Ok, so following this other post I made about how oh-aew isnât actually that passionate about acting (might be helpful to read but not necessary), i want to theorize on how this will affect their relationship.
So some of this is grounded in this really small part from itsay where teh is telling oh-aew the reasons why he loves tarn (ep 2) and one of the things heâs says is that he loves the way tarn is so passionate about her art and following her dream, and âitâs like iâm surrounded by the person with the same vibe.â Then oh-aew gets this kind of sad look on his face but i might be reading a hint to much into that, but it felt like maybe oh-aew was reminded of his own lack of conviction in his dream of acting.
Now the first time i watched this i didnât really think much about this scene, but knowing now about some of the conflicts theyâll face it feels more important. Teh is someone whoâs known what he wanted since middle school and has pursued that dream without question since then. Heâs put in a lot of hard work to get where he is and he has results to show for it. And now, in college, heâs in a place where he can focus solely on the stage. We can see from the first episode how much he loves the stage. Heâs learning more about it and working backstage for the first time and itâs like a new door is opened for him. Heâs falling in love with every aspect of the stage and heâs surrounding himself with people who share his same passion. He is in his element and he is thriving.
Oh-aew is not thriving. Heâs homesick, heâs having trouble making friends at first, heâs separated from teh. And though we havenât seen it yet, heâs questioning his decision to pursue acting. I talked about in my other post how oh-aew drive for acting is strongly tied to his relationship with teh, even when they werenât speaking and now that thereâs growing distance between the two, oh-aew is going to realize that acting might not be something he really wants to do, and i think itsay was all about teh trying to figure out who he was and now itâs oh-aewâs turn to do some soul-searching.
And this ties back into what I said about teh being attracted to tarnâs drive and passion. Oh-aew has that line in the trailer thatâs like âif iâm like this, do you still love me?â And now Iâm assuming that by âthisâ oh-aew means not wanting to be an actor. And I think itâs going to make teh flounder, bc I donât think he ever picked up on oh-aewâs lack of confidence in acting. In itsay, teh always reads oh-aew as lack of confidence as self-worth issues in either academic or acting ability but i think itâs actually a deeper lack of confidence in acting as his dream.
Teh thinks of acting as like âtheir thing,â something theyâre working towards together, so what happens when oh-aew is no longer working towards that with him? Teh also specifically said he liked being around tarn bc he felt like they had a similar drive, so what happens when oh-aew no longer has that same drive? When he canât quite match teh like he used to? This might be part of what teh means when he says that oh-aew is no longer the same as when he fell in love with him. And like I said, i think when oh-aew says he doesnât want to act, itâs going to blindside teh who never really noticed even though for us, the audience, there will be sufficient build up.
And I think tehâs not really going to know how to help oh-aew through his self-discovery and finding what heâs truly passionate about bc teh has never had to question. So for them to successfully continue their relationship, theyâre going to have to find out how to adjust to this. I think they are going to break up and some point (i think the trailer def hinted at that), so itâll be interesting to see how they get back togetherâwhether teh will learn how to help oh-aew, or whether oh-aew will have to find his new dream first and theyâll come back together once theyâre both more mature.
I saw this still earlier and thought YES, Teh is going through it, I love this. But, show, when I said I wanted to see Teh go through it again, I didnât expect the first of those struggles to be an adventure in how many modes of transport he could try to take to get to campus while trying to also get as much time to cuddle his boyfriend?
But I love what youâre giving me. I know the rest of the struggles wonât be as fun!
NO YOU DONâT UNDERSTAND LIKE THE FIRST TIME TEH KISSED OHAEW THEY WERE UNDERWATER AND IT SYMBOLISED HOW TEH DIDNâT WANT HIS FEELINGS FOR MEN/OHAEW TO BE SEEN BY THE OUTSIDE WORLD AND JUDGED AND HE WAS SO SCARED TO BE OUT OF THAT WATER AND STILL BE THAT SAME PERSON HE WAS WHEN HE LET HIS FEELINGS LEAD HIM INSTEAD OF HIS BRAIN AND NOW THAT HEâS OKAY WITH THEM AND HAS PRIDE IN WHO HE LOVES AND DOESNâT FEAR OTHERâS JUDGEMENT HE NOW CAN COMFORTABLY KISS AND TOUCH AND GIVE ALL HIS LOVE TO OHAEW IN FRONT OF THE SAME PLACE THAT WAS ONCE THE ONLY ONE TEH FOUND HE COULD COMFORTABLY BE THAT WAY!!!!!!!!
The scene at the party where oh aew counts to ten and opens his eyes to an empty stage really gets me, because he doesnât actually make it to ten. He opens his eyes at three. I think that may be foreshadowing for how oh aew sees things. He doesnât wait long enough for his eyes to finish adjustingâfor he and teh to finish adjustingâso when he opens his eyes all he can see is emptiness. He may start losing faith in his relationship with teh because he judges it all too soon.
