead of a work of fiction meant to entertain.
First and foremost, it really is a shame that people have badmouthed this series so much. I highly doubt the writers, directors or actors would ever see all the negativity verbatim but an overall reception of a series could make it hard for them to find more work or even the motivation to try again. And, really, if you can't give "constructive" criticism, then just don't say anything at all.
That being said, this series certainly wasn't the best I've ever seen nor was the plot anything out of the standard drama of university students navigating adult life for the first time. I think a lot of people who were badmouthing this series forget that these characters are young adults who have never been in romantic relationships before. All they know is friendships and sex with no bridge in-between. Having feelings other than that is foreign to them and so of course they are going to botch it up royally.
Seriously, I'm getting so sick of people saying relationships in dramas are "toxic." It's a DRAMA, not a romantic comedy or an action or any other genre where you should expect anything else. But at least this drama recognizes and addresses the "toxic" traits. How many times did a character point out that jealousy is the driving factor and you should just ask the other party about the events instead of overthinking the worst? How many times did Sher remind Fah that their AGREEMENT was a friends with benefits situation? Sher was right to keep getting aggravated and fed up with Fah whenever he got jealous because there is no room for those feelings in a FWB dynamic. Them finding love through all the hurt and struggles is still believable because, again, they do not know why they acted the way they did since they never felt this way before. When they took some time to themselves to really think about it, that's when they realized the feelings involved were deeper than just physical intimacy.
It's also a shame that for such a heavy drama, pretty much every actor was brand new to the scene. This was a first role for 90% of the cast and yes, it shows. Would the series have been better or well received with a more seasoned cast? Honestly, I don't think so. In a way, their amateurism added to the fact that these characters were experiencing life lessons/feelings for the first time. In that regard, I think they handled it fairly well though there was certainly room for improvement which I hope they get the opportunity to try again.
Even if I personally don't think it has much of a rewatch value, I do think it is worth a shot. If nothing else, it was highly entertaining which is all I can hope for as well as the main purpose of these shows. The way some people criticize them with comments like "that is so unrealistic" or "that is such a bad way to handle that" make me think that those people thought they were watching a how-to video instead of a work of fiction meant to entertain.
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