Dir. Lit Phadung Samajarn & Toh Worawut Thanamatchaicharoen
Do you think all people are equal? Obviously, people aren’t the same from their races, appearance and skin colors, or the societies they belong to. I just wish that kids like us had equal social opportunities. But it’s unlikely. The poorer your family, the fewer opportunities you have in life. Whereas kids born with spoon silvers in their mouths, can just follow the rules of society to be successful. Because of this disparity, I strive to lift myself up. But as I reach a certain point, fate pulls me back to where I started again. Do you think all people are equal?
it’s all fine. friends can go to bed together. a heart and something down there have different duties. yes it’s possible. but you need to be careful. don’t feel more than that. it’s like playing with fire.
Because I’m making Dangerous Romance my entire personality for the next three months, I need everyone to understand just how smart I think Sailom is, and who would I be without a wild ass theory?
TLWR: Sailom is going to make Kanghan care about him, so he will get good grades because Kanghan’s grandma will pay off all his debts and possibly dangle a university scholarship in front of him, but Kanghan will find out and think this was another way someone used him for money, and that Sailom doesn’t care about him.
Sailom got away from Kanghan by helping the teacher after the bullying incident. He outsmarted Kanghan at the car wash with the credit card switch. Then, he kissed Kanghan in front of everyone recording.
However, Sailom always understands the assignment and does his homework. Literally. And this is why he is smarter than everyone else.
Sailom is on an academic scholarship. Kanghan knows that.
Kanghan didn’t just rip up Sailom’s papers to bother Sailom. He did it because no paper = no score = no academic scholarship. Instead of fighting Kanghan, telling a teacher about it, or panicking, Sailom immediately got to work. Even when Kanghan followed him to the cafeteria, and Guy wanted to fight them, Sailom stayed focused.
Because to Sailom, Kanghan is a waste of his time. Sailom has goals greater than that school and knows Kanghan doesn’t. It’s not worth his time to fight Kanghan because 1) Kanghan can’t really lose since he has money and power behind him and 2) Kanghan doesn’t really have anything to lose since he doesn’t care about anything.
And this is where Sailom will prove he is really smart - he willgive Sailom something to care about.
I believe Kanghan is going to break Sailom’s laptop because the laptop is the way Sailom does his homework. He even unplugs the computer in the episode two preview because if Sailom can’t do his homework, he can’t get good grades, and he certainly can’t buy another laptop.
So it’s really Kanghan’s fault that Sailom’s accepts the grandmother’s offer because he needs money for a new laptop.
They are enemies. Sailom wouldn’t want to be around a guy who doesn’t care, but when Kanghan gets in trouble (this is the school, so the grandmother will be called there since the dad is busy), she will ask the honor student to tutor her grandson.
But that’s the first deal. The one Kanghan knows about.
Because Sailom will lose that job, so either Kanghan doesn’t pass his tests (doubtful), or he figures out there is more at stake for Sailom than originally discussed and there is a falling out.
Because the grandma will hire Sailom again after the original deal.
And that’s when she offers him the bigger prize that wasn’t mentioned in front of Kanghan, and Sailom, who always understands the assignment, will do his homework.
Kanghan asks Sailom why he accepts the offer instead of taking the money and running.
And Sailom answers honestly.
But, once again, I don’t think Kanghan understands the extent of the deal. Saving money to pay off a debt versus the grandma willing to pay off his entire family’s debt (brother’s included if not more, like a university scholarship) is different.
Because the real conflict here is Sailom thinks Kanghan pities him.
And much like Only Friends’ Ray, Kanghan will throw money around to control others.
While Kanghan believes people only want him because of his money.
So for a boy who doesn’t care about anything in life since he uses money to control others because he thinks he is only wanted for his money …
Wouldn’t it be smart to give him something to care about that he thinks money can’t buy? Like Sailom’s love and support? Because daddy will probably buy his way onto the team, which will only hurt Kanghan more.
So it would really hurt if he found out that it was all about the money for Sailom, the one person he thought was above it all.
I really appreciate that Only Friends is pointedly rebuking overly romantic reads of the relationship dynamics at every turn. That dialogue between Ray and Sand seemed purposeful:
Ray: Have you ever been hit on by a guy?
Sand: Of course, be serious.
It’s a quick exchange but it tells us clearly that this is not a show about discovering one’s sexuality, and we will not be spending time with the characters hand wringing over identity issues. These are fully self actualized queer characters who know who they are, and it’s emphatically not going to follow typical romance beats.
Enjoying the distinct vibes of each of the Only Friends banner pairs. Top and Mew are playing a game and they each think they’re winning. Each of them plotting their little strategies and traps, sure they know how to get what they want out of the other person and willing to bide their time. It’s no accident that their date was a game of laser tag and each of them pulled one over on the other.
Ray and Sand are both treading water. In very different ways they’re both a few bad days from utter disaster, and I think they each know that. Neither of them has high expectations of their new connection - they’re drawn to each other but if you asked them, they’d say this isn’t what they’re ultimately looking for. And yet… they are drawn.
Boston and Nick are living in separate fantasy worlds, each of them existing only as a prop or avatar in the other. Boston needs attention and assurance that he’s desirable, and Nick provides it. Nick, who’s been isolated and voyeuristic, is stepping into the frame for maybe the first time, and is looking to Boston to fill a role he’s fantasized about. Neither of them has any interest in the actual internality of the other person.
So many different flavors of incoming misery and destruction… cannot wait.
I just wanna say how much I deeply appreciate having a character who has not had sex still be allowed to use sex as a way of manipulating people. It’s done so rarely and having Mew know that he is sexy and he is wanted and that his body is a powerful tool without fucking Top first to find that out? Love it. Love it for him.