Thing is though, i donât blame oh aew for this. Teh can keep his eyes closed as long as he needs, because heâs chasing his passion, but for oh aew, closing his eyes only gives him darkness and loneliness.
I Promised You The Moon - Episode 1 Thoughts - aka did John Hughes direct this and not tell us?
Oh I had to wait so long today to see episode 1 as I was working but I am so very happy I waited till I was in bed and with a cup of tea... which I then cried into four times. So thatâs where Iâm at. This is going to be long, Iâm not even sorry in the slightest!
For ITSAY, I made so many posts about this show and how moving and beautiful it was, how the symbolism and writing was exceptional, how the music was absolutely incredible and how much I adored BK and PPâs chemistry. PâBossâ work is special and the feel of Part 1 was a delicious kind of awkward, indie movie full of metaphors, fraught pain and emotion and pretty breathtaking storytelling of love and growth. I fell absolutely in love with Teh and Oh and their story, obsessed with Teh as a character (as I see a lot of myself in him and I love when he spirals) and I just felt utterly moved by the whole show. So I never needed Part 2. Part 1, for me, is perfect. And I certainly didnât expect to love Part 2 as much or feel as much emotion because I just thought it wouldnât be possible especially with a change of director and city and storyline... but I genuinely think that was a good idea after seeing Episode 1.
I just finished it and Iâm kinda tear stained and the first thing I couldnât get out of my head was just how much it reminds me of the late dear John Hughes movies from the 80s. Those of you who are a little old like me born right at the beginning of the 90s, will have been brought up on those movies filled with 80s synth music, stories of growing up, artsy camera work and filled with colour and emotion. Those movies are some of my all time favourites and I absolutely felt their influence on Episode 1 and maybe the rest of the season, I donât know! I really wonder if PâMeen used them or was aware, hahaha. Anyway...!
But first off, I cannot, and I mean CANNOT handle the music. Part 1 really did floor me with the use of the score and how it was such a huge part of the reason it was so beautiful. Phuket Dreams has me in tears about 3 notes in... so cue me crying at the remixes of the old score with 80s synth sounds and almost Dream Pop echoy sounds. That right there is my jam, my absolute favourite music and the way IPYTM is so clearly going to be full of it makes my heart very happy. Especially those last scenes with Oh, that sweeping 80s style music taking him from heartbroken pain to dancing to forget had John Hughes all over it and just felt so impactful. So I will bang on every week about the music Iâm sure.
As for the beginning and the casual buying of condoms (yesssss god damn Nadao, thank you for safe sex lessons for LGBT+ youth and a nod to actual sexual expression, Iâm mega proud) leading into the way Hoon and Suri were involved (they didnât give me Tuty đ) in transferring Teh, it felt like such a gorgeous transfer from ITSAY vibes to IPYTM... watching Tehâs mamma so proud, Hoon watching over him as always and then gently leading into the first moment that made me cry...
How dare they put a remix of the old score over Teh being told by his mamma that she accepts him as he is so casually and softly, in a way that not only lets Teh know heâs loved but welcomes Oh as someone she cares about deeply and is happy being someone her son loves. It was beautifully done and I couldnât help but think of Tehâs teary face on the Cape at the end of Episode 5 and thinking how proud I am of him. The way Hoon stroked his hair - help.
Teh. Now I made no secret of the fact that I loved every moment of watching Teh go through it in Part 1, how his very physicality and struggle played out especially him writhing all over his rug! But we had to see him grow. He isnât the same boy he was but he still feels like Teh, just a little more comfortable, a little more mature in some ways and just READY for life. He feels tentative but also prepared to grow more and I just adore him. Oh, on the other hand, the one who was much more secure in himself in terms of his self and sexuality in Part 1 is now absolutely thrown into the unknown and isnât handling it well.
Oh was established so beautifully as a Phuket boy. His name is rooted in his home, he lives in shorts and by the sea, heâs shaped by that place and what it means to him... his signature scent is coconut! He literally embodies Phuket... so it doesnât in any way surprise me that we are watching him flounder and feel lost. It feels so human and so many moments felt so moving. When he told Teh that the best part of his day was seeing him, when he imagined the waves on his mind, when he listened to his mamma talk about the coastal weather... itâs hardly surprising that he cried as he was asked to explain his name. That was the second moment that got me. I was a wreck. Watching him break down and fall to pieces infront of total strangers just because he was recounting the meaning of his name, the foundation of who he is, the thing he misses to very much... he doesnât fit, he doesnât feel at home and he didnât feel himself. It was beautifully done, for me. I caught my breath the second he started crying because it was so utterly human and raw. I have felt the way he does and recognised every second on his face. PP has come so so far with his acting.
