My Ride The Series (2022)

Best fluff you'll find.

I don't normally like something this fluffy this much, but this had a lot of qualities that made for very enjoyable viewing. I really loved this series, and I actually cried through most of the finale, which is a rarity for me.

I'll start with some negatives:

- The Yok/Boss storyline was apparently added and is not in the source material, and it shows. It's not integrated into the main story and feels like it's a completely different show that got stapled to My Ride. It served no purpose as it didn't really contrast with the main story or shine any new light on it. The resolution of it was very satisfying and flipped things around in a refreshing way, but sometimes the Enemies to Lovers trope can be pushed way too far at first, and in this Yok is much too awful. The Blackmail thing was fine because he would never have done it and was just messing with him - it was a little OTT because Boss believed he would and was very upset. And the library thing was a deal-killer for me. Don't mess with people's books - that was just terrible. Especially for an anal-retentive person like Boss - you just know he had all those alphabetized or grouped by subject.

- The Nadia/Mayom storyline was apparently m/m in the novel, and I'm at a loss as to why they would change it - I understand the Nadia character was a very effeminate gay man and Thai series will never make someone like that a main characer in a pairing - they're sole purpose is comedy relief. This is a real disappointment as that would have been something different and special. Ironically, the theme of the Yok/Boss story, which the producers added to the series, was the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone.

- The Por story was dragged out a bit too long, and since the audience has the full picture but Tawan doesn't, it starts to get frustrating. It would have been better to have put more time into Mork's struggle with his sexuality, which was sensitively handled and not the usual eye-rolling drama, so I could have dealt with quite a bit more processing for him. Or we could have had a bit more of the motorcycle guy and the trans teacher - that was interesting.

OK, on to the positives:

- There is a lot of eye candy in this, but none of the actors were just a pretty face or rocking body (more on that later) - everyone did a great job with the acting, even Dr. Por - he's a really cute guy (like he is in Doctor I'm Coming for Soul), but he made him somehow creepy from the start, even though he was apparently a perfect boyfriend. You think there's something wrong, even fairly certain, yet you're not entirely sure.

- Fluke's dimple killed me, and that smile is the sun. His portrayal of Mork was consistent, sweet, quirky sensible, and gave the pair a class difference that was interesting and realistic - not at all a bag of stereotypes, and it just led to some reasonable mistaken assumptions that weren't dragged out or unrealistic. He doesn't suffer from that over-reserved performance style that plagues too many series. And I never felt like he was some actor they dragged in off the street because he's hot.

- Fluke is hot - both cute and manly without being obnoxiously alpha. Boss is adorable, Yok is sexy once he stops being an asshole, and the Barista (Mayom) is so hot it hurt to look at him. He has what I like to call "it." His gentlemanly demeanor, face, voice, and a completely killer body.

- The class difference theme was well-handled. Too often in Thai dramas there is the simple formula rich=evil, poor=virtuous. Here lower-class characters can have some sophisticated qualities as is the case with real people. The contrast between the main and secondary couple was interesting - while it got in the way for Mork and Tawan, it was mostly due to mistaken assumptions, whereas Nadia's assumptions were arrogant and completely wrong - she was no better than Mayom, and in fact her treatment of him is what lacked class, and it never occurred to her that he wasn't just a simple barista. One thing I didn't like so much was that he changed himself to please her, although I think the main point is that our assumptions about Nadia were off as well - she didn't need him to be a nobleman or rich, she just wanted a man with drive and amibition, which is reasonable. Tawan could care less and seemed to humor Mork's desire to be a provider, even though he's a doctor and most likely to be by orders of magnitude the main breadwinner for the couple. But Mork wasn't sensitive about this issue, it's just who he is.

- While this was very fluffy and clearly aimed at young audiences (if you're hoping for steamy shirtless scenes, you can forget it. They could at least have had Mayom take a shower. Sigh.), it didn't shy away from some darkness, and in fact had much less of that fantasy quality in BL where everyone is rich and everything is shiny. One of the uncles was an alcoholic, Dr Por's weaknesses were cowardly and painful to a lot of people, including himself, etc.

- This had a realistic and positive portrayal of an essentially married older gay couple, which I don't think we've seen before. They were the principal source of comic relief without being ridiculous - in fact they are crucial to Mork's character arc. They felt realistic and weren't archetypes or fairy godmothers. They had normal insights based on age & experience without having magic solutions to everything, and they had their own problems - it's one of the best elements of this series.

