#telomeke

Google appears to be reaching into this Tumblr post I wrote about the Thai BL Monk, and conflating the content there with me and my blog:

So apparently I'm now a BL actor and also given over to the monastic life? I gotta watch out for this upcoming series Pat Pat and Pat Pran, if only to find out how I help Pat out with that phallic amulet. 🤣

Barring any surprise discoveries, this write-up will call time on all of my Bad Buddy location posts – I've had notes for this tucked away for more than a year now, and have been putting off writing it up partly because I didn't want it to end, and also partly because (frustratingly) there's one final location I still haven't been able to track down (😬 more on that later).

But now it's time; more than two years after Bad Buddy aired I really should put my location posts to bed, and I was motivated to set digital pen to virtual paper by an Ask from fellow BBS fan @honey-beebs (linked here). Lucky Bee is heading to Bangkok right about now and will be looking up BBS locations while there, so I hope my posts will be helpful! 💖

This write-up, Part 13 in the series, profiles mostly odds and ends – minor locations that I found late and/or couldn't manage to fit into any other location post. So there isn't a theme here, but it's all BBS-related so hopefully Bad Buddy location fans will still find something interesting in this.

To start things off: the scene where Pat helps Pran look for his lost earphones (beginning at Ep.4 [1‌/4] 10.29) is the only outdoor one with an overt reference to rugby (Pat is still in his rugby kit after practice) that was filmed at Rangsit University (RSU):

(above) The boys search for Pran's lost earphones at BBS Ep.4 [1‌/4] 10.58

All other rugby scenes (plus a whole lot of outdoor university scenes as well) were filmed at Bangkok University's Rangsit campus. But the location of this one scene is actually the grass verge in front of RSU's Faculty of Architecture:

(above) The tree in front of the Architecture Faculty, below which Pat and Pran search for Pran's lost earphones

Proof of the above is the building that we see in the background of the scene, behind Pat and Pran – that's the Chinese-Thai Institute of Rangsit University, with its unmistakeable roofline and parade of columns, on the other side of the road from RSU's Faculty of Architecture:

(top) The Chinese-Thai Institute of Rangsit University (opposite the Faculty of Architecture); (bottom) the map location of the Chinese-Thai Institute in relation to the Faculty of Architecture‌

Elsewhere on campus, the covered car park where Pat serenaded Pran with Nanon and Sizzy's Love Score (Ep.8 [1‌/4] 15.52), spied on by a furious Wai (Ep.8 [1‌/4] 16.57 and Ep.9 [1‌/4] 5.19) is also where Pat, loving Pran on the down low, waves to Chang, Korn and Mo before getting into his car where Pran is waiting (Ep.12 [3‌/4] 4.54):

(top left) Pat serenades Pran in his car at Ep.8 [1‌/4] 15.59; (top right) Wai sees Pran getting into the car of his sworn enemy Pat at Ep.9 [1‌/4] 5.21; (bottom) Pat waves to Chang, Korn and Mo from the covered car park while Pran stays horizontal and out of sight in the car (Ep.12 [3‌/4] 4.54)

These scenes were filmed at the ground floor covered car park of the Faculty of Optometry (Building 12/1) at Rangsit University:

(top) Location of the Faculty of Optometry on the map; (middle) the ground floor covered car park of the Faculty of Optometry is on the left of the photo – in Bad Buddy the perforated cladding is visible at Ep.9 [1‌/4] 5.21 and Ep.12 [3‌/4] 4.54; (bottom left) a look into the car park; (bottom right) the building opposite the car park, that we see behind Chang, Korn and Mo at Ep.12 [3‌/4] 4.54

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Another covered car park in Bad Buddy was the airport car park in Ep.12, that we got to see when Pat sent Pran off to further his architectural career in Singapore:

(above) Pat and Pran at the airport car park (Ep.12 [3‌/4] 7.32)

Despite the airport signage at the top right of the image, this wasn't the car park at Don Mueang (or Suvarnabhumi for that matter). It's actually the same car park as the previous filming location (the ground floor covered car park of the Faculty of Optometry), just over at the other end facing the basketball court:

Corroborating details are the large V-shaped struts and the ramp next to them, that we can see behind Pat and Pran at Ep.12 [3‌/4] 7.32.

And if the adjacent basketball court looks familiar – it's arguably most famous because of its appearance in SOTUS S2, when Kongpob and Arthit were shooting hoops there in a one-on-one bet. (And that was also when Kongpob found out Arthit was a great shooter – see SOTUS S Ep.4 [4/4] 8.22. 🤣)

The court also appeared a couple of times in SOTUS Season 1, but its scene with Arthit and Kongpob's matchup is perhaps the most memorable one. 🤩

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Still on the RSU campus, the South Technology University Library was represented by (no surprises here) the Rangsit University Library (Building 7). This is also the building on whose forecourt Pat and Pran's favorite wonton noodle stall is located:

(top) Location of the RSU Library on the map; (bottom) a view of RSU Library (Building 7) and the forecourt in front, that housed the wonton noodle stall

In Bad Buddy, the South Technology University library scenes are all indoors:

(top) Pat keeps the Engine gang distracted while Pran hustles the Archi gang back out of the library at Ep.2 [1‌/4] 5.58; (bottom) Pran apologizes to other library users for reacting too loudly to Pat's teasing at Ep.3 [2/4] 3.30 (actually the same location as the one above, just from a different angle)

Matching images of the RSU Library with corroborating details:

