Theory of Love (2019)

I honestly loved this series.

Khai may have been a jerk in the beginning, but I think they did an amazing job developing his character. I loved him at the end. I truly felt like he loved Third. I’m glad Third made it difficult for Khai to be in a relationship with him. Khai was so used to getting his way that I think it was amazing seeing Third challenging Khai to really show him he cares for Third. At the end I felt like the characters both deserved the ending they got. It’s got some classic tropes, miscommunication, some dragging. But not anything boring, I was always entertained, I don’t feel like it takes away from the series.

I’ve seen people mention Khai’s sexuality and how it seemed weird that he would all the sudden like a guy, so here’s my opinion on it. Example: you can like girls 99% of the time, but if that other 1% is also guys, than that still makes you bisexual. I think it is possible for Khai to have just not found a guy he was interested in until Third. Him finding out Third likes him is kind of an awakening. Like “wow I’ve never really considered I might get some crushes on guys because I’ve been so engrossed in my player behavior towards women.” But here he is, and he has one on his best friend, who he also has strong feelings for that he’s never felt before when he’s dated women. I might be wrong, but that’s my take on it as a bisexual myself.

The acting was spot on. Off and Gun have such good chemistry together. It was great.

I thought the side characters and their relationships were done well. I was genuinely interested in them, which normally doesn’t happen in most dramas for me. Two was one of my favorite characters, he was such a supportive friend. I really appreciated Two and Bone because I feel like in a lot of dramas the friends just give horrible advice! But not in this one, thank god.

The music was so so good. It went very well with the whole vibe of the series. I’d probably listen to it on my own when I wanna remember this drama. Opening seemed high quality too.

If you like slow burn, not a lot of fluff but when it happens it makes your heart flutter, and complicated characters who grow and learn to truly love each other, then I highly recommend this series.

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Theory of Love (ToL) is a perfect ballad for people undergoing hardships with unrequited/impossible love ideations. It perfectly encapsulates the intricacies of pining for someone in a tight-knit friend group/social circle, while being able to show how people change and adapt when situations arise like this. I was also impressed with how the actors fulfilled their roles with so much comfort. ToL is smartly written, with very minute gaps in storytelling; overall, it is still able to make an impactful narrative about how people come and go into our lives, and how we change and grow as people.

Rewatch value is high, since there are so many details that I'm sure will change meaning depending on where you are in your life right now.

STORY
ToL's plot started kind of cliche. An unrequited love for three years. For me, this premise necessitated a narrative within the series' time frame that a turning point will happen. I was asking myself, "after three years, why is NOW, the series setting, the important moment?" And the show adequately addressed this by building up Third's frustration to the point of making rash decisions. Third's actions were understandable, and people with similar experiences will relate with him; even the shower scenes seemed rational for those who are scorned. Khai started out as the ignorant playboy who severely lacks self-awareness. Him being a playboy amplified Third's decisions. Khai's character development, however, was very real and organic. People are imperfect, and we all make negotiations with ourselves and with our loved ones as to how we should be. Their story did not focus on romanticism, but on highlighting the hurt and the pain that a lot of people undergo when they're in love. Sure, it was poetic justice for Khai, but in the end, people in love will become miserable; this is not a rarity when dealing with a person's emotions. I think the writing captured how love is not an endgoal, but an active process to improve oneself.

Another thing I loved about ToL's story was how the side characters were not forgotten (unlike this other BL series which completely abandoned their own plot devices lmao). All of them in their gangster group were able to learn valuable things because of the people they encounter, and they were able to make active decisions. Two, for example, was able to decide as to what he should really do: at first I'd thought that he'd choose Lynn, but it also made sense how moving on is portrayed through his actions. Sometimes meeting someone can really change a person. Bone's storyline was also very heartwarming. I don't believe that the teacher-student trope was haphazardly inserted. In the first place, Paan was this mysterious woman who allured Bone. It just so happened that she was the substitute in the uni. Bone was even devastated when he found out about this, and acted accordingly. What he did by the end was brave, and again, reiterates that love isn't about the "kilig", or the happy moments, or the romance, but it's about how we deal with the reality of things.

The portrayal of changing friend dynamics within a friend group was also magnificent. It's one of the challenges among close friends to remain the same when a conflict happens. I think the show successfully dealt with this. Again, with the imperfect framing. Sides will be chosen. However, in the end, these are people who care for each other and who'd want to hold each other accountable. The support and constant reassurance from all four of them really reminded me of my own friends.

