My Stand-In: Uncut (2024)

Ming WAS a red flag.

the total conversation was about Ming. lemme tell you. Ming was a rich brat, UNTIL he met Joe. he def mistreated him. he was unecceralily possesive over him. he do shit without even thinking. BUT im telling you, he changed. well, im not siding with him cuz he is a shit. he mistreated Joe, just to feel bad about it after his death. i mean Joe is a whole green forest. he took care of the other Joe's mother as if it is his own mother. i thought he would do some revenge shit, but he was calm. Ming meanwhile changed. the only Ming i loved was in the last episode. even tho, the whole series had some toxicity in it, it was good. some time, i would wanna just smack Ming but some time, i would feel sorry. mahn, I would've killed that guy, if I was Joe. he manipulated his dad to ground him,faked being sick, well he didn't fake it tho. and at last but not least, he didn't even try to tell his while shitting plan to Joe. bruhh. i was like, where's my slippers?

the amount of toxicity in the series is crazy. but i kinda loved it. the ost was not ma fav tho.

the chemistry of Up and Poom is just 🔥.

im looking forward for more series in the future.

Leia Mais

2022 is seared into my brain. I hear that reused tracking Pepzi and Khom

Rated= 7.5 ~ 29.5/50 ~ 5.9
Scene // Mage fighting hard in the Crumbling Castle with a Battle Axe

Ahh Hello Thailand, we finally meet again. Ever since KinnPorsche I've been extra vigilent around Thai BL's. My review still exists as a testiment to how much I did not like the KP experience or the crew surrounding the production.

This is not KP, thankfully. I really enjoyed this one. But God has a sense of humour and I swear, I heard about 3 to 4 different backing tracks that were also in KP. I've only watched a few Thai Bl's in total so reusing tracks is common there? I don't know.

(Having said that, I've just learnt that one of the directors and screenwriter from KP were involved here. Ahhhh. So that's why most of the characters are abusive f**ks)

But moving on, this show has a very interesting concept which pretty much goes unexplained. It's hinted that it's perhaps a karmic slapback and since I consider myself a spiritual person, I kind of like the idea.

Joe is a stunt man for super celeb, actor Tong because he resembles him from behind. Where Joe is sweet and professional, Tong is lazy and narcissistic and it quickly becomes apparent that Joe is the reason that Tong is so famous. All of Tong's most famous scenes are because of Joe's talent but as a stunt man, he's only ever seen from behind and we find out later, he's also never credited either.

The series opens with Joe's stunt scene that goes wrong, resulting in his death. He wakes up two years later in the body of another man, also called Joe. After this initial set up, we have 3 or 4 episodes of a flashback, how he falls in love with Ming, and Ming pining after Tong, and the abuse and injustice he faces that leads him to taking on the deadly job that results in his death.
I don't mind flashbacks as long as it's done in one go and thankfully, this show did that. We got our story set up, the flashback, and then back to the present to show us the progress and conclusion.

This creates an interesting karmic impact for me. Joe didn't want to die. He was forced into a dangerous job with no one willing to protect him only control him. His voiceover thoughts are shown to be even angry about his situation. Joe 2.0 however did. We discover that Joe 2.0 also worked in the industry as a model and attempted suicide on the day of Joe's death after being used by his boyfriend. Alone with his mother, his body was in a coma for 2 years while his ailing mother took on loan sharks to pay for his bills. Joe was a lost soul and here was a body the owner didn't want but who's mother was doing everything to keep alive.

When Joe returns to the land of the living, he quickly finds himself back in with the group he wants nothing more to do with.
Also interestingly for me, his lover Ming feels an instant connection to him whereas his friend just accept it's another guy called Joe. But it's his friends that quickly accept that this new Joe is still the old Joe and it's Ming who needs a little more convincing.

Ming is pretty obsessed with Joe. I feel like Ming is the sort of character that might push people's buttons. He's obsessive and controlling, at first. But as the relationship develops his need for control over others softens into taking control of his own situation and proving to Joe that his feelings are real and Joe will always be first in his life. This may not be agreeable to some people. Much like how I feel about our next character.