(top) This photo from RSU Library's Facebook (linked here) has a lot of matching details – the RFID gate scanners, the ceiling lights, the bookshelves, the shelf labeling, vinyl floor pattern, orange-red ottoman, green exit sign and what looks like a book-scanning station in the bottom right can all be seen at BBS Ep.2 [1‌/4] 5.58; (bottom) this photo on Google Maps by P. Hirancharoennon (dated April 2019, linked here) is actually a match for BBS Ep.3 [2/4] 3.30, just viewed from a different angle – note the same dark red sofas that curve around the columns, chairs in the far background that match what Pat and Pran are sitting on, the ceiling lights, the computers for OPAC (library catalog) reference and the yellow-orange poster of what looks like a clock on the right

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This scene of Pat applying ointment to Pran's shoulder at Ep.7 [2/4] 3.05 (re-living the tending to my stricken lover trope and calling back to Ep.4 [3‌/4] 7.07) is one of the few in BBS that actually shows wet weather (remembering that the series was filmed at the height of Thailand's rainy monsoon season, although we don't actually get any scenes of PatPran in the rain):

This scene was filmed at the elevator lobby of Chana City Residence, and may possibly have been one of the scenes originally planned for the rooftop that were rained out on that fateful last night of filming (see the Behind-the-Scenes video จนกว่าจะพบกันใหม่ครับเพื่อน! | แค่เพื่อนครับเพื่อน | BAD BUDDY SERIES linked here):

Anyway, proof of the location can be found in this scene in Oxygen The Series Ep.12 [2/4] 13.57:

The full-height window frames, wall paneling and red fire alarm panel are a match for what we see in Bad Buddy.

Oxygen The Series filmed a lot at Chana City Residence, with the building name prominently displayed in the ground floor lobby scenes (see Oxygen The Series Ep.12 [3‌/4] 5.17 for one example). This confirmed its location, and thus the matching end wall of the elevator lobby also confirms the location for Bad Buddy's scene above at Ep.7 [2/4] 3.05.

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Pat and Pran's motorbike ride in Hua Hin was filmed at one of the side roads perpendicular to Khao Tao Beach:

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.11 [2/4] 13.15 – Pat and Pran set off on a motorbike ride toward Uncle Yod's bar

In the distance behind Pat and Pran we can just make out (on the left, half-hidden by a tree) the island of Ko Singto (also called Ko Sai) with its distinctive, leonine silhouette.

The truck ride to and from Chatchai Market (scene beginning at Ep.6 [3‌/4] 0.28) and PatPran's mud-play (scene beginning at Ep.6 [3‌/4] 4.00) were also probably filmed along the same road because we can see the same kind of barbed wire fencing, and Ko Singto also appears at Ep.6 [3‌/4] 4.04.

(top) PatPran in Uncle Tong's yellow Datsun; (bottom) Pran slaps some Hua Hin mud on Pat

(top) Uncle Tong, Pat, Pran and Junior head off to Chatchai Market; (bottom) Ko Singto in the background on their return

The exact side road (more like a dirt path) isn't traversable on Google Street View (and with increasing development of the area it may not be around for much longer anyway). But other Street View captures show similar barbed wire fencing in the general vicinity:

(above) This image from Google Street View showing similar barbed wire fencing dates to January 2017 and can be viewed at location 12°27'50.4"N 99°58'36.0"E

Noting that the road heads toward a hill looming inland (visible at Ep.6 [3‌/4] 0.28), triangulating off the map pinpoints an approximate location:

(top) The approximate location on Google Maps; (bottom) a dirt path viewed from 12°28'28.7"N 99°58'24.9"E, that is a likely candidate for the location (the trees in the distance are a match for what we see flanking the road at Ep.11 [2/4] 13.15)

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So PatPran's motorbike ride ended up at Uncle Yod's beach bar (location already identified in this post here – it's the Anchor Bar and Restaurant at Khao Tao Beach). However, the approach road to Uncle Yod's Bar is also visible on Google Street View – the location coordinates are 12°28'03.7"N 99°58'35.1"E, which brings up a match:

(top) Bad Buddy Ep.11 [2/4] 14.09 – Pat and Pran at the entrance to Uncle Yod's bar; (bottom) a screenshot from Google Street View of the approach road to the Anchor Bar and Restaurant

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The filming location for the music video to Pat's theme song Secret (sung by Kacha Nontanun) was already identified in this post here (it's the legendary rooftop of Chana City Residence):

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The music video for Pran's theme song (Just Friend?) stepped away from Bad Buddy and was a mini-movie unto itself:

The video was filmed in a location that had nothing to do with Bad Buddy the series – the Prince Palace Hotel Mahanak in central Bangkok. Visual proof of this is within the video itself, at timestamp 2.33:

(above) Nanon scribbles "แค่เพื่อนมั้ง?" (meaning "Just a friend?") on the hotel notepad, which bears the name Prince Palace Hotel Mahanak

From the interior details we can tell that the music video for PatPran's theme of togetherness (Our Song) was also filmed at the same hotel:

(top) Music video for Our Song, timestamp 2.11; (bottom) music video for Just Friend?, timestamp 2.07

Although the images above do not show not the same space, there are enough similar details in both (e.g., the armchairs, the green wainscoting with its gold-trimmed wainscot cap and the window framing) for us to conclude that both videos were filmed in the same building – the Prince Palace Hotel Mahanak.

