Bad Buddy: Watch Diary, Episode 8

A Healthy Relationship

It's official, Pat and Pran are boyfriends. And by official I mean that Pat occasionally posts his relationship status online. Nobody knows, not even Pa who is basically living with them (though I suspect she knows or at least suspects something and just pretends not to see it).

There is definitely some asymmetry in how comfortable the two are to show their affection. When they are in private, they're just themselves and full of love. When they are in public, Pran is a lot more hesitant about it than Pat. In the beginning of the episode, he instinctively pulls his hand away when Pat tries to hold it. Meanwhile Pat posts pictures of himself around Pran's stuff and doesn't think about the risk that someone might recognize it.

This seems consistent with the observation that it was Pran who ran out first during their concert in high school. He experiences more emotional stress about this topic than others—including Pat. Pran is the most vulnerable, Pran's mother is the most hostile (as far as the series so far suggests). I wonder if that is a hint to something.

This doesn't really change how well they fit together though. They are kind to each other, send each other small gifts and messages. Even when they tease or fight each other it's in a playful way that they both obviously enjoy.

Also even though Pat is acting a little careless about his posts, it doesn't mean he doesn't care. He knows very well that he can't just reveal their relationship to the world. And he doesn't. Even when his friends find his posts, they first assume that he is with a girl and Pat makes no attempt to correct them. Though it's suspicious how his friends seem to be okay with him hitting on a girl from the architecture faculty, but will (presumably) freak out if they learn that it's Pran.

Nonetheless, Pat's posts lead to some friction when Pran finds out about them. One post shows Pran's huge pencil collection, another shows his dorm room door with his door hanger. One day, Pat even wears Pran's "friend/unfriend" shirt for the rehearsal of his stage play. And Pran isn't happy about it. He doesn't want people to find out by accident. It might be their first big conflict as boyfriends.

But even that fight is resolved by my favorite thing in romance: communication. They understand each other's concerns. Pran is worried about the backlash if people find out. Pat is tired of hiding. And by the end of the episode, they resolve to make things better … but don't get the opportunity to act on it.

Wai's Crush

For the first 6 episodes, the only side we've ever seen of Wai is the overly protective and aggressive type. He was something of a key figure in the escalation of the war between the faculties. And when he wasn't openly hostile towards Pat or his friends, he was there as Pran's friend, so Pat could get jealous. But even in those friendly moments, he wasn't really his own character. He was more of an extension of Pran's a character. An external figure that Pran could interact with to reveal his inner feelings.

But beginning in episode 7, we see a completely new side to him. He is a lot calmer and indulges in activities that are not just about the rivalry between the faculties. When he joins the sound team in the theater group, he does it out of his own interest for the craft (though obviously he then has to leave and Pran has to fill his place). But the most significant change is in relation to his crush on Pa.

In this episode, Wai approaches Ink to ask her who "that cute girl" is. Ink is little amused about his efforts and sends him off without an answer. Honestly, the way Way acted during that scene was so funny to me. You barely recognize him as that guy with anger issues from prior episodes. He's genuinely adorable.

Now obviously, it's a problem that Wai's crush is the little sister of his arch nemesis. When he shows a picture of Pa to Pran in an effort to tell him how much in love he is, Pran is little amused.  He tries to talk him out of chasing her, but without a good reason that obviously doesn't work. And Pran doesn't want to reveal the truth that she is Pat's sister. So Wai keeps looking for her and only when he sees her with Pat, Pran tells him that they are siblings to defuse the situation (because if Wai believed she was Pat's girlfriend, he'd probably pick a fight again). So when Wai finds out the truth he becomes depressed rather than angry and Pran has to spend the night to drink with him.

Now, obviously it's weird that Wai would refuse to even try to date a girl just because she is the sister of a guy he doesn't like. The series is about a romance that crosses these boundaries after all. But I think that is actually a pretty good hint at the conflict ahead. Wai is the kind of person who would rather give up his crush than "betray" his people. Pran made a different choice. Though Pran also advises Wai to leave it be even though he himself doesn't follow this advice. Even more fuel for their impending conflict.

Considering the chemistry between Pa and Ink and the complete lack of any interaction between Pa and Wai, it's questionable whether Wai's crush can possibly find a happy ending. But I don't care much for his potential relationship with Pa. What I care about is the adorable, goofy side of Wai that his crush has brought to the surface. I'll gladly watch plenty more of that.

Forbidden Love

Throughout the entire series so far, there was no homophobia to be seen. From a few conversations it's evident that there is a certain level of heteronormativity. Pran's friends teased him about it in episode 2, his parents mentioned it in episode 7, Pat's friends always assume a girlfriend, but at no point was it ever regarded as something bad to be gay. The series really seems to play in a somewhat idealized world where people moved on from this particular prejudice.

Yet, the relationship between Pat and Pran is a prime example of forbidden love. Not because they are expected to love girls, but because they are expected to hate each other. Their families have been fighting for decades and their faculties hold deep grudges against each other. A loving relationship that crosses this rift between them is not even imaginable to those people. Someone who dares to do so is "sleeping with the enemy."

This thread has been woven into the series from the very beginning. I've been initially confused about the precise nature of the setting. If there is some big coming-out gonna happen for at least one of them. But ultimately, sexuality doesn't seem to factor into this at all. The core conflict is about a perverted understanding of loyalty.

And then it all comes tumbling down at once. Pat and Pran are just reconciling behind the curtain of the theater stage when the curtain comes loose and falls to the floor. And everybody sees them. Wai who is in the sound booth even though he left the play. Korn (Pat's friend) who was just coincidentally looking for him there. And a couple dozen people more, just so it's completely clear that shit hit the fan. They have been found out and it's time to sort out this entire mess.

(:(

The emoticon was very notable in several moments. Pat posted a picture of Pran's door hanger and they have a lengthy discussion about it. There is an entire scene when Pran leaves a dozen notes from his special note block to Pat in an effort to lighten his mood. And the "friend/unfriend" shirt also mirrors a similar sentiment. Still no parallel to any of the core themes of the series though. It's still possible for a connection to come up especially now that the conflict has officially escalated.

Conclusion

I'm so glad they aren't fooling around anymore. This time everybody found out for real. Next episode, there's some big fights waiting for us. In my opinion, they could have left out some of the padding of the earlier episodes and kicked off this main conflict a little earlier. But assuming that there are 5 more episodes, they dedicate at least some time to the resolution. It would have been so disappointing had they crammed the climax and resolution into the last two episodes. But they didn't. So the build-up can actually pay off.

I'm getting more and more the impression that this is becoming one of the best BL series ever. It is proof that even the most formulaic setup can be executed so excellently that it turns into a masterpiece.