Love Alert (Thai Series)

Toh finally decides to stop waiting for Jimmy. After enduring repeated heartbreak, he opens the cafe his older brother Teh has always dreamed of running. A dentist who becomes a customer begins pursuing him, giving Toh a chance to leave the past behind. Yet even after choosing himself, he still cannot forget Jimmy.

That is the central frustration of this 10-episode series, with episodes running about 55 minutes each. Toh is written as so emotionally exposed and so unwilling to accept what is happening that the romance becomes difficult to believe. The story wants to present a relationship between an open-hearted young man and someone who treats affection as a game of control, but the supposedly decent character’s choices become the biggest obstacle to the drama.

Jimmy is charming, enjoys flirting with boys, and usually moves on once he has attracted someone. He first sets his sights on Fah, though Fah ignores his attempts to speak with him. Jimmy’s closest friend is Teh, whose older brother is Toh. When Jimmy meets Toh, he begins flirting with him instead, and Toh falls for him completely.

The situation becomes more complicated because Fah and Toh are good friends, while Fah actually has feelings for Teh. Jimmy resents that connection because he wants Fah for himself. He therefore continues encouraging Toh’s feelings, hoping that Teh will abandon Fah in order to protect his brother. Teh repeatedly warns Toh not to fall for Jimmy, and Toh even overhears Jimmy admitting that he is only playing with him. Still, Toh chooses to remain available whenever Jimmy wants him, returning again and again despite the pain.

Fah and Teh try to explain the situation to both men, but their efforts change nothing. Toh keeps crying and going back to Jimmy, even though the warning comes directly from Jimmy himself. This is why the series places some responsibility on Toh as well as on the person manipulating him. Toh may not want to believe his brother, but after hearing the truth for himself, it becomes hard to understand why he still cannot recognize how his feelings are being used.

Jimmy is certainly not blameless. He knowingly leads Toh on, and Toh is not just a kind person but also Teh’s brother. Teh makes matters worse in his own way. He knows Jimmy is interested in Fah, yet instead of having a straightforward conversation about his relationship with Fah, he has sex with Fah in the same room as Jimmy. That choice is difficult to defend.

Eventually, Jimmy realizes that his feelings for Toh have changed. He can no longer pursue anyone else, and guilt pushes him to try to win Toh back. Toh refuses to give in. Because everyone can see that Toh still has feelings for Jimmy, they eventually devise a plan to reunite the two of them, while Teh and Fah continue their own relationship.

The actors perform well with the material they receive, but the writing makes the series much less convincing than it could have been. The intimate scenes feel forced, and they are not simulated. Much of the story is frustrating rather than moving: viewers may find themselves wanting to shake Toh and ask what he is thinking, only to watch him cry and return to the same situation. This could have been a decent drama and a proper love story, but the lead character’s implausible vulnerability undermines it. (4.5/10)