Bed Friend – Series Review & Episode Guide

Uea is a graphic designer working at an agency. Uea sees himself as an ordinary employee, unlike his zany coworkers with colourful personalities. He keeps composed while they gossip, banter, and act rowdily around the office. Uea gets along with his best friend, Jade, another graphic designer with a sweet personality. They look after each other, keeping their sanities around the hectic workplace environment.

Uea doesn't get along with King, one of his colleagues from the IT department. This young, single programmer is a notorious flirt. His cocky swagger and flippant behaviour get on Uea's nerves. King likes to flirt playfully with Uea, but his advances always get ignored. They maintain a slightly antagonistic workplace relationship. Uea mostly ignores King, treating him like any other coworker.

Uea lives alone in an apartment flat. Years ago, he moved away from his hometown, where his mother and younger sister, Tonkhao, still reside. Uea has a close relationship with his sibling and dotes on her. However, he doesn't get along with his mom. In addition to being a homophobic parent, she pesters Uea for money. Uea reluctantly gives her a stipend each month. His mom has remarried another man, Sorn. Uea despises him as well.

Uea's company arranges a group outing. Everyone on the design and IT team meets for a night of karaoke. Although Uea participates, he isn't in a celebratory mood. Recently, he broke up with his cheating boyfriend, Pock. In addition, he's stressed about the tensions with his mom. Uea ends up drinking too much for the night. As the only sober employee, King takes him home to rest.

Once Uea and King are alone in the bedroom, they have passionate sex. Uea is regretful about his actions the next day and wants to forget their one-night stand happened. Both agree to keep their fling a secret from the rest of their nosy coworkers. However, King enjoys their time together and wants to continue seeing each other. Uea initially refuses the offer and keeps his distance, but King persists. Eventually, Uea changes his mind and agrees to become friends with benefits. They set rules for a casual relationship that is purely based on sex.

Sex plays a prominent role in Bed Friend. This series features numerous erotic encounters between the main characters, who frequently sleep together as fuck buddies. The couple's first intimate exchange is a drunken hook-up, occurring under dubious circumstances. Otherwise, their bedroom activities are fun, spicy, and consensual. From sultry gazes to roleplaying props, each sex scene is delightfully raunchy. Bed Friend cracks me up, turning these smutty moments into hilariously camp entertainment.

Bed Friend casts two attractive stars in the leading roles. King's actor (Net) is a handsome heartthrob with striking good looks and a sizzling physique. This suave hunk exudes sex appeal in every scene, whether clothed or shirtless. He shares alluring chemistry with his costar. Together, they bring saucy seduction to their sensual encounters. It helps that both leads are comfortable with displaying their bodies. There's an abundance of BL-friendly visuals that will satisfy fans craving skinship. Bed Friend also showcases stylish cinematography and captures the performers stunningly.

Despite enjoying the couple's intimacy, the toxic storylines turn me off. I thought this BL drama would be about casual sex, but I was wrong. Bed Friend tackles triggering topics like parental abuse, child molestation, and workplace harassment, none of which are handled sensitively. The series constantly victimizes the protagonist in harmful situations, piling trauma on top of trauma. At least three supporting characters sexually assault Uea, like a parade of interchangeable predators. Bed Friend feels sleazy and exploitative, using provocative plots to scandalize the viewers.

On top of irresponsible storylines, Bed Friend has dreadful writing. From cringy dialogue to one-dimensional villains, the pitiful quality sinks to the bottom tier of trashy BL dramas. None of the plots develop with nuance. Cliched events occur predictably and thoughtlessly, showing no originality or subtlety. After many episodes of sensationalizing excess trauma, these conflicts neatly resolve in a few swift scenes. Why did the issues persist so long if the solutions were this easy? Bed Friend tries to be gritty, but it comes across as dumb, inelegant, and tasteless.

I like Uea and find him a sympathetic protagonist. Although his acting is sometimes stiff, the performer (James) brings strength and fragility to a multifaceted role. However, his love interest is underdeveloped. King has a bland personality and shows little charisma. He's supposed to be the knight in shining armour, but his behaviour in Episode 7 is disappointing. After Uea escapes a traumatic experience, King blames the sexual assault victim instead of comforting him. What an icky stance. Uea deserves a better boyfriend who gives unconditional support, like Jade.

Occasionally, Bed Friend offers pleasant surprises. I like how the characters get tested after their one-night stand, highlighting the importance of safe sex practices. In addition, all the antagonists get their rightful comeuppance, so the story finds its moral compass toward the end. Yet, I don't view Bed Friend as an empowering series with positive messages. Instead, I remember the seedy plots, sleazy predators, vile behaviour, and victim blaming. Filled with problematic red flags, this tacky BL drama is only enjoyable during raunchy sex scenes and fails everywhere else.