Still 2Gether

Can we just take a moment to thank GMMTV for bringing back BL power couple Sarawat and Tine so soon. This unexpected, short sequel of 5 episodes leaves behind the awful ending from 2Gether The Series and comes at its new story from the best possible angle - to see if Wat and Tine have matured as a couple. Luckily for us, the answer is a resounding Yes!

If you'd like to read my full review of 2Gether The Series, click here.

Summary: A year into their relationship, Wat and Tine are blissfully happy and living together, but their complicated lives at university are becoming increasingly difficult to manage.  Simmering conflicts between the university's cheerleading club and the music club force Wat and Tine to take sides. The tensions start to take a toll on their relationship, especially on Tine, who finds it too difficult and painful to focus on his responsibilities at Wat's expense. He feels like he is neglecting Wat and losing him to the stresses of daily life. Mann and Type are also struggling to come to terms with new challenges in their relationship. Phukong and Mil are stuck in the limbo of an unclear 'brother zone' friendship, and Phukong feels like he is ready to give up and move on. Can our couples overcome their frustrations and insecurities, and learn trust each other more deeply than before? When a band camp forces Sarawat to leave home for two weeks, Tine reaches breaking point.

This reframing of 2Gether through the lens of adulthood and mature relationships is easily this short sequel's best attribute. In these episodes, it's all about 'what comes next'. This is exactly what the 2Gether story needed, especially after the series ended in a chaotic mess. We get to see Sarawat and Tine's relationship struggling to breathe under the weight of their ongoing university responsibilities, but without any of the pointless filler of scheming suitors, psychotic women or the sort of thoughtless, selfish or insecure behaviour that usually sabotages an established BL couple. The writers make it clear that these two men love each other unconditionally and have no second thoughts about their relationship or how open they are about it. So where does the conflict arise in this series, and how does it challenge the characters and keep us interested? It's such a pleasure to be able to say that the drama in the sequel comes from the slow, unwanted invasion of the most mundane aspects of daily life into their relationship. This sounds like it might make the show boring, but it never does. We don't see realism very often in BL fantasies, so maybe that's part of the reason why this mini-sequel is so interesting.

But if it's romance you're after, don't fret, because episodes 4 and 5 have all the loved-up moments you could possibly ask for. Both the direction and the actors have never been better. In what's easily the best scene of all 5 episodes, after a long separation, Sarawat and Tine unexpectedly see each other across a street and wave to each other with pure elation. After two episodes of intense stress and sore hearts missing each other, their love and joy at finally seeing each other again almost jump out of the screen. There's a do-over of the disgraceful band competition finale from the series, which made me anxious as soon as it was obvious it was going to happen again, but it's a huge relief to say that it's the most perfectly executed moment in this sequel. Each of the six main actors, plus Dim and Green, get their few short seconds of screen time during the performance of a Ctrl-S song and it's both pure cheese and adorably cute. I dare you not to be grinning with happiness by the end of it. BL doesn't get better than this. Redemption is sweet.

The fact that all the usual BL drama is gone from this sequel allows the creators to focus on character development for everyone involved, and the lighter-touch direction gives all the actors a chance to shine. It's clear that the writers and director have learned their lesson from their poor decisions and weak drama they brought to the original series. This sequel is tighter, leaner and has no filler. Even for such a short series, this reaps huge benefits on everyone's performances and brings the characters to life outside of their usual plot functions. Once again, Win proves he's well on the way to being a top tier BL actor as well as being a fan favourite. His acting continues to improve, especially when he is given some decent direction. I see him joining the ranks of top actors like Perth, Gun, Oab, Singto, Ohm and Fluke in the very near future.

Of the three secondary couples, Mann and Type barely get any of the remaining focus, even though their story is more interesting. There are also some problems with the way Type's character is depicted that creates a strong power imbalance in their couple, which makes him dangerously unsympathetic in the early episodes. But Mil and Phukong make up for it, their story is much better written here than in the series. Phukong in particular gets a lot more screen time when he finally admits the truth to Mann and Boss and they try to help him, plus he's also in Tine's cheerleading squad. Mil's character is still borderline unlikeable - and in the same manner as Type's - but he's better at explaining himself to Phukong than Type. (I have to admit, I didn't like Episode One very much because of this issue of Type's and Mil's unlikeability.) Boss finally gets a hetero sub plot with beautiful Pear that's more about Gunsmile's comedy routine than any romance, but it still works and makes us smile. 

Final episode 5 reminded me a lot of that key episode from Make It Right season 2, where all the characters and couples make their way to a seaside resort for a brief holiday and enjoy a beachside BBQ under the beautiful night sky. Still 2Gether doesn't have anything like the great narrative impact or dramatic climax of that famous Make It Right episode, but it still succeeds beautifully by keeping it funny and - best of all - simple. There's a strong focus on the secondary couples, but there's still enough time to give us a good idea of how Tine and Sarawat's relationship will move forward into the future. The only weak element to it is the childish drama centred around the power dynamics of Dim and Green's less-than-discreet relationship, but even that works out fine because it's more about the comedy than the drama. Boss (Gunsmile) gets the funniest scene in the entire series when he unsuccessfully tries yet again to confess to Pear.

This sequel doesn't aim high for great drama or towering romance in the BL tradition, but it is beautifully made all the same - the opening and end credits to each episode are the best I've ever seen - and it's clear it's been made with the idea of setting aside the worst aspects of the main series. Everything comes together so well and it's difficult to find fault with almost any of it. One year after the events shown in 2Gether The Series, Sarawat and Tine finally get the ending they deserve. It answers once and for all how Thai BL writers can treat their famous characters respectfully once they are in a mature relationship, all the while staying true to the spirit of the original BL series.

PS: does anyone know where we can buy those adorable Sarawat & Tine stuffed dolls?

Rating: 15 out of 20

Ending: happy

Best scene: the joyful street scene where Tine and Sarawat finally see each other again after a long separation.