This seven episode joint venture between the Filipino and American community in the form of a bicultural series follows the Pinoy screenwriter, Andre (Sebastian Castro) who traveling to Los Angeles for an award acceptance ceremony. Making less than favorable life choices, he ends up rooming with Joshua (Ellis Gage), a hardworking American of Korean descent. Although their relationship stars as tenant and landlord but as the two learn more about each other, things change.

Short is the right word to describe the series, each episode being 27 minutes. Luckily, directors Allan Ibanez and Dexter Hernandez knew exactly what they wanted from this Boys’ Love series. They utilize Los Angeles and surrounding areas beautifully to craft a familiar yet alien landscape for the visitor Andre. We watch his first times in the city, which is visually pleasing as the show is shot in amazing high definition and focuses on the characters, settings and situations while never feeling rushed or like we are missing anything.

Sebastian Castro as Andre very much felt like “the fish out of water” character that he was meant to be. Often, his assumptions aren’t exactly what he presumes and the emotional support from his Filipino best friend Mikayla (Bombalicious Eklaver) keeps him grounded, as he believes certain situations will have to work the way he wants. It’s clear Andre has ulterior motives for being in America that may not be rooted in the most possible ways. But that’s why his besh is only a video call away.

The frequent usage of video calls is an excellent form of adding a multicultural aspect to the show. Andre communicates with his mother Grace (Lotlot de Leon) who is working in the middle east. They often communicate via video calls and it’s through their chats that Andre’s origins are explained. Meanwhile, the adorably sexy grouchy landlord Joshua is a very closed book for most of the series. Granted, Andre’s the new cause for why he’s standoff-ish and sometimes mean. There is more to his character than meets the eyes. The final character is the mysterious and broody Ivan (Jeff Chen) who lurks around the plot wanting to meet the old employee (Joshua) who works at the liquor store before Andre started to work there.

As previously mentioned, the writer/director duo utilize the plot well to narrate the story of all the characters in a way that nothing feels amiss. If it was satisfying, depends on what you started watching it for? The chemistry between Andre and Joshua is off the charts from the first time they meet, the vibes proving that they gel really well with each other. But “Stay” doesn’t utilize sex scenes and wet kisses to cement the pair in your heart. Instead, you follow Andre through different unfavorable situations that he creates(some of which could be avoided if he had some common sense. But then Joshua wouldn’t be needed to chide him on his silly decisions). Opting for a realistic look at being broke in Los Angeles when you’re from the Philippines, relying on the kindness of a loveable grouch is the real meat of this series.

Towards the end of the series the two are forced to face the reality that an illegal immigrant in America cannot work legally. Andre proposes marriage as a solution while Joshua declines as he has his own internal struggles to face. Joshua as well as the series brings all this to the forefront and I’m already looking forward to Season Two. The show has an open ending with a cute mid credits scene that gives us hope that the two men will probably find their way back to each other.

Rating- 4 out of 5 stars

Streaming on- Team Campy YouTube Channel