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[leenasfavs]

sorry to do this but also if you really think pat's relationship with his dad hasn't been irreparably damaged

when you think back to how upset he was that his dad, his closer parent, was 'disappointed in his priorities' over rugby and a play because they had never really fought before... to this... just because pat was his normal, smiling self (he laughs it off to his friends, but to pran shows his signature pained smile) doesn't mean things stayed the same.

bad buddy has been telling a very specific story, but it's an honest one. episode 12 showed you the happiness, but the sadness is there too. pat moved out right after graduation, keeps a distance from his father, and only went back home because pran was going to be there.

that's a lot of context in two short sentences—i don't work with my dad, i haven't been home in a long time—but it also goes to show that pat's thoughts weren't just "i'm going to lie to my family about the breakup" he changed his whole mindset before he came home from the beach that day. no wonder he cried.

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“It doesn't matter if it's true, what matters is that many other actors might have actually made Pat exactly this kind of guy who only softens once their relationship starts. But Ohm made him goofy and made the bragging fun, made him emotionally intelligent and empathetic, showed us how Pat feels even if Pat doesn't even know it yet.” bingo bingo bingo BINGO!!!!

I just thought about how Ohm and Nanon shaped their characters and thus the show so much, and especially Ohm's choice to play Pat as already in love with Pran in the very beginning.

I feel like their story would feel less impactful if he did what P'Aof asked of him and played Pat as not having feelings for Pran early on, and just suddenly falling in love in episode 5. How could you explain this intense commitment from the start, them choosing each other forever after basically one kiss, the sheer intensity of emotions in episode 5? If it wasn't for Ohm's choice here, it would kind of fall apart, almost.

And it fits what we're shown of their past so much better. Pat's intense desire to be noticed by Pran, the fact that he's always looking at him, trying to get a reaction, their evident closeness despite claiming to be rivals because they simply cannot stay away from each other (like we saw in the pictures from their high school days), the pick, the band, him helping Pran with the bus stop when he didn't have to, and the fact that Ink knows immediately that Pat's feelings for her aren't as real or as strong as he believes, because she saw them together and she knows who Pat's real match is and where his heart belongs. You could probably list 20 more things here, but the point is that the way Pat's behaviour is written wouldn't make as much sense if Ohm didn't play him the way he did.

Softer than intended, I assume, more emotionally vulnerable and open. I feel like Pat could've been a typical jock character: cool, arrogant, self obsessed, a heartbreaker, maybe not exactly someone Pran would "reasonably" fall for. Just think about how he constantly says how hot he is and how well he does with the ladies. It doesn't matter if it's true, what matters is that many other actors might have actually made Pat exactly this kind of guy who only softens once their relationship starts. But Ohm made him goofy and made the bragging fun, made him emotionally intelligent and empathetic, showed us how Pat feels even if Pat doesn't even know it yet.

And those choices made their love all the more powerful, more intense, and their struggles more tragic, because we now have two people who have both loved each other for so long, no matter if they were aware of it or not. And we have Pat who wears his feelings on his sleeve, who shows us again and again how he lights up around Pran, how he's the most true version of himself when they're together. And Ohm's acting just continuously emphasises this, even if it was not exactly written like this.

But when I look at the last scene, of them as kids, I can't help but think this is exactly what the story needed. A life long love that began as children who wanted to be friends so desperately they made a tin can phone just to be able to talk to each other, and just like Pran wanted to show in his song, slowly developed into something more over the years, even if one of them didn't even notice it.

So really, Ohm filled in the emotional gaps in the writing, and he did it masterfully.

#bad buddy #thai drama #pat u will always be my beloved #patpran u will always be famous

[leenasfavs]

“he acts as the bridge between architecture and engineering” GIVE ME UR BRAIN?????? hello?????

My top ten of Pat's shirts from Bad Buddy

10. Episode 5

This is the first of three shirts from this episode to make this list (the others are at no. 4 and 3) and it's not surprising really since Pat spends most of the episode gradually realising his feelings for Pran...and he figurately and literally wears his heart on his sleeve (or actually, his heart). This shirt appears towards the end, when he and Pran have co-ordinated colours - indicating they are moving closer to some kind of connection - both being in shades of blue and yellow/orange. The pièce de résistance, however, is the fully blossomed red/yellow flower over his heart signifying that Pat’s feelings for Pran have…well…fully blossomed.