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One final location that was referred to in Bad Buddy didn't actually have any scenes filmed there – it's the street in Singapore where Pran's condo was supposed to have been located. The address was identified on a postcard on the Ep.12 memory board (see this link here for more detail):

(above) Pran's postcard to Pat from Singapore, on the Ep.12 memory board

Although the details in Pran's address are mostly fictitious, the street is not. Lorong Limau in Singapore actually exists:

(top) Map location of Lorong Limau; (bottom) a screenshot of the neighbourhood around Lorong Limau

Lorong is the Malay word for street, and Pran's full address in Singapore is Blk 94, Lorong Limau #86‑05, Singapore 320047. Except for Lorong Limau and Singapore however, the address is wholly made-up.

This location is nowhere near the Marina Bay Sands (so Pran really couldn't have seen it from his apartment window). The neighbourhood around Lorong Limau is known as Kallang/Whampoa and it is considerably less flashy than residences bayside (although it is still central and convenient). There is also no Block 94 nearby, nor is the unit number #86-05 a real one, because the 86 refers to the floor level and there are no buildings with as many floors in Singapore at time of writing.

OK, so maybe Pran stayed here for a spell and then moved to within sight of the Marina Bay Sands sometime later? Not completely far-fetched, because we know that by the time of his Ep.12 break in Bangkok he had been working on a new tower for Marina Bay (and it would have had to have been a pretty prestigious project to be sited in that locale, meaning that Pran could well have afforded swankier digs if his career was on the up and up):

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And this is probably just a coincidence, but guess what's happening with the Marina Bay Sands? 🤣

Planning approval has been given and construction is expected to commence some time in 2025.‌ Yay Pran! 🤣

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Anyway, these are all the locations that I have for now. I've not been able to track down every location in Bad Buddy, nor am I going to try. For example, I'm not going to stress out over unidentified interior spaces like Ajahn Pichai's office in Ep.1 and Ep.3, and InkPa's dark room in Ep.10:

(top) Ajahn Pichai's office at Ep.1 [4/4] 6.19; (bottom) InkPa's dark room confession at Ep.10 [3‌/4] 17.05

These were likely filmed within the same buildings that represented their series counterparts anyway, so Ajahn Pichai's office is likely at RSU's College of Engineering, and the dark room in RSU's Digital Multimedia Complex (Building 15).

Likewise, I'm not able to say exactly where on campus the 112 Chemical Store is (where Bad Buddy made a potent political statement) as there is no Google Street View down that back alley.

But because of this TikTok video by TikToker @‌markydoge, I know it has to be somewhere in the environs of the RSU College of Engineering. 🤩

It's probably near the white tiger mural and workshops, because the air-conditioning condensers and buttressed walls that we see just before Pat pulls Pran into that alleyway are similar to those that we see when the Engine boys chase down Wai at the beginning of Ep.1 – and because the roofline of the Engine workshops can be seen behind Korn and Chang in their pursuit of Wai at Ep.1 [1‌/4] 0.51, the location is also anchored on the map. 👍‌

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HOWEVER, there is still one fairly important location that remains unidentified and that continues to frustrate me – and it's Pat and Pran's family hardware stores.

(above) Ming and Chai watch Pran's dad set up store right next to the Jindapats' one at BBS Ep.1 [1‌/4] 4.54

I've searched far and wide but just cannot find the location, and it's all the more frustrating because there are so many clues:

The store belonging to Pat’s family looks like it is actually a construction material shop; the shelves and the items all around have been there for some time, and not likely to have been put together just for Bad Buddy.

The store belonging to Pran’s family looks like a covered vehicular park or outdoor storage, masquerading as a shop though.

The general location of the shops is likely to be not in Rangsit (where a lot of other filming happened), but rather somewhere closer to central Bangkok (though not right in the city center either). This is because the planting on the road divider outside is very well-manicured (which is more a feature of central Bangkok), and the lamp-post has markings similar to those on central Bangkok lamp-posts. But there aren’t any tall buildings visible, so it’s not likely to be in the absolute city center either, where skyscrapers are everywhere blocking the sky.

I've been scouring maps of Bangkok and trawling Google Street View, but have not been able to find a matching location. If anybody out there has any leads, please do let me know! 😍

And that's a wrap for BBS locations! For now, at least (unless I can find the above – I won't stop trying). 😍 In the meantime, if any Bad Buddy fans have questions about BBS locations that you think I might be able to help with, do send me an Ask or message and I'll be more than happy to share my two bahts' worth! 💖

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[P.S. – here are the links to all the filming location posts:

Part 1 – The legendary rooftop, PatPran’s student apartments, their high school, the white arches behind the Engineering Canteen, the Zero Waste Village and various seaside scenes, their honeymoon suite, the hospital where Pat was treated for his gunshot graze, and the high school reunion.

Part 2 – Pat and Pran’s family homes, the Flagpole Bar, the car park fight location, and the Jae Si Curry House.

Part 3 – Various locations at and around the rugby field, including Pat’s photoshoot with Ink, the rugby bleachers, the iced milk tea (and green tea wave) picnic table, InkPa’s photography picnic, the old bus stop and the new bus stop. Also Khun Noppharnach’s pharmacy.

Part 4 – Pat’s Engineering Faculty (in and around Rangsit University’s College of Engineering).

Part 5 – Pran’s Architecture Faculty (Rangsity University’s School of Architecture).

Part 6 – Various F&B and commercial locations (eateries, shops, malls and a market). Also the setting for Pat, Pran and Wai's fight at the base of PatPran's student apartment building, as well as the scene where Pa says to Ink "Anyone taller than me is fine".

Part 7 – Pat’s post-graduation apartment and Pran’s residence in Singapore.

Part 8 – Various campus locations filmed within Rangsit University’s Digital Multimedia Complex, including the auditorium and the Freshy Day Song Contest.

Part 9 – The LogTech Building and Pran’s architectural office in Singapore.

