Step by Step Review – Slow, Steady, Then Slips
If done right, slow-burn romances are absolutely delightful. However, sometimes the lines between slow-burn and snooze-fest can become blurred, which is what happened with the 2023 Thai series “Step by Step.” Like the title suggests, the story develops leisurely and is quite enjoyable in the beginning, but slowly become uninteresting.
Directed by Tee Bundit Sintanaparadee, the 12-episode show explores the growing relationship between a young man and the head of his department. However, the superior-subordinate relationship at the workplace complicates their romance. Newcomer Ben Bunyapol Likhitamnuayporn plays the protagonist, Pat, a bright and sweet digital marketing employee who, like many youngsters new to work, gets upset quickly over criticism and has a difficult time with people in authority. Man Trisanu Soranun portrays Jeng, Pat’s dashing new boss who micromanages everything and doesn’t easily trust his juniors. Both Ben and Jeng are worlds apart in terms of personalities, have a significant age gap, and take time to fall for each other. The awkwardness between the lead characters during their “getting to know each other” phase was realistic; however, it eventually becomes too sluggish.
There are a whole bunch of supporting characters in the series, and funnily, a lot of them are far more lively and interesting than Pat and Jeng. The cutest element in “Step by Step” was the friendship between Pat and new employee Chot (Bruce Bruce Sirikorn Kananurak), the two of them are just colleagues, but behave like two giggly twins. Bruce’s last support role was in Thai romance “Lovely Writer”, where he played the bratty bad boy Aoey, but he is a bundle of joy and sweetness as Chot. Up Poompat Iam-samang plays Pat’s ex-boyfriend Put, who is a rising TV star and hopes for a second shot at their relationship.
While Ben does a great job in his role, his character comes across as extremely childish. Instead of maturing over time, the script treats him like a kid until the very end. On the other hand, Man Trisanu Soranun delivers a measured performance as Jeng, the older character who is under a lot of invisible pressure to maintain a perfect persona in public. Jeng is portrayed as older, confident, straightforward, and considerate, while Pat is chaotic and in need of personal growth.
Saint Paramee Mahatthanadul, who plays Jeng’s younger brother Jaab, feels like a character straight out of a romantic comic. He has a whole romantic sub-plot to himself, which unfortunately is almost forgotten in the end. Or maybe I missed some parts due to fast-forwarding stuff in the last few episodes of the series, as things felt stretched out and boring. “Step by Step” initially starts off as a promising and steady love story but loses its way midway through.
It’s a 6 on 10 from me. You can stream the series on YouTube.