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9. Episode 6

I had a difficult time deciding which shirts should be in these early spots (10/9) but this one just pipped the one at no. 10. It's seems very innocuous, un-interesting, un-important at first, but it's this subtlety that sets it a little apart -> Firstly, for a character who wears a lot of colour in general, it's very telling that this shirt is generally white - Pat wears it at a time when he's feeling troubled by the distance Pran has put between them after the rooftop kiss. And secondly, and this might be a reach, but Hilton Head (the grey print on the shirt) is a small island off the coast of South Carolina...so it could be symbolising how Pat feels disconnected, set apart, and detached from Pran. (Mentioned here)

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8. Episode 7

This is the first of two shirts in this episode to make this list (the other is no. 5) and one of the first times we see the colour brown up to this point (apart from on Pran's dad). At the end of the episode, Pat turns up at the theatre wearing this shirt with a face design to step in to play Riam - thus saving Pran the humiliation of grovelling to Chart (i.e. 'to save face') and instead choosing to sacrifice himself (hence the brown) by ‘losing’ the bet to Pran (even though he had already confessed).

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7. Episode 11

“An elephant never forgets.” -> A lot of episode 11 is about Pat and Pran running away from their lives...forgetting about their families, the lies they discovered, and the fear for their relationship once they go back. Pat also slowly realises that Pran is, and will always be, unable to forget his parents despite Pran being there for Pat and allowing Pat this moment of fantasy. They also spend much of the time at the beach not talking about any of this, avoiding the subject - i.e. the "elephant in the room" - instead distracting themselves with other things.

A bonus element with this shirt is the connection it has to the shirt at no. 6 in this list. Some people were wondering why "California” was used instead of the usual name of the store, “DM”, on the red t-shirt (below) - well maybe it's because Junior’s t-shirt in ep 11 - worn at the same time as Pat wears the elephant shirt - has “Malibu Beach California” on the front.

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6. Episode 10

@karometeenk has complete credit for the details about this one. First, the slogan is for a German drug store (we later see Pat and Pran get caught by Pat's parents in a supermarket) and it refers to a famous quote by Johann Wolfgang Goethe: "Hier bin ich Mensch, hier darf ich's sein" which translates to "Here I am human, here I can/am allowed to be one". This quote is from his tragedy Faust, and in one scene Faust goes into a monologue on a walk about the beauty of nature and how he can only truly be himself there, where no one is around. This foreshadows episode 11, where Pat and Pran run away to the sea, to nature. They can only be true to themselves there, where no one around knows them.

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5. Episode 7

I absolutely adored the moment Pat turned up in the theatre with this t-shirt and shirt combination. First, he's wearing his own blue underneath Pran's rich burgundy red - in a direct reversal and development of the Picasso-esque t-shirt with the splodge of red over the heart which he wore under a blue shirt when he realised his feelings for Pran in ep 5 (no. 3 in this list). But the pièce de résistance is that the only two words visible on the t-shirt are "your man?" Pat wears this during a scene where he confesses to Pran, thus losing the bet. He asks Pran - as Riam - "You asked if I wanted to be friends? What if my answer is no?" Essentially, "Am I/can I be your man?" (Mentioned here).

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4. Episode 5

The second of the three shirts from this episode...and the only reason this one isn't higher up is because of how ridiculous it is for the poignancy of the scene. BUT that is also exactly why it IS on my list AND so high 😂 But, putting the ridiculous aside, the deep red and blue of Pat's pants and top beautifully illustrate the depth of his feelings for Pran and the fact that the word "Baseball" almost blends in with the blue behind it shows how close Pat and Pran are to becoming a couple, a union, themselves. Of course, the loudness of the "mom" in white can't be ignored and it perhaps symbolises the obstacle they face in being open with their eventual relationship and a big reason why Pran left Pat alone. (As written about here).

