#only friends episode 11

[ikarakie]

“how about you guys kiss?” no one move he is doing gods work

#ray only friends #sand only friends #boeing only friends #only friends #only friends the series #only friends ep 11 #only friends episode 11 #onf #gmmtv #first kanaphan #khaotung thanawat #mond tanutchai #sandray #raysand #boeingsand #sandboeing

[jenyifer]

Humm why am I so quiet well I’m still in shock because Neo Trai is fucking genius fantastic at playing Boston. I can’t stand how in love Boston is with Nick. I talked about yesterday about how Boston is scared and in love with Nick because He NEEDS Nick to stay. And I felt like this was only plus one by this weeks ep. If Boston wiretapped Nick I won’t be surprised it would just be because he’s obsessed.

Neo’s acting makes me want to fall in love and I definitely had sworn off ever doing that again

#only friends the series #only friends #ofts #neo trai #only friends Boston #ofts Boston #bostonnick #only friends episode 11 #ofts ep11 #Jenny’s rambling

[thatgirl4815]

YESSS JEALOUS RAY GO GET YOUR MANS

#only friends the series #only friends #ofts #sandray #raysand #raysan #sanray #only friends episode 11

[1stthingsfirst]

Some of this discourse has sprung from confusion around tapering off drinking vs. going cold turkey. Although it wasn't said, I assume Ray is tapering off, so him drinking in episode 11 is not inherently troubling. My broader point stands regardless so for simplicity, I don't address Ray drinking/not drinking and instead address being involved/not being involved in a partner's recovery.

I've seen multiple comments that essentially say it's not Sand's responsibility to monitor Ray/Ray's drinking. On the surface, yes, the only person ultimately responsible for Ray and Ray's drinking is Ray.

However, if Sand is choosing to date Ray, then he is choosing to also have Ray's alcoholism in his life. If he's choosing to have Ray's alcoholism in his life, then I'd hope it would impact their mutual relationship to alcohol. It could be as minor as just thinking about it more, but it could mean assisting with Ray's recovery.

I don't mean that Sand should measure out Ray's drinks or track how many he's had. I mean that the person Sand loves is an alcoholic, Sand chose to start dating him at the start of his rehab, and Sand chose to involve himself in the rehab by pushing for, researching, and even taking Ray to it. It is not unreasonable to expect Sand to participate in the recovery that he actively pushed for.

In fact, many rehab programs (in the US) require friends/families to be involved through occasional visits, participating in therapy sessions together, regularly attending Al-Anon/Alateen, etc.

Beyond the rehab context, if my alcoholic family member came over, I wouldn't offer them a drink, and I also probably wouldn't pour myself a drink or leave open bottles out. That's not because I'm responsible for their sobriety or because I'm worried they'll relapse. That's because it's the kind, supportive thing to do.

I'm perplexed that people believe Sand shouldn't consider Ray's drinking when Ray is just starting rehab and Sand wants to be in a relationship with him. How can he not consider Ray's drinking?

Again, Sand does not have to monitor Ray. He is not responsible for Ray or Ray's drinking. Frankly, if he monitored too closely, he could feel like a parent more than a partner and that could cause issues. However, Sand is responsible for himself and his behavior, and he should be responsible for not contributing to his partner's alcoholism. That seems like basic human decency.

#only friends the series #ofts #only friends #sand only friends #ray only friends #raysand #sandray #first kanaphan #khaotung thanawat #firstkhao #sand x ray #ray x sand #raysan #sanray #ofts ep11 #only friends episode 11 #gmmtv #gmmtv series #asianlgbtqdramas #thai bl #thai drama #meta #alcoholism #addiction #rehab #tell me you have never met an addict without telling me you've never met an addict #meanwhile i have the unconscious cost-benefit analysis #weighing potential harm against potential benefits #and 99% of the time it doesn't feel worth it

[un-healthyobsession]

For Only Friends ep11, I am going to need Nick to open his box of secret bug things and expose Atom for the disgusting liar that he is. Put those morally dubious spy skills to good use.

