As I sat down to write this review, I was totally and utterly perplexed. Being quite confused, I was unable to string my thoughts together for a myriad of reasons.

Oh My Sunshine Night!/ Love at 9 had the makings of a memorable classic- amazing casting, awesome cinematography and strong narrative. And yet somewhere down the line, the scriptwriter failed to utilize these amazing features. As such, we were left with a haphazard script that leaves a lot to be desired. Being a OhmFluke shipper, I was certainly expecting great things from this couple and they did try their level best; and yet it failed to alleviate my palate. Oh My Sunshine Night! delivers on the chemistry; not so much on the storytelling. There are potholes so huge that you can probably sink a ship into them and it will be long forgotten. That’s what this show became- a forgettable mix of mass hysteria propelled by murder mystery shredding the encompassing romance. The characters manage to rouse your excitement and when you get invested in their stories; the storyline does a head dive into the oblivion. You are often left scratching your head about the circumstances driving the narrative while repeatedly questioning the character’s actions. The storyline focuses on the lives of four couples, and it gets overwhelming because the romance overlaps. Except for the main couple, the remaining three couples’ relationship is rather rushed and undermined. There is a lot going on at any given point in time, and although the chemistry is good, it isn’t enough to rouse your interest. This is one of those shows you watch if you are a die-hard fan of the featured BL couple. I was also rather shocked by the extension. It felt too dragged out and inconsequential. Let’s pan down and figure out if anything good exists in this melodrama?

The Snow White Prince & His Apple Dwarf

I have always appreciated the height difference between Ohm Thitiwat & Fluke Natouch; it’s discernible and “oh-so-endearing”. Kimhan (Ohm) & Sun’s (Fluke) romance kinda reminds you of “The Beauty & Beast” albeit with “A Red Shoe, Chlorophyll deficient plant, Apples & Horses” twist. Yup, the first half of the story gravitates around Sun’s cardiac arrests (which come & go as they please). The love story is obviously spurred by Kim’s sudden protective urges (after he has spurned Sun’s hundreds of attempts at friendship, because that’s how they work). They have oodles of chemistry, sprinkled with light-hearted flirting, which makes the impossible romance quite palpable. But the script can’t hold on to chemistry alone. KimSun’s storyline has potholes that ultimately sink the ship. Ohm’s wooden expressions are expected of his character, but they get a tad boring after his consistent push & pull game with Fluke’s Sun. Of course, Fluke tries his level best to save the situation with his tacit support and he is a talented actor; but the script falls flat. The second half separates the coveted couple with Kim suffering from amnesia, whereby he conveniently forgets Sun (but still somehow remembers their promise to watch the couple’s comet together). Sun’s memories keep niggling at his conscience and yet he fails to recognize him when they reconcile. The cherry on the top of this cake is that Kim & Sun have a childhood connection too (Itty Bitty & Bigfoot); even though he forgets Sun, Kim remembers Itty Bitty. What kind of amnesia is he suffering from?

What I Liked

There were some scenes that played out well; like the beach scene where Kim & Sun have their first actual conversation. Sun is scared about his persistent cardiac arrests; he is afraid of dying. Keeping aside his arrogant side, Kim comforts Sun and promises to take care of him. There are some sweet moments where Kim drops his macho act to draw comfort & solace from Sun. They make a beautiful pair (no doubt) and their romance seems believable (for most parts). Also, Kim enjoys teasing Sun covertly and this unusual behavior is so refreshing that you can’t help but smile at his antics. He is also overtly possessive, and jealousy is one of his strong traits. A grumpy Kimhan is totally adorable!

What I Didn’t Like

The excessive melodrama, arguements and annoyance.

Yes, KimSun are the lead couple and drama is expected if you want to spice up the romance. But Oh My Sunshine Night! takes it so far that these tropes get overplayed. The first half downplays their relationship as Kimhan is too busy being arrogant. And the moment he accepts his feelings for Sun, he gets into an accident. His entire world falls apart because his parents are murdered and his brother goes missing. Then he is relocated into the middle of nowhere, where he spends months’ training to be an archer/horse’s rider/ violinist. The melancholy is so strong; you wonder how he hasn’t gone crazy (imagine living without internet access or television). The cliche sub tropes overtake the storyline entirely and you start wondering where everything went wrong?

