#gap the series thoughts

[themagnusbane]

GAP The Series Episode 10 Thoughts

Knowing where we left off: some joy, some gay and a topping of pain, I'm hoping that we get a resolution to Mon's "Khun Sam deserves better than me" derailment, so we can get more of our beloved sapphics, before the wicked witch of a grandmother shows up to, like my people would say "pour sand inside their garri." If you're not Nigerian, that probably flew right over your head. Sorry.

I love the irony in just how much I love Mon's love pajamas! It's soooo cute!!! I want!!!!!!

2. But on a side note though. Every single time they wake up with a face full of makeup, I cackle at how unrealistic it is. Like sure, if Idol Factory wants to convince me (which they absolutely CANNOT because I have eyes!!!) that Mon wakes up every morning with her lips soft and dewy and just that smattering of the right blush on her cheeks, and her eyes that pop, one question still remains... WHAT ABOUT THE BED HEAD? WHERE IS THE BED HEAD GAP THE SERIES???

3. Awwwwww. Look at Sam smiling at her beloved. MY HEART!!!!!! But also. Are we just going to ignore the fact that they had a fight with Sam walking away, just the previous episode? Did they think we forgot? Or is Sam just so hopelessly in love that she can't stay mad at the sight of Mon's gorgeous face. Which...

4. The hug from behind. The "Good mornings". That kiss on her cheek. Them walking hand-in-hand. They're killing me your honor. They're killing me with all that sweetness and I AM DYING A VERY VERY HAPPY WOMAN!!!

5. Ah!!! So they started from before-the-fight. Okay, that makes sense. Cuz I was worried for a moment that the show wasn't going to address it. Which now that I think about it... GAP honey. I'm so sorry I doubted you for a minute there. I know you are not that kind of girl. I can't believe I briefly forgot that. Please forgive me!!

6. Ooooof. The fight is still as painful the second time around. Mon sweetheart, we really need to get your self-esteem up. Sure you're a "commoner" [I really REALLY hate that term!!!], but you're a commoner that Sam loves. Why can't you believe that? I would understand if her reservations are around whether or not Sam's grandmother would be accepting of her, considering her gender AND her commoner status, but she's coming from this from a place of "I don't deserve Khun Sam", which urgh!!! I really hope Sam sets her straight and is clear in how perfect Mon is, and how in fact it is Sam who is underserving of her, and not the other way round.

7. Gghghghjgjhghj. Cher complimenting the colour of Sam's car is like that cliche of "I a gay man, likes sports" and I am cackling because this is so fucking hilarious and I love how they're giving my sapphics ALL the cliches. Yes!!! Feed them to me. Shoot them directly into my veins!!!

8. Cher being all "of course the weird girl will give her car a weird name" is SENDING ME!!!! But... she's not wrong though. The only thing is, we and Mon, love Sam just the way she is. Hehehehehehe.

9. Mon Sweetheart, I know you want to get something nice and expensive for your girl. But Sam doesn't want that. The only thing she wants from you, is you. Your love, your goodness, that big, big heart of yours. Why would you feel bad about not being able to buy the woman who has everything, something lavish. Look at Kirk! He could do all of that. But is she with him? No!!! You are the one she wants! Let that sink in. PLEASE!!!!

10. See!!! I knew the minute I saw Cher, there was a connection between us!! I just knew that this was a lesbian who could wreck me, an acerbic tongue, with a sense of style and common sense to boot! Tee is still my goddess, Nita would destroy me, and for Cher I would risk everything. GAP is making me even more happy that I am polyamorous. BRING ME ALL THE SAPPHICS!!! I want to collect them like Pokémon cards!! But also, MON ARE YOU LISTENING TO THE OLDER SAPPHICS!!! Money can't buy love!! Sam knows this. She recognizes this. I hope after this conversation, you would too!!!

11. Romance. Comedy. Drama. Horror. Would you look at that Mon. Risa and Cher's story has the same elements as yours and Sam's. Even down to the wealth and the family that hopefully Sam cuts off because fuck that evil witch of the West masquerading as her grandmother!!! But yeah. Listen to the slightly older and much happier lesbians Mon. Grab your happiness and your girl by your hands and don't let go. Cuz her grandmother would do enough objecting of you both's relationship anyway.

12. Aaaaaaaand... Speak of the witch and she doth appears. Urgh!!! Why do I have the feeling that she probably knows that Sam isn't with her friends, and this passive aggressive phone call with the "is Kirk not with you", is just her testing her granddaughter to see if Sam would lie to her. Urgh. This woman gives me anxiety!!!!

