Another wasted potentional

When I came across this show, I was excited to see it had some of my favourite BL actors; I wasn't expecting anything amazing since it's an 'earlier' show (coming out in 2018, whilst most of the shows I've seen are 2020+), and initially I was really sucked in. Was the acting great? No. Was the script good? Also no, but there was heart in it, and it really did do have the cute enemy-to-friends vibes.

However, half way through the series it all sort of went sideways. Out of nowhere the 'love is love' supporting adult is homophobic when it's her own son, which could have worked had it been executed properly. There was also the random revelation that the two boys had been friends in the past but fell out because Mork had got a little too curious about Tee's body, which really kind of came out of nowhere if you ask me. I also don't know why Barbie and Ching were included at all, because their side story was almost non-existent and pointless.

I really am sad that the second half of the series went so poorly; I read somewhere that there was a change in director/writer/crew or something half way through and that's why it's very different, but regardless, it did ruin the show for me. If it had continued as it was, I truly think this would have been a great series.

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unnerving, unsettling and uncomfortable

TW: this show has animal death, attempted sexual assault, and lots of blood/gore

I honestly didn’t know what to expect with this show as I hadn’t heard much about it, but it really did exceed my expectations.

Initially I was drawn to this because *Lee Dong Wook* but if I’m honest, Yim Si Wan really did steal the show. His performance was fantastic and he really nailed that slow descent into madness; he managed to convey the real and terrifying aspects of depression, anxiety, paranoia and doubt. That combined with the PTSD of the character’s time in the army was absolutely perfect in the most devastating way.

The supporting cast were extremely unnerving; I’ll be honest, Lee Joong Ok’s performance as Nam Bok (ie. The Pervert in 313) made it very difficult for me to watch. He just oozed creepiness, and I have to give credit to the actor for managing to pull that off. Lee Jung Eun as Mrs. Eom was also a very unsettling performance; sickly sweet but pushy with a very dark side. I admit that the twins (played by Park Jong Hwan) was maybe my least favourite; there’s something uncomfortable about having a mentally disabled character as a villain, especially when the character is abusing animals – it just feels a little stereotyped and unfair. I will say that the characters of the twins were interesting in their differences to one another.

Lee Dong Wook as Moon Jo was mesmerising and terrifying. This was such a different role for me to see him in and he nailed it. He was absolutely fantastic opposite Yim Si Wan; I’ve seen some people argue about Moon Jo’s feelings towards Jong Woo, and I can see most points. However, my interpretation of Lee’s performance was an all consuming obsession with Jong Woo. It was uncomfortable but absolutely fantastic.

Ahn Eun Jin as the young police officer was a great choice; she managed to imbue the feeling of being a rookie but with a good head on her shoulders.

Stangers From Hell is an uncomfortable, unnerving and unsettling watch, and I absolutely loved it.

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Deserves more recognition

For a show with only 3 short episodes, I was really surprised how emotional and how well made this was. Compared to some of the more popular dramas, the acting in this was brilliant.

I admit I often dislike the whole bisexual-boy-cheats-on-girlfriend-with-male-friend, but for some reason I actually liked this, in a angsty way, if that makes sense. I think the supernatural theme made it more ‘enjoyable’ (for lack of a better word).

There was genuine emotion poured into this, and I would have loved a longer series, but at the same time, the short 3 episodes worked.

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Had potential

Okay, so, I won’t lie, this is probably my least favourite BL I’ve ever seen. I stuck with it and watched the whole show, and whilst it did have moments where I felt emotional, maybe shed a wee tear or cheered, but I think I spent at least 85% of my time just wishing the show would just get on with it.

This series is S L O W; and I don’t just mean a slow burn, I mean everything. I literally counted the time during the many, many scenes of random staring, pausing or just sheer nothing. A few times I thought the screen had frozen, but no, it was just another overlong shot of someone’s face doing nothing.

The concept of the series is a fantastic one, which is of course its major draw, but the lead characters were just…gosh, I don’t know how to even describe it. I didn’t dislike them; Intouch was just a bit irritating to me; Pharm was more like a nervous 12 year old boy; and Dean had one facial expression for the entirety of the show. (These are all my personal opinions; I mean no shade to the cast or anyone who likes the show!) I also felt super uncomfortable with how Dean could be with Pharm? Like, it felt like he forced him to come out to his mother, and would often push Pharm’s boundaries a little too much so that it didn’t feel cute, it felt like bullying. However, I do admit that some of these feelings could be from poor translation from Thai to English; of course there’s a language and culture barrier for me, so perhaps things I interpreted as unusual or uncomfortable was just my own cultural issues (if that makes sense?).

I also felt like other than the reincarnation thing, there was no real connection between Dean and Pharm, which kinda made the whole relationship feel a little hollow to me.

I’ll be honest, by the end I was only watching for the crumbs of Win/Team and the queen that is Manaow. I actually originally watched the show because I’d came across Between Us and wanted to watch its parent show before checking it out.

All that said, I still did actually like the show, but it could have been edited down to ten episodes or less if you take away the long stares and pointless moments. I would like to congratulate whoever was in charge of product placement, though, because it gave me a right giggle whenever Win pulled out a bag of Lays or Manoaw needed ‘a makeup break’.

I think the over all theme, the meaning of the show is very powerful. Showing the generational trauma caused by homophobia in the way it did is something quite different to what I think we’re all used to, and it was very good. It’s just a shame that it wasn’t as polished as it could have been.

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