A nine is a very high rating, but this was such a pleasure to watch that I enjoyed it more than I have enjoyed objectively superior series. I had low expectations of this given all the production problems and recasting, but it's obvious that a lot of love went into this project. The quality of the cast was much higher than BL standard, and the story, while not terribly original, was well-written with fully realized characters with realistic failings and reasonable use of misunderstandings and mistaken assumption. Sometimes in other series these are so implausible that it's just frustrating, like when the evil ex-GF kisses the seme, but the uke just happens to wander to where they are at that very second for no plausible reason, and even though he sees the seme push her away in disgust, he still assumes they're over and there are three episodes of crying in the rain to sappy ballads ias we watch a montage of happy times together which we've alread seen several times. That doesn't happen here.

In fact, in the finale Mork is operating under several faulty assumptions that both drive the plot and are quite funny, and some of them were other characters being deliberately misleading, but out of positive motives.

So I highly recommend this - the pacing is a bit slow, but if you stick with it you'll be rewarded. If you find that the secondary couples aren't working for you, FFing through them will in no way diminish the main storyline.

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Definitely not what I thought it would be

It was dragged more than it should have. The whole Por cheating thing should have ended within two episodes also they could have wrapped the whole series within highest six episodes. Both of the main actors are really good but there was no chemistry between them.

I did find tawan to be a little on the doofus side, surely you know be the third text, and avoidance from por that should have been red flagged or that you are being seriously ghosted, why then would you still hold onto something like that?

The other side couples were okay, nothing really fantastic and nothing to dull.

This drama was not what i was expecting, it was like a sweet side story, there was hardly a kiss in this drama, which came across as more of a bromance than a love story or BL.

Overall: Its an okay watch.

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Mork/Fluke is the best thing about this drama.

First official drama I started and completed in 2023 and I was welcomed by Fluke's cute dimple and sweet smile. He's the best thing about this drama. I am quite surprised to find out that this is his first drama as he did an admirable job. He reminded me of a mix between Chinese actors Zheng Ye Cheng and Riley Wang. Cute and adorable!

The selling point of this drama is supposed to be the sweet romance between Mork and Tawan. I did enjoy the first half of the drama because of them. I liked how they met, how they became friends and then slowly fell for each other. Those episodes are sweet and cute. Tawan's acting is only so-so, compared to Mork. I felt the drama dragged Por's secret on for way too long. In the end, there's not enough time for Tawan to find out the truth, wallow in his misery and then come to the conclusion that he could be with someone who has loved him for a while. After the secret was exposed, the last couple episodes felt rushed. The development of Mork and Tawan's romance was not very satisfying for me.

There are two other romantic storylines in "My Ride" but unfortunately, they are not good enough for me. I did not like Toy or Boss, nor their relationship. I don't see how they are attracted to each other. I expected better development between Mayom and Nadia. Unfortunately, Mayom turned out to be a different character than I anticipated. I thought he would be cool and mature, but he ended up being another love sick puppy.

The driver trio is quite fun. They provide comic relief and commentary on Mork and Tawan's relationship. But the two uncles are the MVPs. They are so caring, funny, understanding and realistic. They give good advice to the young couple on what makes a relationship work.

The production quality is decent. There are product placements, of course, but they are not as in-your-face as some others I've seen. At least there aren't any ridiculous scenes where they need to force the products to be part of the plot/scene.

Overall, "My Ride" is a simple and predictable drama. I did not quite fall in love with the drama but I did fall in love with Mork/Fluke and I am glad I discovered him here.


Other Random Observations:
1. They have the smallest and tightest Ferris wheel ever.
2. The confession and apology scene is so inappropriate. These are professional doctors and not med students anymore. Doing at the hospital lecture hall in front of the professor is too over-the-top.
3. Many of these characters act like high school students instead of doctors in their mid to late twenties.


Completed: 1/2/2023

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A Solid BL with Normal BL Pros and Cons

Great beginning/first half, good story overall. Some points of contention that took it from a 10 to a grudging 7.5:

1. Tawan liked the other doctor after literally one meeting and starting dating him after ten letters and literally nothing else (also 'letters' is way too generous-- they were notes at best.) He was way, way, waaaayyy too attached for how little they knew each other.

2. Mork knew the other doctor was cheating and lied to Tawan about it. Tbh even just keeping it to himself is fucked, but to lie?? Even when asked directly? No. I hate liars in general, despise lying plots, and I couldnt really get back to liking his character after. I still finished the series, but I really feel it the choice to lie to a friend for fear of being uncomfortable was brushed over too quickly.