#only friends the series #bostonnick #only friends episode 11

[hay1ock]

Only Friends Episode 11. I love Ray and Sand so much 😭 Yeah, mainly a Ray and Sand ramble this week. Oops lol

I’m so glad we got to see them coming back together this episode rather than skipping ahead or anything. The first scene with Sand and Yo and then Plug showing up. 1. I’m so happy they got back together. The question of ‘Do you want to be taken care of?’ And Yo’s little nods😭 Cos seriously same. Take care of me! And 2. I liked how Yo’s fears were tied to Ray’s, about people just wanting her for money and scared when someone claims to genuinely love her. And Sand expressing what he wished Ray might do, take a risk and believe someone cares for him.

Ray’s scene with Sand’s mum was lovely. He’d never had that nurturing loving experience with his own mum and even if Ray’s dad asked Sand for help, the way he speaks and acts towards his son leaves a lot to be desired. So it was great to see her being gentle and understanding, even rooting for him and Sand to patch things up. The switch to then Sand in the bar with his father, the strange comfort he received from someone who would only consider themselves a stranger in Sand’s life. First’s acting though, the slightly teary eyes and voice crack when it was pointed out he was alone that night. Yeah, I really liked they found a little comfort from the parental figures each had been missing in their lives.

‘Sand’. Ray found him 🥺 The way they looked at each other, Ray’s repeated ‘I’m sorry’, the tears, the hug, the relief for both of them. I knew I would love these characters at the very least on the surface level because they are wearing First’s and Khaotung’s faces, but honestly, these two… I care so much about them. For me their characters have been the most interesting and as we moved through the episodes I really wanted for them to overcome the obstacles and Ray’s issues to be able to be together. I truly hope they get a happy (or at the very least open/hopeful ending).

But anyway, the next couple of scenes are adorable - the bathtub and hand holding, Ray’s community service and the kids, planning for music festivals and getting passports. And then the music store scene and the way Sand rubbed the back of Ray’s head and how stupidly cute Ray was looking and the singing and… It’s amazing to see them like this. We’d had fleeting peeks before of how their relationship might be when Ray wasn’t spiralling, so it was great to see them just getting to be together when things had settled a little.

And then ‘he came in like a wrecking balllll’. Hi Boeing. Even though I’m a little hmm about Top and Mew sometimes, I didn’t exactly enjoy Boeing meddling so was glad Mew had eventually turned him away. Unfortunately, that now means he’s moved onto Sand. The way they focussed on his hand lingering on Sand’s shoulder when they met up. I’m not sure where Boeing’s been until Top brought him back into the Only Friends world, so all this time Sand’s anger has been directed at Top. It’s also probably easier to hate the person you weren’t in love with. Mew still loves Top despite the cheating, so I don’t see why that can’t be true for Sand. There’s not really a time period on a persons feelings toward another. But yeah *curses Top for needing a sleeping buddy* Boeing was given a kind of false hope with Top, then tried to play dirty riling up Mew, and now humiliated and tossed aside has turned to Sand. Maybe he thought he could use Sand’s old feelings and this time get what he wants, some kind of validation of himself. We don’t know that much about him, other than he does seem to enjoy manipulating things and not happy when things don’t go his way. So I do wonder if he thought Sand might be an easy victory, and not necessarily in a relationship way, just a use and dump, but then here’s Ray and now it’s a bigger challenge, so he goes all in and kinda twists things as if he is the one wronged and who suffered😑

Not sure where I stand on the whole sending Ray away thing. Part of me would want him there ‘if you’ve got something to say, you can say it to both of us’, but also, I don’t trust Boeing and really wouldn’t want him finding anything out about Ray, probably a reason Sand hadn’t mentioned he had a boyfriend (though maybe Ray would have really left the bar feeling more confident and secure about their relationship if he had and Boeing hadn’t dropped Sand in it - he knew what he was doing), plus there’s a chance Boeing could say something that upsets Ray and he’s early in his rehab efforts with therapy and reducing his alcohol consumption so…

As Sand’s mum said, Sand is super caring and wants to be there for people, and with the memories and feelings of what was between them I get why he might be hesitant to cut Boeing off as if they’d been nothing to one another. It’s a tough one and I’ll be interested to see if next episode we get some kind of flashback, a bit like how people were conflicted about Ray leaving Sand for Mew at the end of episode 3 and then we got the bathtub flashback and kiss, and whether you agreed with Ray’s actions or not, you could at least understand from his POV why he picked up the call and went to help Mew. Hoping we do get one or maybe more confirmation on how their relationship was.