13. I knew it!!! Look at that look in her eyes. She totally knows!

14. Kirk. You piece of trash with your ghost-looking face!!! You know that telling her "you should hear it from Sam" would confirm evil grandmother's suspicions. But you want to keep up the facade that you are a good person, whilst nudging her in the direction where she will confirm everything. You shady bastard. Urgh!!!!

15. And of course evil grandmother is all "I'll handle it" with that conniving look on her face. You see what you did there Kirk? You set her in that direction. Let her see the hesitation in your eyes, indirectly confirmed that you know Sam's with someone else, and have therefore set off the snowball that would seemingly get you what you want, even though it would make Sam miserable. I really, really don't like you!

16. Awwwwww. Look at that sweet apology. Look at Sam being honest about her being hurt, and why she is hurt, and what her fears are. You see that Mon? You're not the only one with fears and doubts. Sure both your concerns have different faces, but the key to solving them is COMMUNICATION!!! Glad you both are finally doing just that!

17. OMG!!!! It's Tee and Yuki, on their couple's retreat as well!!! Look at all my favourite sapphics, gathered under one roof!!!!

18. Sam's "you must have been sent by grandmother, you a spy!!!" talk is sending me!!! And Tee's being able to guess that Sam's grumpy reception is because she and Mon are fighting???? Chef's kiss. I LOVE THIS WOMAN EVERYONE!!! I WOULD DIE FOR HER!!! Tee, I love you. I will make you the main interest in my harem of women. Be mine!

19. Risa and Cher flirting in front of my single salad is making me feel even more single.

20. Awwwww. Look how quickly Sam ran to Mon's side, when she thought she was hurt. Even whilst angry, she's still like "Mon, you come first!" My darling. My baby. My precious.

21. Of course she's not angry anymore. She can't stay mad at you for long. It's why she's so precious. How adorable!!!!

22. Hehehehehe. Cher and Sam have such similar personalities, watching them clash makes me cackle so hard. You can basically see both their Persian cat furs bristling at each other, with Mon and Risa having to work extra hard to calm their women down. This is glorious. Look at them fighting over festivals. Ha!

23. Yo! Why am I only seeing two couples and two lanterns? Where are Tee and Yuki??? Where's their lanterns???? Are they helping with Mon's surprise???? I have questions!!!

24. OMG!!! They are!!! Ha!!!! Is she proposing??? OMG! OMG! OMG!!!! They're totally doing a proposal/marriage thing right now. I am not crying! I am not crying. These are not tears! It's my allergies acting up! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

25. That was so sweet! THE SWEETEST PROPOSAL!! My heart!! I can't stop grinning. That was sooo good, and so beautiful. I love love y'all!! I LOVE LOVE!!!!!!

26. I swear, I think these two became even more radiant after Mon's proposal. It's like them settling into the knowledge that they love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together, filled them with the honeymoon glow and I AM LIVING FOR IT!!!!

27. Hold up! HOLD THE FUCK UP!!! Isn't that her elder sister??? The oldest, who wanted to become an artist and witchy grandmother burned all her things??? OMG!!! It is her!!!! Look at that glow!! Look at that radiance!!! She is incandescent!!! That is what happens when you get out from under the roof of the wicked grandmother of the West! Sam!! Take a cue from your oldest sister and bounce. Tap into the radiance you deserve. Cuz your shitty grandmother doesn't deserve a modicum of goodness from you.

28. See. I understand what she is saying. And somewhere buried beneath all that, is the truth of what I want Sam to realize (she will never be happy living with her grandmother and she needs to cut the woman off and never look back), but there is a decent way to make that statement, and calling your younger sister, who you abandoned (because she is the oldest, and she basically left her two younger siblings in the hands of an abusive and toxic relative, without trying to create a situation where they can come to her and rely on her and ask her for help), who died trying to get away from the evil witch, weak, is so not cool, and is in fact very cruel.

29. Aaaaaand of course, the witch of a homophobe that is her grandmother now knows the truth. I am bracing myself for carnage because we all know that the person who's going to get the brunt of the disaster that is about to go down is poor, innocent Mon.

30. Urgh!!! It's already here. I don't want to see this. She's about to manipulate her in some way isn't she? Poor Mon. You don't deserve this.