I'd realized that in Episode 1, they were introduced with their gangster personalities, which eventually turned out to be how they developed character-wise. Bone was able to use his barista charm to flirt with women (the charm of being an accommodating person due to the nature of his job). By the end of the series, he demonstrated the grandest form of accommodation there is. Two was introduced as using his photography to get laid. In the end, it was already evident that his photography is also a reflection of how he loves. Khai was shown at the start to do everything half-heartedly for the women he seduces, while Third was portrayed as being blunt and cold. In the end, Khai was able to commit and settle wholeheartedly (maintaining that sweet aura), and Third maintained his expressiveness. I think the series took care of the characters they'd introduced, and showed their development impeccably.

PRODUCTION
I can say that the stylistic choices done by the creators in this show were smart, and elevated the storytelling here. For one, the framing, color-grading, and blocking of the actors were all made to symbolize where they were in each other's lives. The first half of the series (around until eps 5-6), Third was placed almost always beside Khai. Afterwards, however, he started positioning himself farther and farther away from Khai. This choice on proximity was subtle, but it emphasized the characters' feelings for each other quite well.

The usage of romcom movies all around the series was also very interesting. Naming each episode with a romcom title admittedly set some expectations as to what the plot of each episode will be, but it also left me guessing who's the "real" protagonist of the episode. In the episode named "The Proposal", for example, it wasn't very clear who was making a proposal; was it P'Shane to Khai? Was it Khai to himself? These questions, for me, made the plot much more immersive, as I was really hooked as to what will happen. But there were also episodes where the plot was evidently tied into the movie namesake for the ep. Flipped, for instance (ep 7), shocked me to the core. The usage of POV in this series was exemplified in this episode, and made each narration within the characters' head much more emotional. That sneaky stylistic choice really solidified the idea that this series was well thought of. Outside of being titles, romance movies were also used as plot devices. Un Homme Et Une Femme, for instance, was used as a metaphor for Paan; Love Actually for Khai and Third, and Perks for Un. But these films may represent very different things for people watching the show, that's why I think that the series' meaning will constantly change every time you re-watch it (according to what you're feeling at the moment).

Oh, and don't get me started on the soundtrack. The usage of creepy tones during emotional scenes was kind of strange for me at first, but as the series progressed, I think it really catches the urgency of the moment, and the thoughts racing through our minds as we're about to make decisions. This is also the first series in which I never skipped the opening music. So, there's that.

CRITIQUES
I only have two main concerns (which didn't really change my perception of how the plot progressed). First, I think it was kind of a Deus Ex Machina for P'Ton to suddenly appear like that. For one, I think this could've been the opportunity for Khai to really figure things out on his own; instead, P'Ton probes him to not miss an opportunity, which of course, is how Khai decides to pursue Third. No real issue here, but I think a concrete "soul-searching" narrative would've been more organic? I also think they could've at least introduced P'Ton and his significance in Khai's life early on.

My second concern is in terms of how Lynn people was caught in the crossfire of Two's dilemmas. Building up Lynn's hesitation towards romance because of P'Phon, and at the same time breaking up with Two after that theater scene, really made me sympathize with her, because I think she'd gone through a lot. But hey, I still think they were better as friends in the end.

OVERALL
If you are wondering if you should pursue someone close to you (a friend, perhaps), or not, you should definitely watch this series. I don't think it will tell you to always take the risk, but I think it will show what will happen when things like that do occur. This show was written smartly and executed well. If you want an unproblematic BL series, which doesn't really focus too much on the gender aspect of the series' discourse, I think you'll love Theory of Love.

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this was one of my first bl drama i had ever watched and i absolutely loved it! planning on rewatching it! i definitely recommend watching this! the acting was great, loved the story line, love how the characters personalities were and worthy to watch it multiple times

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Clever

I was not expecting this show to be as good as it was. At first glance it seems like a pretty generic unrequited best-friend love story (and it kinda is) BUT what made this show so clever is the use of film. Each episode's title is the name of a different film, and the scenes that ensue draw inspiration from the films. It used cliches for sure, but rather than pretending like they were being cute and original like so many BLs do, they leant into it. It was made clear that *cute scene here* was stolen from *this movie* for *this reason*. They also had multiple reenactments from famous movies with the characters and so many of the sets used and activities that the characters did together were based around film. The director took the theme of FILMS and bloody RAN with it. It was amazing.
TLDR: The story is not original, but the way it's portrayed is so clever, and the cinematography and music is just so good. It's incredibly engaging and I highly recommend it.

