Link to the n*de dudes
Netflix just dropped a Thai tv series called Love Like a Bike (I think; I am not familiar with an expression about life or love being like a bicycle). The blur promises "three siblings raised in different countries reunited," but the illustration shows six men , so doubtless at least one of them will be gay.
Scene 1: Pattaya, a resort town about two hours by car from A slightly cross-eyed, emotionally disabled young man named Sailom (Tanapol Jarujittranon) is walking on a path overlooking the shore, when a guy asks for directions and grabs his hand. He freaks out, screaming "Don't touch me!", and runs into the path of a bicyclist, who is thrown off. He falls to the ground, the bicyclist on top of him, mouth to mouth (I don't understand the trajectory -- did the bicyclist fall backwards?). He yells "Don't touch me!" and runs away. Dude must be on the autism spectrum. And he's obviously gay. That was fast.
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He runs into a cafe (English sign) and tells his brother and sister what happened. They must be the three siblings. Darn, he lost the necklace that his Mom gave him. They go back to the shore and look around, but can't find it.
The Brother, James, is played by MJ Teachin Paksa (on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends)
Scene 2: The bicyclist, Nubnueng (Masu Junyangdikul) ends up at a Mental Health Clinic (sign in English and Thai), where he works as a counselor. He talks down an angry husband who claims that Nubnueng encouraged his wife to dump him. I'm going to start calling him the Doctor.
Masu's d*ck is on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends.
Scene 3: Next stop: The Love Like a Bike Coffee Shop, run by the Doctor's mother and baby sister. Uh-oh, in the accident, he lost the ring that he planned to use to propose to his girlfriend, but he found a necklace; he'll use that.
Cut to that night: the Doctor and his girlfriend are having dinner. They simultaneously say "I have something to say." He pulls out the necklace, but asks her to go first. Gulp...she's going to dump you, isn't she?
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Yep: cut to the Doctor in a bar with neon Bible verses on the wall, morosely dangling the necklace. Sailom and his friends drop in. He recognizes the necklace, and accuses the Doctor of stealing it.
"I didn't steal it -- here, I'll give it back." He presses it into Sailom's hand -- hey, no flinching.
The yelling draws security guards, who start manhandling Sailom. He has a full panic attack, but the Doctor talks him down, and invites him to come to the mental health clinic whenever he needs to.
Later, Sailom takes a bath (some beefcake) and wonder why touching the Doctor was ok.
Scene 4: A bike shop. A customer is harassing the bike guy (Us Nititorn Akkarachotsopon), demanding that he work faster. He's interrupted by a news story on his phone: on this day last year, an airplane on a Bangkok-Chiang Mai flight crashed, killing a young girl. The bike shop guy was the Pilot!
Us Nititorn Akkarachotsopon is gay in real life. Have we got three gay characters so far?
Scene 5: Dindin (Ta Nannakun Pakapatpornpob) is taking tickets for a boat tour, when two toughs, one named Aish, approach him. Their boss needs his money right away! Dindin ditches them and runs down the streets of Pattaya, while they discuss how much trouble they'll be in if they don't get that money to the boss. As he is running, he gets a phone call. So he stops to take it? They want him to sing at the bar tonight. He also sees a job ad for a baker at the Love Like a Bike Cafe. So, are you a singer or a baker? I think I'll call you the Baker.
More after the break
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Scene 6: The Doctor is asleep in his room, his full physique on display, when his Little Sister tries to get his lazy butt up. He won't budge, so she calls Tawan for help. His brother -- the Pilot! So are those three the siblings raised separately?
The Doctor wants to be sad awhile longer, so the Pilot and Little Sister both hug him. Are these the three siblings? I figured they would all be about the same age, and guys?
Meanwhile, Sailom has invited his siblings over to play video games and discuss what happened. It's fine -- they know about his problem with touching. Actually, the girl starts to touch him before remembering. They were raised separately, and just reunited, so it's not automatic yet. Wait -- I thought Doctor, Pilot, and Little Sister were the siblings.
