Bed Friend (2023)

had potential

As always, these are just my personal opinions and not meant to offend :)

I feel like this show fell short of its potential. It started off feeling cheeky and sexy, but then it just sort of felt like it was rushed. So much seemed to happen off screen, especially towards the end of the series and it just felt a little bit cheap.

I personally found Uea very unlikeable; his tragic backstory was sad, of course, but his personality was just too snobby and entitled and I constantly felt like King deserved better. However, King’s character fell a bit flat for me; his whole arranged marriage thing felt like it was going to add to the story but instead it was pretty pointless to the plot and unnecessary.

However, for me, the worst character was Jade - oh gosh, every single time he was on screen and opened his mouth I wanted to close the tab and never watch again. I can honestly say I won’t be watching Middleman’s Love because this character is just grating.

The show wasn’t awful, but it felt more like a cheap copy of Big Dragon, if I’m honest.

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Not Perfect, But Perfect Enough!

This show makes my top ten list.

While it's not perfect, it's closer to what I want out of a bl than most of what I have seen. That said, it appears you will either love it or hate it (based on the reviews I read, this seems to be the case)

You will find in the reviews some who liked the "bed" scenes, some who criticized the way they were done and some who didn't like them. I liked them, wish they could have been a bit longer, lol.

What I really liked were the two main characters and the relationship that developed over time. Although I think there was a strong attraction between them from the start, their first meeting, one of the two got his feelings hurt, which I thought actually suited his character and explained his actions. The other character displayed not just an attraction, but also a concern for the person he was attracted to.

For me, I think I liked the relationship mostly because the two had different personalities, but they remained true to those personalities through the entire show - or almost. Should I mention here that for me, the show went a little south part way through the 8th episode. The quick change to gushy and sentimental threw me, and it remained that way through the end. It became too much like other bl's out there with little to hold my attention.

Anyway, all of the characters in this show did an amazing job. There was enough drama to hold my attention, and I felt one guy was gorgeous and sexy and the other was beautiful and sexy - I wouldn't have changed their personalities at all.

Yes, there is a lot of heavy drama with abuse, mental health, etc. but I think it was well done and added to the story, while others felt it was a bit too much.

So, Not A Show That Everyone is Going to Like! Try It!

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A great show about trauma

I don't understand how Cheewin Wongskulphat (director) can make such a stupid show like Secret Crush on You and then make such a wonderful romantic drama dealing with heavy topics like trauma, rape and mental/physical abuse. The writers of Bed Friend handled these themes very well, without any romanticizing or toxicity. I love it when two characters slowly fall in love with each other. That's how Uea and King had it; they went from "friend with benefits" to..... well, I don't want to give up spoilers, but I was smiling like crazy. (If you know, you know.) The last episode was such a sweet spot at the end. The producers were like "Okay, we have money left over, so let's send them on a boat trip". Just kidding. It was beautiful.... "He's arrogant, moody, and likes to overthink things. But he takes a very good care of me, and I love him more than everything." :)

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Good Start Disappointing Ending

**Brief Synopsis**
B (Employee): Uea
T (Employee): King

- Beginning: B and T are both employees at the same company but B doesn’t like T because T is a player. They would have continued like this, with T teasing and B ignoring him if not for the fact that B got cheated on by his boyfriend and is obviously upset about it. So when the whole company goes on a trip to the restaurant, B gets drunk and T brings him back to the hotel. Just as he was about to leave, B asks him to stay and sleep with him, at least for one night. When he wakes up the next morning, B is obviously shaken by it, but by that point, their relationship has already changed with B not sure how to treat T. T, on the other hand, is not happy to let B pretend nothing happened and actively confronts B. T apologizes for that night and upon seeing his insincerity, B found himself unable to ignore him as before. He even agree to lets T bring him out to dinner to apologize. After that, T suggests they start a friends with benefit relationship, which B eventually agrees to.

- Middle: As friends with benefits, they start spending more time each other and learning about each other. Despite being friend with benefits, they act more like lovers. They support each other in times of need. T’s understanding and patience, not forcing B and being there for him emotionally slowly softens him. T tries to veer the relationship towards another direction and B starts to let him, even agreeing to go on a trip with him.

