BBS: Deconstructing the Entire Series (Part 3 of 13)
Welcome to my deep dive into each episode where I break down character motives, P’Aof’s delivery, and general musings of all things BBS. Basically, a scene-by-scene recap with commentary from me, your friendly neighborhood commentator. If you missed the previous installments of this post series, you’re welcome to check them out:
Part 1 | Part 2
Recapping the recap: We left EP2 with Pat and Pran bickering on who gets to move out of their dorm, resulting in neither moving out. We learned that their three-year separation was because of Pran’s mom and that Pran is hesistant about letting Pat into his space, preferring to keep him at a distance as a means of self-preservation. The episode ends on their idiot friends destroying the bus stop.
Episode Three: The Bus Stop, I Like Seeing Your Face, and a Long-Kept Guitar (or AKA “This is me staying away”)
EP3 begins with one of my favorite episode openings of the series, and I can’t believe I’m saying this because Waisel plays a prominent role here, but he’s only there as a catalyst so it’s fine, I’m fine. The scene opens on Pran doodling during a free study period. He’s supposed to be working on his new song for the Freshy music contest but is suffering from writer’s block. Wai shows up and sees Pran struggling and tells him to stop using his head and instead to look inside his heart for inspiration. He then asks Pran, “Haven’t you ever had a secret crush on someone?”
We are then gifted with the cutest flashback of the world’s one and only handsome guitar pick. Where Pran is gobsmacked by Pat earnestly cutting his own ID card so that Pran won’t hurt his fingers while strumming his guitar. Pran looks at Pat incredulously and Pat just cheekily grins back at him. And we are all incredibly moved by Pat here, such a small gesture but also so very, very large and befitting of his personality. I’m pretty sure this isn’t the moment that Pran begins to fall, but it’s likely the moment he accepts that he CANNOT STOP.
The show has been very precise with its use of flashbacks, only inserting them if it moves the story forward in some way. To include it here in the episode’s opener is BOLD, but also sneakily well done because it informs us of this episode’s main focus and that is Pran figuring out how Pat (and his feelings for him) fits into his present life. Let’s find out along with him.
Be cool, be cool. It’s just a meal with your longtime crush. No biggie. *Pran internally screaming* AHH! THIS IS THE BIGGEST DEAL EVER!!
A late-night noodle craving finds our two boys sharing a meal while bickering with each other laced with some deeply veiled flirtation. This is the stuff we signed up for. There’s some back and forth where both accuse the other of being nosy and Pat asks are you this nosy with everyone or just me? And really, we want to know too, Pran. But evasion is the game and Pran is a championship-level player.
The two engage in a ridiculous chopsticks duel over a stolen wonton that would make panda Po and his Shifu proud. Pat can’t resist pulling Pran’s metaphorical pigtail by stealing yet another wonton, but Pran doesn’t give Pat the satisfaction of reacting and he pouts that Pran’s no fun. He gives Pran a wonton from his own bowl stating that he’s done anyway. Pran tells Pat that he doesn’t need to wait for him, and Pat says who’s waiting, I still need to pay and ends up paying for both their meals. It’s totally a date! For those keeping count, this is their second date. Pat is dressed the part in his Tim Hortons shirt (because what screams date more than repping the iconic Canadian?), the activity is a shared meal, and Pat pays. Date!
Pat tells him that it’s his treat and Pran is surprised but also secretly pleased and thanks him. See? You two can be nice to each other. Pat watches intently as Pran eats and then tells him to hurry up because he’s actually waiting. Ha!
After literally walking each other home, it’s so a DATE! – they learn that their dorm elevators are out of order. Pat suggests they race to see who can get to their room first. Pran smirks and trash talks that someone like him doesn’t need to compete with Pat, but then totally negates all that big talk by making a run for the stairwell.
The two race up the stairs taking three to four at a time. I’m amazed at both their cardio and the fact that they just ate, but also LEGS. Legs for MILES! We see Pat take advantage by pulling and yanking on Pran. Again, what is it about Pran’s waist that has your hands all over it, sir? Look at their faces though, they are both loving this. And so are we. They finally reach their doors with Pat winning by a slim margin.
Pran, unable to accept defeat, says who was even racing you? And Pat laughs asking then who ran all the way here? Making their face pale? And I love that Pran’s only rebuttal is it’s called pinkish fair skin, yeah you tell him what’s what Pran. We then get the best incorporation of a product placement I’ve ever seen in Thai BL. Pran pulls out the black inhaler and starts sniffing and turns on Pat, you’re the one who’s looking colorless, are you dying? Them fightin’ words, but also secretly laced with concern? Pat starts saying he’s fine, it’s all good but is now eyeing Pran’s inhaler and asks him to share. He comes closer for it and we are then treated to round two of their post-date frenzy.
I’m not saying that this is Pran’s O-face, but I’m not saying that it isn’t either.
We see Pran holding the inhaler out of reach as Pat clamors for it. But also, wow, can I be crowded against a door in between those muscular arms too? I love this entire sequence filled with Pran’s expressive reactions to Pat trying to climb him. And how much do I live for this keep-away teasing Pran does with Pat? Is this foreshadowing for Pran delaying Pat’s gratification later on? (Okay, that’s a record even for me, we’re only 11-minutes into the episode and I’ve already managed to make it sexual. In my defense, they make it entirely too easy.)
I'm loving how playful it is between them, how for the briefest of moments the family rivalry is forgotten and it’s just two guys competing with barely concealed flirtation. They’re both undeniably drawn to each other and giving as good as they get. And we can all see how AMAZING IT COULD BE between them, how well they complement each other, and our hearts soar impatiently for both guys to realize it already.
Things are getting a little too intense in the proximity department, so Pran backs Pat to his side of the hallway. And the physicality Pran displays here makes me go all in on feral kitty Pran. (Do we think Pran leaves scratch marks on Pat’s back when he really goes wild in bed? He totally does, right? I can’t be alone in thinking this!) Pat heaving and gasping for breath here doesn’t help any of us pick our minds up and out of the gutter.