The Handsome Master/Butler Pair

We are going with Butler because I still haven’t figured out the nature of their relationship; since Payoo’s (Peterpan Thasapon) Father, Santi is the resident butler in the Kannakool mansion. So, Payoo hightails between acting as a chauffeur/personal assistant for Rain (Noh Phouluang) while working part time and managing his studies. Rain is obviously quite unhappy and dismissive of their master/servant relationship. Both Noh & Peter have an interesting dynamic. I have watched Noh in “Nitiman The Series” and the romance was a tad boring. So, I wasn’t expecting much here; but Noh surprises you with a strong portrayal of a character who is as important as the main. Rain is the prodigal son, the heir to his father’s business empire. His role in the family is set from the moment he was born. Rain often forced to act as peacemaker between Kim & their father because of their stiff relationship. In the midst of this family drama and the burdens he shoulders, Payoo becomes his comfort zone; someone he admires and likes irrevocably. But Payoo has been trained into a subservient mindset by his father and as such, he spends most of his time dodging Rain’s persistent attempts at romance.

What I Liked

The chemistry- Oh My God. Peter & Noh have a fiery chemistry which is comparable to OhmFluke. RainPayoo nation rose to fandom, because fans quickly got attached to this handsome couple and they were shipped favorably on screen. Their presence was like a fresh breath of air in a stale storyline. They literally had just one kissing scene and their kiss broke records on the internet (trust me, people went batsuit crazy watching them). It was like a dam broke and their popularity skyrocketed. Pretty sure, there are fans writing sonnets about their chemistry or even avid fanfiction. RainPayoo were invariably one of the best parts of this overdramatic story and I will definitely pay to watch if they get their own show. Better yet, give Peter & Noh leading roles in another drama!

What I didn’t Like

Their separation- which actually didn’t happen; because the bruised and battered Rain spend months hiding, while Payoo nursed him back to health. Rain’s reentry was touted as some big “Surprise” but it was quite obvious that he had stayed hidden inside the safe house. It would have been better if we got to watch some sweet moments between Rain & Payoo; because the show invariably skipped their confession scene, they never got the chance to express their feelings for each other (at least not Payoo). The ending was too bizarre, with Rain flying out to Iguazú falls, leaving Payoo behind. Why didn’t they travel together? Also, are they together as a couple or not? We never got answers to these important questions. I wish this romance was scripted in a better way!

The Secondary Couples & The Villainess

Ironically, Oh My Sunshine Night! is one of those BLs where the casting directors did a fantabulous job; the scriptwriter’s didn’t. The third BL couple, Pie (Dew Nitikorn) & Petch (Kan Krittikorn), make a handsome pairing and yet their love story is questionable. Pie is irrevocably attracted to Kimhan in the initial episodes, even though the latter always rudely rebukes his advances. So, poor Petch becomes his unwilling punching bag, as Pie spends almost sixteen episodes oscillating between his feelings for Kim & his attraction to Petch. Frankly, it was so frustrating to watch; Pie loves to spite Petch just to satisfy his egotistical nature. So, when they finally kiss and accept their feelings, I really didn’t care much about their romance; it was a done deal for me. Chun’s (Ufa Nattawat) caricature is quite similar, he has a one sided crush on Rain. Our rich heir (who is hopelessly in love with Payoo) only considers him as his junior. In the finale episode, Chun is unwittingly paired with Oh (Ryan Panya). They look good together, but sadly, we will never get to see them romance. Last but not the least, we have to talk about the evil villainess who spends a major portion of this drama rolling her eyes over the Kannakool family dynamics. I often wondered if she was just jealous of the family or she was really after their money. Dr. Suwan (Na-Chatra) is far too beautiful to seem cynical and yet she nails the act in the finale episodes. Granted, trying to kill the Kannakool heirs in the middle of nowhere with her lousy gang of three musketeers wasn’t a wise decision; but antagonists in Thai BLs aren’t known for their sound mindset, so there’s that. But we do love a stylish, devious vamp!

Final Impressions

There were a lot of things that I liked about this drama; one of them is the brotherly love between Rain & Kimhan. Kim is free spirit and doesn’t want to be locked down in his father’s ambitious world. Rain acts as a buffer while helping Kimhan to achieve his dreams. Both Ohm & Noh have an admirable dynamics and they really do seem like real brothers. Rain is Kim’s safe zone and his anchor; almost like a father figure. I also enjoyed watching Kim’s sordid friendship with Baibua (Yaimai Shinaradee), because she was one of the few people he actually got along with. Lift Supoj’s act as the butler was both annoying and commendable. I did dislike his constant attempts at derailing Rain & Payoo’s romance, but he is a loyalist. After his master’s death, he expertly maneuvers Dr. Suwan’s downfall. He is quite well versed in managing the business affairs as well (which makes you wonder if Kim’s Father had already trained him in advance); because in the second half, he acts less like a butler and more like a vanguard protecting his dead master’s business empire. The script was evenly matched in certain parts while oddly placed in others. It leaves you with a feeling of epiphany; wondering about the scriptwriter’s mindset. Since this was News Infinity Entertainment’s first project, perhaps we can give them the leeway. Don’t go looking for logical conclusions and Oh My Sunshine Night! will be a breezy ride!

Rating- 3 out of 5

Streaming on- AISPLAY