- End: But before they could have their happy ending, T’s mother appears and forces him on arranged dates with marriage in mind. Not wanting to face his mother just of yet, T agrees, standing B up. B finds out and afraid that T was going to end up hurting him because T wasn’t strong enough to stand up to his mother and will have to get married, breaks off with him and tells T that they are only friends with benefits. It’s only made worst when B has to deal with a new manager who wants to take advantage of him sexually. T having never experienced this before thought simply avoiding him was enough and doesn’t understand why B was being so weak about it. This hurts B deeply and with no one at the office understanding him, he finally resigns. T realizes just how much this was bothering him and finally decides to stand up for B for once by exposing the manager. He also tells his mother clearly that he isn’t going to get married, knowing that without doing so he’ll never have a chance with B again. With those loose end tied up, he goes to find B and pleads for a second chance. B agrees. The series end with T finally deciding to propose to B and told his parents that B is the one will spend the rest of his life with. They then have a big ceremony with all their friends.

**My Opinion**

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT:
- I really liked how the actors looked. They are really good looking and fits well together. T is cool looking and B is really cute.
- I like the concept of enemies to lovers. I like how B’s attitude changes over the course of the series. I really like how patient T is with B. B is always cold and dismissive and T still make an effort of getting closer to him, even if at the beginning it was probably because of attraction. But there is definitely some like in there as well. T probably wanted to start a normal relationship but in order to not scare B away he says friends with benefits.
- These two look really hot together. Their intimate scenes while tame are really hot. The lighting and the music are very well matched.
- I really like how despite being friends with benefits, they still show their growing affection towards each other. They still do couple’s stuff and spends more time learning about each other. Their interactions are really sweet and I like how B starts with only seeing it as sex before starting to consider T as his emotional solace. I also like how T would stop B from going further when he realizes that what he needs is not sex but companionship.
- The actors playing T and B did a great job in portraying their respective characters. The ensemble cast also did a good job. The acting was sometimes exaggerated but it made me want to laugh instead of finding it cringey.
- B’s actor is really good at being sexy. Things like simply taking off a jacket is really hot coupled with the look he shoots T before taking it off.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT IT:
- I really didn’t like T being so weak. That part where he wants to start something more with B while still letting his mother think he will marry that girl was pathetic. And the fact that he didn’t even do anything to help B when he was being harassed is just unacceptable. Although he sort of helped later on by exposing the manager and putting an end to the marriage, but that was after he had hurt B. I really didn’t like how B accepted his apology that quickly. T doesn’t look like a reliable person and at that moment, I kind of don’t want them to end up together.
- Introducing angst in the way they did is just so cliche. The whole plot is predictable and cliche with no memorable moments.
- The acting in some key moments felt weak. For example, the apology scene, I didn’t really feel T’s sincerity which is why when B simply forgive him so easily, it kind of put a sour taste in my mouth. The last few episodes I really can’t enjoy myself as much I did the first few episodes. Also when he is confessing his feelings, the acting just feels off for some reason.
- After he told his parents about B, his parents didn’t overreact or hit him, just asked him if he was sure, making me wonder why he bothered with going on that date in the first place instead of confessing to his parents. It really made him look more of a coward and a bastard, making me think he hadn’t been that serious about B when he confessed he liked him. It just feels that this was put in for unnecessary drama, which I really didn’t like.
- I didn’t like B’s lack of agency. He doesn’t seem to know how to stand up for himself and kind of waits around for everything to resolve themselves.
- Intimate scenes are too short which can be a disappointment. They are also very tame.

**Conclusion**
This show had a very promising start but a disappointing ending. I really didn’t like the last few episodes as it significantly cheapens the affection B and T feel for each other. I will not be revisiting this show in the future.

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It had potential

I watched the trailer and pilot when it came out and was imediately hooked by the fwb idea and very exited.
I only wanted to watch it after middlemans love came out, but i saw a lot of clips on tiktok etc. which made me even more exited!
<
My conclusion after finishing it, is that i'm pretty disappointed.