I’m glad Ray stepped in, I’m not sure which way Sand would have gone in the end, not so much any kind of cheating I don’t feel, but at the very least letting Boeing hang around him further into the night. The suggestion of a pool party, however, I did not expect. Not 100% sure what Ray is hoping to achieve, maybe it’s a ‘keep your enemies close’ kind of thing and trying to get a feel for what angle Boeing is playing. Also, not a test as such, but wanted to assess what is going on with Sand and his feelings. It hasn’t been long since Ray’s doubts and insecurities had him yelling and crying and slamming lockers. No matter who tells him, his father, Sand’s mum, Sand himself, how much Sand cares for him, I’m sure those insecurities can’t simply vanish in an instant. I’ll be interested to see what the hell’s going to happen next episode between the 3 of them. Also, I hope Ray isn’t drinking in the pool because he’s feeling stressed (so in excess) vs what I’m assuming is a set daily amount/gradual reduction during rehab.

Okay, not going to add too much on anyone else this week (I say) as it’s nearly time for episode 12.

Top and Mew. I honestly don’t know how I feel about them anymore. I think I’m as tired as Top lol. While I agree with Top over Mew needing to give him a proper chance, get shut of Boeing and his second round of revenge, and also sympathise with him being in love and having changed and feeling guilty and wanting to be forgiven, I also don’t like how Top went about certain things. Like talking to Mew’s mums, following him about, turning up in front of him so often and I feel like he never gave Mew a chance to deal properly with his feelings without him being in front of Mew and constantly bringing him back to that initial anger and bitterness, saying he’s suffered enough - I’m not sure it’s his place to say that - asking Mew to move in already and to make up for the time Mew was ‘sulking’ - my guy, it’s not like you ate his last candy bar or something. You fucked his friend!

If Mew loves him and is now willing to give Top a real chance, no more games, then good luck to them both. I’ve said before about ‘the heart wants what the heart wants’. I’ve never been put in Mew’s position. I can theorise all I like, but in reality I might feel differently. So, as long as they are properly onboard giving their relationship a second chance then so am I.

Nick and Boston. Again, so long as there’s no more games and crying, and everybody knows where they stand, then I can happily be onboard for whatever relationship they decide upon and for however long that is for. I am a little sus over Dan’s expression, however, when Nick left, having turned down the boyfriend idea. Surely, there isn’t enough time for him to make a mess as well as Boeing?

Atom and Cheum. Feel a bit bad as to how Nick and Boston went about setting him up for a confession, but I mean, it was a particularly shitty lie he made about Boston that if taken seriously and to the police, could have ruined Boston’s life. I’m glad he confessed to Cheum and yes as his sister she had every right to believe him last week and to comfort and hug him this week, but, a little more scolding than ‘my wicked little brother’ might have endeared her to me as I’ve not been her greatest fan over certain scenes/actions.

I think that’ll do for this episode. Really excited to see how the series ends❤️

#only friends the series #only friends episode 11 #I can’t believe it’s almost over #firstkhaotung #sandray #bostonnick #neomark #topmew #forcebook

[yourstargazing]

given the amount of times hes suggested it, i think ray really wants to be in a threesome

#and honestly when mond shows up in ur life #like yeah why not #only friends #only friends the series #ofts #only friends episode 11

[victorialovesstiles]

Ray and his need to be actively chosen - another Only Friends ramble:

I made this post about how Ray uses threesomes as a way to validate to himself the depth of Sand’s feelings for him - and I have a lot of continued thoughts on the matter after the last episode.

Though Ray’s confidence was wavering when it came to the situation with Boeing. It was interesting to see Ray continue to use this method in Episode 11. It’s a real testament to the fractured way that Ray has learned to love and be loved.

Look at the way Ray takes a breath before telling Sand he can get in the pool naked. He closes his eyes and actually considers what he’s about to say before saying it (for once). But ultimately he’s compelled by his need to actively be chosen by Sand, and his awareness that he doesn’t know any other way to get the validation he’s missing:

In all of Ray’s past “suggestions”, he was sure Sand would reject the idea (see linked post for the reason why Ray had this confidence). And because he was sure Sand would say no, Ray would usually ask teasingly, with a smirk and tongue in cheek attitude.

