Love Like A Bike (Thai Series)

The eight episodes, each running about 50 to 55 minutes, are at their best when they focus on the family formed by three adopted brothers and the people they love. Their connection feels as strong as a blood tie. Biking provides a thread through the series, though it often recedes while the brothers’ quieter, separate romances take center stage.

Sailom’s visit to Phuket brings him into the orbit of Nabnueng, a soft-spoken doctor. Sailom is studying at a university in the US, and their chance meeting during his brief trip quickly turns into a connection. Nabnueng notices that Sailom cannot tolerate anyone touching him, even friends: he has aphenphosmphobia. Yet Nabnueng’s touch does not provoke the same reaction. As they grow closer, Sailom tells him about the abuse he suffered from his father as a child. Nabnueng helps him find proper treatment, referring him to another medical professional rather than treating him himself.

The other relationships give the story a different kind of intensity. Tawan, once a pilot, now bakes at the cafe he runs with his mother. After a one-night encounter, Dindin turns up as the cafe’s new baker. Tawan initially finds fault with everything Dindin does; their clashes sometimes become physical, and repeatedly end with the two in bed. Their bond also draws in the family: Tawan and his mother help Dindin deal with serious debt, while Dindin helps Tawan face the guilt he carries over a crash from his piloting days that took many lives.

That debt becomes the engine for much of the show’s drama. The brothers and their mother join forces against ruthless collectors, in a storyline that does not especially hold up to real-world logic. The series is a BL, though, and its heightened turns are part of the package. Tawan and Dindin’s romance is steamy, but the financial trouble also gives their arc much of its conflict.

Sky’s path is gentler at first. A popular bar host, he likes making people happy so long as they remain at an emotional distance. Nava, one of the bar’s clients, draws him in with an innocent, genuine nature, and they become a couple. When Nava is later diagnosed with treatable cancer, the series follows them through the experience together. Of the three romances, theirs is the weakest, though it still works well enough.

Sailom and Nabnueng receive the greatest share of attention, and their sweet, appealing pairing is easy to root for. Sailom’s portrayal conveys the lasting effects of his childhood sexual abuse effectively. The show also handles Nabnueng’s role thoughtfully by having him arrange appropriate care instead of making him Sailom’s treating doctor.

Some added turns are less successful. Nabnueng’s birth mother suddenly appears to ask for help; the detour could have been removed, but it does reinforce how the adopted brothers have built a family with their mother. Near the end, a little girl’s kidnapping pushes the drama too far and feels like conflict added for its own sake. Despite those weaker choices, the series is a decent enough watch. (6.5/10)