Positives first:

The quality was pretty nice, and the acting for thai BL standarts was really good (esp. James crying scenes)
Another thing i would like to praise is the styling. It was just perfect!
I personally liked that Uea didnt have these typical loud monologes many main characters have (the only example i can think of right now is Rain from LITA), but thats also why i never really understood his thought process and reactions (ex. when Krit came, Uea seemed to have a bad feeling about him, but the audience never got to know that directly and why)

The characters were distinguishable and creative and suited the story.
I also think Ueas past was really sad and i could really feel his pain. I hated his mother and uncle so much haha
Moreover, there were actual consequences for the bad guys (not like in Tharntype >:c)

The story had a lot of sexy scenes (obviously, the title is bed friends after all) but also a lot of soft and sweet interactions between the main couple, with their friends and with Ueas sister.
And OMG JamesNets chemistry is off the charts!!!
And the kinks were new (very interesting and very cute kitten ears)

Now negatives:

I feel like the idea was great but the _whole_ story wasnt really thought through.
There were some scenes that felt very random or should have been showed in another context.

We also never got to know why Uea and King didnt like each other or how they met in the first place. That whole chunk of the story was missing.
Same with their decision to become fwb in the first place.
In my opinion, the timeline in general was partly hard to follow. The flow of the story got really disrupted.

Also there was only the main couple. That made it onesided, with no other couple/story to balance KingUea out. I understand that Jade and Mai got their own drama but still.

All in all, I think its a pity. James and Net have so much potential but the writing was just not it.
I am excited for their projects in the future.
I doubt I will rewatch this anytime soon.

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Its worth it!

I've been waiting for this series since forever, and honestly I am not dissapointed at all! Well what speaks in this bl is that the sexual abuse and the abuse in general is really discussible. They don't tend to put it aside and covering it up. Which is a great improvisation in the bl world. About the story it genuinly wasn't exactly what I expected. I have the feeling there should've been more space for the bedfriends part, they became lovers really quickly and some things needed more time in the episodes. the acting was actually literally amazing, i've watched the other stuff either Net and James, only Net or only James played in and you can clearly see they became alot more professional at it, sometimes I did think James could've done better with the crying scénes since I didn't really see tears but he's still improving his acting so, so far he's doing amazing! They are still and always really good at being in character for the time, its just touching to see. I really liked the music too including for the sex scenes the most, they used various music and other styles. Most bls use that type of slow piano music and here it was more intense music which made the scene better because piano music wouldn't fit it exactly. Sometimes I did think they overused the OST since everytime a moment between them happend they used the OST they could've used more variation in that. Also to mention: I really liked the camera work, whenever they were together they also showed the place they were clearly and stuff. The sex scenes we're also amazingly filmed, showing it from different perspectives. I also think the cast really fits the characters and its good to see how they made King such a amazing non-problematic person in this bl instead of making the top do sexual abuse as probably most bls do. Its touching to see King's parents accept him so much I wish it could happen like that in the real life too with lgbtq+ people. I would really prefer to rewatch this because its overall a beautiful series with magnifent portrayed feelings, fantastic acting. Its worth watching it and you'll get really attached to this couple once you begin, this was clearly my favorite bl I watched. (p.s the side characters were also perfectly shown and portrayed!)

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Enjoyable…

I enjoyed this series and I really like the ship. I was a little on the fence about this series when I first started it. I didn’t really like it until about episode 3 when I started to get into it. I liked the main couple and thought the actors had great chemistry with each other. The plot was there but at times it was lacking. I feel like the chemistry between the characters made up for it but it was still noticeable. I did enjoy it though and I liked the ending. I would love to see more with this ship but I recently heard that it is no longer a ship which is upsetting. I liked the series and it was good but it definitely had more potential in my opinion.

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Trust to be able to love

I have not read the book or followed the filming turmoils on social medias. I just started watching this on a whim, a bit reluctantly, fearing the worst because of the steamy title. Before the first episode was finished, I was hooked. The characters were working adults dealing with serious problems all the while falling in love and showing how steamy it can be!

And steam we got, loads of it. But also, so much more! So much more!

