GMMTV Pairings And Your Favorite BL Of Theirs
Started by @romanceismycallingcard here
Not tagged directly but first saw @maybe-boys-do-love's post!
Rules: name your favorite series for each as a CP (EarthMix, BounPrem, PondPhuwin, ForceBook, JoongDunk, JimmySea, FirstKhaotung, GeminiFourth, PerthSanta, WilliamEst, JuniorMark, JossGawin, OffGun, TayNew, KristSingto, and AouBoom)
Personal modification: replacing BounPrem with SeaKeen because i actually have seen zero of their series 🫠
EarthMix
Watched: Moonlight Chicken, Only Friends Dream On (ongoing)
Favorite: it's a little embarrassing that I have only seen one full EM series (I dropped Ossan's Love early, and ATOTS/Cupid's Last Wish are on my watch list, it's just...... time...) but as much as I love Mix as Dean, MLC is one of two shows I have ever given a perfect rating, so this is not difficult.
PondPhuwin
Watched: Fish Upon the Sky, Never Let Me Go, We Are, Me and Thee (7/10)
Favorite: Maybe if I had finished Me and Thee this would be different, but even though Pond was a revelation as Thee, I didn't find the romantic dynamic between Thee and Peach as compelling as PalmNueng in NLMG. It's deeply imperfect and uneven, but the show and characters just have a special place in my heart. PPW's acting was still raw as hell, but they managed to convey moments of vulnerability, tenderness, and intimacy that still stick with me.
ForceBook
Watched: Only Friends, Perfect 10 Liners, and that one episode of Peaceful Property (you see where this is going)
Favorite: I'm so sorry but I don't like them enough to watch them in a non-ensemble cast, so if I'm going to be honest...
JoongDunk
Watched: Star in My Mind, Hidden Agenda, The Heart Killers
Favorite: I feel like I was in the trenches for so long with their early series, and finally got rewarded with FadelStyle in THK—two roles that played to their strengths, letting Dunk be bold and unhinged and finally match Joong's energy on a physical level. I fear I'm going to be chasing the high of their performances for the rest of their careers.
JimmySea
Watched: Vice Versa, Last Twilight
Favorite: Not my favorite CP, but I do find Sea charming, so with them it really depends on the script. As much of a letdown as the ending of LT was, the first 9 episodes had some real emotional highs and beautifully rendered scenes that captured their potential, I think.
FirstKhaotung
Watched: The Eclipse, Moonlight Chicken (?), Only Friends, The Heart Killers
Favorite: Is it weird to admit that as much as I adore FirstKhao and think they are so talented, both separately and as a pair, I haven't come across an onscreen dynamic that I can say is a favorite? It's a testament to their range as actors, but also I think I might just have a more cerebral relationship to their CP work where I want to chew on their performances more than I want to bask in their chemistry lol. This is probably a bit of recency bias because it's been a minute since I watched The Eclipse, but I'll say KantBison from THK, because I do think this was the most pure fun I had with their characters.
GeminiFourth
Watched: My School President, Moonlight Chicken
Favorite: Another easy decision, because MSP is just That Show, and TinnGunn are Them. The platonic ideal of young love. It feels like G4 has been around forever, but because I didn't watch their last series, it's also been forever since I've seen them in anything new? Ticket to Heaven can't come soon enough...
PerthSanta
Watched: Perfect 10 Liners, Me and Thee (7/10), Love You Teacher (ongoing)
Favorite: It's almost too close to call, because their first true starring role is still airing, and as much as it's hitting every note so far, there was something so classic and sturdy about their work as YothaGun in P10L. Maybe that's why I'll take a swing and say PobmekSolar from LYT anyway, because it's turning the expectations of their dynamic around, and Perth bringing out his comedic side has been so delightful for me personally.
WilliamEst
Watched: ThamePo, Me and Thee (7/10)
Favorite: This is maybe the most surprising answer so far because I do love ThamePo so much, but I need to speak my truth......... which is that William should always be a little bratty. Even though I haven't finished MAT, you bet I've watched all the RomeMok scenes multiple times. Devoted bodyguard and young master dynamic remains undefeated, I don't make the rules.
JuniorMark
Watched: Midnight Museum (yes I'm counting those 3 eps), Cherry Magic, Perfect 10 Liners, My Romance Scammer (ongoing)
Favorite: the level to which I am currently JuMark-pilled is frankly concerning. I've always liked their onscreen CP work, dating back to Cherry Magic, but MRS is the first time the weight of the roles has felt equally distributed, and both Junior and Mark are giving phenomenal performances. TimPai feel complex, adult, three-dimensional, and fully realized, and not only are they characters of all time, they might be an OTP of all time by the time the series finishes airing, and I don't say that lightly.
JossGawin
Watched: Only Friends Dream On (ongoing)
Favorite: OFDO is the winner by default, I guess? I appreciate that they're exploring the thorny parts of friends-to-lovers with ArnoldTua, but honestly it got way more interesting after Dean started his khuujin campaign lol. Gawin gives great babygirl, though.
OffGun
Watched: Theory of Love, Not Me, Cooking Crush, The Trainee, Burnout Syndrome (4/10)
Favorite: I don't know, there's something about their onscreen dynamic that has never quite aligned for me, and it doesn't have anything to do with their perceived respective strengths/weaknesses in acting. The Off characters I've found compelling (Jane, Ko) are from different shows than the Gun characters I've found compelling (White/Black), or something like that. For lack of a definitive answer, I guess I'll go with the one that left the deepest impression on me: SeanWhite in Not Me.
TayNew
Watched: Dark Blue Kiss, Cherry Magic, Peaceful Property
Favorite: This is a CP where I've always appreciated their work apart (New in The Warp Effect, Tay in 3WBF) a little more than together, but I think I've settled into a groove where they really work for me in more comedic series. If we're being strict about the BL requirement, then KaranAchi from CM—perfectly enjoyable and serviceable, also a pretty good workplace romance!—is the only answer I can give.
KristSingto
Watched: SOTUS, SOTUS S, The Ex-Morning
Favorite: although SOTUS S is my favorite of the two seasons (and made me believe that more series should actually consider extending the story, if there's more to be done with the characters), the slow simmer of feelings, heated gazes, and unfolding intimacy between Kongpob and Arthit in the first season is still kinda the blueprint for slowburn in Thai BL, if you ask me.
AouBoom
Watched: Vice Versa, Hidden Agenda, We Are, Perfect 10 Liners, Memoir of Rati, Only Friends Dream On (ongoing)
Favorite: goddamn have they paid their dues... I realized sometime around the slog of Hidden Agenda that AouBoom really could do some damage if given the chance, and although the roles themselves haven't grabbed me, the performances have often elevated them. But now, with RomeRaffy in OFDO, they're finally getting to stretch their muscles and fully inhabit characters that are rough and messy, devious and ambitious, mean and resentful, and I'm loving every minute of it.
SeaKeen
Watched: Only Boo, MuTeLuv: "Hi" By My Luck, Head 2 Head
Favorite: I have to go with my beloved academic rivals-to-lovers dynamic, MawinEr from HBML. They both inhabited their characters so well in just four episodes, and while the romantic chemistry is still a work in progress, you could see their improvements in terms of bringing out nuances of emotion, holding each other's gazes, projecting fondness, etc. They're already so good at affection and banter, I need them to get a chewier script!
tagging @hyeoni-comb @merryfuture @ginnymoonbeam and anyone else who wants to think about gmmtv cps very seriously lmao
