#phaisandee

Or is what I'm doing count as a recap? I don't know, what even are words anymore

We begin with Tong doing his best Bella from the beginning of New Moon impression(yes I watched those movies, don't judge me, the number of issues I have with them could fill several posts), and taking out his heartbreak on Kalae, who deserves better. And look, Tong, I have sympathy for you, but it's not really fair to hold Pok to a promise that he made before he knew about what you did with his scores, something that both indicated a complete lack of confidence in him and opened him up to blackmail without his knowledge or consent.

I was originally pleased that the show thought we were capable of remembering the whole shirt thing and didn't feel the need to provide us with a flashback, but then they subjected us to one when it came to Pok's turn to be silently sad, so 0/10, Gen Y.

I just noticed that Sandee and Phai appear side by side several times in the credits, just like the other couples, so it looks like they'll probably be endgame, which I'm pleased about, tbh.

So apparently Dun actually can act, because he did a good job in this scene with Pha.

Idk if you know this, Pha, but being abruptly broken up with right after your partner gives you flowers, when you think the both of you are deeply in love with each other, and are given no explanation for it, is kinda traumatizing and ruins good memories, because you're not sure anymore whether the person was actually feeling what you were feeling at the time.

You want Thanu to explain the situation to Wayu after Pha dies? The situation being that no one respected Wayu enough to tell him the truth? Or give him a chance to say goodbye? Fuck off with that bullshit, Pha.

I know that I have mutuals(whom I adore) who are into the idea of "Darth Sandee"(a nickname I admittedly love), but I find mustache twirling villains dull. I like when they're at least somewhat sympathetic, and the show gave us a sympathetic Sandee this episode. There were no evil smirks. He just seemed like a guy who was resigned to never being with the person he loved, and was doing his best to make sure that the person he loved got to be with the person they loved. He's doing it all in a very misguided way, but I think his heart is in the right place.

Also I love that Phai hasn't given up on him.

Gotta say, if someone I love is looking all distant and then says that they have something to tell me after we eat, I'm putting my fork down and asking them to tell me now.

Oh yay, another feeding scene that couldn't be less sexy. Also I thought Thanu said he'd tell Wayu after the meal. Why is he doing archery now?

I'm sorry, Thanu, but that metaphor was bizarre. Honestly, though, I really appreciate that Thanu respects Wayu enough to tell him the truth.

Ngl, I thought at first that they were doing the whole "Pha can't see" thing so that Wayu could be there but walk away before Pha realized it was him.

Bas did an excellent job in this scene. Also I can't not love that Pha's hand is bigger than Wayu's face.

Wayu was a little unnecessarily indifferent towards Thanu after he came out of Pha's hospital room. Though admittedly it was the most natural he's ever seemed in a scene with Dun.

Why didn't we get to see Mark's reaction to Wayu finding out about Pha? The show is really doing Wayu and Mark's relationship dirty in this season. They have a great friendship. Mark was there for him so much during Wayu's heartbreak over Pha. And now we don't get to see them talk about it right after Wayu finds out? Come on, show, get it together.

Okay, the way Kit put Mark to bed was super cute, from the fluffing of the pillows to the elaborate hand gesture to the multiple kisses. But Kit, come on, you really think Mark, who is complete trash for you, is going to fall asleep with you sitting there gazing at him lovingly?

I love that Kit's immediate reaction to finding out that there's hope for Pha was to wake Mark up so that he could share the news with him.

It's weird for Wayu to hallucinate Thanu as Sab. It would make far more sense narratively for him to hallucinate Thanu as Pha. But whatever. I honestly don't think I could care less about the Pha-Wayu-Thanu love triangle.

AT LAST! MY SHIP!

Okay, it's a fucking crime that we're only seeing the aftermath of their date and not the actuality of it.

It looks like Koh is more willing to accept the idea of them dating than Jack is, at least emotionally. True, Jack sent the text, but Koh accepted and just assumed they'd go again. Also, he looked hopeful last episode that he and Jack might go on a date with each other than with Wayu, whereas Jack just looked frustrated.