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3. Episode 5

It took me a while after the episode to realise that the t-shirt Pat wears during his wonderful Oh moment about his feelings for Pran has a splodge of red over his heart. Not only that, but he's wearing a blue shirt (his own colour) over the top which partially obscures the red - illustrating how his feelings for Pran existed under the surface but took a while to be revealed. Even here they weren't fully realised, out in the open. It was only after being jealous of Wai's closeness to Pran later in the ep that he really understood the hold Pran had on his heart.

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2. Episode 9

To be honest, it was a close call between this and the shirt in the no. 1 spot...but this one is well-deserving for second place. As I wrote about it here, this shirt has Pran's red, his own blue, and a bridge lit up with yellow lights (their love and happiness) on the print. It symbolises how Pat this episode is the bridge between the two faculties and more importantly between Pran and Wai. Not only that, the bridge itself is an iconic image of the power of collaboration between architecture and engineering.

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Before I get to no. 1, I want to give a special mention to some that didn't make the list: the green 'Lucky' t-shirt from ep 1; the Tim Horton's 'Smile cookie' t-shirt in ep 3; the tie-die t-shirt at the end of ep 6; and the smiley face t-shirt featured in ep 1 and finally worn in ep 12. All fantastic in their own little way.

Okay, on to no.1...

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1. Episode 4

Even eight episodes on, I still can't get over the genius of this shirt...but in fairness its brilliance shines best when Ink's and Pran's coinciding tops are also taken into account. As I gushed about it before, this shirt has two colours overlapping in the leaf design: One a light yellowy/greeny/cream and the other a light grey/blue. These are the two colours that Ink and Pran wear respectively in their scenes with Pat in the episode - indicating his divided affections for them, with one fading and the other growing. 👩🏽‍🍳💋

#bad buddy #thai drama #i love this entire analysis

[leenasfavs]

that list i made a long time ago (i cant reblog it cuz i’m on the web app rn lol) had 13 things i wanted to see in the show and bad buddy managed to accomplish 11 of them. wow

#bad buddy #thai drama #a show for ME #:)

[leenasfavs]

the…. red and …. blue threads …. of fate….. i’m …… CRYINF

but they couldn’t change the two of us either

twitter | redbubble

#WTF #BEAUTIFUL #patpran #bad buddy #thai drama

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“May I?” “You may.”

#i got chills #i’m such a sucker for romance

[leenasfavs]

— I’d like to compose something that conveys the sense of ‘born to be together.’ Like… growing up together, seeing each other every day. Nothing happens at the beginning but without realizing it, their feelings… — Their feelings have changed. And they become rivals.

[leenasfavs]

i am losing my entire sanity pls stop bbs watchers yall are too good at this

oh my god I just realized... pat brings music back to pran, always. first it was the guitar, the pick, and then the earphones. ahdhakjgjaly he brings back music to him that's so romantic when you think about it

#bad buddy #thai drama

[leenasfavs]

oh. reading that first paragraph, something clicked for me. ty

the thing is, “i cant change my parents and its not my responsibility to make them feel better about their mistakes; all i can do is move forward, freeing myself from their pressure/influence to live my life my way” is exactly what i needed to hear right now. and i really hope everyone involved in making bad buddy knows the absolutely groundbreaking things it has done to my mental health

like im so overwhelmed by the amount of healing i have ahead of me but this show is one of the few things that has made it seem actually truly possible. i know theyre just characters and its just a story. but the struggle is real. the choice you have to carry on with stubborn optimism is real

#bad buddy #thai drama #my thoughts

[leenasfavs]

i don’t even like flashbacks but gd did this show make me love them

“He’s born to be my rival.” 

“I was forbidden from being friends with him.”

“True, but we weren’t exactly obedient kids.” 

#bad buddy #thai drama

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It’s true that I’m your peer mentor. But I had to fight everyone in our faculty to get you to be my peer mentee. The whole faculty. I have always had eyes for you. I just wasn’t sure what you thought of me. Since when? High school.

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He taps Pran’s head and smooths down his hair, a comforting gesture, always meant more for him than for Pran. He hums.