31. See? She's starting things off by establishing that she knows everything there is to know about Mon. That she knows her family. Her friends. Her history. Before outrightly stating that Mon planned everything, and set things up to be close to Sam. And of course she's going to bring Kirk and his "feelings" into this. Which FUCK YOU GRANDMOTHER! Mon sweetheart, just because he was good to you, doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice your happiness for him. Because trust me, if the tables were turned, his entitled ass won't do shit.

32. And of course they are double-tagging to try and break Sam and Mon up. Fuck you and your apologies Kirk. I hope you fucking choke, you lying, backstabbing piece of shit. We already know that her grandmother is going to rot in all the nine hells. But you? You piece of shit who pretended to be a good person, until you weren't able to get the girl... You are so much worse!

33. He really fired Chin and Yha???? And we all know it's a set-up to whatever it is that evil grandmother of the West has set in motion to get Sam and Mon to break up, to to have Sam do what she wants. Which urgh!!! Please tell me Yha wouldn't out of anger at getting fired, want to pull Mon down, because she also knows their secret! Urgh, this is a mess!!!!

34. On one hand, I'm cheering Sam on for being all "I am going to fire Mon. And date her outside of the office. Thank you for opening my eyes to that possibility". But on the other hand, I don't think Kirk is done with his stupid plan and I'm anxious about what he and that grandmother witch have planned.

35. I can't believe I'm saying this but Nop... You are a good egg. You have sense. Who would have thought that between you and Kirk, you would be the one with the backbone and the cool head on your shoulders. Yes please! Call out trash grandmother for her trash ways. Fuck the bourgeoisie. FUCK HER!!!! And thank you for encouraging Mon to pick up Sam's calls and talk to her. You see that Kirk? YOU SEE YOUR MATE?!!! Just like you, he too was interested in Mon. He wanted to be in a relationship with her. And when she said no, he backed away. When he discovered her relationship with Sam, he supported her. And now, he's encouraging her to be with the woman she loves. Nop's baby finger is better than your entire ass put together Kirk! Infinitely better!!!

36. Urgh Mon. Just tell her the truth already!!! None of this "I miss home" nonsense. If y'all's relationship is going to survive, you need to tell her that her grandmother came over, and tell her all the trash things, that witchy vampire of a grandmother said.

37. Atta girl. You did good. And Sam's immediate 'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let you face this" has me bawling. My precious babies. I want only happiness for you both!! You need to walk away from your grandmother Sam. But knowing Mon, she would feel extra guilty if she felt that it's because of her that you walked away from your witch of a grandmother which urgh!!!! Toxic family relationships are the worst!!!

38. Her grandmother's house really is stunning. But it's cold. So fucking cold. Fitting for a witch in her soulless castle. I swear if this conversation doesn't end with "Grandmother. If you love Kirk so much, then YOU marry him," I am screaming at my TV.

So yeah. We get happiness and sapphics in love, and proposals. But we also get this nonsense with Kirk teaming up with Sam's grandmother which urgh!! This will probably be our lives for the next two episodes until the end of the series. But you know what? The fact that I only have to hang in there for two more weeks, until they kick Kirk to the cub, and hopefully break the bonds with grandmother witch? I can hang in there. I just want to see my babies get their happy ending. And I'm willing to do anything to make that happen for them!!! Including praying and hoping that dishonorable witchy grandmother croaks. Cuz that's the one solution I see to all of this.

[sttoru]

thinking of dating older bf!satoru. . .and i’m talking like you’re in your early 20’s and he’s in his early 30’s.

the way he texts at the start of your blooming relationship is super attractive somehow. like the most simplest of texts would get you weak in the knees. texts like ‘good morning, sweetheart.’ // ‘how’s my pretty girl doing?’ // ‘there’s my gorgeous girl.’ // ‘rise ‘n shine, sleepyhead.’ // ‘it’s okay, baby. i understand.’ // ‘you never fail to amaze me, huh.’

or when you’re being very risky via your messenger app, older bf!satoru is definitely the type to say ‘careful.’ // ‘you’re gonna get me in trouble.’ // ‘you’re being quite brave today, doll. // ‘aww, how adorable of you.’ // ‘mhm? that so?’

also . . . gives you money out of the blue. randomly. doesn’t question it at all. or sends expensive gifts your way too without you asking. older bf!satoru would text you stuff like; ‘here’s some money, gorgeous. want you to spoil yourself for me today, okay?’ // ‘just a little gift.’ // ‘you deserve a break, baby. here you go.’ // ‘got you something small.’

and then you check your bank account and it’s an easy $200 / $500 / $800 ++ added by him. or when he’s sending gifts to your apartment, it’s gonna be one of them reaaaaal expensive ones. probably ones you eyed before or had mention you liked very briefly, but didn’t get it because of the price.

definitely also the type to try and accommodate or match his texting style to yours as the months go by. kinda to match your energy. perhaps fails horribly at it, but it’s cute to see him try.

