Romantic period pieces about same sex couples is a tricky subject, there is always a sense of gloom and tragedy hanging around the corner. To avoid that writers often infantilize the prejudice of the past and turn their stories into some sort of alternate universe. The Loyal Pin almost found that perfect balance between both, it's still more on a sweet, fairytale-ish side of the scale, but the obstacles that the character have to overcome and heartbreak they experience is very much rooted in the socio-cultural framework of the 1950/1960s. The stakes are high, their love strong, but decisions are often made based on "what should be done" and it fits the characterization, the historical context and the main theme of the show - which is loyalty.

Things I liked:
✅ Traditions, customs, food and everything related to Thai culture. Yeah, I know that this show has govermnment backing and a lot of this was done to promote their country but I didn't mind it at all. I'm not that familiar with this culture, so it was nice to sneak a little peek at its beauty.
✅ Becky as Princess Anin. I have to say, Becky's performance in GAP didn't impress me that much, she was kinda forgettable. I cannot say the same about her as bold, cheeky, playful and devoted Anin. She's just perfect in this role.
✅ Characters that make sense. Their contradictions and questionable decisions make sense if you put them in that specific historical and context. These people are products of their enviroment, I have never expected them to act differently, so this is one of the rare cases when disapproving family trope feels appropriate.
✅ Some beautiful declarations of love here. Both verbal and not.
✅ I'm not the biggest fan of FreenBecky, there is always something missing for me in their more casual interactions, but boy do they deliver in intimate scenes.

Things I didn't like:
❌ Continuing from my last point about the intimate scenes - do they always have to be fully clothed while having sex? Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about full on nudity because this is not that kind of medium, but not even bare arms? It was ok in a car or kitchen scene but even during their "official" first time? Ridiculous.
❌ This drama certainly tests your patience. On one hand, the slower episodes were setting up the angst that was about to come. On the other, my goodness, was it boring. I almost dropped this show around episode 10.
❌ The abuse of skin filter needs to stop. Immediately! Their faces were so airbrushed they almost looked AI generated. Especially older actors. I swear, I was looking for Princess Alisa's nose in one scene because her features were so blurry!

All in all, The Loyal Pin is a lovely show, there is a lot to appreciate and cherish about it Personally, I appreciated it more than truly enjoyed, but the attention it gets is fully deserved.