When watching my dramas, I'm usually alternating between two or three at a time. Before watching 3 Will Be Free, I was actually Kiss, which stars Mild and Tay as friends. Unbeknownst to me, seeing as I picked 3 Will Be Free at complete random by YT suggestion. I was shocked to see Mild and Tay... but the biggest surprise was at the end of the first episode. From that moment on, I was HOOKED. I didn't watch a single episode of Kiss until I finished 3WBF a few days later.

I don't consider myself an expert on Thai dramas but 3WBF had some of the best production that I've seen from a Thai drama so far. The consistent use of blues, pinks, and fluorescent lighting was extremely atmospheric and perfectly encapsulated the neo-noir aesthetics that the team was clearly aiming for.

The storyline was thrilling. The first episode alone stunned me. And there were many many moments in just 10 episodes that continued to drop my jaw. Well, except for almost everything that happened in the last episode. The last episode was formulaic and Mr. Thana went from a ruthless mafia boss to a cartoony, mustache-twirling villain. Despite how ridiculous Mr. Thana's revenge plot was, the ending was still satisfying if I can overlook the outcome of the poly ship between the 3 leads.

I really loved the three main leads and their relationship and chemistry with each other. But there was only two problems that I had with the show overall; and one of those issues is extremely offensive.

The first and, less serious, issue was the ending. The only thing that I didn't see coming in the last episode was the throuple not really being together. This show built a beautiful polyamorous relationship between the three leads. I watched majority of the show on Youtube and as I read the comments, I noticed that a bunch of people felt that Shin was the oddball out in his relationship with Neo and Miw. Personally, I didn't feel that way at all. I admit that it was evident that the dynamics between every two relationship was different but together, they were one, loving unit.

Or so I thought. The ending threw me for a loop. It tried to play too many cards at once. Neo and Miw are together. Shin... isn't with them but the offer is on the table and instead he's dating a minor side character whom he lacked chemistry or good development with. 10 episodes of the main three being the true romance just to end it all on a "we're all just good friends". I'm flabbergasted.

My 2nd issue was a minor character named Mater (and, to some extent, her friend). Mater and her friend are neighbors of Neo who spend their time fantasizing about his sex life. Mater's presence was off-putting. She was exaggeratingly silly and a complete separation from the intense crime ambience. Mater felt like an insert of BL fans and it was a very negative portrayal. She was clearly a cruel joke, which makes it all the worse that Mater is a black trans girl. I found the character to be extremely offensive and I felt uncomfortable whenever she was on screen. The production team actually went through so much effort to make her look unattractive (I'm assuming it was to match her annoying personality) because I managed to find her instagram (g.sabale) and she's stunning.

It's a shame that the show resulted to that for a few cheap laughs because Mae's storyline took my breath away. I was amazed to see a revenge plot in a noir setting be lead by a pre-op trans woman. Jennie, Gunsmile, and Max really brought those characters to life. I found myself rooting for them as well as the main three, despite the direct conflict.

Overall, I think 3 Will Be Free should go down as one of the best Thai dramas. Had it not been for the ending or Mater's character (especially), it would have been a perfect 10.