Bad Buddy: Watch Diary, Episode 1

Until now, I only started writing my review on series, after I finished watching them. While this enables me to review the elements of the earlier episodes in the context of the things that follows and to select the details that actually matter, this also puts me at the risk of losing track of all the things that happen throughout the series. The order of events becomes blurry and some details—especially in the earlier episodes—get drowned out by the more recent impressions and by the sheer amount of information overall. Thus I will try to review a series episode by episode and see how my impressions change over time. "Bad Buddy", the most recent series by GMMTV, lends itself to this because the weekly release of new episodes prevents me from accidentally binging the entire thing and gives me some breathing room.

Initial Impressions

The first thing I learned about the series is that it features my favorite actor from the GMMTV roster, Nanon (Korapat Kirdpan). He has been the main actor in some of the studio's greatest productions: "My Dear Loser: Edge of 17", "Blacklist" and "The Gifted". The latter I consider one of the greatest TV series in general. Until now, Nanon has been notably absent from any BL series. His involvement in "Bad Buddy" will obviously not have the biggest impact on the series overall. However the director and screenwriters carrying that responsibility have been involved in some of the best GMMTV series as well. Notably "2gether", "Theory of Love" and "A Tale of a Thousand Stars" are great examples of the genre of BL. So it stands to reason that the show will turn out decent at least and potentially a lot better.

The title "Bad Buddy" and the general premise of the show unfortunately point in the opposite direction. Enemies to lovers, set in a university with one character being an engineering student … the series obviously doesn't try to revolutionize the formula with its premise. But it doesn't have to. It can easily shine in more subtle ways.

The Main Characters

Let's start with Pat (played by "Ohm" Pawat Chittsawangdee). Pat's personality is defined by a lack of unique traits. That is not meant as a negative. He studies engineering the most basic of all subjects. He doesn't care for order or cleanliness, delegating laundry duties to his sister. We don't see him engage in many interests in general.

This contrasts with Pran (played by Nanon) who in his introductory scene prepares for a drawing by carefully arranging a hundred pencils before him while listening to some classical music. When interrupted because his friends need his help, Pran takes his due time to carefully put away his earbuds before running to the action. This characterizes Pran as someone who prioritizes order, as someone who is creative and as someone who likes to put a lot of care into his work. This is reinforced later when Pran takes a glimpse at a poster and immediately recognizes its poor layout and typography.

However the most important characterization is how Pran and Pat relate to each other. A life long feud between their families had both of them grow up with a deep disdain for each other. All their life they struggled to outdo each other on every corner which led to violent fights even in early childhood. Neither of them is hesitant to pick a fight. Both of them are depicted as very capable fighters who are essentially only matched by each other. And notably neither of them sees a problem in the way their conflict escalates to violence. It's just the way of life to them.

One further detail is depicted in a flashback to their childhood. When Pat and his sister Pa go swimming together and Pa begins to drown after 10 seconds (seriously, how did she accomplish that?), Pran immediately comes to her rescue after dropping his watch on the ground (that is consistent with him being a careful person). In a later scene, Pat returns the watch to Pran hoping that after that favor they will be even. However Pran points out that the watch is worth far less than Pa's life and insists that Pat still "owes him one". This interaction reveals that both have a transactional mindset and that neither of them wants to be indebted to the other.

The Central Conflict

The central element of the story so far is the rivalry between the main characters that is extended in two separate layers. One layer is the feud between their families, the other is the feud between their gangs at university.

One notable element of the family feud is Pat's conviction that Pran's family is just copying his family wherever possible. This hints at a beautiful piece of hypocrisy because throughout the first episode we see Pat follow Pran around and copy his every move. When Pran enrolls in the music competition, so does Pat. At the end of the episode, Pat tries to buy a cream to treat his bruises right after Pat just bought the last one. Similarly, when Pat accuses Pran of enrolling at the same university as him, that appears somewhat hypocritical. Throughout the episode we see Pran engage in several activities at his university that he seems quite passionate about while Pat does nothing much except follow Pran around. Pran studies architecture whereas Pat chose to study engineering—the most generic subject imaginable. This suggests that Pat has a lot less interest in university than Pran which brings us to the question why he chose to enroll in the first place.