[freensrcha]

Stop it. That's an order.

[abrilstevens]

Gap the Series + close-up shots, requested by anonymous

[blmpff]

GAP JAKARIN and JOB THUCHAPON 03.02.24

[mooninagust]

i love this new trend in bls, queer dramas where they are much more conscious of the lgbtq+ community, where they show the struggles of coming to terms with who you are, the journey of self-discovery, the reality of being queer in this not so progressive world. 

but also the supportive families, the ones that don’t judge. i love friends who are there no matter what and don’t look at someone differently just because they love someone. i love the slightly more hopeful approach, because as someone from the community, it gives me so much joy and reassurance. 

i love the trend of showing not only teens but also adults with jobs and careers, the ones who are way past their puppy love stages. the ones who look for serous commitment and expect different things from their partners. i love how it shows the adulthood of queer couples in the world, which tries to tell us that this kind of love won’t last.

i know there’s a lot that could be said about how harmful this industry is, but it can not be denied that above all it brings so much comfort to those who are a part of the lgbtq+ community. to see the journey so many of us know so well.  to see queer love on screen, presented so beautifully. to see that there is a beautiful future waiting for us. to see that not every scenario of our lives has to be pessimistic, that there is hope for a happy ending. that you have equal chances for that happy ever after no matter who you love. 

[autistickhunsam]

(insp)

[purpleguitar]

MON in GAP Finale

[icouldhyperfixatehim]

🐶🐕 (2/2) (1)

[dramawatchinggoblin]

EXCUSE ME

[purrpickle]

It wasn't that Mon said no.

It was that Mon made it clear she only saw Sam as an Honorable Lady.

Sam, several times in the series, has professed that her status isn't anything important, and has made overtures to get people to stop treating her differently - like telling Aon he could treat her as a normal person over the phone in Ep 3; telling Mon that her rank was only one step above being a commoner when Mon questioned that she didn't eat only Royal Thai food in Ep 2; and more recently, when she tried to get Pohn and Aon to sit back up on the couch when she sat on the floor to pet Singha, Ep 9.

As much as Sam benefits from her status (and definitely leans into it sometimes!), for the majority of her life, being an Honorable Lady has been a suffocating shackle keeping her tied down to her grandmother and her grandmother's expectations of her, up to and including requiring Sam to get married, have children, and give her company to Kirk to become a stay-at-home mother, etc. You see these expectations in her teenage flashbacks, all the way up through Neung and Song's flashbacks as well, and then more and more during the present shown in the show.

So, not only has Sam lived with her Honorable Lady title creating trauma and repression for her her whole life, but she's also seen her sisters suffer from the title as well, when who they were conflicted with the expectations of their rank.

...

So what does this all mean?

It means that, growing up the way she did, it's clear that under everything, Sam wanted someone to see her. Not her title, not her family, but just... her.

Kirk didn't see her as just Sam. Her grandmother certainly didn't, as well as her employees. She was a celebrity with interviews that she lied in, so fans never would, and her friends came close, but it wasn't the same with them; Sam still felt that they laughed at her, and she never truly bared her soul or confided private things to them.

But then along came Mon!

Mon, who dared to treat Sam like she hadn't been treated before. Who stood up to her, and wasn't afraid to speak or act plainly around her, in a different way than her friends did. It was this defiance and familiarity that initially made Mon stand out, which led to her being hired as the admin for Diversity Pop. And it was this defiance and familiarity that continued to keep Sam drawn to her, far past solely existing as employer and employee.

Because to Sam's joy (and sometimes frustration, let's be real), Mon didn't stop treating her any differently! For example, she dared to tickle Sam back in Ep 3, didn't immediately drop to the floor when Sam went down on her knees to become ChamCham in Ep 6, and then actually wanted to be her girlfriend in Ep 7! Aside from her predominant use of Lady Sam (which, expected), and random comments here and there that seemed to ease after Sam stated they'd get to slowly know each other in Ep 4, Sam was pretty well convinced that she knew where she and Mon stood.