Tong is not a likeable character and although he does get his comeuppance, at the same time, there's almost a forced forgiveness arc at the end. I didn't want to pity him but I did anyway. I would have liked to have seen him quit his job or recognise Joe in his past works as an act of penance but we weren't shown that so I'm still left a little reluctant to forgive the character for his meddling and bullying. What he did was not exactly something you can just brush over with, don't do it again and all is well. I prefer to see real actions that give me a reason to feel comfortable with this character much as I do with actual people.

That we are shown at the end of the 'light' never being truly on the first Joe's work, left me feeling sad that even though Joe was able to rebuild his life with Ming by his side, his first life was still left as a tragic story. I dont feel comfortable with that kind of ending and knowing that Tong is the reason for it and never being shown a correction, just makes me feel pouty about it.

Then we have Sol who honestly, for me, just felt like a slimy creep. He was that guy who's crushing on you but doesn't know when to back off. And to top it off at the end, he tells Ming when he found out that Joe was gay, he thought Joe was taking advantage of him and only realised he liked him when he went to Korea to be an idol. I LOL. What a jerk. And then he walks off all rejected into another potential pairing,, you know, like a 'stand in'? No. Go sort yourself out first my friend.

Always wanted to be with someone who would use me to get over their heartbreak and, fingers crossed, they fall in love with me instead.

Overall I did enjoy it. It was nothing too intense. I felt pretty relaxed through most of the plot. Perhaps more of a refreshing reprieve from the 40 long anxiety ridden torture that is most c-dramas LOL

I unfortunately didn't feel the chemistry between the leads but that may just have been me. They were one of those couples that I find cute together but don't feel any heat between them, despite the sexual tension in some scenes. They gave their all in those sex scenes though. Thought the sneezing during orgasm was a bit silly but I guess the writers needed something that only Ming would know lol

I think what dampened any kind of enjoyment between the pairing is just simply, most of the characters in this show are assholes and Joe is that really sweet character that's just persistently walked over. He does get angry but he never shows it so at the end, I can feel the 'sweetness' of problems being solved but I feel reluctant about.

I at least didn't get the visceral rage I felt with KP and it's crew but I can't say I agree with their world view that seems to be coming across in their work.

Overall, it's a short enjoyable watch but not sure I'll be rewatching it.

Leia Mais

Love is better the second time around?

I started watching this last night and did not stop until now: so no sleep for the wicked (me!)! Actually, I was not going to binge watch it but I had some things on my mind and I could not sleep so I kept hitting the next episode button.

What a ride it was! Beautifully filmed and acted, fast paced and interesting except for the last, filler episode! But more about that later! The synopsis here is a bit messy, to be frank and in spite of reading it few times, some things became clear only when I watched them.

The story follows Jo, a stuntman who meets and falls in love with a rich and spoilt brat Ming. But that turns eventually into a disaster and Jo gets killed during a film shoot. His soul is somehow transferred into the body of another man, a model called Jo as well. He meets Ming again and the whole cycle of lies and abuse starts again. Will the issue be different the second time around?

What I liked:
- adult characters doing adult jobs and behaving like adults
- background music: there were some interesting musical choices I liked a lot (violins and piano but so different from the usual fare)
- pretty sets and cinematograph: I loved those shots of two birds on a wire (electric/telephone posts?!?)
- no sponge baths, not even one: I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that!
- soul exchange mechanism as explained by the blind Master: Jo the model wanted to die after his huge row with his mother. Jo the stuntmen did not want to give up even when falling down the cliff. Heaven decided to exchange their souls and eventually gave Jo another chance to chose because he had a strong will to live
- side characters: Mike and Jim, funny, smart and overflowing with chemistry!
- role reversal: seme/uke, two semes. Jo is a seme and Ming looks like an uke but prefers to be a seme so Jo lets him and eventually really becomes an uke (carries a purse!) even though he is dressed like a seme. This is the first time I see this role distribution in a very coded bl world. Refreshing!
- the character of Ming: a cocky, self-centred and egoistical rich young man who is convinced he can get anything if he demands it while actually hiding deep insecurities behind this bravado and power attitude brought on by his money.
- Jo's character growth: he turns from a naive young man with stars in his eyes to an experienced adult who is not to be taken lightly.

