This review may contain spoilers
Face paced, but super cute
I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I loved this series. For one, these concepts of people falling in love during one of the most difficult times in the world has to be just about the perfect "meant to be" moment ever. And yes, this series was one of those. Ben x Jim tells an enlightening story about first loves and following ones' true desire. While there were plenty of plot bumps and an absurd resolution, I still found myself being entertained to the fullest.
Let's Dive In.
The first episode didn't leave too much of a good impression. The pacing felt a little slow, and I felt like I wasn't able to understand the circumstances of the characters (other than they were in the middle of COVID) all too clearly. But from there, the pacing got better, until about the last episode, and everything just kind of spiraled. The resolution was too...perfect if that makes sense. I think I would've been better off had they just left off on them being separated and we see in a sequel or second season their relationship being revolved. It felt too Disney, I'll just put it that way. But given that it was only 7 episodes, I guess I can understand the rush in the end.
Let's get into the characters and their circumstances. So Ben is an interesting character to me. While I personally enjoyed Ben to the fullest, I wanted to see him stand his ground when it came to Leo; and even Jim. He got walked over way too many times, and I would've like to see him take initiation once in and a while. However, Teejay did an incredible job at portraying Ben, and I could see the pain behind his eyes when it came to seeing Jim with Yana and everything in between. Let's move on to Jim, who I wasn't too much of a fan of, however, Jerome did an excellent job at portraying him, but let's be honest, Jim is the last person that you should date for multiple reasons. One, his machoness and possesiveness was astronomical. If I were Ben, that would be a big red flag. I was hoping there would be some kind of conversation on how he could fix the way he spoke about Ben, but nope, nothing. Two, it was the audacity for him to continue being in a relationship with Yana and see Ben behind her back. It doesn't matter if he was going through trying to deal with these newfound feelings for Ben, he should've taken the steps with breaking up with Yana way before he tried persuing anything with Ben, because then it becomes cheating (which it was). Again, it just kind of goes back to Ben needing to take some initiative and see that that was wrong. But, Jim did have his good moments. My favorite scene were the confession moments between the two of them. It was done beautifully, and the dialogue was just perfect. Lastly, the use of the words, "wife" or, "wifey". It's disgusting to use those titles incorrectly and to a gay person. What about saying husband, or a more gender-neutrual terms like honey or baby? It's nit-picky things, but it was just too much crap for me to even really want him and Ben together.
I really loved Flo. She was too funny, and she added the perfect amount of comedic relief to this series. I wasn't too much of a fan of Ron's (Olan) acting, but I guess I liked the added plot of jealousy. I could see him and Yana happening from a mile away, and part of me liked them, but the other part of me didn't really care for them much. Moving onto the last character, Yana. Oh lord, someone help her, she was just too clueless, like there was just too many signs that Ben and Jim had something going on. Just one example was during their mini little get-together. The game they played? The karaoke? The way they were looking at each other? Just too much for her not to see. Yana was a likeable character until she realized that Jim liked Ben and became pretty homophobic. I can understand being hurt cause he lied, but there was no reason to go and say he was ruining his life and blah blah blah. So, I kind of just lost repesct after that.
The plot was pretty vague, but the drama between their families did add that special umph to the story. It was a bit of a surprise at the revelation of the situation, but it added a necessary conflict that felt missing. With that being said, the rest of the plot was of the ordinary, but I like simple concepts, so I'm not even mad.
Overall, the show was a nice watch, and a quick one too. Teejay and Jerome as well as the rest of the supporting cast members put on a really good performance. The ost was played repetitivley, which got pretty annoying, but for the most part, it was an alright song (Though, it sounded like something I'd hear while playing the Sims). The production was good, and the setting had a nice, natrual feel to it. I would definitely recommend if someone wants a quick watch.
Let's Dive In.
The first episode didn't leave too much of a good impression. The pacing felt a little slow, and I felt like I wasn't able to understand the circumstances of the characters (other than they were in the middle of COVID) all too clearly. But from there, the pacing got better, until about the last episode, and everything just kind of spiraled. The resolution was too...perfect if that makes sense. I think I would've been better off had they just left off on them being separated and we see in a sequel or second season their relationship being revolved. It felt too Disney, I'll just put it that way. But given that it was only 7 episodes, I guess I can understand the rush in the end.
Let's get into the characters and their circumstances. So Ben is an interesting character to me. While I personally enjoyed Ben to the fullest, I wanted to see him stand his ground when it came to Leo; and even Jim. He got walked over way too many times, and I would've like to see him take initiation once in and a while. However, Teejay did an incredible job at portraying Ben, and I could see the pain behind his eyes when it came to seeing Jim with Yana and everything in between. Let's move on to Jim, who I wasn't too much of a fan of, however, Jerome did an excellent job at portraying him, but let's be honest, Jim is the last person that you should date for multiple reasons. One, his machoness and possesiveness was astronomical. If I were Ben, that would be a big red flag. I was hoping there would be some kind of conversation on how he could fix the way he spoke about Ben, but nope, nothing. Two, it was the audacity for him to continue being in a relationship with Yana and see Ben behind her back. It doesn't matter if he was going through trying to deal with these newfound feelings for Ben, he should've taken the steps with breaking up with Yana way before he tried persuing anything with Ben, because then it becomes cheating (which it was). Again, it just kind of goes back to Ben needing to take some initiative and see that that was wrong. But, Jim did have his good moments. My favorite scene were the confession moments between the two of them. It was done beautifully, and the dialogue was just perfect. Lastly, the use of the words, "wife" or, "wifey". It's disgusting to use those titles incorrectly and to a gay person. What about saying husband, or a more gender-neutrual terms like honey or baby? It's nit-picky things, but it was just too much crap for me to even really want him and Ben together.
I really loved Flo. She was too funny, and she added the perfect amount of comedic relief to this series. I wasn't too much of a fan of Ron's (Olan) acting, but I guess I liked the added plot of jealousy. I could see him and Yana happening from a mile away, and part of me liked them, but the other part of me didn't really care for them much. Moving onto the last character, Yana. Oh lord, someone help her, she was just too clueless, like there was just too many signs that Ben and Jim had something going on. Just one example was during their mini little get-together. The game they played? The karaoke? The way they were looking at each other? Just too much for her not to see. Yana was a likeable character until she realized that Jim liked Ben and became pretty homophobic. I can understand being hurt cause he lied, but there was no reason to go and say he was ruining his life and blah blah blah. So, I kind of just lost repesct after that.
The plot was pretty vague, but the drama between their families did add that special umph to the story. It was a bit of a surprise at the revelation of the situation, but it added a necessary conflict that felt missing. With that being said, the rest of the plot was of the ordinary, but I like simple concepts, so I'm not even mad.
Overall, the show was a nice watch, and a quick one too. Teejay and Jerome as well as the rest of the supporting cast members put on a really good performance. The ost was played repetitivley, which got pretty annoying, but for the most part, it was an alright song (Though, it sounded like something I'd hear while playing the Sims). The production was good, and the setting had a nice, natrual feel to it. I would definitely recommend if someone wants a quick watch.
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