3. ToyBoss was my least favorite thing in the whole show. Specifically Toy. Toy is an ass. Toy remains an ass, even after they kiss and make up or whatever. Idk, the scene where he fucks up Boss' bookshelf (books literally laying open FACEDOWN. LAYING ON THEIR SPINES DEAR LORD GIVE ME STRENGTH) got me heated. More than heated, actually. I didnt like the character to begin with, but I started skipping their scenes after that because, for me at least, it was unconscionable.

4. The barista couple side story was kinda contrived. Not the worst thing, but they didnt really do a great job showing why it needed to be that complicated besides one metaphor that very much didnt explain anything.

5. I wasnt a fan of the second obstacle in episode 9. Im aware that there must always be a second hurdle for the mains to overcome, but it felt really forced. Miscommunication is the fastest way to lose my attention, especially when everyone has smartphones and is an adult. An almost 30 year old adult.


Now for the parts I really enjoyed:

1. There were a lot of music hijinks/music based jokes that didnt just land, they destroyed me. I laughed extremely hard at the stop-start music jokes and I wish there had been more of them. Also, good music choices in general.

2. This is the first thai BL I've seen where people get hurt and their wounds are something I would give even one single shit about. Usually they just slap a papercut somewhere and freak out about it, but every time someone is injured in this series, I genuinely believe it needs a bandage. Not huge, but its one of the obligatory suspension of disbelief points I usually like the least.

3. Khai. I think his character couldve been ustilzed much better (and much earlier), but the episode in which he's pertinent was still well done.

4. The motorcycle trio. Literally best side characters in any BL ever. Period. Fight me if you disagree, Im ripped.

5. Serious conversations that delve into sexuality. It's interesting when BLs actually tackle topics related to LGBT+ anything instead of just throwing voyeuristic scenes in left and right and making everyone gay for the sake of it. I dont hate that-- here I am watching BL exclusively for the most part-- but it gets very old, very fast. Ive seen other series that delve into more sensitive topics more effectively, but it was done well here and that's really all I ask for.

6. I really enjoyed the progression of Mork and Tawans relationship. A lot of BLs montage to try and say "hey theres totally a reason these guys fall for each other lol, you imagine what that is based on these fun gifs" but we actually get dialogue and scenes to show how their personalities mesh or where they arent such a good fit. Again, I've seen it done better, but this is a rare gem of a quality to have, so I'm not going to nitpick it.

In conclusion, definitely worth a watch, it does go a bit off the rails in the last couple episode but if I ever find a BL that doesnt, I'll probably die ofbshock anyway.

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Definitively a must watch

Let me say it: we need more of "work-bl" dramas. This type of bl just gives me mature vibes, and after watching an all bunch of university gays falling in love, it's refreshing. Saying that, let's go with the review.

Story (9)
All the couple never fails to entertain me. Maybe the "I got cheated by my bf/gf" is an old type of plot, but here is treated in a really good way. I actually read the novel before watching the series (if you want there's the legal translation on Amazon) and I loved to see that they have perfectly followed the original story.

Acting/Cast (9)
Let me make a list so I don't forget someone:
- Fame as Tawan: I found him really cute and into the character. Nothing to say other than... good job!
- Fluke as Mork: I'm weak to his dimple. Completely. You can't be that good as an actor and even be a handsome man like this.
- Yoon as Toy: why this man is everywhere? Like, how many partners he has? And he's always so good and always has such amazing chemicals whit his partner. I really don't understand.
- Best as Boss: maybe not the best actor of the series, but he nailed it.
- Ging as Nadia: actually in the novel her character is trans, so at first I didn't like the change, but then I realized she's the exact character and I let it go.
- *little special for Mork's gang": never saw bros like this. They literally rode half of Thailand only to support their bi friend on getting his first bf. Love them.

Music (8)
Actually if not for the main theme I didn't notice it so much, but that also means it was good and on point.

Rewatch Value (8)
Idk why but I feel like it could be a super comfortable drama to rewatch. Just chill vibes and some drama. Like it.

Overall (9)
I enjoyed this drama so much that I want to give him a really high vote (strange for me). I heard the novel is going to have a second book, hope they'll make a s2.

