Together with Me: The Next Chapter (2018)

In Defense of Together With Me

Normally, I don't like to write reviews until I've completed whatever I'm reviewing, but I feel like all of the negativity being thrown towards TWM: The Next Chapter is incredibly frustrating, unfair, and undeserved. I'm so sad to see it get such a low rating because it pursues a story line we don't typically see in BL dramas, and people apparently can't handle that. No, it isn't lighthearted and easygoing like other series out there; but it's raw and authentic and definitely deserves a higher score than what it's been given on here. I feel like the low score is because people went into this expecting one thing but got something different, and their disappointment has resulted in them closing their minds to what we're given. So now because of that this series is rated lower than dramas with worse script writing, worse acting, and worse production. The actors here are fantastic as always, and the writing is not terrible like some are making it out to be; clearly something's working because it's doing what a good story is supposed to do: it's making people react, it's evoking emotions.

So, the primary reason why people are canceling this show is because of the so-called abudance of cheating. Without getting too bogged down, I'll just say that I respectfully disagree with these assessments. People are acting like this season contains nothing but an endless stream of people having affairs, living hedonistic lifestyles with no regrets. But, except for Farm and Bright's story (which is essentially Farm giving Bright a taste of his own medicine), this isn't true. Both Yihwa and Korn (the two "cheaters") are placed in situations that test their feelings and relationships. Korn's is induced by mounting pressure from his conservative, overbearing father to denounce his homosexuality and the strain this puts on his relationship with Knock (which causes them to fight about other little things as well), while Yihwa finds herself being seduced by her senior and boss. They're conflicted and act out of moments of weakness. Korn has ONE sexual encounter with his boss during a night of drinking and commiserating. Yihwa, beginning to feel conflicted and confused about her feelings towards Cho in light of the flirtatious attention from her boss, decides to take a break from both and figure herself out. And that's it! Afterwards, both are torn and devastated and yes, they do suffer tremendously for their conflicted feelings and mistaken actions. Forgiveness from their partners is far from automatic, and it is not coming easily.

Individuals in Yihwa's and Korn's position are not automatically bad people because of what they did or how they feel. Nor do their actions/feelings mean that they don't love their partner. Yes, it's unpleasant watching couples we love go through such hardships, but as a viewer and fan of the show, I have to believe that this will only make them stronger in the end.

That aside, I'm loving Farm and Bright's story so far, but I do wish that their story got a bit more attention, as they are my favorite couple in this universe. I found it odd that Farm's character did a complete 180 in terms of appearance and personality (it's like he was fused with Phu) but I warmed up to it really quickly. And I like that although he has Bright wrapped around his little fingers, he still shows a softer, affectionate side towards the doctor as well. Feelings are still there, and despite what Bright did to Farm in TWM, I'm rooting really hard for them to end up together. Rit, Farm's little boy toy that he's using to make Bright jealous, is cute, but he's rather dull and boring. Not a lot going on. Farm has much better chemistry with Bright, which just radiates off the screen.

Bottom line: People aren't black and white. They are complex, driven by a range of passions and emotions. You can't fit them neatly into precise little boxes. Life isn't always rainbows and sunshine, and the events that happen in this season happen in real life. Of course they don't happen in *every* relationship, but they do happen. The writers chose to explore these themes in this season, and all of the actors are doing an amazing job portraying their roles. Please don't let all of the negative comments, complaining, and undeserved low rating discourage you from watching this season. Go in with an open mind and understanding that humans are complex, especially when it comes to feelings of love and attraction, and this series explores that beautifully.

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So I just completed the series and went to put my "grade" on it when I saw that that rating was so low compared to the last season and, to be honest, I'm a bit disappointed in fans for rating it at 1 without even completing the series (if you haven't completed it better just not rate it at all). So I can see that the main issue for the fans with these series is that it's not lovey-dovey like mostly all the other BL series are. But, in my opinion, it actually makes it even better cause it shows real-life problems so that we, as fans, don't live in a fantasy of love being only about lovey-dovey stuff but also that it needs some problems to make it real. Obviously, it ain't nice to see your favourite couple fight and cheat but in the end, it shows that if love is real, then it can overcome those problems and make the bond even stronger.

STORY: The story itself, as I already said, shows a lot of real-life problems that people might go through, i.e. cheating, parents who can't accept, confusing in feelings, sleeping around, being pressured by your boss, etc. Those are all things that series usually try to avoid to keep their audience and play it safe. This is what I really love about the particular series that they are willing to take the risk and portray these problems as well.