Pat moves to go into his room but turns around again to deliver his final parting shot If you want a rematch, you can knock on my door anytime. But if you miss me, don’t knock. Just come in. Thinking he’s got the last word; Pat is all sorts of smug. And God, do we want to affectionately SMACK HIM. But Pran, not one to easily surrender, holds out his fist as if in agreement, surprising both us and Pat, who reaches out to bump it with his own fist, only for Pran to give him a last-second middle finger. Pat can only stand there flipping Pran off behind his back. Look at this idiot waving his finger around.
Please accept exhibit #743 for the evidence records. We’ll make it impossible for the defense to refute our claim that love was the cause and the reason, your honor.
Safely inside his room, Pran lets out a deep exhale and the total euphoria on his face is EVERYTHING. He can’t help but turn around and take another look through his peephole for any lingering signs of Pat. If this ain’t love. Just a peek is all he needs to tide him over. He then takes a moment to get his heartbeat under control and simply bask in the evening’s turn of events. It’s the disbelieving shake of his head that does it for me. Aww, everything about this night totally made your week didn’t it, Pran?
Later, Pat is in his room when he gets a knock on his door and the smile on his face can only mean that he thinks it’s Pran back for more. But alas, it’s his cronies bringing their beat-up selves for Pat to mend. They claim it was all a one-sided attack as if they were innocent in the whole ordeal and weren’t asking for it.
The next morning, Pran and his friends are awaiting the fallout of the night before. The architects’ version of Professor Pichai tells the boys they’ll have to take responsibility for the bus stop rebuild including all the expenses involved. Wai can’t take it sitting down and whines that they weren’t the only ones fighting, why are they the only ones being punished. Not-Pichai tells him you’re lucky you’re not academically suspended. You’ve made your beds, now lie in them. He then gives them the list of detailed expenses, tells them to get it done before the month is out, and leaves.
Pran gets an incoming call from “just a friend” which he lets go unanswered.
The scene changes to Pran on a mission to gather estimates on supplies. He waits for Pa to finish with a customer and asks her if their shop has his list of items since his own shop is out of stock. She asks him what’s this all for and the look he gives her means he’s not holding back on ratting out Pat.
Pat is at home, and we see him attempting yet again to call Pran which still goes ignored. Pa comes in and gives Pat an earful. He’s let her down and she calls out his manhood for not keeping his promise to her. Pat tries to defend himself explaining that he had nothing to do with it and that it was all Korn. Pa doesn’t want to hear it and storms out, leaving Pat to do his own laundry. Oh, the horror.
Hello from the other side (of this tin can)
I must've called a thousand times
To tell you I'm sorry for everything that I've done (and have yet to do)
But when I call, you never seem to be home (but I can literally see that you are)
At his wit’s end, Pat decides to go old school and pulls out their old tin-can telephone and tosses one end through Pran’s window. Pran is reluctant to listen to what Pat has to say, but Pat threatens that he’ll shout across to him if he’s forced to so Pran holds up his end of the makeshift phone.
Pat tells Pran to stop being unreasonable and that Pran’s friends were the ones that started the bus stop fight, not his. Pran defends his guys saying if Pat’s minions didn’t post the video of them bullying Wai, then his guys wouldn’t have gone crazy. Pat is confused as to what video. (I told you it was going to come back to bite you, Pat.) Pran thinks Pat is playing dumb, but Pat is truly lost in all of this. Pran calls him out saying that’s funny because Pat sure seemed to be laughing it up in the video’s background. He then tosses his end of the phone with a clang and shuts his window. Conversation effectively over.
The face of a gangster who stubbornly doesn’t listen when he’s told to stay away.
The next day after their shared class ends, Pat follows Pran as he’s leaving when he’s abruptly pulled into a dark hallway. Pran thinks Pat is playing games and tells him to stop, but he only wanted to let Pran know that he took care of the video and it’s now deleted. He wants to help, but Pran doesn’t care and tells Pat to stay away from him.
Pran is in the library crunching numbers for the bus stop expenses when Pat shows up refusing to stay away. Pran decides if Pat doesn’t leave then he will, which makes Pat concede that fine, he’ll leave but not without telling Pran to not miss him later. THIS GUY. Turning to go, Pat notices an ad for an ecology contest. Pat is super observant guys, he acts like he’s a himbo gangster, but the guy is very aware of his surroundings which makes his lack of awareness of his feelings for Pran such a conundrum to us. Maybe it’s one of those cases where he’s observant if it’s anyone other than himself?
In the span of seconds, he decides this contest is exactly what Pran needs to help with the bus stop finances, he takes a flyer and turns back to Pran. But since he was just scolded to stay away, he instead sits at the table behind Pran and folds the flyer into a paper airplane and flings it in Pran’s direction. When Pran turns around to yell at him, Pat pretends to be dozing. As Chandler Bing would say, could you BE any more adorable, Pat?
I hereby declare my reelection for President of The-Can’t-Look-Away-From-Pran fanclub. This is my campaign poster. Vote Pat.
Pran is at an office building to present his project to the company’s bigwigs. Pat unexpectedly shows up and says he’s there to be Pran’s good luck charm. Aww. Pran says he’s more of a jinx than lucky to which Pat responds a jinx can’t be this hot. Pran shrugs but doesn’t refute Pat’s claim. Ah! You agree that Pat’s hot; you want him so bad.
They’re packed into an elevator as more people get on and Pran is squished. He nudges Pat and asks if they need to be squeezed in this close? To which Pat replies, it’s not like he wants to (yeah okayyy, we believe you) then SQUEEZES INTO PRAN EVEN MORE. They’re crowded in from all sides and we are blessed with this look from Pran thinking Pat doesn’t notice. Sorry to break it to you, buddy, but he definitely notices. Remember the whole observant thing?
