TharnType: Special Episode “Our Last Love” [Review]

The curtain lifts, and we are immediately being engulfed in our memories from throughout the TharnType series. Watching this pulls us into the inevitable arrival of “goodbye,” because we are finally at journey’s end.

Hopefully, some of us took some lessons from this journey, especially from the realistic way these characters were depicted as real and human as they can be – navigating through their evolving emotions by facing the challenges on their way to happiness.

To let us know that we are not only spectators in this story, but partners in crime.

Flashbacks end and we’re thrown into TharnType’s sweet reconciliation, as soon as the couple pledges their new dynamic, we are again shown every single kiss they’ve had. Not to feed a fetishistic appeal as other series have resorted to as a resource to feed on the so long-awaited physical interaction, but rather as a reminder that where there’s darkness there is also light. As soon as we’re done with that love shower, we jump into the “present day”, where Type, Techno, Champ, Oam and Team having an idle chat about getting lunch.

However, the important fact in this scene is that we’re seeing Type’s improved self-confidence in that he’s actually “showing off” his lover and their relationship. This means that not only has he grown in maturity, he has also started to love himself a bit more. The less shame a human feels regarding their natural course in life, the more he has learned how to overthrow the damage of subconscious self-loathing. When Type says “his money is my money,” it allows the public to experience how Type’s life experience now exists. His environment is shown idealistically with no prejudice, and instead of making us think of how unrealistic that is, it hints to us how we ourselves can get stronger and happier by choosing the right partner to fight alongside us in this so-called ride of life.

The next scene has Tum singing his own version of the opening song, meaning that he is mending his broken ties to Tharn. This as we can see him being hit by neon lights and cheers from his friends. I must say that Hiter’s (Tum) singing was a pleasant surprise for the ears, now giving us a third version of the theme song. I didn’t know the boy could sing. Add to that, seeing TharnType being openly affectionate with each other while surrounded by their friends, is just charming. Seo and Klui tried to give us an emotional confession, but I guess the wall is way up high for Seo to wreck it.

Soon enough the step-brothers Tum and Tar finally meet, showing us their closure in a platonic way. I was never fond of the sexualizing romantic interaction of this couple in Love by Chance and I certainly didn’t want them to do that in this show. I’ve since felt satisfied because we were given a family portrait that can only move forwards hand-in hand instead of an incestual romance justified by some sort of twisted excuse. Even if Tum did romantically think of Tar, this show helps the author MAME show their story as something even better than just a surreal romance, because family is also a proof of love.

The next cut immediately takes us to TharnType’s introduction to the awaited flashback and introduction of Type´s parents, as they recall that trip coming out of nowhere after Type´s dad calls him all of a sudden thus leading Tharn to start his Iliad into the southern tropical paradise of Thailand.

As soon as they get off the motor taxi we see a cheerful Thanayong Wongtrakul playing the overprotective and hard worker father of Type, who didn’t really know what was on hold for him, kept praising his not yet known son in law, until Type confidently shoves the truth in his face, making dad faint, only to get carried by Tharn and Type into the house, unaware of the conversation his wife is about to have with the boys. While Types father lays on the couch unconscious we get to appreciate Type’s mom insight on the current state of affairs, she talks about how Khom got proposed by a rich foreigner who paid a large sum of dowry to his family, and then she opens up to the boys by putting all her cards on the table, she understand her son’s situation, but lets him know that she does not completely favor their relationship, and that is fine, a mother is not obliged to agree with her children just like children are not to comply to their parents every single thought, she understands that her son is an individual and that sooner or later she’d had to let him choose whatever he wants, as a mother she chose to love, instead of her love, meaning that above all, her child happiness comes even before her own ideas of what happiness should be; and still she says “Whoever you love, I’ll love them too”.