Part 10 – Locations for the Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy special episodes.

Part 11 – The apartment for rent that Pran went to view in Ep.2, the elevator scene with Pat just after the viewing, and Wai’s apartment.

Part 12 – PatPran’s elementary and high schools, as well as the location of Pa’s near-drowning.

Part 13 – Random locations (Pran searching for his lost earphones, the covered car park where Wai spied on Pat serenading Pran with Nanon's Love Score, the airport car park, the SouthTech U Library, PatPran's rainy day ointment interlude, their motorbike and truck rides in Hua Hin, the approach road to Uncle Yod's bar, the filming location for the music videos Just Friend? and Our Song, and Pran's street address in Singapore).

Will update this list if I can track down the hardware stores! 🤣]

Hi dear @lamonnaie! Anyone still stuck on the rooftop of Chana City Residence with me (leave a like if you know what that means! 😍🤣) must be the owner of a good heart! 💖

OF COURSE, I HAVE NOT AND WILL NEVER LEAVE THAT ROOFTOP FR 😭😭 tysmm, right back at u my fellow rooftop dweller <33

You’ve had feelings for him, for quite some time now, and you know he’s into you, but when he goes for it you get some short, half-assed smooch instead, like he’s holding back, afraid of who knows what? When all your hurt, repressed heart really wants is some full-blown passion with a side of steamy?

TAKE 2:

I know it's been analyzed and commented upon a thousand times before but I'm backsliding and rewatching, so–

By Ep.5 [4/4] we had already known on an intellectual level that Pran had been pining for Pat for years. We got to see some of his POV, and shared in his heartbreak, with all the flashbacks of him watching Pat and Ink's affectionate moments in high school as well as in the present day (especially of Ink buying Pat the less sweet/still sweet iced milk tea in Hokkaido Coffee, at Ep.4 [2/4] 0.21).

But what BBS did in Ep.5 was to carry us along on Pat's journey of realizing he'd fallen for Pran, so that by the end of Ep.5 [4/4] the full weight of these mutual emotions was ever-present, soaking into every wretched look they gave each other on the rooftop. And in watching Pat stumble into the full onslaught of his feelings, we were pulled along into the awareness of how much it had to be counterbalanced by Pran's emotions too, suppressed within him for so long.

The biggest emotional slap for me on this rewatch isn't the first, tentative kiss that Pat lands, even though it's the culmination of his realization that he's fallen – hard – for Pran.

It isn't the second kiss, even though it reverberated around the world when this episode aired. It isn't even the moment Pran wrenches himself away and abandons Pat alone with his feelings, just as Pran himself was wrenched away, alone with his feelings, all those years ago too.

The moment that really slaps is the little pause before the second kiss, even though by now we know it's coming. Pat isn't sure how Pran is going to react – yes, there's that – but it's Pran who's holding the weight of this moment in his hands.

You can see him trying to balance out all the roiling emotions within himself with the sensible logic he's known for; he'd convinced himself it was all meaningless, that Ink had easily and clearly supplanted him, that there was no hope of a romantic future for him and Pat.

But he'd held this secret, burning love within himself for so long, bore the terrible yearning alone, and by then had had all hopes of a moment like this one, alone with Pat on the rooftop, crushed time and time again. And yet here was Pat, offering himself to him – honest, bare and vulnerable.

All he'd ever wanted for so long. But at the same time all wrong, impossible, will only end in tragedy.

"Things don't end well whenever I'm close to you" ringing in his head (Ep.1 [4/4] 3.28, Ep.2 [3I4] 9.01).

It's the age-old dilemma of head-versus-heart.

And for once, just once, Pran cedes a little. The king of self-denial decides that after years of desolate pining he'll throw it all to the wind and allow himself – not quite a moment of happiness – but the illusion of happiness, for he could never take Ink's place now then, could he? But he could experience what a tender, passionate moment with the love of his life would feel like, if only for a moment where he could just pretend that it was real and that there was hope for a future of them together.

So he goes in a second time, reaching out to pull Pat in, no holds barred, giving it his all. Because for Pran in this moment, this IS all there is. He cannot see it going anywhere beyond this rooftop assignation, but he takes it anyway because it's all he'll ever have of his beloved Pat, in the way that he wants.

And when he pulls away sobbing, he weeps in part because he knows that it's over, that it can never be anything more, and that he can never have anything more.

I weep along, as a lot of us do, because we know the bittersweet tragedy of having loved once, known its intimacy, and then being cast back into the despair of believing we'll never, ever have it in our lives again.

Thank God Pat never gave up on Pran. And to all who might be despairing, give yourself a second chance. Sometimes it's not all you've convinced yourself it will be.

So viewers who are familiar with the progenitors of My School President all had a collective chortle when its producer Aof Noppharnach Chaiwimol appeared in the persona of supertutor Kruu P'Nop (ครูพี่ณพ) in Episode 10:

(above) My School President Ep.10 [2/4] 1.05

This was just the latest instance of a GMMTV director or producer popping up onscreen in their own show. 😍 In A Tale of a Thousand Stars (that he directed), Khun Noppharnach also appeared briefly as a tourist who bought Osmanthus fragrans from a blind man (in turn played by his Assistant Director Phyungsak Naruepai, also nicknamed Aof):

(above) A Tale of a Thousand Stars Ep.5 [1I4] 10.22 – Director Aof is on the left, Assistant Director Aof is on the right and main actor Mix Sahaphap is in the middle (American singer Cassie also has a cameo on Director Aof's t-shirt 😊)

In The Eclipse, Director Golf Tanwarin Sukkhapisit also had their own cameo as the proprietor/manager of the Café for All:

(above) The Eclipse – Ep.4 [3‌/4] 4.31

However, it was really in Bad Buddy that this trend of having production team cameos got deployed in a big way (possibly because the pandemic simply made it more expedient to use members of the crew as extras and for minor roles – see this blogpost here for more info).

