Bad Buddy: Watch Diary, Episode 12

The big finale is here and it did not disappoint.

Fake Out

They did it again. They put another time skip at the worst possible moment—but in a good sense. Unlike the other times, this time skip actually worked in the show's favor. The entire first half is shot in such a way that it looks like Pat and Pran actually broke up and cut their ties completely. In the beginning, Pran even works at company abroad, hundreds of miles away. The high school reunion that was already teased in the preview made it appear like it was the first time in years they saw each other. I erroneously assumed that it was a college reunion, but the high school makes more sense both in terms of realism and in terms of narrative purpose. They act extremely awkward next to each other and avoid talking and eye contact.

The series really makes it appear like they broke up. The one thing I dreaded most at the end of the previous episode seemed to have come true. And then Pat and Pran meet at home and everything is fine. They only played the estranged former rivals as a facade for their old classmates (though I don't quite understand why). And then we find out that they never broke up, but only pretended to to keep the peace between their families.

They really had me shaking. Without this last twist, the ending might very well have become the biggest disappointment ever. Like I already said in my last post, a break-up would have been antithetical to the core themes of this story. I am so glad that it didn't happen and the final twist brought nothing but joy.

Preserving the Theme

The way, the story ends is perfectly in line with the theme that Tong's line established in the previous episode: "Even if I can't change the world, I want to show that it can't change me either." Pat and Pran accept that they can't make their parents make peace. But that does not mean that they have to give up their relationship. Their approach isn't optimal. They're basically stepping back into the closet to preserve the peace which I don't think is the best solution in the context of the story. Their families' rivalry is sort of a stand-in for homophobia in their gay love story and when gay people step back into the closet in real life, that is essentially a validation for the homophobic parents who won't accept them otherwise. But this problematic aspect is balanced out by the fact that they don't give up their relationship. The message is not "Bend to your parents' will" but rather "Even when times are hard, don't give up. It will get better."

Pat and Pran essentially kept up the game we saw in episodes 7 and 8 (and arguably throughout the entire series). They pretend to be enemies, but secretly care for and love each other. My criticism that they went unnoticed for an unreasonably long time in episode 7 is now turned into foreshadowing. We have been shown in the past just how good they are at this whole hiding game, so it's a lot more believable that they can manage these four years as well without being found out. Though their parents may be willfully ignorant.

At the end of the episode, they meet their families again. And while they still pretend to not be boyfriends, they do a quite bad job at hiding it at the end. But we get a glimpse at their parents who manage to smile about it. The act of betrayal that led to their enmity is never really resolved, but they allow it to rest in the past so their sons can be happy.

Ultimately, the story concludes with a simple message: Life may not always be easy, but we have each other. And in hard times that is enough.

Some More Details

Pa and Ink are still girlfriends which is nice. Wai and Korn have become best friends. The series acknowledges the shipping potential by alleging that they might be a couple, but they state it outright that they are friends and nothing more. Their year-long friendship nicely compliments the love story between the main characters. It essentially emphasizes that not just romantic love can overcome these boundaries.

The (:( emoticon on which I focused so much unfortunately kinda faded from the series over time. In later episodes, we barely see it at all anymore. I guess I was a bit obsessive to think it's more than a detail to flesh out Pran's character.

Conclusion

What else can I say? This was perhaps the best BL series I have ever watched. The relationship between Pat and Pran is the healthiest and the most balanced, the story is the most subversive. This series is an example of how even the most basic premise can be executed so well that it turns into a masterpiece. If this is a hint at the direction that BL series are going to take in the near future, I can only say that I have high hopes for the future.