Only Friends Dream On… what can I say that hasn’t already been said?
Overall, disappointed. They set an expectation by having it as a continuation of the Only Friends universe and failed to meet it, whether because of corporate pressure or entitled fans, I don’t know. They would have been better off without linking the two. That, I think, was their biggest mistake.
The plot was thin, the characters undeveloped, the drama stake-less. I can’t be upset for the characters if there is nothing to be upset about (a hug in the dark is nothing). But let’s go through it anyway.
The only reason, and I mean only, I stuck it through was for aouboom. In fact, they were the only reason I decided to watch it after season one did Boston so dirty narratively. Aou, Boom, and Mix were the best parts of this show. Their characters were carried solely by their talents and chemistry. The shot of Dean walking from backstage, looking like he was going to be sick, steeling himself and putting on a mask, was probably the best shot in the show.
As far as characterization, we didn’t get much. What little we did was mentioned once and then never again. There were a lot of threads that didn’t connect. Did Arnold ever even talk to Rome or Raffy directly? Did Tua? This was certainly not a friend group in the way first season was, even with its problems. Pete existed solely as raffy’s sidekick until they decided they needed a villain who wasn’t the main cast—but that all amounted to nothing anyway. We didn’t care about Pete. He suffered no consequences. They brought back Boston and did not let him cause any trouble aside from a brief flirtation, nor did they give him anything else to do. He got a tiny bit of closure with Nick but he was largely there to do nothing. For several episodes, they forgot he even existed, again, because he wasn’t there for a reason.
Arnold and Tua… I thought they were boring. Cute occasionally but largely a waste of time in a show like this.
Dean and Jack, let’s talk about two people who should not be together. Jack is the worst and Dean still thinks he’s the one who needs to change. Jack was shown to have almost no redeeming qualities. He was stubborn and unforgiving and judgmental. He used other people’s feelings for him to get what he wanted and never gave anything back.
Rome and Raffy, well I am biased but they had the most chemistry of the couples. They were still undeveloped as characters and we were left to fill in the gaps on our own. They, at least, seemed to understand and accept each other. And of the three, they will be the only ones to actually make it longer than a year or two.
I do not want a season 3 if it’s going to be as cowardly as this one. If you can’t commit, just don’t do it. The amount of times they tried to make us believe there might be a cross-over was ridiculous. The last time, I was rolling my eyes because we know they would chicken out. It wasn’t fun. It was frustrating.
I know, as an inter fan, my viewpoint is probably very different than Thai fans, so maybe it doesn’t even matter. But I don’t think we should let writers and directors coast on branded pairs instead of pushing to do actual good work. The actors do what they can with what they’re given. Art shouldn’t be afraid to push boundaries.
dededos
blakekathryn
areudirty
janainaart
snowghoul