What I did not like:
- actor playing Ming! The character is supposed to be the youngest son but he seems the oldest which was very confusing. this role was miscast.
- Mek's bad acting. It does not help his case either, that he looks as if he were Khaotung's twin brother with the same talent(none!) and expressivnes(OTT grimacing)...
- Jo's toothpaste smile: I was squinting every time his face was in close up. He is beautiful and a very talented actor but those shiny teeth....
- minimal chemistry between them even though they obviously gave it their all: I could not feel it
- Sol, the idol: how is that even possible? He is not pretty nor talented and cannot sing to save his life....
- Sol's hair. And everyone else's perfect hairstyles when they woke up: especially Ming in hospital!
- some boring funky songs with the obligatory a cappella beginning in crucial love scenes
- loan sharks with turbans and jellabas: are they muslims? I don't really care but it was weird to see!
- cliché Moms: the poor Mom is overweight while the rich one is slim
- the last episode! The final conflict was resolved in the first 5 min and the rest was just pure boring fluff!
- we get to see very little of the model Jo's appearance(only in mirrors) since the whole story was told from the point of view of Jo the stuntman (the narrator!). It would have been interesting to see the chemistry, if any
- Ming is a lovely toxic character in a lovely toxic relationship but who gets a sudden and unconvincing growth!

In conclusion: one of the better thai bls in a long time, worth the watch!

Leia Mais

Not an redemption arc!

While I am happy that "Up" had a chance to play a different character (and we all did really hate him), I'm disapointed in the story. Ming understands what he did was wrong, but he did not change his character that much. I can believe that he now really tries hard to be a better partner, but we have no idea if his control and power issues has been dealt with and I doubt it.
There were scenes where he was lying on the floor not eating, just drinking and not doing much, but this did not help to change his narcisistic flaws which are still present in the finale. I guess the screenwriter are contradicting the character because they wanted an redemption arc.

I also would have wished, they used "Winner" for the first part of the show and only "Poom" for the second half. This would of course complicated filming, because both actors would have to learn the same mannerisms for their characters which would have made the story more interesting and the immersion in the story more believeable. That the same person plays both characters irked me a bit.

I'm not happy with Mings character development and the same for Joe. Joe is always Joe not standing up for himself, not understanding when to say no. I can understand you love whom you love but there should be a moment when your brain says "enough is enough!". This show had so much potential, the first four episodes had me hooked and I thought about how they will solve the redemption. And because of the lack of a real redemption arc this show fails. For me the finale was especially lackluster because everyone is now "happy", all is good and even Mike got Mings secretary as future BF (They should have expanded that arc as well), because most of the later episodes is a repeat of the first ones without the violence and lack of self-reflection on Mings part but he forces Joe once again repeating the same mistake again.

So overall the show is still above average even when the story-writing falls of a cliff. It did at least try to do something different in the sea of average shows, it did try to give us a mature story in the sea of university settings. And Up as Ming was really great!

Leia Mais

It’s so frustrating

Spoilers ahead





Wtf?
You would think someone that was given a second chance in life to live in someone’s body after he almost died, will do things differently in this new life . He makes the same choices. Goes back to the same job , gets entangled with the same person.
Just why y y y y y y y?
I hate Ming. But I’m more frustrated with Joe. How can Joe expect a different outcome in his second life when he is doing the same things that got him killed in the first place?
Also why is it always impossible for the mc to be with someone nice, someone who respects them, someone less toxic? Why must the mc end up with ml even when the ml is like the worst person in the whole show?
I’m so fng mad 😡

Leia Mais

Watch if you like questioning your own morals

It’s been a while since I’ve been this invested in a series and the weird thing is I don’t even know what exactly I think of it.

I love hated almost every minute of this. Story was new and entertaining. The actors were absolutely brilliant. I don’t think I was a big Up fan before but I am now. This man made me love hate him (his character) the way only Damon Salvatore has managed to before…

Not much to say honestly… watch it if you enjoy: what, wtf, why is this happening, what is happening, arrgggghh and naked backs.

The ending was a bit too “happy end” imo, but that didn’t take away much from the whole thing so I still enjoyed watching. And I don’t remember the last time I wanted to rewatch something right after finishing it…but I do kind of want to do exactly that.