Most notable in BBS was Director Aof's cameo as a pharmacist:

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.1 [4/4] 4.24

Additionally, BBS Assistant Director Au Kornprom also took on a supporting role as Toto, Pran's senior and director of the Kwan-Riam musical, who changed the cishet period drama into a BL production:

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [1I4] 9.39

However, recalling the meticulously clever seed-planting and subsequent plot reveals orchestrated within Bad Buddy itself, we can now tell that this was yet another Aha! moment that they sowed in there – but it was done with the intention for the seed to burst into bloom only later, well after BBS.

For Khun Kornprom's minor role in Bad Buddy as the director of a fictitious BL musical (the story of Kwan and Riam) truly was also foretelling his future role in real life – as the director of an actual BL musical (My School President). 🌼😊👍

So when MSP Producer Aof appeared onscreen in My School President as Tutor Nop, I found myself rooting even harder for MSP Director Au to pop up in a cameo as well, since MSP is in many ways (in its stylings, themes and characterizations) the nong to BBS's phi (and as the younger sibling it also pushes its message out there with a considerably lighter touch, since its target audience is much less mature than BBS's).

With this in mind, for the past 10 episodes I've been on edge awaiting Director Au Kornprom Niyomsil's cameo in MSP – until it hit me that it's already happened:

(top) My School President Ep.2 [3I4] 7.07 – "Suksa" means "education, study or knowledge", while "Niyomsil" refers to the arts, in addition to being Director Au's surname; (bottom) My School President Ep.2 [1I4] 7.18

With the boys' school sharing Director Au's surname ("Niyomsil") this MSP cameo is veiled, rather than openly face-to-face.

But at this point I think the director/producer appearances are not just random anymore – it's possible to read some meaning into them beyond the feel-good giggles each one provokes:

In Bad Buddy, Director Aof's turn as a pharmacist (who provides Pat and Pran with ointment for their injuries) highlights his role in delivering BBS's message of healing, especially the healing of relationships (see this write-up here for more info). This theme of healing is everywhere in BBS – between Pat and Pran (whose relationship was forcefully ruptured by Dissaya in high school), between Pran and Dissaya (after their rift in Ep.10), between Pran and his musical soul (see this write-up here), between Korn and Wai (see this write-up here), between Wai and the world (see this write-up here) and yes even between Ming and Dissaya (see these write-ups here and here – although their process of healing was only tentatively begun and might not ever be complete, like the relationship between the Archi and Engine faculties as well).

In The Eclipse, Director Golf's cameo as proprietor/manager of a café that is open to all, highlighted the role of that series as a safe, non-judgmental space to confront and discuss some hard truths and painful realities with regard to LGBTQ+ issues, especially the experience of growing into your authentic queer self while embedded within an often-oppressive environment.

And in My School President, Director Au and Producer Aof cast themselves in the roles of a school and tutor respectively – they're positioning themselves as educators of the younger set, imparting from phi to nong some heartfelt but no less important lessons on positivity and self-esteem for those just embarking on their LGBTQ+ journey in life (and indeed for their straight allies as well). 💖

I'm less sure of the meaning behind Director Aof's cameo in ATOTS – it was possibly just for fun, since it seems like the first time (or one of the first times anyway) that they did it in a GMMTV series.

But just as Tian in ATOTS helped the villagers sell their tea by perfuming it with Osmanthus fragrans (and in doing so also helped them bypass the mercenary and controlling middlemen), Director Aof may also have been signaling that the soft, sweet-scented mantle of the BL genre could in turn help productions that are supportive of LGBTQ+ equality get their message more directly out to a wider audience. (And if this is indeed the case, I'm not sure he's wrong. 🥰)

There’s usually a reason behind everything we see in Bad Buddy…

Pat and Pran’s names weren’t quite chosen for their suggested alliteration (they don’t have the same initial consonant in Thai), although the double P allowed for some clever touches with the graphics on the props (I’m thinking of Pran’s PP bag and Pat’s gift of the PP earphone case). 😊

Pat’s name (“ภัทร”) is derived from Pali/Sanskrit, and means “prosperous”, “auspicious”, “magnificent” or “excellent” (among other things). Although Indic in origin, his name in Bad Buddy is a device (I think) to emphasize the Thai-Chinese Jindapat family’s Sino-centeredness.

(It is suggested that Pat’s father Ming – whose name also echoes Sinitic origins – is a cultural chauvinist, holding fast to old patriarchal traditions wrought upon him by his own dad, even when they might be out of step with modern values and not widely-practised anymore.)

The connection that Pat’s name has with prosperity is one that will resonate with Chinese speakers in Southeast Asia particularly. The concept of prosperity and growth is very important in Chinese culture (it’s part of the annual New Year greeting gong xi fa cai) and by coincidence the pronunciation of Pat’s name somewhat resembles the Chinese word often used to denote prosperity: “发/發” (pronounced “fa” in Mandarin, “faat” in Cantonese, and “huat” in Hokkien). This is also behind the popularity of the number 8 (“八”) in a lot of Chinese business names, as the pronunciation for this numeral (in Cantonese especially, but also in Hakka) sounds similar to “发/發” – “paat”, quite close to Pat’s name.