Everything I’ve ever wanted is right in front of me. Yet so out of reach.
Pran presents his bus stop project to the group of VIPs while Pat looks on proudly. He also turns to study the audience’s reaction. In addition to his observational skills, Pat has impeccable perception when it comes to reading people. I’m confident his successes in life so far have been based on 50% charm, 25% smarts, and 25% on his ability to read people. Add to that his boyish good looks and none of us ever really stood a chance, Pran included. He’s really the total package.
Pran wraps up his presentation and looks to Pat for reassurance which he gets in the form of an encouraging nod. Aww, these boys. They’re already such great partners and unconsciously look to each other for moral support. The bigwigs seem open to Pran’s ideas, but they just approved a similar project so invite him to come back and present again later in the year. Pran is understandably disappointed as Pat looks on. Before they’re dismissed, Pat speaks up and says they have another concept to pitch. Pran is shocked but Pat gives him a look that says trust me and I got you.
Pat presents them with his idea of a 100% eco-friendly bus stop, using solar power and recycled materials. Then he follows up with the kicker, if their grant is approved, they’d essentially be receiving company advertisement throughout the university campus. It’s a win-win for both sides. The VIPs are interested and Pran looks at Pat with stars in his eyes. Well done, Pat!
Back in the elevator, Pran asks Pat how he knew they were into eco-friendly projects and Pat points out the poster on the wall. He tells Pran to be more aware of his surroundings instead of constantly looking at him all the time. (I told you he notices, Pran!) Pran feels like he’s being called out and Pat gives him an out by saying, Pran is always eyeing him as if he’s there to cause trouble, calling him a jinx. Oiii Pat, why’d you let him off so easily?
They make a stop at the music store where Pran naturally migrates to the guitars. Pat comments that he already has one. Pran said he used to but it’s probably termite food by now. Pat suggests he look for it and that it may still be around. This seems like such a throwaway comment that doesn’t draw much to be read into, but we know better. Pran responds with no need and that this last fight probably banned them from competing in the music contest. Pat comments that when he gets to compete against him, Pran takes it very seriously.
I can’t help that when you’re near, my face looks at you like this. It’s not something that I can control.
Pat then catches a glimpse of Chai outside the store and pulls Pran in to hide. Okay, two giant-sized boys crouching behind what looks like a guitar amp, suuure, you’re now hidden from plain sight!
After a while, Pran says the coast is clear, but Pat doesn’t move away. He then sniffs Pran and says he smells damn good and that he likes it. Pran is all kinds of adorably flustered and doesn’t know what to do with this information, but then Pat goes and ruins it by asking him to do his laundry for him. And we all collectively face palm at the idiocy that is Pat.
Pran shoves Pat off him and says it’s not that Pran smells good, it’s that Pat smells bad. He leaves and tells Pat to shower sometime. Pfft!
We keep this love in a photograph
We made these memories for ourselves
Where our eyes are never closing
Hearts are never broken
And time's forever frozen, still
That night at the bus stop site, Pran sits alone brainstorming ideas when Pat shows up. I guess that built-in homing beacon goes both ways because Pat knew exactly where to find Pran when his texts and calls went unanswered. Pran asks what the hell he’s doing there and Pat looks around and says nobody is around, he can drop the pretense and speak nicely to him. Aww. Pran seems taken aback that Pat would actually ask.
Pat says he’s there because Pran didn’t respond to his messages. Pran says that he does respond when Pat means business. Pat questions why they can’t just chitchat? And then avoids eye contact as he asks, are you as hard on your other friends as you are on me? Aww. He’s basically asking Pran to confirm that they’re friends now. Pran takes a beat, but then responds with I wouldn’t be as hard on my friends and a visibly disappointed Pat comments he’s sorry that they’re not friends. Aww, puppy.
I’ve watched this scene countless of times and still managed to somehow miss that this is foreshadowing to their handshake later.
Pran tries to get Pat to go away but the boy isn’t budging, he’s determined to help. And his earnestness is truly undeniable because Pran eventually gives in. He asks Pran why he’s been staring at the site for a while now but still hasn’t drawn anything in his sketchbook. Pran snarks that engineers have it so easy, they don’t understand how difficult it is to be creative. Pat concedes that engineers might not be as creative, but they’re very practical and they get shit done. You tell him, Pat. He gets up determined to prove it to Pran and holds out his hand to help Pran up.
Pat says you can’t just sit and try to imagine a finished bus stop, you have to actually place people there to see what their needs are. He then suggests they role play as to the kinds of people who wait at bus stops; again, Pat is truly a reader of people. It’s crazy how it’s almost second nature to him. Pat suggests they act like they’re friends to which Pran emphatically says no. Then without pause, Pat says okay, lovers then, to which Pran is so surprised that he doesn’t even respond. Ooh, Pran, we see you sir.
After some back and forth on who gets to be the guy and who the girl, Pat calls Pran out on being picky over an imaginary scenario and says fine they’re two hot guys and they’re boyfriends. And Pran does not put up any argument! I need to shout this again for all to hear. Pran agrees to Pat’s terms, they’re two very hot boyfriends! Pat concedes that he’ll play the role of wife to Pran’s role of husband to which Pran’s only response is you’re such a masculine wife. Uh, that’s ALL you have to say, Mr. Parakul?
Pat fully commits to his role as a pouty wife and whines that it’s raining, and they should seek shelter under the bus stop. This whole act inspires Pran with several great ideas and with Pat’s prompting, Pran gets into it and starts envisioning the entire space. He starts scribbling away in his notebook, verbalizing his ideas to a receptive Pat. They are SO GOOD together. Why can’t they see it? Gah!
Pat says he’s thirsty from making a high-pitched girl’s voice, so Pran fishes out an Oishi bottle from his bag and Pat pouts for Pran to open it for him. Pran does and feeds him while he’s at it. But because they’re them, Pran purposely overdoes it, and the drink ends up drenching Pat all over. We are then treated to an adorable scene of Pat chasing Pran to wipe his sticky mouth on him. And God, this whole chase scene is so sickeningly wholesome and also foreshadows Pat chasing Pran later on. But just look at them. Look how disgustingly happy they are. Our dopey idiots.
