IT'S IN THE NAME! The drama is called "Step by step" so of course it is a slow-burn! i don't see why people keep complaining about the story being too slow. I really liked the drama, especially the main couple (Jeng and Pat are my babies from here on out) did an amazing job and had really good chemistry, even the side characters did a really good job. Some story arcs did feel unnecessary and some were border line awful ( I'm looking at you, Jaab and jane) but all in all, it was a good watch.
If we go by the characters, then Jaab would be the one that really did NOT do it for me, and the actor couldn't deliver the bare minimum. The first two episodes with his scenes were still okay and cute, he could tell he is a spoiled yet nice person and know a little bit about him but the moment they introduced the cheating arc, it was a big no for me. Their entire story was just painfully boring and I could not care less. What infuriated me even more is how he handled everything in the later episodes, his character was honestly the worst and even the actor did not do a good enough job. Jane was just there, i could not care less.
Next, I liked Pat's friend group, especially Ae, she is the power mom of the group and the bestie we all need. Though i did not like her selling Pat's number to Put and a few more such things, in all, I liked their dynamic. (Though i don't see why that other friend needed to have feelings for Ae, CAN TWO PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT GENDERS {and are also straight} NOT BE BFFS? IS IT THAT HARD ? DOES ONE OF THEM NEED TO HAVE FEELING TO BE THERE FOR THEIR FRIEND IN TIMES OF NEED???? )
The story line between Pat and Put didn't bother me that much. I thought it was a good way to show that not all relationships work out, sometimes apologies just don't fix things and sometimes letting go is important too. Pat hurting over their eventual and final break-up was also a nice reflection of someone just mourning over the loss of a relationship. I felt it was nice and fresh to show such sides of the character like Pat who was very much impulsive with his emotions in the beginning. I did not find his crying for all that annoying at all.
Pat did have a lot of break-downs though, and while I am all for showing emotions and embracing them, I did feel that his young age compared to his peers made him look impulsive and a slave to his emotions. but they could have handled his emotional arc a bit better, maybe introducing an arc where he visits counselors and therapists and work out his inner thoughts. Just learning how to say no won't fix all his problems. but all in all, i really liked Pat's character and couldn't help see him as a baby i need to protect too! he is just too precious!
Jeng and his hot-self also wasn't perfect. He had his own set of flaws but at the end, i think all those made him seem more human. and his love for Pat is just perfect, i love for much he pays attention to Pat and i love how much he loves him. he made mistakes with Pat but it also seems like he learnt from them too and that's all that matter eventually.
Also the scene where Pat forgets his birthday and ends up having a breakdown in front of his parents was so perfect. I know how it feels to drown yourself in work so much that you forget about yourself completely. The guilt that passes eventually when you realize how much of life just passed us by while we were too busy to even notice really hits hard. I could also see how he felt awful for not remembering that his parents would visit when he already doesn't have both of them together anymore, being a child of divorce is hard and that scene really made me pause and think a lot.
Chot, our MVP, our diamond diva! she is the moment!! Chot is literally the best character! i loved his everything!!! I'm so happy that he is so happy with Krit and i hope they have a good relationship (i love how krit just showed his face like twice and then just disappeared but it makes sense, i wasn't interested in their arc at all and the bare minimum we got from Chot was enough to make him lovable ).
Overall its a good but slow drama, the pacing is an issue i admit and they didn't do a good job with the time lapses (I got confused many times). other than that, its good for a slow weekend. ManBen did a good job and i hope they do another project together soon!