Anyway, as the Jindapat family run a business, it’s no surprise that Ming would have named his cherished first-born son using a name with auspicious connotations in the hope that he would bring good luck to their livelihood (and also be blessed with prosperity in his life). The eldest son is/was highly privileged in traditional Chinese culture and we see Ming giving Pat special treatment throughout the series.

It must be said, however, that Ming’s chauvinism and ultra-traditional mindset should not be seen as typical of current Chinese populations in Southeast Asia, although you can see where they might have originated. Excluding (and unlike) recent arrivals from today’s China (whose views on Chinese traditions were further modified by the Cultural Revolution and the push for modernization over the last thirty years), the majority of ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia are descendants of immigrants who settled in the region hundreds of years ago. At the start, the traditions and values of these now entrenched populations would have been based on Chinese culture of the 1800s or even earlier – times when absolute patriarchy ruled. But these populations have also been exposed to centuries of local cultural influence, and more recently to ever-pervasive westernization. It is thus highly surprising (given the passage of time) that Ming should be such a staunchly old-school traditionalist – his level of patriarchy might have been common generations ago, but it surely isn’t the norm now (even if echoes do remain).

Pran’s name (“ปราณ”) is also derived from Pali/Sanskrit, but it’s not an inter-cultural touchpoint the way Pat’s name is. It’s rather more personal in significance instead. The word is another rendition of the “prana” that should be familiar to yoga practitioners everywhere, and means “breath”, “soul” or “life-force” (also analogous – some would say synonymous – with the “qi” or “气/氣” that qigong aficionados will recognize).

I think Pran’s name was chosen by Dissaya to reflect how supremely important he is to her – Pran is Dissaya’s beloved only child, the very essence of life itself to her (touched on briefly in this write-up here).

His importance to Dissaya becomes especially poignant when we realize that she probably viewed him as her greatest achievement in life. Denied a chance to make something more of herself when Ming stole her scholarship, she mourned the future that she might have had by throwing herself fully instead into the role of homemaker, wife and mother (her talent at cooking being just one sign of over-achiever Dissaya’s dedication and determination). And Pran became the ultimate symbol of her own self-actualization in that domain.

Dissaya viewing Pran as crucial to her life and her own well-being also suggests that any separation from him would have been heartbreaking for her. Pran himself mentions how badly Dissaya missed him when he was in Singapore (Ep.12 [3I4] 13.26). And Pran’s mouthiness at Ep.10 [4/4] 5.49, with him acting out his new-found confidence (even cutting off her question with a defiant “Why?”) would probably have caused her great anguish too, as it signaled budding independence and perhaps even more separation to come. From this we know that Dissaya sending Pran away to boarding school in his mid-teens would have brought about terrible heartache for her, possibly even more than for him. (But she did it anyway – out of love, sacrificing her own happiness to protect him from any threat of Ming’s influence in the guise of Pat’s friendship.) And this is also why Pran was so conflicted for all of Ep.11, knowing that by disappearing without a word, he had left behind a giant, aching void in Dissaya’s life that only he could heal.

Pat and Pran’s names symbolizing Ming and Dissaya’s aspirations in a sense also mirror how Pat and Pran themselves were stand-ins for Ming and Dissaya’s own conflict, possibly more for Ming than Dissaya. Ming’s theft of Dissaya’s scholarship can be explained (though not at all justified) by his failure in the eyes of his own traditionalist father (Ep.10 [4/4] 8.56 and 11.14) – outshone by a girl, and a non-Chinese one at that. (Echoes of “This be the Verse” by Philip Larkin sounding out here…) So when Ming pushed Pat to outshine Pran, he was really hoping for his son to succeed where he himself could not. But of course, perfectionist Pran was simply too good (just like his mom), which must have infuriated Ming even more, deepening the conflict. Dissaya, on the other hand, never pushed Pran into the competition – she ultimately pulled him away from it, shielding him from the family of her sworn enemy. At the same time, she expected him to uphold her name and reputation by never associating with Pat’s family (meaning that PatPran’s forbidden friendship that turned into love was especially transgressive).

But just as Pat and Pran never chose their own names, they never chose the destinies Ming and Dissaya had laid out for them. And in breaking free of that, the idea that they represent in Bad Buddy is that we can escape the pre-ordained pathways and molds that have been cast for us, if the designated directions will take us to places we don’t want to go, or the molds don’t fit. Powerful in any case, this underlying message of the series holds special meaning for any member of the LGBTQ+ community – and anyone really, not necessarily from a minority and/or oppressed community – who might be struggling with expectations (familial, social, religious, whatever) that clash fundamentally with your own wants, aspirations, right to love, or right to happiness.

For no matter who you are or how you identify, you have the right to be more than just what people say you have to be (if that’s really what you want). It doesn’t matter what name or label they’ve plonked on you. Like Pat and Pran, it’s up to you to find out how best to overcome the limitations they’ve imposed, and become that person you were meant to be. 👍💖

This post steps away from the original BBS to look at filming locations for the Bad Buddy episodes of Our Skyy 2 (overlapping with ATOTS as well), that aired in May/June 2023.

I think the fandom was so overjoyed at getting PatPran and the rest of the gang back in Our Skyy 2 that we were willing to overlook any inconsistencies (Pat's Baseball Mom hair included 😂), and this applies to the locations too. 🥰

Anyway, OS2 x BBS x ATOTS didn't use Rangsit University to represent South Technology U, and instead filmed the gang's academia-set scenes in King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL).