Scene 7: The Pilot goes to the open-air market for some crabs, when he encounters a couple who was on the flight -- the parents of the child who was killed! What a coincidence! They say they don't blame him, but dig in a lot: "Our daughter used to like this...our daughter can't get that anymore, of course..."
Cut to Mom grilling. The Pilot and the Doctor are both depressed. They discuss Sky (Thai-Swiss actor Danny Luciano, left) -- he's been working a lot lately, meeting with customers. Maybe Sky, not the Little Sister, is the third sibling.
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Scene 8: The Pilot sits by the ocean, crying, when the Baker walks by, with his guitar, asking someone named Ben why the money transfer didn't go through -- he almost got beat up, or worse, by hired goons today! He angrily kicks his beer can, and it hits the Baker on the head! They argue, then fight: "You want a piece of me?"
The Baker wants a piece of him. They start doing stuf right on the sidewalk -- well, in their underwear, but still...
Scene 9: Dad is leaving for a trip to Chiang Mai (in northern Thailand, a 10-hour drive from Pattaya, or you can take an hour-long flight). and wants to know if Sailom will be ok by himself -- with the autism and all. He's fine, he's a grown up. Mom calls, and asks the same thing. Then the Doctor appears to deliver the coffee he ordered. You use a delivery service for a cup of coffee? Dude, you're holding the coffee cup in a way where he can't help touching you, and you know he has an aversion to touching! It's ok for a moment, but then Sailom flashes back to his Dad abusing him, throws the coffee onto Sailom, and yells "Don't hurt me."
The Doctor talks him down again. Sailom invites him in the house to shower and change clothes -- very nice scene of the Doctor toweling off, while Sailom gapes. He insists on washing the shirt and bringing it by later. Ok, "Come by later -- anything you want is on the house." You're being very nice to the guy who splashed scalding hot coffee on you. Do you like him?
Scene 10: Sailom and his friends -- I'm going with friends, not siblings -- get coffee at the Love Like a Bike. They show Little Sister the card with the Doctor's note that they can eat for free.
When they leave, the friends want to know what's going on. Why is the guy who found your necklace giving you free coffee? Are you like, dating? "Of course not - don't be ridiculous."
Meanwhiile, Little Sister runs to to Mom and announces that the Doctor has found someone new. "Isn't it a little soon?" Mom asks, but she is delighted. They haven't even been on a date yet.
At that moment, the Baker arrives for his new job at the cafe. She introduces him to her son Tawan, the Pilot -- the guy he hooked up with last night! They struggle to bow politely.
Scene 11: Sailom hits the mental health clinic, but the Doctor is out doing field work with the SWING FOundation: Service Workers Group Foundation (sign in English and Thai) and finds him. "I was just...um...er...in the neighborhood...and...."
SWING provides mental health services for s*x workers. "They deserve the same protections as everyone else," The Doctor explains. Sailom is shocked, but tries not to show it.
"So, want to get dinner?" Sailom bashfully agrees. Is this like your first date, buddy?
Coming Up Next: We see the two couples forming, plus two new guys. By process of elimination, they must be Sky (mentioned earlier) and Nava (Thanat Wanattapong).
Left: Thanat, n*de on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends.
Beefcake: Quite a lot of shirtless shots, but come on -- not even a single bare backside?
Gay Characters: I think this is BL, an Asian genre with an unfortunate English name. It's not about kids; it's romance between femme young men, usually in a world where homophobia doesn't exist. Now we can figure out the main pairings, and the problems that threaten them:
The Doctor and Sailom (top left): a doctor/patient power differential, handling a relationship with someone who is autistic.
The Pilot and the Baker (top right): Guilt over the plane crash, the debt to the mob.
Sky and Nava (bottom): To be announced.
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My Grade: It was a pleasant, low-stakes story, with very nice Pattaya exteriors. We'll probably get heavier plotlines late, with the s*x workers and the hints of abuse, but for now, it's like eating a marshmallow. B+
Lee Doud: "I'm Fine," random n*de dudes, and anti-Asian prejudice in the gay community
One Night in Bangkok, Three Hundred Nights at Mugi
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