Then we get the mention of Yongjian. NOW SOMEONE TELL ME IS THAT TEH AS YONGJIAN IN THE TITLES? If so, how dare they spoil it?! I am going to weep uncontrollably if Teh gets his dream. But the way Teh spoke of their future, the way he tried to recreate their past with Yongjianâs speech. Their entire history as friends and boyfriends is rooted in that story, that character, the idea of being Male protagonists... and Teh is so sure of their future. Also, you cannot also avoid the meta of it all with BK and PP. That moment and their words felt so personal to them too and their own real lives!
Do not even start with how their first kiss in Phuket was underwater and arguably their first kiss in Bangkok is the same albeit in public. DO NOT LET ME THINK ABOUT THIS TOO MUCH.
The issue is that, Part 1 set out for us how they ended up where they are. Oh fell into acting, it was never his dream from the start. Then it all became a fight, a thing to win from his rival and in the end a thing to prove. We havenât really ever see Oh show a passion for the stage and acting, not really. He worked so hard to get his place in Uni but thereâs so much irony at play. Their entire story of rivalry has actually caused this current situation. Oh âwonâ the coveted Uni spot (helped in part by Teh) and Teh âlostâ and was making do. But we see how thatâs not how life goes. Oh never really felt he knew what he wanted and so he just ploughed on. Heâs now in a situation where he has to start deciding, has to be his own person and heâs just... lost. I canât wait to see him find it whatever it may be! The difference with Teh is that he may not have got his number 1 desire but his passion is ENOUGH. He loves what heâs doing and that moment where Khim (is that her name, I forget now, itâs so late, but Goyâs character) was explaining the lights was gorgeous. Tehâs passion was ignited, you could see that âoh wowâ moment... and you can see the difference in how theyâre going to progress, Teh didnât need the top Uni because his passion can carry him and will help him succeed whereas Oh doesnât know what his passion is and perhaps heâs where he is for the wrong reasons after all. The story telling is lovely to me, if completely heartbreaking.
The tears came again at âbut Iâve already given so much of our time to other peopleâ. Oh the tears. The boat scene from ITSAY is my favourite scene of the show and that line is one of the most beautiful bits of writing Iâve encountered for a long while... and to see Teh use it and remember it and effectively set out the issue theyâre facing was heartbreaking. They made that promise on the boat and theyâre breaking it. Oh-aew is trying to be what he thinks Teh needs and Teh is wide eyed and filled with this new world and getting to indulge his passions. Theyâre both so human and both trying the best way they know but theyâre so young and so unsure and have so little life experience that they donât know how to be adults or how to manage all of this stuff. They know they care and love and are each otherâs person but they have such a lot to learn.
So the introduction of Q and the boys... and let me say theyâre glorious... feels both beautiful and tragic because they look like they will be accepting and also potentially LGBT+ themselves or maybe Q (I see your gorgeous painted nails, sweetheart and the way you didnât question Oh saying âpartnerâ for a second)... but also theyâre what Oh is using to fill the time he promised to Teh. Itâs not Ohâs fault. He deserves friendship and a world of his own too but he was relying so much on the familiarity of Teh and Tehâs presence to keep him grounded and comfortable but he canât do that all the time. He is trying so hard to be good and thoughtful and kind that heâs not telling Teh the truth. Heâs doing what he said he wouldnât do on the boat, but we canât blame him in the slightest, heâs the sweetest boy.
I have so much to say but I guess thatâll do for now. I really loved the episode. Yes, itâs different but I think I realise now why it needed to be. In a way Iâm kinda of happy about it because ITSAY stays sacred!!!! It stays as that beautifully fraught and emotional indie movie of my heart filled with metaphorical depth. It canât be touched as far as Iâm concerned but with IPYTM it feels just as moving, just as emotional, just as impactful but in a different way that reflects maturity. I donât think it would have worked if it still felt fraught and characterised by ITSAY vibes. Theyâre not kids, theyâre not insecure about who they are anymore in terms of their sexuality and they are moving into adulthood.
I know itâs going to break me. Episode 1 had me genuinely crying into my tea but I also know that it had the potential for its own special brand of symbolism and meaning. We can already see some special moments which seemed to be saying way more than the words themselves like the speech on light and how we see things and the way Oh even used it himself to see a different perspective at the end. That felt really very meaningful. Theyâre going to need to be able to see different view points as they navigate what will probably be a shit ton of pain! They will need to adjust to the light, to their circumstances to be able to survive and for their bond to be what is important without allowing other stuff to pass into their line of sight. Oh saw nothing. Empty stage, no Teh, not even himself... he opened his eyes too soon. He needs to learn to adjust and learn how to see the world and his place in it so that when he opens his eyes he sees what he desires and has worked for and made for himself rather than emptiness.
