Fake Buddies – Series Review & Episode Guide

Min-hwan and Joo-ha are university students who met at a mixer. During a party game, they are supposed to pretend to be a couple. Although neither has any romantic interest, they play along and maintain the charade. After the mixer, they continue to keep up the act. Since Min-hwan and Joo-ha enjoy each other's companionship, they don't continue their relationship status. Slowly but surely, they become known as a couple on campus.

Joo-ha meets Min-hwan for a meal. Their conversation shifts to the topic of friendship. Joo-ha brings up the concept of "fake friends", whom she describes as someone only pretending to be friends to fool everyone else. However, Min-hwan doesn't understand the difference. Their conversation gets sidetracked when Jin-hyuk joins the couple for a meal. Min-hwan and Jin-hyuk are best friends who have known each other for over ten years. As expected, the two men share an easygoing rapport.

While waiting for the food to time, Min-hwan and Jin-hyuk are deep in conversation. They giggle and exchange inside jokes, which Joo-ha doesn't quite understand. As they continue to focus on each other, she becomes suspicious of their close bond. Joo-ha notices several odd details. Firstly, the two men wear matching outfits. Secondly, they know in-depth personal information about each other. Min-hwan can recite Jin-hyuk's entire schedule for the week easily, yet he doesn't even remember Joo-ha's birthday.

Joo-ha is annoyed when she catches her boyfriend in a lie. Min-hwan told her that he had spent the previous day resting at home. However, she now discovers he was playing video games with Jin-hyuk instead. From her perspective, the two are meeting up behind her back. Min-hwan and Jin-hyuk seem evasive, but they make up an excuse. They discuss how Jin-hyuk wants to open a bakery while Min-hwak helps him prepare.

After clarifying the situation with her, Joo-ha believes the mix-up is all a misunderstanding. She feels embarrassed for doubting her boyfriend. Reassured by her boyfriend's loyalty, Joo-ha's carefree mood returns. Little does she know that her gut instinct is correct. Indeed, Min-hwan is secretly dating Jin-hyuk. Min-hwan uses his girlfriend as a beard, but she doesn't even realize it.

Fake Buddies begins with a juicy premise. The suspicious girlfriend interrogates her ambiguously gay boyfriend. Viewers may ooh and aah as she asks pointed questions or picks up on clues. As the goofy soundtrack suggests, this exchange is meant to be comedic. You may feel amused by how the characters react. Even if you don't laugh along, you'll still be curious about the outcome. She's the detective, while he's the culprit. Will she catch him, or does he get away with it? This uncertainty can feel thrilling.

The protagonist seems sketchy because he uses his girlfriend as a beard. However, the story introduces another clever twist to change the dynamic. As the deceit deepens, there's potential for compelling drama, but Fake Buddies doesn't develop further. After setting up an intriguing conflict, the series claps its hands and decides the plot is done. It abandons the original premise midway instead of exploring the characters' motivations, emotional complexities, or consequences of their actions. What a wasted opportunity when there are so many storytelling ideas available.

The first two episodes involve lengthy interrogations between the characters. Their snappy dialogue captures a fun back-and-forth as they exchange cheeky remarks. However, the writing can be repetitive. The first episode has a similar narrative structure as the second episode. Once again, Joo-ha and Min-hwan must hide their secrets. Even though they change their lines or do different things, there's still a predictability to how the scene unfolds. This problem is recurring throughout the series. You get the nagging sense of deja vu and will know what happens next.

In the beginning, Min-hwan almost spends too much time with his girlfriend. The focus is on their fake relationship drama. This is frustrating because BL fans want to watch him interact with his love interest, not his beard. The second half of the series switches tracks, shifting the spotlight on the gay couple. Unfortunately, Min-hwan and Jin-hyuk's scenes have an awkward vibe. The story aims for a comedic tone, but it misfires. Their clumsy interactions don't convey a sense of romance. They seem embarrassed around each other instead of falling in love.

Another significant issue is the lack of chemistry between the actors. Min-hwan and Jin-hyuk are a mismatched couple with zero rapport. When they try to flirt, there are no sparks. Even during conversations, they seem disengaged. I find it impossible to imagine a romantic connection. In fact, the entire cast doesn't gel well together. They behave like strangers meeting on set for the first time. The two actresses have a slightly stronger synergy than their male counterparts, but they still don't bring much camaraderie to their interactions.

The BL arc finishes in Episode 5, where Min-hwan and Jin-hyuk share a painfully awkward first kiss. Instead of developing their romance further, the series doesn't bother anymore. The last two episodes are dedicated to Joo-ha's journey, but her storyline isn't interesting. None of the generic characters show much personality or unique traits, making it hard to care about them. Overall, Fake Buddies becomes dull once the novelty of the premise wears off. This uninspiring drama doesn't offer much plot, characterizations, romance, or emotional depth.