Reviews of Asian BL Series

45 THẰNG HẦU VÀ CẬU HAI - a heartwarming Vietnamese history BL series

If you have read some of my BL reviews, you may already know that I love series that are different than the standard highly polished school or college BL series where sons of rich families live in palace-like condos, drive around in expensive cars and suddenly realize that they aren't straight as they always believed but have crush on a boy. Mind you, I do like well made Thai series like "Bad Buddy" or a comedy like „Secret Crush on You", but there are so many series in such settings, and many of them are just lifeless, heartless and obviously only produced to make money because BL series are so popular.

Most Vietnamese BL series are different as the protagonists are often average people with "normal" problems, and surprisingly, a lot of Vietnamese series play in a – more or less beautiful, and more or less peaceful - rural setting. "THẰNG HẦU VÀ CẬU HAI" does not only play in a rural setting, but it also plays in times long past, and so a social and political dimension is being added to the same-sex love story.

I won't reveal the plot here in detail, because I want to make those readers who haven't watched the show  curious to give it a try, and those who've watched it know the plot anyway. Just so much: This is the love story of Huyy (Huyy Pham) the eldest son of a rich planters' family who falls in love with his servant Lat (Huu Duy), while Huyy's mother, who presides over the plantation and the family with a strict, and sometimes brutal regime, wants him to marry Tuyen, the daughter of an influential family. Lat is reluctant at first, although he loves Huyy, but he is afraid that his father, who also works on the plantation, may suffer if their relationship is revealed – a fear that actually materializes. Huyy, however, is determined to live with Lat and is even willing to go without the inheritance of a big plantation. He finds a clever solution, but if you want to know how he manages to bring about a happy ending for everyone, you have to watch the series yourself.

The series has been released on Huyy Pham's Facebook page in 10 episodes and on Huyy Pham's youtube channel in 7 episodes, and it has been shot in portrait mode which I usually do not like particularly, but here I don't mind it because the story is captivating enough to make up for this technical detail. Apart from this, the technical quality of the series is good - there isn't even anything to complain about the sound, which is usually the biggest problem in productions with a low budget.

The writing is also good. It finds the right mixture of dramatic, romantic, and comic scenes. Many dialogues are more than everyday babbling, and some even have something like philosophical depth. The script also manages to send social and political messages by stressing that the emancipation of same-sex relationships is an act of political liberation just as the overcoming of the feudal structures displayed in this series.

The costume department has done a great job, too, as all the characters' clothes appear authentic, and the members of the plantation owners' family always wear shoes and often silk clothes, whereas the employees, who come across like slaves, are barefoot and wear simple cothes.

The costumes, the setting, and also the writing remind me of Korean series like "Nobleman Ryu's Wedding" and those parts of the most beautiful Thai series of 2023, "I Feel You Linger In The Air", that are set in the past. This really says something, as those series were produced with a huge budget and involve some of the most renowned BL directors and actors.

Another point that makes this series so amiable is the acting. Huyy Pham perfectly personifies the rich young man with all his determination, but also the chains his family background put on his personality. Huu Duy's body language, his facial expressions, and the way he conveys the humbleness and the inhibitions of his character are a masterpiece of acting. The actress who plays Huyy's mother appears OTT in some scenes, but this makes it clear to the viewer how difficult it is for the young lovers to leave the social restrictions of the ancient times behind. Something similar can be said about the young actress who plays Tuyen – it's not her personality that is evil, but the role a woman like her has in a feudal surrounding. Huyy's younger brother' role was probably the easiest for a good actor like the one who plays it, because he is just a lovely guy and caring brother.

There is only one small issue I have to citicize, and that is the fact that the credits haven't been translated to English, so we don't know the names of the actors and actresses of the supporting roles and the functions of crew members.

You may have realized that I have avoided to translate the Vietnamese title so far, and the reason is that the filmmaker couldn't decide on an English title for his series. Sometimes it says "The Dany and His Servant", and sometimes "The Servant and the Young Master" - I prefer the latter as I must admit that I don't know what a "dany" is (could it be a "dandy" misspelled?).

All in all I can only recommend this series as it is a heartwarming love story set in an interesting time and place, and the main reason why I love it is the fact that the show is proof of the enormous dedication that cast and crew put into this project. Huyy Pham, who is obviously the producer of the show, says in the final credits that he has run out of money for a second season, and I sincerely wish he can find sponsors or donators to make it happen.

Country: Vietnam (2023)

Runtime: ca. 60 minutes in 7 (Youtube) or 10 episodes (Facebook)

Director: ThuHa

Cast: Huyy Pham, Huu Duu et al.