Infantilization and controlling partners killed it

After 3 episodes, I can safely say I don't want to finish it.

Kuea and Khondiao are like children. They are treated like literal babies by their love interests. "Where are you? Why didn't you tell me everything you're doing today? You're not at home where you should be even though no one is there to hang out with you. Why aren't you answering my calls? When I call you're supposed to answer. You're being naughty." It's an awfully toxic relationship model that doesn't seem to be going away anytime in the course of this show.

On top of that, Lian and Yi don't show any love for their boys except when the boys can't see it, and even then it's the bare minimum. Khondiao even says that Lian and Yi don't show any affection for them and wonders if it's because they don't love them. The answer is yes. If someone is giving you no emotional support or signs of affection, they don't love you and you need to yeet yourself out of that relationship. But somehow both our boys are just maddeningly in love with their men. Diao is afraid of Yi to the point that he sobs like a child when Yi finds out he lied about supporting his friend at the bar, because apparently Diao isn't allowed to go out without clearing it with Yi, who he's Not Even Dating?!

The reason for this supposed arranged marriage is shaky at best and completely missing at worst. Flashbacks suggest Lian either does like Kuea or he's just super bound by duty - it's unclear. In ep 1, Lian straight up tells Kuea that he doesn't love him but then acts like he's hung up on Kuea and in love with him the whole next episode all because Kuea said he wanted to break up. Except, of course, he doesn't tell Kuea he likes him. He just calls him naughty and childish and makes comments that sound like he's going to control him. Also he has someone stalking Kuea so he can keep tabs on him all the time. It's messed up and does not say "love" to me at all.

I couldn't take the controlling nature of the relationships and how dependent and desperate the "submissives" were, so I can't continue the series.

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Practically Perfect. Practically.

The development of the plot, the mystery of his murder, the growth in their relationship - all was done beautifully. Thun seems dumb but he's got the heart to make up for any other inadequacies. All of his friends are developed a bit and interesting. Khem is mostly comic relief, but he's not entirely dumb. Prince and him trying to "help" but also thinking Thun is on drugs was very amusing and showed they cared about him. Praifah was honest and earnest and I get why she felt a little betrayed by her friends at the end, since she'd given them no reason to distrust her. I appreciate the show for not letting her character fall to the sideline as the only main female character. Med is wonderfully acted, with his minor emotional changes being read on his face. The show is fun and interesting, and I loved all of it. Except the literal like 5 minutes or so.

Spoilers:
The last episode is this big emotional build up to Med moving on, and then we get this emotional grave sweeping scene. And as soon as that scene is over, we make it pointless by bringing Med immediately back, still as a ghost and everything. I know why Thun and Med are happy, but wouldn't everyone else feel like they got all worked up for nothing? A big goodbye with lots of tears, and then Med doesn't even leave? If they wanted to bring him back, they could have reincarnated him, or miracled him into a new body or something, but the way they did it felt like it cheapened the entire episode leading up to it.

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