So you can keep me
Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans
Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet
You won't ever be alone, wait for me to come home
They’re eventually worn out and end up lying on the ground. Pran looks over at Pat and finds him already staring at him. Aww. Pat then asks Pran if he likes “it” but Pat takes enough of a pause for the “it” to be an open question in which Pran just stares at him. Pat then qualifies it by saying, the bus stop. Do you like the new bus stop? Pran says he does, but he’s not sure if others will like it, too. Pat assures him that they will, because Pat does. God, this script is just too good and OhmNanon play it so naturally. I absolutely love conversations where there’s more meaning behind the words than what we’re given.
Pat then cuts the tension by chin booping Pran and says his honey is so smart using the high-pitched voice again. Pran tells him to stop, that he’s getting goosebumps, and his girly voice doesn’t suit his giant body. Ha!
The boys are back at LogTech where they’re informed that they’ve got financial backers for the bus stop. But the expenses are too high so they can only sponsor half of their proposal. As the boys leave the office building, Pran is visibly stressed out and Pat tries to help by suggesting they can save money by using lower-grade materials for the construction. He tells Pran not to worry that they’ll figure it out. Pran says that’s easy for him to say since it’s not his friends’ academic careers on the line. He leaves with the parting shot that it wasn’t even his friends who started this whole mess. Pat responds with, then who did, me? Ah, it’s like one step forward and two steps back with these two.
Woof. Pat in uniform is his best look on the show. I’ll fight anyone who disagrees. Also that lean. Boy can lean.
On campus, Pat sees his friends playing games on their phones without a care in the world and it pricks his nerves. Yesss, Pat! Ours too. He smacks Korn on the back of his head with his bag and asks them why they posted that video because now the architects are up shit’s creek. The morons turn it back on Pat asking why he’s so frustrated on the architects’ behalf? Need they remind him that he’s from the engineering faculty? Pat seems stumped as though this is the first time he’s asking himself, yeah why am I so upset for them?
When words fail, actions speak. LOUDLY.
We switch to Pat alone in his room deep in thought. He opens his closet and pulls out Pran’s guitar case, shocking us all. He smiles as he recalls their conversation in the music store, unzips the bag and pulls out the guitar and we see that it is in pristine condition. Pat has taken care of this guitar for YEARS. 1,095 days more or less. For Pran. Without being asked.
Pran is sitting with his friends discussing the bus stop reconstruction. They’re still short on funds and need to find ways to make it work. Pran suggests going to the bus site to see what can be salvaged and sold.
Look at this gangster and his merry men rolling up in slow motion. Of course Pat would get the hero’s slo-mo entrance.
At the site, they determine there’s nothing worth selling. Wai starts counting that there’s four of them. Congratulations, you know how to count Waisel. He whines that how are the four of them supposed to rebuild the bus stop by themselves. Pran says it’s an impossible task and they’ll need to hire people to help them. Pat’s ears must be burning, because he chimes in, are you talking about us?
We get a quick flashback of Pat manipulating his friends to help the architects with the rebuild project by telling them that if they forfeit the pavilion of peace to the other faculty, they’ll have no leg to stand on going forward. Pat is either a genuis or his friends are really just that dumb.
I read a youtube comment saying it’s a good thing Pat found these guys before a cult did. And ain’t that the truth. They remind me of the tiny green aliens from Toy Story and Pat is their Mr. Potato Head who saved them from the claw. “You’ve saved our lives; we are eternally grateful.” Wait, does this make Pran their de facto Mrs. Potato Head? LMAO. Now I can’t unsee Pran packing Pat an extra pair of his fierce eyes.
Back at the present, Pat tells everyone that if they work together, they won’t need to hire any more people. The engineers will oversee the project and he already got everything approved by their professors. Pat did his homework. The two boys shake on it while their squads look on. I love this scene so much because you can see the stirrings of something happening with Pran. He’s trying to school his face, but it still slips through.
That night Pran is pacing the hallway between his and Pat’s rooms. He looks to have been at it a while working up his courage when Pat opens his door and asks him what’s up. Pran then thanks him for the bus stop and convincing his friends to help with the rebuild. Pat tells him they’re responsible too, for posting the video, so can they call it even now? Pran agrees. Pat turns to go back into his room when Pran stops him. He takes a beat where we can see him again calling on his courage, c’mon Pran, you can do this. Have you eaten? Aww. He did it and we’re all cheering for our brave boy!
Pat takes a moment to respond, and we can see him considering whether he should lie and say no, but instead he tells Pran he ate already. Dammit Pat, this is the wrong answer. Pran turns to leave but now it’s Pat’s turn to stop him. He tells him to wait and goes inside. He comes back out with the guitar and proudly presents it to Pran. Oh, our hearts.
Pran’s joy at reuniting with his beloved guitar shows Pat that it was worth his effort of keeping it all these years. Pran’s happiness is tempered by their banishment from the music contest, and he says as much. Pat then says not so fast because they’re back in. Pran is surprised and asks Pat, how did that happen? To which Pat shrugs that he doesn’t know. But we know. Pat went to Professor Pichai, worked his charm, and got them both reinstated. The fact that he chose not to take credit for this with Pran. Oh, our hearts again.
He then encourages Pran to do his best in the concert by telling him not to lose to him and the engineers. Pran turns Pat’s earlier words back on him, you seem happy when you get to compete against me. Pat agrees and says it’s because he likes to see his face. OH. And the moment these words are spoken, we can see Pran’s eyes light up in a way that could brighten the darkest room. Our own eyes light up with his. Together we can power an entire city. Then Pat goes and qualifies it with... when you lose. Dammit again, Pat. He laughs and boops Pran’s chin and ruffles his head, then goes back inside.
