This series is best described by the beginning line from Charles Dickens novel, “A Tale of Two Cities”: “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” In other words, this story had such salient and poignant moments in it and then it slipped into cartoonish and hackneyed over-the-top silliness, not worthy of the story. It almost seemed schizophrenic in nature.

No matter how hard I tried, however, I simply could not dislike this series. Perhaps I became enamored with the two main protagonists’ love story and conveniently then ignored the rest of it. Honestly, this could have been a great series and to some extent, it showed promise. But then there was always something that made it crash and burn.

The saga centers around Fourth (Tim Tuppil), a very handsome young man who runs to Sky Valley, a mountain resort in the Philippines, to flee the pressures of family and work. We find out that he ‘escaped’; wanting not to be found and to be left alone – to unwind and clear his head. A sentiment that we can all relate to. However, his father, who is dying, is looking for him to return to inherit the business and take responsibility for operating the company. There is a lot of unresolved family drama especially after Fourth’s mother died.

Accidentally, he meets an uncomplicated local young man working at the resort who is exotically and alluringly handsome. He creates in Fourth a stirring to want to be with someone again, even though he went there to be alone. JunJun (James Lucero) has a special bond with the horses on the resort. That bond also seems to extend into an intense connection with Fourth.

The story of their love certainly ebbs and flows but is so engaging. They do have an animal magnetism that does translate into eroticism with gusto. Some of their scenes are adult in nature to be sure but are not really over-the-top. They are a very seductive couple. The two have great screen chemistry and are not afraid to show it or display it. Honestly, I found their relationship so mesmerizing and a work of art to watch. I wish the whole series had been about them. Their ups and downs were shown with realism and honesty. After all, they came from two completely different backgrounds. One is very rich while the other is not. That in and of itself made for an interesting story and should have been explored more deeply.

Of course, the resort is filled with a cadre of interesting characters. Some of that worked and some of it did not. I am guessing that most of that was for comic relief which was only hit-and-miss. When they brought back Natalie (Cheska Grande) as a former employee (and past lover of JunJun) who somehow managed to purchase Sky Valley, it just completely fell apart. Her characterization is so cartoonish and is such a caricature that it simply cannot be considered ‘real’ in any sense of the word. The same for several other characters as well. They ended up starkly being shells and not real people.

There is a GL component in this series for good measure. It is between Paris (Angelgrace America) a vlogger who comes to the Sky Valley Resort to escape from her ex-boyfriend, Marcus (James Ramada) since he was very toxic. Paris is stunningly beautiful and like Fourth, trying to escape but of course is found by Marcus. She happens to meet the owner’s daughter named Taylor (Lienel Nsvidad). She too is a natural beauty who is part of an up-and-coming band. Although they make an attractive screen couple, I just did not feel the chemistry between them. It felt forced to me and not natural. With Fourth and JunJun, it seemed and felt natural; and it was certainly erotic. The relationship between Paris and Taylor, while well-rehearsed, did not feel organic. Their acting, I am sorry to say, seemed shallow, and they did not portray that they were deeply in love. On the other hand, James as JunJun and Tim as Fourth made it feel like they were in love or at the very least lusted after each other. Sexual tension and a feeling of attractiveness to one another goes a long way in sensing relatability in the character’s motivation as lovers. There was a depth to their characters while Lienel as Taylor and Angelgrace as Paris only delivered impassive lines.

Perhaps this seems counterintuitive, but one character simply fascinated me with his over-the-top performance. James Ramada plays the boyfriend of Paris named Marcus. Initially, he was a parody but as the story progressed, I began to see him in a different light. He was completely obsessed with her and at the same time lost in his own world. He was not living in the real world. And there was a much darker side to him that came out only in the end. He had been mocked all his life because of his small stature and it finally broke him. Astonishingly handsome in his own right, he never internalized that part of him; only his negative side. I wish the direction had been made for him to be a fuller character as at the end he gave us such a soliloquy of what was happening to him and who he was that he had me in tears. His performance, despite the over-the-top aspect, was remarkable and is a wonderment to behold. If only he had been given the opportunity to play the part with more seriousness, perhaps he would not have appeared to be so boorish. James has some awesome acting skills. His character had already decompensated previously so all we saw was how a person further deteriorates rapidly right before our eyes. Even though we think he was clownish, he was in a world of hurt. James showed us that Marcus is in considerable pain. None of that is excusable behavior; it merely explains it. Kudos for showing that. I caught it.

This series is unnecessarily complicated when it did not need to be. It would have worked softly, gently as a BL and GL simply at the Sky Valley Resort. There are too many characters acting like buffoons with no sense of direction or purpose. The character of Natalie, for example, could easily and should have been eliminated. With her constant annoying habit of fixing her fake hair, she was simply too much and too trite and cliché. Several others were also unnecessary figures and while perhaps adding to the visual beauty of the series, did little to enhance the story.

I know this series has received poor reviews and honestly, I understand the sentiment. However, I liked it. It is an adult-themed series which was refreshing. It is an LGBTQIA+ series and not a BL/GL (as in a standard defining way) since this deals with more adult situations and adult sexual circumstances. That part I appreciated as most BLs tend to gloss over that sex, especially more lustful expressions, is part of developing a (BL) relationship. They made that a major focus in their relationship, which is so accurate and honest in the augmentation of a new relationship.

Despite its sloppiness and poor direction, this series does have gravitas. It tried. I loved the relationship between JunJun and Fourth. And I simply and biasedly loved James Ramada as Marcus. He literally stole my heart with his effort.

Watch this at your own peril. I happen to like it and is ‘a guilty pleasure’. Keep an open mind and perhaps you will too!

At the very least, it is a great advertisement for visiting Sky Valley Resort. It looks like a beautiful location! I shall put it on my list of places to visit next year when I visit the Philippines!

Rating- 3.5 out of 5

Streaming on- Oxin Films YouTube Channel