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Bad Buddy - Blog Posts
PAT JINDAPAT | NICK NELSON
aka golden retrievers with hearts of gold
All the romantic dramas I've watched in the past month have poisoned my brain and deluded me into thinking that I too have a chance at a genuine romantic relationship full of angst but also comfort and mutual pining which is as far from reality as possible and I am not okay
YES TO EMBRACING SEXUAL FLUIDITY YES TO NORMALIZING CASUAL QUEERNESS
#bl tropes who? #the lgbt energy in this building is astronomical!
you do not understand i am so obsessed with them it hurts
Just like Uncle Tong said, we might not be able to change the world, all we could do was adjust to it, and live happily. We might not be able to change people around us. But they couldn’t change the two of us either. BAD BUDDY (2021-2022)
im on my winter break which means I'll be watching one gay show a day
ive graduated from watching thai bl to watching korean and taiwanese bl which means no more softcore porn and more fluff and screaming over a closed lips kiss
Have you ever said to yourself, "I'm okay. I moved on", then somebody posts something bad buddy and suddenly you're like "man, I think I need to rewatch this scene." 😂
*cries in bad buddy
Just a random day missing Pat & Pran
BAD BUDDY (2021-2022) | insp by @miscellar
patpran's notes to each other (cr. @ohmnanoned)
P'aof adding to the collection..
A small Bad Buddy meta
After much reading and rewatching I just had to say...
We see pat use the four signs on ink and then see pa use it too. What stood out for me was that while they thought they were using it to test the other person's feelings, they were unwittingly using it on themselves. And we see the dichotomy so clearly, because pa confirms her own feelings in the process while pat doesn't respond to those signs himself. I've seen a lot of y'all say how he wasn't too disappointed when ink didn't react but note he didn't react either and he must have realised that. That the feelings he once felt weren't exactly the same and we see him wonder a bit as to what changed.
He's contemplating this when he's at the instrument shop and pran arrives and automatically realises. Here we see him use the signs not on pran but on himself! It just shows how he understood that the signs are better when used on oneself because only you truly know how you feel about someone, whereas the other person may not openly react to your signs. And this is proven by how pran nor ink reacted when the signs were used because they were both repressing and hiding their crushes, obviously they are not going to let on that they have feelings, they were anyway finding it difficult to do so(pran in the hallway when pat gives him his guitar...his face was such a giveaway and ink at the restaurant with pa ..again her face after pa helped her with the dirt in her eye was telling)..so both have their guards up.
So here pat notices how he himself reacts to pran in the context of how their relationship has been going and it sort of falls into place. It explains not just his behaviour but also pran. Because pran could easily cut him off and not associate at all with him, he could have moved out of the form if he actually wanted to..the only reason he is staying then and keeping up their secret association must be because of something pat is just coming to put his finger on. Its here he realises that they shouldn't even be friends with the way their families work and now he questions..what exactly are they? And we see that so beautifully communicated at the end of the episode on the rooftop.
Coming back to pat noticing him response to the four signs...he notices his feelings now and the only reason he hasn't so far was because he probably didn't think it was possible.....for him to like also like boys and for that boy to be pran. But that's why we get the flashbacks and all the things they went through in high school to show that pat always did like pran but he never got a chance to explore those feelings and because he never expected them. What is so amazing and one of the highlights of this show, is that he doesn't for one moment grudge himself his feelings. He doesn't beat himself up or question it, he accepts that sexuality is fluid and understands that he can like whoever he wants. This says so much about his character and it was at this point at which we all fell for pat (cause by then we were all already gone for pran) and it was after this that the "walking green flag" posts started showing. The way in which they portrayed Pat's character arc was so true to a realistic experience of understanding fluid sexuality, I cannot stop applauding.
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.
me before bad buddy: yeah no I’m aromantic asexual I prefer to not be in a relationship. I’ll just get a bunch of cats and live with my parents and eat my mom’s cooked dishes happily till the end of our lives
me after bad buddy: where do i sign up to get myself a love like patpran have???? come on it shouldn’t be that difficult-
romeo and juliet, william shakespeare // bad buddy episode 12
inkpaa endgame 🙏
All my life, I’ve been told not to be friends with this one guy.
BAD BUDDY October 29, 2021 — January 21, 2022
— thank you, thank you, t h a n k y o u BAD BUDDY (2021-2022), dir. b.n.c
“it’s like we were living a double life until graduation.”
Two more days guys! In the meantime, a mini analysis for you all!
The Romeo and Juliet act where they commit suicide is actually represented in Bad Buddy!
Remember this scene? aka the only moment we get to laugh in this curse ep?
Here me out. So we all now Bad Buddy is somewhat based on a modern version of Romeo and Juliet.
[Pat is Juliet. Fight me.]
So. In the ending of that tragic play we have the iconic sequence in which Juliet supposedly drinks a poison that kills her, but in reality just makes her appear dead. Then Romeo follows killing himself for real, and then, Juliet stabs herself, and the whole thing is a mess of non-communication.
So let’s compare, shall we?
1. We have Pat, “throwing away” his cellphone chip. Aka, Juliet faking her death.
2. We have Pran, doing the same right after Pat. Aka, Romeo actually following Juliet.
A this time we’re all like. Shit. They really did that.
But THEN
3. “Haha, you dummy!” Aka, no, Romeo, Juliet was not really dEAD! Pran really threw it out? He really actually killed himself?
4. Haha! You thought! Of course he didn’t! And then this:
“Do you really think I don’t know you?”
Here’s WHY I think this scene heavily shows a representation of the suicide scene in Romeo and Juliet:
Let me start with a question. How many of you would simply get rid of you’re phone number? Throw it away into the sea without a care? Throw away your whole life, cause FACE IT. It IS your whole life. Your family? Your friends, a huge part of yourself?
Exactly. You’d have to be in a lot of pain to do that right? Commiting suicide is the very last stage of indescribable pain. Throwing away the “heart” of your phone could be thought of as throwing away your life.
But they didn’t. Here’s where it obviously goes differently. Pran knows Pat to a point where he knows he would never do that. Pat knows Pran to a point where he knows Pran would never believe he’d do something like that.
Here’s where it doesn’t end up tragically. They both live.
Because they know each other. They understand each other. They communicate. They love each other too much to ask the other to take such risks.
And I think that’s beautiful.
Thanks for reading!
– But do you even know him that well? Do you know what he’s like? – Your brother? He’s so picky.
They went to the beach, because Pat thought he needed to take care of Pran, but in the end Pat was the one who needed taking care of, and Pran just did that softly and silently.