But that doesn’t happen here…

Here, Ray is worried, he is afraid of Sand’s answer. The small smile he gives Sand does little to veil his real intention - which is to test Sand.

And Sand passes, he rejects the precarious situation. He doesn’t want to get naked (and in turn be naked with Boeing).

In earlier scenes when Sand refused these types of suggestions (when he gave Ray the answer he was looking for) we’d get a smug look from Ray. A sort of “I knew it” face:

That also doesn’t happen here. Even though Sand passed the test, Ray couldn’t take any solace in it because he didn’t “know it” - he wasn’t actually sure what Sand would decide… there’s not an ounce of smugness on Ray’s face after Sand’s answer:

I think a big part of this is because Sand already failed test number one.

The last time Ray used his pool as a suggestion to “continue the night” was the first time Ray tested Sand with Amm:

And with Amm, Sand shut it down immediately. Sand actively chose to go with Ray, alone, even over a one night stand (not to mention this is also the first night SandRay gets together).

But with Boeing, Sand shuts it down in a very different way. He doesn’t choose to go with Ray, and instead tells Ray to go home without him:

This doesn’t work for Ray, this is a failed test. To Ray, Sand let Boeing come over, let them get in the pool, let Boeing continue to flirt and make eyes at him. To Ray, this is uncharted territory - Sand is not acting like Sand, Sand is not actively choosing him…

I’m not surprised that Ray continues to test Sand in the next episode.

He will likely continue to push and push and push until Sand (in his mind) chooses him, actively and enthusiastically.

#firstkhao #only friends the series #sandray #first kanaphan #khaotung thanawat #only friends ray #only friends sand #only friends series #raysand #firstkhaotung #ofts #ofts meta #only friends series episode 11 #only friends #only friends meta

[blmpff]

MY BELOVED MURDER HUSBANDS <3

leave the planning to Nick

#murder is back on the table guys #ofts #only friends the series #bostonnick #ofts lb ep11 #ofts bn ap #episode 11 #blmpff

[deityofhearts]

sometimes I have thoughts about my little pony,,, (please ignore that there are errors a plenty and that my writing sucks i just word vomited this in my notes app without a second thought okay?)

#deity dialogue #I should probably just send this to stara and xena directly as they’re the ones who care most about my pinky thoughts but ya know #sorry for so much pony posting lately it’s been on my mind a lot can you tell? #I also think it should have taken multiple episodes for them to defeat nightmare moon and each episode should’ve revolved around twilight #and the rest of the mane six becoming friends #in the order of pinkie pie applejack rarity rainbow dash and fluttershy #and I think that nightmare moon and her character and pqst should’ve been explored more as well #and also she should’ve taunted the mane six in their nightmares via lunas dream magic #ugh #if only I was writing mlp and not like 11 when it aired

[chaos0pikachu]

Top is Boring & He Didn't Have to Be

tldr: I'm stanning Top outta spite b/c the show won't develop him beyond being Mew's True Love

Hear me out, I have been on the "Top's a fuckboi" train since ep01 and while I don't think that anymore I do miss when Top had a freaking personality.

There's a separate post to make about what I consider mid writing in regards to Top and Mew's romantic relationship, but I ain't getting into all~~ that in this post. The point is, during their relationship both post and pre breakup, Mew under goes change, and is the focal character in that entire story. He's an active participant in that plot and has subplots with Boston and Ray.

Top doesn't. Top exists only to be Mew's True Love at this point. He has no story outside of that. He wanted to get with Mew for selfish reasons initially, somewhere along the line fell in love (which was majority from Mew's POV), and now just wants to win Mew back.

As a character his story has become stagnant: Top starts the series pursuing Mew, post inciting incident he's still pursuing Mew. Nothing's really changed for him as a character he's doing the same shit.

What does Top want outside of being with Mew? We don't know! It doesn't matter. That's his only motivation: to win Mew back. He character begins and ends there.

He hasn't even been given a scene to like, talk about why he loves Mew so much. Or for us as an audience to understand why he loves Mew; let's look at a counterpoint: Sand & Ray.

Textually Ray has said Sand makes him incredibly happy, we've also seen them bond over common interests like music, Sand has been a foundation for Ray's rehabilitation. We've also learned things about them via them opening up to each other. Ray has opened up to Sand about his mother, Sand has talked about his father, he's shared his dream of traveling to music festivals with Ray. I have my issues with Sand and Ray as a couple, but the narrative has made clear why they like each other at least. And been sure to have them both take an active interest in the other (even if Ray was poor touring for a bit).