That they were lovers. That Mon loved her just like Sam loved her back. That Mon saw their relationship the same as Sam saw it.

That, finally, Sam could be herself with someone who had seen past her title to simply love her for who she really was. (Helped her become better too, yes, but still, for who she really was.)

But then Mon looked at her after rejecting her marriage proposal, and answered her "Why?" with, "I'm not good enough for you, Lady Sam. You are the Honorable Lady. I'm just a commoner."

And that's when Sam went silent.

Because Sam realized that her belief in how Mon saw their relationship, her belief in how Mon thought there was any future in their relationship, and her belief in how Mon saw her was wrong.

And it all came crashing down.

Why Mon was so resistant to Sam breaking up with Kirk so she and Sam could date publicly.

Why Mon didn't want her to repeal her One Rule at work (and presumably date openly) because it would make people look badly at Sam.

Why Mon was suddenly hesitant to hold her hand in public.

Why Mon was always so quick to say she didn't have any good points or she wasn't worth it whenever Sam broached something about their relationship.

All of this wasn't just because they were two women, but because Mon, aside from suddenly being concerned that they were two women, thought that she and Sam were two women who couldn't be seen together for a different reason than just homophobia.

Because all Mon was ultimately concerned with...

Was Sam's rank.

Her title.

Her privileged place in society.

And how Mon was different than her.

Was less than.

Would never be good enough for her.

That, in her eyes, not just in the eyes of others, Mon would never be able to see her or love her as an equal.

Because Mon was a commoner...

And Sam was an Honorable Lady.

...

So no. It wasn't Mon saying no.

It was, even if Mon meant it or not, Mon telling Sam that their relationship was built on a lie that Sam had ever been seen or loved for who she really was.

And that fucking sucks.

[starburstfloat]

Can we talk about the sex scene

Considering how poorly written this show is at times, I found it incredibly mature and important that most of the episode was framed around Mon and Sam navigating how to have their first time, and how scary and intimidating that can be, especially for a first time gay couple. How refreshing is it to see two twenty-something's nervously chat with their friends and each other, testing the waters, slowly moving boundaries, all to see it culminate into a beautiful resolution?

I love how the sex scene was filmed in a way that honored the intimacy and eagerness of a long awaited first time without having to even show us much skin or compromise the actor's bodies. It was so well done?!

And considering how tame Thai GLs have been since forever, I was pretty sure the scene would eventually cut, but wow, we actually got to see like....a proper representation of a first time. Start to finish to after care. It got me a little emotional to see because I don't think I've ever watched a sex scene in a film/show between two women that wasn't super sexualized, whereas this was purely focused on capturing the journey of emotions they were both going through. And idk about y'all but that's what I crave to see so dearly in shows these days - not some choreographed conundrum focused on the bodies, but a genuine chemistry that reflects how real queer couples exist and act. Especially two women!!!! Overall, super impressed with how they showed us that. As for how the episode ended.... let's save that for another time 😆

[ghostsofbuttonhouse]

I actually adore that Mary's backstory episode (Season 4 Episode 2) wasn't focused on her death. I love that she was able to tell the story of her death to the other ghosts, but it wasn't really shown to us.

It's easy, both for us the audience and for the characters to fixate on how the ghosts died, particularly with Mary. Throughout the show, we've seen the other ghosts' eagerness to hear about the witch trial and Mary's unwillingness to talk about it. But in terms of themes about moving on from trauma, it's actually far more powerful that when we did get proper Mary-focused flashbacks, they were mostly about her experiences after her death.

Instead of focusing on how she was demonised and killed, the show showed us how she made a friend and came out of her shell. How she died is only really covered in a short cold open scene, and the witch burning itself isn't shown. And I think that's important, because Mary should not be reduced to how she died. Even after that terrible trauma, she made interpersonal connections, learned things, and grew as a person. She was more than just a person who was accused of being a witch - people are more than the awful things that have happened to them, and the show made an effort to show that.

[schrodingers-hoarding-problem]

inside of you there are two wolves

one wants to watch all the dramas that everyone else is while they're airing to be apart of the community

and the other knows you'll lost your fucking mind not knowing what happens next so you wait until the finish airing, but then lose the motivation to be able to start a new show

[freensrcha]

...ma'am.

[sunniss]

Nita in GAP The Series Ep.9 for anon