“I’ll take all the love that’s bursting out of you. I’ll take good care of it. I’ll keep it safe.” (x)

#i am … so sad #so sad #a love like theirs #when #bad buddy #patpran #thai drama

[leenasfavs]

crying

Obsessed with how it all just clicked for Pat in ONE DAY and he NEVER looked back.

He kisses Pran ONCE and is immediately like “Yup that’s it. That’s the love of my life right there. I’m set. This is all I’ve ever needed and will ever need. I’m good for life. I will convince this scared dummy to be with me and I will NEVER let him go.”

And he does just THAT.

#bad buddy #thai drama #there you are by zayn plays

[leenasfavs]

patpran being the healthiest relationship to ever relationship

bad buddy episode 9

[leenasfavs]

BBS EP12: The Small Moments (or Attack of the Parallels)

I’ve now watched this perfect episode half a dozen times and keep discovering these small, quiet moments that P’Aof sneaks in between the bigger ones. P’Aof is so adept at layering his narrative; he’s like a puzzle maker revealing small pieces at a time that seemingly don’t fit only for it to form a full and complete picture later. It reminds me of those i-spy/hidden picture books, there’s just so much to look at that you miss out on the tiny details that make the whole thing just sing. He’s also great at crafting the series as a complete journey with many call backs to previous scenes. 

We open with Pat waking up and brushing his teeth. He takes several beats here to stare wistfully at his toothbrush. The first time I watched this I interpreted this as him remembering Pran putting toothpaste on his toothbrush for him. BUT on rewatch, I re-interpreted this as Pat missing Pran and wondering if he’s awake and going about his morning routines too. Then we jump to Pran doing that very thing. It’s a nod to the opening sequence of EP2 where we see them each getting ready for their morning classes. This seemingly small detail is so well done.

In the high school flashbacks we are shown that PatPran have always been looking at each other and still are years later. Pat finally got his man’s attention after so much pigtail-pulling antics, but it’s only more recently that he learns he’s always had it.

When Pat opens the door and reveals Pran, we can see him visibly swallowing like he has to catch his breath or stop himself from reaching out and grabbing Pran. Such a great small detail by Ohm.

The micellar face wiping scene needs no explanation. And that line you’re still the cutest, put your face on my palm I am lit from within every time I watch this scene.

Pran’s I hate you from EP4 compared to Pran’s I still hate you in this episode. We know both times it’s him saying the opposite and Pat knows it now too.

Pat’s come here when he shows Pran the memory board. Another great call back to EP5′s come here. Same words, same intent but different delivery.

Pat kept most of Pran’s emoji lights because he misses him and simultaneously wanted to recreate their college ‘love nest’. He even kept all their post-it notes, what a Pran thing to do.

Their entire duologue about being rivals (this guy with the fierce eyes is Pat/This guy with the dimples is Pran) while standing in front of the memory board is a call back to their first reunion in EP1. Then we see the young versions of themselves standing in front of their respective houses in the same way the grown versions do in both the end of EP11 and in this episode. Magnificient parallels.

The running gag of Pran forgetting his earbuds case and Pran ‘scenting’ his friend/unfriend shirt for Pat. It’s comforting that years later Pat still isn’t over Pran’s smell.

The fake enemies walking towards each other on campus only to hook pinkies as they pass is a great nod to EP7′s “the bet” when they secretly held hands at the bus stop.

Pat bundled in a comforter with Nong Nao in his arms rushing over to Pran’s for a sleepover. Such small yet so complete detailing.

The return to the noodle stand in front of their dorms where Pran orders an extra wonton for Pat to steal. What a sweet call back to EP3 and the hilarious chopsticks duel. Also note that Pran lines up his chopsticks to make sure they’re even. This show is so amazingly consistent with its characterization.

Pat asking Pran when he’ll get to enter his house normally like other people and Pran’s response that’s for other people and Pat isn’t one of them and why would he want to be? Pat has special access, for life. What a simple, perfect response.