Pran sits in their hallway, quietly looks down at his watch and at the guitar. His two cherished items returned to him years apart by the same boy. Oh, we feel it too, Pran. This boy is too good and worse, he doesn’t even know what he’s done. What he’s doing to you. How are you supposed to stop these feelings from coursing through your veins? He makes it impossible. Short of taking out your own heart. Draining all your blood supply. Even then. Even then this boy would still find a way. Pran eventually gets up, goes into his room, and shuts the door. A beat later we see the door opening again and the door tag is flipped to the smiling side.
And that wraps up the third hour with our soft boys. And soft they truly are especially in this episode. My fear of episode three falling under the same pitfalls as the previous episode were put to rest as soon as we were treated to that opening flashback. Then it was sealed with the wonton noodles and racing up the stairs. And then further cemented by the bus stop role playing. The entirety of the returning the guitar scene will forever stay with me. Not that the show ever lost me, or ever could, but this episode thoroughly made me double down on these two boys and their trajectory towards each other. I will lay my life down and bet on their love confident that I’ll win every time.
I want to address the music selection for this series so far because it might sometimes get overlooked. The song choices made are peak level musicology, especially the instrumental background music. The soft melodies that envelope the heart, feed the soul, and serve as the last pièce de résistance needed to complete the overall mood of the show. For this recap, I wrote while the episode was playing in the background on low volume. I didn’t want to distract myself with the audio. But every so often, I would glance over to see which scene we were at, and I knew just from watching a few seconds that I had to increase the volume to listen to the background music. It’s that telling how much the music choices resonate with each scene. How the quiet seems unsettled and incomplete until you fill it in with the notes and harmony that hits just right. It truly makes you appreciate how much work goes into the production of a show. The musical composition for this series is exceptional and helps elevate the show’s title for best Thai BL.
This episode was mostly told in a straight, linear format. Again, we are given only one flashback, but instead of revealing it towards the end to gut us in the last half, it kicks off the episode with a banger. P’Aof is out here telling us to quell our predictions, and what we think we know of his storytelling style, he instead keeps close to the vest. And how lovely is it that past Pat and Pran are wholly unique to their present selves. It’s not just the hair style or the school uniform either. There’s a certain quality that only comes with outstanding acting where you can feel the minute differences in characterizations. We’re only with them for a few precious moments, but even then, past Pat is shown as being even more carefree. Pran, while still contemplative, is less cynical. It’s so well portrayed here that we wish we had a peek at the missing three years that made them who they are now while simultaneously mourning the versions of them they were then.
Remember 5k+ words ago 😇 when I said the flashback was to set our expectations for the overall takeaway of this episode? And that was for Pran to figure out what his feelings for Pat meant in this current timeline. It’s all laid out for us if we look close enough. It’s in the considering look Pran gives Pat while shaking his hand. It’s when he thanks Pat and asks if he’s eaten yet. It’s how he sits in their shared hallway and looks at his watch and the long-kept guitar. And finally, it’s in the flipping of his door tag from frowny to happy – these are the exact moments when we learn that Pran has given in. The show wanted us to be so confident in his choice that they showed it to us four times. He’s expressing in his own Pran ways that he’s here; he’s owning these feelings, not hiding from them, not denying them. More than passively putting on the watch, he’s actively in it now. He’s no longer running. And we’re in it with him.
There are so many conversations between these two that can’t be taken at surface level, and I am loving their layered multi-meaning. Take for example, Pran pacing in front of Pat’s door and then telling Pat thank you. It’s a thank you (for everything you did to help Wai and them with the bus stop.) And Pat’s response is we were at fault too, but you're welcome (but you do know, don't you? I didn’t do it for them. Surely you must know that I did it all for you. You don’t need me to say it, right?) And doesn’t that just make you want to go climb the nearest mountain singing at the top of your lungs that the hills are alive with the sound of music?
Pran asking Pat if he’s eaten yet may seem like a small moment but in fact it’s monumental. He wants a reason to spend time with Pat, but even beyond that, he’s showing concern for Pat, to Pat. That’s HUGE. How many times has Pat asked Pran to speak nicely to him? And how many times has Pran scoffed at him in response? We all know it’s deflection as a means to safeguard his heart, but Pat doesn’t know this. Despite his observational prowess, he’s an idiot at seeing what’s right in front of him when it involves himself. So, Pran’s have you eaten yet is equivalent to him holding up a neon sign that might very well say, if you say you haven’t, then I’ll happily feed you. Pat may have just missed out on some of Pran’s home cooking, we’ll never know.
On the other side, the moment Pat tells Pran that he’s already eaten may seem minor, but I saw it as the point in time where Pat decides that he was never going to lie to Pran, even about the small stuff. Pat makes the decision here to always be honest with Pran and once Pat decides something, he’s immovable and resolute in that decision. He may tease and quip, but he won’t lie, not knowingly and never intentionally, not to Pran. It’s more than an unspoken promise he’s making to Pran, it’s a pact that he’s making with himself. This is the one person I will never hide from. And this promise carries throughout the remainder of the show.
And for his part, Pran has now accepted that Pat is in his life, present tense, he’s here to stay and Pran is weak to stop tornado-Pat from happening. Nor does he want to. So come sweep him away, Pat. We’re all ready and waiting.