KMITL is about 30km east of central Bangkok in Nonthaburi province, not far from Suvarnabhumi Airport:

The auditorium scenes were filmed at the KMITL Main Auditorium:

(top) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.1 [1I4] 6.06 – the Archi and Engine boys watch as PatPran appear to fight in silhouette backstage; (bottom) this photograph dated 24 March 2023 is of the KMITL Main Auditorium, located at the Faculty of Engineering (posted on Facebook at this link here) – the seats, acoustic paneling at the rear wall, white parapet around one exit to the right and what looks like a timber lectern with yellow, pyramid-topped pilasters a few rows down from the control room are all a match

(top) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.1 [1I4] 7.07 – the Archi and Engine boys rush to separate Pat and Pran after the curtain falls; (bottom) this view of the stage in the KMITL Main Auditorium (from a post at the School of Engineering's Facebook, linked here) is a match, with the yellow-brown brick walls, red-brown steps, black-edged projection screen and stage doors all corroborating details

(top) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.4 [3I4] 0.42; (bottom) this image from KMITL's School of Engineering Facebook (dated 24 March 2023 and linked here) shows the KMITL auditorium lobby – note the light fittings and black window frames

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PatPran's discussion regarding preparation and sponsorship of their respective plays was at KMITL's School of Architecture, Art and Design:

(above) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.1 [1I4] 13.22 – Pat and Pran discuss their level of preparedness and sponsorship of their faculty plays; (bottom) this photograph dated 10 December 2022 was taken at the KMITL School of Architecture, Art and Design – the timber platform, gravel base and garden furniture (at the top left of the image) are a match (image from the school's Facebook, linked here)

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The location of the Archi-Engine charity sweep was outside the ceramic workshop of KMITL's School of Architecture, Art and Design:

(top) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.1 [1I4] 1.49; (middle) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.1 [1I4] 2.36; (bottom) this image, dating to March 2013 is from Google Maps Street View, and shows the ceramic workshop at the KMITL School of Architecture, Art and Design (map coordinates 13°43'30.8"N 100°46'38.5"E) – corroborating details include the concrete bench and brown vertical bars (behind Mo in the image at the top), the palm tree to the right, the gray corrugated metal roof, and (the biggest tell) the mural made up of clay tiles above the corrugated roof (the image is from 10 years ago though, so some minor details are different)

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The location of the Engine boys' drinking party was in the adjacent furniture workshop of KMITL's School of Architecture, Art and Design:

(top) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.1 [4/4] 1.07 – Korn, Mo and Chang the morning after their drinking party; (bottom) a view of the furniture workshop at KMITL's School of Architecture, Art and Design (from the Department of Industrial Design's 360° virtual tour website, linked here)

The corridor where Ajahn Pichai told Pran to get permission to use PhuTian's story for the Architecture play was opposite the Design Studio of the School of Architectural and Design Intelligence:

(top) Location of the walkway on the KMITL campus (from the School of Architecture, Art and Design's 360° aerial tour, linked here); (middle) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.1 [2/4] 12.01; (bottom) photo from Google Maps, dated November 2022 and taken by Anusorn P. (linked here) – note the bridge at the right

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In Our Skyy 2, Pat/Pran's student apartment moved away from Tinidee Hotel Bangkok Golf Club and was represented instead by the Executive 2-Bedroom Suite (Type 5) at Northgate Ratchayothin Hotel/Serviced Residence (248 Ratchadapisek Road, Ladyao, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900; map coordinates are 13°49'46.7"N 100°33'47.9"E):

The following are some images of Northgate Ratchayothin, with matching images from OS2 x BBS x ATOTS:

(top) An image from the hotel's website, linked here; (middle) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.1 [1I4] 8.47; (bottom left) entrance door to the unit, extracted from the hotel's website; (bottom right) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.1 [1I4] 10.12 – Ink and Pa drop by with sukiyaki

Northgate Ratchayothin was also the location for Tinn and Gun's tuition safehouse in My School President, although there they used a different 2-bedroom unit (Type 3) – see this link here and write-up here for more info. 😉

The Hightem office, where Pat and Pran go to seek sponsorship for their faculty plays, was also represented by Northgate Ratchayothin (which is why the reception looks more like a hotel lobby than an office one):

(top) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.1 [2/4] 0.41 – PatPran at the Hightem reception; (bottom) the Northgate Ratchayothin reception counter

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The Hightem meeting room was also at the same location (naturally):

(top) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.1 [2/4] 4.49 – Pran presents his proposal to the people of Hightem while Pat pesters Korn for the Engineering version; (bottom) an image of the boardroom from Northgate Ratchayothin's website, that can be rented for meetings (and filming)

The bus station where Pran departed for Chiang Mai and left Pat behind is the Sahaphan Roi Et Tour Company bus terminal. (Map coordinates are 13°49'38.5"N 100°33'23.6"E – the official address is 8/36 ซอย วิภาวดี 17 ถนน วิภาวดีรังสิต Lat Yao, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, but Google Maps will take you to a different location if you input this address.)

(top) An image of the Sahaphan Roi Et Tour Company bus terminal, extracted from Google Street View ; (bottom left) an image extracted from a photo on Google Maps (linked here), taken by พรรษชนม์ กุตัน and dated August 2016 – note the yellow hexagons behind the glass in the background, visible briefly at Ep.1 [4/4] 2.26 and 2.29; (bottom right) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.1 [4/4] 2.30 – Pat buys a ticket to Chiang Mai

Once the action moved up to Pha Pun Dao, I did remember enough about ATOTS to know that OS2 x BBS x ATOTS re-used the same buildings up in the mountains. Most of these – unlike settings in other BLs – had been purpose-built for the show, and it was cool to see them still standing, looking good three years or so after they were first erected.