We've only seen one scene where we see that Mew provided Top with a sense of comfort (with his insomnia), and then like, nothing outside of that. Everything else is from Mew's pov. Their various dates have always had Mew as the focal point, and none of them had Top opening up to Mew or Mew taking an active interest in Top as a person. So we learn nothing about Top by extension. He's just The Ideal.

I originally thought this was intentional, but apparently it was not and just meant to be viewed as straightforwardly romantic. Because they broke up and we still haven't learned anything about Top outside of: he's in love with Mew, he wants to be with Mew.

Hell during their silent dance date I woulda taken Top saying he wanted to be a disco dancer but is pursuing business instead for stability like something! Top also did coke to cope but that was dropped too and even that ended up being more about Mew than Top. We don't see Top bringing up his past coke usage even as a warning for Mew, or cautionary tale, or even like "remember when you told me to stop doing coke and now you're doing coke what the fuck happened Mew??"

All the other characters at least have interests. We know Top draws, but the show hasn't even given him a like "lemme draw Mew like one of my french girls" scene. Or a scene where he like, shows Mew his drawings of his family and talks about them.

Did Top start drawing as an outlet after the fire? Does his family support his art? Does he have any interest in like, exploring art museums, does he want to open his own art exhibit, or travel to see a specific piece or work or anything??

There coulda been a parallel with Boston/Nick where Top's other boyfriends never took an active interest in his art but Mew validates it making it hurt all the more when Mew burns it in front of him later.

Other characters are allowed interests and backstory to enrich them. Nick has an interest in tech, okay now he's interning at an animation/film studio. Ray has his alcoholism recovery storyline, Sand loves music and wants to travel festivals. Boston likes photography. They've all talked about their families at some point and we've met all of their parents at this point (including Mew's even!).

Does Top have parents/guardians or was he an egg? Is he bl baby jesus?

What does Top want? Who is he as a character?

The narrative may have no empathy for Boston as a character, but at least Boston is a fully realized one. He has motivations, a home life, he has interests, he's going to New York, he's selfish, impulsive and genuinely can be a decent person. He's got relationships with various characters that aren't about his relationship with Nick, nor is that all he discusses with them.

Top talks to Cheum, well it's about Mew. Top talks with Ray, well that's also about Mew. Top talks with Boston (post breakup), yeah, that's about Mew too. Even his conversations with Boeing are about Mew. Heck his convos with Sand are about Boeing and Mew so I guess there's at least a little variety there.

I was hoping for Top and Boeing to have like, A Conversation. Clearly Top feels safe enough to rely on Boeing to help him sleep, that would require a certain level of trust right? Or does Top have a rotating list of ex's he asks for help with this? Or not? We don't know he never discusses it! What was Top and Boeing's relationship like post-breakup? Boeing seems bitter, and yet he's also helping Top out with something super personal at the same time?

Does Top have any friends? People he can open up to about, ya know, himself?

I know that people (shippers) probably would've disliked it but I think there coulda been something if Top and Boston actually became friends post-fucked-up-hook-up.

Their consent was violated after all, what if they got to, ya know, actually talk about that? What if at the party Boston and Top didn't talk about just Mew and after Boston's bitchy comments they had a real conversation? We learned something about Top and how he's feeling outside of sad-mew-dumped-him. What if he told Boston about how he can't sleep, so he's been drawing more, and Boston sees Top as like, A Person, rather than a conquest (lord knows Boston needs new friends who won't call him a whore and say he should've never been born).

Or hell Nick?? Maybe Nick could've reached out to Top and been like "sorry I recorded you having sex without your consent bro" and Top could again, talk about what happened to him and how it effected him outside of Mew?? Nick is good at making friends, he's a good listener, he's genuinely sorry about what he did so why not? Nick could've talked to Top at the party, and it would have opened up a chance to get Top's pov on what happened. Top could've made a friend!!!

But nope! Top's only motivations is just to exist for Mew and it's so frustrating. There's a lot of opportunity to explore and expand on his character and the show hasn't given it. Top went from being fun, messy, interesting, to being dull and boring and it's so sad.