Leia Mais

Another take on the Dark/Toxic romance BL genre

Ming is Extremely toxic at the beginning of the drama which is difficult to watch as you know the main leads will end up together anyway. Despite this and the fact he uses Joe for his own benefit and claims ownership over joe instead of loving him as a person. Somehow the Drama manages to turn this all around by the end part and show us people can can make mistakes, even toxic ones that have serious consequences and still be able to turn things around. I am not going to defend Ming, he is a strange individual with many privileges that allow him to get what he wants but still is able to come across as sexy and complicated, leaving you wanting to understand him.

Joe is such a sweetheart and experiences many unfortunate events but just wants to be loved, look after his mother and maintain a stable career and relationship. He has a heart of gold and luckily is able to break into Ming's cold exterior.

The show is exciting and thrilling to watch nonetheless. Both lead actors are brilliant in their roles, showing maturity, complex emotions and believable romance scenes. I will defiantly watch both actors in other dramas.

Leia Mais

Plot line makes me stick through ups and downs of My Stand-In

This series hasn't come out entirely as such I'll updating my review once all 12 episodes are out. I've watched it till Episode 6 and the plot is honestly interesting but the acting skills of most of the characters make it an average.

I love Poom, he is doing great. His mannerism as a stunt man gives the story a lot of dimension cause otherwise it's a shitshow in my opinion seeing as the other characters have no originality. Up and the dude playing Tong are the most annoying beings, demons if I may, in this fantasy world. May is clueless. Wut is great supporting character, love that for Joe. Let's see where it goes from here.

I do like the plot. Not gonna lie, it's peaked my interest to see how the new Joe deals with life with having the insight of people in his life from before the accident. I want him not to fall for the crap again. I want him to be successful. And though the "ship" crap is gonna go on forever, if the dude is toxic, he is toxic, I don't wanna hear nothing.

The nice guy needs to pull up his big boy pants and move on. But this is a work of fiction, and not real life so of course there are going to be people shipping Joe and Ming. But I'm completely against Joe ending up with Ming (Up) or Sol (Porche) for that matter.

Ming deserves the hot and cold behaviour Tong shows him. I have no sympathy for his a$$.




⚠️ Side Note: The way Poom says Minggg with that loving and elongated baby tone, I'm sitting over here listening to everything he says with a "Yes, Sir" attitude cause who wouldn't. The love just seeps out of him and damn, my name ain't Ming but I'm ready Poom. I'm ready.

