#deadfriendforever — Public Fediverse posts

#DeadFriendForever FINALE THOUGHTS:

Wow, that was a lot!

I was wondering going into this episode if we were going to get a cathartic ending where wrongs are (supposedly) righted and justice is (supposedly) served, or a nihilistic ending where the truth does not win out and nothing is fixed except that now you have a handful more dead kids in the woods ... but at the end of the day, turns out the show is not trying to make a point about justice at all. (Which I'm actually okay with.) Instead, it's a study of complicity and guilt, and how past sins will eat away at your conscience no matter whether you try to move on, or avenge the wronged party, or become a better person, or do something else to assuage your own sense of culpability. Valid thesis! Also quite dark.

I feel like the grim nature of pretty much everyone's fate was fitting in that context -- certainly it feels truer than if the narrative had tried to sell the forest murders as a righteous triumph of good over evil -- though the downer nature of it all doesn't exactly leave me chomping at the bit to rewatch the thing. I suppose I could still go for canon divergence fic of the "what if Non survived" variety, though ... especially if he and Tee had to reluctantly work together to flee from the mafia and trauma bonded over the course of their escape ....

I'm still combing through other people's reactions to the finale, but so far this pair of takes is the most in line with my own feelings:
https://www.tumblr.com/elimstillnotgarak/744560297537306624/getting-out
https://www.tumblr.com/elimstillnotgarak/744557387700109312/white-and-the-futility-of-death
[EDIT] And another: https://pharawee.tumblr.com/post/744513079564468224/im-sorry-you-didnt-like-the-finale-and-i-hope-it
[EDIT] And a third: https://www.tumblr.com/elimstillnotgarak/746096634188955648/final-baby-girl-white-gender-agency-and

#DFFTheSeries #ThaiBL #ThaiDrama #Caesliveblogging

Another thing I’m chewing over is how in the past few episodes, we’ve seen Non get victimized not just by his peers but by a ton of adults and adult-run systems (violent mobsters, corrupt police and politicians, sexually abusive teachers, unsupportive parents ….). For that matter, some of the teenage victimizers are themselves victims of the same adults/systems. Given that context, I feel like any justice obtained by offing the bullying teens is necessarily incomplete? Like, you can do whatever you want to them in that cabin and call it karma for them being jerks, but I’m kind of more worried about the money-laundering teen-murdering mafia who have the cops in their back pocket now that we’ve established those are a thing. I’ll be interested to see whether the revenge scheme manages (or even tries) to tackle those bigger forces. #DeadFriendForever #DFFTheSeries #ThaiBL #ThaiDrama #Caesliveblogging

#DeadFriendForever episode eight: god things are getting so tense and so good. (And refocusing on the kind of interpersonal tension I enjoy, instead of "owing money to the mob" tension which I find stupidly stressful.)

I'm hoping against hope that Non is alive somehow, and rooting like hell for Phee in his revenge quest. He's such a badass teen.

I also really enjoyed seeing the friend group get fleshed out, not necessarily in ways that made them any more sympathetic but made you get where they were coming from. Por shamelessly using his parents' money and influence to get what he wants, but also marinating in the humiliating awareness that none of his own success is earned. Jin pining after Non and then betraying him out of jealousy. Tee being squeezed by his terrible awful mob uncle and squeezing Non in turn, even as his conscience grows increasingly uneasy.

(Relatedly, I feel like Tee and Non have solid enemies-to-lovers (or at least enemies-to-allies) potential, if you were to take them out of the toxic friend group and put them in a situation of adversity where they had to reluctantly work together to e.g. run from the mob. They're both such woobies and I think they could bond over the unfairness of their lives.)

#DFFTheSeries #ThaiBL #ThaiDrama #Caesliveblogging

Having watched both available episodes of #DeadFriendForever , it's official: I need to write myself a little guide to keep these characters straight.

(The show is also good so far! The slasher tropes aren't too scary for me and the shifty teens have my full attention.​)

In alphabetical order:

FLUKE - The one with glasses. One of the OG friend group. Wants to be a doctor in the future.
JIN - Played by Copper. One of the OG friend group, now about to go study abroad. Exes with Phee.
NON - Played by Barcode, presumably. One of the OG friend group. The titular dead friend.
PHEE - Played by Ta. One of the three newcomers to the friend group. Jin's ex.
POR - Played by Us. One of the OG friend group. His dad is a politician.
TAN - One of the three newcomers to the friend group; specifically, the one I occasionally get mixed up with Top.
TEE - The angry one with pierced ears. One of the OG friend group. Currently dating White.
TOP - Got trapped in the bathroom this episode. One of the OG friend group.
WHITE - Another one of the three newcomers to the friend group. Currently dating Tee. The one wearing what I keep thinking is a school PE uniform.

#ThaiBL #ThaiDrama #Caesliveblogging #DFFTheSeries