Not long after the chat is almost over, when the word “proposal” arises, Type’s dad paternal instincts wake him to face off this villain who’s trying to disgrace his son, raisin his campaign flag to dethrone this usurper, daddy seems to act like someone we know, after all, the apple never falls too far from the tree. Mealtime is due and Tharn’s childish palate fights an overdramatic but hilarious scene against his father in law in which Dir. Tee cracked us up with the spoon traveling and the violins ending up in Tharn getting a toilet emergency cutting his libido right in the next cut scene, adding such a nice sight to see, after all, Tharn has always acted like a crying alpha, but in front of someone like his father in law, seems rather, infantile and cute.

The boys run away in the motorcycle and enjoy a date in a restaurant and once again we get to see how Tharn is continuously pushing Type to be more expressive, not in a forceful manner but rather helping Type get more comfortable with himself, especially because when you can identify your own emotions and express them, it becomes easier in life to deal with them even in turbulent times.

Type want to mend things with Khom, but not to ease his guilt, instead, Type knows deep down that he’s learning what it really means love, and this forgiveness he seeks is a very important step into moving forward because at the end of the day he loves his friend and this love comes from a different yet honest man, Tharn stepping in the distance works as a materialization of Type’s resolution to be free and to experience love without regrets to encourage him when he tells his best friend “HE IS THE MAN I LOVE” Khom is shocked, but not surprised.

The natural course of love is pain, it is impossible to experience love without getting hurt or hurting someone, and the true proof of that pure wholesome love is the fact that when we love someone, if we hurt them, we must seek absolution, forgiveness, understanding, not by demanding it, but by helping those loved ones to love us more than they did yesterday, avoiding making the same mistake, growing on each other. As the two boys seem to now look eye to eye, Khom lets Type get in again, thus receiving his first true love’s special gift: “You will always be my best friend”, and sealing their own social pact with a Fist pump and letting us know that Type was Khom’s first love makes the audience appreciate more this.

Ok so right after a machete appears and Type’s father’s overprotection rises, note that this scene is very important because we are immediately told that Type’s father is not against or in favor of his son choices, as he seems to think in the possibility of allowing their relationship on if his son is not the bottom, though the boys can’t hide the truth and run away with Type provoking his father even more. The boys are playing in the sand, drinking beer and Tharn brings up something to be highlighted:

“Being with you is not easy”

This sentence should be the most important in this ending episode, life is not easy, loving someone is not easy, that simple sentence carries one of the universal rules that nowadays people seem to forget. Of course, is not easy, maybe we don’t have to face a dad like Type’s, but everything requires effort ad sacrifice; when we are with someone we need to understand that, and when we do, we’ll reach a clearer view on the choices we’ve made, and as the boys iron their resolution to keep on trying, they lock fingers in the sand as an evidence of their will.

Dir. Tee Sintanaparadee directed the following scene with difficulty, one shot, no more filming time but thankfully Mew Suppasit and Gulf Kanawut delivered, in the avatar of their characters, a delicate deluge of ASMR** given to us with the crickets and the depth of nothingness that the night offers, portraying such level of intimacy. We were invited into a scene that could only be experienced in your own skin. The scene itself was shot beautifully with those deem white lights and blue tones. This atmosphere where both characters are completely free emotionally and physically driven not only by lust or desire, but as if it was already natural for them to intertwine in caresses where one become the other, and as the physical activity levels up, music fades in without disrupting the frame, instead, the music seems to be conducted by the lovers’ meticulous dance, and with it, it’s us who suddenly get pulled into the stream of passion and delight. Beautiful shot.

“YOU’RE NOT THE ONLY OE THAT CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT ME, I CAT LIVE WITHOUT YOU EITHER.”

The kiss scene in front of the coastal paradise using the ocean as a witness of their love and taking the wind as their verbal contract is made takes to a whole different level of compromise, we keep hearing their vows throughout the whole episode, and it is clear to us, that they intend to keep working together in order to comply for each other’s sake and their own. Both lovers wake up after having the same dream and then we see them back at their mundane but loving routine.

** Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), sometimes auto sensory meridian response, is a tingling sensation that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. A pleasant form of paresthesia, it has been compared with auditory-tactile synesthesia and may overlap with frisson. ASMR signifies the subjective experience of “low-grade euphoria” characterized by “a combination of positive feelings and a distinct static-like tingling sensation on the skin”. It is most commonly triggered by specific auditory or visual stimuli, and less commonly by intentional attention control.

“Ah, the sea sang,

The brim of the waves dance showered us,

I plead to you, my last one,

I plead to you my faith,

We’re earth and wind,

We’re the heat of summer and the cold in the winter,

I belong to none but you,

Sing with me while the ocean breeze mutes us,

Eternal, wholesome,

That’s who you are to me,

The water dances,,

The silence is gone”

– Javier Maldonado

Big jump into Thorn and Lhong scene, people were having a problem with this particular scene, but the audience has to understand that nobody is perfect, each individual has a history, and to Thorn, there is a broken guy in front of him who is already bearing a cross with actual remorse, what’s the point of kicking a beaten up animal, you can’t hurt someone who has nothing. Thorn saw Lhong grow up since he was a teen, and somehow he still has a connection with him, he is also part of his history and denying him the right of permanence is denying him the possibility of starting over, which hopefully he will. So, Thorn has the right to be angry at him, but not to condemn him, nor hate him, nor punish him, he will not become the vassal of hatred and vengeance to him, instead Thorn wishes him happiness, cause there’s no other choice but to forgive and move on, because one way or another Thorn was also neglecting Lhong’s feelings from the shadows, and the last gift he can actually give Lhong is absolution, at least for him to have some sort of hope into a better tomorrow, leaving us the burdened face of Lhong walk away from forgiveness, but forced to carry hope.

We’re almost done and we have Pete and Tin show up and shove into Tharn’s face that Can after only one meeting has achieved what Tharn hasn’t been able to do in the past three years that have gone by, filling him with jealousy of his junior outracing him to win over his in-laws. Quite a pleasant sight to see Saint, every time he’s in his role as Pete, it’s just fascinating how he manages to capture the essence of Pete’s innocent yet cunning nature.

Anyhow, as we see our boys laying on the grass right next to each other while they lock eyes, they wonder how is it that after so many struggles they have been able to keep it up into this moment, in the blink of an eye, so many things happened when a person actually starts moving, that is the law of our social nature, life is a treasure, time is wise, it is never cruel nor gentle, time simply is, and just when we’re about to get lost in their idle chat, Type kisses Tharn’s cheek gently, while we hear our last boy’s words:

“I’m so in love with you”

Tharn and Type walk confidently in front of us, getting far from us as if they were making sure, we watch them walk into their future, thanking us for being witnesses of their blooming days.

This episode exceeded my expectations, it brought to life a beautiful goodbye for the spectators, who were craving for closure, and proved that Mame’s “universe” has much more to offer than a typical gay storyline. It reflected a love story in which the characters happened to be gay, the construction of the psyche of each lead character was well built, and the rollercoaster of events went through erotism, romance, social awareness, mental health, family matters, and so on.

I’ve said this before, but life itself is chaotic and when you have two college guys who are like Tharn and Type, depicted most humanly, there’s bound to be tons of intercourse, drama, and chaos; so if they are meant to be together, they will grow out of the immaturity hand in hand, cause when you find someone you love it is your own homework to figure life together and learning to respect each other as time goes by, without being afraid of making a mistake.

We are biding goodbye to this ANGULAR stone of lgbtq+ media and future shows, I am not afraid to call this show, finally after so many years of gay relationships who in deep sight are only hetero romance disguised as gay just to satisfy the objectifying nature of behavior of a lot of Y girls, the modern referendum on how to properly create a BL/LGBTQ romance series. Dir. Tee has my utmost respect for helping MAME bring up this story and turning it into a piece of history.

Raise your glasses, and celebrate! Because TharnType is and forever will be engraved in our memories!

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Review by Javier [Ha Joon].

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