Leia Mais

The gong/seme strives to recover his shou/uke by repenting of his mistakes
What is reincarnation? According to its definition, reincarnation is the belief that the individual essence of people begins a new life in a different body or physical form after biological death. That is, it is the belief that, after dying, each of us will begin a new life in a new body.
Of course, in both film and television, this idea, this belief, has been explored from all angles: horror, comedy, suspense and also romance.
When we talk about reincarnation, this possibility of living a new life in a new body after death, is presented to the stuntman named Joe (Poom Phuripan Sapsangsawat - 'Bake Me Please', 2023; 'Saneha Stories Season 4: Saiyai Saneha', 2022), who, after a fatal accident, in a trick of fate, suddenly comes back to life but in the body of another person of the same name who had suffered an accident on the same day.
The LGBT+ themed romantic drama 'My Stand-In' (ตัวนาย ตัวแทน/Tua Nai Tua Thaen) revolves around Joe's new life after his reincarnation. When he wakes up, Joe finds himself immersed in what seems to be the same world he has just left, with the same people around him and the same destiny as before, since both his professional career and personal life remain identical: he is the substitute by the young and famous actor Tong (Mek Jirakit Thawornwong - 'Star and Sky: Sky in Your Heart', 'Star and Sky: Star in My Mind', both 2022; 'Kiss Me Again, 2018').
With the possibility of accessing the memories and knowledge of his past life, Joe meets Ming again (Up Poompat Iam-samang - 'Lovely Writer', 2021; 'Club Sapan Fine Season 2', 2022), with whom he had a relationship. deep relationship in the afterlife. Joe will remember that his death is the result of an accident during filming that took place after discovering that Ming has always considered him as his second choice. After learning this painful truth, Joe is forced to work on a film set abroad where tragedy occurs.
However, in this life, Ming wants Joe to return to his side like before and Joe doesn't know why, because the relationship they both had was always toxic and suffocating. Ming, who has retained all his memories of old Joe, tries to find the truth about his new life to finally offer him the explanation he was never able to give him.
Now, in a new existence full of uncertainties, Joe will have the opportunity to reflect on himself and his place in the world, which has never been free of the shadow of being a stuntman.
Will Joe escape his tragic destiny as a substitute? Will Ming manage to rekindle the love between the two through a plan as crazy as it is imaginative? Can Ming redeem himself for the suffering caused to Joe in the afterlife through repentance and rectification? Will the relationship between the two have, like Joe with his reincarnation, a second chance?
From directors Khom Kongkiat Khomsiri ('KinnPorsche', 2022, 'The Promise', 2023) and Pepzi Banchorn Vorasataree ('Dark Blue Kiss', 2019, 'KinnPorsche'), the series 'My Stand-In' is the Thai adaptation from the popular novel "Professional Body Double" (职业替身), by Chinese writer Shui Qian Cheng.
If someone asked me: what is so special about the series?, I would answer:
- The captivating story of romance, fantasy, mystery and the power of love throughout lives.
- The idea of twists of fate and the possibility of second chances.
- Revitalizing the theme of reincarnation not only in the concept that the protagonist reincarnates, but also that he can access the memories and knowledge of his past lives. This helps in character and story development.
- Reincarnation as a concept or idea that, after death, we can return and get a second chance, takes the vertigo away from the finitude of human life.
- Addressing an attractive and complex topic such as reincarnation, which oscillates between the fun suggestions of the fantastic imagination and the sacredness of Eastern religions.
- Be adapted from a novel of the danmei genre which in turn is based on the "scum gong/crematorium" dynamic, in which gong is a term used to identify the seme, and crematorium means "crying for the lover who is gone ". In this perspective, when the gong/seme realizes his mistakes too late and has to make an effort to recover the person he loves, that is, his shou/uke, at any cost.
The series is just beginning. We will have to closely follow Joe, Ming and Tong, characters who have captured all our attention.

Leia Mais

What a loop of meh

This concept was so intriguing at the beginning, it's a bit nuts how little I started to care about anyone until I had a break and eventually just decided to drop.
Awful characters, repetitive betrayals and arguments.
I think another thing that put me off was the sudden physical relationship, it just didn't hit. Especially after he'd switched bodies, slowburn would of hit so much more.
Instead the kissing scenes started feeling routine, like oh here another ep another kiss or bed scene, but like I didn't find it hot at all, just meh.
I love Ming's actor, loved him in lovely writer, he was the main reason along with a bit or curiosity why I watched as much as I did.
But wow I just don't care anymore.
For me it wasn't a good drama, I felt like they missed opportunity's to do interesting things with the plot, what they did was repetitive, the opening song was dreadful, the love and relationship is toxic.
I'm no stranger to toxic, if it's compelling and interesting I'll try but this just played out bad.

Leia Mais

I'd love to see this couple in another setting again!

The acting is amazing! Really good- no cringe moment. NC is super good too!

I love the storyline, really special where we dive into the role of a "stand in". this alone gives freshness to the BL industry. It really got me hooked, especially for 1st half of the show. It gets somewhat complicated/dramatic halfway through, but- the ending is SO satisfactory, that it's worth it

I especially like the last scene, it kinda gives us what we expect more of, but with twist of humour. I had a really good laugh at last scene yet feeling so warm and happy.

I really love Up's acting here. I've watched him in Lovely Writer which I love as well, and I'm glad to see him back and hope to see him in more BL.

The chemistry is really good, kiss scenes are good, and action scenes are good too. Loose ends are tied- it feels really nicely wrapped

I also love the overall pacing and vibe of the show. It feels really classy, well done and professional- not "on budget amateur" vibe that we sometimes get from BL .

I am really satisfied with this BL- been a while since I am this impressed since Last Twilight!

My little wish is to see this couple again- but this time round, lets make it less dramatic for them, I just want to see a lovey dove sweet BL story for them :)

Leia Mais