Bad Buddy: Watch Diary, Episode 5

Upon my first watch, I was a bit overwhelmed and couldn't fully grasp what was going on. I felt a bit lost. But after watching it for a second time during the writing of this review, I realized that it is actually filled to the brim with significant details and moments.

The Music Contest

The music contest was established as this big, significant event. Pat had his father's expectations rest on him. It looked like it would be some big climactic moment in the rivalry or the love story between Pran and Pat. But then it just happens in episode 5 and is barely depicted as a big event at all. We don't even see Pat's band play. Pran's band on the other hand plays the song that the two had composed and played together years ago in high school. It happens to be the series' outro song. It's not a secret who eventually wins.

The reveal that the song way composed by Pat and Pran together is accompanied by another flashback. Pat didn't actually write anything, but he inspired Pran and took half the credit in return. The song, titled "Insecure" (in Thai), is inspired by their lives. They grew up next to each other, knew each other all their lives, but their families pit them against each other. The song captures the ambiguity in their relationship. Will they become friends or enemies? And what will the consequences be if they become one or the other?

This scene is great! It is a callback to what I hope is the core theme of the series. A love story that grows out of adversity. It honestly looks like the series will show us an "enemies to lovers done right" plot.

Pat and Ink

A big chunk of the episode is focused on Pat's efforts to date Ink. He asks his sister Pa for advice how to tell if Ink likes him back and she sends him on a mission to take her on a date and look for telltale signs:

1. her response to physical contact,
2. her response to intense eye contact,
3. if she wants to know his relationship status,
4. if she can't be herself around him.

Over the course of a single date spanning mere minutes, Pat tries to spark a response in her to find out if she likes her. But her reactions are so unequivocally casual, that there's no doubt left that she sees him as nothing but a friend.

Shortly after the musical contest, Pat finally confesses his love to her. But Ink quickly notices that Pat doesn't seem all that much into her anymore. In fact he appeared relieved to her when she didn't return his love. Pat may have at one point actually loved her, but that is a thing of the past.

It's a surprise that they so swiftly did away with the love triangle. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, we don't waste too much time on a relationship that will never take off, but on the other hand, it undoes one aspect of the previous episode. When Pat tells Pran that he likes Ink, that tells us something about the state of affairs. It establishes the state of their relationship with each other and tells us about a conflict that has yet to be resolved. But this episode reveals to us that this wasn't true at all. The audience has effectively been lied to. The "Ink" chapter is reduced to mere filler.

Pat and Pran

The series proceeds to make the dynamic more and more symmetrical. One moment that caught my attention was when Pran quickly pulls Pat into a corner out of sight of his friends who were following him with ill intentions. It mirrors the moment in the first episode when Pat did the same thing to Pran.

The early scenes of the episode establish just how far Pran and Pat have come. After Pat spent the night in his room, the next morning makes the impression that they've been a couple living together for ages already. Once again, the word "chemistry" actually applies. You can tell by the fact that the comments barely mention the word anymore. Because now that the chemistry is actually there, the audience finds better words to describe their relationship.

Pran keeps a notebook with sketches of cute moments that he shared with Pat. As if he didn't care enough already.

Shortly after his date with Ink that didn't go anywhere, Pat bumps into Pran. And then he begins to notice that he himself exhibits all the telltale signs of love when he is with Pran. The series establishes a second jealousy plot when Pat sees how close Pran and Wai are. It is that jealousy that drives them apart halfway through the episode. Pat realizes that all the things they did together, Pran would actually do with any friend. And then Pran invites Wai to his family, something that Pat wouldn't even dream about.

Then Pran plays the song they composed together. Pat is not part of the band, but Wai is. And then they win the contest. All that Pat can do in that moment is watch how his friend celebrates the victory without him.

I'm honestly amazed how well this jealousy plot is executed. When Pran was jealous of Ink, that felt a bit on the nose, but this time, it just works. Part of the reason might be that Wai actually is Pran's friend. Pat isn't just jealous of something imaginary. Wai doesn't need to be Pran's boyfriend for the jealousy to be based in reality.

The conflict escalates when Pran and Wai meet a drunken Pat in front of their dorm. There is a lot of tension especially on Pat's side. Not much is actually said, but it is obvious that Pat is sick of the game they're playing. He challenges Pran to explain why they should keep going like that. However Wai's presence proves fatal in this moment. Pran tries to keep them apart, but it only fuels the rage between them until Wai eventually turns to violence.

Pran tells them both off. And the conflict remains unresolved. Pat later tries to make up for it, but Pran won't open the door for him. But then they meet each other on the roof and have the first truly heartfelt conversation ever.

Pat tells Pran how he felt when Pran left his high school. He said how it was both the best and the worst time of his life. For the first time, his family wouldn't constantly compare the two with each other. For the first time, he didn't have to compete with someone all the time. But he also realized how much Pran had become a part of his life. He deeply missed him. He hates how now that they met again, they're not really friends and not really enemies. Then Pran asks him if he wants them to be friends and Pat says "No." And then they kiss. And then Pran walks away. The state of their relationship is left ambiguous.

Honestly, that entire final scene is excellent. They communicate, they are honest with each other. It once again connects the relationship between them with their family feud. But it finally presents us with a definitive step forward. The love story finally takes a concrete shape. I can't wait for the moment they actually pull through and establish a relationship. Let the realities clash with each other and let love prevail!

There is one minor issue I have with this quick development. Last episode, Pat was determined to become Ink's boyfriend. One episode and a couple of days later, Pat confesses his love for Pran. Was he really that oblivious and did he really change his mind that quickly and so definitively that he now would kiss Pran without hesitation? I'm a bit unsure if I can agree with that. Pran is rightfully upset about Pat's erratic behavior. Once again, leaving the Ink chapter out might have been the better idea here.

No More Loose Ends

I'm a bit unsure how the story will proceed from here. So many plot points that were introduced throughout the first episodes are suddenly resolved. The bus stop is finished. The music contest is over and Pran won. Pat's love for Ink was swiftly done away with. And I don't really see any new plot points introduced so far. The hostility between their families and their friend groups are the only things that carry over into the following episodes. Apart from that, the love story itself is the only thing to look forward to. I have no idea what will come next. None whatsoever. Especially because I'm not even sure if they are in love now or not.

(:(

When Pat knocked at Pran's door, the scene was deliberately shot in a way that his door hanger was visible and it was in sad mode. I don't care if the emoticon has less symbolic meaning than I initially expected. I'm gonna obsess over it until the day I die.

Conclusion

The episode was great. Except for the fact that Pat's love for Ink turned out to be a red herring, there isn't much for me to complain about. Well that and perhaps the lack of plot threads left open. I'll happily watch the next episode.