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wen-kexing-apologist · 9 months

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I Don't Have a Fancy Title for This One, Sorry: Thoughts on the My Ride Finale

I want to talk about the opening scene in My Ride Episode 10 and how the conflict that arises around it is so perfectly set up throughout the show. Because this show handles everything that happens between Mork and Tawan so brilliantly (which should not be a surprise because these are the people who go on to give us La Pluie, and as @lurkingshan mentioned, My Ride very much reads as a proto-La Pluie)

@bengiyo, @lurkingshan, @neuroticbookworm and I have lovingly been referring to this show as Sunshine x Sunshine because both main characters are Sunshine boys aka bright, happy, caretakers (think Tien from La Pluie) as opposed to brooders (think King from Bed Friend). As @bengiyo mentioned in a discussion I was having with him about this show, Sunshine x Sunshine narratives are very rare in romance/BL because there is not a lot of internal conflict, so you have to set up external conditions/conflict in order to prevent two sunshine boys from getting together immediately.

And My Ride handles this extremely well by making Mork have to realize his own sexuality and having Tawan be in an established relationship even after Mork understands his feelings. It continues to handle them not getting together very well after Mork finds out that Por is cheating on Tawan, and not telling Tawan about it. Now, while I think we can all agree Mork messed up by continuing not to tell Tawan even as Tawan got closer and closer to discovering the truth, even as Tawan essentially flat out asked Mork if Por was cheating, it is so disgustingly in character for Mork to care so much about Tawan that he cannot. hurt. his. feelings. Mork is almost as devastated as Tawan is when he first sees Por and his boyfriend together. He knows how much Tawan is going to get hurt in the future, but he cannot be seen as trying to split Tawan and Por up, and Mork is a good person who takes people at their word, and who said nothing because he believed Por when he said he would handle it.

Por did not handle it.

Tawan is then sad and heartbroken, and that is a time to comfort people that you care about but not the time to go asking them on a date. And I love how there is a moment here, where Tawan could actually get mad at Mork for hiding this information. But he doesn’t. Because Tawan is a good person who understands that Mork is a good person and knows fundamentally that Mork would never intentionally hurt him.

Tawan runs away to the North for the first time to get a break from the tail end of the Por situation see his family and Mork is worried because Tawan has gone radio silent. Mork calls Tawan 69 times (haha, nice) because he really needs to know if Tawan is okay, and again, this could have been a moment where Mork got upset at Tawan for scaring him like that, but he isn’t. He’s just anxious and concerned and trying to make sure that Tawan is okay. And to the audience, and to Tawan himself. It reads as genuine concern for someone you care deeply for. WE know why Mork is rambling that fast, and Tawan is starting to catch wise that these feelings he has for Mork are reciprocal.

So let’s review what happens on this phone call:

Tawan looks at his phone to see 69 missed calls from Mork

Mork rambles for a solid thirty seconds about how worried he was that Tawan had been hurt

Tawan gets blushy about it, he does not withdraw in to himself, he does not feel ashamed of himself, he does not look concerned himself. He is smiling softly. Because Mork is a good person who is never going to make him feel like Por made him feel.

Mork says he wants to see Tawan’s face

Tawan says he thinks he’s over Por

Mork cannot contain the small excited smile at the thought he now has an opening. Tawan smiles back because he knows what he is doing

Tawan apologizes for worrying Mork. Mork jokingly is like ‘you are not forgiven’, and Tawan knows this is not a serious rejection because Mork immediately follows it up with a quiet, awkward “I miss you”

Tawan is like “whatdidyousayyyyyy???” and Mork is like “If you are over him hurry back” (so I can ask you out)

Tawan goes home after two days even though he told his parents that he would be there for a week because the boy he likes says he misses him

gif by @gabrielokun

And things are looking up for the Sunshine Boys! Tawan returns! Tawan spends the day with Mork and his son and he immediately shows himself to be marriage material by being incredibly good with kids. Mork asked Tawan if he would be a second father. Which would typically, in theory, be a pretty strong indication that Mork likes Tawan and wants to be with Tawan for the foreseeable future. But they haven’t actually talked about it. They haven’t actually declared anything yet. They have not fully established what they are to each other, and as a result there is still some room for doubt.

Which is when Fern re-enters the chat realizing she made a terrible mistake leaving Mork (because as we all know Mork is bottled sunshine) and Tawan stumbles in on Mork hugging Fern to comfort her, and we have the catalyst for our final separation.

Now, under normal circumstances, the fact that Mork does not at all seem guilty, shocked, or hiding anything when he immediately removes himself from the hug, devotes all of his attention to Tawan, and then runs after him when Tawan makes absolutely the stupidest excuse to leave by saying his non-ringing telephone is the hospital calling would all be a pretty good indication that nothing nefarious is going on. While Mork commits another error by not continuing to follow after Tawan in the moment, Fern is asking for him to stay because she is going through it, and I know in my heart of hearts that Mork is confident that he will be able to both clear the air with Fern and also be able to see Tawan soon and explain the whole situation.

But to Tawan?

To Tawan he has just caught Mork cheating on him before they have even really started dating. And again this works SO well for a number of different reasons.

Reason 1: Tawan as a character is the person who does things for other people without expecting anything in return. He is the person that friends reach out to when they need help, but they are rarely there to offer any legitimate help themselves. Tawan literally sobs, has a full on breakdown the first time that Mork asks him how he is doing because “no one has asked me that in awhile”. The way Tawan navigates the world makes him see himself as a commodity to other people. He is here to help and if he is not helping then people do not care. (Am I reading too much in to this? Maybe. Am I projecting on to Tawan? Absolutely. Am I right? Yes.)