):):):):):):):)
Thank you for reading and reliving BBS EP3 with me. Next up, the episode I’ve been looking forward to recapping for weeks now. Fun fact: I joined tumblr immediately after watching EP4 because I HAD TO to find someone to talk BBS with, it’s the episode that jumpstarted this blog. I’ve found my people in all of you. So, THANK YOU! And even now months later, I still feel like I could write an entire thesis on EP4′s ending alone. Watch me do it anyway. Until next time!
attention: read my additions to this post first for some more context as it might help you understand a little better what i'm on about here...
ok so this post was born out of me wanting to give an example of what i mean by "actors perceiving something" bc you can see that really well in bad buddy ep 3 [3/4] in the music shop scene where they're hiding and pat smells pran. however, i realized i actually have a lot more to say on this moment and that i can also use it to try and showcase what i mean with "(having) thoughts"/"creating images" as well as what "directions" are supposed to be (i'm struggling the most with explaining directions in english lmao). i ended up having so much to say that it absolutely is worthy of its own post, so here it is
so this here is the moment in question that i'm going to analyze and i'm going to look at ohm specifically:
[sorry for the image quality of this gif, i had to compromise it in order to get the file size down]
before i say anything, here's a little disclaimer: obviously i have absolutely no idea what was going on in ohm's head in that moment when he was shooting that take. so whenever i make a mention of a specific sentence that the actor or the character could be thinking it will be my very own interpretation of what i personally am seeing or getting out of it. there are many thoughts and emotions one can read out of an actor's performance (often multiple at once!) and there are many ways of putting all of this into words. i will try to keep everything as technical as possible but sometimes i do need to say what i think is going on in the actor's/character's head in order to explain my point
ok so let's go and break down some of the acting things that ohm is doing here
[gif 1]
this is a wonderful example of an actor actually and actively perceiving something. at this point pat hasn't actively smelled pran yet, he hasn't reacted to that smell yet. in fact, up until this point pat is more focused on not being caught by chai. what ohm is doing here is showing us the process of going from "don't get caught" to "pran smells good af". and it starts right here. in order to do so, in order for this change of topic to work smoothly pat has to become aware of pran's smell first. and ohm is acting it out for us: he really is perceiving and noticing that smell as the actor and we can see the controls in his brain going "oh my nose is sensing something"
another thing i want to point out here is his "spielrichtung" (god i GOTTA figure out a word for this in english) aka this is where i talk about his "directions" even though it's difficult for me in english bc it sounds rather clunky. (for those who didn't read my original reblog where i talk about acting concepts: the literal translation of this german term is "direction of playing" or "direction of acting". this direction can refer to many things, such as where the focus is directed, or an action, a thought, etc...)
here in this moment ohm's directions are both downwards and very inwards. as in: his focus goes downwards to where the smell is entering his nose while his thoughts are very much directed inwards. this is a private moment for pat and ohm shows us this by acting towards the inside (ohm/pat is completely inside his own head in this moment) ("by acting towards the inside" – sorry, this sounds so clunky in english, i mean to say "indem er nach innen spielt")
alright, moving on. so in real life, once a person has perceived something and the brain has processed and determined it... what happens next? the person is going to react to it and have one or the other thought. in real life we go through a process of perceiving - processing - (re)acting and the same thing should happen in acting:
[gif 2]
first ohm showed us that pat has perceived something, now ohm shows us that whatever pat has perceived causes some thoughts/feelings inside of pat
(quick side-note on his directions: he's still very much inwards in his direction, the private moment in his head is continuing. and despite his eyes going to the side, the focus of his actions is still directed downwards because again, that's where the smell is)
(edit: i had my mom read this post and on the topic of directions in gif 2 she pointed out that you can actually split it up in three directions even: everything is happening on the inside, then you have the sensory direction that is going downwards because that's where the smell is, while he's sending his thoughts sideways)
i can't read minds, nor can i time travel so i have absolutely no idea what thought was crossing ohm's mind in that exact moment, but it has to be something along the lines of "i gotta smell that again". ohm/pat has perceived the smell, he considers it for a moment and whatever he's thinking here leads to the next moment where pat smells pran on purpose (note: i do love how his head is subconsciously moving slightly down towards the source of the smell again even before he's actively taken the decision to sniff pran):
[gif 3]
(edit: another thing that my mom said is that in gif 2 it's like his thoughts aren't quite focused yet, they're not quite formed, while in gif 3 his thoughts are very much focused. it's like his thoughts went from a subconscious level in gif 2 to a conscious level in gif 3. anatomically speaking you could even say that in gif 1 and 2 he percieves the smell emotionally and in gif 3 it goes over into a cognitive perception of the smell. because he percieves the smell subconsciously in the beginning and the very first thing that happens when you perceive a smell is that it goes to the emotional center of the brain. then the smell goes on to the cerebral cortex and only then you get the cognitive perception of the smell. ohm's performance here really is FLAWLESS. in the words of my mother, a trained nurse: "he plays that EXTREMELY WELL because you can analyze it anatomically even, and use his performance to showcase how the sense of smell works")
and now we have arrived at the point where pat is sniffing pran. what i really like about this is how subtle ohm portrays this. he doesn't stick his nose into nanon's back and we don't even see him breathe in. and yet we still know that pat is smelling pran here, all bc of ohm's body language where he moves his head down to the source of the smell and the thoughts that ohm is having in his head in that moment. you can just see that ohm is really and actively smelling something here. and by that i mean not only just the motion of him moving his head down, but rather that again he is actively perceiving a smell as his head is filled with thoughts (his thought process goes from something like "what was that smell" to "ok i'm smelling, i'm checking this out")
