Undoubtedly, this would have worked much better as a fantasy. Instead, they tried to fool us into thinking it is and then wildly twisting the plot into making it fit into our ‘reality’ only to fail miserably on all fronts. This series is a complete mess, regrettably.

Initially, it captured my imagination. Thinking Cir (Boss Chaikamon) was indeed transported from a parallel universe into our world, hooked me. In that world, he was deeply and completely in love with Phu (Noeul Nuttarat). However, in this world, he was hit by a car and was hospitalized. When he awakens, he imagines (I think) that he comes from a parallel universe. Phu has no idea of who Cir is when he knocks on his door, dripping wet in hospital attire. Cir seems to know a great deal about him. I mean an unhealthy amount of information that would indeed indicate what other option would there be but to at least consider Cir is from a parallel universe. Otherwise, would he be a stalker?! However, the idea that they are lovers in that other universe is beyond any level of logic yet certainly is intriguing.

Cir’s backstory was just shocking but upon the strength of Boss’s acting ability, he told it to Phu with such conviction that I found myself weeping from its impact and imagining the horrors of what his life was like. That could and should have been a major part of this story and how his break with reality was more likely its explanation. It was not. A rare opportunity to have a genuine moment for a protagonist to really shine and define his actions and behaviors was missed. It got so close but never reached an apex.

Rather than Cir’s explanation as to why he did what he did via a recording, it would have been way more impactful and dynamic, had he done so in person to Phu. So many opportunities like this were missed that could have made this series so much more memorable and enriched its outcome.

There is a quasi-secondary couple as well. Jin (Forth Kashane), a good friend to Phu, has the ability to ‘hear thoughts’ from others, sometimes. He falls in love with Wimm (Donut Suppawit), a good and close friend to Cir. These two characters are very interesting individuals who in various ways and means are integral to the story and to the fusing of Cir and Phu. Yet, somehow, they felt underutilized and discarded. Here again with such a metaphysical tie-in, this story could have broken ground in terms of being new and creative. A person who could hear thoughts and one of the few people who could honestly relate to Cir in all his various forms of transitions, all developed into standard formulaic tropey characters. Both were capable of being so much more and could have been instrumental in perhaps bridging the two worlds, if it had been a story of parallel universes.

What this series DID get right for a change was the sex, which ironically is a concern for many BL fans. But that part was sound. When you have a new relationship, the awkward ‘first steps’ in sexual performance were tastefully done and I for one appreciated that as they started out is how most GAY relationships begins. With sex. Not this Pollyanna notion of intimacy but the rawness of it. Thanks for being real and honest. We see them wanting to please the other with carnal pleasure which is what happens!

However, the rest of this series was definitely not honest and real. It twisted and distorted what would have been a great premise. Why did you not have a parallel universe? You have someone who could hear thoughts?! Why not jump universes?! As the expression goes, changing horses in the middle of the stream’ utterly destroyed its credibility and the integrity of this story.

I could not make any sense out of this story and felt manipulated by its cut-aways to Cir’s esoteric world. What was that all about? Were they trying to show Cir’s mental breaks with reality? Or was there indeed a possibility that a parallel universe existed? I honestly just did not get it after watching this series. No matter how much it was explained, I simply could not get a coherent picture of this series. And of course, this non-sensical discourse droned on for episodes even though Cir wanted to tell Phu the truth earlier. According to the script, Phu just did not want to hear it. Just once, why cannot a series be forthright early on and surprise us with a new and creative direction then?

This series belongs to only one individual here. She is obviously gunning for Mother of the Year award. That is Vanessa Bever as Ratri, Cir’s mother. I have seen my fair share of cruel parents, but she is queen of all of them. She never got over her husband divorcing her and leaving Cir, her son, and treating him merely as property to do as she wished with him. And she did. Her level of cruelty was and is astonishing. After years of torture, Cir only thought of himself as merely property. Sadly, if it were not for his clinging on to his perceived love of Phu, he would have committed suicide a long time ago. Vanessa played this part with complete gusto and conviction. If anyone wants to see a full and complete picture of what a sociopath looked like, they need to go no further than this portrayal. Cold, calculating, vindictive, and completely and totally uncaring, but always within the confines of acceptable behaviors. What a magnificent portrayal and I for one appreciated her efforts to get as icy and Machiavellian as she could for this role. Well done. Despite her complete evilness, she never fully broke Cir.

Nothing felt real here. While the acting of Boss Chaikamon as Cir and Noeul Nuttarat as Phu is good and palatable, it is all filled with the usual cliché-driven setups we have seen before. Both loners with each have a set of loyal friends eager to help. Friends always coming to the rescue as they are incapable of defending themselves. Both protagonists were again right out of the BL playbook. Phu was yet again another delicate flower needing watching over by everyone. Melting into the ground when it rains, of course because Phu will no doubt die of a rain illness without an umbrella. With Cir being breathlessly handsome, and every girl in school wanting him, he clearly rejects or dismisses all of them. Cir always had an umbrella handy, however. There are more of these cliches, but why bother.

While not directly so, this is really a story steep in mental illness of a young man who has been abused and tortured but escaped into a fantasy world of his own creation. Granted he is astonishingly handsome and maybe that is what gave him a ‘pass’ to do the rather insane things he did. He lied and stocked Phu for a long time. He is also delusional. He took Phu’s acts of kindness and compassion towards him and truncated them into a fantasy. Unquestionably, Cir is in need of counseling and/or therapy for serious emotional and psychological abuses from the effects of physical torture and abandonment issues.

Shockingly none of that is dealt with. Cir manages to convince a rather vulnerable and emotional weak individual named Phu, into believing he is in love with him. I’m not doubting his sincerity, but the basis of this love connection is simply not real. It is based on an illusion. It was in Cir’s mind and heart but not in any way physically connected to Phu. That part seems to have been glossed over as unimportant and will come later. As far as I know, it takes two people to develop a relationship with an understanding that is where their physical union is heading in real time.

Painful as it is for me to say this, this story should never have been made. This relationship is based upon two individuals who live in an illusion. One created it while the other wants it. It does not mean necessarily that their love is not real or could learn to be real. But it does mean that the foundation and its development were based on false premises and no amount of ‘feel good’ bedroom scenes can make it real. The irrefutable notion is they barely KNOW each other!

There is nothing normal and in fact real about this series. If only this series had been a fantasy!

Rating- 2.5 out of 5

Streaming on- IQIYI