KornKnock part: Their part was pretty interesting and heart-touching especially the part with parents. These series showed that not always parents will be willing to accept their kids for what they are and not just because they hate or can't stand their orientation but also just because they feel like they have been lied to and that all of a sudden they have a different kid. Of course, it wasn't nice to see Korn suffer just because his father couldn't come to the terms of the news but it happens so many times and this is a good example that even those people can change for better, even if it takes such measures as almost losing your kid just to understand it. Also the part about Korn not being able to come out to his father. It maybe seemed that he just cared about the fact that he doesn't want him to know cause he was scared but if you look closer, then there's also the feeling of not wanting to hurt him. As he said, If I ain't wrong, he doesn't want to choose between love for Knock and his family so he does everything to make both work. For Knock, I can understand his point of view. He doesn't understand Korn cause he himself risked so much to just love Korn cause, in case someone has forgotten, he is straight and Korn is his exception, so it wasn't so easy for him either. He even came out to his parents to show Korn that it isn't so hard and everything will be good but he refused to understand Korn's point-of-view. His own parents were so nice and accepting so he couldn't imagine why Korn can't do the same. This also is a good example for real-life situations. Then there are problems with Pete. Trying to play off as a nice guy to get in Korn's pants which wasn't pleasant to watch but this happens all the time. He manipulated so many people just to get what he wanted and in the end, he dug his own grave. He is a good example of a jerk who only cares about his well being and is willing to sabotage everyone that steps into his way and tries to break his plans. Of course, it all ended good and they deserved that ending. The fact that Knock gave Korn a second chance and couldn't even take revenge, even though he wanted to, showed that he really does love Korn. You always should give a second chance cause mistakes do happen. If the mistake keeps happening more that one time, then it's a clear sign that it's just not meant to be. Obviously, what Korn did was pretty bad especially if we look in what situation he and Knock already were in. Then again, this all made then rethink a lot of things and come to the right conclusions.

Yihwa/Cho part: can't say that their part of the story was my favourite but I already fell in love with this couple after Bad Romance <3 It was nice to see how they portrayed the problem of being in a relationship for a long time but suddenly being confused in feelings. It's only natural and it happens all the time too. Yihwa confused the feeling of a really good friend with love for Art and thus almost fucked up and, even if she didn't even do anything as bad as Korn did, she still felt really bad and took time to sort out her own feelings so that she could be sure in the future and make the right choice. The fact that Art was trying to push her all the time to make that decision just made it worse for his own good, on the other hand where Cho was waiting and was being careful with the steps he took and only when he was sure he took action. We can easily see that he loves Yihwa so much that all he wants for her is to be happy, with him or not. Also, I like how they ended the series with not a clear ending for those two, showing that it's not so easy and fast to sort out your feelings.

Farm/Bright/Rit part: these 3 were pretty complicated XD Farm' s character took such a turn from the last season and made him look more badass and had put him in a more dominant status. From what Bright had done to him, he became the same and let Bright taste his own medicine. But then again I felt really bad for Nong Rit. He didn't know what he got himself into and fell in love with Farm. He tried so hard but he eventually realised that Farm has been using his just to get some revenge on Bright. But in the end, he made a right choice of taking everything is his own hands and just breaking up with him and after that refusing to stay friends cause that would make everything harder for him cause he loved Farm very much. The fact that he teamed up with Bright to show Farm how bad he has become was pretty savage but a pretty good plot twist. Bright in the end got what he wanted and realised how bad he used to be to Farm as well but then again he realised that Farm really touched his part and, even if it may have been pretty hard to see, he was jealous of the fact that Farm was sleeping around with other guys and at the same time being with him. The ending for all of them was good. They started from the very start and even at the very end it was shown that Rit is also starting over.

ACTING/CAST: As always, all of them were really good. Especially the chemistry between Tul and Max. They are the rare ones who can make it seem so damn real. Even for CGame and Porsche or Meangmum and Tomo, it wasn't as good as them even though they were amazing in their roles. Those to just have the best chemistry I have seen <3 Even without kisses they still show so many feelings for each other. For example, the scene where they finally made up, I just loved that they didn't do the really passionate kiss but a hug instead. For that moment it was so much more appropriate rather than a kiss and the hug had so many feelings in itself.

MUSIC: I don't have much to say about the music and I really loved the fact that they used the soundtracks from the previous seasons too, especially from Bad Romance <3 It made it easier to take the feel of that moment. I can't say that I loved all the songs but they did suite the moment when it was playing.

REWATCH VALUE: I would 100% rewatch these series just for the sake of having fun or when I feel bad to make my day better and care more about their problems rather than mine.

OVERALL: I really enjoyed these series and I and really sad that so many people dropped hem in the middle just because they didn't get the classic lovey-dovey BL series they were expecting for. But then again, this is so much more interesting than just another cheesy series where everything is rainbows and sweetness. It's not like that in real life and it nice to take something with you from the series as a life lesson :) The only thing that did bother me through the whole series is that they didn't include most of the cats from season 1, thus Bad Romance, even though this part takes place after it and Together With Me is a prequel to Bad Romance so it was really unlogical why they had casts from TWM that didn't appear in BR as if they suddenly disappeared from they lives in BD but but didn't have any casts from BR in TMW:TNC even though it would be more logical that they would at least appear here and there at some moments. It just seemed that they were such good friends and all of a sudden they were not in their lives anymore. As well and continuing Farm and Bright' s story as if nothing happened between them in the time of BR. They did fuck up with the timeline here and this just bothered me a lot cause at first I was expecting to see all of the casts, and perhaps not see so much from TWM cause they didn't appear in BR but guess I that's not as important cause perhaps t the same in the books.

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