Like at this point I'ma stan b/c he deserves better as a character rip

#only friends the series #chaos pikachu speaks #it's been 11 episodes and what the fuck do we know about top outside of: #he's hot rich prefers polos has trauma with fire & can't sleep and used to sleep around a lot #oh and he's in love with mew #for reasons #god this got so long jfc #chaos pikachu metas

[thescrumptiousstuffs]

I have no captions for this…🫣 but First, Sir…have pity on us 🙃 (and then you have Khaotung sitting completely the opposite way)

Only Friends, Episode 11 (BTS)

#I’m looking 👀 respectfully 🤣 #first kanaphan #khaotung thanawat #only friends the series #episode 11 #firstkhao #firstkhaotung #sandray

[jenyifer]

Nick steam up well in the soup.

I had a weird irk watching Nicks parts in episode 11 and I think I understand what’s going on now. Boston being so loving trusting to Nick is a good distraction to the fact that Nick doesn’t believe Boston could ever love him. No one could. I when he tells this to Atom he’s talking about Boston let me translate

“I don’t think you love me.”

“I happened to walk into your life when you were lost and alone without your friends.”

“Don’t fall for me. I’m not worth it. I’m an asshole.”

Nick doesn’t believe Boston can truly love him. He’s not worthy of even being cared about. Boston has been caring about Nick but no.. In nicks head he is still just a useful client for Boston to use. Nick believes Boston is confused. Nick is going to be hurt by Boston and he deserves it this is going ti be the realest thing Nick will ever have. He can’t force himself to love Dan or Sand or Atom and Boston is an untouchable guy. It’s what draws Boston to Nick and what pulls them away.

I hope Boston will use his words and actions to show nick he is worthy of love in episode 12

#only friends the series #only friends #ofts #only friends nick #ofts nick #only friends Boston #ofts Boston #bostonnick #Jenny’s rambling #only friends episode 11 #ofts ep11 #only friends meta #ofts meta

[thatgirl4815]

I guess this situation is just reiterating that Sand can stand up for the people he cares about but he can't stand up for himself.

#at least not easily #UNLESS he really is contemplating whether to get back with Boeing #and I cannot live with this possibility #(nor do I think it's true) #only friends the series #only friends #ofts #sandray #raysand #raysan #sanray #only friends episode 11

[1stthingsfirst]

This is the Ray side of my previous post about the portrayal of his recovery, in part prompted by @quaintrelle17's comment about Thai rehabs (Thank you! I didn't ignore you, I just took forever to respond).

Note: I use "sobriety" as shorthand. Not everyone who abuses alcohol needs to go sober. Some can drink in moderation. Some need to abstain for their whole lives.

I originally only briefly addressed Ray drinking in rehab. So, the two general ways to stop drinking/go sober are:

Cold turkey -- You go from your current alcohol intake to zero, no steps in between.

Tapering off (aka weaning off) -- You decrease your daily alcohol intake over time until you reach zero/a desired amount.

From this tweet and Jojo's comments, I believe Thai outpatient rehab programs follow a harm-reduction model using tapering and deemphasizing abstinence unless deemed necessary.

Tapering off aims to both decrease the severity of and prevent withdrawal symptoms. Chronic alcohol abuse alters your brain chemistry. Tapering off helps your brain adjust to functioning with less and less alcohol and decreases the likelihood of severe withdrawal symptoms such as seizures and delirium tremens, which can cause disability and death.

Issue #1: Lack of Clarity

Ray is a good candidate for tapering. He carries a flask to drink on the go and his hands shake when he doesn't drink, a withdrawal symptom. It makes sense for Ray to drink while he's in rehab.

However, tapering is a systematic process. You don't just slowly drink less. A professional may determine a tapering schedule specific to you, but the general recommendation is to decrease by 2 drinks per day. When tapering, you should track what drink you're on and even measure to ensure you stick to one standard drink each time.

I would not expect to see this level of detail in the show. However, as is, we see Ray enter rehab at the end of episode 10, and then in episode 11, we see no visible change in behavior. He still goes to bars and drinks beers in the bath and has whiskey in the pool in a tense almost-threesome. We're supposed to intuit that he's changing simply because he says he is.

