When I first heard that Cutie Pie was going to have a mini series as a sequel, a lot of questions ran through my mind. Would it offer more development to previously underdeveloped characters, especially Syn and Nuer? (Yes, kind of.) Would it offer something to the Cutie Pie world that couldn’t have been covered in the previous series were it better written and better paced? (Not really.)

The recently finished mini-sequel plays to its strengths but continues to fall victim to the weaknesses that plagued the prequel.

There is not a lot I can say about the plot, mostly because there is not much plot to speak of. There are two central sub-plots the sequel serves to cover- the first is their upcoming marriage now that Kuea has graduated, and the second is Kuea’s decision to become a singer in Korea.

Neither of those, I felt, needed more than an episode each to resolve. Were the whole Cutie Pie world plotted better, they might have been covered in the first series itself.

The four episodes were too much runtime, and it was obvious the writers were stretching the scenes with redundant dialogues and actions. Character A says “We need to do this”, Character B follows up with, “Oh, so you mean this needs to be done”, and then they do it. Rinse and repeat.

That is not to say everything was bad, though. It certainly had its plus points, which I realised were pretty much the same from the prequel. Syn and Nuer had more scenes together, including a hilariously awkward yet endearing scene of physical intimacy, where pardon the irony, they revere each other, worship each other, which ended with my stomach in butterflies. Regrettably, that was quite possibly the only scene that did.

I had been fervently hoping for more SynNuer scenes that we had been deprived of in the prequel, and I think I manifested Cutie Pie 2 You. For fans of the series, you’re welcome. For people like me who wished they had wrapped everything up in the prequel (they had more runtime than needed back then too), I’m sorry.

Zee Pruk and NuNew Chawarin are strong when a scene requires them to be vulnerable with each other. When it is just the two of them, they are believable in their chemistry, in their relationship. They effortlessly portray moments of both physical and emotional intimacy. They continue to shine in the quieter moments.

Unfortunately, the depiction of their relationship remains bland outside the bedroom. It feels like they forget they have been together for a while whenever they interact with others, and (for Kuea) blush awkwardly like they are on their first date.

Ultimately it boiled down to one question, ‘Have I learned anything new about these characters from the first episode to the last?’ The answer was a resounding no. I don’t blame the actors though, they could only work with the material given, especially when every interaction between them seemed more to pad the runtime than to contribute anything to their relationship.

Was a sequel to their story needed in the first place? I wouldn’t have minded a couple of episodes focused on the wedding, which was executed nicely. Were it just written and executed better, it might have made for a more pleasant watch.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Where to Watch: Mandee YouTube Channel