This review will start with a spoiler-free section before moving to a more spoiler-y section so you can read it even if you don't want spoilers.

You know when you start watching a show or reading a book that resonates with you on such a deep level that you keep thinking about it when you go to sleep, and it is still on your mind when you wake up the following day? This show is one of them and I did not expect it to be. I will go more into details as to why exactly in the spoiler-y section but suffice to say here that this show completely exceeded my expectations. We (myself and my viewing partner) went into it expecting a well-produced BL drama that we would enjoy. We got that, but we got so much more.

Firstly, the production values are quite high when compared to other dramas we've watched. This is my first foray into Filipino dramas, so I do not know whether it is standard or not, but the job is really well done. The director, JP Habac, who is starting to have an impressive CV and whose film work I will definitely check out, is doing a great job with a very limited setting. This was filmed during 2020 with everything that implies, and they've used their almost single location (everything mostly takes place in the main characters' flat and building with only a few scenes in other places and a lot of conversations happening over videocalls) and limited cast in a very effective way. I do not know whether the show would have looked the same in a different year (maybe it would have) but suffice to say that they've used the limitations in a very effective way regardless. It is only when reflecting on the show after having finished it that we started to think that this might have played a role. There is a very effective use of texts and videos on screen as we have come to expect it in shows nowadays. The only thing, and it is not a criticism more something I want to note just cause, is that Karl really need to think about getting glasses because every time his laptop screen is on screen, it is at 300%. In short it was very enjoyable to watch visually and in terms of sound.

And related to this, I want to give a special shout-out to the playlist for this show which is amazing. I am of the LiveJournal generation, when I would download fanmix curated to fit a fandom with the lyrics printed on the back cover for each song for maximum feels power and this show! This show! Just absolutely deliver with its song choices. Every single song is not only a bop, but the lyrics are there and translated on screen (with the subs) and they all fit SO well. It makes some of the heartbreaking scene even more heartbreaking. I do not know whether Juan Miguel Severo is the one who selected these songs, but whoever it was did a stunning job. I always pay particular attention to the music and it brings me such joy when there was clearly a lot of thoughts that was brought into it. You can find the official OST on Spotify if you search for “Gaya sa pelikula”.

Next, I am moving to the characters and actors. First things first, I loved them all. I am always a good audience and I really want to get attached to the characters that are presented to me and this was the perfect show for that. The two main characters, Karl and Vlad first, are played Paolo Pangilinan and Ian Pangilinan respectively. When looking for this review, I discovered that this was their first acting credit for the both of them and I am absolutely floored. Whoever is the casting director who discovered them should be thanked! Ian seemed to have done theatre extensively and this makes me love his interpretation even more (theatre <3). The both of them have amazing chemistry together and they just work in a way that feels completely natural and believable for their characters. Both characters are really touching, fragile in their own way as we get to know them more and more throughout the series. Judit, Vlad’s sister, is such a good character. The way she always wants to protect her little brother. She is larger than life, she wants to be an ally, she randomly says words and phrases in foreign languages for no reason. I feel like I have met her before. She is archetypal, but in a very real way. Anna, the neighbour, who becomes part of the trio and ships it so hard, who hasn’t as large a part to play, but still gets to have a story and an arc and is also so touching. We only see Sue, Vlad’s best friend, for a few videocalls, but she manages to steal the show for both of those. And finally, Karl’s uncle, who is introduced at the very beginning as “the gay uncle”. While he only appears at the end of the show, the couple of scenes he has with both main characters are some of the most moving and important scenes in the show. He is such an important character for someone who is only in the show very little. I will go into more details about the characters in the spoiler section but suffice to say that none of the characters felt like they were just cardboard cut-out there to only play a single role and deliver line. Even if they only had a part to play in our main couple’s story, they all felt like well-rounded characters with a life outside of this little bubble. I do love good sibling relationships and good friendships and this drama delivers on both of those points so well. Characters start as archetypes and gain very quickly and more and more as the drama goes a real depth.

And finally let us talk about the story. Without going into too much detail here, this story resonated with me in a way I did not expect when I started watching a “oh my god, they were roommates” fake dating story. I expected pining, I expected caught feelings, I expected teasing between them, and I got all of that. But I also got discussions on microaggression, reflections, discussions, and story arcs surrounding internalised homophobia, shame, coming out, expectations that are put on us by our parents. Even some of the ideas and storylines introduced that I would want to be developed more were just right for the 8-episodes of 25-35 min format they were going for. It has a bittersweet ending that works so well and fits the characters and the story arc perfectly. But I desperately want a season 2 because there is so much more I want from those characters. I will be happy with the story I got which gave me everything I wanted and more if this is all I get. But I will be overjoyed if I get a season 2.

/SPOILER SECTION/
Now I will not go into too much detail, but I do want to touch on some spoilers concerning the characters and the story as an addendum to the review above.

There is a tag for this show on this website called “Death of a Sibling” which I will be honest, I did not see coming. The whole scene around this particular topic and the ensuing conversation is a very powerful one and they add so much depth to both characters, outside of their own relationship with one another. I very much want a second season that explores some of the themes developed in that scene.

One of the true strengths of this drama and something I truly did not expect going in was the entire discussion surrounding homophobia, that of others, but especially the one inside of us. I do not always expect BL drama to have discussions about it, but even when I do expect some discussion, I never expect what I got here with one of the best representations of what it feels like to be gay and what one’s journey might look like whether we are talking about Vlad who has always felt like he was gay even if it took time for him to realise what those feelings were and who has been out and proud for a while and does not want to hide anymore, who patiently teaches and listens to Karl. Or whether we are talking about Karl who must face his parents, and especially his father’s expectations for his career and life, and who is deadly afraid of what they might say, who has such deep internalised homophobia, internalised shame, internalised fear that he cannot even be open to himself about what he feels. As someone who is both of these characters, who is out and proud in my daily life and still cannot use the word gay/lesbian to describe myself when talking about it with my mum, I was not expecting to see some of the same feelings and difficulties I feel. I do not think I’d ever seen this particular duality represented on screen so well before. It was a “sans faute”, a flawless performance and this is what we mean when we say we want people behind the camera who understand what it means. Who understand that the journey to accept yourself is a long and difficult one and that you sometimes are not at the same phase of your journey and that does not mean that you do not love each other. Gosh do I want a second season to explore this journey more.

I also want to mention the importance of Karl’s uncle, Santi, who presents the point of view of an older gay man and a support to both leads. His discussion on the differing journeys that different people have when it comes to their identity that I mentioned in the paragraph above is something that I have not seen in fiction before. The focus is always on coming out, on living your truth to the world, and this drama very much is about this also, but it is important that this happens on one’s own timeline and when one is ready to live their truth in the open and not as soon as possible to please allies. I could write pages and pages on what it means and how important it is, but I am so happy that a show for a teen/young adult audience is presenting such a true, beautiful story and I desperately want more of it.

In conclusion if you have made it this far, please watch this show! It is SO, SO worth it and it deserves to get the largest audience possible.