My first love with this series definitely goes to the colour scheme. Nuea and Toh are mostly seen wearing the oranges and blues respectively (which you know are complementary to each other on the colour wheel, if you’ve studied basic colours) and Sky and Jao wear derivatives of red. It’s not just easy on the eyes, it’s very beautiful to see. This is just one small instance that shows the depths to which the production went to craft out the series. Coupled with excellent actors with fantastic platonic and romantic chemistry and a solid storyline, SCOY makes for an amazing watch.

In a nutshell, Toh has had a crush, no secret crush, on Nuea for long and SCOY is his journey of love. There’s no need to ponder about the difference between a crush and a secret crush because there are well set rules for having a crush in secret, that we are introduced to early on. One of them being, three equals to four. Contrary to common logic, it actually makes sense. As does the concept of secret crush, but it requires us to sit through two or three episodes to understand that it’s not the same as stalking. Toh’s crush on Nuea is his one single obsession in life. It’s not something that fuels his day, it’s what his day itself revolves around. From a completely different perspective, one could call it an addiction of sorts– but it hasn’t yet progressed to the stage where it’s troublesome to either character. Toh is very well aware of what his crush could amount to. He's still sane.

This delicate characterisation and portrayal require extreme care, caution and dedication and this is the show’s greatest asset. It succeeds in depicting an exact likeness of the character as it was conceived in writing. Toh was translated flawlessly from thought to paper to screen. And was given further credibility (and adorableness) by Seng. Normally, Toh is the exact sort of character I hate in stories, books, shows and real life but no one except Seng could have sold Toh for me. I even actually like the guy! Billy is likewise perfect as Nuea. He isn’t the typical overbearing seme. Even when he’s possessive, jealous or sad, his innate softness never goes out of the picture. I can wax poetic on how excellent Jao is, how he rocks pink, how he looks like a cute, squishy human plushie, how he’s just this soft and chubby bear who screams of comfort and gentleness.

You don’t see SCOY compromising anywhere- be it in the plotline, characterisation, costumes or production. There’s mature handling of practical problems that arise in relationships and it’s a treat to watch, especially after the stack of illogical and toxic stories we’ve had in the past. This is not to say that SCOY is impeccable. It has its share of negatives but none of them are disturbing. All of a sudden in the middle of the series, Daisy and Intouch are made the third couple but their track doesn’t have a proper beginning, middle and end. There’s inclusivity sure, but why is it not well presented? One sentence about Daisy’s problem to inform the audience about it and another to resolve it are not how a third couple should be treated. Kongkwan and Fon suffer a similar fate but at least, they are more of a side couple who’ve already got together.

For that matter, SCOY doesn’t resolve a lot of minor conflicts it brought in to further the plot. Kong? Peach? Prao? Flowers at the end? In that sense, SCOY isn’t exempt from how it uses the cliché of a jealous female who comes in between the leads. Prao gets the worst deal of all (especially after Ging’s super awesome Nadia in My Ride). One episode, Nuea and Prao are together and the very next one, Nuea can’t bear the sight of her. Why? The uniforms are different for a change, but it’s basketball again(?) Truthfully though, this is more my dissatisfaction than any criticism speaking because the show is enjoyable regardless. When all is said and done, “Secret crush on you” and “You’re the magic in my life” keep ringing in your ears and there’s a lingering smile on your face. Success? Yes!

P.S.- (repeat after me) We need more of Saint (and his productions)!