The last thing for me is the chemistry. What more can you say other than theyâre perfect? They have the most natural, enigmatic, intense and sweet chemistry. They work so beautifully together. They sell even the smallest of moments and they absolutely destroy with emotion. I just feel every second of Teh and Ohâs emotion and that is such a damn skill. Their talent, man.
So I loved it. I am going to be dreaming tearstained in 80s synth music tonight! I canât wait for the rest to emotionally destroy me a little more.
I canât quite get âLast Twilight in Phuketâ out of my mind.
Iâve seen so many people say that ITSAY was a masterpiece and that it stayed with them in quite a fundamental way and Iâd 100% agree. Everything from the scenery to the music to the way PâBoss shoots a scene to Teh & Ohâs relationship feels warm and familiar and moving.
Seeing them again and as a total surprise and getting to see them in their home, in Phuket (which was 100% a character in p1) and having an insight into their happiness and comfort in the place they belong is not only a gift for people who adore ITSAY but also necessary before we see them move on. The tone was so perfectly done, pitching between blissful happiness and melancholic worry it would all be taken away.
It moved me so much. Iâm sure most of us know that feeling Oh felt when he was overwhelmed, standing by the sea in the place he calls home with the person he calls home knowing he loves both and feels content but also feeling frightened of the unknown, already feeling shut out a little from his own safe space by the closure of their private beach and all of the changes he started to see. Itâs that feeling of being lost, up ended, having your comfort pulled away from you and I thought the whole 14 minutes perfectly encapsulates what it is to grow up and to be forced to keep moving forward even if you want time to stand still. It made me cry watching Ohâs tears run down Tehâs back... cry in a way Iâve realised ITSAY and that whole universe can cause so easily!
The score was so perfectly scattered through it too and I donât know of anyone who watched ITSAY who didnât fall head over heels with the music. It made the show what it is and to hear those familiar sounds was just instantly comforting and familiar and emotional!
But the overwhelming factor for me is, yet again, the attention to detail. The red and blue shirts that theyâve now owned as their colour pallet, the shadowy shots of the iconic locations, the way the bars of their tutor school fell over their faces showing how distant they are already starting to feel before theyâve even left, the significance of them riding in the side car together again and the way Old Town was cast in darkness as they rode away only for the fairy lights to gradually turn on and frame the moon - their next step!
PâBoss, Billkin and PP make magic together and I never ever needed a Part 2 or anything more than Part 1 because it was so perfect for me but I just know I will miss PâBossâs stamp on things. I guess this is why this little surprise felt so special as it was his magic once more.
Not to mention BK and PPâs chemistry. UNMATCHED. Honestly, some of the most sweet and natural and endearing chemistry that there is truly barely a need for words often, so much of their dialogue is silent. They mastered that in ITSAY and theyâve just got better. The way they use movement as a story telling device will always impress me.
The dynamics between Teh and Oh are so beautifully developed from where we left them. Teh had stood at the sunset and cried because he felt at peace again, he had found some comfort in his own skin after struggling for so long and Oh had been given what he wanted so badly - reciprocation. We got to see Tehâs glorious development from not being able to articulate himself emotionally and being so wound up tight to seeming so chill and mesmerised in his happiness next to an Oh full of confidence and sweetness who just welcomes ever shred of Tehâs weirdness and the edges of his still existing struggle. Teh felt shy, couldnât quite be tactile in that moment the way Oh wanted but he just smiled, told him if was ok and while still pushing a little (which is GOOD for some like Teh). He did what he always told Teh heâd do - he was attentive and observant. Teh doesnât need Chines characters or tutoring or metaphor to explain himself anymore.
To see Teh saying âI love youâ and speaking out his feelings was so moving and I am endlessly grateful for PâBoss and the writers for that. It had to be him. It shows how far heâs come and that heâs owning his own feelings. To see Oh so adored even while heâs struggling was the perfect mix of contentment and melancholy as they watched the sunset. Itâs THEIR sunset. They owned it, made it their thing and found so much comfort in it. It represents so much for them and the fact the day was centred around sunrise to sunset, watching them cherish their final one together is just absolutely the most meaningful thing the writers could have done. They are now adopting the moon, trying to find a new thing that they can make theirs and isnât that what Part 2 seems to be about? This idea of growing and changing and being forced to face what it is to grow up - itâs scary and you do change. Those struggles are hugely relateable and so human. Change, however, isnât always bad and they have taken that first step towards it by accepting their sunset cannot be the same anymore but perhaps the moon can replace it?
At the moment theyâre in âtwilightâ and I adore the fact that we get to see how they reach the next phase (pun entirely intended!). I just know that whatever Part 2 is, Part 1 and this little surprise today are so perfect to me and so moving that they are enough. Now I need to go cry again đ
Honestly, I just want to have a normal day like we always do. Then what are you waiting for? Letâs go. Iâll make your normal day so significant just for you.