With a bit of searching, I can confirm that the Pha Pun Dao village buildings (Tian's house, the Pha Pun Dao school, etc.) are located at The Union of Hill Tribe Villages and Long Neck Karen in Nang Lae, Chiang Rai province. Due to the popularity of ATOTS, the set buildings can be visited as a tourist attraction in their own right, and are marked on Google Maps as such:

(above) The location of Tian's house (and other Pha Pun Dao buildings) on Google Maps, also linked here (the approximate map coordinates are 20°01'18.6"N 99°53'36.4"E)

There are in fact thousands of photographs posted on Google Maps for this location and I haven't been through all of them. The following is a sampling, with some matching scenes from ATOTS and/or Our Skyy 2.

Here's Tian's home in both ATOTS and OS2 x BBS x ATOTS. Three years later it's looking much more lush with planting everywhere, but it's definitely the same house:

(top) A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.4 [4/4] 3.27; (middle) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.2 [1I4] 3.46; (bottom left) this photograph of Tian's house dated January 2023 was taken by Bogdan Ion and linked here; (bottom right) this photograph dated April 2021 was taken by Rachen Tananchai and linked here

(top) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.2 [1I4] 3.19; (bottom) this photograph partially showing Tian's dining area (the bedroom is also behind that window) was posted by mayu minnie in September 2022 on Google Maps (linked here)– the potted Dieffenbachia (dumb cane) is also a match

(top) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.2 [1I4] 12.35; (bottom) this photograph of Tian's kitchen was posted by mayu minnie on Google Maps (linked here) and dates to September 2022

(top) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.4 [1I4] 15.36; (bottom) this photograph dated September 2022 was posted to Google Maps by mayu minnie (linked here) and shows the dining area at the front of Tian's House

(top) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.2 [1I4] 21.36; (bottom) this photograph of the bedroom in Tian's house is dated September 2022 and was posted on Google Maps by mayu minnie (linked here) – the proportions and details (especially the blue mosquito net, but also the posts and the wall panels of bark/fronds/bamboo) are a match

(top) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.2 [2/4] 3.20; (bottom) this photograph of the Pha Pun Dao schoolroom (with part of its back wall missing) is dated February 2023 and was posted on Google Maps by でんいちタイ語塾 (linked here)

The iconic waterfall that PatPran visit is Huai Mae Sai Waterfall, also in Chiang Rai:

(top) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.2 [2/4] 7.13; (bottom) this photograph of Huai Mae Sai waterfall is dated January 2021 and was posted on Google Maps by  เชียวชาญ ปานข่อยงาม (linked here)

Filming also took place within the Union of Hill Tribe Villages and Long Neck Karen compound:

(top) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.2 [2/4] 1.47; (bottom) this photograph of the corresponding location at The Union of Hill Tribe Villages and Long Neck Karen dated June 2019 was posted on Google Maps by Ruben Torres and linked here

This is a Bad Buddy blog so I'm not going into the Ep.4 PhuTian locations in detail; they're easy enough to find because they were mostly at Emquartier Mall and the Buddy Oriental Riverside Hotel.

Emquartier Mall was also where Ice Paris and Pearwah's music video for the boppy theme song รักติดไซเรน to My Ambulance was set. 😍

But here's just one PhuTian location to close things off for good measure:

(top) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.4 [2/4] 10.16; (bottom) image from Drop By Dough Café's Facebook dated 19 March 2023, linked here

[P.S. – here are the links to all the BBS filming location posts:

Part 1 – The legendary rooftop, PatPran’s student apartments, their high school, the white arches behind the Engineering Canteen, the Zero Waste Village and various seaside scenes, their honeymoon suite, the hospital where Pat was treated for his gunshot graze, and the high school reunion.

Part 2 – Pat and Pran’s family homes, the Flagpole Bar, the car park fight location, and the Jae Si Curry House.

Part 3 – Various locations at and around the rugby field, including Pat’s photoshoot with Ink, the rugby bleachers, the iced milk tea (and green tea wave) picnic table, InkPa’s photography picnic, the old bus stop and the new bus stop. Also Khun Noppharnach’s pharmacy.

Part 4 – Pat’s Engineering Faculty (in and around Rangsit University’s College of Engineering).

Part 5 – Pran’s Architecture Faculty (Rangsity University’s School of Architecture).

Part 6 – Various F&B and commercial locations (eateries, shops, malls and a market). Also the setting for Pat, Pran and Wai's fight at the base of PatPran's student apartment building, as well as the scene where Pa says to Ink "Anyone taller than me is fine".

Part 7 – Pat’s post-graduation apartment and Pran’s residence in Singapore.

Part 8 – Various campus locations filmed within Rangsit University’s Digital Multimedia Complex, including the auditorium and the Freshy Day Song Contest.

Part 9 – The LogTech Building and Pran’s architectural office in Singapore.

Part 10 – Locations for the Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy special episodes.

Part 11 – The apartment for rent that Pran went to view in Ep.2, the elevator scene with Pat just after the viewing, and Wai’s apartment.

Part 12 – PatPran’s elementary and high schools, as well as the location of Pa’s near-drowning.

Part 13 – Random locations (Pran searching for his lost earphones, the covered car park where Wai spied on Pat serenading Pran with Nanon's Love Score, the airport car park, the SouthTech U Library, PatPran's rainy day ointment interlude, their motorbike and truck rides in Hua Hin, the approach road to Uncle Yod's bar, the filming location for the music videos Just Friend? and Our Song, and Pran's street address in Singapore).