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Definitely one of my favorites of the year

Got to say this one was a surprise. I loved it from beginning to end. Mork and Tawan's story was told beautifully. They went from strangers who helped each other in healing their equally broken hearts, to friends, to slowly falling in love as they got to know each other slowly and bonded more. Loved the journey. I also feel like the topic of Mork's sexuality was handled well. He learned the most important lesson of all love is love no matter the class or gender, you feel what you feel & that's it.

Also, it was helpful that there was no unnecessary drama during the 10 episodes it was all told well, and the story flowed well. My Ride isn't just a story of two people falling in love, it's about healing, friendship, rough patches in life, learning your self-worth and discovering who you are as a person. Every character went thru an arc where they found themselves and became stronger.

The two main leads were good for being relatively new. Both made me feel for their characters which is what matters. Plus, both Mork and Tawan, just like the rest, were extremely likable characters who you just wanted to see win. I would highly recommend this series. It's very enjoyable and makes you think. The end of the series gave me butterflies and Mork's confession to Tawan is now one of my favorites. The opening song got stuck in my head.

Overall, I give this a 9.5 and I will definitely be rewatching this lovely series

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Bad plot development for a potentially fun series

My Ride could have been a nice fun and light BL series. No deep topics, no super complex relationships or plot twists. But the series has two problems: a boring protagonist and a super slow central plot.

Most of the characters on the show are quite okay. Mork is by far the best character, and Fluke in great in the role. The side characters are also entertaining, like the uncles and Mork’s friends. The two side couples work and their stores have a slow but steady development. I enjoyed ToyBoss more than I expected. Unfortunately, Tawan is a very dull protagonist. And to makes matters worse, he’s stuck in failed and uninteresting relationship for 8 episodes.

We get nice moments between Mork and Tawan during the episodes where they’re just friends, but the story cannot develop until Tawan is single. The story tries to show the audience that Tawan might have feelings for Mork while still “dating” Por. But Tawan tries to hold onto that relationship even after Por: ghosts him, lies to him, asks for time apart and cheats on him. Tawan caught Por in bed with another guy and he was still trying to stay together?! The issue is that Por and Tawan never had a relationship. There’s not a single nice moment between them after Por gives him flowers. There’s nothing to make Tawan want to stay together. They have no history. I hate the “ex comes back in the end to separate the couple” plot, but at least Mork and Fern were together for years and had good moments together. Episodes 8, 9 and 10 had nice moments for MorkTawan, but it ended up being too little too late. My Ride could have explored those moments better if the couple started to get together earlier.

I was not expecting a groundbreaking series, but My Ride still left me disappointed with how little screen time the main couple got as a an actual couple and how boring the central story was.

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one of the best feel good drama

its a simple one. dont expect much. the chemistry between the mls is the driving force for the whole show, take that out, you wont have a lot left. production and cinematography was good for a low budget series. its more of a character based series than a plot based one so don't expect heavy twists and turns. fluke and flame were like magic together and i hope they get casted for more series as mls.

first 8 episodes were kind of slow (still entertaining though) the last 2 episodes seemed very rushed. like they could've spent less screentime into por's cheating plot and brought back fern earlier than the last episode.

i also wish they put a little more effort into the side characters. boss and toy had a lot of potential. the het couple were kind of uninteresting hence unnecessary imo.

the sole reason why you should watch this is because of the fluttering chemistry between mork and tawan, they stole the show for me

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The Sweetest Ride Ever!

I have never been a fan of Romantic Comedies. Sugary. Treacly. Syrupy. No thank you. But every now and again one comes along and charms the heck out of you - and this is one of them. The set up is simple - Mork (a motorcycle taxi driver and one of the sweetest guys on Planet Earth) is dumped by his girlfriend when she latches onto "someone better". Pretty soon he meets Tawan, something lights up in both of them, and off we go.

Now we know they are made for each other from the word go but, of course, they don't, so we just have to take the ride to the land of true love with them, but this is where things take an unexpected turn. Along the way we meet some of the best supporting characters you'll ever come across - from Mork's trio of motorcycle buddies, to the hospital staff (especially Doctors Toy and Boss), to the baristas at the local coffee house...and when we meet Mork's uncles - Uncle Cheep and Uncle Dej - it's game over! Cheep and Dej will probably remain my favourite side couple forever. They bicker, they harangue each other, they support their Mork but, most of all, their love for each other is almost palpable. Best! Couple! Ever!