and now we're back to the point where we were earlier. once again our character is perceiving and processing something, our actor is acting it out for us and so what has to happen next? exactly, a reaction to the new information the character's brain has just processed:
[gif 4]
and again we can see that ohm's head was filled with actual thoughts in that moment (probably something along the lines of "wow he smells really good" or "oh what a nice smell". and it looks kind of unexpected to me, as if there's also some surprise coming with it along the lines of "oh i wasn't expecting to like his smell so much" or "i didn't think he would smell this nice")
i keep going on and on about thoughts, and it's because that was hammered into me by my fave monologue teacher. he kept going on about "getting your thoughts straight" and "having thoughts" ("die gedanken haben") and whenever we students had no idea what to do with our bodies he'd tell us that if we know exactly what we're thinking in that moment we shouldn't worry about our body because our body will follow our thoughts automatically. we can see that beautifully in gif 2 where an underlying thought (and i don't necessarily mean thought as in an actual thought or sentence inside the mind, but thought kind of in the sense of an emotion or feeling, if that makes sense), anyway in gif 2 there's an underlying thought along the lines of "this smell is good i want to get close to it i want to keep smelling it" and ohm's/pat's head is already moving slightly downwards towards the smell before ohm/pat has taken a conscious decision to take a purposeful sniff. the power of thought y'all. thought is a powerful tool when it comes to acting. and it's really obvious when an actor is in no-thoughts-head-empty mode. unfortunately i don't have an example of a thought-less actor on hand, or i would show you. ok, that's a lie, actually. i do have some examples, but they either don't work as a tumblr post (once again i wish i could do this one acting analysis project i did with my uni friend with online people as well) orrrr i don't want to share them publicly bc i don't wanna hurt anyone's feelings and i want to avoid angry anons in my ask box or getting into arguments with random internet users (i quite like my quiet, peaceful tumblr life where i'm a nobody, thanks)
okay, now back to bad buddy and ohm:
in the other post where i talk about acting i mention that while my monologue teacher would talk a lot about thoughts, my mother instead likes to talk about "creating images". my mom likes to think of it as a flipbook where you have individual pictures that make a moving image when going from one picture to the next at speed. personally i think you can also think of it as individual panels of a comic book that together tell a narrative arch. if we look at the first part from this perspective, as if if were a comic, we can see that ohm provides the audience with these clear images:
image 1: perceiving a smell, becoming aware of it, noticing it
image 2: reacting to that first whiff, something along the lines of "is this pran's smell? i gotta smell pran. for science. to see if that nice smell is him"
image 3: smelling on purpose, there is an aim to the action, it is motivated by thought and by what happened previously
image 4: another reaction to the perceived smell, this time it's a realization and/or a conclusion (the realization could be something like "oh i like the way pran smells" and the conclusion would be "yes what i sensed earlier was in fact pran's smell")
in full:
[gif 5]
it has only been three (3!!) seconds (yes i went and checked the duration of that clip on premiere pro) and ohm has already told us an entire story arc. god, i LOVE it when actors do actor things
alright, let's continue with part 2:
so now we get to the part where pran (nanon) comes in with an impatient "what now?" and pat (ohm) reacts
[gif 6]
since ohm is a good actor he once again presents us with that split second where we can see that he was actively listening to nanon's line, we get to see the moment where pat's brain is processing pran's comment and comes up with a reply. once again ohm is acting this all out for us. this is also what helps make it look like everything is spontaneous: as if the character didn't know pran was gonna say something and what he was gonna say, even though the actor, having memorized the script and likely having discussed it with his co-star and/or the director, definitely knew about it
now let's look at his directions again before we move on to the next gif: he's still in inwards-mode, but pran's line distracts him and snaps him away from the downward focus and now it's going to the side instead, towards nanon/pran
remember what happens after the processing? that's right, a (re)action. pat reacts to pran's comment with the action of saying "you smell good"
[gif 7]
what i find particularly interesting here are ohm's directions. before i sat down to gif these 10 seconds of scene i distinctively remembered ohm's spielrichtung (fuck it, i'm going with the german word bc "directions of playing" or "direction of acting" just doesn't sound right – quick german grammar lesson: spielrichtung = singular, just one single direction; spielrichtungen = plural, two or more directions) being very much towards the inside. and i had assumed that pran's comment would snap him out of it, that nanon's line would trigger a jump in his spielrichtung. but looking at it now? this... is not quite what i'm seeing. what i'm seeing instead is actually fascinating to me
you see, his actions and his line definitely have an outward focus, to the side where nanon is. however, it looks like that outward focus hasn't quite reached his eyes (it's in the way his eyes travel towards nanon, but they're not really focusing on anything in particular, he looks very distracted instead, as if his mind is somewhere else)
to reiterate: his words are traveling outwards while his eyes look like they're still in inwards-mode. outwards and inwards – two opposing sides. this creates conflict and it's exactly what makes me as a viewer sit up in curiosity and go "huh? what's this? what's going on here?" it fills me with a lot of questions about the character: why can't he snap out of it? did pran's smell really affect him this much? so much that his mind is still on it even when pran starts talking to him? why is it affecting him so much? what's going on inside him? aww does he have feelings? (yes. yes he does 🤭) it's these little subtle things that make me start caring about a character, that make me want to keep watching in order to find answers to my questions. (also! this would be an example of what i meant in the reblog from the other post when i talked about actor's showing conflicts that aren't in the plot/the script)
to be honest, i'd love to double check ohm's spielrichtungen during this line with my mom, but unfortunately it's gonna be another two weeks until i go home for semester break. because this is one of those moments where i realize that i still need to practice my acting analysis skills a lot, because to be quite honest i'm having a moment of is it just me or...? where i'm not entirely sure if i'm seeing this "right" (not that there's much of a right or wrong here...)
alright, moving on... once he finishes talking?
