I'm really moved by what Love in the Moonlight is doing so far.
When I finished episode 10 today, I was first marveling at how committed the show is to showing the brutal depths that homophobia can take us as a society, but this show is also doing a few other things really well, as well.
1) The homophobia: The last time One31 took us on a journey of a young gay man who had to marry a girl named Pin, it was in Khun Chai, and Khun Chai embraced a totally loco approach to the homophobia of its period. Tian was forced to hid his sexuality, and his secret was so threatening to his family's future and fortune that his mother and her aide were literally out there killing people with glowing-cicada-mushroom glitter powder. Khun Chai was over-OVER the top in its dramatics.
Before I watched Khun Chai earlier this year, I had watched an older One31 lakorn called The Fallen Leaf, which was Thailand's first lakorn featuring an LGBTQ+ main character. The Fallen Leaf was also extremely crazytown in its narrative and dramatics, even more so than Khun Chai.
Love in the Moonlight is taking a more restrained approach to its story, and I think this editing and restraint is working to highlight the brutal impact of social homophobia on Saengkaew's life. LITM still contains hallmarks of One31's penchant for over-the-top drama (the scene on the balcony in today's episode made my stomach turn), but there's something about how direct the show is about homophobia, and I think that's coming out in the way the show is edited to glom directly on Saengkaew's dad and his singular focus to have Saengkaew married against his will.
We know that Saengkaew's dad
needs Saengkaew to get married to transfer assets,
blames Saengkaew for Saengkaew's mother's death, AND
is just plain disgusted by Saengkaew and his sexual preferences.
Prince Kamfah is not just saving face and his family's fortune. This is a guy who, down to his bones, is disgusted and devastated by his son's sexuality. We have certainly seen Kamfah exhibit sadness over Saengkaew's heartbreak and his rejection of his father's demands -- but Kamfah IS also determined and obsessed to get to the endgame that he wants, no matter the consequences on his son and his son's lover. This is so brutal, and the show is barring no holds on showing this in depth.
It's brilliantly done. It gives me a similar sick feeling towards homophobia that I got while watching TharnType. While One31 has certainly tackled and grappled with homophobia before in Khun Chai and The Fallen Leaf, I don't think the channel (at least in the LGBTQ+-focused shows I've seen) has grappled with such an unsympathetic, but also very realistic and DIRECT, lens on a homophobic parent. I keep calling Kamfah my Asian Dad 101, because he will simply not. let. go. of his obsession to control Saengkaew, and to me, that's very realistic of the demands that many old-school Asian parents have of their children.
2) Pin and her many emotions: I admit that I haven't dived into the tag on this show yet on Tumblr, but Pin's not popular on Twitter right now -- not a surprising outcome amongst the sao wai girlies.
But the show is not unsympathetic to Pin. I really can't blame Pin for her reactions and her demand to continue the wedding (h/t @negrowhat for the original post). Her reaction to Sasin and Saengkaew meeting in today's episode -- the screaming of "help, help!" -- was dumb. Her rejection of Ms. Ratchawadee's advice was more realistic, and still dumb. Pin is caught between multiple people and many hard places. Right now, she cannot see herself winning, and feels utterly abandoned, including by the person who promised her dying mother that he'd watch over her. It's brutal. Pin being left alone on that stage was brutal, and so well done.
I really appreciate how the show is very much non-binary on Pin, and has not (at least up to now) retconned her into an easy-to-digest enemy. Unlike what Shine did to Krailert's wife, Dhevi, LITM is showing multiple facets to Pin's humanity and her sad story. I'm bruised by Shine and what Shine did to Dhevi, so I'm watching critically at LITM to see what they'll do with Pin to end the series.
3) The village of friends and chosen family: Despite all of this, LITM still directs a spotlight on hope. Sasin and Saengkaew have friends, confidantes, and helpers. While the show focuses on the characters who NEED Saengkaew married -- the show also gives light to the people who want to see Saengkaew happy. Thip, the musician homies, Songsawat, Ratchawadee. There's a world out there that wants Saengkaew and Sasin together and happy, and that world keeps making moves, despite the efforts of every one of the guys' enemies to destroy their lives.
I've felt so burned lately by dishonest endings to Thai BLs as of late that I'm not necessarily holding my breath for a perfect ending to this show: I will allow myself doubt, because One31 does like to go over-the-top on many of its shows.
But color me impressed by what the show has done so far, and how it has balanced continuing depths of despair and bad behavior with hope. I started this show to support my Make It Right chaos boy, Peak Peemapol, and I'm glad I did, because One31 is surprising me with how GOOD and balanced this show has been so far.