In Pran’s room, PatPran sing “Just Friends” to each other while Pran’s parents are downstairs. Such a great juxtaposition to his parents walking in and disrupting their Christmas performance of the same song but now with different results. I can’t get over Dissaya’s quiet smile here and Dad knowingly placing his head on her shoulder saying I’m proud of you honey. I’ve said it before but it’s worth mentioning again, this was my favorite non-PatPran scene of the episode.

The string-can telephone scene on the balcony- how they had young PatPran dressed in the same color scheme and style as their older selves is such a small detail but man does it stick the landing.

Pat singing Same Page when he kisses Pran during their nighttime picnic on Pat’s patio. So many sweet moments in this scene calling back to their competitiveness.

Pat knowing that the first song Pran ever learned guitar chords for is from the band So Cool is such a great call back to EP5. Something Pran probably doesn’t go around broadcasting, but Pat is adorably proud of himself for knowing this about Pran that nobody else does.

PatPran engaging in foreplay and chasing each other in the bonus credit scene was perfection and also is a big nod to their race to their dorms in EP3. 

The background music in this episode was on point. They used so many recognizable songs from the series creating this feeling of nostalgia and warmth, it never feels overdone or formulaic- just cozy and familar, like coming home.

I may go back and do these small moments and parallels for each episode at some point, maybe. In the meantime, you can find my intital reaction on my first viewing of EP12 here.

#bad buddy #thai drama #always a sucker for callbacks

[leenasfavs]

“this show stuck the landing“ 👏

I thought I was done talking about Bad Buddy in long winded ways but apparently not.

So, I was clowned! And I think a lot of us were. A week of listening to sad music, worrying over Pat and Pran, and anxiety for the upcoming episode. All of that for P'Aof just to rub it in my face that he knows what he is doing and I need to trust in him.

Let's talk about the moment Pat opens the door on Pran. The look on Pran's face and I screamed these little shits! I knew after two whole breaks that I have been played. They are together, they have been together, madly in love and playing everyone. Am I mad to have been manipulated? I don't know. And I don't know if I will ever decide if I am OK with it or not. I think in part it works because I watched this show as it aired. I was able to partake in the sadness after ep 11 and the excitement of everyone as ep 12 was airing. But on the other hand, they played us like a fiddle. They used our love for Pat and Pran against us. But at the end, I dont think I care how they did it. The last episode made me smile and the boys are still together which is really all I cared about.

My big take away from the episode, Pat loves to kiss Pran but Pran is the kinky one. Rubbing that shirt all over himself and then handing it off all confident was something to see. He is finally so comfortable with Pat and his love for his big crazy puppy that nothing is holding him back. The ending chase around the house was so adorable and felt so Pat and Pran in the best way possible.

Oh their parents. What annoying idiots! They know what is happening. The audience knows they know. But they won't just be decent humans and tell their sons they are free to love who they want. But the best part is Pat and Pran are not really hiding it. They are not secretive or subtle. They are doing everything except outright saying they are dating and I am so happy for them. Their parents have decided to not be a supportive part of their lives and Patpran said fine, we will be in love and not allow you to be part of that part of our lives. You won't change how we feel. And you can tell Pat hasn't really forgiven his father. They have their own version of a relationship right now, it is not overly healthy but Pat always said he would give up everything for Pran. And his evil father doesn't deserve Pat's best so he won't give it to him.

I have rambled on before about how appreciative I am of this show. For the groundbreaking nature of the messages they chose to use and the representation they put on screen. And that still holds true. The show stuck the landing, and in doing so, will be fondly remembered by many including myself. I am not sure when something like this show will happen again, but as I say goodbye to Bad Buddy and the wonderful fandom around it, I hope we all find a new show to latch onto and grow from in the future.

Goodbye Bad Buddy, thanks for the ride.

#ah what lovely words #for me and majority of ppl it’s true #for those of us who this is not true for #ur opinions are valid too #<3 #bad buddy #thai drama

[leenasfavs]

oh! oh wow. the implications, how did i miss it

The one time they couldn't complete their Just Friends? performance/ The one time they completed their Just Friends? performance

#was too busy being broken-hearted over exes patpran #to find out they never broke up … #🤡 #bad buddy #thai drama #bad buddy the series