[gif 8]
right before ohm says his next line he falls back into inwards-mode again and once again we see that there are actual thoughts going through his head. what those thoughts are exactly i can't say, but to me it comes across as if pat is reflecting his statement of "you smell good", it looks like pat is lost in thought about pran smelling good (to be honest? at the end of the day it doesn't actually matter what ohm's exact thought process was, the important thing is that he had one at all, because now i as a viewer get to have fun with interpreting it)
and now we're finally coming to the end of the sequence i've decided to analyze. after a short moment of reflection pat adds "you smell so damn good" and goes to sniff pran one last time
[gif 9]
and what's ohm's acting choice here? this time he goes for an exaggerated sniff, he points his entire nose at pran and breathes in loudly (which we can't hear in a gif, of course, but we can definitely very clearly hear that sniff in the episode itself). and delights me very much because this sniff right here? in comparison to the ones in the beginning? is very much for show
the first two times pat/ohm smelled pran was very "quiet", rather small and subtle, and very much for himself. it was a private moment. this sniff now? it's loud, it's exaggerated, it's big with ohm bending his entire face down in order to almost shove his nose right into nanon's back. and of course he sniffs extra loudly, to make sure pran can hear it (and yes, i'm specifically referring to the character now, bc ofc nanon should hear the sniff, but more importantly pran should hear it bc pat is about to be a little shit to annoy him)
the reason why this big sniff delights me so much (especially with regard to how the scene continues after the excerpt that i have chosen for this analysis) goes away from the technical aspect of it and is much more about my own interpretation, but i'll tell you anyway: again, in the beginning it was a private moment, pat was smelling pran just for himself. but this causes him to fail to react to what pran just said about chai being gone now and that pat can get up. having that little story arc where pat notices pran's smell and goes to check it out causes pat to linger and that makes pran suspicious. pran more or less catches pat in his own private moment, and so pat turns sniffing pran into a full on show. "you smell good" he says, "do my laundry", he says. pat was nearly caught having feelings for pran (bc we all know this is why he's so affected by the smell) (fun fact: in german we have this idiom that goes "jemanden nicht riechen können" which translates to "not being able to smell someone". it means that you don't like someone and that's why you can't or rather don't want to smell this person. this idiom actually showcases how important the sense of smell is interpersonal relationships) pat was nearly caught and now he deflects. he gets annoying on purpose (by shoving his nose into pran's back and loudly insisting that he likes the smell) to keep pran from asking more questions, he jokingly demands that pran does his laundry bc obviously pat likes the smell of the detergent, it's definitely not the smell of pran that he likes, okay? yes, exactly, pat likes the detergent, not pran, and him sniffing pran definitely had a heterosexual reason and there were definitely no romantic feelings involved. that's the story pat is putting out into the world, that's the show he's pulling off here. ohm goes from quiet and inwards to loud and outwards (spielrichtungen!) and it just delights me because there is so much i can get out of it when it comes to my interpretation
alright, so i've now reached the end of my chosen excerpt and now that we've gone through the entire thing i just want to talk about one last thing: changes.
in the reblog of the other post i mention that when i analyze acting i look out for whether anything changes. (i didn't explicitly say it in that reblog, but it gets boring when an actor keeps doing the same thing over and over again). in the reblog specifically i take emotions as an example, but also make a note that changes can apply to things other than emotions as well. in this scene of bad buddy ohm provides us with a beautiful example of what changes look like when it comes to a specific action
in this 10 second excerpt that i have chosen, pat smells pran 3x in total:
do you see how each time the action of pat smelling pran is different? each time when pat smells pran it's motivated by a different thought, each time there's a different reason behind it:
the first time is all about pat noticing the smell in the first place, becoming aware of it at all. at this point it's rather accidental: pat never made a decision of "i'm going to smell pran now". no, it just happens. he percieves the smell on an emotional level. sniff one is all about the thought of "oh, i'm sensing a smell".
the second time is where the active decision to smell pran comes in. now he starts perceiving the smell on a cognitive level: this time pat is smelling pran on purpose, it's no longer accidental. pat has a reason to smell pran, he has a goal and it's to investigate that smell that he has just sensed. and as i've already said, he is in his own head and it's a private moment. his thoughts are kinda unfocused and he almost gets a little lost in these thoughts, in the smell. and it's a quiet, subtle action, he only slightly moves his head down to be a little closer to the source and get a better whiff, but that's it, no big loud breathing in, no exaggerated head bending. that sniff right here is for pat. that sniff is between pat and that smell, no one and nothing else. what ohm is doing here is creating a relation between pat and pran's smell
the third time the sniff also comes from an active decision. and again, it has a purpose behind it. this is also what happens in sniff no. 2, so in theory the same thing is happening twice, right? except no, bc the way ohm sniffs nanon for the 3rd time is completely different. while sniff no 2. was quiet and small, now sniff no. 3 is loud and big. it's exaggerated and it's for show. this sniff is no longer only between pat and pran's smell, no, now pran himself is involved too (whether pran likes it or not)
i've said it before and i'll say it again: i LOVE it when actors do actor things
alright, i really am done now. to be honest, i wish i had the time to go to my hometown and go through this whole analysis with my mom first before i post it. despite 3 full years of drama school and 2.5 years of intensely analyzing asian drama with my mom i still don't feel confident in the knowledge i've gained so far and i feel like i need someone with more experience to check my thoughts before i can go publish them for the whole internet to see. but i guess it's time for me to become a big girl that doesn't need to rely on her mommy's opinions. i guess it's because i feel like there is still so much more that i need to learn and there is so much more that i don't notice yet and so i'm afraid that what if what i'm saying is wrong? what if i'm talking bullshit here? but i guess it's time i trust the skills that i have gained so far. besides, when it comes to this there often isn't necessarily a right or wrong but rather a what do you see and how does that make you feel? so i'll go and post this anyway without having anyone look over it, because this is what i see right now at this point in time as i'm writing this. and if at some point in the future i realize i disagree i can always write an update (or another post)
all in all i had fun with this not so little analysis. and i hope you too had fun reading it <3
(edit: as you could already see from the previous edits, well, i actually did have my mom read this whole post at some point after all. she was very impressed and said my analysis is extremely well written. she had almost nothing to add. it's truly about time i start trusting my own skills fklslkkdlsf)
The whole episode 3 is Pran trying (and failing) to rein his feelings for Pat. At the end of the episode, when Pat returned his guitar, Pran has completely given up on trying to deny his feelings - which I think drove him to be brave enough and ask Ink directly about her feelings for Pat in episode 4.
This is my favourite cold open in Bad Buddy Series. I don't know how Pat can be so freaking oblivious to his own romantic feelings for Pran (I mean, you don't just cut your ID to make something as trivial as a guitar pick for a frenemy).
Even if Pran wasn't in love yet during this time, Pat's gesture is sure to make anybody fall in love. 🥰