As for the series villains - what can I say? There's Tawan's idiotic first boyfriend who wants to have his cake and eat it too (what Tawan see in him, I'll never know), and the aforementioned girlfriend (there's an attempt of a redemption arc in the finale, but I don't think anyone's buying 'cause she's beyond redemption). The villains are annoying, but there is too much sugar here to be seriously bothered by these few drops of bitterness.

Recommendation? Yup. It doesn't break new ground, but it will charm the pants off of you, and if the kiss on the mountainside in the final episode doesn't take your breath away, then you need help. Ahhh, what a sweet ride.

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What a wild ride

My succinct review: A cute show with adorable leads and pretty bland side couples. It has an amazing soundtrack and is really lighthearted most of the time and had me smiling even at the very end. It's not the most amazing revolutionary series, but it's something I don't think you'll regret watching as it's very entertaining and sweet. Don't be afraid to skip as some parts can drag on and it would have been less enjoyable if I endured every scene.

Also, gay uncle's!!! Yay for old gay people!

Now my rambling review:

I honestly would give this a higher score if it hadn't spent as much time on the side characters who I didn't dislike but didn't really care about. Other than Mork's uncles and his friends, it was a riot every time those guys were on screen. I love Nadia but her love story bored me. If you do skip, you won't miss anything important to the main plot as I don't even think the side couple knows the main couple outside of being vaguely coworkers. I did like that the actor who played the one that wasn't Boss was really good in this role because he's played cool, badass dudes in shows like Paint With Love and Unforgotten Night and I do not personally think that suits him. I really liked seeing him as a bratty kinda irresponsible guy who wore hoodies and skateboarded and probably paid to get through med school. Seriously how's he a doctor? What a guy.

I absolutely loved Mork and Tawan. They only frustrated me maybe 2 or 3 times which is pretty impressive! They were honestly a really sweet couple and any misunderstandings were resolved well and fast because they were mature about it and actually talked to each other. (The final misunderstanding was a bit more difficult but to be fair I cannot blame Tawan at all for reacting to what he saw especially after everything that happened.) Both of them are too kind for their own good and we're unfortunate enough to have bad exes who took advantage of and stepped all over that, but they're perfect together.

The music was amazing!!! I actually saved a lot of the instrumental tracks because I liked them so much (and was actually able to find them) It was really well done and even if the scores weren't made for the series originally they were still integrated really well.

There were a lot of pretty intense twists and turns in this which shocked me, as I was expecting all lighthearted silliness and not (spoiler!!!) a bloody shooting at a festival and a random son (/nephew). Like oh my god that had me feeling like I was going crazy. (Hence the wild ride tagline)

Mork's dimple (just the one :D) made this show worthwhile. I'm only kind of joking. Also there's the fact that he is named Mork and therefore already had a foot in the door to my heart. Tawan is an absolute cutie too. I hate his initial boyfriend and wish they hadn't spent quite so much time on him, but Mork punched his ass out so it's kind of okay.

The fact that Tawan said "I know I'm not good looking and I'm not good enough for you." And Pore said "Sometimes feelings are more important than reasons." As if he agreed with that nonsense??!! Tawan baby, buy yourself a mirror and some glasses you're so beautiful and deserve way better than Mr Pimple over there.

It was really interesting to me that they managed to give pretty bad advice but still have pretty good actions they took. They basically encouraged finding a rebound and settling which was odd because that's not even what was happening. Mork was infinitely better than Por, he just had less money. Three specific instances of weird advice were "Best way to get over someone is to find someone else as soon as possible.", "If the person of your dreams is out of reach try finding someone who isn't so exhausting to obtain.", and "Love doesn't really mean much in a relationship once you get old, it's more about honesty." that last one could've been a mistranslation where they meant passion more than love, but I don't know.
There were a few things that left a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth but the sweetness of the rest of the show overpowered them.

I liked the scenes with Khai as they were very cute, and I think it's hilarious that Mork asked Tawan to be Khai's other dad before they were even dating. Mork lives by lesbian dating rules apparently.
Bonus: Tawan's dramatic ass lying in the pouring rain after getting dumped. This led to one of the most respectful changing-unconscious-persons-clothes-because-they're-soaked scenes I've ever seen. Mork was panicked but in a sweet way because he didn't want to make it weird and even though he still did (blindfolding himself and then going "Ah! His nipple!") it wasn't creepy or super uncomfortable.

I think I could ramble about this show for a long time (clearly...) but my overall opinion is that it was very entertaining and super super cute.

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