#olth

indirect 💋💋💋

I’m sorry, Heng. But I think… I can’t be your friend anymore.

Nothing like a tiptoe kiss and a forehead kiss at the same time? Thank you for seme!Mix, GMMTV. Please do this more.

Bonus: Touching where he was kissed.

I often go on Reddit to view what people think about OLTH and, while there are the accolades to Earth’s acting (deserved, imo) and the cries of “this series is so underrated” (an opinion I also share), there’s a subset of people who find it… boring and filler-y.

So I’m trying to think about why that could be, because I don’t necessarily think those opinions come from a place of hate and could be valid criticism. And yet I don’t share that opinion and I’ve wondered why I’ve been loving this show so much. I’m tuned in like a hawk every week.

That’s when it dawned on me: OLTH is a slice of life sitcom.

So I was blabbing my incoherent thoughts on Twitter (it’s only a plus that blabbing helps the hashtag) here: https://x.com/expensivegherl/status/1896777150222725411?s=46

…and now that my thoughts are more cohesive, here’s why I find the series so relatable.

Heng is a representation of the burned-out optimist.

I think most fans/watchers got MAJOR WHIPLASH when comparing probie!Heng to present Heng. Lots of tweets were saying, “what happened to him?”

Sure, this Heng could be just the idealized version in Mo’s flashback, but he certainly looked more polished than he does now, which is this:

Eight years have lapsed in between his probation period and his current job as property consultant at Okaeri Real Estate. Heck, he isn’t even mid-management like Ten is. And yet, because he’s comfortable enough funding his hobbies, his VR, and his Mr. Saturnworld collection, he doesn’t think it worth it to move up (even if in his head, he DOES want to, as seen in his dream sequence in Episode 1).

The thing is… this is all so familiar, because heck, I’m facing this right now. Mom’s asking me why I can’t buy a house yet, or get married or have kids.

We’re just raised in different times.

How many times have Millennials been chastised by the boomers and Gen X for not attaining society’s standard of success? Remember how news sites would critique spending our money on avocado toasts and expensive coffee, instead of buying a home and raising a family?

I’m not making this up! Remember these articles?

Which brings me to…

Mr. Saturnworld is every Millennial’s hobby, ever.

Millennials love their hobbies. Heck, this abandoned site is proof eternal of how we are when we get our hands on hobbies. Coffee brewing (and the gear that comes with it). Pokémon card collecting. BL merch collections.

The New York Times call it “life-improvement splurges” for personal growth:

…I call it escapism.

We were thrown into college/the workforce post- ‘08 recession. Thrown into a reality where home ownership is becoming increasingly unattainable. Where salary increases don’t match inflation. Where company loyalty isn’t rewarded with set-for-life benefits. Climate change. We’re replaceable.

And so when Heng spends his money on Mr. Saturnworld, it’s because Mr. Saturnworld is attainable when a house isn’t. And it’s enough of a comfort to confront the next day, and the next (else we all go crazy).

Anyway, I want more Saturnworld merch.

With our mundane 9-to-5, we only ever remember the shenanigans of the week.

I think the difference between filler episodes and “shenanigans of the week” is that the latter serves the sitcom/slice of life format, while filler episodes help “fill” downtime outside of the main plot.

The thing is, filler episodes serve characterization in a plot-driven story/series/format, but sitcoms and slice of life series are NOT plot driven. They’re character driven.

We shouldn’t expect an overarching plot of how Heng gets his man in OLTH, because Heng getting his man is only secondary to Heng (and all the other characters) navigating their messy-ass lives.

And so, because OLTH is character-driven story, the “shenanigans of the week” allows us to see how Heng, Mo, and Kongdech (principally) navigate the curveballs.

Who remembers what they’re doing in their 9-5? I don’t. I only ever remember my weird clients, my using sick leaves for vacation getaways, and who got drunk in an office outing.

And office gossip, of course.

So yes, “haunted house” and “outing episode” might seem filler-y, but that’s only if you expect the series to be principally a BL romance with comedic elements.

OLTH isn’t that, though. It’s straight up a slice of life comedy with romantic elements… and some people might not like that. That’s okay.

But there are those of us really tired millennials who want to tune out and laugh along with people we could relate to.

There’s more I have to say about this, but my lunch break is over, and I have work to do. If I’m minded, I might just do a Part 2.