The show could have made it clearer without dedicating much time to it. It's as simple as a lingering shot of a handout from the rehab center or Ray saying, "last drink of the day" in the tub. Responses to Only Friends have highlighted how little the general public knows about addiction. It's unreasonable to expect us to know that people may drink as part of rehab.

This is a "show, don't tell" error. We have been told that Ray is in rehab, but we have not seen behavior indicating that he's in rehab.

Issue #2: Tone and Narrative

I'd be surprised if Ray's support team encouraged him to casually drink with his partner while trying to go sober. I could be wrong; they could be fine with it. A person could maybe healthily drink a beer in the tub with their partner if it aligned with their tapering schedule, but it doesn't feel appropriate tonally or narratively.

We have seen how destructive alcohol has been in Ray's life: his mom's alcoholism ruined his childhood; he blames himself for her alcoholism-related suicide; he nearly lost all his friends and his boyfriend multiple times; he drove drunk, crashed his car, and had to be hospitalized for his injuries; he was charged with a DUI and has to complete social service (legal consequences); and so on.

Tonally, it does not make sense to show Ray drinking casually at this point. It could make sense to show him drinking, but not in the settings shown in episode 11. Drinking should be portrayed as weightier by now, if not for Ray, at least for Sand when he's with Ray (see my original post). Sand has said multiple times that he worries about Ray's drinking, so it feels odd to see them to chat in the bath over beers while Ray is in rehab. Ray may be allowed to drink then and he may be able to drink for pleasure in the future, but week one of rehab is not the time for drinking for pleasure.

Additionally, from a storytelling perspective, it doesn't make sense to include Ray accepting that he needs to go to rehab with two episodes left unless you then show him either improved or struggling. By showing Ray drinking after entering rehab, it suggests to the viewer that Ray's drinking will continue to be a major plot point.

But I don't know if it is because we have one episode left, two other couples' stories to wrap up, Ray's already in rehab, and they just introduced Boeing to Sand and Ray's dynamic. By introducing Boeing this late in the show, with this little time left, it's pretty clear Boeing is Ray and Sand's final conflict, not Ray's recovery.

I'm normally all about nuance, but filmmakers only have so many opportunities to convey information to their audience. Unless they do want to keep Ray's recovery a main conflict, it is more logical, for both tone and storytelling, to simply not show Ray drinking at this point. Is it less realistic? Yes. But is it clearer? Yes.

TL;DR

There are scientific reasons why Ray would drink during rehab; however, most people don't know that and it was never explained in the series itself, so the scenes of him drinking in ep 11 landed poorly for many viewers. This is a problem with how the show told the story of Ray's alcoholism and recovery. The show would have benefited from prioritizing clarity over realism, unless they plan to take the time to explore Ray's recovery in detail.

#only friends the series #only friends #ofts #ofts ep11 #only friends episode 11 #ray only friends #sand only friends #khaotung thanawat #first kanaphan #raysand #sandray #raysan #sanray #ray x sand #sand x ray #thai bl #thai drama #asianlgbtqdramas #gmmtv #gmmtv series #firstkhao #alcoholism #addiction #rehab #meta #i love many aspects of this show #which is why i want to criticize it #i've been thinking on this for days #and i don't know if it makes any sense #so don't hesitate to ask for clarification

[sherrymagic]

no but i found this one video commentary about the final episode and the parts where the tiktoker said "this whole series was basically a torture show for Boston because the writers don't like people like Boston" and "the last episode was just to make sure that we as the audience hate him as much as the writers hate him" and "the writers wanted us to hate Boston so much that they completely changed his narrative" and "my biggest problem was with how they wrote Boston" pretty much sum it all up for me

#she also said “the whole boston and nick thing was stupid as fuck” and I FELT THAT #“they just never stayed on the path of any storyline” “boeing dan and atom basically pointless in the show” I KNOW RIGHT? #“boston is not going to lie to your face - he usually doesn't talk about things but never denies when people confront him” I FUCKING KNOW #idk but this final episode really ruined the whole series for me #only things i liked were boeing shirtless in the pool and my boy nicky realizing that self-love is a thing that actually exists #but beyond that... it's a big no for me #bostonnick storyline ended with episode 11 and i will not consider as canon any scene after that #and unless it's a whole new set of characters and storylines i don't give a single damn about a potential s2 with the remaining characters #only friends the series #only friends #ofts #only friends series #boston only friends #boston ofts #bostonnick