Written and directed by Jojo Tichakorn (whose written and directed many shows for GMMTV), the highly anticipated series “Only Friends” debuted on YouTube. So, I knew what to expect going into this spastic hyper sexual series that surrounds six college friends and the antics they get into. Many familiar actors from multiple series pop up in this drama in quite a few surprising ways, mainly because the cameos weren’t mentioned in any of the trailers that were released online. So, I treat them as cupcakes meant to delight longtime fans of Jojo’s work catalog.

The series is an ensemble cast, which is hard to pull off because you have the storylines of all main characters to juggle, add to that whatever supporting characters for each individual storyline entitles. The writing has to be tight enough to hold emotional weight for these two situations and have each of the six parts mix well to present as a series. This series doesn’t handle that as well as the others. My assumption is it’s trying to capitalize on the recent fame that actors Force Jiratchapong and Book Kasidet (Top and Mew on the series) gained from their just ended series “A Boss and A Babe” which might be the reason their characters have so much screen time.

Besides those two, Sand (First Kanaphan) and Ray (Khaotung Thanawat) have almost equal amount of screen time. While Boston (Neo Trai) and Nick (Mark Pakin), who are playing at the “Friends with Benefits” storyline, get the least amount of screentime; though ironically, they are probably the storyline, I enjoy the most. The reasoning being the script for this series is good or bad, depending on which storyline you’re following. With a birds eye view, as the audience, you can see all the characters and how they act as well as their secrets or intentions. This can be a great way to depict emotional weight of the situations the characters get into, but it can let you to see the inconsistencies that run rampant in the series.

Top is introduced as the hot tall guy who can have anyone he wants. Boston has firsthand experience of the same. Top initially views Mew as a conquest and is determined to have him for pride’s sake. He boasts to Boston he would do it; so he should- that being his logic. Mew being sweet and innocent easily falls for Top and they have heavy makeout session on the kitchen counter. When Top tries for more than that, Mew quickly puts the brakes on that. They decide to be friends and see what happens, while Boston seethes with jealousy.

That’s simple, right? For the sake of this review we are going to say it is, but by the second episode, despite the cute romance that Top and Mew have going, Top is still making out with Boston in the shower. He’s reluctant at first but eventually gives in (we are trying to make sense). Each storyline has moments like this running rampant through them. Set against the neon lights of clubs, scantly clad women in strip joints, or the pristine classrooms of their college, the boys and the token female of their friend group Namchueam (Lookjun Bhasidi) get into all sorts of circumstances.

That being said, after “3 Will Be Free” I can say this isn’t as edgy as I thought it would be. Sand being a bar singer with a side hustle of making plum wine is handled in the way a kid announces they are selling pirated movies. His romance with Ray is another moment where I have to turn a blind eye to the inconsistency of Sand’s moral compass being broken. In the first episode, he was operating from the high ground of being poor and therefore having the biggest chip on his shoulder over Ray’s caustic way of living and being a blight on the society. Only to whore himself out to Ray in a variety of ways in the second episode. I was scratching my head looking for his morals as he accepted 10,000 baht for drinking with Ray (he blasted him verbally for wasting money in the previous episode).

Then there’s my lovely third couple, but at what cost? As Boston and Nick have sex in various places “which are cute to me, slightly toxic to everyone else” version of flirtation, Nick is clearly already all in with the idea of Boston. So he asks for clarity on what they are to each other. Boston explains the difference between fuck buddies and friends with benefits. Seeing Nick hurt, he calls him his favorite as he coerces the boy into having his picture taken right after having sex with him. When Nick enters the dark room where Boston develops the picture, I will assume he has rose-colored glasses on. Hanging from clips to his left are other men in similar positions to him, but he doesn’t seem to notice THAT.

The series doesn’t always make sense. But it’s fun, creating vibrant colorful scenes of future betrayals by giving us just enough information about the characters and their bed hopping to know that this is gonna be dramatic and trashy as hell. If that’s what you’re into then leave your common sense at the door and enjoy this beautifully nonsensical show.

Rating- 3 out of 5 stars

Streaming on- GMMTV YouTube Channel