#ummm but i need to look up the male cast of scarlet heart because i was NOT paying attention to them

[maggiecheungs]

so I’ve got the empress of ayodhaya (with mai davika) and scarlet heart thailand (with tu tontawan) to look forward to….. icb i’m finally getting some big budget female-led historical thai dramas about political power struggles 😭😭 i have waited so long for this

[cindiliciouscindi]

TBT TUESDAY #1

Okay, so I'm a bit late to this party but better late than never, right? I will start with my dislikes, which are just a tiny few, and wrap with the reasons this show has become my all-time favorite.

Sour Taste

Insufficient Screen Time - The fact that we only got 10 episodes, which made them compress multiple storylines into tiny bits, such that we didn't get to see a lot of back story and some much-needed dialog. It felt like a whole lot happened within the season, yet in bits, though I must commend the entire cast and crew for effectively and efficiently utilizing the little screen time they were given. They fed us well, regardless.

#Salex - Ummm... This is dangerous territory and I know I'm definitely gonna get some backlash from some folks but I'm sorry, Shippers, I don't think #Salex should have happened. I get that they probably wanted some racial diversity and maybe some drama for Sutton but I really don't think they have romantic chemistry. It was just like sleeping with your best friend and I just didn't feel their connection. I certainly see more connection between #Janestripe than #Salex...oh yeah. Their friendship is super-amazing and while I'm happy that Sutton realized this and called it off, I'm not happy they used Alex as a side piece, they should have just remained best friends. Besides, in the beginning, Alex seemed to be closer to Jane (remember the first staff meeting, the party to find Eric where Jane told Alex about her past, their interactions at work, etc), that I thought they may become romantically involved but suddenly, we saw a switch to Sutton, so it felt like the writers were probably considering #jalex (lol) but reneged along the line. I'll probably ask them about this on Twitter.

Sutton and Jacqueline - I wish we saw more interactions between Sutton and Jacqueline. I think it was only twice we saw them together, directly communicating (after the Photoshoot with Cassie and when Jacqueline told her to stand up for herself). Jacqueline's character came across like she was supposed to be mentor for all the girls but in reality, we only saw her constantly with Kat and Jane. I feel like during her dark days trying to consider Ad Sales and finally find her way into Fashion, Sutton could have used the guidance of Jacqueline. But in their defense, I think it had to do with Sutton being an assistant and reporting directly to Lauren and now Oliver. But I hope in Season two, we see more of their interactions; Sutton is hilarious, she would probably need a fidget spinner whenever she has to face Jacqueline alone. Lol.

Kat's Group Date - To be honest, it actually felt somewhat cheesy that Kat was jolted back to consciousness when she heard that Violinist play. Like, it could have been just a thought about Adena popping up in her head or her phone buzzing with another random selfie from smooth Adena 'it-wasn't-a-come-on' El Amin. Lol. Okay, I will just leave it at that. I absolutely love every circumstance that brought Kadena back together and I wouldn't trade those moments for anything.

Sweet Taste

Everything about the trio's friendship.

Music - Perfection, hundred percent.

The Writing and the fact they gave the actors the opportunity to improvise, which gave us some crazy lines like 'He wants to pound it like a hashtag'. Lol.

The fact that the stories were centered on women and the men, while not being the focus, provided support when needed. It is truly refreshing to see shows highlighting women as being able to function without being controlled or directed by male figures.

Everything about Jacqueline - Jacqueline being an authority figure, yet a mother and a friend. The fact that she was attentive to their issues didn't diminish her power or status and that was well-played.

The overwhelming attention to the #Kadena storyline, right from the get go.

The way Kadena was written, we saw the 'straight' girl spearheading the pursuit, not the other way round. It diminishes the long-standing trope of lesbians converting straight girls and that is one of the reasons this show stands out. From the beginning, whatever her motivation, it was Kat who went searching for Adena, brought her close with that 'misunderstood' selfie, offered to help her pack contraband (when she could have followed Jane to Eric's party), sent her a top-less photo, confessed her feelings, freaked out a couple of times at work, nearly jeopardized her job with a crazy tweet, wasted her parents' frequent flyer miles on a whim, jumped into New York City traffic to get to the airport, was prepared to abandon everything and jet out to a foreign land and ultimately did so in the end. Need I say more? This show is a game-changer.

The way #Suttard was written, we saw that Sutton practically paved her way herself, without much help, if any, from Richard. Ordinarily, with her relationship with Richard, we could have seen Sutton rise above Kat and Jane but we saw her struggle and slowly pursued her dreams to fashion, thus highlighting her brilliance and ability to excel.

The overall support the girls gave Kat throughout, with respect to her relationship with Adena, was flawless. They are pure #friendshipgoals.

No labels - The fact that Kat didn't label herself as anything, nor did her friends label her. She just fell in love (with a woman named Adena) and that was that. I hope they don't come under any immense pressure to label Kat, besides, the other girls had no labels as well. We only assumed they were straight because they only dated guys but anything is possible, just like in Kat's case. So, if they have to label Kat as bi or anything, they should also clearly label the other girls as 'straight', which would actually be irrelevant, to be honest. So, let them just be who they are and love who they love. I know some folks have strongly opposing views but those are just my humble thoughts.

Janestripe was actually cute. Ryan was good-looking and quite smooth-talking. He also has the potential to be a good motivator to Jane (remember that writers' room event and the stay-in at Scarlet in Episode 9). Yes, they started like fuck-buddies but soon started catching feelings, which is normal. Remember Sutton said she was using Richard for sex, but look how that ended up, she fell flat on her face. So, I think Janestripe is a workable ship.

Everything about Kat's Emotions - Aisha's depiction of romantic feelings, nervousness, attraction, worry, care, distraction, etc, was completely enchanting. The way it was set up, I found myself going through those emotions with her and THAT is how you know powerful acting.

Everything about Adena's Personality - She was a strong, fierce, rebellious woman, yet fragile at heart; subtle, silent achiever, smooth operator. Props to Nikohl for playing that role so well.

Oliver's character - I love that we got a little glimpse into his life, the fact that he grew up in Oklahoma, didn't have a fashion degree, yet kicking ass at Scarlet. It provided an extra source of motivation to Sutton and to viewers that you could achieve your goals even without the right 'paper' qualification. Sutton had no fashion degree too but she had the practical skills.

The Friendship between Alex and Sutton, Alex and Jane.

Overall, this show has me legit shook every time I think about it and I am shopping for more wigs and glue, in preparation for subsequent seasons.