Roommate (2020)

Only is you need a BL fix

RATING: C-

A very low-budget 4 episode (plus Special) mini-series. Very simple, straightforward, PREDICTABLE. Nothing new or exciting or really even interesting here. Two boys become roommates (again, I question this trope that Universities can only supply one bed for two boys) and slowly fall for each other. There was little to no real conflict. It was only a question of when the two boys would admit to each other their feelings. With so little to go on, the characters did not develop any depth and I was left not really caring if they ended up together or not.

ACTING/DIRECTION
These actors had nothing to build upon, and I’m not certain they could have delivered any more than was evident. It was all surface level. Neither of them had any real charisma and for my taste were not that appealing. For the women (all given far too much screen time, as most reviews state) Mook as Maprang was annoying. Torlum as Smile had a bit more depth and ease in her portrayal. Bell was far too over the top, though she was meant only for extreme comic relief. Her role was entirely unnecessary, however. The direction was limited by the script, budget and production constraints. It felt like cameras were simply set up in a corner and that was it. Substandard at best. Washed out colors made this feel like it had been shot in the ‘70s.

KISSING/INTIMACY
Only a couple of chaste kisses (these boys don’t know how to fake a kiss at all). Fine for the story. A little bit of skin shown in brief flashes.

THE DOWNSIDE
Shallow characters, predictable script, limited production values. Not much to offer overall.

SUMMARY
I would only recommend this one to the most ardent BL fans who have watched everything else and need a quick fix.

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Some Potential at the Start, Finished a Hot Mess

The series started with some potential but it’s not particularly ground breaking or interesting from a story perspective. The story follows the typical RomCom, almost formulaic, story line of two roommates who start off as strangers and end up falling for each other. The first three episodes were building up the relationship of the two main characters well enough but the whole series was let down by a hot mess that was Episode 4, which is supposedly the last episode of the series. Episode 4 started off promising and ended in a place that was not only an unsatisfying end to a series but also in a scene that should no longer be a narrative in any series or movie - unless it’s a key plot element to the story. Which in this case was wholly unnecessary. Of course the Special Episode fixed this and made it more acceptable. Why they chose to classify Episode 4 as the final episode and then add a Special Episode makes no sense. The Special Episode does a decent job ending the series which makes that a must watch.

The acting and chemistry between the two main actors was ok enough for this series. Not their fault that the series they signed up for fell apart. The secondary female actors seemed forced and over done. They didn’t effectively play either the comic relief in the series nor the match making Cupid role; they were pretty much a forced after thought.

Frankly, there are far better series past, present, and future to spend your time watching - even if you watch the Special Episode. The convoluted and disappointing end makes this series not a worth your time watch. Ok, the Speical Episode does a decent job tying the series of. However, I still maintain that even during this pandemic that there significantly better new shows out there.

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