Awaiting Dawn – Series Review & Episode Guide

Meet Viet, a comic artist whose work life is a nightmare. His boss is an unreasonable man who loves to berate him and pile on impossible deadlines. After one too many arguments, Viet finally snaps and quits. Good for him! Except now, he has no job. To make matters worse, his boyfriend has gone MIA. Things were going so well with Duy. But then, Duy got a new job and moved away. And then? Viet doesn't hear from him. Radio silence. Viet is left wondering what happened to his boyfriend.

Viet is left at home, unemployed and lovesick, throwing himself a one-man pity party. He's unemployed. His boyfriend has gone missing. Boohoo, he thinks his life sucks! Luckily, his best friend Nhung isn't the type to let him wallow. She drags him out for a night of drinks with her friends. Nothing fixes a broken heart like alcohol, right? Viet shows up early, but he's still miserable. By the time the rest of the group arrives, he has consumed too much alcohol and is already drunk as a skunk.

One of the new faces is Dung, who's visiting from out of town. He introduces himself, but Viet is too out of it to care. As the night winds down, Nhung and another friend decide to peace out together. Just the two of them. They ask Dung to escort Viet back home. Dung isn't thrilled. He barely knows this guy! But nobody really gives him a choice, so Dung is left with the responsibility of bringing Viet home.

Dung carries a fully drunk Viet home on his back. But then, Viet throws up on him. Yikes! Back at Viet's place, Dung cleans up and changes out of his clothes. But Viet is still drunk and refuses to leave him alone. Against his better judgment, Dung ends up in bed with Viet. They make out and have quite an eventful night together. The next morning, Viet wakes up with a fuzzy memory. He doesn't quite remember what happened with Dung.

Viet decides to travel to Da Lat to track down his missing boyfriend, but it doesn't go well. He catches Duy cheating on him with another guy. After a devastating breakup, Viet has officially hit rock bottom. Once again, he copes by drinking too much alcohol. Viet wanders the streets drunk and heartbroken. And who does he stumble into by sheer coincidence? Dung. And yes, Viet throws up on him again. Poor Dung!

The next morning, Viet wakes up and discovers that Dung runs a family homestay with his grandmother, his older brother Trung, and their one employee Anh. Viet freaks out because he has a vague memory of their previous night together, but they clear up their misunderstanding. Viet decides to stick around for a while and becomes a long-term guest at the homestay. The small town vibe is good for his soul. Getting to know Dung and his sweet grandmother is even better. Slowly but surely, this little homestay is starting to feel like a new home.

I have mixed feelings about Awaiting Dawn. This 14-episode BL series has plenty of highs and lows. Something that bothered me right away was the drunken hookup in Episode 1. It's an annoyingly common trope that BL dramas just can't seem to let go. Viet was really wasted that night, but Dung still got intimate with him anyway. Ugh, I wish the couple's romantic arc didn't have to start like this! The characters moved on quickly, but I remained uncomfortable after what happened. It took me a while to actually settle into this series.

Viet becomes a long-term guest at Dung's homestay. Our two leads start catching feelings, but Dung isn't ready to admit he likes men. They keep inching toward these romantic moments… But then, Dung gets hit by a wave of gay panic and bolts. This part of the story is frustrating, but also oddly compelling. There's something addictive about a character teetering on the edge of a breakthrough. Every almost-moment turns into a tiny emotional cliffhanger. The storyline does drag on for too long and tested my patience in the later episodes. But for the most part, Awaiting Dawn kept me hooked. So good job!

It takes Dung a long time to work through his personal demons, but he eventually gets there. We cheer for the moment when he owns up to his feelings. Hooray! The couple has great chemistry together, and their kisses are very persuasive. No complaints from me! Both leads do a solid job in their roles. Viet's actor (An Tran) is impressive, especially in the emotional scenes. He handles the angst without going overboard. His co-star (Bui Trung Thai) is also great. Plus, he's easy on the eyes. My only minor note is that the crew goes too heavy on his makeup in a few scenes.

Viet lives in the homestay and befriends everyone there. That's the whole story. Not a lot actually happens in Awaiting Dawn! Yet, each episode is still enjoyable. What I like about this series is its intimacy. I listen to the conversations. I pay attention to how the characters react to each other. Over time, I grow invested in their relationships. My favourite scenes are the ones between Dung and his grandmother. She's the definition of unconditional love. I also adore Viet & Nhung's exchanges because she's hilarious. Plus, Nhung gets her own GL subplot, which is a nice little bonus!

The writing is very hit-or-miss. Some scenes hit the right emotional notes. Others are awkwardly written. Viet's ex-boyfriend is a good example of what goes wrong. This guy has a new personality every time he shows up. The plot needs a villain? He's a jerk. Next episode? Perfectly nice guy! And then there's Dung. He keeps doubting his grandma, even though she has made it crystal clear, multiple times, that she accepts his sexuality. It almost feels like the writer forgot what they wrote in previous episodes. The lack of continuity breaks my immersion in the series.

Awaiting Dawn is stuffed with cliches. It read the soap opera handbook and said yes to all the tropes. I tried to enjoy it anyway, but the melodrama kept escalating until I got annoyed. Somewhere between the car accident and the amnesia, I was rolling my eyes through the last few episodes. The finale is my least favourite. The worst part is Dung's tasteless joke about Anh's domestic abuse. Yikes! Overall, Awaiting Dawn has enjoyable moments, but the quality is too inconsistent. This drama comes with the good, the bad, and a lot of ugly soap opera nonsense.