Which is why things were so good with Mork. Because Mork always gave as good as he got. Mork always reciprocated the affection, the kind words, the physical and emotional support that he got from Tawan.

Reason 2: Tawan has literally just been cheated on. And not only was Tawan cheated on, but that piece of shit dentist, Dr. Punchable Face Por has made it his life’s FUCKING MISSION TO BLAME *TAWAN* FOR *BEING THE REASON HE IS CHEATING*. Like goddamn, first of all Por, Tawan has been the mistress this whole time, but second of all, you didn’t use your stupid fucking words the first time (you know, like Mork has) and got mad at Tawan for being a super busy doctor and genuinely good person. But no. No. NOPE. Instead Tawan, who already feels like he exists to be used by other people, is now made to feel like the reason that no one wants him, the reason why no one helps him, the reason why no one checks in on him, is because of Tawan himself? (@neuroticbookworm hold me back, I’m about to reach through my screen and beat up a fictional man).

Reason 3: Mork calling Tawan his friend in front of Fern. So we have established already that Tawan feels in part that he has to help people in order to make himself useful enough to keep around, and that he feels like he is the one to blame for people he cares about just absolutely ruining his life, and he thinks he understands where he and Mork stand with the 69 missed calls, and the “I miss you” and the “hurry back” and the day they shared together with Mork’s son, and the whole “will you be his second dad” thing. Not to mention all the longing glances and reciprocity that Mork has given him from the very beginning, when he still hadn’t even realized he was bi. And the second that Mork introduces Tawan as his “friend” all the doubt he has ever held, all the doubt he has tried to dampen when he is with Mork just comes flooding in. Because in Tawan’s mind he has completely misinterpreted this situation. Mork doesn’t like him like that, Mork is just a nice person. Tawan is “a friend” that Mork’s exgirlfriend has never heard of who is “not exactly a friend” but a doctor at the hospital and a passenger that Mork drives around.

Once more into the breach my friends, Mork is being respectful of Fern and not really trying to out himself and Tawan when Fern is clearly upset, seeking comfort, and probably wanting to get back with Mork. This is not the time or place to tell Fern that Tawan is Mork’s boyfriend, and Tawan and Mork have not had the conversation. Now, personally, when I hear Mork say ‘he’s not exactly a friend’ I take all the times they have shared together and the fact that Mork literally asked Tawan to be a second father to indicate that Tawan isn’t exactly a friend, he’s more than that.

But because this show has set its external conflicts and barriers up well, and used those to feed internal struggles, Tawan does not read it that way. He reads it as never being seen as more than a friend to Mork and his heart is breaking in real time as he completely re-evaluates everything they’ve been through together.

Tawan returns to Changrai for the second time, hurt and embarrassed, and trying to get as far away from that city and the pains and the pressures that they have put him through. Thankfully, Mork wises up and goes running after him.

And that’s really all I have to say at this point. This show builds so well off of the elements of its story it has laid out previously, and as a result it manages to accomplish what few shows really have: Double Sunshine

#my ride #my ride finale #my ride the series #my ride rewatch 2023 #mork x tawan #fluke pongsakorn #fame chawinroj

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bengiyo · 10 months

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My Ride Rewatch: It's Even Better Than I Remember

Seriously, this was an absolutely phenomenal first episode. This show sets up its three couples it wants to contend with and outlines their dynamics so clearly. If you're enjoying La Pluie, you may want to also check this show out and see some earlier work from the same screenwriting duo.

We open with Tawan, likely because Fame had already been in BL with My Dream the Series (do not watch this; it's horrible and Fame's character has a horrifying outcome). Tawan is a doctor who overworks himself trying to be helpful to others. He's clearly beloved by his mom and sister. He's been nursing a crush on an older doctor, Por, for years and is excited because Por is currently pursuing him.

Meanwhile, we've got Nadia, Tawan's best friend. She's also a doctor, but kind of a hot mess. She's invested in Tawan's romantic outcomes, and is totally ignoring the hot coffee shop owner who's clearly enamored with her.

Yoon is also here and plays Toy, a medical resident who is beefing with his supervisor because he's not taking his learning or the care of the patients seriously.

Then we have the best boy in the world who is going through the worst time right now.

Mork is a motorcycle taxi driver and Line deliveryman. He supports his girlfriend through school and has no extra money. His girlfriend breaks up with him on her birthday, and it's later revealed that she's been seeing someone else. Someone richer. Mork and that guy get into a fight in the middle of traffic, and Fern (the ex) ends up slapping Mork.

Not to be forgotten are the rest of the motorcycle drivers in Mork's orbit. They are a lot of fun. (this gif is not from the first episode, but bear with me)

While watching this with @lurkingshan I kept commenting on how technically sound the first episode was. The shot composition is good and consistent. Who is in frame is chosen extremely well. The editing is crisp and engaging. The sound effect usage is tasteful, and the backing tracks are selected well. The intro also comes with art and lighter music than we normally get.

It's rare that we get two genuinely caring and sweet guys together. Sunshine x Sunshine doesn't happen often, likely because people like to see a grumpy guy soften. Shan and I noted that Mork is rather aggressive in this episode when he's upset, and we think that was chosen to give the audience that likes to see a hurt man soften could get some of what they need.

Few shows we have start as strongly as this show. So, if you have some time, please give the first episode a chance and let this show surprise you. Fluke is also going to be in The Whisperer later this year, so you'll want to appreciate his dimples now.

#my ride #my ride the series #my ride rewatch 2023 #thai bl #bl series #Ben writes #fluke pongsakorn #fame chawinroj #Ben watches

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