All these small details seem to foreshadow a reveal that Pran didn't copy Pat but that it may be the exact opposite. And this might imply a more general point that Pran's family didn't copy Pat's family either.

The Fight Scenes

One distinguishing feature of the first episode and perhaps the series as a whole is the inclusion of actual fight scenes. Pat's and Pran's gangs fight each other twice within just one episode and the third time, Pran takes on three members of Pat's gang all on his own.

The question arises if the fights will play a significant part as the series progresses or if they were just a gimmick of the pilot episode. Either way there are some issues with it. If the fights are just a gimmick that is dropped in subsequent episodes, then they are just a gimmick to a series, that ends up being the same as any other. And if there will be further fights, we need to ask how it will makes sense if the characters actually develop and leave their violent ways behind.

The choreography is a little off. There are plenty of fast cuts and a heavy use of shaky-cam. And in the 3-on-1 fight, we face the good old issue of Pran's opponents attacking one at a time rather than in unison thus giving up their advantage.

One Minor Detail

A detail that caught my eye immediately is the "(:(" emoticon that is prominently visible on Pran's phone case and later again appears on a note block on Pran's desk. The episode 2 preview already shows that a plot relevant message is written on a note from that precise note block. This all shows that the inclusion of that particular emoticon was a deliberate act on the creators' behalf.

And with that choice come questions. Why does Pran value that symbol so much that he puts it on his phone for everyone to see? And what will that symbol's overall significance for the story be?

The general meaning of the symbol is quite clear: Whether you are smiling or frowning depends on your perspective. Does this allude to a later resolution that the family feud is just a misunderstanding? Will the conflicts be resolved by taking on a different perspective? Does it refer to the fact that Pran is secretly already enamored with Pat and just acting tough? It could go in many different directions from here.

Do They Fit?

Welcome to the "explain why the characters make a good couple without alluding to their chemistry"-challenge. Where we take issue with the fact that the word "chemistry" does not communicate any actual qualities about the character dynamic at all.

The most notable issue with the dynamic between Pran and Pat is the fact that they casually beat each other up in fist fights and that they are trapped in a perpetual spiral of one-upmanship. When they eventually end up with each other (because of course they will), that part of their dynamic really needs to go. It is never healthy, even in couples that pretend it is.

The one positive thing that sticks out about the dynamic between Pran and Pat is its symmetry. Both express a ton of toxic behaviors against each other, but those behaviors are pretty much the same for both. They engage in fist fights with each other, but they are evenly matched. There is no initial aggressor between them because their entire rivalry stems from the rivalry between their families. This is why I deem it possible for them to fit together. If they drop the toxic rivalry and become equals in love like they are equals now, that will work. For now, they may not be healthy, but they very much deserve each other.

Notably, by the end of the episode, both Pran and Pat want to put an end to the fights. Pat is pushed by his sister Pa to make sure Pran is unharmed. And both are demanded by the dean to stop it or be expelled. This however means that the motivation to stop is more external than internal which kinda undermines potential character development.

As it happens, this is one of the few BL series where "enemies to lovers" actually works. Because it was not merely their own shitty behavior that pitted them against each other, but it was their families who enabled this rivalry for their entire lives.

Conclusion

While the initial premise seemed pretty uninspired to me with its reliance on overused tropes, the episode was pretty good. It set up the characters and the overall story and placed a few elements that may foreshadow future developments. In particular it is actually conceivable that the couple in question will end up fairly healthy despite their initial rivalry.

I made several predictions and speculations about how the plot will unfold, how the main characters were characterized and what details will prove significant in the greater context of the story. It will be fun to see which of them turn out to be relevant.