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I almost dropped this on episode 2, and whilst I am glad I didn’t, this show still felt like a chore to get through. It had great moments and then it get super boring, and then get interesting again and then I’d loose interest and so on. That is mainly due to the frustrating nature of its characters and plot.

I really liked Third in the beginning; he was a character I deeply empathised with and saw myself in. But that was also one of the reasons I almost dropped this, seeing him love someone as prickish as Khai didn’t sit right with me and was a real turn off. As the show continued, Third became less interesting for me, but Gun’s performance was fantastic and I really felt for him in the final couple of episodes.

Khai… I really hated him in the beginning. He was the main reason I wanted to drop this. But by the end, I really liked his development. Yes he’s not perfect and a real jerk, but I appreciate that he was really trying to be better for Third.

Two was my favourite character, I adored him! I really wish we could’ve had more development for his and Un’s relationship. They were the biggest surprise from this show for me and I really liked them.

The rest were fine, but I had no interest in Bone or his storyline. I ended up skipping the majority of it.

Something I really loved about this show was the comedy. It wasn’t cringy and I generally laughed many times. It was refreshing to watch a BL where the comedy was actually funny.

A complaint I have is that I really hated the way women were presented in this show. It was awful and once again another reason I almost dropped this.

Overall, I enjoyed this show for its majority but it definitely has its faults.

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I can't write anything to describe what I feel, but this is an amazing and most heartbreaking series that I've watched. I can't move on. Storyline, acting, music are everything perfect and I love all of it. I'm the type of person that can't cry easily because of film/series/drama especially romance genre because I think romance drama/series/file is cringe, but Theory of Love made me cry out loud successfully and if you're a masochist, maybe you'll like this series.

I love Gun's acting. He's a professional actor for real but I feel so sorry about his role on Theory of Love, he suffered so much. Anyways, I don't like the way the story gave Khai an apology, it's too fast to give him an apology. I'm still upset with his habits, his fault and everything about him. He deserves much suffers than Third, to make him realize that Third is mean to be for him

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Never have I experienced so much frustration and heartache over a show. It just shows how amazing the cast was in terms of acting. Off did an amazing job of portraying such an annoying-asshole-jerk. I really wanted to punch Kai's face during the first half of the show . Gun did a great job portraying the emotions of a heartbroken Third as well. I genuinely felt so bad for the poor boy.

The plot was really great. Even the side stories were fun to watch. The relationships were nicely developed. Production value of the show was really good as well. The story flowed smoothly. The ending was perfect for me. I would still like a season 2 of course!

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One of my favorites, can be frustrating.

I absolutely love theory of love, from the acting/cast which I think is perfect, the production, and the way it's told which manages to be funny, realistic, and heart-wrenching.
The only thing I could see being wrong is how slow everything moves and how undeveloped the side couples are.
The story moves very slowly and is just a lot of drawn-out pain (Which I enjoyed because I hate myself and sobbing over gay boys at three am is a hobby of mine)
It makes you frustrated and mad at everyone involved but I love that, it's realistic. Love is messy and irritating at times.
And the actors did amazing, Gun and Off are lovely people and I have nothing but love for them but I really wanted to slap Third and Khai pretty much the whole time, that's good acting.
The crying scenes got a bit old because it happens so much but they still hurt me lmao.

I think it's definitely worth watching even if you have no patience (like me lmao) it's such a great story.

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A serious (with funny bits) series in the growing genre of BL projects from Thailand. At first I thought 'here we go again', another lot of gorgeous mixed up Thai guys searching for their sexual identities and making us wait forever for a first kiss. But no; this very quickly turned into compulsive viewing helped no end by the excellent acting skills of a professional cast well seasoned in such dramas. Gun Atthaphan (Third) and Off Jumpol (Khai) have worked together before and it showed; but here they were joined by other good actors which raised the quality.
SPOILER ALERT...! After the acting, I was impressed by the unusual storyline where each episode was referenced to a famous romantic movie - "Flipped", "Stupid Crazy Love" and so on. That Khai and Third ended up very much a couple at the end despite some appalling behaviour by the former was a testament to romantic love, not at its purest but at its most intense which made each episode good viewing.
For once in such a series the side plots were also given plenty of time to develop and added to the overall satisfaction factor. And the music - brooding and melancholic - was superb.
Overall then 8 to 9 is fair for this and re watchability is high too, especially episodes 6 to 11 with 6 the standout. Highly recommended.

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