This is the story of Uea and King who falls in love with him at first sight but due to his bad reputation Uea accepts only to become friends with benefits. Uea's calm and immovable face, hides childhood traumas he buried deep not letting anyone come close to him. After the initial macho attitude, King realizes there was more than meets the eyes about Uea and starts respecting the lines Uea drew for their relationship. This respect King shows, breaks down the defenses Uea so painstakingly built over the years and he starts healing.

The story deals about the abuse within the family and in the workplace. Respect for family members (parents) even if they are violet and abusers is so deeply ingrained that it is difficult to move and do something about it. Harassment at work is also difficult to fight against especially when the abuser is the boss. Uea just takes everything upon himself and breaks down only when King is around. He trusts him. The series dealt with mental health, how to trust the people around you, how to protect yourself and how to accept that the healing process will take time. For once in a bl, love is not a miracle cure. It helps, but the real solution is to ask for professional help and let time do its job.

The main actors are extraordinarily talented and they portrayed King and Uea with brio. Net, as King, was all in nuances and the expressions in his eyes were telling so much. James as Uea made me think of Lee Joon Gi, light and almost transparent and still leaving an indelible impression. They were so in synch that they completely made me forget I was watching a BL. It was not a bl any more for me, it had become just an extraordinary love story. The chemistry between them is off the charts! They are so perfect together!

The cast of side characters was miscellaneous: creeps were creepy, friends were nerdy, the mother was venomous. The scenes of abuse were raw and real and scary and frightening and infuriating. Very hard to watch!

A lot of people found issue with the editing, saying it was bad and messy. No, not true! I had no problems following the story. There were a few instances when they went flash forward flash backwards but I was OK with that. That made me pay attention more to what was happening on the screen so doing something else at the same time or fast forwarding was impossible: where is absolutely nothing you can skip. The cinematography was a bit basic: while there were some beautiful shots of sunset all warm orange and pink, the shots of the city and the office were gray and cold! Songs were boring but I liked the orchestral background score which was a perfect reflection of feelings changing. Costume designer did their job perfectly: dressing King always in black while Uea was always dresses in silk and colours, which was a good representation of their characters' hiding behind a shield made of clothes.

The last episode ruined a little bit the series for me. It was just a piece of fluff, completely unnecessary since every conflict and problem had already been resolved in episode 9. The bad people had been punished, the good people talked and sorted themselves out. So the last episode was just the honeymoon! Pretty but boring! Happy people are boring! It is a fact!

This was an exceptional series I did not expect and that I ended up loving so much. So it depends what you are looking for in a drama? If it is just fluff and romance, this is not it. If it is something serious but still a romance, this is for you. this is a drama for adults not teens!

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Hot and emotional at the same time!

I went here for the title as I was looking for spicy series but then I found more. Uea was struggling with his PTSD after being molested by his step "father". But that's not all. His mother physically abused him for his sexual orientation and treated him like complete trash, never believed in anything he told her and he lived in this hell for several years. My first impression of King wasn't very good because it was obvious he liked Uea physically as he slept with him when Uea was drunk which is not right. Uea was broken again after that happened but still agreed to be friends with benefits with him. It looks like it's enough for one person but then his crazy ex tried to tape Uea in the car and his new boss tried to rape him in his office. Idk what was this obsession with fucking Uea but they all treated him like some sex toy and that was so heartbreaking. He had no confidence, he was afraid all the time but still managed to be sassy. After knowing him better, King eventually fell in love with him and helped him with al his issues. He took things slowly the more he liked him. I appreciate it. He protected him from those bastards and got rid of his fear from lights off. Even with his trust issues, Uea fell in love with him as he acknowledged he truly cares about him and it's not just about sex. I have to appreciate here Jade the most, Uea's best friend with innocent intentions. He always helped Uea when he was in need and was here for him before King showed up. I am glad he got his own love in the end cuz he deserves all the love. These series were traumatizing but I enjoyed the bed scenes with both being completely sober very much. It was hot even without more explicit scenes. And I loved how it got other way around and we went from bed to everlasting love.

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Bed Friend

I Loved this series its not everyones cup of tea but i found it great!!! Uea and kings relationship has amazing development through the series. would definitely watch again!!!!!!!!! ://///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

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