Look, I want to be annoyed at the whole KohJack/JackKoh thing, because it has that "the receptive partner is lesser" idea, along with the obnoxious heteronormativity that you sometimes see in BL shows, but the way the two of them do it is just so charming and funny that I can't be too irritated.

WHY are Pok and Tong sitting next to each other? That's just...nothing about that makes sense. In my experience with painful breakups, if the two of you share friends you tend to try to not be with them at the same time until the painful feelings lessen. And even if you choose to be there together, you definitely aren't as physically close to each other as possible.

More Sandee looking forlorn instead of malicious. I'm here for it.

Who ARE those guys, and why are they fucking with Pok? Though I'm kind of relieved it was just a simple locking him inside the pool area prank instead of violence.

Okay, Pok has bad friends. If I found out that my friend was trapped, I'd drop everything to go help them, not leave them there while I did my own thing.

Mark barging into Pha's room playing the guitar was mega charming. I love Mark. And Pha ratting Kit out about having a crush on Mark while Mark was courting him was super cute.

Wait, so Wayu hasn't bothered to contact Thanu? Dick move.

Mark coming in with some free range truth here.

I'm confused. Is Kit planning on applying and not telling Mark, or not applying and still not telling Mark?

Ugh, that whole discussion was so irritating to watch. Mark is clearly trying to be brave and do what's best for Kit, and Kit takes that as Mark wanting Kit to leave? Come on, Kit, you have more emotional intelligence than that.

I know an episode is bad when I'm sitting there just waiting for it to end so I can write the review. And tbh I think I had more fun writing this than actually watching the episode.

I need Enchante, Cutie Pie, and Not Me after that messy episode. At least a small glimpse of PokTong and Padbok is so something else.

Kit genuinely did not get the scholarship and I am absolutely fine with that. Though I would have preferred if he's gotten it and told Mark he didn't want it just to push that agenda of him truly not wanting to be apart from Mark and making that choice instead of just having the choice thrust onto him.

I wanted Kit to have to make that choice. I wanted Kit to choose Mark and not just have Mark chosen for him. Seriously. That was my one wish for the damn finale of their relationship. But nope. We just got Kit not getting the scholarship and having Mark chosen for him instead. I mean, at least he admitted he didn't want it? I just wanted to see him reject the scholarship. I wanted to see Kit have to make a choice.

Yeah, the whole 'fake LDR' bit just went on way too long and they went way too hard on the idea of blaming this on Mark rather than having Kit take responsibility for his choices and actions. At no point did Kit ever seem to accept that he made these choices and did this. It was all on Mark for... trying to support him in what he thought he wanted?

Yeah. As much as I would have loved to have seen Mark tell Kit off... Mark is a puppy dog in love and he's way too deep to ever do that, no matter how much it hurt. Mark loves Kit to the exception and the exclusion of anything and he just wants to be with him. No matter how it looks.

So as much as I cheered for Mark to break up with Kit over this and to make Kit chase him... it's unrealistic given their relationship and the way Mark loves. Very sadly.

I really hope we don't get a third season at this point unless Thanu and Yu move away and the show is about not-them. Not-them at all. And maybe actually about Kit having to earn Mark and not just Mark accepting everything Kit does with love and acceptance and way too much generosity.

As long as I'm dreaming, I'd also love PokTong to be the main couple in the next season and they get as much screentime as ThanuYu did this season and they get to grow their relationship and be so soft and so in love and beautiful. I want them to be able to communicate clearly and to just have the chance to be in love.

I'd also love Phai and Sandee learning to be together and in love and Sandee figuring out what it means to not be evil and to learn to love an angel like Phai with everything he deserves.

And we could have JackKoh as the third couple and truly darling together and up to constant Shenanigans that everyone finds themselves entangled in somehow.

Reader, I laughed.  Yep - they killed off the inconvenient returning boyfriend (despite the fact that Wayu had more chemistry with Pha’s hand in that one scene than he has done with all of Thanu in all their scenes). The only thing that would have been funnier narratively would have been to have him flatline as the woodentops were attempting to be sexy.  Even at 2x speed their scenes seem to run in slow motion. In other news, Mark is still adorable and Kit is still a tiny idiot.  

