To Be Continued Review – Estranged BFFs to Lovers
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Can a handsome, popular actor win over a busy doctor who prefers to run in the opposite direction at the mere sight of him?
Jirawat, an orthopedic doctor leading a low-key yet busy life, faces an unexpected disruption when he encounters his estranged high-school best friend, Achivich, after a decade. This unexpected meeting occurs during a brief visit to his hometown for their school reunion party. It’s evident that they had more than just platonic feelings for each other in the past, but seemed to have ended their friendship on a bitter note. As they reconnect, Achivich, who is now a famous movie star, makes advances towards Jirawat, setting the stage for a romantic story about whether the doctor is ready to open his heart again.
Directed by Kla Nathawat Piyanonpong, the 2024 Thai romance series “To Be Continued” (คุณได้ไปต่อ) has been adapted from a novel of the same name by Nottakorn. Spanning eight episodes, the series stars Fluke Pongsapat Kankam and Junior Kajbhunditt Jaidee as lead couple Jirawat and Achivich respectively. Flashbacks to their high-school life slowly reveals what really transpired between the two over the course of the show, while Achivich attempts to win over extremely aloof Jirawat in the present.
“To Be Continued” (คุณได้ไปต่อ) is a rather straightforward story that introduces two unnecessary romantic subplots involving different characters apart from the primary leads. One subplot follows Jirawat’s younger brother Ki (Franky Weerapat Onsa-ard), who is a vlogger, and the other involves Jirawat’s friend Dr. Peh (Poppy Ratchapong Anomakiti), who has a crush on another doctor. These additional pairs are completely boring, and the writers should have used them for brief character interactions with the primary leads, dedicating more time to exploring Jirawat and Achivich’s dynamics. For example, the creators don’t properly explain why Achivich decides to re-enter Jirawat’s life after ten long years.
Fluke Pongsapat Kankam and Junior Kajbhunditt Jaidee look good together as Jirawat and Achivich, but their chemistry is hit-and-miss; sometimes it’s convincing, other times, not so much. Junior Kajbhunditt Jaidee’s portrayal of Achivich was slightly reminiscent of Nubsib from “Lovely Writer”, a popular actor who pursues an author, although Junior isn’t as charming and is pretty stiff in many scenes. Fluke Pongsapat Kankam also wavers in his delivery, but he shoulders the emotional parts well, especially one particular scene where he is completely blindsided and heartbroken for the first time.
The high-school flashbacks make “To Be Continued” interesting, as the friendship and closeness between the leads are endearing. However, the incident that triggered their estrangement is only revealed in episode seven, the penultimate episode, leaving considerable suspense about why Jirawat is upset with Achivich. This slow-burn pace can test the viewer’s patience. Ultimately, the “misunderstanding” between them is smoothly resolved for the climax, leading to an overly sweet ending where they bury the hatchet.
With stronger writing, and a better sound-track, “To Be Continued” could have been much more entertaining. In its present form, it’s far too long and overstretched, but probably a decent one-time watch if you’re looking for a simple romance that doesn’t delve deeply into the dynamics between the main protagonists.
Rating: 5.5 on 10. You can stream it on Netflix (only in some countries).
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