Pok with his furry ears, eyeliner and shaved eyebrow did things to me. Things.  I don’t know how Tong resisted his apology - I would have jumped him in a NY second (possibly in one of those lighting closets they spent several minutes filming in for some unfathomable reason - now THAT would be a reason for the lights to have gone screwy). 

JackKoh/KohJack got their statutory single scene but it was very cute. 

But again this is more accurately a liveblog with a review at the end.

So we begin with people attacking Pok for being better than them at pool. Is this really a thing that happens a bunch? And why tf isn't Pok reporting it? Is it some dumb alpha male thing?

We've got some stalker Tong with really intensely melodramatic music as he discovers Pok's...idk what it's called. Swimming head scarf thing. And how does he know that it's Pok's? It looks pretty plain and nondescript to me.

Oh yay, more Wayu/Thanu 🥱. The strongest emotion I felt watching the two of them and their flashbacks was concern about Wayu cutting the apple towards himself. When you're cutting something, never aim the sharp object towards any part of your body.

Honestly, a bedridden, sickly Pha has more chemistry with Wayu than Thanu ever has. I can't begin to express how little I'm looking forward to watching the two of them kiss. It'll be painful.

It's utterly precious but unsurprising that Mark has a heart next to Kit's name. I'm glad that they're being sweet with each other. I was concerned we'd get a weird estrangement.

MY SHIP!

Wow, they are really hamming it up with the light in the background and the romantic music and the wound tending. I love it. I also love that Koh appears to have accepted his attraction to Jack and is turning on the flirt.

The way all these guys are standing around smirking 😂

Ngl, I almost turned off the episode after their scene ended.

Great, more pining. Tbh Bas and Dun have more chemistry with each other when they're not in the same room. Also I feel like there's gotta be some significance to the placement of the heart emojis next to each others name, but I can't really bring myself to care.

So Kit's plan is to wait until one of them cracks before he'll see Mark? That's...that's so deeply immature, but then again Mark is 19/20 and Kit is 20/21, which means that level of maturity isn't entirely out of place, so I'll let it slide.

I was wondering if Sandee was in that chat group. A big yikes right there.

I LOVE both the fact that Phai said a big fuck you to destiny and got a different tattoo, and the tattoo itself.

Kinda want to steal it.

Also Bank has beautiful hands.

I love how vulnerable and hopeful Sandee looks here. Ever since Phai told him about Thanu, I think Sandee resigned himself to never being with Phai. I think this is the first time since then that he's allowed himself to consider the possibility that he might get to be with Phai.

Holy shit Sandee and Phai have a fuck ton of chemistry.

This might actually make up for having to endure the black hole of chemistry that is ThanuWayu.

He's so soft! I love it. I'm entirely here for these two.

Moving on.

How did Kit know which bag to give Wayu? Oh wait I don't care.

Okay, this coach is a dick. Did he really have to embarrass that dude in front of the whole team?

How many times is Pok going to let those guys get away with beating him up? Especially since they keep hitting his abdomen. Has he heard of internal bleeding?

Wow, Tong, way to invade the living space of the dude who broke up with you. If I was Pok I'd be changing the locks. Honestly I'm getting tired of them. Forgive me, mutuals who love them.

Sandee redemption! I'll admit it: I'm trash for redemption storylines. Like, utter and complete trash. And I always liked Sandee before his villain storyline. Super hoping that that's over and done with.

Also, look at how soft Phai is for Sandee!

He's so proud of him and so happy that they get to be friends again.

The cuteness! All I want from the two of them for the rest of this series is sweetness and love.

There endeth the notes I took while watching this episode. I seem to recall the end of it being something to do with Thanu and Wayu, but I don't care enough to go back and check.

Overall a better episode than last week. I'm invested enough in SandeePhai and JackKoh to keep watching, but everything else is boring or annoying. Which is frustrating, because I used to be invested in MarkKit and PokTong. I hope those couples become interesting to me again.